The Two Lonely Doctors

Obviously, there are spoilers, as I warned in the 'summary'.

I had this idea after watching 'The Angels Take Manhattan', and then watching 'The Reichenbach Fall' two days later on Columbus Day. And then the looks of the Doctor and John, well, this one shot popped into my sad head. I'm hoping no one has already used this idea yet.. so.

I apologize if any of the characters are out of character. I haven't watched DW or Sherlock since then.

Read and Review~

And also, Spoilers. Don't read if you haven't watched either episodes.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sherlock or Doctor Who. I bet we all wished we did though.

"Doctor you can't just mope around forever. There must be some way to get you out of this," River said in a serious tone to the quiet man sitting on the steps to the upper platform.

"River, they were your parents. You cannot possibly tell me you are not affected by this. I never thought something like that would ever happen, not when we were having such a good... normal time at the park."

"Well, I had to see my dear daddy after he was sent back in time. I didn't think that this would still happen even after the paradox. Nevertheless, you cannot dwell on this. You should be up and about by now, pressing buttons, saying things faster than others can comprehend in an instant, and fixing that bowtie of yours." She knelt down and straightened the accessory. "There. Your 'cool' bowtie is better now." River stood and gave him a look that meant 'come on'. The Doctor obliged and was making his way over to the console in the center of the room when the TARDIS suddenly started shaking, the whirring sound bouncing off the walls.

"What?! No, I didn't type the coordinates yet!" The Doctor shouted to the TARDIS. He and River dropped to the ground as the shaking grew more violent.

After a few minutes, everything was still.

"Oh old girl, where've we landed?" the Doctor asked aloud to the big blue box as he stood. He held his hand out to the woman on the ground.

"Probably wanted to land somewhere instead of float through space, sweetie. We haven't gone anywhere since then." River took his hand and was pulled to her feet.

"Not true! We went to... you know where we went!"

"Going to Florida doesn't count as a big adventure, even if we did go to that amusement park by landing inside so we didn't have to pay."

The man with two hearts decided to ignore this and said, "Well, anyway, let's see where we've landed shall we?"

River followed him outside into-

London. They were currently in a surprisingly clean alley between two apartments. The London Eye could be seen from afar as people walked left and right in front of the alley openings. No one saw the couple and the blue box.

"We're in London? Hm, never thought we'd go here. But, there's always time to go shopping."

"River, I didn't take us here. The TARDIS did, and all by itself. Now..." The Doctor stroked the side of the box, wondering. "...why would it do that?"

"Who knows, Doctor. We're here now, so why don't we take this time to walk around for a bit, even if this will be boring. We could meet someone along the way that could get an adventure started." She made to lock her arm around the Doctor's when a newspaper fluttered to her feet. "Ah, now what do we have here?" She picked up the paper and smoothed the cover story out. "According to this, a detective committed suicide a few months ago," River read aloud. "Ooh, this one seemed to have been quite the genius. Such a shame, unless he's really alive. Now that would be interesting to find out."

"A genius?" The Timelord snatched the paper away to look at the article. "St. Bartholomew Hospital? Never heard of it."

"How about we go check it out? We could-"

"Uh, River? Would you like to go- uh- 'shopping' alone? You can buy whatever you want. Money's in the TARDIS by the way, there's some in the... Ponds' room."

"Are you sure you don't need me around right now?" His wife stood in front of him and looked him in the eyes. She saw the sad look on his old face and knew he needed more comfort. "I-"

"Please. Have fun, I'll be here. Come back when you're ready to leave."

"O... Okay sweetie." River, before she walked past him, gave him a quick peck on the cheek, then walked back in the blue box. Perhaps he needed more time alone. Even if he had spent almost all of his time alone, and barely speaking to her. The deaths of her parents had taken a toll on the Doctor, and River knows this isn't the first time people have left him.

"Going out, John?" Mrs. Hudson asked when she saw him putting on his jacket.

