Where Waves crash and Journeys end (Doctor Who/Broadchurch)

14

"Help him." The blonde girls' voice begs, tears shimmering in her big eyes. Her friend just keeps staring at the console, his cold gaze remaining. The TARDIS wants that too, her distant humming getting louder and louder. She knows that he would never ever refuse. She knows that he would never be cruel. Or cowardly. He's a strong being. Maybe not as strong as the universe itself, but just as strong as she has witnessed. Every life he has lived, filled with the energy to heal. To cure. 

To help. 

So why he refuses now? 

His friend sighs in pain, then walking to the door. Before she steps out, she turns around. Her face is completely red, she's about to burst in tears. Taking a deep breath, the girl whispers:

"I'll! But just tell me - where's my Doctor? My lovely, wise Doctor, the one who saved billions of people? The one who protects, who heals, who never carries guns? Who was always there when help was needed? Just tell me, my beautiful Doctor...is that really you?" 

Her eyes start to glow. They're glowing just as golden as the sun, brighter than the stars above. You can see whole galaxies fading away, whole galaxies burn. Whole planets collapse. 

Just by looking at them. 

Her tears fall, streaming down her face while she raises her voice again. It sounds ancient, older than time itself. Older than him. She has got used to it. 

"There once was a prophecy. A prophecy about one man who brings war and ends it. This man was known as the Oncoming Storm, the Last of his kind, the Warrior. Oh, he had many names, this man. Many, many names, many, many faces. This man soon met someone. Someone as old as himself, helping him to raise an army against his worst enemies, the Daleks. This person was me. It was me who destroyed the Daleks, who stared into the heart of the TARDIS. Who loved this man, more than anybody else. But times change. The man grew weak. Oh, what did he scream, he could have done so much more - this is music to my ears..."

His hands start to shake, this voice paralyzing his mind. He wants it to go away, not mocking him anymore. He doesn't know what to do, he just clenches his fist. All would be so much easier if he just lets go - so much easier. Face the truth, it is not. 

He slams his fist on the console, hissing: 

"You...you don't understand! You don't have it under control, have you? You don't know what it is like to be the loneliest creature in the universe. I've seen so much my old eyes just want to forget, I just can't. I can't do it anymore!"  

There's grief in his eyes as he searches for his friend behind those glowing windows to the universe. This soul full of emptiness, full of power. Power that grows more and more since he's with her again. Power that will tear them apart some day. 

At least, it's all his fault. 

"My Doctor. My wonderful, bright Doctor. Just look at you - what kind of man have you become?"

Her voice makes him sleepy, echoing through his head. His shoulders are trembling, so much grief, so much pain. All his greatest fears have come true. 

He reaches an arm out to her, wants her to know everything. Wants her to forgive. Wants her to know the truth. 

But she's already gone.