That time of year had passed The Doctor again. He vowed. He promised. He must deliver.
He travelled deep into the TARDIS, past the library (and the pool apparently) until he came to it. The mirror. Draped with a deep red cloth, with a quick movement he flicked it off.
This was only the second time since his regeneration that he saw his new face.
"Wow!" He remarked, "I swear I get younger every time!" He murmured, still taken aback by this rather dashing man before him. Well dashing to him at least. Bow tie and all.
His scattered thoughts came to an abrupt halt when that flash of red graced his view. He smiled coyly.
"Oh, come out, come out, little one." Another flash.
"Lucy, do not play with me, come out." His tone became harsher, yet not evil. After all he was meant to be funny right? Funny's good.
"What do you want?" she whispered, appearing, still clutching her red balloon.
"Well, you know, thought we could … catch up. I promised to visit you every year, so here I am."
"Your him? The Doctor?"
"That's me, hello." He gave a little wave of his fingers.
"You've changed…" She began.
"Yeah, crazy story that, a tale for when you're older but what I want to know is, have you changed your ways?"
"If I say yes will you return me back?"
"Depends on how big my heart is feeling. Wait… hearts… plural." He mused about this while grabbing a chair and sitting on it reverse, facing the child.
"You gave me what I wished for, immortality, to exist for all time, and that I shall, forever bound in time in a mirror. Yet I see now, it is a curse, for by and by there will be nothing to live for. The worlds will crumble until you are left with nothing. To live through that must be agony."
"I have lived through it. I am to blame for all that remains of two great nations. Both worlds enveloped in fire, destroyed in a great war."
"And what did you feel?"
"Agony."
"So my prediction is correct. All that is left for me now is Agony. A curious thing, to know ones future."
"You get used to it after a while." He chuckled "I have the power to decide that anyway." He added lightly. Lucy remained silent, looking down.
"My brother? What happened to him, please tell me." She murmured after a while. This was the one subject that The Doctor would never indulge her evil brain in. It was also the thing that troubled her the most, to be constantly declined of the information she desperately craved. News that her family were okay was all she asked, for all she knew they were dead.
"Oh ho, thinking you can get it out of me just because I have a new face. I don't think so, missy." She gave a sad smile in return. A delicate shrug of the shoulders made her look years older then she was.
"It was worth a try." She turned and headed off the side of the mirror.
"Hey, hey, wait a minute, I'm not finished with you yet." Slowly she began to peer back into the reflection, eyeing him dubiously.
"What more is there to say, Doctor?"
"A hell of a lot actually." He began to pace in front of the mirror. She merely stood there, watching and waiting. If she did this and remained silent she may have a chance to be free at last. Free to find her family again. After all, it was meant to be what little girls want right?