Gallifrey Falling

Brave New World

Location Unknown- Date Unknown

The Doctor awoke.

He rushed to the door, dread in his mind. He didn't want to know what awaited him, but he had to know like a moth drawn to a spider web.

What he saw was the last thing he expected.

It was a large purple hue of a sky lurching over soft, silver soil. Giant mountains of silver and bronze hung over the distance, obscuring everything the blue flog hazing through didn't.

He was standing in a small cave, about the size of one house. He noticed in the center of the cage a raging fire.

He silently approached the flame.

"Doctor!"

The Doctor's hearts jumped a beat, and he dared not look at the figure, out of fear of dying from happiness. It was too good.

He'd always know Romana's voice.

The Doctor gave in and turned to her. She looked a little older than he had last seen her, much more mature. But, she was still Romana! He hugged her.

"I am not a hugging person", he told her,"so you know this means a lot."

Romana just smiled back at him.

"How did you survive?", The Doctor asked as he sat down by the fire. She had made them both some coco.

"Same way you do; a woman. The First TARDIS, to be specific. She dematerialzed at the last second, picking up us and your TARDIS with it. It struggled a bit with your TARDIS, sent it 300 years into the future. I've been waiting for you ever since", Romana explained.

"What do you mean 'us'? Could you mean-", he struggled to say it out of glee.

Romana's face dropped a bit.

"She couldn't save all of us, just about a half. Most of the timelords still perished. Maybe all. She got all of the non Timelords in the mountains though.", Romana said with a grim look," She tried her best. I believe the Capitol was lost."

"She still-this is amazing. Fantastic. Haven't broken that out in a long time, but today is special. Today is...it's the best day of my life! Gallery saved-how did she come up with the idea?"

"It was mine", Romana  revealed," I planned it three days before the destruction. I had to lie to you-because it wasn't a lie. It was a risk. I still don't understand how she got away with it. She hadn't traveled in years, their was signifcant amount of weapons being fired at her-the odds weren't in our favor."

"A miracle", responded a tear eyed Doctor.

"Yeah", agreed Romana.

They sat in silence, just soaking each other up. Finally, Romana spoke.

"Doctor, you need to understand-this isn't Gallifrey. Not the one we knew. She changed her exterior into a liveable world, almost a planet. A place to thrive. But, it's different. She went with a different appearance to hide us. The people here, they won't rememeber Gallifrey soon, if not already. Our culture is kept inside the TARDIS, but I closed all the doors. I didn't think that they needed us.", Romana confessed.

"This is Gallifey", declared the Doctor," It's a pure Gallifrey. No Rassilon, no poltics. Our people have been given a second chance. They don't need two Timelords deciding their fate, not anymore. They might discover our culture, they might not. They might blow each other up. It doesn't matter. What matters is that they have a choice. Romana, our people took and took other's choices. Let's make up for it."

He stood up and looked out.

"This planet have a name", The Doctor asked, curious.

"Nobody else to ask the question.", Romana spoke,"I was thinking either Doctor, Theta, or Sigma? What do you think? "

"How about Fred?", the Doctor joked.

"Fred is lovely", Romana agreed.

The Doctor turned. In a world of entirely new things, the most interesting one was in front of him.

"Run away with me", The Doctor begged,"We can go fly across the stars, battle the Daleks. Whatever you'd like."

She considered it for a moment.

"No", she declined," I think that would not go down well. You run, Doctor, faster than any other person. It's exhilrating. But I couldn't keep up. One day, you'd lose me. I'd fall to the cold. I don't want to be cold, not ever again."

"Then, what will you do. Obi Wan up here for the rest of your regenerations, giving advice to those who seek it? Not your style, frankly.", The Doctor questioned.

Romana held out a fob watch.

"Last piece of Timelord tech.", she replied,"There is a small villiage nearby, quite civilzed from my view. Tomorrow, a small baby girl is going to appear with a fob watch."

"Romana-", The Doctor began.

"-is old", she said firmly," She is a remnant of the Timelords. She doesn't belong in the brave new world. "

"Then, neither do I!", declared The Doctor.

"We both know you were never quite a Timelord. Not like me. Go on, Doctor. Be brave, be kind. Give us a name we don't deserve. But don't be something you are not. Don't be cold.", Romana told him, embracing his stick frame,"but that is all tomorrow. Today..."

She smiled and he cried.

He had found his home, even if it was just for a day.