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The TARDIS library stretched for what seemed like miles, thousands of bookshelves filled to the brim with old novels and biographies. The Doctor and Amy sat almost in the very middle, her on a chair watching him as he droned on about something he’d been reading. He was scanning the books, trying to find the certain one he was talking about. It felt so great to just be there with her, to spend that time with just them. The books blurred in his vision slightly, and the Doctor realised just how tired he was. He had to keep going though, a bit of fatigue couldn’t stop him. He closed his eyes slightly just to rub them-
Oh. He was in his bed. He didn’t remember going to sleep, but he must’ve been, because he had just woken up. He got up, his footsteps echoing through the halls of the TARDIS. The control room hummed, and he was pulling levers suddenly. Strange. He pushed a button, and the room shook beneath him. Rose popped her head out, looking confused. They weren’t supposed to be leaving yet. But they were, they had to get back home. Now. The ship lurched without warning, and The Doctor tripped, falling, falling-
He was by the pool. He sighed, running his fingers through his silver hair. He must’ve dozed off under the stars. Clara called out from somewhere on the other side. She wanted him to join her. He couldn’t. She would kill him. That was new. She laughed, her voice becoming heavenly and alluring. Her scales glistened along her tail, and the Doctor was in the pool next to her. She put her hands on his shoulders, and pushed him down, his lungs filling with water he couldn’t breathe he couldn’t-
It was fine. This was all fine. He was in the engine room, fixing something. His sonic screwdriver buzzed in her hand. That was new. It beeped, over and over and it was wrong, it’s not supposed- he was pushed back through the air as the room filled with fire, the explosion so loud that every part of his body shook. He was flying, the floor so far, so close-
She woke, breathing heavy. Something was wrong she had to run something was coming-
Her footsteps were loud, and she tried to run, she could hear it behind her hear it-
The Doctor was running, the halls of the TARDIS stretching forever, his chest burning with difficulty as he pushed his legs through the mud that covered the walls and floor, crimson red as it dripped from something, dark and murky like a lake, he was sinking, drowning, falling-
He was flying the ship, but smoke came from everywhere and he couldn’t see couldn’t breathe-
She was screaming, but the air was thin as she tried to get one more breath and everything was sucked from her-
The blood seeped from his chest, the knife protruding from him stabbing him over and over and over and-
He was running, the floor fell, he was falling into the heart of the-
He woke up, clutching his chest. He was in his bed, in his room in the TARDIS. Something was going to happen, this wasn’t real, none of this was real… he screamed, screamed the name of everyone who had helped him, everyone he had trusted and lost and loved, his voice cracked as every part of him heaved as he screamed. Ruby ran in, staring at him. She looked scared, concerned. She wasn’t real either. Did he say that? Or did he think it? Tears dripped down his face as he cried, eyes darting like a deer in headlights. She ran forward, grabbing the Doctor and hugging him, squeezing him as tight as she could. She was whispering, over and over, “it’s ok, I’m here, it’s going to be ok, I’m real” and he believed her. Because he could see it, see her blonde hair against his face, see the walls that surrounded him. He could feel her squeezing, feel the blanket and his tears and he could hear her whispers and the hum of the TARDIS and it was ok. It would be ok. He was safe.