Doctor Who/Maguire's OZ crossoverthing of DOOM continued

[mm_azy]

He smiles faintly.

"Exactly," he says, giving Liir a bit of a squeeze, just because he can.

((continued from))

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[throppdescended]

He looks sideways, at the Doctor, and nudges him.

"I can't eat while you're like this."

But not unkindly.

[throppdescended]

One day it'll get me. But right now, I have my daughter.

And it's thoughts like that which confuse him even as he knows that they're some of the most honest things he's ever said.

[mm_azy]

His smile warms.

"You're a lucky man," he says, and means it. He'll never be a father again. That's one of those things that he tries very hard to sit on.

[throppdescended]

"No, an extremely unlucky one with one extraordinary bit of luck. I don't even remember the whole of it. I was freezing to death in a coma after my fall when her mother and I..."

Yeah, he's still awkward here.

[mm_azy]

"Ahh." He nods. "It probably wouldn't have killed you," he says after a moment. "It's a natural reaction, when you're badly hurt, unless you're going to regenerate..."

[throppdescended]

"It woke me up," he points out. "And it felt as if I was slipping off."

Perhaps past that door. He doesn't know now.

[mm_azy]

"Well, who knows, now? You're all right, and it's better that you weren't forced to regenerate."

He pours himself another cup of tea, and offers the same for Liir.

[throppdescended]

"That probably would have scared her to death," he says. "However it works."

He looks at the Doctor.

"Why does that happen? How--"

[mm_azy]

He gives a little shrug. "It's genetic," he says. "Built in. A way to cheat death, I suppose. Sorry, I was never much of a biologist, and it's been a while... I could explain fifth-dimension transquantum mechanics, but the whys and wherefores of regeneration - past the basics, anyway - are in the realm of theoreticians. Were.

"I'm pretty sure Rassilon had something to do with it, though. Most of the blame for the Time Lords can be laid at his feet. And I do seem to recall reading something about ancient Gallifreyans lacking the ability... But that was ten million years ago," he adds. "Which is enough time for species to evolve, and go extinct, for civilisations to rise and fall..."

[throppdescended]

"Not worth worrying over," he sums up. "And when I die, I won't actually die. Well... that's incredibly uncomfortable."

[mm_azy]

"Uncomfortable doesn't begin to cover it," the Doctor replies. "And you can't regenerate forever," he warns. "You get twelve regenerations - thirteen lives - and then that's it."

[throppdescended]

"So a Cat and then some. Well, that's encouraging. At least there's a bit of room for error, I suppose. I'm good at error."

[mm_azy]

"Oh, we all are. Good at error, that is. It's just that most don't like to admit it. But it seems like you're a bit more honest than the average bloke, aren't you?"

[throppdescended]

"Only when I want to be. Honest about myself, anyway. I can barely tell who I am half the time as it is and when I lied, for whatever reason it was, it just made it more complicated and difficult. I don't need to, so I won't."

[mm_azy]

"I wish sometimes that I could have the luxury of honesty," he finds himself admitting.

[throppdescended]

"And why can't you?" he asks, looking at the Doctor.