They sat side by side on the beach, each wrapped in her own thoughts, waiting for the other to speak. Finally, the Doctor broke the silence.
“Yaz, we need to talk.” She takes a deep breath and looks at Yaz with a pained expression.
“What is it, Doctor? You look worried”. Yaz moves closer to the Doctor and takes her hand.
“I'm sorry, Yaz. I'm so sorry. But we can't do this anymore”.
“What do you mean? Do what?” Yaz frowns as she is trying to hold on to the Doctor's hand.
“This. Us. Being together Yaz. It's not right”.
“Not right? How can you say that? We love each other, don't we?”
“Of course we do. But that's not enough. Not for me. Not for you”. The Doctor pulls her arm away and turns to face Yaz.
“I don't understand. What are you trying to say?” Yaz is beginning to shake as she looks at the Doctor with confusion and hurt in her eyes.
“I'm trying to say that I'm not good for you, Yaz. I'm not good for anyone. I'm a Time Lord. I live for centuries. I travel across time and space. I see things you can't imagine. I do things you wouldn't approve of. I change faces. I change lives. I change history.” The Doctor is speaking rapidly and passionately now, as if trying to convince herself as well as Yaz.
“And I love you for all of that. For who you are. For what you do. For how you make me feel.”
“But you shouldn't, Yaz. You shouldn't love me. You should love someone who can give you a normal life. A stable life. A human life.” The Doctor is speaking firmly and sadly now, as if trying to protect Yaz as well as herself.
“Normal? Stable? Human? Is that what you think I want? Is that what you think I need?” Yaz is incredulous and defiant as if trying to challenge the Doctor.
“Yes, Yaz. Yes, it is. Because you're human, Yaz. And humans need other humans. They need to grow old together. They need to have families. They need to belong somewhere”.
“And you don't think I belong with you?
‘No, Yaz. No, you don't. Because I don't belong anywhere. I don't belong to anyone. I'm the last of my kind, Yaz. The last of the Time Lords.’
‘You're not alone, Doctor. You have me. You have Dan and all your friends and companions.” Yaz, in turn, speaks warmly and hopefully, as if trying to remind the Doctor of her connections.
“But they're not like me, Yaz. They're not like us. They come and go, Yaz. They leave or die or forget me”.
“But I won't, Doctor. I won't leave or die or forget you.”
“Yes, you will, Yaz. Yes, you will.”
“No, Doctor. No, it doesn't have to be like that.”
“Yes, it does, Yaz. Yes, it does”.
“Why?’ Yaz pleads. “Why does it have to be like that?" Yaz is tearful now.
“Because... because..........because I'm going to regenerate soon.” She speaks hesitantly and tearfully, aware that she has dropped a small bomb on the woman she loves.
“Regenerate? What do you mean?” Yaz is shocked and fearful at this new word she’s never heard.
“Regenerate, Yaz. It’s what Time Lords do when they’re dying. They change their bodies. Their faces. Their personalities. Their memories.”
“Dying? You’re dying? How? When? Why didn’t you tell me?" Yaz is frantic now.
“I’m sorry, Yaz. I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to worry you. I didn’t want to hurt you. I didn’t want to lose you.” The Doctor’s voice is soft and sorrowful. Apologetic.
“Lose me? You’re not going to lose me, Doctor. I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying with you. I’m staying with you no matter what.”
“No, Yaz. No, you can’t. You can’t stay with me. You can’t see me like this. You can’t see me change. You can’t see me become someone else. Someone you don’t know. Someone you don’t love.”
“But I do know you, Doctor. I do love you. I love you for who you are inside. Not for what you look like outside. Not for what you say or do or think or feel. But for who you are in your soul. In your heart. In your essence.”
“But that’s the thing, Yaz. That’s the thing. When I regenerate, I don’t know who I’ll be inside. I don’t know what I’ll be like in my soul. In my heart. In my essence”.
“But I do, Doctor. I do.”
“How can you, Yaz? How can you?”
“Because I know you, Doctor.” She speaks proudly and tenderly. “I know you better than anyone. I know you better than yourself”.
“And what do you know, Yaz? What do you know?”
“I know that you’re the most amazing person in the universe. I know that you’re the most kind and compassionate and brilliant and brave person I’ve ever met. I know that you’re the most wonderful and beautiful and inspiring and amazing person I’ve ever loved”.
“Oh, Yaz....”
“And I know that no matter how many times you change your face or your body or your personality or your memory, you’ll always be the same person in your core. You’ll always be the Doctor. You’ll always be my Doctor.”
“Oh, Yaz... My Yaz.” The Doctor is speaking softly and tearfully now.
“Please don’t say goodbye.” Yaz pleads. She is tearful and bordering on losing control.
“Oh, Yaz...Yaz.” The Doctor’s brain is desperately working overtime as she grabs her own head with both hands and shakes it over and over. A million ideas are manically being processed and discarded. Yes. No. Perhaps? No. Maybe….Maybe…………MAYBE??????
“Wait!......Wait a minute….I just had an idea…. A brilliant idea. A crazy idea. A very Doctor-y idea.” The Doctor speaks excitedly and energetically.
