Hey! I do not own BBC's Doctor Who (sadly) I also own no idea from the show about the show, yadda yadda yadda. I hope you enjoy!
Chapter one: Monster Man
War Inside Us by Hailey Black
Once there was a time we cowered at the foot of destruction. Lived in fear and never prospered. Too afraid of what to come, but death, that we forgot to live. Shadows and monsters lurked not only at night, but in the lights of day. Nowhere to hide from the cold tomorrows. This was war. We fought not a stranger, nor an enemy. We fought our battles close to home. People died. Good people and bad. Lives lost, and what was lost was never found. Not in war. Children cried once, lonely and scared. A father wasn't coming home; a mother would never hold her baby boy again. War was a terrible thing. Was raged everywhere. War didn't go away… War rested. War grew, War festered and became more. War is no longer a fight for something good, against something bad. War is us. War is who we were. Who we are. War is our future.
The Doctor sat alone in the TARDIS on a cloud above old time London. He'd been here a few months now. He couldn't even bear to go back to current London. Too many memories there of too many people he'd lost.
Lately the usually happy, bow tie wearing, fish fingers and custard eating Timelord had been quiet, dull, and in a horrid state of depression. He'd lost them. Let them down. The Doctor was done. Done trying to save people, they should learn how to save themselves, because he didn't do that anymore.
He could hardly even call himself the Doctor anymore... He thought back to the first trip he'd taken Amelia Pond on. The space whale. He was going to kill that poor creature to end it's suffering, for the price of his name. Amy, lovely Amy had saved him from that, yet here he was. No Amy, no Rory, and no Doctor.
Doctors are meant to heal people, and save them. Make them all better when they're hurt. All he did was cause more destruction and more hurt. And kill the people close to him. He wasn't a doctor. He was a monster.
There were days where he was a man of fairy tales. The hero at the end of the story. He'd slay the dragon and save the princess. He was there to take away the nightmares of small children so they may sleep in peace. Now he was the nightmare, the monster under the bed. He was the man they needed saving from.
At the current moment the Doctor was sitting alone in the console room in the jump seat staring off into space. Not literally, the doors were closed and he was parked on a cloud, more of a metaphorical space. His eyes were glazed over slightly and he was deep in thought.
Amelia Pond. The girl who waited all those years for him. And Rory. Rory the Roman who waited even longer for her... He'd lost them. He'd promised to always keep her safe and he failed her, he failed them both. They were gone and dead and he didn't stop it. He was to blame.
The Doctor let out a long sigh and put his face into his hands. Maybe he could stay here forever. On this cloud he would never have to interfere with the personal relations of Earth or any other planet again. It'd be better that way. They'd be safe from the monster.
As the Doctor was sitting there the TARDIS was silent besides her usual small hums and buzzes, but even those were duller and less lively then before. Nothing moved for some time. Nothing chanced. That was until a phone went off. The Doctor's head snapped up. He'd told the TARDIS to stop letting calls in some time ago.
He got up and walked over to the ringing phone and bent down peering at it a moment. It continued to ring breaking the deafening silence that lately had overcome the man and his ship.
"You… shouldn't be ringing. Why are you ringing?" He asked the phone pulling out his sonic. There was no odd reading. The Doctor stood back up and regarded the phone a moment before glancing around as if checking to see if the coast was clear and answering it.
"Helloooo?" He asked a small grin overcoming his face before he cleared his throat and dropped the smile, "Er. I mean. Hello. Can I help you?" From the other line came a sort of crackling sound, before the muffled scream of a woman. The Doctor's eyes widened slightly and the next time he spoke it was a tad more frantic, pleading.
"I said Hello? Hello? Can anybody hear me?" He listened intently for any sort of response but all he got was another muffled scream and what sounded like crying. The Doctor was nearing desperation, but he wouldn't show it. Only the wavering of his voice gave him away.
"Please, can anyone here me?" He asked nearly shouting into the phone receiver. The next thing he heard made his eyes widen even further and his hand shake slightly. A woman's voice, still muffled by whatever was constricting her, this time she spoke. More like pleaded. She sounded scared and desperate and whatever was doing this to her was hurting her.
"Doctor!" She screamed, "Doctor, please, help me!" He responded to the pleads immediately, gripping the phone tight in his hand.
"I'll help you! Where are you? When are you? Tell me!" He called into the phone, "Please!" Just then the connection cut out and nothing but static was heard on the other side. The Doctor cried out in anger and pulled the phone from the console.
"There's not point!" He yelled stomping over to the front door of the TARDIS, "No point in anything I do! Dead, that woman's dead." Reaching the door he flung it open looking out into the cloud, "Trying to save people is pointless if all they ever do is..." He threw the phone out the door nothing really caring where in landed, "Die!" He finished slamming the door shut again.
