THE THIRTEENTH DOCTOR
I do not own Doctor Who and I am making no profit off of this.
Author's Note: This story is a result of an idea that popped into my head after watching Flatline and that just refused to go away. I'm not sure how serious that I really mean for it to be but I hope that you like it. Obviously this takes place in a completely AU ending of Death in Heaven.
"Doctor, you did it! I don't know how but you did it. I was sure that you were dead after what Missy did to you. I didn't think that even you could have survived an attack like that, but I'm so glad that you did," Kate Stewart said with a warm smile as she sighed in relief while overlooking the remnants of the battle that they had all just gone through in order to save the planet.
There were broken and shattered Cybermen everywhere lying still and motionless and massive damage all over London, but they had finally won the day at last. In the end, the Doctor had managed to come through and somehow save the day after all, and Missy had been forced to escape in her TARDIS.
It was all finally over with at last she thought to herself, but she was soon to find out that there was still one last act left to play out in this little drama before it could truly be over.
"I did die though, Kate," The Doctor said in a weak voice as he tried to keep from falling over as a sudden weakness overtook him.
"What?" Kate asked in surprise.
"He died, Kate," Clara said as she finally managed to find them amid the debris of the battle.
A man that Kate didn't recognize was walking alongside her as the two of them made their way up to her. She reasoned that this must be the same Danny Pink that Clara kept trying to find earlier. Somehow either she or the Doctor must have managed to save him and restore him back to his body after all.
Kate looked at Clara in confusion as she said, "If he's dead, then how is he talking to me? How do you know about it anyway, Clara? You weren't here when he had his final battle with Missy."
Clara smiled enigmatically but said nothing as the Doctor said, "This body is dead but I'm still here because I'm about to regenerate. Surely your father told you about regeneration, didn't he, Kate?"
Kate nodded as she said, "Yes, he told me about how he saw you change into a completely different man once. He also said something about Sarah Jane Smith having witnessed the regeneration of a Time Lord called K'anpo Rimpoche. I wasn't sure what to think of that one though. Sarah Jane told him that someone who she had befriended in K'anpo's home had later turned out to be K'anpo's next incarnation in disguise all along even though he hadn't actually regenerated yet. I never did understand how that worked."
The Doctor laughed a little as he said, "Yes, I suppose that would appear strange to such a limited species wouldn't it? Let me try to explain it so that even a human can understand it then."
"Doctor, stop being rude," Clara chastised him.
"I didn't realize that I was. I was simply stating a fact. You see, Kate, sometimes when a Time Lord is about to go through a particularly troubling regeneration and needs a little extra help a projection of his future self will appear and guide him through it. This projection may actually take up a life of their own and not even be aware at all of what they truly are until the very moment of regeneration," The Doctor explained.
Clara now caught the Doctor as he tried to fall over as she said, "It's going to be alright, Doctor. Don't you worry about a thing, okay? I'm here now."
"So you remember then?" The Doctor asked her with a smile.
"Of course I do. Now I finally understand why I was able to survive your timestream when the Great Intelligence couldn't and why the TARDIS told me your real name. No wonder I could open the TARDIS doors by snapping my fingers," Clara said with a smile.
"It also explains your weird addiction to soufflés," The Doctor said with a small laugh.
"It's no weirder than fish fingers and custard or jelly babies," Clara countered,
Danny now spoke up for the first time since he had arrived there as he asked, "Clara, what are you talking about?"
"I'm so sorry, Danny. I was never who you thought that I was. I wasn't even who I thought that I was," Clara said with a sad look on her face.
"What are you talking about? If you're not Clara, then who are you?" Kate asked.
"The moment has been prepared for, Doctor. I'm here now and the Earth is finally safe at last. Do it," Clara said without answering Kate as both she and Danny continued to look on in absolute confusion.
That confusion soon became complete bewilderment after what happened next.
The Doctor then began to glow with energy all over his body just as Kate's father had told her that his Doctor had done. He looked at Clara and smiled now as he opened his arms wide and stood before her.
"Good bye, Doctor," Clara said to him with a sad smile.
Then she walked right into him and disappeared as the two of them merged together!
"What is going on?!" Danny asked in absolute shock.
"Change, PE, and not a moment too soon," The Doctor said.
Then he began to scream as energy poured out of his head and hands, and his entire body began to change. In fact, his body changed now more than it ever had before in all of his lives.
Kate and Danny now both had their jaws hit the floor at once as the Doctor changed into . . . Clara!
The new Doctor smiled as she said, "Well, this is definitely going to take some getting used to, isn't it? I think I can safely speak for all of us when I say that."
"Clara?" Danny asked in absolute astonishment.
