Chapter Four
"Did you ever get to see your friend?"
The Doctor's eyes widened, as if he'd completely forgotten the reason they were here. "No, I didn't."
Bill checked her phone for the time. "It's not too late. Do you want to see if he's still home?"
The Doctor thought this over for a second, and then nodded in agreement. "He wouldn't have called me if it weren't important."
Bill helped the Doctor to his feet, but as soon as he was up, he nudged her away. Right; now he was feeling a bit better, he was going to pretend that last twenty minutes had never happened. Bill looked him over with a caring eye anyway.
"You've still got that cut," she said, pointing at the red mark just above his brow.
The Doctor instinctively brought a hand up to examine it, gasping as he made contact with the wound. He lowered his hand and forced a stoic expression when Bill gave him large, worried eyes.
"It's fine. It'll be healed before we get to the TARDIS."
His words did little to calm Bill's mind, especially as he limped all the way to his friend's front door. As he knocked, he barely contained a grimace. Bill could practically see the headache he was fighting.
The door opened and a gentle man in a green cardigan leaned his face out. When he saw the Doctor, bleeding and leaning awkwardly on his leg, his face fell.
"Oh my goodness, Doctor! Come in; come in." He ushered the Doctor and Bill inside and then shut the door. "What happened?"
The man forced the Doctor onto his couch, a ragged but comfortable old three-seater, and hurried to the open kitchen connected to the lounge. The Doctor sat up a bit straighter, grunting as his leg shifted.
"Met a few kids who weren't too fond of aliens. Do you know what's going on around here? Last I saw, there were dozens of species living in harmony together. Or maybe I got the century wrong."
The other man came back into the lounge carrying a wet cloth and a roll of bandages. He bit his lip, and then looked at Bill with a smile. "Hello; I don't believe we've met."
Bill smiled and waved. "I'm Bill."
The man set his supplies down and shook her hand with both of his. "Yaro Cotter. Please, sit."
Bill took a seat opposite the Doctor.
"Yaro," the Doctor said, making the man bite his lip again. "You never answered my question."
Yaro nervously picked up the cloth and dabbed it on the Doctor's head. The Doctor grabbed it immediately and held it there himself. Yaro folded his hands together.
"Humans here...well, we've regressed. I suppose now, since we aren't travelling or exploring or fighting wars...people got bored. Started turning on each other. Limited resources, traditional capitalism reinstated. It's been a mess."
Yaro held up a pointer finger, his face lighting up. "But that's actually why I called you here. You see," he said, sitting on the arm of the sofa. "I'm forming a group, to counteract all of the violence and hatred. There are a few dozen of us already; some human, some alien. We're trying to spread the word: peace is in; division is out!"
He chuckled a bit at his mantra. The Doctor and Bill shared a smile.
"I was hoping that maybe, with your TARDIS or just your incomparable genius...maybe you could help me recruit more people."
Yaro's smile faded. "I didn't think...you appear human enough; I thought they'd leave you alone."
The Doctor lowered the cloth, examining it with lowered brows. "Apparently the boy I met had a scanner. Saw the two hearts and it kick-started his imagination."
Yaro's frown deepened. "I am sorry, Doctor. If I'd known…"
"It's not your fault." The Doctor smiled. "And I'm glad I came. We'd love to help."
He looked to Bill for confirmation. Of course, she smiled widely. "I'm all about starting revolutions against arseholes," she said.
The Doctor raised an eyebrow. Bill rolled her eyes. "I'm just calling them what they are."
The trio laughed heartily together, and then Yaro adjusted himself on the sofa.
"Do you two have any tips? Doctor, you always seem so good at these things."
The Doctor looked to Bill. "First tip," he started. "Surround yourself with good, amazing people."
Bill smiled and looked at her hands, but picked her head back up to speak. "Also," she said. "Stay optimistic. There's always someone out there who isn't bad. How else would the world keep turning?"
Yaro took in their words with the attention of an avid A-level student.
The Doctor turned back to Yaro. "And third; never, ever give up."
Yaro nodded. "Thank you so much, Doctor. And Bill. I hope we can meet again in happier times."
The Doctor got to his feet, a lot more steadier than before. "We'll help make them happier times, Yaro. And, er, until then...did you have any fliers I could borrow? Maybe a couple hundred or so?"
Yaro's eyes widened. "I think I have about thirty around here somewhere."
The Doctor smiled. "Perfect."
