Author's Note: Next chapter and a longer one this time. :)
Another aspect I adored about the Second Doctor era was the warm, caring relationships he had with his companions with perhaps the most endearing of all being the one he had with Jamie McCrimmon. Thus, no celebration of the Second Doctor would be complete without a chapter focused on their friendship, in my opinion. :D This takes place between Tomb Of the Cybermen and The Abominable Snowmen.
I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters.
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Part Two—The Compassionate Friend
Looking back on it now, the Doctor thought that perhaps he should have listened to Victoria from the very start.
Early in the day yesterday, the TARDIS had materialized on a planet that a group of colonists from Earth identified as Zetinia Syln. As they visited with the colonists, they discovered that the planet had been discovered five years previous and that this colony had been established less than a year later. The Doctor and Jamie quickly felt at home among the friendly and adventurous people that had made Zetinia Syln their home and were looking forward to joining in on an expedition to an ancient castle that was presumed to have been built by a race of inhabitants who had died out centuries ago.
However, Victoria was against staying from the moment they arrived and repeatedly begged the Doctor to leave as soon as possible. At one point, the Doctor pulled her aside and asked why she felt this way despite all the goodwill that they had been shown.
"I don't know else to put it, Doctor," she said. "But I can't help but feel a sense of foreboding. As if something terrible will happen if we stay here too long. It's something in the atmosphere of this place, in the way that the trees and the flowers seem to be staring at us, watching our every move. Oh please, Doctor, something's not right here. I just know it. Can't we leave?"
The Doctor had been disappointed that Victoria disliked Zetinia Syln so much, but he managed to work out a compromise with her: she would wait in the TARDIS and then they would all leave together after he and Jamie had had a chance to spend the afternoon with the expedition. Victoria had been more than a little reluctant to wait by herself, but had agreed to the Doctor's terms. Soon, she and Jamie were on their way back to the TARDIS.
Unfortunately, it was at that point that everything Victoria had warned him about came to fruition.
Clumps of what they had all thought were simple vegetation turned out to be scouts from the planet Valulox who were looking to set up a colony of their own on Zetinia Syln. Their ship had crash-landed onto the planet a couple of days ago, and they eventually made their way to the Earth colony. These scouts were not only cunning and aggressive; they also saw no reason why their kind should have to share this planet with "low-thinking animal matter."
The Doctor tried to reason with the Valuloxans, but to no avail. After that, it didn't take long for the Earth colonists and the Valuloxans to start shooting at each other. The colonists were able to fight back against the invaders, but the Valuloxans had the advantage of greater numbers and it wasn't long before they had the upper hand. It also soon became apparent that they recognized the Doctor and wanted to capture him at all costs. Eventually, he and the surviving colonists took refuge in a hut on the outer edge of the colony that served as a makeshift laboratory for the scientists who occasionally visited to conduct short stints of research.
As the colonists tried to hold out against the Valuloxans, the Doctor managed to cobble together a device that could short-circuit their weapons from the materials he found there. But before he could use it, the Valuloxans announced that they had taken two of the "Earth animals" hostage and would execute them if the Doctor did not surrender himself immediately. Much to the Doctor's dismay, those two hostages turned out to be Jamie and Victoria, who had been captured while traveling back to the TARDIS.
At that point, the Doctor was aware he would have to be very careful. He was deeply concerned for his companions, but he did not want to allow the Valuloxans to wipe out the rest of the Earth colonists either. For now, he would have to let the Valuloxans think that they were in control of the situation until an opportunity to rescue his friends could be found.
"All right," he told the Valuloxans. "I'll surrender if you'll let my friends go." Jamie, of course, had been against this idea.
"No Doctor!" he shouted. "You can nae trust them." The young Scot looked as if he might try to escape, but the Doctor stopped him with a stern look.
"Quiet Jamie," the Doctor ordered firmly. "I know what I'm doing." Then he turned his focus back toward the Valuloxans. "Let them go, and you can have me."
"And if we refuse?" the head Valuloxan scout asked.
"Then I will make sure that you will not have a chance to colonize this or any other planet," he answered coolly.
The Valuloxans talked among themselves for only a moment before giving their answer.
"All right," the leader said. "We will let the primitives go. But take care, Doctor. If you try to trick us…."
"Yes, yes, I know," the Doctor nodded. "Don't worry. I have no intentions of violating the terms of our agreement. Now, release them and I will come to you."
The Valuloxans pushed their hostages away from them, and Jamie and Victoria slowly walked over toward the hut where the Doctor and the surviving colonists had taken refuge. Once they were halfway there, the Doctor stepped outside. Soon, the Doctor met with Jamie and Victoria, and he leaned over to whisper into Jamie's ear.
