Author's Notes: Written for who_contest drabble challenge #6: 'Thank You'. Spoilers for 'The God Complex'.

He was a coward. He'd always known and admitted that. He'd run from his fears the very first time he'd been made to face them at the Academy, and then he'd never stopped.

But he'd also always been intensely curious. In the end, that was what won out. He had to know.

When he opened the door, he was surprised, and yet not. Of courseit would be this. It couldn't be anything else.

The TARDIS cloister bells cried out a warning that the walls of the universes were breaking down again, for that was the only way she could be standing right there in front of him within easy touching distance. The end of the universe that her presence heralded wasn't the real reason why this was his ultimate fear, though. Far from it. For him that was barely more than an average day travelling through time and space trying to mind his own business (or at least pretending that was what he was doing).

No, the problem with this scenario was that he'd already said goodbye to her one time too many. If not for the impending regeneration the last time, he'd have swooped in and taken her away with him, damning the consequences. If she came back to him now, he didn't think anything could make him turn and walk alone into the night again. He'd take her hand and show her the stars and know all the while that in a few short years he was going to have to watch her grow old and tired and too weak to even move, let alone to step outside the TARDIS for even just one last adventure. He'd keep her with him right up until her last breath was drawn in a painful rattle, because the only thing that could separate them again would be death, and even then...

Well, he wasn't sure he could allow even that. Though he knew the consequences of breaking the laws of time, in her moment of dying he could almost foresee himself being just mad enough with grief to do it anyway. She was already his weakness, and always had been. He couldn't imagine how much worse that would be if he had another fifty years to grow ever more firmly attached to her.

Yet, all the same, he doubted he needed to fear any of that in this particular moment. His feet remained purposefully planted in the hallway, and he smiled when she made no move to cross the threshold of the doorway to get to him.

He was right. She was just an image.

The Doctor thought that the way this place seemed to revel in force-feeding people their greatest fears was horrific, of course. Still, he couldn't help but feel thankful that he, Amy and Rory had all been dragged into it if it led to this.

He could never regret being allowed this one last temptation-free glimpse of Rose Tyler's grin as he closed the door.

~FIN~