Lost In Time: A Doctor Who Fanfiction

Chapter 28 - The Runaway Bride, Part 3

He sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. "When I first met Donna, I didn't care about her," he admitted. "I'd made some bad decisions, wanted to forget about life here. The empress promised me the chance to escape all that, and all I had to do was give her the dosed coffee. She didn't tell me until after I started that it could be deadly, but then said that if I kept giving it to Donna, she'd be able to remove the particles once they reached the correct dosage, and Donna would be safe. If I refused to continue, Donna would die, and they'd choose a new victim. And a new courier," he said grimly.

He frowned. "I don't particularly care about Donna, but I don't want her blood on my hands either. I couldn't back out, and by the time she started to mention marriage, I had to agree to keep her alive." He glanced at her. "I don't love her, but I don't want her death on my hands either. I've been going along with everything because I had no other option." He paused. "Do you really think the Doctor will be able to save her?"

She nodded cautiously, hearing the ring of truth in his words. Beacon of morality he was not, but... perhaps he was no murderer, either. "He can. He can help you too," she reminded him. "The empress will turn on you. You have to know that. But the Doctor can help you, if you let him."

"Even after this?" he gestured at her face, and she tried and failed to repress the urge to flinch. He nodded knowingly. "Will he really want to help me after that?"

She looked him steadily in the eye. "Yes. Because that's the kind of man he is. Because he's the type of man who will help when no one else will. Doesn't mean you won't escape justice. But he will help you."

He nodded slowly, expression giving nothing away. "You should go," he told her, glancing at his wristwatch. "Get as far away from here as you can, contact your Doctor and Donna. Get to safety, all of you. And stay off the streets. If the empress manages to harvest the particles, she'll attack the public, killing everyone she can to feed her children."

"What about you?" Lyssa pointed out, casting a wary glance down the corridor as if she might see the Racnoss beginning her attack already.

"What about me?" he asked, resigned. "I'm expected down there. I don't show up, who knows how she'll react. Plus, this way maybe I can do something to stop her, warn your friend if he hasn't found you yet."

She frowned, not happy with his idea but unsure what else she could do - the emergency button, if it was a teleport, wouldn't bring Lance with her. The TARDIS had no records of his bio-signature, wouldn't be drawn to him like she would the Doctor, or Donna with the particles she'd been poisoned with. And she definitely didn't want to set the Racnoss off early. But still.

"We can bring the TARDIS to you," she insisted stubbornly. "Fine, you have to act like everything's normal, whatever. Make your appearance, then make your excuses and stay out of the empress's way. Stick by the Doctor, if you can. He'll do his best to get you out of there." Lance gave her an odd look and she scowled. "What?" she asked defensively, still on edge. 

He shrugged. "Just learned something, that's all." She narrowed her eyes at him and he shook his head. "The Doctor. He's got a look in his eyes. I know it 'cause I see it every time I look in the mirror. Every time I think about how the Racnoss ship that I've been actively helping to wake is going to destroy this planet when they leave. Six billion people, and their blood would be on my hands. I may not care about most of them, but even I can't pretend I'm wholly okay with that."

She frowned. "What does that have to do with me?" she challenged him, refusing to address his comment on any guilt the Doctor's eyes may hold. Because the Doctor may view himself as guilty of all those lives, but he'd done it - or not, as the case may have been - to save the universe.