Rating: T (for sexual references)
Summary:
Post VotD, but no spoilers. The Doctor meets Casanova, who he has a lot in common with.
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who or the wonderful Casanova.
Author's Note: This has lots of references to classic Doctor Who and to the life of Giacomo Casanova, whose memoirs I have the pleasure of reading. I've noticed a lot of similarities between Casanova and the Doctor, and that is the purpose of this fic. I may have mixed up timelines a little, but I couldn't be bothered double-checking. I am taking Casanova's appearance from the miniseries starring David Tennant (which is sooooooo much better than the Heath Ledger movie!).
The Doctor Meets Casanova
With the events of the Titanic behind him, the Doctor just wanted to take a break. He set the TARDIS to random coordinates, then stepped out into his destination.
"18th century by the looks of it," he said to himself. "And it's definitely Europe. I'm thinking … Spain." He wandered around, his clothes attracting a few glances from locals. Finally he sat down in a café. He looked around at all the people surrounding him, thinking for the umpteenth time in his life about what it would be like to be normal. These people probably didn't even know the meaning of the word adventure. And their lives were only so short that their hearts could only be broken so many times. He continued staring into the distance, until his thoughts were interrupted by someone sitting down next to him.
"I never thought I'd get the chance to meet you," the person said.
"What are you…" began the Doctor, but as he turned to face the person, he gasped. He was staring at himself! Well, the man has flatter hair, and was wearing traditional 18th century garments, but other than that he looked exactly like the Doctor!
"What? What? What?!" repeated the Doctor. The stranger just smiled and extended a hand.
"Giacomo Casanova," he said pleasantly. "And I take it you're the Doctor."
"What … yes, but … how did … did you just say Giacomo Casanova?!" exclaimed the Doctor. "The Casanova!"
"I'm honoured that you've heard of me," replied Casanova. "It must be quite a feat to be known by an alien who travels around time and space in a blue box."
"But … how do you know that?" asked the Doctor. Casanova was just about to reply, when a waiter approached them.
"Senor Casanova, do you require anything?" he asked.
"A cup of coffee, thanks," said Casanova. "Oh, and get one for mybrother … Theta." He indicated towards the Doctor, whose eyes widened as he heard his school nickname. As soon as the waiter left, Casanova began speaking.
"How do I know all this about you?" he said. "As it happens, I was introduced to Madame de Pompadour. Upon meeting me, she flung her arms around me, repeating the word 'Doctor' over and over again. It was my unfortunate duty to break the news to her that I was in fact not this Doctor, but also begged her to inform me of this person she obviously cared so much about."
"Including my school nickname," muttered the Doctor.
"Never mind about that Doctor," said Casanova as the coffees arrived. "Just let me enjoy the experience of being here in your presence, the man Madame calls her 'Lonely Angel'."
"Yes, and let me enjoy being in the presence of a man who will be forever known for his reputation as…"
"A fine gambler?" guessed Casanova hopefully.
"A seducing womaniser," corrected the Doctor. "How many women have you slept with at this period in time?"
"I don't keep count," said Casanova. "Mind you, I still remember them all. But that's because they were all important to me."
"Yeah, sure," said the Doctor sarcastically.
"I'm serious!" insisted Casanova. "I loved all of those women. But I just kept moving on, and so did they. You could even compare it to you and your companions." The Doctor spat out his coffee.
"You're comparing me … to you?" he said. "No, no no no. I'm sure my life has been very different to yours." Casanova looked up at the sky, as if in a daze.
"I travelled all around Europe, meeting so many young ladies … you travelled all around the universe meeting so many young ladies (though most were found on Earth)…"
"Men too! I've travelled with men!" defended the Doctor.
"And each has had a special place in your heart, sorry, hearts, isn't that correct?" said Casanova. "Though while your love for them has been platonic, I found mine to be of a physical nature. And I still love each of them. Therese, Esther, Pauline…"
"Vicki, Sarah Jane, Ace…" chanted the Doctor.
"Bettina, Donna, Bellino…" continued Casanova.
"Jo, Romana, Nyssa…" listed the Doctor.
"But then there was always one who stuck out above the rest," said Casanova. "Henriette – my rose in the thorn bush." The Doctor clearly heard the emphasis on the word 'rose'.
"Wait," he said. "Madame de Pompadour told you about Rose?"
"Madame de Pompadour wasn't an idiot," said Casanova. "She saw into your mind, soul, and hearts. She knew how you feel about Rose. Speaking of which – where is she?"
"None of your business," said the Doctor coldly. Casanova nodded, words not needed to figure out this puzzle.
