I wrote this as a Christmas 2017 present to my wife. First time I'd written much of anything in 6 years, actually. Also the first time I've ever written myself into anything. Kinda weird...
But she loved it ;-)
THE JOURNEY
By screaminheathen69
It was a cold, rainy night…
Well, we're off to a cliche start there, aren't we? But it happens to be true. But fitting somehow, considering the chain of events to follow.
So it was on that cold, rainy night in December, on the occasion of his 48th birthday Jeff found himself sitting in a bar, staring into his empty glass. Now, it can safely be said that sitting alone in a bar on his 48th birthday was not precisely where he had thought he would be at that point in his life, but then, the Universe does have a habit of not working out quite as planned. Just ask Arthur Dent.
He took vague note of the man that plopped onto the stool next to him, then went back to studying the ice cubes slowly melting in his glass.
"Cheers mate, and happy birthday!" The very British voice stirred him out of his ponderings.
"Thanks… wait, how did you know it was my birthday?" Jeff asked, turning towards the man. Tall, skinny, wearing a blue suit and red Chucks, a long tan overcoat draped over the back of his seat. And very standy-uppy hair.
The stranger leaned back in his seat, somehow not tipping over backwards in spite of his precarious position. "Wellllll, I know lots of stuff. Can't help it, it's how I'm wired. I just know things. All sorts of things. Great at trivia, me." He said it very off-handedly, but he never broke eye contact.
Jeff stared right back. "You haven't answered my question yet."
The stranger ran a hand through his already messy hair and thumped his stool back onto four legs. "True enough. I'm the Doctor, by the way."
"Jeff. Doctor who?"
"Just the Doctor."
"Your name is Doctor?"
"The Doctor."
"Your first name is 'The'?"
The Doctor ran a tired hand over his face. He reckoned this was about the billionth time he'd had this conversation. It happened even more often the the 'it's bigger on the inside' routine.
"Look, we can sit here discussing my name, or we can go get your wife back."
Jeff scowled and started to stand. "Apparently you don't know as much you think." He threw some cash on the bar and started shrugging on his leather jacket. "I wouldn't take back that worthless-"
The Doctor stood up quickly, waving his hands. "No, sorry, nononono, I didn't mean that one. I wouldn't wish that on you for anything." He'd seen more than his fair share of sociopaths in his time, but the woman in question made even his thick skin crawl.
Jeff stopped, jacket halfway on, and shot the Doctor a sideways look. "I've only been married once. If you ain't talking about Her Worshipfulness, then who are you talking about?"
"Your second wife. Angela. The woman who should be standing beside you right now. The piece of your heart you can feel missing, but don't know why."
Jeff took a couple of steps back, shaking his head. "I think maybe you need to get back on your meds. I really need to go now..."
The Doctor grabbed his arm, stopping him. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but I can't do that. I have to help you, we need to do this."
Jeff yanked his arm away. "Leave me the hell alone!" He walked away from the stranger, heading for his truck and home. But as he reached the parking lot, he lurched to a stop. Sitting right behind his truck, blocking it in, was a tall blue shed sort of thing. "What the hell is a police box?"
The Doctor walked past him, leaning against the side of the police box. "This old thing? It's my transport."
"To what, the looney bin?"
The Doctor sighed. Sometimes the old classics still work best. "See for yourself." He snapped his fingers, and the doors snapped open. As it happened, Jeff happened to be standing directly in front of the doors, and therefore had an excellent view of the console room.
He moved a bit closer, trying to figure out how this weirdo had created such a realistic illusion. "Nice trick."
"I like it." The Doctor turned and walked up the ramp, circling to the far side of the control console. "Honestly, I promise you, if you'll just give me a few minutes, I can explain everything."
Jeff hesitated. The Doctor positively radiated trustworthiness. Jeff wanted to trust him for some inexplicable reason. But his record along those lines was pretty bad. Horrible, in fact. Other than a handful of old friends he knew from long experience he could trust, he was very careful about who he let in these days. Too many bad, painful memories. For almost eighteen years, he had kept himself solitary, never letting anyone one in, loathe to trust, unwilling to be hurt again.
