Author's Note: After reading a Doctor Who-story called "Shattering an Idol Image" I was not only moved by the sadness that it conveyed, but I was also angry with the unthinking people that made the author write that story. So I started wondering: What would the real Doctor think about what happened in that story? The result is this story. Kelly, this one's for you. I hope you, and all other readers, enjoy it.
Everyone's a hero in their own way
The Doctor looked at the screen on the central console and felt disgusted. Is that all that I am here? A fictional character? Just some figment of someone's imagination? Portrayed by… thát? He'd been watching the Scottish man hand out autographs and could almost hear the nonsense he spouted, pretending he cared. Disgusting, just… Disgusting.
But when he watched the crowd, he couldn't help but feel compassion for all those people. Poor, deluded fools. Wanting to touch the man who pretends to be, well, me. Hoping for a way out of their dreary lives, to be part of something special, however short. A weak smile graces his lips. Of course. Who wouldn't want to meet the Doctor? Be swept off their feet and go on crazy adventures through all of time and space? The things he'd seen on television were mostly hilarious, but sometimes eerily accurate. Perhaps the writers connect to the Time Vortex by accident now and then? Stranger things have happened.
"Well? You done yet with admiring yourself?"
Donna had retreated to her room after a few minutes, stating she couldn't take much more of that lovey-dovey blind adoration of some bat-brained actor, even if he did look like him. Ah well, enough of this.
"Yep. Nothing to see here, just move along. I think it's official: On all my travels I don't think I've ever seen a duller universe than this one. No aliens, no Torchwood, no UNIT, not that I miss them in any case, trigger-happy idiots, no life-or-death situations, no threats, not even some old-fashioned running! And I even put on my new shoes."
Faking a pout he lifted his right foot to show Donna his new Converse, which was still immaculately white for however long that would last.
"Don't you go all pouty on me, Space Man! You needed new ones, no ifs and buts about it. It's a good thing you took us to that Global Mall, otherwise I'd have piloted this box myself!"
"Donna! I just, well, I get attached to, you know, stuff. It's just one of my quirks, because, well, I'm old. And old people get quirks. Like me. So, I don't like throwning things away."
"Are you, are you serious? You still have those old, smelly things stashed away somewhere? You are, you are unbelievable! Oh, you, I… I'm gonna find them. I'm gonna find them and throw them into the heart of a star and then I'll-"
The Doctor suddenly raised his hand, motioning for her to be silent. Wait. What's that? The monitor showed him that one of the women in the crowd, who moments before was pointing her camera at the actor as enthusiastically as the others, was now slinking away. What's that, what just happened? He pushed a few buttons and reversed the image. It looked as if one of the people nearby had said something which made a few others around the woman laugh. Only then did the Doctor notice the white cane the woman carried. Blind? No, can't be, she has a camera, so probably just poor vision. But why did she walk away like that? What could-
"Doctor? What're you looking at?"
Donna had walked over to him and was looking at the screen as well.
"Who's that? What happened?"
The Doctor was no longer smiling. He frowned as he peered at the screen, watching the scene again. When he spoke, his voice sounded cold.
"Look, just look at that. All those people, wanting to see and touch their so-called hero, waiting in line, camera's at the ready. And in the crowd, a woman, visually impaired, waiting like the rest of them. Then, suddenly, that man says something. Others laugh. She turns away, obviously hurt by the comment. Now, I'm not psychic and I'm not particularly good at reading lips, but I bet everything I know that someone made a snide remark about a blind woman with a camera. But that's not all. Look."
After the woman left the crowd, the person who was standing next to her finally got a chance to meet David Tennant. Their encounter lasted a bit longer than the other ones. First Tennant glanced at the direction the woman had left in, then the other person did as well. It seemed the actor asked something and the other just shook and gestured 'everything's alright', after which Tennant signed a piece of paper.
"One moment, one moment," the Doctor muttered as he pointed his sonic screwdriver at the screen.
The 'camera', if you could call the advanced equipment that was capturing images through the Time Vortex a camera, zoomed in on the paper.
"An autograph. Well, at least that's something. Even after being ridiculed by nameless strangers at least she has a friend who's willing to get her an autograph. Still, I wonder…"
His voice trailed off. He didn't understand why, but he wanted to know how the woman would react, if that one little thing would make everything al right, at least in part. Let's what happens next. Donna, who'd gotten extremely good in recognizing the Doctor's various moods in an instant, held her tongue. She felt this was important in one way or another. All the while the Doctor kept looking at the screen and thought: There must be a reason we're here. The TARDIS would never have brought us here otherwise. That is, unless the old girl wants to bore us to death.
