Lonely God
A Doctor Who fanfiction
Summary: One-shot, possible continuation. The Ninth incarnation of the Doctor alone on Earth shortly after the destruction of Gallifrey in serious need of a shoulder to cry on with no one around to comfort him. Nine, OC.
Gone. All gone.
Every single whisper of existence, the voices of his people, his family, his friends, his home, silenced forever. Nothing left, an echoing void inside his head. And his hearts. His TARDIS, sturdy old gel that she was, was all he had left, that quiet steady presence in the back of his mind, resting now. She'd been through a lot, just as he had, and he didn't want to bother her so soon after their ordeal together.
They'd landed in America, on the West Coast, just as the sun was setting. He didn't know the city's name, hadn't bothered to look, but it was a pretty little place, coastal and positively bursting with life as nature and humanity lived quite happily side by side. He barely even noticed, caught up in his own pain and grief. It hurt so much, the emptiness where his home, his people had once resided, pain so intense he found himself totally numb from the inside out. He trudged down the boardwalk, hands in the pockets of the black leather jacket he'd grabbed before leaving the TARDIS, an odd combination with the tattered Edwardian suit he still wore despite its ill fit on his new body. Normally, he would have at least changed into something a little less battered before wandering off somewhere, but he was too deeply consumed by grief to bother. There were a few people meandering about, taking pictures of the radiant sunset, giving him funny looks but too polite to ask as he plodded on past, eyes to whatever material happened to lie beneath his feet.
He finally stopped when he feet started to hurt, the scuffed brown leather dress shoes finally revealing the fact that they were some sizes too small for his current incarnation. Grumbling crossly under his breath and vaguely noting the decidedly Northern accent gracing the words, he marched over to a conveniently placed bench facing out towards the bay and flopped down upon the worn wooden surface to remove his uncomfortable footwear. The shoes were tossed unceremoniously into the grass off to his left in a heap of frayed laces and scuffed leather, and he slumped forward with a weary sigh, elbows to knees with his head resting in his hands as he gazed out unseeing towards the glorious natural spectacle taking place as the sun completed its daily rotation. Of course, it was actually the Earth that was rotating, orbiting the great yellow ball of burning gas, but he really didn't care for accuracy at the moment. All he was aware of was the empty echo in his head and the terrible ache in his hearts. So he really didn't notice when a warm body came to rest beside him, not touching but close enough a stray movement would provide contact. But the paper to-go mug shoved under his nose was hard to ignore.
"Tea?"
He simply stared for a few moments, not sure how to react to the offer, before finally lifting his free hand to take the steaming mug.
"Thank you."
"No problem."
A friendly smile was in that voice, but he barely noticed, staring out across the bright water and absent-mindedly swirling the contents of the mug in his hand. It was silent for a long time, the only sounds the soft swish of the warm tea and the nature sounds of the bay-view park settling down for the night.
"So, what's got you down?"
He sighed, gaze lowering a moment before he brought the mug to his lips and took a long draught of the heated beverage it held, making a small sound of approval at the selection before answering.
"More than you want to know."
"Lost somebody, huh?"
The statement was startlingly accurate, so much so he couldn't help but turn his gaze to see the person proving to be so insightful. A young woman, probably in her later teens, with red-streaked brown hair cropped in an angular cut that was short in the back and long in the front, dressed in a black trench coat over blue jeans and a gray-striped red turtleneck. She sipped at her own mug, gazing out at the descending golden orb before tilting her head to face him, her deep hazel eyes wide and sorrowful.
"Me too."
He watched as she turned her gaze back to the waning light, taking another sip from her mug before letting it rest on her knee with a contented sigh.
"My little brother. Second anniversary of his death, actually. Bone cancer."
She turned her eyes to him again, the ache in her own soul revealed in her dark eyes.
"He was twelve."
Another sigh, another sip from the mug.
"I come down here every year, in memory. He loved this place. Loved the outdoors, especially when it was cold."
He took a sip from his own mug, let himself relish the warmth and slightly nutty flavor of the milky sweetened tea before finally speaking.
"Lost a lot. Parents, wife, kids. Quite a few friends too."
Her eyes were wide and soft, comforting in their unspoken sympathy, no, empathy. She knew where he was coming from, at least a little, and it helped. Another sip of the tea slowly growing cool in his now-trembling grasp.
"One fell swoop, and poof. Gone."
A leather gloved hand came to rest on his knee, slender and warm against the chill rolling in with the lack of sunlight.
"Never thought it would end like this. All alone in the universe, last of my kind. Nobody but me..."
