Ninth Doctor: Meet Angel Destler
The Doctor watched the girl - Angel, she said her name was, strange name for a human - as she plucked a chip from the large pile in front of her, considered sticking in her mouth, then morosely flung it back onto the plate.
"No point bringin' you here if you're not gonna eat anything," he pointed out bluntly, taking a couple for himself.
"Shouldn't've stopped me jumping then you wouldn't be stuck with me," she retorted, picking up a chip and shoving it in her mouth, looking away in a clear message that said Don't want to talk. The Doctor frowned. What was he even doing here again? This surly American teenager wasn't his responsibility - hell, the fact that he'd stopped her throwing herself off a bridge should have been enough.
It had been three days since he'd stopped her jumping, coaxing her down from the cold windy bridge with firm but gentle words and calm logic over a good few hours. As soon as she'd gotten down she'd gone into shock, trembling uncontrollably and freezing cold, nearly hyperventilating. There was no-one around, he couldn't have just ditched her; genocidal lonely Time Lord he may be, but he wasn't cruel. He was the Doctor, and despite his most recent past, he still wanted to help. She'd hardly even registered the interior of the TARDIS but his ship didn't take offense; instead she provided a room straightaway for the child and locked the Doctor out. He pretended to grump for a while, but begrudged his ship the chance to mother this new passenger.
The second day she had finally emerged, clothes wrinkled and loose long hair tangled down her back. Her puffy red eyes gave good indication she'd spent most the morning crying.
"All right?" he'd greeted her without thinking; in hindsight, perhaps not the best thing to say given it made her succumb to tears once again. The wires he was tinkering with on the console gave him a shock, and he pulled away his hand with a curse the TARDIS immediately translated into a dead language for the sake of the thirteen year old. The Doctor sucked on his finger, glared at the console for a moment, then quickly turned to his passenger. "Ah, I'm sorry Angel, really. Old brain, mine is, didn't even think." He went over in an attempt to comfort the sobbing girl, but she stumbled away, running back to her allotted room and locking the door. The Doctor sighed, rubbing his close-cropped hair and ignoring his throbbing hand. Turned out he was a little rusty when it came to teenage human apes who'd just lost her both her parents and been abandoned by her half-brother to deal with the aftermath herself.
She stayed in her room the whole night, not even coming out for food. The Doctor assumed the TARDIS had provided something for her, but the tiny human remained at the back of his mind the whole time the Doctor tinkered away at the console.
The next morning when she emerged again, showered and in fresh clothes provided by the TARDIS, the Doctor remained tactfully silent, waiting for her to instigate conversation.
"This place is huge."
He chuckled, nodding. "Yes, it is."
"How'd you do it, then?"
He looked at her, surveying the skinny human from his position on the jump seat, cleaning off a spare piece of hardware from somewhere below his feet. "Would you believe me if I said it was alien?" he asked casually and she snorted with laughter.
"No, no such thing." She came closer, examining the console but not touching it. "Why, are you gonna tell me it's alien?" Her eyebrows raised in almost a challenge and he smirked.
"I am, in fact. I'm alien too, while we're at it. This," he patted the console, "is the TARDIS. Time And Relative Dimension In Space. She travels through space and time," he finished with a proud grin. Angel was unimpressed.
"Yeah, sure it does." She rolled her eyes, clearly disbelieving. Then she eyed him with a sidelong glance. "You didn't escape from some mental home, did you? 'Cause you've got that look about you."
"I did not!" the Doctor answered indignantly, jumping to his feet and stowing the spare part beneath the jump seat. Angel shrugged.
"Whatever. I still don't believe you, you know."
"Alright!" The Doctor was up for the challenge. "Name a time, name a place, I'll take you there right now. Go on!"
Angel's eyes flared and she answered without hesitation; the idea must have been lurking ever since he'd said "Travels in time and space". "Take me back to when my parents died. Save them." There was a hardness in her voice that he hadn't heard before, and he stopped halfway through twisting the time rotor.
"I can't do that."
"You just said-"
"Alright, let me rephrase." The Doctor forced himself to soften his voice; she's thirteen, he reminded himself. Thirteen tiny little ape years, of course she's gonna say save her parents. Who's the stupid ape pushing nine hundred that didn't see that coming? "I won't do that."