"Yes, I'm just going for a walk. I might stop and pick up the milk. Probably tea too," John replied. Then he gave her a small smile and said, "I'll be back later."

He walked past her and was about to head downstairs. He heard her say to herself, "The poor dear."

John left 221B and strolled past the few people littering the street. He continued for what seemed like an hour, and he had been staring at the sidewalk for most that time. So, he wasn't paying attention when a woman, who had been acting the same way, bumped into him, a newspaper falling to the ground.

"Oh, I am sorry, sweetheart, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going," the woman with bushy dirty blonde hair apologized.

"No, no it's fine. I wasn't either." He picked up the paper and was about to hand it back to her when he saw the front story. "I see you've read the cover page?"

"Why yes, I have. Whoever this 'John Watson' is, he has my condolences."

"Really?"

"I feel sympathy for him. My husband's closest friends died a few months ago. Since this John's friend is gone as well, they could both comfort each other. They've just had the same experience. My husband's not feeling great, and he's lonely, even when I am with him. It makes me sad when I think he can't see me after months, even when I try to comfort him."

John handed the paper to her and said, "I am so sorry for your losses. Maybe I- he and John could meet? I know the man, so I guess I could pass the word on to him if you like?"

"Oh you kind man. However, I don't think it would be best for my husband to see anyone right now. He isn't sad enough to be suicidal, but he wanted to be alone at the moment."

"Okay. Could I at least know his name, and yours mam?"

River thought of how to answer, and simply went with, "Melody. My husband's name is John Smith." Unfortunately she now just realized that was the first name of the man in the paper: John Watson.

"Melody? Hm, haven't heard that name before. It's sounds beautiful though. Nice to meet you." He held his hand out, and they shook hands.

"And what about you, sweetie?" River inquired.

"John. John Watson."

The man with the blue box felt his knees grow a little weak when he saw the graveyard ahead of him. Sure, it wasn't the same yard where the Ponds lay underground, but still, the sight of those gravestones just reminded him of the tragedy. He walked slowly through the open space unoccupied by a marker, and he had not realized he had been looking around everywhere except for one stone. The Doctor had almost missed it, as it had been separated from all other stones in the yard. This particular stone was under the only group of trees located in the entire area. It appeared that the sunlight couldn't even touch the stone, as if the light from the angels was hesitant to even shine one tiny ray on it. Hah, Angels. What a poor time to think of those winged creatures. In his case, they were stone.

The Doctor spotted a lone man wandering the graveyard. No, no not wandering. He was heading for the shaded gravestone, the one the clever man had almost missed. The Doctor watched the man, and after a few seconds, followed him, although kept himself out of sight. He walked behind the man, and stopped when he was a few feet away. Despite himself, he quietly made his way over to the lonely human, who had his head bowed.

"Hello there. Hi," the Timelord greeted, offering a tiny smile. A smaller one was returned.

"Hello. Who are you here to see?" the man queried.

"Um- no one. I was just walking around, and decided to see this place." True the Doctor had been walking around, but he had heard of where the Consulting Detective had been buried, which was the reason why he really came.

"You walked here?"

"Yes, I landed in London when my blue box unexpectedly sent me here. I didn't tell it to, but it acted on its own."

The man raised an eyebrow and then chuckled, but the Doctor could hear the sadness in it. "You remind me of my friend. He, uhm..." He turned to the gravestone.

"Ah, I see." The Doctor got the message and looked at the name engraved in stone. Sherlock Holmes. "I've heard of him, this Holmes. He was a genius from what I've learned."

"No matter what the papers say, he wasn't a fraud. I believed in him, and I still do."

His curiosity peaked at the dedication this man seemed to have for this Sherlock. "Who are you? I mean, since you're here all by yourself, you must be close to him."

"My name is John Watson. Doctor John Watson. I was an army doctor before meeting Sherlock."

"A doctor? I'm one too. Not an ordinary one either."

"It's nice to meet another fellow doctor. What's your name?"

"John Smith. See, funny that we have the same first names."

"How coincidental then. You have a normal life?"

