Title: Go Get Her, Kid.
Rating: PG, I guess. Quite angsty.
Spoilers: Urm…The last five minutes in Last of the Time Lords.
Characters: Nine, Ten
Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be.
Summary: After the events of the Last of the Time Lords, and an unexpected crash, Nine and Ten finally meet. Leads up to what little we know of the Christmas Special. (I suck at summaries sorry.)
AN: Alot of people were asking for a fic along these lines, so I thought I'd give it a shot! Hope you enjoy.
The Doctor stared at the ring again, the name 'Titanic' beckoning him. He stared at the hull of the ship, which had rudely smashed up half of his wall. Standing up, he looked at the ceiling of his beloved ship.
"What are you doing? How did you manage to get a boat to crash into us? That shouldn't happen when we're in the vortex!"
The TARDIS hummed, almost chastising him for doubting what she had done. He sighed and placed the ring on the captain's seat, chuckling slightly as he realised a boat had crashed into him and he had both the ring and a captain's chair.
He wandered along the TARDIS, shoving his jacket on, and walking out. He went to step out, but stopped. Somehow, the TARDIS was hovering in mid air, the cold, harsh sea churning below them. He turned back into the TARDIS, glaring and the console.
Suddenly, the central column lit up. The TARDIS began to dematerialise, the wall coming back into place as it did. The Doctor frowned.
"One. How the hell did you do that? And two. Why the hell didn't you just take me straight into the ship in the front place?"
The TARDIS hummed at him.
"Oh, revenge for Martha? What does that mean? I don't know full well what that means!"
He sighed as the TARDIS began to materialise again.
"So why have you brought me here? I don't see the point in coming here. Besides, my old self will be here! I can't cross my own time line!"
Suddenly, it clicked. He hit his head hard off his hand, shaking it afterwards.
"I came here after Rose said no! I remember being told to go get her, but everything else is a blank. Oh well done me!"
The TARDIS hummed.
"Oh fine, well done you too!" he yelled as he ran out of the TARDIS.
He stared around the massive boiler room, glaring at the TARDIS for landing him there. Loosening his shirt and tie, and pulling his brown coat off, he began to walk the long walk to the deck. He knew he'd be there somewhere.
As he reached the deck, he suddenly wished he hadn't removed his brown coat. Throwing it around him again, he went to stand by the railings, staring out to sea. He smiled as the salty air surrounded him. This was the right place to go if you wanted a clear head.
He smiled as he saw children playing, families laughing, lovers staring into one another's eyes. His smile turned to a frown as it finally hit him. Titanic. Most of these people would die. He looked at his watch. Five hours. They had five hours of a life left. He wished he could save them all, but he couldn't. Oh sure he had enough room for them all in the TARDIS, but a save of that greatness would alter history too much. And he couldn't do that.
He turned his head; ready to walk away, when a shine of black leather caught his eyes. He turned to stare at his former self. He remembered the state he was in then. He'd come to the Titanic, hoping for an easy way out of life. Drowning. Although he would regenerate, and his binary vascular system would prolong the amount of time he had until he would regenerate, his lives would soon run out. In water, he had nowhere to go. Except up, of course. But the mixture of the coldness, and the unwillingness to survive, would make him refuse to regenerate. And that would be him. The Time Lord who truly made the Gallifreyan's extinct.
The Doctor took a deep breath and walked towards his former self, who was staring out to sea.
"Lovely out here, isn't it? Freezing, but lovely," The Doctor said, opting for a cheery voice. He was shocked to notice the empty hollowness in his own eyes as his former self turned to stare at him.
"Can I help you?" he asked, rather rudely.
"And I thought I was rude!" he replied, grinning brightly at him. "Look, you looked down, thought you might like some company."
His former self glared at him.
"I'm fine. I don't need any company."
The Doctor sighed.
"I'm sorry, but looking at you mate, you sure look like you want to jump off the back of this boat. And believe me, you don't want to do that! Bloody freezing, that water!"
His former self turned, his eyebrows raised. Did he do that a lot? He had to remember to remind himself to never do that again.
