The Apprentice
Chapter 1: Butting Heads

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the characters involved except Guardian T. Time.

It was a dark night, a small house with a small garden stood quietly at midnight. Everything was calm, and peaceful. A slight breeze rustled the tree branches, and a little girl watched quietly from her bedroom window. She watched the garden, not knowing why or what she would see, but she just felt she needed to. Just when she was about to give up for the night, a strange noise echoed through the darkness, and a box appeared. It was a large, blue telephone box, with a light on top. It seemed to appear from nowhere, and solidify before her eyes. She blinked, to make sure it wasn't a dream, and there it stood. Fully materialized as if it was waiting for this exact moment to appear before her.

The little girl rushed down the stairs and out the door, throwing her coat on as she grabbed it from the hook. When she stopped she was standing in front of the box, smoke and steam was rolling off of it and she could hear a voice inside. The door opened suddenly and a man stood before her.

He was a handsome man: With brown hair and a tan vest over a white shirt with overall straps. He wore black pants with black dress shoes and his eyes were a deep blue color. He looked down at her in surprise before smiling.

"Hello then," He said giddily, "Who might you be?"

The little girl stared up at him before opening her mouth to reply: "I'm Amelia, Amelia Pond,"

"Well Amelia, I'm the Doctor," The man said kneeling down so he could whisper to her.

"Just the man I'm looking for," A third voice said to them.

They both looked up, Amelia turned around to see a figure standing in the garden. He was a young man, about seventeen years old. He wore a light blue robe and carried a staff with a clock-face attachment on the tip. He had short, ice blue hair and his eyes matched his hair. He seemed thin under the robe as it draped off his body, as if it was meant to be worn by someone greater than himself.

"Who are you?" The Doctor asked.

"The name is Guardian T. Time, I'm here for an apprenticeship under you,"

"Apprenticeship? I don't do apprenticeships,"

"Doctor, please, after you see the power I hold you'd realize you're the only person in any world that can teach me to control it,"

"Power? What power?" The Doctor asked,

Amelia looked between the two as they spoke, completely confused as to what they were talking about.

Time looked around before sighting a rosebush in the garden, it had been dead for three years, but Amelia's family had never gotten around to digging it up. Time closed his eyes and energy began to pour off his body and flow into the clock-face on the tip of his staff. The hands began to move, traveling from noon, to one, to two, to three, before they stopped. He aimed the staff at the bush and it sprung to life, blooming with bright red roses and lush green leaves.

"How did you do that?" The Doctor asked as he strolled over to examine Time's staff.

The young Guardian planted it into the earth and let the Doctor examine the piece at the top. The hands had rewound back to two.

"Time magic Doctor: my unique power. I can manipulate time and all that flows through at will,"

"That is incredibly dangerous, especially in the hands of one as young as you," The Doctor told him.

"I'm not as young as I look Doctor, just as you aren't as old as you should be,"

The Doctor stared at him for a moment before pointing at the bush, "Put it back, and get in the TARDIS,"

Time didn't break their gaze before he aimed his staff at the rose-bush and reverted it back to its original form.

"I still have one hour left Doctor, what do you suppose I should use it on?" Time said as he shook the staff in front of the Doctor's face.

"Just hold on to it, time is a precious thing and shouldn't be wasted,"

He broke away from their staring contest and looked down at Amelia, "Sorry about that Amelia, but now I'm ready to continue,"

Time marched past him, using his staff as a walking stick. He entered the TARDIS and his eyes widened as he crashed to the floor. The Doctor didn't seem to noticed as he was busy explaining to Amelia about all the adventures he could take her on, but he needed to find a better time, so he was going to go into his time-machine and be back in five minutes so he could clean up really quick.

He stood up and bade good night to Amelia before strolling in over Time's body and shut the door. He looked down at the young Guardian and stared.

"What's wrong with you?"

Time stood up clutching his chest and breathing heavily, "I… I don't know, I stepped aboard and suddenly felt something growing in my chest, but it was extremely painful,"

The Doctor looked at him curiously before walking over to the center console and flipping a switch. The noise began again, a humming noise that started, and stopped, started and stopped, lasting longer each time. He reached into his coat pocket and produced a small device which he aimed at Time's chest. He flipped it so the point was facing up and four claws protruded from a green central crystal. He seemed surprised at what the device told him.

"Put your hand over your heart," The Doctor told him absently.

Time put his free hand over the left side of his chest. He felt the same steady beat he always did.

"Both of them,"

Time looked at the Doctor in confusion. He leaned his staff on the wall and put his right hand over the right side, and to his surprise he felt another heartbeat, holding his two hands in place he felt his two hearts beating.

"How is this possible?" Time asked,

"Your powers, you can manipulate time correct? You have to charge your staff and it allows you to perform one action per hour correct?"

"Yeah, and each hour I save adds to my abilities," Time said as he grabbed the weapon. He looked at the face to see it was back at noon.

"That's it," The Doctor said, "your staff altered your genetic code, it changed your birth so you are part Timelord,"

"How is that possible? I'm a Guardian,"

"Yes well, the Timelords have been around longer than the rumors of the Guardians so our genetics are a little stronger than yours,"

The Doctor stepped away from him and began to fiddle with the center console, flashes of light and screens blared different pieces of information to him.

"Now that you're part Timelord I suppose you want to take a title?" He asked.

Time looked up at him before considering the suggestion, "I've got it," he said.

The Doctor looked at him expectantly.

"The Apprentice,"

"Not very original are you?" The Doctor asked, "But I suppose it'll do Apprentice,"

"Oh, that doesn't sound nearly as good as I thought it would," Time said.

"You get used to it, now come help me out so I can teach you a few things, you are supposed to be here to learn right?"

Time rushed over to assist the Doctor in managing the TARDIS, and he explained to him the basics of time travel and the effects it can have on the different places they visit. Time listened intently, not wanting to miss a detail, just the basics of the subject proved to him that his power was truly dangerous and shouldn't be trifled with. The Doctor also forbade him from using his powers to alter a timeline when they visit, meaning that he could only use his staff as a staff and not for its intended purpose.

Time agreed to these terms, the Doctor then turned his attention back to the TARDIS as an alarm blared at them,

"Seems I've missed my date," The Doctor said sadly as he flipped another switch.

The TARDIS began to hum again, the box appeared in the same garden, but it was daytime now and the garden looked even more decrepit than it had before.

"Missed your date? With the girl you mean?" Time asked,

"Her name is Amelia, and yes. I told her I'd be back in five minutes," The Doctor said as he made his way to the door.

Time followed him, "How far off are you?"

The Doctor stopped with his hand on the doorknob, he looked back at Time with a smile, "I don't know,"