So he was rather surprised to find himself walking into the police box.
The Doctor nodded, "Thank you."
"Five minutes. Then I'm gone."
"Fair enough." The Doctor swung the viewer around so Jeff could see it. There was a picture on the screen. It was a couple on their wedding day, holding each other, obviously a very happy moment. Obviously very much in love.
It was a picture of Jeff, holding a beautiful redhead.
"She's cute. Nice Photoshop job." He said it sarcastically, but couldn't take his eyes off her.
The Doctor sidled over, studying Jeff and the picture. "Nope. No Photoshop here. That photo was taken by a lovely photographer on the occasion of your wedding. 8th October, 2016."
Jeff shot the Doctor a dirty look. "I think I'd remember getting married again."
"Of course you would. Certainly you would. Memorable event as a rule." He took off his coat and tossed it on one of the coral looking columns. "But then, everything changed. But then, you made a wish."
Jeff shot a look of disbelief at the Doctor. "A wish."
"Yup."
"I made a wish."
"Yup."
"I was happily married and I just up and wished it away?"
"Well, yes, basically. Well, I say yes. It wasn't intentional, though." The Doctor started pacing, hands stuffed in his pockets. "Harmless things, wishes, generally speaking. Random things, no real effect on reality. But sometimes, just occasionally , under the rarest of circumstances, reality becomes malleable. Sometimes, time gets rewritten. Sometimes, wishes come true."
He stopped, looked Jeff square in the eye. "You made a wish. Out of pure love, you made a simple wish, and the entire universe was altered because of it."
He rested a hand on Jeff's shoulder. "You wished that the woman you loved had never had to suffer, that her life could have been pain free."
And then he told the poor man the story of his wife's life. Parts of if were fairly decent.
Parts of it were a horror story.
By the time the Doctor finished, Jeff was sitting in the jumpseat, tears welling in his eyes. "But how can me wanting someone I love not to have to suffer be a bad thing?"
"It isn't. Not in the least. But sometimes, the smallest of things can become the catalyst for huge changes." He leaned tiredly against the console. "And on a personal level, we are, at the core, the sum of our lives, our experiences, our memories. Change one thing, we change who we are. Your wish altered the entire course of her life. She was happier, yes, very much so. But in her altered reality, she wound up dying in a car accident that she walked away from in the original timeline."
Jeff stood, started pacing. This was a lot to take in. But then, so was a wooden box that was bigger on the inside. On his birthday no less. "The way it was, were we happy?"
"Very much so, yes. You heal each other, you two. You proved to each other that there are genuinely decent people in the world. You create a new future for yourselves, a better, happier, wonderful future, and you two open your hearts to so many people, help so many people, you become a force that is so positive, so loving, you end up touching the lives of thousands, millions. So many beings out there, their lives are made better because of something the two of you start. Together."
"So what am I supposed to do? Go back in time and stop myself from making that wish?"
The Doctor smiled, a lopsided toothy smile. "Well, yes, actually." He started running around the console, flipping switches and throwing levers. "Oh, did I forget to mention? Time machine!" He threw the parking brake, and the Tardis lurched into motion.
It wasn't a simple, quick fix of course. Small stones causing big ripples, you get the idea. They went through fifteen different eras and causal nexi across eight different worlds (and one incredibly drunken brawl with a bunch of monks on Centrilius XI that they both chose to pretend never happened), but when it was done, the Doctor was able to declare the Universe had been set right, and even threw in a second honeymoon for the reunited couple.
Not that that was a simple affair either, but that is a story for another day.
A long story...
But the important thing is this. They learned, as the ancient Time Lord had, that sometimes the pain is a necessary evil. It can be something terrible, twisting a person to do evil, or simply twisting a person up inside.
But in the very best of people, the pain becomes strength. And when two of the very best combine that strength, well then, that is something truly special. And It's the Journey that matters, the thing that makes those people who they are, that makes them special.
The Doctor left feeling fairly pleased with himself. Everything worked out, nobody died, two wonderful people were reunited and all was right in the space/time vortex. Well, other than an outstanding warrant on Centrilius XI. He reckoned he'd deal with that later.
The Journey continues…
To thee no star be dark...