4. The Two Doctors

The Doctor stood up immediately and went for the door, Malcolm standing up to follow. They both walked down the cubicle corridor and up the stairs, the Doctor making it very hard for Malcolm to keep up.

"Hey…you!" Malcolm stuttered, unwilling to acknowledge this man as the Doctor just yet and, therefore, not knowing how to address him. "Stop! I order you to stop! Now! Oh, come on. Please?"

The Doctor strode through the ship, down corridor after corridor, Malcolm attempting to converse with him, but the Doctor shut him out completely, his only goal to get off this ship.

Eventually, they reached the main hangar where the TARDIS was parked and the Doctor pulled out the key, unlocking it and opening the door. He was about to go in when he heard a gun cocking and he froze, sighing. He turned, slowly, and saw Malcolm standing there with the gun pointed at his head. Again.

"Malcolm." The Doctor simply said, almost sympathetically. This man was just trying to look out for his crew and at the moment he looked utterly perplexed and almost scared. And so was the Doctor, to be honest.

"You are not leaving." Malcolm replied through gritted teeth, attempting to retain his intimidating persona against this stranger.

"Malcolm," the Doctor repeated, shutting the TARDIS door and taking a step forward. "If I don't leave now, I could influence events from my own time stream and influence my future."

Upon seeing Malcolm's brow furrow, the Doctor continued, putting his hands in his coat pockets and leaning against the TARDIS.

"My future self probably told you about time travel and what I do but…what he may not have told you was that there are fixed points in time and there are points where it can be rewritten. Now, I don't know whether this is a fixed point or not. And I'm not willing to take that chance because I care about the people on the ship, even though I don't know any of them. Malcolm...if you care about your crew…you'll let me go."

Malcolm didn't drop his gun but he seemed less focused and did not attempt to stop the Doctor as he opened the TARDIS door. He looked back to see Malcolm still just staring at him, trying to work out what the hell had happened in the space of about forty-five minutes aboard his little smuggling ship.

"Don't worry, Captain," the Doctor smiled as he stood in the threshold of his little blue box. "I'll see you again."

The Doctor shut the doors and crossed to the TARDIS console melancholically, throwing his coat over one of the railings and slumping onto the chair nearby. He sat there for a while, wondering whether he should go back and take the chance, if only to have the chance to meet new friends. He shook the thought out of his mind and got up, reaching for the TARDIS accelerator. He was reaching for it when the entire ship shook violently and he staggered backwards, falling onto the chair and gripping the sides as the TARDIS rocked violently from side to side.

The instant the feeling subsided, the Doctor sprinted to the entrance, pulling the doors open and just managing to catch himself before he stepped into empty space. The Serenity was completely gone because the TARDIS hadn't moved at all. This had happened once before to him, so he didn't spend any time gawking and wondering what to do next. He already had a few suspicions over who had taken them and none of them were pleasant but, right now, he knew there was only one way of finding them. And it wasn't going to be easy.

He slammed the doors shut and crossed to the console, leaning over it, and preparing to ask something of his beautiful ship that he would never consider under normal circumstances.7

"Look," he began, knowing how the magnitude of what he was about to request of the TARDIS. "I know that you know every version of me that ever has existed and ever will exist and I know you're not supposed to show me my future but…there are people in danger and they need my help. And I need your help. I will only ask where they are and then leave, no matter how much danger I may be in. Please. Take me to me."

There was nothing but silence throughout the TARDIS when the Doctor had finished his plea and a sense of dread came over the Doctor, as he bowed his head and stared at the TARDIS console. He had barely even met these people and only knew the names of two, so why was he willing to cross his own time stream to save them? Maybe it was because he felt as if he had seen them before or his own sick sense of curiosity. Regardless, there was no way to find them now without the TARDIS's help.

And then came that familiar wheezing sound. The rise and fall of the central column. The sound of the TARDIS saying 'Yes'. The Doctor's solemn face transformed to a gaping mouth display of pure happiness for the companion that never left him, no matter what.

"You beauty!" he cried, as he stood back in awe as the TARDIS flew itself to where it was needed. To where she was needed.

The grinding of the central column came to a halt at last and the Doctor looked behind him at the doors, his future self, waiting for him just outside them. He bent down and hugged as much as the console as he could fit his arms around and whispered, "Thank you." The TARDIS let out one of its famous sounds from somewhere in the control room, as if reminding the Doctor to get a move on.

The Doctor got the message and turned around to see the TARDIS doors open and a baby-faced man in a bowtie come strolling through, clutching a piece of paper. He was attempting to smile at the Doctor, although it looked fake. The Doctor could always tell when he was lying.

The Eleventh held out the piece of paper and explained, "Galactic co-ordinates for where the crew of the Serenity are being held. Or rather…will be held. Wibbely wobbly…"

"…timey wimey." The Tenth Doctor replied as he took the piece of paper and placed it on the console for later. There was a moment of pause between the two Doctors, before the Eleventh nodded and turned to leave, making it to the doors before the Tenth asked, "Sontarans?"

The Eleventh paused, his façade of happiness quite faded now.

"Yes." he almost whispered, as him and the Doctor shared a look that only the Doctor could understand. "Good luck, Doctor."

"Thank you, Doctor."

With one last curt nod to each other, the doors slammed shut behind the Eleventh and the TARDIS kicked into life immediately without the Doctor even touching the console, obviously eager to be away from this potential universe-ending paradox. The Doctor raised a quizzical eyebrow, as he turned to the console and asked, "Did you know the co-ordinates already?"

There was silence again in the TARDIS.