The friend had made it through the crowd and took place behind the wheel of the parked car. Again the Doctor used his sonic screwdriver to adjust the picture, this time panning the image to take a peek inside the car through the windscreen. The two friends talked, but the mood of the woman wasn't improving at all. If anything it was getting worse.
When the car took off, the Doctor wasted no time and activated the TARDIS to follow it. That familiar feeling of urgency came over him again, the instinct that told him this was somehow important. The light on top of the blue police box started to fade in and out, while a wheezing, groaning noise signaled its departure. Seconds later they were flying after the car. The sad woman tossed something out of the window during their ride. What's that? And why did she do that? Why is this important? There's no threat, no imminent danger to Earth or its inhabitants. So, what's going on? Why in the world am I here?
When the car stopped at a hotel and its two occupants entered the front door, the Doctor wasted no time in parking the TARDIS. Finally, some action! Smilling, he grabbed his brown overcoat and ran to the doors.
"Come on, Donna, we've got some running to do, oh yes!"
"Doctor, after all this time you're still a complete mystery sometimes, you know that?"
"And you wouldn't have it any other way, would you? Now, come on, we don't have any time to waste!"
Off they went, running into the hotel lobby. The desk clerk looked at them quizically, until the Doctor pulled out his psychic paper.
"John Smith, hotel inspection. I'm here to interview your guests, to see how they like the hotel. I'd like to start with the two people who just entered. One of them carries a white cane?"
"Ah yes, of course, sir. They're in room 409. Do you want a list of our other guests?"
The Doctor was already on his way to the elevator, pulling Donna along. He managed to shout his answer while pointing his sonic screwdriver at the elevator buttons.
"Oh, that would be lovely, I'll come by and pick it up later, thanks!"
The doors of the elevator closed. Immediately Donna turned to face the Doctor, who glanced at her sideways.
"Sooo, you wanna tell what this is all about, Dumbo?"
He looked at the numbers above the doors again and shrugged.
"Nah, let's just keep it a surprise, shall we?"
"Surprise? You want to keep it a surprise? Now you listen here, you big-"
Ding! They'd arrived at the fourth floor. Just in time. The Doctor gave Donna a smug grin before stepping out.
"Oh, you, you, you're unbelievable!"
"Aw, come on, that's what you like about me. Now, let's see, where's 409?"
They walked down the corridor. As soon as they turned a corner, they saw the woman's friend leave the hotel room.
"Back, back, we can't be seen," hissed the Doctor as he pushed Donna behind him.
"Oi, prawn, use that big brain o'yours. When they see us, they probably think we're those actors. No need to go sneaking through the shadows."
"As well as that might be, I don't really feel like being hounded by hordes of crazed fans within seconds of being seen here. So, please, for once, be quiet when I tell you to!"
He pointed his screwdriver at the door behind Donna's back. The door unlocked and he rushed to get them inside. Just as the door closed again, the friend walked by. That was close enough. I really don't want to be mistaken for that idiot actor!
"Alright, as soon as the hallway is clear, we'll go pay her a visit. Are you-"
"Ah-ahem," came from behind them.
Both the Doctor and Donna stood up straight and turned around slowly. A young man, who wore an exact copy of the Doctor's suit, coat and shoes, sat on one the beds and gave them an inquisitive look. Oh great, here we go.
"Oh, hello. Sorry for bursting in like this, but we, eh, we, ehm… What were we doing again, Donna?"
"Doing? Eh, oh, right, we were just, you know, looking around, eh, checking… Checking out the competition. Yes, that's right, checking out the competition. And I see you'll be a serious contestant."
The young man's eyes lit up.
"Really? Oh wow, that's awesome. You really think I stand a chance? I mean, you really look great as well, how long did it take you to make those costumes?"
The Doctor quickly caught on to Donna's idea. Costume contest indeed.
"I can't be quite sure, but you could say it felt like we had to travel back in time to get them in time. Well, been nice chatting and all, but we have to go, you know, check out the rest of the competition. So, good luck and, eh, see you around. Bye!"