Angel's expression was outraged. "You bastard!" she exclaimed angrily, striding right up to him, tears sparkling in her eyes. "You dangle a time machine in front of me, promise me any time at all, and then you tell me you can but you won't - go - back - and - save - them!" Her fists swung out at him, trying to thump him on his broad chest, but he seized her wrists and held firm. "I hate you!" Angel screamed, writhing and trying to get away, but the Doctor held on. This part of grief he understood perfectly. Angel exhausted herself trying to escape the Doctor's grip and so he let go and wrapped the young girl in a tight hug. She hardly noticed; just sagged against him, hid her face in the dark green of his jumper and cried.
After she'd recovered and the Doctor had changed his jumper (it was navy now) he suggested food. Angel nodded wordlessly, arms folded across herself protectively. The Doctor shrugged and flew the TARDIS to a chippie. Angel's only reaction to the travel method was a hefty sigh as she followed the Doctor into the shop.
Then refused to touch any food at all.
"You should eat something," he tried again, pushing the plate towards Angel. "I know you like chips, the TARDIS told me," he said smugly, trying to make her smile, but the lack of amusement in Angel's expression made him sit back in exasperation. She's alright now, he tried to tell himself, watching her carefully. Sure, a bit depressed, but the death of one's parents would do that to a person. He knew better than anyone. But he couldn't leave; there was something about this girl that was… different. Strange. Something that made at least three of his lesser used senses tingle with anticipation. So the Doctor stayed in the booth with Angel, not speaking, but not leaving either.
Eventually, Angel turned to him. "What're you still doing here, then?" she asked dully.
The Doctor knew enough about humans to know that a girl like Angel would not admit to needing help. He shrugged. "I've nothing better to do. TARDIS is gettin' a bit annoyed at me, I keep stripping and rebuilding the circuits. Gave me a shock yesterday." He held up his burned finger as evidence then took another chip, now almost cold. "Figured I'd give her a bit of space."
Angel sighed again and went back to staring out the window at the darkening grey skies. It was getting late and looked like rain. Without warning, she stood. "I have to go home," she told him, exiting the booth. Silently, the Doctor got up and followed the teenager out onto the street. "You don't have to come," she told him as they walked down the path, weaving through the crowd.
"What, I don't even get a 'thanks Doctor, for helpin' me out'?" he chortled, and Angel bit her lip.
"Thanks, Doc."
The Doctor frowned. "It's the Doctor."
Angel shook her head. "Nah, I like Doc better."
The Doctor puffed out his cheeks, but let her away with it. He started to head towards where they parked the TARDIS, but Angel shook her head, carrying on straight ahead. "We're walking."
"We're not walkin'!" he retorted indignantly. Angel raised an eyebrow, then shrugged and walked off without him. He folded his arms for a moment, sorely tempted to go back to his ship but his intuition would not let this little human child go. He let Angel get a head start, keeping her only just in his view and trying to look not too much like a stalker. He rounded the corner, still following, then did a double take. Angel was gone!
As Angel got further down the street without the Doctor, she was approached by three boys in their late teens and they surrounded her, herding her into an alley with practiced ease. Inwardly she groaned; she didn't have time to deal with this! Not that she couldn't handle them.
"Wanna come out with us, love?" one of them asked seductively; Angel treated him to her best withering look and tried to push past him.
"Get out of my way," she growled, but the boys just laughed.
"An American!" they jeered; two of them hi-fived. "Long way from home, aren't you?"
"Move!" she said angrily, frustrated tears pricking her eyes despite her best efforts. Her parents were dead, her brother abandoned her, and to top it off she was stuck with a stranger she didn't know and who reckoned he was an alien! Why can't I just get a break? Angel begged the universe; one of the boys hands struck her shoulder and pulled her back to the present. "Stop it!" Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes and in anger, Angel struck back at them. To no avail.
Her attack was blocked easily by one boy who then pinned her wrists and threw her up against a concrete wall. Pain exploded in the back of Angel's head, making her dizzy and spots appear in front of her eyes. The boy released her wrists and she slumped over on the ground, trying desperately to get her bearings, but her brain was refusing to co-operate with her body.
"You gonna come out with us yet?" the middle one taunted, crouched down beside her, and Angel started to feel sick.
"Only if I can come," growled a low Northern accent from behind her; Angel briefly felt a large hand on her shoulder before the Doctor strode past her and right up to the teenagers, hauling the one crouched by Angel to his feet by his shirt. "You bothering her?" he asked forcefully, expression darker than the night skies and his eyes narrowed in anger.