"Oh, and you've been in the Atlantic? In the middle of the Atlantic."
The Doctor nodded.
"Yes. And trust me, you don't want to be in there. The cold could kill you."
His former self, well, Nine as the Doctor started to call him in his mind, looked away with a smirk.
"Perhaps I'm not so worried about death." Nine murmured.
The Doctor sighed.
"And risk never seeing her again?"
Nine brought his head sharply up to face him.
"'Her?' There is no 'her'" He replied, huffily.
"I think there is. A beautiful blonde. Gorgeous brown eyes. Habit for trouble. I'd say she turned you down and now you see no point in life. No point in continuing if there is no one to continue with."
Nine stared harshly at him.
"How do you know all this?"
The Doctor shrugged and stared him in the eye.
"'Cause it happened to me once too," he said simply.
Nine nodded his head.
"So this is what I'm gonna be then? A pretty boy with a gob too big to suit. You should watch what you do with that."
The Doctor grinned.
"Rose used to say that all the time to me. Said if I just kept my mouth shut we'd get from planet to planet without having to run for our lives. Then again, where's the fun in walking?"
Nine smiled slightly.
"So, she decided to join you and not me?" He almost shouted.
"Oh no, she went for you! Took her a while to like me. But who could blame her when she did. I mean, look how gorgeous I became. All for her."
Nine shook his head.
"What would the Time Lords have said if they could see us now? Worked up on a stupid ape."
The Doctor frowned.
"Rose is far from stupid. Saved my life a fair few times. Saved yours too." He looked down; hating the fact he had to speak of Rose in the past tense.
"So where is this fantastic human then? Hiding out in the TARDIS?"
The Doctor swallowed a lump that came to his throat and help back tears.
"Rose is gone," he said simply.
Nine frowned at him.
"What do you mean 'gone?' She's left you?"
The Doctor looked down, shaking his head.
"No. She was taken from me." The Doctor began telling his previous incarnation of the events at Canary Warf, holding back tears. Once he finished, he stared at his younger self, trying to get a reaction from him.
"Blimey," was all he could reply with.
The Doctor nodded.
"You do realise you're going to have to wipe your memory about this," he said seriously.
His younger self glared at him.
"Yes. I'm not a complete twat," he replied, holding back the urge to hit him across the head. "So how to I get her to agree? I don't ask twice.
The Doctor smiled at him.
"You do for Rose. Just mention it travels in time. It may be an advantage to you." He stood up, staring at his younger self. "You have no idea how much she helped me. You need her. She's worth asking twice. And she won't say no. And as much as a pain she can be almost all of the time, she is the most fantastic person to ever grace this universe!" The Doctor began to walk away, a slight smile on his face. "And don't forget to wipe your memory. Listen to your elders, young man!"
His younger self stood up, his mouth open to yell insults at him. The Doctor merely smiled. And ran. Fast. Right into a waitress.
"Sorry!" he said quickly, bending over to help her pick up some things.
"It's quite alright, sir," she replied, picking up the pieces of broken china.
The Doctor smiled at her.
"You're Australian. Why is an Australian on the Titanic?" The Doctor looked down when he realised how rude it sounded. "Sorry, I didn't mean for it to be an insult. I've only heard people from the British Isles on board this ship. Just a shock to the system to hear something slightly different. What's your name?"
"It's okay, sir. A lot of people are saying worse things to me. I'm Astrid, sir," she replied, with a small smile.
The Doctor grinned brightly.
"Nice to meet you. I'm the Doctor."
Astrid laughed lightly.
"That's an unusual name."
The Doctor smiled brightly and was about to reply when a blast rocketed around the ship. The Doctor frowned.
"It's far too early for collision. What's going on?" he muttered.
Astrid frowned.
"Sorry, sir. I didn't catch that. What did you say?"
The Doctor turned to face her.
"Nothing at all. Tell me Astrid, would you like to join me on finding out what that racket his?"
Astrid smiled.
"Of course, sir."
The Doctor grinned and grasped her hand, standing up and leaving the shattered china on the floor.
"Run!"