"Not really. I could stop for from fish fingers and custard." John raised an eyebrow at the mention of the snack. "Hey, it tastes good when you try it! Tastes better than it sounds!"

"You remind me of him. You say some funny things, but it doesn't drive me away at all. He did the same thing everyday, and he doesn't like being bored."

The Doctor genuinely laughed, something he hadn't done since leaving New York. "I hate being bored, absolutely HATE it! I need to be running, feel the thrill of chasing or being chased, figuring the puzzle out!

John joined him, grinning.

From afar, another man watched. He was out of sight, covered by the shadows of the trees. He knew he should not be here, at all. But something in the back of his mind had convinced him that he should see John visit his 'grave' once more. Seeing his friend again- and cheerful this time- tugged at the curly-haired man's heart, incredibly deep down. If he had one of course.

His friend was happy because of this man. And he would learn this man's name, if John thought he reminded him of the Consulting Detective.

An hour later, 22 Northumberland Street, Italian restaurant (that I am too lazy to name, so tough strawberries.)

"And, well, that brings us to the present." John tore his eyes away from the other man, who wanted to just be called 'The Doctor'. How fitting. He stared out the window.

"Sherlock Holmes wasn't any normal friend was he?" The Doctor asked. "My friends weren't either. Rory would wait two thousand years to save Amelia."

"He must've thought she was more important than the universe, then? A prince and his princess?"

"More like... the Roman and the Girl Who Waited... for me."

"How long did Amelia wait?"

"Twelve years. Called me her 'Raggedy Doctor'."

"Wow. To wait that long for a friend to come back would mean you're dedicated to seeing them again. You'd have to want to see them so much."

The Doctor breathed out and looked at John, staring, waiting for him to look him in the eye. John noticed the silence and turned to him. The Raggedy Doctor said, "You're waiting too, aren't you? Waiting for the consulting detective to come out, say hello and tell you he isn't dead. A miracle, you could say." There was a sad glint in his eye. "A miracle like that could never happen for me." The other doctor sighed, upset now and propped his arms on the table, his fisted hands covering his mouth as his eyes closed. "... But that doesn't mean such a miracle can't happen for you, John Watson.

"You have to be patient. Sherlock Holmes' name is on that gravestone, but how do you know that he is truly gone? You can wait, just as Amy did for me. Although, he couldn't be away for as long as I have. Maybe you'll find another friend like him during that time."

"No."

"What do you mean by 'no'?"

"No one had a massive intellect like he did, one that made him a rude but clever man. No one could tell so much from such tiny, insignificant details like he did. No one is the only Consulting Detective in the world. No one is like Sherlock Holmes. I believed in him, even after he told me he was a fraud before he jumped off of that hospital."

John breathed deeply, setting his gaze on the table. The Doctor tried to find words for a moment and just decided on, "So, he was special?" At this, the army doctor nodded. "The Ponds were the same way- special."

"How so?"

Amelia Pond, who waited twelve years just to see me again, was stored in the Pandorica for two thousand years, remembered me after I had been erased from history, gave birth in Demon's Run to my future wife who would later be brainwashed into attempting to kill me, and her dear loving husband Rory Williams, who died and was erased from Amelia's memory for a long while after being absorbed into a crack in time, returned later as an automaton and then protected Amy for two thousand years, and died again and again until he met his end in New York. But of course, the Doctor did not say all of that. "Can't say, but they were important, the best friends and family I've had during my time. They were family to me where I 'lived'. Sherlock may have been 'family' to you too. He was your friend right?"

"Of course." John took one moment to remember Sherlock's words. 'I don't have friends. I've just got one... John, you are amazing, fantastic! "Fantastic," he chuckled.

"What?" The word did remind the Doctor that he himself had used that word frequently in a past regeneration, which made him smile.