"No, I'm afraid not. She served her purpose and she's gone now. I'm sorry. I have Clara's personality and memories of course, but I'm also so much more than she ever was. I am the Doctor," The Doctor said with a sympathetic look in her eyes at the crushed look on Danny's face.
"How can you be the Doctor?" Kate asked still not accepting what she was seeing right now.
"Well, Soldier Lady, it was just as your father and the Old Man told you. Sometimes a projection of a future me is created and given an independent existence way ahead of time so that I can help the main me out. That's who Clara was. I did this once before actually when I created a future version of my fifth self to help Scarf Boy out when the Master killed him too. She does seem to kill me a lot come to think of it, doesn't she?"
Danny seemed to be grasping things a little bit better now as he said, "That's why the other Doctor was testing you, I mean her, like he was and pushing her so much then, isn't it? He was preparing her, I mean you, to become him soon."
"That's right. I knew that if anyone would understand that it would be you," The Doctor said with a smile.
"So what does this mean then? I mean is Clara really gone for good? I mean completely gone?" Danny asked hesitantly.
"No, of course not. What was most important about her is still here alive and well even though the person that you knew no longer exists," The Doctor said as she pointed to her hearts.
She saw the perplexed look on Danny's face as she said, "Look, I know that this going to be strange. It is for me too. Believe me. Even I've never done this kind of thing before. It's going to be a great new adventure. You know if you want to you could come with me while we sort everything out. If you want to that is. I know that you're not really a fan of this whole running for your life thing. If you do come, I swear that I'll make the best soufflés that you've ever had in your life. I can do that now that I'm a Time Lord. I have highly advanced cooking skills."
"Really?" Kate asked in amusement.
"No, I lied. It seems that Rule Number One still applies even in this form. Being a Time Lord doesn't improve your cooking skills a bit unfortunately," The Doctor said with a disappointed look on her face.
"I'd be willing to try it out for a trip or two," Danny said hesitantly.
The Doctor smiled as she said, "You've just made my day, Soldier Man! Well that and not dying for good of course. That goes without saying. By the way, sorry about the PE thing and all of the little putdowns that the Old Man made. I was really grumpy in that body for some reason. I think it had something to do with being so old. I'm always tetchy whenever I'm old."
"Doctor, I don't know what kind of relationship that you think that we're going to have. I loved Clara but you're not . . . I mean you're not her. Not really," Danny said hesitantly.
"I am and yet I'm not. I'm sorry. I truly am. I know how much she meant to you. I, unlike Mr. Grumpy Pants, understand exactly why you're all confused and upset though and it's okay. I'm not expecting anything from you. If you just want a trip or two for closure to move on from the memory of Clara, then that's okay," The Doctor said sympathetically.
Danny nodded still with a confused look on his face as she said, "If it helps you any, you can still call me Clara if you want."
"I'd like that," Danny said as he smiled a little more eagerly.
The Doctor smiled as she saw his future unfold before her now while she read his timeline. He would travel with her a little while and then finally move on and find someone else to replace Clara. Then his descendent, who would wind up being the great-grandson of a time traveler after all since Danny would be her companion, would meet Clara in the future and have to be very careful not to reveal too much about her own future to her.
She realized now that it explained why she had gone to the Doctor's past after she had visited Danny's. She had gone to her own past without even realizing it and caused her own nightmares as a child.
"So are we going then? I have plenty of things to show you that will just knock your socks off, Mr. Pink," The Doctor said.
He eagerly walked after her as she said, "Now where did I put the TARDIS? I hope that the Old Cow isn't going to start giving me problems already and turn herself invisible on me."
"It would probably help if you didn't call her an Old Cow," Danny suggested.
The Doctor laughed as she said, "Old habits die hard I suppose. Well, come on then. First I'm going to pick out my new outfit which will definitely include a tight skirt, and then I'm going to the kitchen and make the universe's greatest soufflé if it kills me."
"I just hope that it doesn't kill me too," Danny said with a frown.
"Oi! I heard that," The Doctor said with a frown that quickly turned into a smile.
Kate shook her head and smiled as she watched them go. Osgood was never going to believe this!
And she'd definitely be kicking herself for missing it.
THE END
So that's it I guess . . . unless anyone wants more of course. By the way, I think that Jenna would make a great Doctor. I know I'd certainly watch the show with her in charge. I think it could work. She already has an in-built fanbase so that solves the problem of getting people to like the new Doctor right there. It's just an idea anyway and not a completely serious one so don't get too upset about it if you're not in favor of it. I definitely don't want to start up a flame war or anything. I just decided to write this for a little fun. I hope that you'll take it in that spirit and enjoy it for what it is.