Gallifrey Falling

In The Velvet Darkness

The center of Gallifrey- 30 minutes before it's destruction. 

With a thud, Romana and the Doctor fell to a cold and gold floor. They were in the middle of a vast and colorless corrdior, seemigly going on forever.

"What? Romana, why did you bring me here? I don't have time for this!"

The room shook dramtically, and The Doctor was tossed into Romana's arms.

"What was that?", The Doctor asked, concerned.

"That would be the Sky Trenches being bombared by Dalek fire, I imaigne", Romana explained calmly,"I'd say we only have 30 minutes before they break down."

"What is this place?", The Doctor said as he inspected the walls,"It is familiar, yet I've never known it before."

Romana let out a coy smile. She loved seeing him curious.

"I thought so too when i discovered it. Or rather, when it discovered me.", Romana said as she knocked four times on a wall.

She stopped. Something had just hit her.

"The end. That's what this place is for all those races. They know they won't survive. This is their death, their greatest fear. Yet, they came anyway. Why, Doctor? Because Gallifrey is worse than hell."

The words stung both parties.

"No, that would be me", cursed the Doctor,"All they know of Gallifrey is what i've shown them."

"Don't blame yourself", responded Romana,"No one man should care the weight of a world"

The Doctor's eyebrows furrowed.

"Is there some some of life form living in this place?", he asked, ignoring the subject.

"Oh, come on, Doctor, you should know better than anyone that places can be living too. I must saying it is quite a disappointment. Why ever did I allow you to assist with the Key to Time?", Romana taunted.

A pouty expression crossed the Doctor's face.

"Hey, no, you were my assistant. I was selected to deal with the Key to Time  because I'm practical, like how I just noticed that we are still on Gallifrey from the smell of utter arrogance that is found on only on this planet in mass. I also notice the smell is less centralized, suggesting you shifted us to a place where Timelords have not been often. The look on your face is telling me that I'm right, as always.", The Doctor responded.

Romana blushed. He was the best person to notice the wrong thing to get it right.

Just then, a door appeared on the wall in front of them. The Doctor hopped back. Romana didn't.

"Impressive," she said,"to both of us. "

They both enterted the door.

Inside, The Doctor fell to his knees. What he saw was amazing, so amazing. It was infinity.

In front of him, what looked like to be Standard TARDIS Control Room sprawled on, no end in sight. What was different about this was the light, in the center of the cnosole room. The light burned brighlty, brighter than any light seen on Gallifrey ever. From it's warm, gentle waves, the history of the universe nestled itself on the Doctor's face.

He struggled to understand it all.

"This is the first TARDIS", Romana beamed,"It's heart is the history of Gallifrey itself. It found me-"
"This is impossible", the Doctor breathed,"The first TARDIS burned at Eternal Peak according to the Panoptican Archive. This should not exist."

"It escaped, came back home", Romana told him,"It was afraid of the Other and Rassilon. It hid at the center of Gallifrey, until it found me, burning at Skull Moon. It shielded me and brought me here."

"Why", The Doctor questioned,"why would she hide herself from them? She could destroy them in a thought."

"She's like you", Romana explained," she's a call back to the old, good Gallifrey. She doesn't want anyone to get hurt. She remembered how it used to be. She doesn't just watch life, she lives it. She lets it flow through her, never afraid of the pain. She's been waiting for someone to have the good Gallifrey beating in their hearts. She found them."

"You?", asked the Doctor. Romana laughed.

"I try. But, there is one other person on Gallifrey who lives."
It dawned on the Doctor.

"No", he declared,"No, you've made the wrong choice. I hurt. All the time. I take young girls from their world and let them suffer, all because I don't want to be lonely! I am anger personified!"

"Nice to see it's certaintly not going to your ego", Romana dry said. She looked down to her device, and her smile faded.

How could one do this?

It would be like ripping a child from it's mother. It would be creul and cowardly. It would be giving in, giving up. It would be aganist all of the princlples Romana aspired to. There was only one way for a person to do this, only one thing a person could do it under.

Love.

Romana grabbed the Doctor, and with tears, pressed her button.

The First TARDIS was alone again.