With that he opened the door and sprinted into the hall, leaving behind a very confused young man. Donna gave him a short wave before following after the Doctor and closed the door behind her. The Doctor was already at the woman's hotel room and pointed his screwdriver.
"Doctor, wait!"
"What?"
"Wouldn't it be better to just, oh I don't know, knock?"
"Knock? Now, where's the fun in that, miss Noble?"
The door unlocked and he walked in without waiting for Donna. Once inside he saw the woman immediately. She was sitting in a chair, crying. The noise of him entering the room didn't make her look up at first. She probably thinks I'm her friend. Better make use of that. He strode across the room and squatted down next to her.
"Oh no, no, no, no, no, don't cry, don't give them that satisfaction."
She startled, but when she didn't scream or spring up he realized she recognized his voice. Hm, perhaps my likeness to him is good for something after all. She turned to face him and opened her mouth to ask him a question. He beat her to it.
"Now, listen to me, don't say a word, 'cause I'm not gonna repeat myself. And… One moment, please. Donna, for goodness sake, close that door and make sure no one else comes in unannounced! Alright, let's get on with it. First things first. Before I tell you who I am, I want you to answer a few questions, starting with a very simple one. What's your name?"
"I'm Kelly. But what-"
"No questions, save them for when I'm done. Second question: What did that man in the crowd say to you to make you leave?"
Kelly seemed to hesitate at first, but answered his question nonetheless.
"He said: What's a blind girl doing with a camera?"
Donna cringed when she heard that. The Doctor's eyes turned dark. Just as I suspected. Stupid idiots! Sometimes I really wonder if all of them are worth saving! But then his heart softened as he looked at the woman before him. Not of all them are worth it, but I do it for people like her. The good ones. The people who need just a little help to realize they're worth it. To realize their worthy of my help. And one day they can help themselves. What a glorious day that will be!
"He said that, hm? Well, that just illustrates what I'm gonna tell you: The world's filled with idiots of all shapes and sizes. Especially on Earth the percentage of the population that's idiotic in one way or another exceeds that of any other race. Unless you count the Daleks of course, now there's a very special of brand of idiot alltogether. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is this: Don't listen to them. Not ever, not even for a second, you got that? People like you are, well, you're precious. You're amazing. You may think of yourself as nothing special, not worth looking at twice, but you are. Because people like YOU are the reason I keep on coming back and saving the world over and over and over again. People like you, like Donna, like Martha, Peri, Sara, Harry, Adric, Mel, Grace, all of them, all those wonderful, magnificent, beautiful, courageous, loyal people. You make it all worth while. I may feel alone from time to time, but the fact of the matter is that even when I'm alone, there are a lot of hearts that have a little room set aside for me. I am loved by all those whose lives I touched. And you are too, even if you don't know it yet."
In that moment the Doctor raised his hand and touched Kelly's face. He gave her a sad smile.
"I do it for all of you, Kelly. For people like you. But, and that's a promise, next time I save the Earth I will do it for you. Only for you. I'll think about you when I foil the plans of the bad guys, when I make them retreat and think twice about trying to destory or invide this planet ever again. That's my solemn promise to you. In return I want you to make a promise to me, though."
Kelly touched the Doctor's hand and looked at him. The Doctor saw that she didn't dare to smile back at him yet. Probably because she still can't believe this is happening. After all, a figment of someone's imagination just came to life right in front of her. A figment she never thought she'd meet in real life.
"And what's that?" she asked softly.
"I want you to promise me one simple thing: To live your life to the best of your abilities. To use your skills, your intelligence, everything you have to live your life to the fullest, idiots be damned! Show them you're a force to be reckoned with, show them how wrong they are to think so little of you. And most important, have confidence in yourself, in what you can do. Stay true to yourself and sooner or later you'll see that you'll meet people who love you for who you are and look past your flaws and faults and quirks. Or even like them! Can you promise me that? Will you promise me that?"
She didn't say anything, just gave him a small nod, but it was enough.
"Now, before I go, I know there's probably a ton of question you'd like to ask me, but I really don't have time to answer them all, so how about this: You can ask me one question before I go and if ever you have another question, just call me. Hand me your mobile phone."
She gave him her mobile phone without hesitation. The Doctor used his sonic screwdriver and handed it back after a few seconds after also installing a few safeguards.
"There. Please don't abuse it, I'm a busy man as you might know. Now that that's handled, what's your question?"
This time Kelly gave him a smile. Oh, I know what she's gonna ask now.
