You Need to Live

The Doctor stood at the edge of the pool in the gynasium of the TARDIS - a room he'd forgotten was there until earlier that day. He looked down at the reflection in the water. Heavily lidded eyes with dark circles around them, framed by an extremely pale face, curtained by a dull, uncharacteric lump of limp brown hair on his head. He'd had enough. Not nearly three hours ago, Clara, his newest companion, and as he'd found out, his daughter, had nearly been killed.

The Doctor couldn't bare to lose Clara. She needed to live. She didn't deserve the same fate as her mother, or companions previous. The Doctor had lived too long and stolen away the lives of too many. He was going to end it tonight. In this very pool, in this very room, in his TARDIS. She was humming worriedly, trying to make him change his mind.

"No, it's too late," He murmured, "I don't want Clara to die. She can't die. She's too important - she's too special." A tear filed itself over his eyelid and rolled down his cheek, followed by rivers more. The Doctor stepped closer to the edge of the pool - it was deep. His toes were by the edge now. He closed his eyes, more tears working their way down his face.

"Doctor? Doctor, where are you?" Clara's voice echoed up the hall of the TARDIS. The Doctor didn't want her to see this. She didn't deserve to see it. But she found him.

"Doctor, what are you doing?" She stared wide eyed at him.

He blinked, "Doing what should've happened years ago." he croaked, "I haven't deserved to live this long. I've destroyed too many lives for the sake of my own sanity. Tonight it's ending." He took a deep breath, and held out his arms. Clara took the hint as to what he was doing. "No! Doctor, no, I need you!" The Doctor took another step towards to pool. His toe-tips were hanging over the edge now. It wasn't long. "Doctor, please! Don't go! There's still so much you've got to d-"

"THERE ISN'T!" He yelled, "THERE'S ONLY MORE LIVES THAT ARE GOING TO BE DESTROYED BECAUSE OF ME! YOU NEARLY DIED TONIGHT BECAUSE YOU WERE PROTECTING ME! YOU'RE GOING TO DIE IF YOU KEEP GOING WITH ME, SO TAKE THE HINT, AND LEAVE! LET ME DO THIS IN PEACE, AND SO YOU DON'T SEE IT!" He was crying heavily now, tears splattering on his tweed jacket, over his shoulders awkwardly.

Clara shook her head, stepping forward to stop him, but he told her no. "The TARDIS will take you back to your time and your place." He whispered. He took another step. The Doctor's feet were half-way over, and he was lucky he didn't over balence and fall over then and there. He breathed deeply again. Clara was still outside the door of the room. "TARDIS, close this room's door!" He commanded.

While the TARDIS let out a disapproving whirr, she slammed the door, leaving Clara in shock, until she began banging hard on it. "Once I'm gone, let her come back in, say goodbye and all." He whispered. Yet another step. He was in the pool. He floated there, face down. Still holding his breath at that moment. He face began to go purple, and he wanted to rise to the surface again, but he knew he couldn't. Once his lungs felt like they would explode from lack of oxygen, he opened his mouth. He breathed in through his nose. The Doctor felt his lungs filled with water, and his head become heavy with it. He opened his eyes, the chlorinated pool stinging them, bit kept them open still.

The Doctor breathed in. Stars filled his visions as he began to sink. Sink into the cold bottom of the pool, where he'd die. The world faded slowly, leaving nothing back black and he hit the bottom of the pool. He was dead. No regenerating. Just dead. Clara banged on the door violently. The splashes from inside worried her, and she hoped that the Doctor han't taken the plunge, and had swam back to the surface.

But the TARDIS made a mournful humming noise and the door to the room with the pool opened slowly, and Clara crawled inside. The Doctor was no where to be found. She ran over to the pool, catching sight of a large human-shaped thing at the bottom. The Doctor. Clara, not caring for the fact that she was fully clothed in her favourite spotted-white black top, jumped into the pool and dived to the Doctor. She hooked her arms under his, and with impressive skill, carried herself and the Doctor's dead weight to the surface.

Clara pushed his body up first, then, jumping out the pool, checked his neck for a pulse, his wrist too, and his nose and mouth for breathing. All attempts to find life in him were fruitless.

The Doctor was gone. "No, Doctor! Wake up!" She pleaded, shaking him, "Do that thing - regenerating - that you told me about!" Tears clouded Clara's vision as she shook him harder, "Doctor, wake up! Don't leave!" But he'd already left.

Clara tried everything to return life to the Doctor. She pressed on his chest, gave him mouth-to-mouth, but she'd got nothing. Clara gave up. She put her arms on his chest, and cried, violently hard.

She'd failed the Doctor. But the Doctor didn't think so.