"Jamie," he said. "Be sure to take care of Victoria."
Before Jamie could respond, the Doctor shoved them closer to the hut and ran toward the Valuloxans. The head scout immediately raised his weapon and fired. With a cry of pain, the Doctor collapsed to the ground and then laid still.
"Fool!" the scout laughed. "Did he really think that it would be as easy as that? He deserved to die for being so stupid."
Following the Doctor's instructions, the colonists guided Victoria into the hut and tried to pull Jamie to safety too. At first, Jamie didn't move and just stared at the Doctor's lifeless body. Then he snarled and looked as if he would rush over and try to take on all of the Valuloxans single-handedly, but the colonists managed to drag him inside before he could act. Once they were inside, two of the Valuloxans were posted outside the doors with orders to watch over the prisoners. Then they set up a force-field around the hut to ensure that none of the people inside would be able to escape.
"Oh and dispose of that," the leader said, pointing at the Doctor's body.
One of the scouts complied by picking the Doctor up and carrying him a few yards away from the colony before dumping him into a shallow pit. Confident that their only obstacle had been eliminated, the Valuloxans began to make plans to use their prisoners as bait for the crew of the supply ship that was due to show up in two days. They planned to assassinate the crew and their prisoners so they could steal the craft and return to their home world.
However, what they didn't know was that the Doctor was still alive.
It took almost a full day for him to recover, but eventually, the Doctor was able shake off the effects of the Valuloxans' ray gun.
'Just as I thought, a cardiac inhibitor,' the Doctor had thought to himself as he shook his head in an effort to clear it. 'Very effective at killing any life-forms with only one heart…not quite so effective at killing a person with two of them. Fortunately, the Valuloxans don't know that.'
The Doctor waited until nightfall and crept back toward the colony. The Valuloxans were nearly dormant at night and could not see very well in the dark, thus it was easy for him to sneak around without being noticed. He retrieved his device from where he had hidden it and disabled the Valuloxans' weapons. Then he took the precaution of gathering up some more weapons for the colonists to use before using his sonic screwdriver to disassemble the device maintaining the force-field around the hut.
After that, it was only a matter of minutes before the colonists were armed, the Valuloxans were captured, and the Doctor was reunited with his companions.
Victoria had rushed over and cheerfully hugged him while telling him over and over again how happy she was to see him. However, Jamie surprised the Doctor by reacting in a far more subdued manner.
"Glad ye're all right," the piper said blandly as he lightly patted the Doctor's shoulder. "Prolly would nae have made it out in one piece without ye."
Jamie said very little else after that while the Doctor made sure that the colonists had the situation under control. Eventually, the three of them went back to the TARDIS and dematerialized back into the Time Vortex.
The Doctor peered at the instruments in front of him, his brow furrowing. It had been a couple of hours since they had left Zetinia Syln and he wondered what he should do next. He could tell that this last trip had distressed Victoria. Plus, he couldn't forget how she had pleaded with him to leave from the beginning. Although the Doctor did not regret being available when those colonists needed his help, he did feel that he should try to find some way to make it up to her.
'Oh crumbs,' he grumbled to himself. 'There's no way to know for sure if the next place we land will be entirely peaceful. And if it isn't, that won't do at all.'
The Doctor frowned and paced around the console. Eventually he stopped and pulled out his recorder. He continued to watch the center column rise and fall as he placed the instrument to his lips and played a bouncy, meandering tune.
'I suppose we could just stay in the Vortex for a while,' he mused. 'The TARDIS has plenty to keep those two occupied for a couple days or so. This will also give me a chance to look in on some systems I've been meaning to check. Then perhaps some reading….'
The Doctor stopped playing and smiled to himself. He suddenly remembered a stack of rare books currently sitting in his study that had been a gift from a grateful duchess after one of his more recent adventures. Seeing this as a perfect opportunity to finally enjoy them, the Doctor grinned even more and put his recorder back into his pocket. He skittered around the console one more time, glancing at all the meters as he went. Satisfied with what he saw, he was just about to dash toward the study when Victoria walked into the room and nearly bumped into him.
"Oh Doctor, I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to disturb you." The Doctor sighed inwardly, but kept a smile on his face.
"It's all right, Victoria," he said warmly. "I was just going to do some reading."
"Reading? While we are in flight?" Victoria asked. "Are you sure that is wise, Doctor?"