"What's your real name?"
"Oh Doctor, she's got you now," Donna said gleefully.
"How are you gonna respond to that one, eh, Space Man?"
"The only way I can."
So the Doctor leaned forward and whispered his name in Kelly's ear. When he leaned back again, he gave her a wink.
"I think I can trust you to keep it to yourself, hm? So, how about it, Donna? Shall we-"
He was interrupted by a loud ruckus outside. Both Donna and he jumped up to take a look. Oh no, nonononono, they've found it!
"Sorry to leave this abruptly, but they've found the TARDIS! Kelly, remember what I said and remember the promise you made as I'll remember mine. Perhaps we'll meet again someday, but now we have to RUN!"
They ran out the door and through the hallways. Donna headed for the elevator, but the Doctor grabbed her arm and directed her to the stairway.
"It's quicker, now hurry!"
When they entered the lobby it was still getting more crowded by the minute. Oh my word, this is gonna be excruciating to get through. Everywhere he looked the Doctor saw various incarnations of himself walking around, but Donna and him were attracting attention really fast. Let's get this over with then. And- Did I really wear that? It looks dreadful!
"Donna, stay close and whatever you do, don't make eye contact. Or talk to them. Or touch them. Or make any sudden moves. Just, just smile and wave and keep moving forward. And keep hold of my hand!"
Various fans in full costume were now starting to walk towards the two of them with hungry looks in their eyes. They look even more scary than a pack of ravenous Altrax. Slowly but surely the Doctor made his way through the crowd, smiling, nodding and on occasion waving, but otherwise ignoring any questions or remarks. Just a bit more, a bit more… And we're out!
With a sigh of relief the Doctor pulled Donna to the doors and exited the hotel, where he was met by a far larger crowd of fans. The ones closest to him took one look and started screaming their heads off, shouting his title and also the name of the human actor who played him. No, no, NO! He turned to Donna and squeezed her hand.
"Whatever you do, don't let go and don't stop. You ready?"
She nodded.
"Alright then, let's go. Allons-y!"
Unfortunately his yell attracted even more attention. The Doctor quickly calculated the best route through the dense mass of people and ran like he'd never run before, dodging people right and left, circling 'round tight-knit packs of fans, sometimes even jumping over crouching or sitting people. The TARDIS, which he'd parked at the end of the parking lot in what he'd previously thought was a fairly inconspicuous place, was surrounded by people who were touching and photographing it. Some were even knocking on the doors. How are we gonna get through that? Those swooning kids are convinced I'm that Tennant-chap and-
"Of course!"
He skidded to a halt when he was just a few metres away from his trusty TARDIS, causing Donna to bump into him and almost making both of them fall over. The Doctor regained his balance, then straightened up and tried to look as imposing as possible.
"Step aside, for I am the Doctor! Please step away from my TARDIS and I will answer all of your questions and sign your books and… stuff and let you take my picture! There will also be a, a, lottery in a few minutes where you can win a tour of the TARDIS with me. But first, step aside! Because I am the Doctor!"
"Layin' it on a bit thick, aren't you?" Donna whispered while barely containing her laughter.
"Enjoying yourself?"
"Not really," he whispered back, "but I couldn't think of anything else. Now be quiet and hope they listen."
To his amazement the fans immediately backed off and like the waters of the Red Sea parted to form a path to the TARDIS. The silence that had descended on the parking lot was almost eerie. That worked better than expected.
"Come on, let's get inside and escape this madness."
As the Doctor and Donna walked past the rows of fans, the fans extended their hands to touch them. The Doctor obliged and shook hands, all the while walking towards the TARDIS. When he finally reached the door he couldn't help but let out a deep breath. Never thought that would work so flawlessly. He unlocked the door and pushed Donna inside. Just before he followed her, he turned around and gave the waiting crowd a big wave and a very big grin.
"Thank you for coming and just you wait, have I got a surprise for you! Goodbye!"
He closed the door, locked it and ran over to the console. Like a mad whirlwind he starting pushing buttons, pulling levers and turning knobs.
"Hold on, Donna, we're getting out of here. I've had my fill of this crazy universe!"
Outside the fans watched in sheer unbelief as the TARDIS they thought was a mere prop started to fade in and out of existence, accompanied by the familiar wheezing and groaning sounds that every one of them knew by heart. And soon thereafter that Doctor Who Convention became the most famous in history.