Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who
This two shot is a rewrite of a story I began posting, and then deleted. See if you can solve the mystery; the Doctor is a bit dense in this story. Blame it on him being easily distracted. I hope you enjoy reading it, and please review!
I couldn't think of what to do for seven and eight, so I did two ninth Doctor letters instead. One can never have enough nine, after all.
Mysterious Letters
The Doctor bid goodbye to Amelia and hurried back to the safety of his blue box. Part of the reason for his abrupt departure was the unlocking of new memories. Time had changed somehow, and he now remembered finding a series of letters over the years, none of which were signed. They were all in a case under his bed, in TARDIS blue envelopes. He pulled them out and began to reread them, to cement the new memories in his mind.
/
The first Doctor grumbled as he fussed about the kitchen, making a cup of tea. He picked up Susan's canary yellow mug by mistake and quickly replaced it. Once his tea was brewed, he walked over to an armchair in the corner of the kitchen. There was a letter on it, in an envelope the same colour as his ship. Suspicious, the Doctor picked it up and settled himself down, before breaking the seal and pulling out a letter.
To my first Doctor,
It will be such a long time before we meet face to face, but you should know I will always be here for you. Don't be scared; I'm not another Time Lord, or a projection of your mind. I'm simply someone very close to you. I know Susan was close to you. I too enjoyed her company and will miss her. Trust me when I say that letting her go will be the best thing for her. It will give her the chance to grow, and David will support her through everything.
I don't know if we will ever return, because time, unfortunately, has a habit of breaking our promises for us. Have faith, Doctor, that whether you come back or not, she will be happy.
The Doctor sniffed and wiped his eyes impatiently. He wondered who this mysterious person was, and how they knew about him leaving his granddaughter behind. Tucking the letter into his coat pocket, deciding to stow it somewhere safer later on, the Doctor sipped his tea and pondered.
/
"Wait here. You will be called to stand trial shortly" ordered the guard. The second Doctor resisted the urge to make a rude gesture at his departing back and huffed. The Doctor heard something drop onto the floor behind him. It was a letter, almost exactly the same as the one he'd found when…when Susan had left. Curious, the Doctor lay down on his stomach and began reading the letter.
To my second Doctor,
You're probably wondering who I am. As before I will say, I am someone close to you and I will always be here for you. I know that this trial is horribly unfair, after everything you've done that they dare not, but unfortunately I am powerless. I was powerless then and I am powerless now. The best I can do is to give you this letter.
Yes, you will be found guilty. Yes, you will be punished. You will be frustrated, lonely and filled with longing. But you will not be alone. Their punishment will not last forever. Remember that, when you feel like things will never end…I know for a fact that they get better. Trust me.
Smiling, the Doctor tucked the letter into his coat pocket, and hoped he wouldn't lose it. He pulled out a pack of cards and began to play with them, wondering who the letter writer was, and when he would meet them.
/
The third Doctor stormed into his workshop. His assistant, Jo, jumped nervously and left, babbling about seeing that he was very busy and she actually had a lot of stuff to do, so she'd see him later. The Doctor sighed guiltily and scratched the back of his neck. He hadn't meant to alarm the poor girl.
He'd been discussing the protocols for dealing with aliens with the Brigadier, and trying to convince the soldier to make them a little less…warmongering. Insulted, the Brigadier had accused the Doctor of wanting Earth to be invaded, so he could piggyback a lift off planet if he got on the alien's good side. After a heated shouting match, Sergeant Benton had mercifully turned up, giving the Doctor a chance to get away.
Sitting down at his worktop, the last thing the Doctor expected to see was a TARDIS blue letter. Whoever was sending these, he really wished they would just show their face, or at least sign the letters. With nothing better to do, he opened the seal and began to read.
To my third Doctor,
Honestly, I told you this wouldn't last forever, but no amount of shouting and stamping is going to lift your exile. Really, I expected better of you. I know the Brigadier's methods aren't ones you would use first choice, but you can't deny that they could be effective. You're usually so diplomatic, but effectively telling the Brigadier his ideas were stupid, out-dated and would bring about the end of the world, was probably not the best tack to take. I'm sure you've realised this already.
You are lucky not to be locked up, experimented on, or worse, dead. You are most certainly lucky to have as much autonomy as you do, all things considered. I suggest you swallow your pride and apologise to the Brigadier, and to the girl as well.
Chagrined, the Doctor went to stow the letter where he'd hidden all the others; under his bed. Then he went to find Jo, because he was still a bit sore about his argument with the Brigadier. Perhaps she would have some good advice.
/
The fourth Doctor watched on the monitor as Sarah Jane walked away, before turning back to the console. He began to set the co-ordinates for Gallifrey, but paused when he spotted the TARDIS blue envelope sitting innocuously on the console. He opened it and leaned against the panel as he perused.
To my fourth Doctor,
I know what melancholy thoughts are going through your head right now. They always leave, they never stay…well, I stay. You still haven't worked out who I am yet, I bet it's driving you crazy. As for your companions leaving…yes, they leave. Sometimes they don't get a chance to leave, unfortunately. But sometimes, just sometimes, you'll meet them again.
Don't forget Sarah Jane, Doctor. She will never forget you.
The Doctor smiled a toothy grin, and stowed the letter safe in his pocket. He then pulled out a bag of jelly babies and picked out a red one, Sarah Jane's favourites. Holding it up in his thumb and forefinger, the Doctor made a toast, "To Sarah Jane Smith".
/
The fifth Doctor bid goodnight to Nyssa and Tegan and began to make some minor repairs to the TARDIS console. It wasn't long before, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the familiar TARDIS blue envelope. "Do you know who's sending these to me, old girl?" he asked his TARDIS, but she didn't even hum in response. Rolling his eyes, the Doctor took out the letter and began to read.