"Oh yes, it's perfectly safe," he explained. "The TARDIS can travel unattended within the Vortex for quite a long time if need be. So I thought we might take a couple of days to recuperate, as it were."
"That sounds like a very good idea," Victoria nodded. "We could all use a rest."
"Exactly," the Doctor said. "Now, unless there was something else you needed…."
"Actually Doctor, there is something," Victoria said, hesitant. "That is, there is something I urgently need to discuss with you."
She looked down at her hands and pulled at her skirt, seemingly unsure of how to proceed. The Doctor frowned and walked over to her. He put his hand on her arm and guided her down the corridor toward the study. Victoria waited until they were both sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace to speak again.
"It's about Jamie, Doctor," she said. "I'm terribly worried about him."
"Jamie?" the Doctor echoed. "What do you mean?"
Victoria sighed and smoothed down her skirt while the Doctor's mind raced. He recalled asking Jamie if he was all right and taking the time to briefly check for any physical damage as soon as the Valuloxans had been captured and detained. He hadn't seen anything wrong at the time, but now he was anxious that he might have missed something.
"Victoria, please go on," he said, placing one of his hands onto hers. "If Jamie is ill or hurt in some way, I need to…."
"No, no, it's not like that," she said with a wave of her hand. "It's not his health that concerns me."
"Then what is it?" the Doctor asked, his sense of dread growing by the second. Victoria took a deep breath and looked up at his face.
"Doctor, when those awful plant monsters shot you, I…I mean Jamie and I…we…," she stammered.
"Victoria….?"
"You weren't moving or showing any signs of life," she continued. "Jamie and I…we watched them carry you away, and we thought…we thought you were dead. Oh Doctor it was horrible. I was so scared."
"Yes, I understand," he said, putting an arm around her shoulders and drawing her closer to him. "And I sincerely apologize for putting you through that experience."
"It's all right," Victoria nodded. "I'm just thankful that we are all safe now. But Doctor, I believe that Jamie suffered too, perhaps more than I did, even though he has not said anything about it. After those…things took you away, Jamie kept staring out the window at the place where you had fallen. He just kept staring for hours and hours until it was too dark to see. More than one of us tried to get him to talk or move, but he wouldn't respond to anyone. And then, the next morning, he simply sat facing a wall. I tried to get him to eat or drink something, but he would not accept it. At one point, some of the colonists tried to make plans to escape, but Jamie refused to help them or even listen."
Lines of worry appeared on the Doctor's face as he listened to this while guilt gnawed at his insides. He had suspected that Jamie had been more affected by their ordeal than he had let on, but he had not imagined that it had been this bad.
"The worst part of it all though was the look in his eyes," Victoria added. "His eyes were so…empty. No life or hope in them at all. It was like that time when those Dalek creatures were holding us prisoner, right after you walked through that archway and we all thought you had become one of them. But this time was worse, so much worse."
Victoria paused and ran a hand over her face as she worked to compose herself. She closed her eyes briefly and she took another breath before continuing.
"It was such a relief when you saved us, Doctor," she said. "And I was sure that Jamie would be better too. At first he was, but ever since we've come back to the TARDIS, he's been so quiet and distant. He sits in his room and won't come out. I have tried speaking to him, but he just insists that he is fine and asks to be alone. I suppose there is nothing so strange about that, given what happened. But it's the manner in which he does it. It is clear that he is out of sorts and not himself. Oh Doctor, I don't know what to do."
The Doctor patted her shoulder and did his best to smile at her despite the worry that filled him.
"It's all right, Victoria," he said. "Jamie probably just needs some time to recover from this experience in his own way."
"But Doctor…."
"Don't worry," he insisted. "Now, you go and relax and I will speak with him."
"Yes," she said. "Yes, I think that will be best. And thank you, Doctor, for listening to my concerns."
"No, thank you, Victoria for bringing this to my attention," the Doctor said solemnly.
Victoria nodded and the Doctor escorted her back into the corridors. He watched her walk toward the plant room for a moment before taking off for Jamie's room.
As he crept up to the door, he could hear faint tones of music. The Doctor stood by the door and silently listened for a couple of minutes. It was a low, melancholic tune which the Doctor feared was not a good indication of the piper's current state of mind.
He knocked on the door and waited. The music stopped, but there was no other indication that Jamie had heard him. After a minute of waiting with no response, the Doctor tried again.
"Jamie?" he called out.
"What?"
"May I come in?"
"…I guess so."
The Doctor opened the door and found Jamie sitting on his bed, his chanter sitting in his lap. The young Scot sat the instrument onto a bedside stand and looked downward to stare at the floor.
