Author's Note: For a change of pace (and because Paul McGann is amazing), I decided to do something with the Eighth Doctor for a change. It's a really big change of pace for me, because he seems a bit more scattered and less quirky than other Doctors I've seen, and also seems to lack that dark side that's such a constant presence with Nine and Ten. But then, I have to remember that the seriously messed-up stuff of the Time War still hasn't happened to him yet. Also I don't know anything else about the classic series... *gets pelted with pillows and fruit for not being a proper geek*
I apologize that it's really all dialogue and not much action or humor, but I was going for character study here.
Without further ado, the latest chapter of Superimposition!
Because You Can
"I don't know how you live like this," Grace said, softly. "I know I couldn't. It's hard for me to even take it in." The Doctor glanced at her, a half-smile turning up one corner of his mouth.
"It isn't," he contradicted. "You've just been conditioned to not want to accept it. Humans, clinging to whatever they can find for a safety blanket, when the world is so much bigger… and when wonder might be a better anchor. But there's still that spark, hiding at the very back of your mind, buried under layers of pomp and ritual, begging you to let it out, even just once… That world out there, Grace, it's yours. Not yours to own, but yours to know, to seek out your heart's desire." He paused to think. "It's like the times when you run away, just because you can. When you have a free day to look forward to, that's why you look forward to it, because of all the possibilities undiscovered. You go places you haven't been before without fear of what you'll find, and even if you don't find anything quantifiable, when you leave you're surprised because you find yourself refreshed, as if the stress from your job or from school doesn't matter any more, as if you've been made a better person by it. Of course, it's not always nearly as safe or as simple, but that's the reason why I travel. I look for the lights hidden in the trees, the sparks among the ashes. They're always there, if only you bother to look."