The Doctor stopped back over to the jump seat where he collapsed back into his pervious place. The TARDIS hummed in disapproval of pieces of her being ripped out and tossed about. The Doctor looked up chuckling darkly,
"I'm destroying you too aren't I?" He asked softly, eyes shining slightly in the dim light. Again there was nothing but pressing silence. The Doctor slowly went back to sulking in his jump seat. Hours passed but the man never moved and nothing changed. That was until the second thing interrupted his gloom.
It was the TARDIS, she was starting up. All the lights that had been dimmed suddenly brighten and noises increased. The Doctor jumped up,
"No no no no no no!" he cried running up to the console, "Stop it! Stay here!" He started to bang on things and pull random levers but it was too late. The TARDIS started to shake and make her famous wheezing sound and the Doctor grabbed onto a railing to keep himself upright. He couldn't help the small smile that'd momentarily taken over his features.
Everything came to a standstill and the Doctor quickly regained his balanced. He straightened his old styled jacket and grinned slightly,
"I still got it." He announced happily before catching himself and dropping the smile. He was keeping himself from feeling joy, which was obvious. The Doctor turned on the monitor and looked intently at the screen.
"London, Earth. January the first, the year 2013." The Doctor mumbled to himself. He smiled sadly before shutting off the monitor. He started to fiddle with the controls before letting out a long sigh.
"Fine!" He called to the TARDIS, "Fine, you want me to go out there, find some innocent people and try and save them?" He asked spinning around, "Well I won't! I mean… I'll go out there… But I'm not saving anyone!" He called before taking off full speed towards the closet to change from his odd old fashioned clothing. Not very appropriate for 2013.
Appearing in the console room once more a few minutes later dressed back in his tweed jacket and famous bow tie. The Doctor walked over glancing once more at the screen,
"I'm just popping out for some fresh air… Not stopping, not talking to anyone. Just a nice walk then back here got it?" He asked pocketing his sonic, "Psh. I won't even need this! Just a quick walk is all. I don't investigate anymore. Nope."
The Doctor walked to the door a slight more skip in his step then he'd had of late. The Doctor flung the door open and of course made sure to lock it behind him.
He turned around and glanced about. He was on a college campus, on the far side of a lovely grass field. It was evening time, the sun had already set and the park was dark. A man jogged by the TARDIS and himself on the left, but besides that he was no one as far as he could see.
"Just a walk and then back." He told himself straightening his bow tie and starting to head off in the direction the jogger was going, but a voice stopped him,
"Oi you!" Someone called to him. The Doctor spun around and pointed to himself, eyebrows raised slightly.
"Who me?" Sitting on a bench the Doctor managed to miss the fist time for it was casted in shadows was a woman, she stood up when the Doctor turned.
"Nah, the other idiot wearing a bow tie." She called sarcastically. The Doctor's eyes widen slightly and he touched his bow tie.
"Hey! I'm not an idiot! And bow ties are cool!" He said offended. The girl chuckled slightly and when she stepped forward again, further into the light the Doctor got a better look at her.
She was roughly a little over five feet tall and her pale skin stuck out against her jet black hair. She was wearing only a cartoon T-shirt and a pair of old ripped up skinny jeans even though the winter weather obviously called for a bit more. She had a smirk on her face and was staring at the Doctor,
"Yeah, cool if you're my grandpa." She resorted smirk turning quietly into a grin when the Doctor puffed out his chest in frustration.
She had a pretty smile, the Doctor noticed, and eyes. What beautiful eyes. They were green; he could see that from where he stood some ten feet away. And even in the dark he saw them shining with wonder and curiosity and longing for adventure.
It took the Doctor a moment to recover from those eyes. He'd seen the same in so many people before her. There was a time, a time not too long ago, where those eyes alone would be enough to capture him. Make him want to stay here forever. But he was done with that. Done with entering humans' lives just to destroy everything. Done with beautiful eyes on mysterious woman.
"Why does my fashion sense matter to you?" The Doctor huffed looking at the girl who was still grinning at him. She laughed, it was soft and causal. Like she was laughing with an old friend. But here she was, standing in a park at night with a complete stranger.
"Or rather lack of a fashion sense." She teased taking another step forward towards the Doctor and the TARDIS, she took her eyes from him and stared hard at the blue box, "You can't park that there." She stated looking back to the Doctor.
That statement caught him off guard. Not the fact that she saw the TARDIS, the perception filter would only really work had she not noticed him, or been talking right to him. What caught him was what she said. Plenty of times he's heard, what is that, why is there, I've never seen that box before, or even what's a Police Box,but she did ask those questions. She stated, stated that you can't park that there. Park it. Not even leave it there... park.