The soft pinks and purple-blues coloring the sky seemed to blurr, smudging together into a single plane of indistinct shapes and colors. Warmth spilled down his cheeks, slightly salty when it dripped inside his mouth. Slender arms slid up around him, curling about his chest and pulling him close to the slim figure beside him. The tea mug fell forgotten to the concrete, spilling out across the grass as he bent his head into the smooth black fabric of the girl's coat. He cried for a long time, shaking in her grasp as he wept, his own arms limp in her lap as his hands clenched in the loose dark folds of fabric. She never said a word as he openly grieved, just held him, her head resting on his shoulder as he wept. They stayed like that even after the tears ran dry, taking comfort in each other's closeness for as long as they could. Finally, they broke apart, releasing each other to sit back upon the bench, though closer than before, still needing the contact so willingly offered as red-rimmed eyes turned their gaze to the fading colors of the sunset, the deep purple-black velvet of night spreading across the dome of the sky, pin pricks of light blooming in the darkness as starlight broke through the atmosphere. And they sat together, side by side, legs touching and shoulders resting against each other, until the last light disappeared over the horizon, leaving the sparkling stars and silver orb of the moon to shine over the coastal city. He turned to her, eyes dry now but still filled with that echoing ache, though not so bad as it had been.
"Thank you."
She smiled, her full lips tilting up into a soft expression full of warmth and calm and companionship.
"No problem."
And he found himself smiling back, a quirk of the muscles on one side of his face.
"What's your name?"
"Subira. You?"
"The Doctor."
Much to his surprise, she did not dispute the title, but merely nodded.
"Good name."
For a long moment, they were both silent, staring out across the darkening bay towards the shadowed masses of islands and the tiny brilliant lights of the dwellings upon them. At last, the girl, Subira, rose to her feet, brushing off her trench coat and crouching down to pick up the fallen tea mug before turning back to him.
"You got a place to stay, Doctor?"
He rose to his own feet, grabbing his discarded shoes.
"You could say that."
"Want some company getting there?"
A shared smile.
"Of course."
They walked casually through the quiet park, devoid of activity now that the sun had fallen, his shoes flopping about comically since he'd had to pull out the laces to get them to fit without pinching. They didn't talk, content with silence in each other's company as they wandered into town. It was quiet there as well, though there were a few businesses still open, ready to serve the stray late night customer. He couldn't help but grin as the TARDIS came into view, her deep blue facade practically glowing with welcome as he approached.
"A police box?"
He started, having been caught up in the warm welcome of his last remnant of home, and turned towards the girl with her deep soulful eyes now bright with curiosity.
"Yup."
She smiled, the expression of cheer baring straight white teeth.
"Nice place."
He couldn't help but grin, pulling the golden key from the pocket of his leather jacket and unlocking the wondrous machine so few had ever seen.
"Would you like to come in?"
Another smile.
"So long as you're being the gracious host."
The TARDIS hummed, laughter in his head as he pushed open the deep blue door. She stepped past him, red Converse sneakers squeaking on the metal grating. He strode in after her, closing the door behind him as he watched the girl's reaction. Carefully, cautiously, she padded towards the command console, running gloved fingers along the panel edging as her eyes slid closed, a soft smile on her face.
"She's beautiful."
He couldn't help but be a little surprised, and grinned after a moment. Most people immediately commented on the size difference.
"She's called the TARDIS. Time And Relative Dimension In Space."
Deep brown eyes opened, turned to gaze back at him over a narrow black-garbed shoulder.
"Time And Relative Dimension In Space. Does that mean she travels in it?"
His grin widened. What a remarkable girl.
"Yup."
She grinned right back, her eyes crinkling at the edges.
"Time-travel. Fantastic."
For long moment, he simply watched as Subira took in the magnificent machine in which he lived, her eyes wide and amazed at every tiny detail. She finally stepped away from the command console, striding back towards him with her hands tucked into her pockets.
"You're a very lucky man, Doctor. Your TARDIS loves you, very, very much."
He grinned, one eyebrow lifted near to his hairline.
"You must be psychic."
"Not really. I just pay attention, keep an open mind. Helps when they pay attention back, of course."
"I should think so."
They stood together, side by side once more, looking in on the beautiful time ship humming with patient contentment. At last, he turned to her, eyes bright and slightly hopeful.
"You want to come with me? See the stars, past, present, and future?"
She smiled, sad and wistful.
"I can't."
"Why?"
A soft sigh.
"My parents would miss me. I've got college classes to attend, and a job at the cafe just up the block. Got friends of mine who still hang out with me. It's not much, but it's a life. And I can't just leave it for the adventure of a lifetime, no matter how tempting."
Wide brown eyes gazed up, apologetic.
"No matter how much I want to, I can't."
He felt his smile fade, hopes dashed.
"Oh."
"Tell you what, though. I'll give you my contact info. Call me the next time you're in town, and I'll show you around."
She grinned, teeth shining.
"Just cause I'm not coming, doesn't mean we can't still be friends."
And he found his smile returning, equally bright and toothy. It was but the work of the moment for her to whip out a notebook from the black satchel that hung at her side, scribbling down her information with a blue pen and ripping out the page, pressing it into his hands before she started for the door.
"See you around then, Doctor."
He smiled, offering a wave as she closed the door. Paper in hand, he strode over to the command console, and tucked the paper neatly into the back of the monitor before letting his hands descend to the controls. Suddenly, he heard the door open, and turned, startled. Subira grinned.
"Just so you know, you look good in leather. Ta!"
And she was gone. He stood there for some seconds, dazed from the sudden fashion advice, then burst out laughing.