"It was just something that Sherlock had called me when he said I was his friend. But, uh anyway, yes. Yes, he was most definitely my friend- the closest I could have ever had in my life. I would have taken the bullet for him, I would have fallen off of that hospital for him. Least he could have done was just take me with him instead. Then I would've been there with him and we'd still be with each other. At least in the afterlife I wouldn't be alone in that room with an empty chair across from me. I'm now a lonely doctor I suppose."

"Well do you hear that, Doctor? He's lonely, just like you seem to feel, the River in the Timelord's head said. "You know, you have other friends too, don't you? A friend or person who was a part of your little family? Any one of them could help you and comfort you. You could go to them, even if they will not fill the hole where your lost friend had once been. You are never truly alone." From those words, the Doctor had a strange feeling that he was not only telling John, but also himself, as if he was trying to help the both of them.

There was silence for a couple of minutes, both of the men thinking. John tried to use those words as comfort. He imagined going to Lestrade, who would probably try to be as helpful as he could (unless that wasn't his division) and comfort him. Mycroft... had to have been affected in some way by the death of his brother. After his last visit with Mycroft, John had seen some evidence that the man was most certainly unhappy with the loss of the Consulting Detective. Mrs. Hudson, bless her kind heart, had already done her best to helpful with John. However, it was evident that she felt almost the same way as him by the news, although not as devastated.

Molly Hooper, seeing her quietly working and giving him some advice to carry on without Sherlock. She must have been so upset by the news of the detective's death, since she had obviously had feelings for him. She could never have known the event would happen, and it may have hurt her just as it did to John. They both couldn't do anything to stop the fall. Sherlock barely acknowledged her, and when he did, it was in order to gain something. No matter what she believed in him though, just like John. Maybe he could see her and discuss this after he and the other Doctor sitting across from him were finished talking.

The Eleventh Doctor had used his own words to convince himself that he really was never alone. Amy would've chastised him for ever thinking so, as would Rory, agreeing with his wife. They weren't here now though, so River was the only other person he could really turn to. The Ponds had been there for him for so much- the Pandorica, the Battle at Demon's Run, the Silence, and the 'Power of Three'. And then... New York, where the Ponds' story came to an end. Oh, how the Doctor wished the story continued on along with their adventures, the last page to the book never being written so that it never finished. And now... Now he had River Song to keep him company as long as she could. He couldn't count her as a companion could he? They were married after all, so that can't count. Oswin could have been a good choice. She had been so incredibly bright, and she had managed to erase all of the Daleks' memory of him! Now if that wasn't clever!

Ah, he was getting off topic now! Right, right, never alone. He was never alone. He had always had a companion with him for much of his regeneration's life. Someone he could see, or be with for some time. He always met people on his adventures through time, made a friend or two and an enemy. He also had River now, before... before she goes to the Library... No, he had to enjoy all his time with her before that day! He wouldn't be alone either, with her living in the TARDIS with him. Things would be okay.

John's mouth moved, but the Doctor didn't catch what he said. "Oh, could you uh repeat that?"

"Sure. I said thank you, John Smith. By the way, did you happen to have a wife here? Melody?"

"Yes, yes, she was on her way to go shopping. I didn't tell her I was going somewhere else. I just told her I'd be waiting inside of my blue box."

"Ha ha. This blue box of yours. Don't know what it is, but it seems like a machine."

"It's a time machine, what humans call it."

John, believing it was a joke, played along. "Would love to have an adventure then, go back in time and see how things were here years ago."

"Would you like to?"

"No... no. I would rather stay here and cope with life. Were you serious?"

"Not at all. It was a joke between the two of us, ha ha ha!" The Doctor laughed, despite the fact that he had been serious. This John Watson had thought he was joking. Oh well, nice try though.

"But, um, I really mean it. Thank you. I haven't spoken like this with any one of my friends or family, even to my therapist, and I did speak about this to a stranger I had only met today." John smiled at him.

"I have to say thank you to you too, John Watson. My talking to you has lightened (both) of my hearts of the sadness I felt after the deaths of the Ponds. I feel better, and again, thank you." The Doctor grinned.

