A/n - This is short drabble that came to mind after seeing an image (link will be up on my profile). This is not about any specific Doctor or companions, it's simply about the idea of them all. Enjoy.


They all watched in apprehension as the blue box materialized in front of them. They weren't sure what to expect; it had taken him longer than ever to come this time. Still, the sight and sound of the Tardis engine caused a small spark of hope to appear inside each of them, shining warmly against the crushing despair they had felt only moments before. The Earth had been almost finished, but of course he arrived at the last minute to fix everything.

He always did, didn't he?

The wind stopped blowing as the Tardis stabilized. There was something that seemed… Different about it, though. The color didn't seem quite as bright, and the engine sound had been a bit off in a way those watching couldn't describe. Something had happened since they'd last seen him.

The door opened, and the Doctor steeped out, tucking something into the inside of his coat. He looked almost exactly the same – no regeneration, thankfully – except for he might have been dressed a bit more immaculately than he usually was. The companions smiled at him, knowing that they day would be saved.

Their smiles faltered slightly when he didn't return the expression. Instead, he looked at each of them, closely observing in a distant way. Then they looked into his eyes, and their smiles turned into frowns filled with worry.

Those eyes, once shining so brightly with happiness and determination, appeared now as brutally cold and far away from anything happening around him. He seemed… Bored. As if he didn't know why he was there.

His gaze stopped on a human. He stared at her, and it was his turn to frown. His head turned slightly to the side, almost as if he was treating her like a complex problem that needed to be solved.

"I don't understand," he said, his voice soft and void of emotion.

They all stared at him. A few of them backed away slightly, feeling the inherent wrongness of what was happening before them.

"What's wrong, Doctor?" one of them asked, frightened but still hopeful.

He ignored the speaker.

"What did I find so fascinating about you?" he asked, and it was painfully obvious that his question was not directed towards any of them. "What's so marvelous about them that they deserve the effort?"

He stepped forward, and reached out to touch the girl's hair. He didn't seem to noticed that she had flinched at what before would have been a completely normal act.

"What was wrong with me?" he said, sounding completely disgusted with himself. Sighing, he turned and began to walk back towards the Tardis. They all stared at him, unable to do anything until someone spoke out again.

"Doctor, wait!" she cried. "What about the Earth, what about us? Didn't you come to save us?"

The Doctor turned on her, a cold fury in his eyes unlike anything they had ever seen.

"And why should I?" he said. "Why should I continue to risk and give my life over and over again for a race of floundering mortals who can barely keep from destroying themselves? The human race has never thanked me. The human raced has never learned. Always making the same mistakes, year after year.

"I now realize my own mistake, and I intend to remedy it. Goodbye."

Without another word he walked into the blue box and shut the door behind him.