"What did ye want?" he muttered.
"Oh nothing much," the Doctor said as he walked over to sit on a chair across from him. "I just thought I would see how you were doing is all."
"I'm fine," Jamie said.
"Really?" the Doctor replied. "Are you sure about that, Jamie? Those dark circles under your eyes tell a different story."
"So what if I'm a wee bit tired?" Jamie said. "Can ye blame me? Ye're always tearing off toward some trouble or another and I never get a moment's peace."
"Well then, I apologize for that, Jamie," the Doctor said, frowning. "I should have realized that you'd be exhausted what with the pace we have been keeping of late."
"Och, it's fine," Jamie said with a shake of his head. "Dinna worry aboot it. Jes let me be so I can get some sleep."
"Oh, I will of course," the Doctor nodded. "But first I would like to talk to you."
"What aboot?"
"Well, about what happened on Zetinia Syln for a start," the Doctor answered.
"What aboot it?"
The Doctor fought the urge to let out a huff of frustration. He could already tell that Jamie was not going to make this easy on him and steeled himself for what was sure to be a tense situation.
"Victoria and I had a discussion earlier," he continued. "She was very distressed by what happened."
"Victoria?" Jamie said, looking up with concern in his eyes. "Is she all right?" The Doctor reached over and patted his arm.
"Yes, she's all right now," he smiled. "She just needs some time to relax. Though, the truth is, Jamie, she is rather worried about you."
"Aboot me? I dinna ken why," Jamie shrugged. "Those plant beasties pushed us around a bit, but that's all."
"She thought that you might have been upset over what happened to me," the Doctor pressed on. "Or should I say, what you thought happened to me."
"Oh aye that," Jamie said as he turned his gaze back to the floor. "I was a bit upset, but that's over now, isn't it? It was jes another one of yer ruses. I should have known better. But I was tae daft to figure it out."
"Jamie…."
"Look, I'm sorry that I dinna take care of Victoria like I should have," Jamie said, cutting him off. "I was supposed to look after her and I dinna do so well. Maybe ye should nae be relying so much on me."
"Nonsense," the Doctor snorted. "I have never regretted relying on you. Not once. So stop trying to insist that you are anything other than highly dependable and capable."
Jamie scowled at him and lowered his head before running his hands hard against his face.
"Och, what do ye want from me?" he growled.
"I only want you to be honest with me, Jamie," the Doctor said.
"I said I was fine."
"I don't believe you."
"Fine then," Jamie snapped. "Don' believe me. Who cares? Jes…jes leave me alone."
Jamie clutched at his face and hunched down even more. The Doctor felt a twinge in his hearts as saw a tremor develop in Jamie's hands and heard the way that the piper's breathing was beginning to catch. The young Scot was losing control and it was painful to watch.
The Doctor stood up and carefully sat down next to Jamie on the bed. Then he placed his hand on Jamie's shoulder and gently clasped it.
"Jamie, I know that something is troubling you," he said. "I would very much like to help if I can."
Jamie didn't answer, but he also did not pull away, much to the Doctor's relief. After a long moment, Jamie finally gulped and spoke again.
"Ye were dead. I saw it."
"But I wasn't, Jamie. I just wanted the Valuloxans to think I was so I could get away and help all of you escape."
"Aye and ye fooled me tae. Not that ye cared how I felt aboot it."
"Of course I cared," the Doctor retorted. "But I had to do it in order to save you, Victoria and everyone else at that colony."
"Och, ye dinna understand. How can ye? I…."
Jamie bowed his head even more, making sure to turn his face away.
"I really did think ye were dead," he added, his voice barely a whisper. "It was…it was jes like…."
"Like what?"
Jamie shook his head and swallowed hard. The Doctor could see that the piper's eyes were wet and red, and he squeezed his shoulder again.
"Jes like then…like Culloden," Jamie whispered. "All those men…men of my clan, my friends, the last of my brothers. I saw them all cut down by those Redcoats. All of them died. One moment alive and the next…lying on the ground, blood everywhere….And then when I…when I thought that ye…."
The Doctor moved his arm around Jamie's shoulders and held him close to him. Jamie responded by pressing his face against his shoulder. It had been almost two years since they had started traveling together, and not once in all that time had Jamie said a word to him about what happened at Culloden. The Doctor did worry about it from time to time, but did not pry out of respect for Jamie's feelings and a desire to not dwell on the past.
However, now the Doctor regretted not taking the time to talk to him about it. It was clear that the massacre of Culloden was a deep wound on Jamie's soul that had not healed in the slightest. But just as important as this was the obvious fact that the piper held an enormous amount of affection for him. Normally, the Doctor cherished this affection, but moments like this were a poignant reminder that it also meant that Jamie would be devastated by his loss.
