Chapter Text
Ruby woke up in bed.
Normally, there’s nothing special about that. But today felt just a little bit different. She had just turned up there. No explanation, no reason. She hadn’t been on a night out, and hadn’t had an accident.
Sitting up, she looked around, bemused and stunned. It was almost as if this wasn’t real, but it was. And she knew it was. It came back to her slowly, but it would come back.
Conrad. Mrs Flood. The Rani. The Reality War. And, of course, the Doctor. He left, looking for Poppy. She wasn’t sure if he’d come back, or what he was actually even doing. But before she could even think, she heard a knock on her door.
“Ruby Ruby Ruby,” Carla smiled, to the tune of the Kaiser Chiefs. With a cup of tea, she carefully waddled into her adopted daughter’s room. “Two sugars. Giving you your Gran’s treatment. Only right after everything you’ve done.”
Ruby rubbed her eyes. “Mum?” is all she could stammer out.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she laughed. “Joe’s okay, don’t worry. Gran’s watching him. He’s okay.”
“And I could do with that blasted tea, woman!” shouted Cherry from the kitchen, where she was sitting with a somehow quiet Joe, formerly known as The God of Wishes.
Carla rolled her eyes. “I’ll be back.” She patted Ruby on the head, before leaving to see what her mother wanted. “Can’t you do anything yourself, Mum?” her voice faded.
Ruby looked at the cup for a few moments. She swallowed hard. Glancing over at her desk, she trudged out of bed, almost like she did come home from a night out. She moved to her desk, and picked out her diary.
And she started to write.
Dear Diary,
What the hell just happened…
I mean, I know what just happened, kind of anyway. That whole Conrad’s World thingie. Yesterday was mad. Absolutely mad. Everything blowing up, stopping Conrad, Poppy. Wow. But even after saving the world, I feel so lost.
The Doctor. Where is he?
I mean, yeah, he’s gone after Poppy. I know that. But the way he looked at me and Bel, I’ve never seen him look like that. Like he was saying goodbye, like I was never going to see him again. But there was no actual goodbye, there were no tears. It was all kind of weird, and just happened? He left, and the next thing I knew I was at home with Mum and Gran. And I know the Doctor. He wouldn’t just disappear like that without letting me know what’s going on. Something’s happened, I know it has.
Everything has just felt so weird since he disappeared out of my life last year. That was the first time I had seen him since he left when I found Louise. I don’t know when I’ll see him next. Or if. But I know that I’ll miss him.