Just when John was going to respond, he was interrupted. "John! You've come back!" The owner of the restaurant, Angelo, greeted him cheerfully. "So sorry for the late hello. I had to tend to many other customers since the restaurant is quite filled today... Ah? Who is this man?"

"The name's John Smith. We were only talking about normal things that people would usually talk about," the Doctor answered shaking the man's hand.

Angelo took a moment to observe the Timelord and turned to look at John. "After Sherlock, another John? My goodness, I should bring another candle." He placed two menus on the table and went to get the candle, which would (in his opinion) be more romantic.

"No, nope. That won't be necces- Angelo? Wait..." John sighed. "Again. Well, at least people will talk less."

"Talk about what?" The Doctor asked, clueless as to what he was referring to.

"He- Angelo- thinks we're on a date, just like the first time Sherlock and I came here together during our first case."

"Oh. Is that a problem here?"

"What?"

"I've kissed Rory on the lips, he kissed me on the cheek. It wasn't odd at all. We're not doing anything right? So, all's well and good."

"O...kay."

"It's not like you and Sherlock Holmes haven't touched each other's lips before, right? It must've happened once."

People WISHED it happened MORE than once, John thought with a laugh. That's why they talk.

Another hour later, twenty minutes before departure

"I can't believe you ate fish fingers with custard." The army doctor chuckled, grinning.

"Yes, well, it tastes delicious in my opinion! You can't possibly say that it didn't taste good!"

"It did, I will admit that. How in the world you could have invented that... But I suppose I should try it at home."

"I experimented with all sorts of things back then but fish fingers and custard- Oh, how deliciously sweet and incredible!"

"Don't forget original. I'm surprised Angelo even had those two things in his inventory. I didn't think he ate both of them so much."

The Doctor stopped walking, and John, after noticing, did the same. The Doctor realized that they had walked right down the street with the alley that hid the TARDIS. River would have most likely finished her shopping, since she wasn't that into shopping really, and would be waiting in the TARDIS or outside in front of its doors.

"Oh, uh sorry John. I believe it's time that we parted ways now. Gotta get back to my wife and go home. She's probably back from shopping."

"Sure, it's fine. Will I see you 'round here again?"

"Not really likely. We travel a lot, so who knows? You might but that chance is pretty small."

"Okay." When the Doctor fixed his bow tie for a moment, John added, "A bow tie. You're wearing a bow tie?"

"Yes, yes I am. Bow ties are cool."

"I'm going to make a guess and say that you repeat that a lot."

"That's because they are cool." The two men laughed for a moment.

"You should probably hurry. Your wife, Melody, might be waiting for you."

"Sure sure, okay." The Doctor started heading for the alley, but spun on his heel to face the arm doctor when John called him ("John Smith!").

"Thank you, again."

"Thank you as well, John Watson."

Both of them turned around and parted ways, the Doctor walking to the TARDIS, and John Watson heading for Molly Hooper to talk.

River leaned against the railing next to the old Timelord. "You seem to be feeling better."

"I do. I spoke to John Watson."

"I did as well. Nice man. How he felt reminded me of you, before now."

"We said thank you to each other. We helped one another in some way through our time together today. I made a new friend, even though we won't see each other again once we depart."

"He'll be fine. He appears to be strong enough to handle himself, especially now that you've helped him out." She looked at the TARDIS console. "You know, I think the TARDIS brought us here because of John. This box realized that you needed someone else's help, and John was the person you needed to see."

It brought me to where I needed to go. The Doctor smiled a bit. "I think that's right River." He gleefully ran up and around the console, pressing buttons and fiddling with levers and all else that was on the machine. "Okay! Where should we go now?" He suggested many things, and hearing this made River happier than she had been since New York. Everything had gone back to the way it was, she supposed.