"Oh Jamie," he murmured as he stroked Jamie's back. "Jamie, I am truly sorry. I was so concerned with carrying out my plan, I didn't think about how it could have affected you. That was foolish and quite callous of me."
"It's all right, Doctor," Jamie said, his voice muffled and watery. "It does nae matter."
"No it's not all right, Jamie," the Doctor insisted. "And it most certainly does matter. Your wellbeing means a great deal to me and I would hate for you to think otherwise."
Jamie nodded slightly while making sure to keep his face hidden against the fabric of the Doctor's jacket. The Doctor felt him start to tremble and he squeezed Jamie gently to reassure him. They sat that way silently for a few moments before the Doctor took a deep breath and nudged the piper to get his attention.
"Jamie, I know that you know by now that it's not always safe to travel with me," he said.
"That's for sure," Jamie said with a soft chuckle as he looked up at the Doctor.
"Thus, I'm certain that we will get into potentially hazardous situations again in the future," the Doctor continued, ignoring him. "As a result, there may be times when our lives will be in jeopardy and I might have to resort to tactics like the ones I was forced to use on Zetinia Syln. Also, I know that you are aware that I'm not human which means that I have a physical makeup and abilities that are vastly different from yours. So there is a chance that a situation like this could come up again. Given all of that, there is one thing that I will need you to remember."
Jamie lifted his head from the Doctor's shoulder, his gaze quizzical. The Doctor briefly beamed at him before adopting a somber expression. He reached up to place his hands onto the young Scot's cheeks. Then he gingerly turned Jamie's face toward him, encouraging the piper to look him in the eye.
"Whatever happens, I will always do my best for you," he said. "No matter what the odds...even in the face of death…I will fight for you. So you must not give up. Not ever. Even when things look their worst, even if you think that I'm no longer with you…you must trust me to keep fighting for you."
The Doctor stroked a lock of Jamie's hair away from his face with his thumb.
"I know that this is no small thing," the Doctor said. "In fact, it might be one of the hardest things I could ever ask of you. So I will understand if there are times when you are overwhelmed by your feelings. I'm only asking you to try to remember what I've told you. Remember and believe in it."
"I will," Jamie said, his tone resolute and sincere. "I swear."
"All right then," the Doctor said, letting go of his face. "And I know that a Highlander's word is his bond, so I am sure you will keep your promise."
Jamie looked away in time to brush aside a stray tear from his cheek, and the Doctor put his arm back around the piper's shoulders.
"Jamie, about what happened before," he said. "About Culloden…."
"No… nae right now, Doctor," Jamie said. "Please, it's…it's tae much…."
"I understand," the Doctor said, patting his back. "But we will return to this at some point, Jamie. You can be sure of that."
"Aye, I know," Jamie said. "And we will."
"Good," the Doctor replied. "Right then, how about we find something to do while Victoria is resting. Ah yes, I know just the thing."
"What?" Jamie asked.
"A movie," the Doctor grinned.
"A what?"
"A movie," the Doctor said. "Motion pictures. It's a story that is played out on a screen."
"Oh ye mean like a play on the stage," Jamie said.
"Yes, very much like that," the Doctor said. "And I've got the perfect movie picked out: The Adventures of Robin Hood."
"Robin Hood, oh aye, I heard that tale when I was a bairn," Jamie nodded.
"I thought you might have," the Doctor said. "But I think you'll find that it's an even more rousing tale when performed onscreen. You know, if I had been an actor, I would have liked to take part in a performance of that story."
"Ye? On stage?" Jamie smirked. "Och go on…."
"I'll have you know that Shakespeare himself said that my acting was perfectly suited for his plays," the Doctor said haughtily.
"Ye mean this Shakespeare wrote plays about wee daft men then?" the piper chortled.
"Now Jamie…," the Doctor frowned, fully intent on scolding him. But the grin on Jamie's face made it impossible, and he ended up laughing instead.
"Come on," the Doctor said, patting his shoulder. "I'll make us some popcorn to have with the movie."
"What's that?" Jamie asked.
"You'll see," the Doctor smiled. "And I'm sure you'll love it."
As they walked out into the corridor, Jamie grinned even more, confident that he was right about that and happy that the Doctor was always finding new things for him to discover and enjoy.
Meanwhile, the Doctor continued to smile back at him, grateful that he had gained such a close, steadfast friend and determined to prove himself deserving of this fierce loyalty.