The boys tried to buff themselves up, apparently not sensing the rhetorical nature of his question. "None of your business, is it mate?" one piped up, and the Doctor snapped. He seized two of them by their collar and shoved them into the one who had spoken, making them all stumble a few metres.
"Get out!" the Doctor roared, striding towards the boys who scrambled over themselves in an effort to get out of the alley and away from the man with stormy eyes.
The world was slowly righting itself when Angel felt herself being lifted to her feet and held there.
"Can you stand?" a softer Northern accent than before asked her, but Angel wasn't sure if she could. She was tired of being strong. But her pride would not allow for her to crumble, so she nodded, gripped his leather-covered arm and straightened up. The back of her head throbbed painfully, and upon further inspection with her fingers, she found it wet and sticky. Blinking a few times to clear her still-muzzy vision, she saw red on her fingers.
The Doctor still supported the woozy Angel by the shoulders, all too aware that she would most likely pass out if she stood too quick.
"Come on, back to the TARDIS," he told her, slowly leading her back out of the alley and down the street. "You're not walking home like this."
"Could've taken them if there was just one," Angel mumbled, letting herself be led.
"But there was three," retorted the Doctor. He didn't continue with a lecture; as much as he wanted to, he knew it wouldn't have been Angel's fault. There was no way she would've gotten out of that alley without help. If anything it was his fault; in sticking with this little ape, he took responsibility. Again, the Doctor wondered why he couldn't bring himself to leave her and let her sort herself out, but something about her just… he couldn't do it. She sparked his curiosity and he couldn't let it go.
"Thanks for coming."
The Doctor almost did a double take. What was this, a voluntary thank you from the human? He allowed himself a small smile. "Wouldn't have needed me if there was just one," he answered, opening the TARDIS doors and supported the teen as she stumbled over the ledge. He frowned at the bloody spot on the back of her drooping head. "Don't go to sleep, Angel," he warned, gripping her shoulders tighter as her body started to sway.
"I won't," she mumbled, her eyes already closing. God, her head hurt. A lot. The short walk back to the TARDIS had started up a steady pounding in her head and while she could still walk, her co-ordination was shot. Realising that her eyes were closed, Angel opened them only to find her vision spotted with white. "Sorry Doc," she managed as her legs crumbled and the light swallowed her.
xXx
"You shouldn't be waking up yet." Angel frowned at the fuzzy words as she came to, blinking and impatiently waiting for what she guessed was the infirmary to come into focus.
"Sorry, should I pass out again?" The sarcasm of her rebuttal was lost through numb lips, though she was rewarded with a dry chuckle.
"Wouldn't recommend it, no," the Doctor answered cheerfully, helping her sit up and holding a cup of water to her hand until Angel gripped it herself. "Drink up!"
"You're bouncy," Angel commented and the Doctor shrugged as he started clearing up the mess he'd - or rather Angel had made with her bloody head. Angel fingered the back of her head tenderly and found a small patch of gauze taped over where she'd hit it on the wall.
"It's either that or mope about the place twenty-four seven - no fun doin' that!"
"You're giving me a headache," Angel complained and sipped on her water. Immediately, the Doctor turned serious and appeared in front of her, holding the gently humming sonic screwdriver to her forehead.
"Shouldn't be any headache, I fixed your concussion and you only needed three stitches…" The Doctor was confused and Angel batted his hand away impatiently.
"Figure of speech, Doc. Is that your name, by the way? The Doctor? And what's that thing you were just holding?"
He returned to his cheeriness. "That's me! Just the Doctor, mind you, none of this "Doc" business. And this is my sonic screwdriver." He resumed cleaning up the mess. "And you'll have to learn the rest of the rules if you want to stay - actually tell you what, I'll write you out a list. Also, the TARDIS won't allow-"
"Hang on, stay?" Angel repeated, certain she heard wrong. The Doctor stopped bustling around and looked at her. "You want me to stay?"
He shrugged. "If you want, o' course. Offer's not open to many, but it's a one time thing. You can travel with me, or I can drop you off home right now. Up to you."
Angel couldn't believe it. The majority of her was screaming Take it! Run away! but something made her stop. She remembered again with a start; her parents were dead. There was no-one back home for her; well, no-one except Rose. But she had Mickey and her mum and was beginning to catch the eye of Jimmy Stone as well; she wouldn't need Angel.
"My parents are dead," Angel said uncertainly. The Doctor nodded.