To my fifth Doctor,
I am sorry for your loss. I am sorry that Adric died and that you couldn't save him. Most of all, however, I am sorry that all I can offer is this minor apology and a promise, once again, that I will never leave you. Please don't blame yourself for the death of your companion. No matter how much it may seem so, what happened today was not your fault. Your human friends don't understand this, but you are as lost at sea and at the mercy of fate as any of them.
No matter what happens, you will have me.
The letter, once read, was placed back in the envelope and carried to its resting place. The Doctor had his suspicions of who the writer was, but all of them seemed ridiculous. It was nice, however, to have contact, however brief, with someone who seemed to understand him so well.
/
The sixth Doctor's mouth was set into a thin line, his mind churning over the events of his gruelling trial and battle with his evil, future alter-ego. The thought of becoming such a callous, manipulative person, unconcerned for the lives of others, was inconceivable, and yet…the Doctor's frown deepened as memories rose to the surface. Trying to kill an injured person to avoid them slowing him down, standing by whilst one of his own begged for help, nearly strangling poor Peri in regeneration induced frenzy…
He was startled out of his darkened mood by a TARDIS blue envelope landing right on his head. Scowling, the Doctor nonetheless opened the envelope. His curiosity was always too great to leave these messages unread.
To my sixth Doctor,
Please stop dwelling on whether you are no better than the Valeyard. The very fact that you are concerned about your…similarities to him proves that you have more conscience and more morals than he does. Besides, the Valeyard is not you. He is not even a real person. He is merely a construct, thoughts and feelings given physical form. That's why he wanted your regenerations. He thought it would make him become real, but he was wrong.
Besides, if I ever detect a hint of you becoming the Valeyard, I will personally see to it that you come to your senses as quickly as possible.
Who was giving these to him? As he puzzled over it, the Doctor placed the letter in his jacket pocket. He'd put it with the others later, if he remembered. "I don't know who you are" he said aloud, "but I am going to find out".
/
The newly regenerated ninth Doctor was curled up beneath the remains of his TARDIS' console, sobbing. He cried knowing there was no-one to hear him, just like he couldn't hear them. They were gone. It was all his fault.
A TARDIS blue envelope was waiting outside the TARDIS when he finally dragged himself to the doors. The Doctor hadn't received one of these letters for years, and he'd long since given up trying to figure out who was sending them. Then that damned War broke out and he…the Doctor shoved away the terrible memories and focused on the letter.
To my ninth Doctor,
I am so, so very sorry. I want you to know, you did the right thing, and I do not blame you at all. I forgive you. I know that must seem rather meaningless, considering you've never realised who I am. Honestly, you'd miss something stuck to the tip of your nose.
Please do not give up. There is so much more out there for you to see. It will be fantastic.
The Doctor scrunched the note up and tossed it aside. He didn't want this mysterious person's pity. When he found it on his pillow later, smoothed out if a little creased, he wasn't entirely surprised.
/
The ninth Doctor sighed as he walked up to the console and dematerialised. So much for finding a new companion; it was a shame, Rose had so much…potential, he supposed. She was brave enough, and compassionate. She had saved his life after they'd only just met. The Doctor shook his head clear of thoughts; it was starting to sound like he was falling in love, and that was a bad idea.
The letter was sitting on the crash seat; the Doctor sat on it too, and pulled it out from under him. At first, he considered simply not reading it, but as always his curiosity got the better of him.
To my ninth Doctor,
What do you think you're doing? I told you not to give up. This is giving up. If you want Rose to be your companion, go back and ask her again. You know how humans are, sometimes they need an extra push to get them to do anything.
Also, you forgot to mention that your brilliant ship also travels in time.
A wide grin split the Doctor's face, and he hurried to the controls, stuffing the letter into his leather jacket as he did so. He had forgotten to mention that little detail…
/
The tenth Doctor walked dejectedly along the beach, the surf rolling up around his Converses. This Norwegian beach was the nearest equivalent of Darlig Ulv Stranden, Bad Wolf Bay. He'd hoped it would make him feel closer to Rose, but no luck. If anything, he felt further away from her than ever.
He spotted a familiar shade of blue in the sand, and plucked the letter from the beach before a wave could carry it off. A wild thought occurred to him; what if it was Rose sending these messages to him, or Bad Wolf itself? That would explain why they were never signed; she wouldn't want him to know about her before they met. With this in mind, he opened the envelope and read the letter.
To my tenth Doctor,
I'm sorry you lost Rose, and we will both miss her. But remember, as I said in my fourth letter, sometimes they come back. She isn't dead, nor has she forgotten you. There is still, and will always be, hope.
Still not signed; but the thought that Rose might come back, even though it was impossible, cheered the Doctor up no end. He ran back to his faithful TARDIS, and set the co-ordinates. He'd noticed some strange plasma coils in London earlier, now if he could just work out where they were coming from.
/
The eleventh Doctor picked up the last unopened letter, broke the seal, unfolded the paper within. Would he finally find out who had been writing them?
To my eleventh Doctor,
Hello. It seems such a short time ago that I said that to you, when we met for the first and last time. You were so weighed down even then. If I could help you save your companions, I would, but as always even I am powerless to stop the march of time. I want you to know that I'll always be here, and I will always love you.
River loves you as well, and she needs you. You need to be with each other for this, both of you need the others support.
The Doctor lay back on his bed, hugging all the letters to his chest. He knew who sent them. The TARDIS blue envelopes, the promises of always being with him, the way the writer seemed to know so much about him. How had he not seen it sooner? He grinned up at the ceiling, and said, "Thanks for everything, old girl".
The TARDIS hummed happily. She knew her plan would work.