Title: Sam the Companion
Author: Videl86/masakochan
Rating: G
Fandom Doctor Who
Characters: The 11th Doctor, OC (MTF)
Length: little over 1,200 words.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Doctor Who characters, or Willy Wonka. Sam, however, is my creation.
Summary: Sam is not weird or unusual. She was just born differently. The Doctor is old, kind, and accepting.
A/N: This was written first on my tumblr in a response to someone saying that they'd love to see the Doctor have a trans companion. And then other responses saying they'd want to see the Doctor's reaction after the character has been stressing out over telling him. Now, I'm not trans, and my research is mainly just remembered bits of Psychology, and is more slap-dash, so if I've offended anybody who reads this- I am incredibly sorry, and will try to fix any issues after I've dealt with schoolwork.
The Doctor and Sam are sitting at a table in a restaurant, in one of the many future human settlements when it happens.
A waitress comes up, and while taking orders (and looking like she wants to give the Doctor her cell-number) gives a quick look at Sam. Sam wants to figure that it's just a one-off chance, or even that it's just a normal look. People normally take quick glances at people anyway, and she's in the 54th century right now. Most of humanity should have gotten over its judgmental past by now, right? Be more like that Captain Jack guy they once ran into, all...what was the word the Doctor used? Open?
The waitress comes over again at another point, asking if they're enjoying themselves while throwing in a few extra eyelash bats at the Doctor while he answers before diving back into his slice of rainbow cake ("Remind me to take you to meet Mr. Wonka sometime, Sam! Well... he's not actually named Mr. Wonka, and his name is completely unpronounceable for humans, though that's not for lack of trying.")
Sam rolls her eyes at her efforts, but says that she's enjoying the food, when the waitress looks at her again. ...There it is. It takes a couple of seconds, but it's there. It's sometimes hard to spot, but once so many people have done it to you- you start to gain a tiny sense for when it's happening. Sam's own slice of rainbow cake suddenly doesn't taste so good anymore.
A couple of minutes go by after the waitress has left, and the Doctor puts his fork down noticing that Sam's been entirely too quiet, especially considering that it's Sam.
"You've gone all quiet. Is something wrong?"
Sam blinks her eyes rapidly trying to make it not look like she's on the brink of bursting into tears. She swallows, spares a glance at the Doctor, then pushes her plate away with a quick mumbled, "Nothing..just remembered something that I left in the TARDIS.." and practically bolts out of the restaurant.
-
The first thing the Doctor hears when he gets into the TARDIS is a muffled sob. He finds Sam curled up on the chair near the console, face hidden and arms wrapped around her legs.
"Now I know rainbow cake has never been a thing to make people cry, what's wrong?" The Doctor asks as he walks towards Sam, and crouches down in front of the chair.
Sam wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. What she responds with practically comes out as a whisper. "I must be naive to think there'd be less judgment now."
"What judging? Who's judging? ..Wait, is someone judging you? You haven't done anything wrong. Unless you have...which I highly doubt. I do like to think that I choose wisely when it comes to my friends."
Sam feels a small burst of hope at that, and a tiny smile starts to appear on her face, which the Doctor notices, and leans forward with a look of encouragement, "So what's wrong, then?"
Sam's smile is instantly gone, and she's shutting her eyes tightly, and trying to suddenly fight off another sob. "I'm a freak..."
A look of confusion comes over the Doctor's face. "A freak? Nooo. No no no no- that doesn't make any sense. I've met the freaks. Lovely race, even though the yellow spots on their body are poisonous to humans..which I should definitely remember next time I go. Can make a mean pot of green tea, though, even if I don't prefer the stuff myself. But, I'm rambling. What makes you think you're a freak?"
"You can't see it?"
"See what? Do you have poisonous yellow spots? Or patches of purple skin?"
Sam wants to believe he's actually this naive, but people have played innocent with her before, and just turned out to be extremely cruel. She figures that it's best to just get it over with.
"I'm a girl. I'm a girl who has a mostly male body. I was born in the wrong body. And even if I've wanted to get it changed, there's never been enough money."
The Doctor is quiet for a few moments. The longer he goes without saying something, the harder Sam starts shaking. That's it then. He's probably considering tossing her out. Taking her back home. Never wanting anything else to do with her now that he knows.
...
There's a hand suddenly on her head, and the Doctor is making calming noises, and he's hugging her, and then she's crying into his shoulder which makes him start to hug her even tighter.
They separate, and there's a dark spot on the Doctor's jacket from where Sam's been crying onto his shoulder. The Doctor is now looking at Sam with a kind smile. So kind and genuine that it practically breaks Sam's heart. Then, he's pressing his forehead against hers, and one of his hands is on her left shoulder.
"You. Are not. A freak. You're a human being who is just a bit different from some people. And more importantly- you are Sam. Sam, my companion. And, even if you weren't one of my companions- you'd still be important because everyone is important, and frankly I've never met anyone who wasn't impor-"
The breath in his lungs is suddenly knocked out from Sam who is now hugging him so fiercely, and is crying tears of joy and such sheer relief. His hand, that isn't trapped in a weird position, is giving a few brief pats to Sam's back.
Sam releases the Doctor from her grasp with an embarrassed, but happy smile on her face. The Doctor continues on with what he was saying previously, and finishes up with, "And frankly I don't think I'd even be the Doctor if I didn't accept all life forms as they are."
Sam looks down, still smiling, "No, I guess you wouldn't be."
"Too right. Now what was that you said about wanting to change?"
"I never had the money needed to get any surgical changes done," Sam says with a shrug. "Figured that I'd just get used to being stuck this way."
"You don't have to be."
Sam looks up frustrated, "But I just said I don't have the- why are you smiling?"
The Doctor is practically grinning now as he says, "Sam, you're in the future. There's another human colony a few planets away from this one that excels in all kinds of medical practices. You could be in and out in under 30 minutes, at least from what I've heard."
Sam stares. She can't begin to wrap her mind around this kind of luck. But reality quickly stamps on that feeling of hope.
The Doctor watches her face begin to fall, and starts to worry. "Did I say something wrong?"
"No..." Sam replies, and gets a wistful smile on her face. "The thought's nice, but that sounds like it would cost an even bigger fortune than the entire procedure from my time."
"Ah, you forget though, Sam. Sonic screwdriver. Can come in quite handy sometimes," he says with a sneaky smile.
-
...It takes him gasping out that he needs to punch in the coordinates for them to get there first that makes Sam stop hugging him this time.
END