"My race is dead," he replied, grin gone now. Angel didn't understand why - after all, it was only her parents she lost, not her entire race - but she felt a kinship with the Doctor when he said that. She understood; not in her head, but somewhere deep within herself, Angel knew how the Doctor felt, to be the last of her race.
"So you're running," she continued bluntly. He took longer to answer this time.
"I'm moving on," he answered eventually, screwing up the rest of the rubbish and putting it in a bin. He stood in front of her, off slightly to one side and folded his arms. "So? You coming?"
Could she do it? Angel knew the answer instinctively.
"Okay," she said with a nod, hopping down off the bed. There was a split second of silence, then the Doctor grinned.
He held out a hand and she took it, running after him to the circular room with the big dashboard full of buttons was, and the blue column in the middle. "What's this place?"
"Console room," the Doctor answered, patting his ship before dropping Angel's hand and running around the display, twisting dials and pumping a crank lever furiously. The TARDIS jerked and Angel clung to the support rails, nearly deafened by the loud scraping noises of the ship she would soon grow to love. What was happening? Were they travelling? Flying? Angel didn't know, but for once, she didn't care. "What's your last name?" the Doctor yelled over the din.
"Destler, Angel Destler," she yelled back.
The Doctor spared her a glance away from the control screen and grinned the widest smile she'd seen yet. "Well, Angel Destler, welcome aboard the TARDIS - best ship in the universe!"
Epilogue
The Doctor raised his eyebrows at the sight of Angel, standing in the console room with her packed bag on her back, a box containing the rest of her possessions beside her.
"You goin' somewhere then?" he queried her, not overly concerned. It had been a year; maybe had to do some washing or something, though goodness knows the TARDIS would be more than happy to do it for her.
Angel nodded. "It's time for me to go, Doc," she told him, putting down her bag next to the box and going to join him on the jump seat. The Doctor's hearts sank, though he gave no outward impression and continued to program another setting into the sonic.
"Where to?" Why was he dragging it out for her? Because perhaps, underneath the casual exterior, the Doctor enjoyed Angel's company; he enjoyed her companionship. It was easier to concentrate on being the Doctor when he had someone there with him… he didn't want her to go.
Angel sighed. "Home, Doc."
"Thought the TARDIS was home." When did he turn into such a child?
"I'm moving on, Doc," Angel said. "Remember you told me that? Now I'm doing it. I'm going to back to school, then I'm going to enlist. I'm going to help people, like you, just closer to home." She placed her hand on him arm, stilling the fidgety movements with the sonic. "Doctor, please look at me."
She'd called him Doctor. He looked at Angel and gave a reluctant smile. "S'pose I should've expected it soon enough, it's alright, Angel." He nodded and jumped off the chair, setting in the co-ordinates for Angel's home.
Angel savoured the sound of the TARDIS, feeling the sad probe at the back of her mind. I know, girl, but I'll see you again one day. I will, she promised the ship, stroking the coral strut as she landed. Angel picked up her bag and the box, opened the doors and stepped into her big empty foyer. This big house, all hers. How on earth would she fill it?
The Doctor refused to step out of the TARDIS, instead watching his companion dump her things in a corner from the doorway. "Well, I'll be off then," he declared, lifting his hand in farewell.
"Oi, no you don't," Angel protested, running back over and pulling him into a hug, wrapping her arms right around his neck and breathing in the scent of the leather. She could feel the stiffness of his body slowly drain away and then return her hug; the tears she'd been holding back finally made an appearance.
"Don't have to leave, you know," the Doctor muttered; Angel smiled through the tears and sniffed.
"Thought you said you'd only offer once for me to come with you?" she replied, then pulled away, wiping her eyes. "I've gotta do this, Doc. Two things though."
"Yeah?"
"Go find someone else, alright? To travel with. Show them the stars. And I will too. I'll see if my best friend still loves me enough to have me back after I ditched her for a year."
He gave a dry chuckle. "She'd be stupid not to. Second?"
She glared at him. "I'm serious, Doc. Find someone, or I'll kick your ass."
He rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll do my best. Second?"
Angel smiled faintly. "Don't forget about me, alright?"
The Doctor smiled and patted the doorframe. "She'll keep your room free of dust," he promised with a nod. "Goodbye, Angel."
"For now," she amended and he nodded his agreement. "See ya, Doc."
He ducked back inside the TARDIS, and it slowly disappeared from Angel's view. She sighed. "You better find someone, Doc," she muttered again, then went off to find her cell phone. Wonder if Rose still has the same number?