Glimpses of Time

Chapter Twenty-One: Relationship Advice II

By Lumendea

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any spinoff material, and I gain no income from this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: And again, I find myself using Eleven and Twelve as a contrast because their differing understandings of their life and their energies are so fascinating to me. I loved Twelve as a lecturer and decided to see what would happen if he was asked for relationship advice. Also, I deeply love Bill in this universe. Her student relationship with the Doctor is so much easier than others to adapt. She's my favourite post RTD companion. And speaking of RTD, he is returning! Oh happy day!

…

Bill inhaled slowly as she came to a stop in front of the Doctor's office door. Well, sort of both the Doctor and Rose's office door. Rose technically had that small office near the Art Department, but with the TARDIS parked in the Doctor's office, this was where she could usually be found.

And it occurred to Bill that her thoughts were distracting her. Similar to how she'd tried to distract the Doctor when she first met him, she was now trying to distract herself. Bill knocked on the door, and the Doctor called her for her to come in. Her stomach churned, and she considered turning around. Instead, she went into the familiar office. The Doctor was lounging back in his office chair with his feet up on the desk and reading a worn-looking book.

"Hello, Doctor," Bill greeted. "Have you got a bit?"

"I suppose," the Doctor said. He closed the book and tossed it on the desk, lowering his feet. "You didn't get a poor score, did you?" His eyebrows menaced her.

"No, I'm still getting firsts, as you insisted." Bill chuckled. "Rose isn't nearly as demanding as you."

"No, she isn't. Well, not towards you." His eyes lit up with glee as he remembered something. "There are those who would strongly disagree with you. It all depends on your relationship with her."

"Ah, speaking of relationships," Bill said. She had to look down, suddenly feeling ridiculous and silly. "I need relationship advice."

"Relationship advice," the Doctor repeated. A small smile tugged at his mouth that he fought to contain as Bill shifted uneasily in her chair. "Why ask me?"

"Oh, I don't know, you're happily married to a gorgeous woman and have been for centuries," Bill huffed. She couldn't help her embarrassment and wondered if she should have gone to Rose. Probably should have, she decided as the Doctor peered at her. But it was the Doctor she usually took her questions to, and given the slight crush she'd had on Rose at the start of her lessons with them, it felt a bit weird. "Figured you must know something. I haven't been able to get to a third date in months."

"Don't be with someone for the wrong reasons," he answered. His expression turned serious. "Don't let pressures from family or friends or society, in general, push you into a relationship. My timeline with Rose is complicated, but she kept her knowledge of the future out of it. She didn't allow it to be an influence on me for our relationship to form. Maintain your agency and make sure the person you're interested in has agency. When we did start our relationship, it was for the right reasons at the right time.

Bill had not expected that. She'd figured he'd say something about communication first if he said anything at all. She didn't fully understand what he was talking about with the timelines. But she supposed he might also be talking about that time she'd dated Janet just because she hated being single. It hadn't gone well, and he hadn't been happy when she'd shown up the next day with eyes swollen from crying.

"Be realistic," the Doctor continued. He folded his hands and leaned back in his chair. "Relationships are work. Always. Pretending that it's a fairy tale is only going to leave it shattered at the first sign of trouble. Thinking it's always going to be like it was at the start is stupid. Relationships change, just like the people in them." He smiled a little at the words like he was thinking of some kind of inside joke. "Love is like life; it is always evolving, growing and changing. Some days you'll roll your eyes at something they did, and another, you'll barely be able to breathe under the weight of how much they mean to you. Real love isn't vulnerable to emotional whims or fancy." The Doctor fixed his gaze on Bill. "Don't get addicted to the ups and downs of fast romantic love. It's a trap. Chose someone that you can choose every day and keep choosing them."

Nodding, Bill watched the Doctor's expression. It was thoughtful, but his eyes were bright. The way they usually were when he lectured about a favourite topic at the university. His eyes moved across the desk, landing on the photo that Bill knew was of Rose. It changed from time to time with the Doctor swapping in new or maybe old favourite photographs.

"And respect," the Doctor said. "Respect is critical. I know most will tell you communication, and that does matter." He pointed at her with a firm stare. "But there is a point where communication will break down. What will keep you going, what will keep your relationship from shattering and help you rebuild communication is respect. It is the bedrock. Without it, you begin to doubt your partner's intentions; you'll keep secrets and fear criticism. Respect is the foundation that keeps it all intact."

"That makes sense," Bill said slowly. Suddenly, the advice was a bit much. She'd been looking for small things, but these were big. It was a bit like drowning, suddenly having a different view of the Doctor and Rose. "Respect, got it."

"Without that bedrock of respect, you will begin to doubt each other's intentions, the choices that the other makes and start hiding things to avoid criticism," the Doctor continued seriously. "That's when it falls apart. Respect your partner." The Doctor paused, and his eyes shifted to the door behind him. "And respect yourself. That last one can be hard, but it's important."

"Yes," Rose's voice said from behind Bill. "It is."

Bill stayed quiet in her chair as Rose entered the room. Professor Tyler smiled gently at the Doctor, who gazed up at her with a soft expression and bright eyes. The Doctor sat up in the chair and held out a hand. Rose took it at once, entwining their fingers. Then Rose looked over at Bill.

"I'd like to add one more item," Rose said, her voice soft in the quiet of the office. "In a long-term relationship, you and your partner will both grow and change." She looked back at the Doctor. "Embrace it, embrace them. Many, many years from now, Bill, you may wake up and look at your spouse. They will be a different person than they were when you first met them. Make sure you fall in love with them too."

With a smile, the Doctor raised Rose's hand to his lips and kissed it gently. Bill's chest felt tight, and she felt herself smile. Standing up slowly, she said a quick goodbye, aware that neither Rose nor the Doctor were paying any attention to her. Bill slipped out of the room and chuckled softly. She'd wanted good relationship advice, and she'd gotten it. Course, she'd been looking more for date ideas or... well, now she wasn't even sure now.

"Blimey," Bill said to herself. "He really can lecture about anything."