"Why did you say that?" He asked her knitting his eyebrows together and staring hard at her. She rolled her eyes.
"Uh. Because you can't? The school'll call the cops or something." She said matter-of-factly. The Doctor let out a breathless chuckle.
"Will they? They're going to call the police on a Police Box." He asked. She nodded her head and flickered her eyes back over to the TARDIS.
"Mmhm, with the way our government is working today anything is possible." Another soft chuckle escaped the Doctor.
"I suppose you're right." He muttered mostly to himself, "Well, I'll just popped back in and move it." He should get out of her before she asks him- his thought was cut off by her speaking again and taking another step towards him.
"Wait!" She called a small tint of desperation in her voice. The Doctor attempted to ignore it going to open the TARDIS doors.
"I-I'm sorry. I really must go." He said quietly fishing in his pocket for the key. Where was that blasted thing?! He jumped when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder and spun around. The girl was standing about a foot away from him and let out a small giggle when the Doctor jumped. He tried not to blush in embarrassment, "Yes, what do you want?" He asked her.
"What's your name?" She asked. Now that she was closer the Doctor could see her wonderful eyes better. Green, with small speckles of gold in them. They were still shinning with all the mysteries of the world. The Doctor smiled sadly down at her. Those eyes will cause her trouble in the future. They always did. He shook his head slowly.
"I don't have a name…" The Doctor managed finally. He shouldn't tell her. He couldn't, it was such a dangerous name to know. She shook her head, smile changing from that of a grin, to just a soft ghost on her face.
"Everyone's got a name." She promised him, "They have too, or else you wouldn't know what to call them… And having something to call someone can be powerful thing. Right? Like a chair's not a chair less you call it a chair. And a sofa's not a sofa." The Doctor looked down at her. Part of him wanted to take her into his arms and hug her. Tell her his name. Tell her his story then whisk her away to show her all the magical things her soul was dying to see. But there was another part of him that wanted to grab her and shake her. Yell at her. Tell her names didn't matter, nothing did in the ens. And to hide from the world, because such a special girl like her was going to get broken.
"R-Right…" He wouldn't do this to her, "But I... I don't deserve a name, so please. Go home. Back to your dorm and sleep. And forget this ever happen to you." The Doctor's voice had grown quieter a small plead to her.
Slowly she shook her head. The small woman who barely came up to the Doctor's chin suddenly wrapped her arms around his middle hugging herself to him.
"I think everyone deserves a name." She mumbled closing her eyes. "If you think you don't deserve a name. Then shame on you mister." The Doctor couldn't help smile slightly.
"If only you knew of the things that I've done… You would think of me as nothing less than a monster." The woman shook her head tightening her grip on the Doctor.
"You're not a monster mister. I can tell. You're eyes are so sad, and so old, but they're still so good and so kind… They've seen so much bad and evil in the world… You've watch so many people die…" The Doctor looked down at this little wonder in still hugging him, mouth slightly agape. "You're lost almost everyone you love, and yet you're still so so lonely. And you're good… You kept going, and kept saving people. You're no monster. And if someone's never given you a name. I will. The good guy with a cool blue box and a bow tie." She decided smiling happily to herself. She let out another small giggle, "Wait... No. Good Alien guy in a cool blue box with a bow tie!" The Doctor suddenly pulled her back to look at her.
"What? 'Good Alien guy in a Cool Blue Box with a bow tie?" He asked eyes wide. Alien? How in the name of Rassilon did she know that? The woman laughed.
"Mister, I could hear two hearts… That's not human last time I checked." She said grinning up at him again. The Doctor let out a breathless laugh in return. Of course. Two hearts. This girl was sharp.
"What if Miss, I told you I did have a name… A very dangerous name. A name that could burn down planets or build up empires...?" The Doctor asked voice almost a whisper. She laughed, she did that a lot, but the Doctor liked it, it was a nice sound.
"I'd say lucky you, my mum named me when she was hyped up on morphine, all my name does was get me teased in primary school..." The Doctor let out a small sigh.
"My names... My names the Doctor." He said finally. It felt weird almost. He hadn't said that for a while to anyone. When people asked he didn't answer or if he had to he lied. She grinned up at him and stuck out her hand.
"Hello there Doctor! My names Seraphina." She announced brightly. The Doctor laughed and took the hand shaking it.
"Oh Seraphina, you're a star!" He said smiling down at her. She grinned back up at him letting out a laugh in return.
"And Doctor, you're an alien!" She said letting go of his hand and letting her eyes flick to the TARDIS again, "And that's… That's a big blue Police box…"
A/N Yay! First chapter up. Tell me what you think pretty please. What do you think of Seraphina? What about how the Doctor is acting? Please please please please review. Thanks :D
