The Poetics

Chapter 1

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,

Life is but an empty dream!

For the soul is dead that slumbers,

And things are not what they seem.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

'Humans' signed the Doctor absently running his hand through his blonde hair as he stared at the monitor before him. It had been three days since his traveling companion, Perigalliam Brown, had spoken to him and when it came to Peri, the silence was deafening. 'Why can't she understand it's wasn't intentional,' he thought as he absently adjusted the console's controls of his time machine known as the TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimensions in Space) to zoom in on the young woman as she dove into an Olympic size. Watching her, the Doctor impassively thought of the previous day and Peri's importance in his life.

He had approached Peri at breakfast attempting to make amends for the slight misunderstanding they had three days prior. She had seemed calm and almost pleased to see him as he approached the small table in the TARDIS kitchen. Peri had been eating a large bowl of corn flakes and had actually graced him with a weak smile and a mumbled 'morning.' Pleased at this opening, the Doctor, who had repeatedly rehearsed what he had wanted to say by means of an eloquent apology, he had merely mumbled, 'Sorry I sold you,' and had sleepily plopped into a chair opposite her.

'At least she was calm,' he thought as he recalled the look on her face; poised, mouth open for another spoon of cereal before she dropped it violently in to the bowl and stalked wordlessly from the kitchen. Now it was just a matter of how to approach the subject again. Sighing in defeat, the Doctor turned from the image of Peri swimming and headed into the TARDIS interior to once again try to get into his companion's good graces.

Moving slowly down the corridor mumbling to himself the Doctor stopped periodically rehearsing his wording or considering another phrase or idea. This time he wasn't going to blow it he told himself as he paused outside the swimming pool door. He hesitated, bracing himself. The thought of returning to his refuge of the console room and allowing more time settle between them crossed his mind, but then with sudden determination, drawing a deep breath, the Doctor burst into the room.

'Peri, we must speak. I think we need to discuss this.' Nothing, the room was silent. The Doctor glanced around him in dismay as only the hissing and wheezing of the numerous plants creating the tropical jungle surrounding the Olympic size pool greeted him. There was no one in the room. Turning on his heel in frustration and sudden anger, he stormed from the room resolved to find his companion. 'I will not tip-toe around my own TARDIS!' he announced as he set off down the corridor.

Without knocking the Doctor burst into Peri's room.

'Peri, this has gone on long enough. We…' before he could finish a canister flew through the air, striking him in the forehead. Throwing up his hands to protect himself, a potted plant shattered next to his head spraying him with dirt and sending shards of crockery across the floor. Backing out the door, the Doctor made a hasty retreat into the corridor as a book bounced off the wall inches from his shoulder.

'Out! Get out now!' Peri yelled, her face scrunched in fury as she hurled another book at the his head and slammed the door in his face.

Stunned, the Doctor stood for a moment looking at the closed door not quite understanding what had just happened. Questioning Peri's sanity and the sudden fit of rage, realization slowly began to set in.

'If she was mad before this will certainly put her over the edge.' he thought as he approached the bedroom door. 'Peri' called the Doctor, 'Peri, I'm sorry.'

Silence answered him.

'Peri I didn't know you were dressing. I do apologize.'

Still silence.

'Peri...Peri? We need to talk, please open the door…Peri?'

The door flew open. Standing before him holding an oversized robe close around her, Peri glared furiously. 'Try knocking next time'

'I am very sorry,' blushed the Doctor awkwardly.

'Huh, I bet you are.' Turning her back on him, Peri crossed to her dressing table and sat, acting as if he were not lingering in the doorway attempting to decide whether to enter or not. 'This is just not going the way I planned,' mumbled the Doctor to himself, while trying to calculate if the brush in Peri's hand or if anything else was about to be hurled at him again.

'Planned? Planned! Ha! Nothing goes as you have planned' Peri snarked just loud enough for him to hear. Turning, she glared over her shoulder meeting his eyes with hers, 'that's why the universe is covered in unsuspecting corpses, all of whom trusted you!'

Taken aback the Doctor stepped away, a look of sadness crossing his face, but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Instead it was immediately replaced with hurt and rage. Glaring at Peri, he too found he was quite furious.

'I said I was sorry! I did not intentionally walk in on you dressing! I did not intentionally sale you! And…I do not intend for half the universe to drop dead every time I appear.'

'But they do don't they Doctor! If the people around you don't get killed, then you just tire of them and throw them by the wayside.'

'I'm sorry some of your friends have died Peri, but sometimes you have to sacrifice the one to save the many!'

'Sacrifice?...' Lying down her brush, Peri stood and approached the Doctor. 'Sacrifice? People die when you're around. Is that what is going to happen to me too? Am I going to be a sacrifice to the great cause that is the Doctor?' stepping forward, Peri stopped in front of the him. She was so close she could feel the heat radiating from his body as she stared into his blue-green eyes. 'Is that why you sold me?'

'It was not intentional Peri.' The Doctor's voice became suddenly soft, almost a caress, as he spoke.

'You could have fooled me.'

'I did not mean to sell you to the Octzonians, Peri. Believe me when I say, I would never intentionally hurt you.'

'It doesn't change what you did Doctor.'

Taking a deep breath, the Doctor stood and stared at his companion. He had to fix this, he needed to fix this. 'I have apologized repeatedly! What more do you want?' His voice was no more than a whisper as he searched Peri's face. 'I wasn't going to let them keep you. I bought you back, didn't I?'

'Not before that little orange one put a collar on me and thought I was its new prize pet poodle you didn't' The sharpness in Peri's tone startled him, breaking the unspoken moment between them. Stepping back as if slapped, the Doctor stared at her. The hurt in her eyes was wrenching. Stepping forward, he reached for her hands, but found Peri was already slowly shutting her door, cutting him off from her. Hesitating for only a moment, he sadly turned and trundled down the corridor.