We're in the end game now. This is it. This is the final chapter

Welcome to the Epilogue everyone!

─── ｡ﾟ☆･*.☽ .* ☆ﾟ. ───

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EPILOGUE
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It hadn't been long since the Doctor dropped Amy and Rory off at their first destination for their honeymoon and Hollie could sense something different about the TARDIS. It had become eerily quiet so much so you could have heard a pin drop in the corridors. The Doctor seemed to always preoccupy himself the past week since the newly married couple left. They hadn't even left the TARDIS at all in that time.

He was always busy fixing the console and Hollie had lost track of the days since she had last seen him, it was like he had forgotten she was onboard entirely and the conversation they had at Amy and Rory's wedding didn't even happen.

You don't just completely forget about someone after confessing your love to them, do you?

Then again with how much the Doctor went round and round about the whole thing in his head, it was no surprise to Hollie that he was now avoiding her.

But even then everything was going perfectly until the newlyweds had left, they were back to as normal as they could possibly have been.

So why was he now avoiding her?

Was he going back on what he said?

had he changed his mind?

Hollie sighed as she looked around at her art, her head hurt from all the confusion from the Doctor to her newfound regeneration abilities. She soon decided to just face him head-on and ask him herself. She felt almost like a prisoner in the TARDIS, even if it was a very comfy prison indeed.

That was how Hollie found herself standing in the console room, under the glass flooring with the Doctor sitting in his makeshift seat, his goggles hanging around his neck awkwardly as he swung in the seat while Hollie stood in front of him, her arms crossed and a slightly angered look on her relatively new face, not that he noticed it just yet.

He still was getting used to her face and all the expressions she made.

"Hollie!" He tried to sound cheery but his voice wavered and he cringed at the way it came out. He cleared his throat and forced a smile as he looked up at her. "Are you okay?"

"I haven't seen you in ages." She stated factually and gave him a pointed look that made him squirm uncomfortably under her gaze, she looked at him as if he was a child being told off.

Which was actually quite accurate when it came to him, she thought. He did act like a child an awful lot. Not making his mind up was only one example.

"You're avoiding me."

"Am I?" He questioned and she gave him an even worse glare as her next words came out with an icy tone to them:

"Don't try that on me, Doctor. It won't work."

He winced at how angry she sounded now and he sighed before standing up and wiping his greasy hands on a nearby cloth. He removed the goggles from around his neck and tried to give her a warm smile but it didn't work and her icy glare almost turned frozen. "I'm not doing it on purpose." Hollie only gave a hum in reply, she wasn't at all convinced as she raised her eyebrows at the Time Lord. The Doctor sighed again as he helplessly added. "It's just hard without the Ponds here."

Hollie frowned wondering what he meant. "How is it hard?"

The Doctor didn't like the way this version of her made him squirm.

It was as if she could give him one look and he would tell her his whole plan.

She knew exactly what she was doing to him.

"I haven't had many people who can regenerate around me in a very long time, Hollie." His face became almost soft as he continued on. "I'm sorry if I have been avoiding you, it's extremely hypocritical of me but it's quite a shock to see you like this." He waved at her, sighing as the weight was finally lifted off his chest. "But I am trying I promise." He shook his head, becoming angry at himself.

He had pushed her away because he was afraid of himself. Not her, never her.

He didn't want to hurt her...

Because if there was one thing the Doctor was sure about he was sure he loved her. There was absolutely no doubt about it; but when the woman you love can suddenly do the unthinkable, the one thing no one else had been able to do since your whole planet was destroyed by your own hands you'd be a little concerned and possibly a bit confused.

Wouldn't you?

He was truly the worst Time Lord ever to exist. The fact that he was standing here judging her after having to reassure countless companions that he was still the Doctor made him the biggest hypocrite to ever exist in the Universe.

He was Doctor hypocrite.

He shook his head, no what a silly name that was. Hollie hadn't said a single word since he melted in front of her and told her exactly what she wanted to hear out of him and he blinked, he had been kicking himself so much and trying to explain himself he had almost forgotten she hadn't said a single word.

Hollie smiled sadly at him and carefully reached out to take the Doctor's hand in hers.

The Time Lord went to recoil from her and cringed at his action. He had to stop running away.

Hold on, retract that, he thought, he could run all he wanted, just not from her.

"I guess I will just have to prove to you I'm still Hollie Aria then."

The Doctor slowly nodded thankful she hadn't immediately turned around and left him alone or even worse: demanded to be taken home.

His hearts were torn, a large part of him was screaming and shouting that the woman in front of him still was her, she was still his beautifully mysterious and absolutely amazing Hollie, his Rescuer but another part was denying it all and that she died in 102 AD under Stonehenge.

The Doctor got rid of the silly little voices in his head and softly smiled, squeezing her hand slightly. "I guess you will."

Hollie nodded and the Doctor smiled widely at her question that sounded much more like the Hollie Aria he knew. "Where shall we go first?"

─── ｡ﾟ☆･*.☽ .* ☆ﾟ. ───

And that is the end of A Crack in Time! It only took five years and a total of 159,677 words but we finally got there in the end. Just, wow. I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has been with this book whether you've just read it from start to finish or you have been with it since the very start, it's truly been a journey so thank you for joining me on it.

If anyone has any questions about anything in the book now is the time to ask! I love your comments and questions so much <3

The next book will be up shortly so add that to your library's, lists etc when it comes up!