Death. That was all the Doctor could see in the young older Time Lord. Death and calculations and ice. A young face to hide the horrors ever present in the ancient green eyes. So old and beginning to grow so much colder than he'd thought possible. Perhaps the Valeyard wasn't such an unfeasible future after all.

"Check." The young looking one said clearly, gaining the attention of the three humans on board. Ace wandered over, checking the board herself. "It's your turn."

"Indeed." Chess. A simple game that revealed much about a person, human and Time Lord alike. It was a brilliant move, if he did say so himself. The only way to save himself would be to take the other's Queen with his own and lose her in the process.

Ace whistled. She had obviously seen what he had, though perhaps not the implications. "Man Professor, he got you good. But," she looked at the other questioningly "you could have checked him in other ways, why like that? A waste of the Queen, really."

The Doctor sighed lightly, not allowing the elder to speak. "I should think it's obvious, Ace. That was the quickest, most assured way to get to my Queen. Had he used the rook, all he would take is a lowly bishop. A spectacular, if not alarming move."

The couple came over, the woman peeking over their own Doctor, the man across from Ace. He looked at the setup and sighed, giving the Doctor a hard look before leaving. The elder Doctor watched the man leave, pain and guilt flashing through his eyes. The woman glanced between the two curiously. "Doctor..?"

"Not now, Amy. Are you going to make your move?" The younger nodded, replacing the black queen (the elder had insisted on the black pieces, something he chose not to read into at the moment) with the white one, only for it to be replaced with a pawn. The next moves happened too fast for Amy and Ace to follow reasoning, until… "Checkmate."

And so it was, a cruel and absolute win. A sneaky pawn led to a revived queen and soon all white pawns were eradicated, leaving no chance for an even advantage. A king stuck between two spots because of two rooks and both bishops, defeat in the form of the queen herself.

The man had returned, looking over the board the two had abandoned in its completed form. He was silent for a moment, not facing either of them. "A bit overkill, don't you think Doctor? The amount of losses for a dramatic victory." Amy looked up, alarmed at her husband's harsh tones. The man's eyes met the younger Doctor. "Doesn't it terrify you, what you become? Or are you so like him that you don't care?"

"Oi, mate!" Ace leapt from her seat, eyes flashing dangerously. "Don't you talk to the Professor like that, pointy nose!"

"Ace!" The Doctor said sternly. He locked eyes with the young man, reading the out of place age in the human. "To be honest, I had rather hoped that age would temper my bad habits. It seems the opposite has happened, I am more… Disappointed than frightened."

"You have no idea what he's-"

"Rory. Stop. Please." The elder Doctor whispered, his voice carrying. Rory froze, a look of horror and disgust and remorse flashing through his face before he allowed his wife to pull him away. "Ah, well, I believe it's time for you two to be on your way. Where were you headed off to?"

"Perivale. I wanted to check in around the old hangouts, y'know check with the gang." Ace grinned. "Don't get to down in the dumps, Professor. Blow up something, that always helps me."

The younger shook his head fondly, sharing a knowing smile with his future. "We know you do, Ace. We know. Well, this is goodbye, Doctor. Take care."

"You as well, Doctor. Ace."

As the TARDIS door closed behind the duo, the Doctor gave a swift glance back. I wonder… All that pain, guilt… Why..?