"So," he said, changing the subject. "Madame also told me that you have changed forms many times over the years. Regeneration, I believe she called it."
"That's right," said the Doctor.
"Well, I myself have some experience in the subject," continued Casanova. "My good friend Madame d'Urfe had a wish to be reborn into this world as a man."
"Right," said the Doctor uncertainly. "And how did she plan on doing that?"
"Well, I have been known for my skills as a fortune teller, magician, etc.," explained Casanova. "After many consultations with my oracle, I told her of many methods that could be used to fulfil such a task. The first was to have be impregnate a virgin…"
"Sounds like you," murmured the Doctor.
"… and once the child was born, Madame d'Urfe's spirit would enter the child." The Doctor snorted.
"What went wrong?" he asked.
"The 'virgin' I picked was an uncooperative little slut," replied Casanova bluntly. "So next I organised a moonlight ceremony involving a water nymph (who was, in reality, a female friend of mine). But when it came down to it, I had to impregnate Madame d'Urfe myself, and when she died her spirit would go into her child."
"Bet you enjoyed that," commented the Doctor. Casanova swallowed.
"She was seventy," he said. "I'm sure she was beautiful in her youth, but the years weren't too kind to her."
"So you're prejudiced against older people," concluded the Doctor. "Weren't you just about twice the age of every other woman you slept with?"
"Well the same could be said for you!" argued Casanova. "What would you say the average ages of your companions have been?"
"A lot older than you'd expect," said the Doctor.
"Oh, but Romana was a Time Lady, she doesn't count," said Casanova. "And I think an age gap of a few hundred years is more significant than 20 or so."
"But I wasn't sleeping with them!" exploded the Doctor.
"No," agreed Casanova. "You were doing much more. You were opening their tiny minds to the universe. You were giving them the most intense relationship you could possibly give them. And I'd say some of them weren't ready for it – don't you agree?"
Victoria, thought the Doctor.
"But when you left them, and you both felt the heartbreak and the sorrow of goodbye, there was one thing you didn't feel – regret," said Casanova. "Don't you wish Jamie and Zoë could remember all the good times they had with you? Well, the same thing goes for me and my mistresses. They loved me and the time they spent with me. If I am fortunate enough to meet them a second time, they welcome me back with open arms. Don't you remember how happy you were to see Sarah Jane again?" A small smile made its way onto the Doctor's face, and Casanova folded his arms across his chest.
"I think I've made my point," he said.
"I'm still not like you," insisted the Doctor. "You've been in duels. You've wished people dead. You've threatened people with death."
"What, and you haven't?" said Casanova sarcastically. "Do not the Daleks fill your mind with hatred and desire for revenge? Are there not species that have begged for mercy in your presence, only to meet Death?" The Doctor took a deep breath.
"I confess I can be very cruel…" he began.
"… but it is only when I don't meet with kindness," finished Casanova. "That's my philosophy."
"Right, I'm going now," decided the Doctor, who stood up and began to walk back to the TARDIS. Casanova ran after him.
"We're really not so different, you and I," he said. "Not just on the outside, but the way we live our lives as well. We both love to travel. We both fear the idea of settling down. We have both faced many hardships in our lives. We have both loved and lost." The Doctor had just about reached the TARDIS now, so Casanova ran in front of him and looked him in the eyes. "But we both just keep moving on, because this is the path we were destined for. And we'll take whatever blows we're dealt, hard as they may be, because we're survivors." He patted the Doctor on the shoulder. "Goodbye Doctor, and good luck," he said. He turned to walk away, but the Doctor pulled him back.
"Would you like to see inside?" he asked. "Provided you never tell a living soul, of course. And that you don't write about it in your memoirs."
"Memoirs?" questioned Casanova. "I haven't written any memoirs." The Doctor mentally kicked himself.
"No, you haven't," he said. "But … a word of advice. Keep a diary of something. You're going to need to remember your life. And make it really detailed. Remember whole conversations if you can. Trust me – it'll help one day."
"Whatever you say Doctor," said Casanova. "Now, I hope you're not going to ask me to pick a star, are you?"
"No, I'm not making that mistake again," said the Doctor. "Goodbye Giacomo. And … thank you." He smiled, and headed inside. He was just about to dematerialise the TARDIS, but before he did he ran back outside, where Casanova was still standing.
"Just how much about me did Madame de Pompadour tell you? Because I'm sure she was very confused…"
"Sure Doctor, whatever you say," said Casanova, grinning. "My Lord, look at that!" The Doctor turned away, only to find that nothing was there, and that Casanova had run off. Once again the Doctor went back inside the TARDIS, forever to remember the day when he met the man who understood him more than anyone else in the universe.
The End
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