Green Vortex [III]

Forest of the Dead Pt3:

The Doctor and Galaxy stood near the door in the back of the reception room that was now full of people that were being teleported away. They were looking for Donna as she stopped by quickly to mention something about finding someone before going off.

"Any luck?" Galaxy asked when Donna walked back to them. "There wasn't even anyone called Lee in the Library that day. Suppose he could have had a different name out here, but let's be honest, he wasn't real, was he?" She asked.

"Maybe not." The Doctor replied. "I made up the perfect man. Gorgeous, adores me, and hardly able to speak a word. What's that say about me?" She asked. "Everything." He said, lost in thought and Galaxy shook her head as Donna glared at him, offended, "Sorry, did I say 'everything?' I meant to say 'nothing.' I was aiming for 'nothing,' I accidentally said 'everything.'"

"What about you? Are you alright?" Donna asked them. "We're always alright." Galaxy told her. "Is 'alright' special Time Lord code for...'really not alright at all'?" She asked. "Why?" The Doctor asked. "Cos I'm alright, too."

Galaxy took hold of her hand and led her out of the Library with the Doctor following behind. They walked over to the balcony where they had seen the whole planet when they arrived. The Doctor pulled out River's diary out of his pocket and placed it on the balustrade.

"Your friend...Professor Song...she knew you two in the future, but she didn't know me. What happens to me? Because when she heard my name, the way she looked at me..."

"Donna...this is her diary. Our future. We could look you up. What do you think? Shall we peek at the end?" The Doctor suggested. "Spoilers, right?" She smiled at them. "Right."

They looked at each other and were able to resist the temptation. "Come one. The next chapter's this way."

-10-

River and the hooded figure appeared in a meadow with a flashing light and River pulled her arm out of the figure's hold. "What the hell were you thinking?! Now we won't know if it worked!" She exclaimed as she glared at the figure.

"If it didn't work then I wouldn't be here, would I?" The figure asked, pushing back their hood to reveal an older looking Galaxy, "In fact, you actually beat me to it with knocking the Doctor out." She continued, smiling amusedly.

"What are you talking about?" River asked, shaking her head in confusion. "I was going to take his place. But of course you did what you did." She told her. "But you wouldn't have survived it. He said you hadn't finished the safety precautions for Time Lord biology!"

"Actually, I did. While he was talking. Instead I was installing a larger memory bank for Charlotte using the same software that was used to amplify my brain. The Doctor just thought I was still working on safety precautions."

"So by coming to get me it prevented him from seeing me survive and question why." River said and Galaxy nodded. "It could've led him to finding out about the implants and that's not when he finds out."

"So what happens now?" River asked. She had accepted she had to die, she was prepared and ready but now she had no idea what to do. Galaxy smiled warmly at her and stepped closer to her, putting the chain with the sonic key attached around her neck.

"Now...now you have all the time in the world to write about new adventures." Galaxy brought out a brand new journal and handed it to River as the sound of a Tardis sounded behind River who turned around and her eyes widened, "Did you think I'd watch him be happy only to see it end?" Galaxy asked and smiled when River turned to her, "Go. Before he gets impatient."

River laughed tearfully and hugged Galaxy before taking the journal and heading off into the direction the Tardis noise came from.

Galaxy watched as she went before smiling when another Tardis sound sounded behind her and she turned and walked towards it.