Adventures of John: A Frozen Child
One Shot
The door closed as we dropped Elsa off at her castle in Arendelle. With her gone, the TARDIS suddenly felt very empty, and yet at the same time far too crowded.
"So, Las Vegas, 2014?" the Doctor asked, flipping switches and pulling levers on that mess of a console.
"Can you just wait a moment, Doctor?" I asked. "Let's not leave quite yet."
"We can't wait forever," he informed me. "The multiverse is already repairing itself. If we wait too long we will both be stranded here, and I don't know about you, but I am anxious to return to my own universe."
"Just a moment Doctor," I insisted. I sat down on the cold metal floor, trying to organize my thoughts. When Elsa had sprung the news on me I had told her that it was wonderful, and that I couldn't be happier. Then the Doctor brought us to Arendelle and she went out the doors. Now I was alone with my thoughts, and I didn't know what to think. I was going to be a father! For a moment the same disbelief gripped me that always came into my mind when something impossible happened.
How could I be a father? I wasn't even out of high school yet! Then again, how could I be married to a Disney Princess? How could I have just hours ago traveled to every universe and gathered together all of the greatest heroes in creation? Everything about my second life was impossible. And yet there I was, sitting in the TARDIS with the Doctor.
Once I was able to overcome the overwhelming sensation of how impossible it all was, other doubts began to creep into my mind. What did I know about being a father? I wasn't even technically an adult by my world's standards. Sure, with all the time I spent mucking things up in the magical realms I was actually nearing my forties, but what exactly did that even mean? Sometimes I could feel all of my years pressing down on me, and I felt too old for my body, yet at other times I felt so young and inexperienced that even seventeen was far too old for me.
What kind of father could I even be? With the Void back in its natural state and the universe back in balance, time would be the same between our universes, so there would be no more long absences, but I also wouldn't be there for very long. How could I be a good father when I had to split my time between two universes? All of this was just too impossible.
Then some words came to be from the past, words of solace and strength. "Nothing is impossible. Not for Elsa the Snow Queen and John the Adventurer." Elsa had said those words when I was forced to leave Arendelle, and I had believed it was impossible to return. And she had been correct. Despite the fact that it was impossible, I had been able to make my way back to her. "Never give up," she had told me. I couldn't give up now that our little boy or girl was on the way. There would be difficulties, certainly. But together, there was nothing Elsa and I couldn't do. I rose off the ground, Elsa's words to me giving me an idea.
"Doctor," I began, "before we go, we need to make a stop." I told him what I had decided to do, and he just looked at me for a moment before smiling knowingly.
"Okay then," he replied. "Hold on to your hats."
. . . . .
"We don't have very much time," the Doctor told me as we began to land.
"I'll be quick," I responded. "Don't forget to turn her on silent and invisible. We don't want to scare the staff, however few of them there are." As soon as we finished landing I popped open the door, and becoming invisible myself, strode down the hallway. For most people the search would have taken hours, but as familiar with the castle as I had become, it took little more than a minute to find the right room. As soon as I did, I could hear cries coming from behind its locked door.
"I'm scared!" cried the voice of a young girl. "It's getting stronger!"
"Getting upset only makes it worse," a strong adult voice cautioned. "Calm down."
"No, don't touch me!" the girl exclaimed. "Please, I don't want to hurt you."
The King and Queen continued to try and calm their daughter, but to no avail. Before long they left, promising to return tomorrow to try to help. I watched as the little Elsa ran to her bed and cried herself to sleep. The sky darkened, and I stood silently, watching the young girl's fitful slumber.
"It won't be like this forever," I told her quietly, walking up to her bedside. "One day in the future, you won't have to fear any more. You and Anna will be best friends again, and you will live happily. You will find love, both the love of your sister and the love of the man whose life you will save. You will have friends and family that love you dearly." She shifted and I backed away, making sure that she was not waking up. When she shifted back into sleep, I said one last thing to her. "Know that you are not alone, Elsa," I told her. "You will never have to be alone."
I kissed her once on the forehead, and with that I left, heading back to the TARDIS. "Did you say what you needed to say?" the Doctor asked kindly.
"I think I did," I answered. "You've done this before, haven't you?"
"Too many times," he answered. "But you aren't losing her. I went back only when I knew I was going to lose them. You have a whole future ahead with her. I suggest you enjoy every moment of it."
"I will," I replied. "Thank you for this Doctor."
"Anything for a friend," he answered. "Now come on. We've got to get you back to your own time and universe. Say hello to your wife for me, will you?"
"Sure thing, Doc." He turned around to the console, but I grabbed his shoulder and stopped him. "Doctor," I began, "you are an amazing friend. You were always there when I needed you the most, and I want to thank you for that." He nodded gratefully, and those were my last words to him. We went off, me to my home and my future as a father, and the Doctor to his universe, and very soon, Trenzalore.