“What is it, Doc? What’s your idea?”
“What if… what if I could make a copy of myself? A meta-crisis Doctor? A human-Time Lord hybrid? A Doctor with one heart and one life and one face?” The Doctor’s mouth was now ahead of her brain.
“A meta-crisis Doctor? How would you do that?”
“Well, I would need a bit of my DNA, a bit of your DNA, a bit of Donna’s DNA, a bit of the TARDIS’s DNA, a bit of the rift’s energy, a bit of luck, and a lot of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff.” She speaks vaguely but confidently, as if trying to simplify her process in her own head.
Yaz was doubtful and nervous. “That sounds complicated. And dangerous. And impossible.”
“Oh, it is. It is all of those things. But it’s also brilliant. And amazing. And possible.” The Doctor was now sounding like the old familiar Doctor: positive and bold. Nothing was impossible. “I’m sure I could scrounge some of Donna’s old clothes somewhere in the wardrobe.”
“And what would you do with this meta-crisis Doctor? Where would you go?”
“I would go with you, Yaz. I would go with you to a parallel universe. A universe where we could be together. A universe where we could be happy. A universe where we could be normal.”
“A parallel universe? Like the one where Rose is?” Yaz was desperately intrigued by this crazy plan. It was hope.!
“Yes, Yaz. Yes, exactly like that one. In fact, that’s the one I have in mind. The one where I left another meta-crisis Doctor with Rose. The one where they’re living happily ever after. The one where we could join them.” She speaks warmly and eagerly, as if trying to persuade Yaz with her vision.
“You want us to go live with Rose and the other Doctor? In another world? Forever?” Yaz was incredulous.
“Yes, Yaz. Yes, I do. If you want to. If you’re willing to. If you’re ready to.”
“But what about this world? What about this Doctor? What about this TARDIS? What about this life?” Yaz could only think of her family, worriedly and sadly.
“This world will be fine without us. This Doctor will regenerate and move on. This TARDIS will find a new home. This life will end anyway.”
“But what about me?" begged Yaz. 'What about us? What about our love?” Add emotion and passion to her overwhelming emotions.
“You will be happy with me. We will be happy together. Our love will never die.” The Doctor was so sincere and assured, Yaz was a willing victim.
“Oh, Doctor. Oh, Doctor.” She spoke softly and tearfully. This was an answer to her prayers.
“So what do you say, Yaz? Will you come with me? Will you be my companion? Will you be my lover? Yes? Yes? Yes! You will? You will! You will! The Doctor speaks excitedly and joyfully, as if trying to celebrate Yaz’s answer before it’s given.
“Yes, Doctor. Yes, I will. I will come with you. I will be your companion. I will be your lover.”
“Oh, Yaz. Oh, Yaz. You’ve made me the happiest person in the universe.”
“And you’ve made me the happiest person in any universe.”
“Come here, you.” She opens her arms and embraces Yaz tightly.
“And come here, you.” Yaz wraps her arms around the Doctor and hugs her back.
“I love you, Yaz. I love you so much. She whispers in Yaz’s ear and kisses her cheek.
“I love you too, Doctor. I love you more than anything.' She whispers back and kisses her lips.
“Are you ready, Yaz? Are you ready to go on the adventure of a lifetime?” She pulls back and looks into Yaz’s eyes with a smile.
“I’m ready, Doctor. I’m ready to go anywhere with you.” She looks back and smiles too.
“Then let’s go. Let’s go to our new home. Let’s go to our new life. Let’s go to our new world.” She takes Yaz’s hand and leads her to the TARDIS.
“Let’s go, Doctor. Let’s go together. Let’s go forever.” She follows the Doctor and holds her hand tightly.
“Allons-y!” She opens the TARDIS door and steps inside with Yaz.
“Allons-y!” yells Yaz. She steps inside too and closes the door behind them.
THE END.
Prologue
The Doctor and Yaz arrive in the parallel universe where Rose and the Meta-Doctor live. They find them in a cozy house in London, where they have been happily married for several years. They are surprised and delighted to see the Doctor and Yaz and welcome them warmly. They catch up on their stories and adventures and share their joys and sorrows. They realize that they have a lot in common, and that they still care for each other deeply. They decide to stay together as a family and help each other adjust to their new lives. The Doctor and Yaz find a new purpose in this new world. They are happy with their new family but they never forget their old world, or their old friends. They miss them terribly, and sometimes wish they could see them again. They wonder what happened to them, and how they are doing. They hope that they are safe and happy, and that they remember them fondly. They keep them in their hearts, and honor them in their actions. They cherish their memories and treasure their gifts. They are grateful for their time with them, and proud of their legacy. The Doctor and Yaz love each other deeply and support each other fully. They respect each other’s differences and celebrate each other’s strengths. They trust each other’s choices and forgive each other’s faults. They comfort each other’s pains and share each other’s joys. They inspire each other’s dreams and fulfill each other’s wishes. They are partners in life, and companions in adventure. They are lovers in soul, and doctors at heart.