But, there was still the depression that weighed the Doctor's two hearts down. He knew he couldn't get over the deaths of Amy and Rory this fast. He hid his sadness well from both John Watson and River. He couldn't show it now though, not when River looked so happy. They should have an adventure, somewhere that would get his mind off things. He hadn't completely recovered from Amy and Rory's deaths, but he could simply stop and 'retire' then, right? Maybe if he didn't feel like adventuring again. After this adventure he would stop. That would do, wouldn't it? This wound in his hearts that were there because of what happened in New York, they were something that couldn't be healed.

The TARDIS began to fade in and out, becoming less solid as its whirring sound continued. Eventually the entire box disappeared.

"Wow." John stood there, remembering what he just saw. "The box... Huh. Amazing. Well, I can't tell this to anyone. No one would believe me, not even Sherlock unless he saw it." He turned back to the direction he was originally going before he followed John Smith without being seen and walked to where Molly would be.

On the other side of the alley, a man, who had been peeked around the corner, stepped into the space and stood where John had been. He looked at John, who's image was becoming smaller and smaller as the distance between them grew. He watched until he could no longer see the army doctor before leaning against the wall of the alley, fixing his blue scarf.

He had seen the exchange between John and this... 'John Smith'. He had a glance of Mister Smith as he was walking into the blue wooden police box and knew that the man was older than he seemed. Despite their distance away from each other, he saw the old eyes. Whoever this man was had not been what he seemed to be. He had a suspicion that Smith wasn't completely human. It was only a suspicion, but his eyes had been evidence of it. They were so old, older than humans'. What Smith truly was though, the man couldn't put his finger on it. The man was more interested in what John Smith was rather than the large, blue box that he had disappeared into. From what he had heard, it was unlikely that he would find another opportunity to meet and investigate Smith.

But he had helped John, enough for John to say thank you. Sherlock tightened his scarf slightly, his hand gripping a tail on the front a bit harder when he remembered what he had told his partner as he stood on top of St. Bartholomew's Hospital.

"Keep your eyes on me!" Outstretched hand. Phone call. Moriarty on the ground, blood pooling around his head. "Oh, god..." "I'm a fake." "SHERLOCK!" Falling, falling. John, reaching out for him. "I'm his friend..." John said.

The grip tightened.

However, the Consulting Detective kept a straight face. He turned and walking to the other side of the alley, opposite from the side John had stood on. Sherlock turned the corner and walked. The street he was on was empty.

The street on the other side of the buildings was packed with people. John Watson was one of those people, not knowing that who he missed so much had been nearby.

End

Word Count: 4,837 (Without Author's Notes)

Word Count #2: 5, 410 (With Author's Notes)

My goodness, I simply can't write a short one shot -_-

Oh well. Here it is, all done! My first one shot ever! And it involved my two favorite shows :)

I hope I didn't make the characters OOC. I most likely did though, right?

Sherlock was put in simply because I wanted to. I don't know if he really fit but I really wanted to include him because of John and since (in this one shot's timeline) he is still in London, although only hiding his face. I believe I had made him slightly OOC though, even with his small role here!

River and John's interaction however is completely up to you. What they talked about is deliberately left ambiguous, however River does learn that John is a pleasant man, saying he is nice.

The reason why the Doctor resorts to choosing 'retirement' in the one shot is because I wanted to make it appear to lead up to the next episode's prequel, The Great Detective.

For the people who have seen 'Reichenbach Fall' already, you may see what I did with how John imagines seeing Molly. She 'couldn't' have known the fall would happen... right? (Yes, I've seen the episode, twice)

Gah, I am sorry about the terrible ending. I couldn't think of a good one -_-

I felt like writing Johnlock or JohnxEleven when Angelo came in and mentioned the candle. BUT I only wanted to write a one shot, and I didn't want to add romance into the story since this is mainly about friendship and all.

However if you caught the 'People will talk less', I hope that all those Johnlock fans will see the reference I tried to put in there. As well as John explaining to the Doctor what Angelo was talking about. I believe that was my favorite part to write! XD

Anyways, that's it! Review, favorite, do as you please~

+I may write John/Sherlock one shot (just subtle one shot) when I have the time. Most likely G or PG (for minor language)