He hadn't been in here for centuries.

If he was honest, the Doctor had almost forgotten what the room contained. His hand slid forward; he pushed the door open, tentatively stepping inside. Entering the room, he found himself faced with darkness. The Doctor removed his hat and played with it in his hands. The door closed behind him.

"I suppose you know, then," he whispered to the room. "Know that Roz is dead?"

"And you still...can't find comfort. Can't find an ending?"

The Doctor hesitated as the voice began to get clearer, moving towards him from the darkness. "Wh...who are you?"

"Don't you recognise Death itself?"

A figure stepped forward, the darkness releasing him to the Doctor.

"Adric..." he breathed.

"What's the matter, Doctor? Why is it that you can never let go of your "mistakes"? You've paid the price. You didn't let me die, Doctor. You couldn't save me. I know that if you'd had the choice, then maybe I'd see home again. But sometimes, Doctor, the choice just isn't up to you."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes as he pressed down on the umbrella he realised was clutched tightly in his hand. His eyes dropped to the floor, and he hesitated before quickly raising them again.

"Adric, I..." But Adric was gone. The darkness moved to replace his figure with that of a slender, young woman.

"Sara..."

"It's not always a case of you doing wrong, Doctor. Sometimes you have to see what the Universe does for the greater good. Some of us would be proud to die for your cause."

The Doctor nodded silently. Sara took a step back and drifted towards the darkness once again.

"You will always remember, Doctor, why my death was necessary..."

The Doctor raised his head. "Kamelion..."

"You made a decision that was necessary, Doctor. The suffering of one was too much on your conscience. It was a stance against evil, Doctor. You cannot be regretful of that."

"I suppose..." Kamelion faded back into the darkness as the Doctor spoke.

"Alright, Professor."

"Ace! But, you..."

"I know, Professor. Don't worry, I'm not quite dead yet. But maybe I am. Or maybe I will be. Anyway, doesn't matter. Because I know you'll do good, Professor. Whatever happens, I know that. We can't always live. Only the lucky ones do that. But maybe the better ones die for a good reason. You can't live with guilt, Professor. It's better to go down fighting for what you believe in. It's like you always told me..."

"...brave heart."

The Doctor forced his head to rise to face the young woman now standing in front of him. Dressed in an air hostess' uniform, her hair tied back, Tegan Jovanka smiled.

"Just like you always said. I know, Doctor, I forced my way in... I've got a loud mouth and a head for trouble. But you showed me something that no one else had. A better way of living, stronger ways of surviving. You can't argue against that. Like you said, there's always a way forward..."

"...into the Underworld."

His eyes narrowed. "Katarina?"

"You lived with the guilt of my death for many years. But the fact is, Doctor, you couldn't have stopped me even if you'd tried. Not because something would have stopped you. But because I would have stopped you. I wanted to do what I did, Doctor. Because I tried to make something good happen. I didn't understand, but even that didn't stop your message reaching me."

The Doctor took a step back. "I've made mistakes. I've abandoned people. Sarah wanted to come to Gallifrey...Peri still bears the grudge of my departure, knowing that I left her on her own in a strange world...and Susan. Susan was left behind on Earth. An alien on a primitive world. And Mel..."

"...What, Doctor? Abandoned on Iceworld?"

"Mel..."

"Living with Glitz? I wasn't abandoned! I chose to stay. Sometimes, Doctor, you just have to realise that people are responsible for their own actions..."

"...just like I was, Doctor."

The Doctor glanced up at Sarah Jane. "You..."

"... died? Didn't die? Time changing, forces acting on us. It all adds up to the same thing. Were you really sitting alone on that park bench that day? Either way, I made the choice I did. You can't carry the weight of the world on your back forever. Sometimes, you have to accept that you can't save everyone. Death might take people from you, but sometimes they take themselves, because it's the better thing to do. You've taught them all about the choices they have to make. Did you ever consider what would have happened of they didn't die?"

"No, I..."

"The Cybermen would have conquered Earth."

"The Daleks would have harnessed the power of the Time Destructor."

"The Master would have controlled your TARDIS."

The Doctor stepped forward into the darkness, the space around him empty now.

"Sometimes, you don't consider the other side of the coin..."

His eyes narrowed once again as he squinted forward to see the figure approaching him. "Roz..."

"Doctor. So, did you ever think what might have happened? If the others had survived? What about the price you would have paid then? You can't protect them all, the Universe doesn't work that way. They make their own choices, people guide their own lives. And just like you wanted it to be...they do it for the greater good. They fight your cause. Just like I did..."

The Doctor nodded. "You're right. The Universe can fight it's own battles. I can't decide who lives...and who dies..."

Roz faded from sight.

"So, that's it, Doctor. You're free. Go back and do what you're supposed to do. Fight your cause. You have a mission for the Time Lords to complete. Find your way in the Universe, and let others find theirs...Time can find it's new Champion."

"Wait. Who...who was that?"

The silence remained still around him. This time, no one replied.