TWENTY MOMENTS WITH ROMANA

A/N Romana_II/Eight Please review.

Disclaimer I don't own them if I did well Romana and the Doctor would be together.

Beta read by Lady Catkin

"End of the line" the Doctor said as the TARDIS was recalled back to Gallifrey landing in the security compound.

"Doctor?" Romana asked.

"There's no-where else for us to go. It's all over, the Time lords made sure of that." He knew what was to come; they would hurt him, but not Romana at least not in the same way. He had to protect her in whatever way he could.

"I won't allow you to just dump me back on Gallifrey!" she protested.

"I'm not, they brought the TARDIS back, I didn't exactly have a choice" he said defensively.

"There's always a choice - you taught me that" she replied, her voice still sharp.

"I was wrong. Just go Romana", his voice was controlled but harsh.

"I'm not leaving you. I love you Doctor and you told me that you loved me" she sounded sincere, desperation hinted at in her voice.

If she stood with him, the Time Lords would punish her too. He should have known you can't fight the might of the Time Lords - they always win. Using Romana in their games of politics in their twisted little world, a world he had left a very long time ago. Romana however, was his and he loved her, not that it mattered to the Time Lords.

Romana stepped out first.

"Welcome home Romana" greeted the President.

Romana looked down, never feeling so miserable,surrounded by the High Council members. She recognised some of them, like Braxiatel who gave her a weak smile, but with sorrow in his eyes.

"I am who you want - leave the Doctor alone" she commanded, her eyes filling with tears.

The Doctor stepped out, but before he knew what was happening, he was instantly struck in the face, hitting the ground instantly.

"What have you done" she whispered.

"Doctor I'm here, I won't let them hurt you" she continued breathlessly.

"It's going to be all right Romana, its not you they are after it's me" he said after a moment or two of gathering his composure. He pressed his lips against Romana's and kissed her, knowing it would be the last time.

Romana was quickly man-handled away from him by two guards, who easily held her as she squirmed and writhed in their grasp, begging to be freed.

"Say goodbye to Romana, Doctor, it's the last time you will ever touch her" came the Presidents voice.

"I'm sorry" whispered the Doctor.

"You may leave now Doctor, now that Romana is safely home, where she belongs"

"I need her, I love her" he protested weakly.

"Love? What do you know about love? Insufferable chemical imbalance, that is all it is!" spat the Lord President.

"I know I love Romanadvoratrelundar" he said softly.

He regretted that day greatly, could he done things differently? Kept Romana with him, stood up to her father? Defied the Time Lords? He wondered what Romana would be like now. It had been years since they had been forcibly parted. Would she even care about him still, now she was President?

He stealthily sidled into the Presidential office, and saw her sat behind her desk, dressed neatly in her white presidential robes.

"Lady Romanadvoratrelundar, Madam President, Urm, Romana?" he said quickly, stumbling over his words.

She looked up from her desk.

A frown appearing on her face as she stared straight through him, before finally speaking.

"When you have finished your business here will you remove your TARDIS from outside the palace?"

"Romana" he said softly

"When you are in this office you will address me as Madam President" she paused "was there something else?"

The Doctor sighed heading for the door.

"Typical" muttered Romana under her breath.

"Braxiatel? When the Doctor leaves, can you raise the transduction barriers? He is no longer welcome on Gallifrey".

He turned to look at her.

She thought she saw a glimpse of pain in his eyes.

"Leave us Braxiatel" demanded the Doctor.

However, Braxiatel waited to have the order sanctioned by his President first.

"That's okay, Braxiatel, you may leave us." Romana said softly.

He waited until Braxiatel left.

"What are you doing here Doctor?" her expression was cold and distant like she couldn't stand the sight of him, as though the sight of him repulsed her.

"Why are you being like this?" he questioned, daring to take a step closer to her.

"I surely do not know what you mean, this is me".Her voice was controlled, but he could tell it was slightly pained.

"Romana come away with me" he said quietly, which earned him an icy look.

"How dare you presume to order me! Do you know to whom you are speaking to? I have responsibilities and unlike you, I take my role as President extremely seriously!" she said, standing up from her desk and resting her hands flat against the surface of her desk.

"So Gallifrey needs you does it? At what cost? When has it ever wanted you before?" he said evenly.

"I need you Gallifrey does not" he continued, clearly not buying into her chilling facade

"Remember what it was like before? You, me, all of time and space? Collecting keys to time, running from the Time Lords?" he said, his voice warmer.

Romana threw him a bored look.

"I grew up" she replied simply, sinking back down into her chair, eyeing him with more fragility in her eyes.

"I love you Romanadvoratrelundar. I never stopped and I never will" he said.

"The President of Gallifrey does not have time for love!" She snapped.

"Then she should make time" he shot back.

"Please, just go" whispered Romana.

"Fine, I tried" he mumbled before walking out of the room.

"Oh Doctor" she whispered, standing up from behind her desk and walking to stand in the same spot as he had been stood. She broke down, sitting in the middle of the floor sobbing as if both her hearts were broken.

The Doctor stood outside the door lingering, he could hear Romana crying and he couldn't leave her. He walked back in the room, wrapping his arms around her.

"I'm sorry" she mumbled "but this is my life now and I don't want -"

He kissed her, breaking her off mid sentence. He reached out and wiped every tear from her face.

"I love you, I'm sorry for what they did."

He didn't know what they had done to his beautiful Romana.

"Can I?" the Doctor asked softly.

She nodded; she knew what the Doctor was asking as he put his fingers on her head, allowing him access to her mind. He saw how she had suffered; he saw how they had punished her the night he was forced to leave her; how she had cried herself to sleep in the cell they placed her in.

He had seen enough.

Taking his hands away, he simply held her before they started kissing, as if they had never been apart.

She frantically grabbed his hair as his hands yanked her gowns.

"Doctor" she gasped in between kisses.

"Romana" he whispered.

"Come away with me" he asked again, hoping against hope that she would consent this time.

To his surprise and amazement, she looked him in the eyes and nodded.

"So where are we going?" she asked, removing the remaining of her stuffy robes and head dress.

"What about Gallifrey?" he managed to say.

"You know, time is relative for us Time Lords. Just one trip, try not to mess this up either. I don't want to be returning in twenty years. I think they can only allow me to be missing twenty years just the once".

The Doctor smiled "your carriage awaits Madam President".

"Romana" she said softly, beaming at him seeing the old Romana come back.

She followed him into the TARDIS – feeling as though she had never been away.

He pressed her against the TARDIS door and leans into her, his body pressed against hers and kissed her. She was soon kissing him back, before they pulled away, smiling at each other.

"Welcome home Romana" he said softly.

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