Chapter Text
He had walked for miles, she had seen, even if she wasn't really there. Just a part of her, a small one, wanting to keep him safe, protected, to help him through the impossible now that she knew what the impossible was. Or maybe she always knew? Tenses were trickier now that she was a creature of time, even if it was only temporary.
And as he came to the shed where he would dump the box she latched her mind to, his curly brown hair clinging to his face from sweat and his green long coat looking too heavy for the desert heat a trill of excitement came over her. She's wanted to meet this version of him, or will want to one day, and here she was waiting for him.
He stepped inside, closing the door behind him before carefully setting down the box, pulling the burlap off of it like it was a precious object. Though, she supposed, a weapon as powerful as that should be handled so carefully.
He examined it with care, looking it over and tilting it gently, flinching slightly when he bumped a gear and something inside it began to tick.
"Couldn't include an obvious 'on' switch, now could they?" He muttered to himself, the fatigue of the war clear in his voice. If she had a heart it would break. But since she didn't, she simply ached for him.
Something outside rustled, and as he moved to investigate the noise she suddenly found herself sitting on the ornate box that was meant to destroy two races in one swoop. She felt as though she may now have a tangible form, now. Maybe he'll see her.
"Hello?" He called politely through a crack in the door, though no one replied.
"'S just a wolf," She replied, startling the gallant, almost Victorian looking man as he turned abruptly to look at her.
"Who are you?" He asked, frowning. "And why are you sitting on that? It's a dangerous weapon, not a stool."
"Sorry, she said, standing quickly and stepping out of the way, only to have him partially circle her as she did. He looked her over, his blue eyes studying her thoroughly, and if she had blood she'd have blushed. "You don't have to look so hard, mate. You'll see me soon enough."
"You still haven't answered my first question. Who are you, and while you're at it, why are you here?" He asked, coming to a stop as she did, the weapon between them.
"Who am I? Now that's a question that has a few answers. How about you just call me … the Moment. That is what your people called that thing, yeah?" The Moment asked gesturing to the beautiful box between them.
"You're the Moment?" He asked, look between her and the box.
"They must have told you it had a conscience." She smiled, her tongue caught between her teeth.
He smiled at her, a genuine one that took years off his face. "I didn't think it would look like a girl from the twenty-first century." He quipped.
The Moment looked down, taking in her pink zippered jumper and her black pants.
"So I'm not the Moment, exactly. But it does have a conscience and it chose me. Or, I chose it. I'm not sure how it works. Point is, I'm from your past, no, sorry, future, and I've come to help."
He gave a snort of derision, shaking his head. "And what future do I have, if any? Certainly not one that would allow for a young woman such as yourself to be a part of it."
The Moment grinned again. "I'm more a part of your future than you can dare to imagine, Doctor." She said with a shake of her head.
"I hardly think so." He said, looking down at the beautiful box mournfully. "I should think that when this is all over I will keep to myself for the rest of my days. Maybe regenerate repeatedly, I've only got another five left. Can't be too hard to find a few ways to end it all."
"That's not you," She said, shaking her head, moving toward him. "You'll feel that way for a while. Until you meet me. Well, not me, but her, the girl, the one I'm a part of. You'll see." She said nudging him and making him sway a little on his feet. When his sad, beautiful blue eyes met hers, looking familiar in a way she couldn't explain yet knew how, an idea came to her mind. "Pick a number." She said, and he looked at her like she was being foolish. "Go on, pick, between one and five, pick a number."
"Three." He said with forced amusement. "Let's go with three."
"Alight, then" She said, looking above their heads as swirling, golden circle appeared before them.
"What are you doing?" He asked her, looking between her and the fissure she opened.
"You have a wonderful future, Doctor. The time war ends, and you are the one to end it. Things will look bad for a time but what I'm going to show you … I'd like to think it will give you strength."
He chuckled in his throat before it emerged loud and full, and she still couldn't help but love the light his smile brought even when it came during dark circumstances. "Strength?" He mocked. "I'm about to burn my planet, my home, my people. It's a task that's fallen to me, and I'm now being told I'm going to have to survive it. What is in the future that is so worth living for?" He railed.
Almost as if it were supposed to be the answer, he was hit on the back of the head with a fez.
The moment sighed. "Certainly not that." She shook her head before looking up, smiling as warmly as she could to the poor, worn Doctor. "But something amazing, something you'll need to see to believe." She stretched her hand out to him, "What do you say, Doctor? You're going to have to do this either way, wouldn't you rather do it knowing the good that is yet to come?"
"I'm not sure good will be possible. I'm sure I'll be cursed to suffer for the rest of my days," He said sincerely before his eyes fell to her hand. "But who am I to disappoint such a lovely, sentient device?" And with that, his hand clasped around hers before bending down and picking up the fez. Tossing it in to the fissure, he looked down at the lovely pink and yellow human-like creature beside him. "Shall we?" He asked, and together they jumped.