Author's Note: And the end. As usual, this story ends where the Doctor Who canon begins - we all knew this was coming, eventually. The Doctor will go on to meet Clara in the Christmas Special that involves snowmen. And everything will happen like it did on TV.

Next up: "Acathla". Then, a story in which we finally get to find out what Ace said to the Doctor.

In regards to what I mentioned in my last post, it's looking like people aren't terribly enthusiastic about moving this out of fanfiction. We'll see what happens. I still like my idea a lot, but maybe it's just not destined to be written.

Anyways.

Enjoy the end of this story!

The Doctor was suspicious from the first moment he'd seen Strax, after Seo left.

Strax had, of course, tried to do his best to act normal.

But his best wasn't good enough.

"You're a walking potato who usually wants to blow up anything that moves," the Doctor pointed out. "But you haven't suggested one weapon I should be using, yet. And, for some reason, you're reading a book."

Strax attempted to make it seem like he was just being clever and sophisticated.

Which wasn't helped when the Doctor snatched the book out of his hands, and turned it right side up.

"What is this?" the Doctor asked, flipping to the front cover. "A History of…"

He stopped.

Stared.

Then looked back at Strax.

"What did you do?" he whispered. Then, his entire face growing stormy, screamed, "WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

"She has defeated the Empire, sir!" said Strax, proudly. He pointed at the book. "She found the most evil, traitorous, and undefeatable empire imaginable — the Irkoli Empire — and, by now, has already taken her place in history. She will achieve glorious victory over the Rutan — I mean Irkoli — scum!"

"You idiot!" shouted the Doctor, thumping the book on Strax's head. Then jumping into the carriage. "Get me back to the TARDIS. Now! She's out of range of the sonic, but I can still intercept her with the TARDIS. I can still turn her back!"

They galloped as fast as they could.

The Doctor jumping out of the carriage when they arrived, then racing up the steps two — then three — at a time, to get to his ship. Seeming more panicked and terrified every minute he delayed.

He burst into the TARDIS, frantically pushing and poking and pounding at levers and knobs and switches.

The TARDIS gave a little groan.

But didn't respond.

"She's… she's drained all the power from the engines," the Doctor realized. Stepping back, as it crashed across him. A look of… defeat. "I can't stop it. It's already happened, she's already there, and… and… I can't stop it! Not with the sonic, not with the TARDIS, not with… anything."

"Perhaps, sir, you should look at the book," Strax urged. "Your cloneling is brave and noble. Perhaps you are wrong, and she has — in fact — beat the Irkoli scum, obliterated their Empire from the face of the universe, and—"

The Doctor plucked the book from Strax's hands.

Opened it to a page.

And plonked it down in front of him.

"There," he said. Pointing to the graphic illustration, portraying the body of one of the most cherished fallen heroes of the Irkoli Empire. A graphic illustration… of Seo. "That's what happened to her, Strax." He turned back to the central console, kicked it, viciously. "And I knew! From the moment she built that ship, I knew… this was her fate. Everything I've ever done to her, since… was to try to delay this point in her life, so she'd actually survive it."

Strax stared.

Then stared at the text below it. The text which described… the unsuccessful rebellion which led, ultimately, to her downfall.

"I was looking for Time Lords, after the War," said the Doctor, with a sigh. Standing back, leaning over the central console of his ship. His face… lost. And alone. "I traced what I thought was… another TARDIS. Except it wasn't one. It was a little piece of coral from my TARDIS. Along with the ruins… of a glass ship."

Strax remembered Seo's ship.

With all its glass panels.

"After I met Seo — after she built her ship and passed her tests — I went back to where I'd found the ruins of that same ship," said the Doctor. "Tried to find her. Hoped she'd be somewhere nearby, somewhere I could dig her out. But… I couldn't. I could never, ever find her." He kicked the central console, again. "I lost her, Strax! If she'd had more time, if she'd been older, maybe…!"

"She… is dead?" said Strax.

The Doctor turned away. "Worse," he said. "So much worse. A living death. And it'll never end."

That did not make a lot of sense to Strax.

"Even if I could find her body, I can't bring her back," said the Doctor. "Not now. And because of that — all the lives she could have led! All the people she could have been and the things she could have done! A whole potential future… wiped out."

Strax didn't know what to say.

The Doctor shook his head. "I did it again, Strax. I let one person into my life… and now she's gone. My fault!" He closed his eyes, bitterly. "I should never have let her remember seeing me here. If I'd turned her away — she'd still be alive now."

"I don't understand how that follows, sir," Strax replied.

But the Doctor wasn't listening, anymore.

He was done with the world.

Done with people.

Forever.

"The Doctor's worse than ever, now," said Jenny Flint, as they tracked down the elusive Doctor Simeon on the streets of London. "We thought he was bad, before, but… he's not taking any chances, now."

"I heard," said Madam Vastra. "The memory worm."

According to Strax, the Doctor had begun taking it with him, everywhere he went. Anyone he met… even accidentally… and he'd wipe their memory. Make them forget the last hour of their life.

"It's sad," said Jenny Flint. "He knew he'd lose her like this. But he was so desperate not to… he drove her right into it."

"Fate," Madam Vastra said.

Repeating the word she'd heard him use.

That one word.

"No. Loneliness," Jenny countered.

They looked at one another. A married couple who loved one another more than anything. And protected the friend that had once been kind, and was now withdrawn, isolated, and cruel.

"Then… 'Grief'," Madam Vastra agreed.

"Then 'Pain'."

"And finally?"

"'Loss'."

They held each other's hands.

As they raced off into the night. Trying to track down Dr. Simeon — a man whom only the Doctor could defeat.

Knowing… the Doctor never would.