Chapter 37: Last of Thier Kind
"Doctor, tell me what happened." River asked softly as they slowly walked back to the TARDIS. She had her hands stuffed into her pockets, fingers still unfreezing from the coldness of the world outside, and studied his face closely as she frowned.
"There's not much to say. It's gone. Or rather, it'll never be. Any other planet destroyed and the TARDIS can go back to a time when it was not, you can see it in all its splendour, walk the streets with its people. But Gallifrey never rejoined the universe. It's in a time lock. It's a never-was planet." The Doctor explained, tonelessly as he removed his silver waistcoat and tossed it over the side of the console, ignoring the hanger on the railing surrounding the rotor.
"You miss it." River stated as she watched his face, half illuminated in a green glow by the time rotor in the centre of the console.
"Who wouldn't?" The Doctor gave a half smile. "Some days I want nothing more than to forget it all. And then I stop and think, why? Why should I forget? The very last of my kind and I still want to turn and run." He shook his head sadly.
"You were always good at that." She told him with a little nod.
"But it was my fault. I did it. Those other names, The Destroyer of Worlds, Oncoming Storm, The Trickster in the Pandorica. It's true. My fault Gallifrey burned." The Doctor told her while staring straight at the time rotor column.
"How?" She asked as she moved closer to stand next to him. She removed one hand from her pocket and took his.
"I took the Moment." He replied and River let go off his hand. The Doctor turned and looked at her confused. She only stared back at him in shock.
"Moment?" She asked with wide eyes.
"Why...did you?" He asked watching as she stood a little distance away from him, eyes unfocused.
"I..." River answered. "The Moment? You?"
"River?" He asked with a worried tone as he stepped forward.
She took another step back and pulled both hands up to stop him from getting any closer. One hand, with its palm outstretched, the other with its palm clutching tightly to a golden pocket watch which was heavily engraved.
The Doctor's eyes widened. "River...where did you get that?" He asked with a calm voice that was smothering the panic that accompanied with the frantic thumping of his hearts.
"This?" She stared at it, lowering her hands down, which allowed him to step closer. She looked like she was looking at it for the first time. "It's nothing, just a watch. I've always had it." She shook her head. "Moment? Doctor, what is a Moment?" She asked.
The Doctor ignored the question and peered closely at the pocket watch. He looked at it before leaning backwards, without turning around, and scrabbled blindly at the console. His fingers brushed against a smooth metal object and he showed it to her. His silver pocket watch.
"You've got one too?" She asked, still confused. He shook his slowly.
"Part of a Chameleon Arch. I've used it before; it changes Time Lord biology to another's species. Rewrites your whole DNA. Gives you new, false memories." He explained haltingly, searching her eyes for something she couldn't identify.
"What are you saying?" She asked, her fingers tightened around the pocket watch. It glinted in the light from the console.
"Shhhh." He whispered. "Just...listen."
River lifted the watch closer to her ear and breathed shakily as she listened for something. And then she heard it, a soft whisper, full of emotion and secrets of a past not hers. Not fully anyway. You can open me now. It's time. I'm ready. I don't need to hide anymore. You don't have to hide me.
