The Two Doctors
"Where to now, Doctor?" Amy chirped as she examined the different buttons and levers on the
TARDIS console.
The Doctor spun around in his chair to face her. "Well, Pond," he jumped up and bounced to the center console next to her. "What haven't we seen yet? And by 'we', I mean you, of course. I've seen everything."
"What would you recommend?" Amy knew that that Doctor always had somewhere in mind.
The Doctor scratched his head. "We could visit planet Magrathea… or go to the year 5167 and witness the great primate revolution… or perhaps just stop in Paris for a bite to eat?"
"Or we could do all three!" Amy exclaimed.
"That's the spirit!" The Doctor nudged her in the arm. "You're getting the hang of this!"
Suddenly, the door to the TARDIS flung open. The Doctor spun around in shock to watch as a tall, skinny figure burst through the door. He ran through the doors, and, upon seeing the inside of the TARDIS, came to a halting standstill and looked around in shock. "My… my…"
The Doctor stared at him in disbelief, and Amy looked at the Doctor with curiosity. "Doctor… Who is that, and how did he get into the TARDIS?"
The Doctor stepped towards the man with caution, and the man looked back with a look of surprise and bewilderment on his face. He turned to the doors of the TARDIS. "…Rose…? Please come quicky."
The Doctor turned to Amy. "Pond… this is-", he gestured to the tall man in the blue pinstriped suit standing before them. "Well, I'm not quite sure how to say this, but… this is, umm… me."
A blonde girl who looked to be about twenty years of age ran in through the TARDIS doors. "Yes, Doctor? Everything alri-". She looked around the TARDIS, then to the Doctor, then to the Doctor, then to Amy, and then back to the TARDIS. "Doctor…? What's going on…?"
The Eleventh Doctor's hearts skipped two beats as he saw her face for the first time in many, many years. It had been so long since that day on the beach, but his insides still ached remembering it. He only barely resisted the urge to run over and embrace her.
Eleven turned away from her. The one in the pinstriped suit looked the other up and down. "Good God, look at that chin. Which… number are you?"
"Eleventh. I come right after you."
Ten looked around. "It appears that there's been a complication in the time vortex. Or maybe a glitch in the TARDIS's navigation system." He jumped over to the center console, and Rose followed. After a few zaps from his sonic screwdriver did nothing to fix the situation, he ambled over to Eleven. "What were you doing right before we showed up?"
Eleven thought. "Nothing really. We were just deciding where to go next."
Ten's eyebrows scrunched together as he thought the situation through. "How very strange… Has she been acting… strange lately?"
"The TARDIS? Well, no… Not really." Eleven bit his lip as he thought. "Actually… now that you mention it, there have been a few instances where she's acted a little… wonky."
Ten gave an exasperated sigh. "Have you broken my TARDIS? What did you do?"
"Excuse me, but it's my TARDIS now! I am the current owner of it, and therefore, you can't yell at me for… well, umm… replacing a few parts…" Eleven's voice trailed off.
"…For WHAT? WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY TARDIS?" Ten glared at him with his large brown eyes.
"Well, when you regenerated, the force of the energy blew the inside of this place to bits! I had to redo the entire interior, and in the process, well… I made some changes. Good changes. Helpful changes. That's all."
Ten flinched at the word "regenerated", but his anger didn't dwindle. "Well, obviously if we're having time-vortex crossovers, something isn't right. Let me take a look."
Ten approached the TARDIS console and inspected every inch of it. After several minutes of examining the buttons and levers and scoffing to himself about the minor alterations Eleven had made, he looked up. "I think I've found the problem. See this materialization switch?"
Eleven strode over to him. "Yes, I had to put a new one in when I redid the interior."
"I can see that. You did it wrong. See that little piece? You didn't put it in tight enough the first time, so now it's come loose. That must have been what caused the Time Vortex mishap. Your version of the TARDIS materialized in the wrong place at the wrong time within our timeline."
Amy spoke up after minutes of silently gossiping with Rose about the places they had traveled with the Doctor. "Yes, well that's all very confusing and interesting, but how exactly are you going to fix it?"
Ten looked to her. "Easy. I'll just tighten it, reboot the TARDIS, and then hopefully we can be on our way." He used his Sonic Screwdriver to tighten the small square piece into place. "See? Now I'll just shut her down so she can restart. It might take a few minutes, so hang in there." He used his screwdriver once more on one of the buttons on the console. Suddenly, all of the lights and panels went dark with a faint whirring sound.
After several seconds of awkward silence, Eleven spoke up. "Well, now that we have a few minutes to wait, how about we have a nice old chat, eh?" He bounced over to the chairs, and Ten, Rose, and Amy followed.
"I've been wanting to ask you this ever since I got my first glimpse of you…" Ten started, "…but what in the name of Gallifrey are you wearingon your head?"
Eleven perked up. "Oh! It's a fez. I wear a fez now. Fezzes are-"
"-Don't even start," Amy scolded.
"Okay, okay, fine."
A few more moments of silence passed. Ten looked up with a hesitant look on his face. "There's… there's something else I want to ask, but… maybe I shouldn't."
The other three looked at him curiously.
"How… How do I… you know… go..?" His voice cracked, and he looked down solemnly.
Eleven sighed. "You know that I can't tell you that. Even we Time Lords aren't allowed to know what happens in the future in our own timelines."
Ten leaned back in his chair. "Right, right… I guess I knew that…" He fiddled with his thumbs.
A few seconds passed, and then Rose spoke softly and slowly. "Am I there? You know, to… to watch it happen? …Why aren't I travelling with you anymore?"
Feelings of regret and shame poured into Eleven's mind. He bit his lip and looked down at his shoes. With a quiet, dejected voice, he uttered, "It's a long story, Rose. And like I said before, I can't tell you. But don't worry… You end up happy. Really very happy." Ten and Rose exchanged worried glances, and he slowly put his hand over hers.
The panels and buttons on the TARDIS began to light up once more, accompanied a humming sound that indicated that the system was up and running again.
Ten looked to Eleven and Amy. "I suppose we should be on our way. We were just about to visit Socttland in 1879…"
"Right, right. Well… it was nice seeing you again, me," Eleven smiled.
"Yes, very nice." Ten smiled back. "Alright, come along Rose!"
Rose and Amy exchanged polite goodbyes, and Rose's side met Ten's. After a few quick waves, they advanced towards the doors of the TARDIS.
As they walked, Ten began to whisper. "Hey, Rose?"
"Yes, Doctor?"
"Please try to remind me never to wear that bow tie."
What did you do to my TARDIS?
How did Ten die?
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