Churned this out in about an hour, so sorry to my followers if it's not as good as my normal stuff.
Slight spoilers for 'Kill the Moon'. Nothing major, but I thought it better to be safe than sorry. Takes place after that episode.
Is that how you see me Clara? Some kind of 'Get out of Danger free' card? Your world's doomed, civilization as you know is about to end, your entire race is about to be snuffed out, but oh wait! The Doctor's here! He'll make everything all right!
No Clara, that's not me. I help people. Families, towns, maybe even a planet or two, but an entire species? You're on your own there.
Oh, you think I owed the Earth something did you? "It's your moon, your air." Maybe so, but you're not my Humans Clara. I don't own you. You were the ones who were panicking. You were the ones who thought you were about to be wiped out by an unborn child. Cold, you say? I could have done something? I didn't. Turned out alright though didn't it. You even got your moon back, and little Courtney's going to be President someday.
That's not good enough. That's not good enough? No, what's not good enough is how you see me Clara. You think I should have just snapped my fingers and made everything better. You think I should have just told dear Captain Lundvik that she wasn't going to blow those bombs and that there was another way. What right did I have to say that Clara? I've said it before? Maybe. Not with those odds I didn't.
I'm not your God Clara! I'm not here to make difficult decisions so you and the other pudding heads of the universe don't have too! I'm not here to wave my hand and say the magic words and make everything better for you! Because what makes you so special? WHAT MAKES YOU ANY DIFFERENT FROM THE BILLIONS OF OTHER RACES WHO'VE HAD TO MAKE THE SAME DECISION!?
I have seen civilizations rise and burn and never lifted a finger in any way to help them. I've watched them make the same choice, that one moment where everything they've ever been comes down to one single instance that could make or break them. And sometimes Clara, they break. And I. Do. Nothing.
Why? Because what right do I have to intervene? What gives me the right to hold the hand of an entire race and guide them along the path I think is right? To exterminate a life-form...to know that just by making one choice, I have the power of life and death over an entire species. Do I have that right?
No Clara, I don't. Not when they have the power to make the choice themselves. And you did have the choice didn't you? You could have let Lundvik push the button, but you didn't. And that was your right to do so. Not mine.
You still don't believe me? You don't think I respected you by putting your fate in your hands?
Would you have thought it fair, if I'd made you hold the Moment, and put the fate of Gallifrey and all the Timelords of the universe in your hands?
Oh, don't give me that 'It's not the same' rubbish! It's what your expecting of me isn't it? You're expecting an alien to make the choice for an entirely different race, just because it's too hard?
No Clara, stabilizers off. I'm not your 'Danger Free' card. I'm not your God, and I'm not your decision maker. I'm the Doctor. I help people.
But I can't live their life for them, and I can't help them when they won't help themselves in the choices that really matter.
…
And I really wish I'd said all this to more than just an empty TARDIS.
I'm not entirely sure where I was going with this. Clara's rant at the end of the episode just sort of bugged me, and I just had the urge to write something down to rectify it.
Was it any good? Constructive criticism is always appreciated. Hope it was interesting at least :)
All the best,
Dearing