A/N: Since I wanted this to be finished on the day of the 50th Anniversary, I'm not going to follow "The Day of the Doctor" at all. This is my own story with every single Doctor. I promise you, I did my best to make everyone stay in character. Please note that this will not be replacing "The Day of the Doctor" at all. I plan to use that story at another time in the fanfic series. :)
I used Chameleon Circuit's "Nightmares" as inspiration for this story and listened to it on repeat while doing my writing. So yeah.
I heard voices shouting. The stomping of feet was echoing in my mind without end. Someone was touching my face.
"Diana," a man's voice was whispering in the darkness. "Please, you have to stay with me. Don't give up. Please don't give up."
"Wake up, little Wolf," a woman's voice called in my mind. "Wake up and be with your Doctor." I opened my eyes and blinked rapidly for a few seconds as I wondered whether the voice had been a dream or not. The voice returned seconds later, whispering, "I've saved your life, little Wolf. Now it is time for you to save his."
I sat up, holding a hand to my head when the room swirled around me. I felt a soft pillow beneath my free hand and blanket drawn across my legs and torso. Almost instantly, hands were on me and holding me against someone's velvet clad chest. I knew it was the Doctor and smiled.
"Rassilon, Diana, I thought you were dead," he breathed into my hair.
"I-I'm fine," I protested.
The Doctor pulled back and cupped my cheeks in his hands, gazing worriedly at me. "Don't you ever do something stupid like that again! Do you hear me? You could have been killed!"
"I was only trying to help you. I was-"
"If I want your help, I'll ask for it. If I tell you not to go anywhere, I really mean it! I do it so you can be safe while I go and do the dangerous bits. Do you understand? Don't ever, ever do that again!"
"A-Alright. I'm sorry."
He pulled me into another embrace and kissed the crown of my head. "I never want to be so worried about you ever again," he told me.
I was genuinely touched by his concern for me. It made me smile and hold him even tighter than before. That was the moment when I decided that no matter what, I'd always try to help the Doctor whenever I met him. He was rapidly becoming the most important thing in my life and I was perfectly content to let him become the only important thing in my life.
"Doctor?" I asked softly.
"Yes?"
"Um, I was wondering... Could I have some food? I haven't eaten in probably one or two days. I don't really know."
He pulled back and smiled at me. "Of course you can have food, my dear. I'll get you some now."
"Where am I, by the way?"
"TARDIS. She can't travel anywhere, but she still functions perfectly otherwise."
I clapped my hands together in hope. A slight blush had already started to form when I asked the Doctor, "Does that mean there's a shower in here?"
The most wonderful smile formed on the Doctor's face and it made his entire face light up. "Yes, it does. Would you like to take a shower whilst I get your food?"
"That would be nice."
"Alright. The bathroom's just outside the door on your immediate right. Everything you need should be in there already."
"Thank you, Doctor."
"Of course."
He playfully ruffled my hair and chuckled, then he turned and left the room. I slowly crawled out of the bed and looked around the room; it was my bedroom from back home. I wondered how my room could have been replicated so perfectly and then realized that it was probably thanks to the TARDIS. Shyly, I looked up at the ceiling and smiled awkwardly. "Thank you, Sexy!"
The ship let out a pleasant sort of hum and I laughed. I pushed the sliding door to my closet open and looked inside to see all of my clothes, including my Doctor Who t-shirt with the TARDIS on it. I grabbed the shirt, a clean pair of underwear and jeans, and then left for the bathroom.
"It feels absolutely amazing to be clean and wearing fresh clothes," I said with a happy sigh.
The Doctor smiled. "I'm glad you feel better. How was your food?"
"Fantastic. I enjoyed the banana especially. Thanks again."
"It's nothing. The TARDIS and I are happy to help you."
I stood and grabbed my empty plate, but the Doctor put his hand on my wrist and stopped me. "I'll get it for you."
For a moment, I was speechless as I gazed up at him and his hand gently held my arm. I eventually managed to shake my head a little and refocus. "I've got it. I don't mind cleaning it or anything."
The area where his hand touched my arm felt very cool and soothing. I smiled and started to pull my arm away when he flinched. Worried, I set the plate down on the table and raised my hands to touch his arm. That was when I noticed the strange orange glow around my hands.
"Doctor? What's going on? I-It sort of looks like regeneration energy..."
"You're leaving," he said sadly.
Realization dawned on me. "But I don't want to leave you."
"You have to. We can't control it."
The glow began consuming my body, wrapping around me and sending the feeling of electricity through my veins. I reached out for him as the orange came over my eyes and made him nothing more than a fuzzy figure.
"Thank you, Doctor," I breathed as he slowly faded away into nothing.
As soon as his body faded away, I noticed that I was in a very different TARDIS. I couldn't help but miss Three already and wonder if he would worry about me until I appeared again.
"Doctor?" I called weakly. "Doctor, are you in here?" I looked around the console room in confusion. I had never seen the version I was standing in before and was extremely confused. "Erm, Doctor?"
"Ah! Diana! You're here." The War Doctor stepped out from behind the console with a smile. "I haven't seen you in a long time, my dear."
I noticed that he was younger than he appeared in "The Name of the Doctor", but older than he was immediately after his eighth self regenerated. With a shaky smile, I waved at him. "Really? How long's it been for you?"
"Since before I regenerated." He sighed and looked down at the controls, moving his fingertips across each lever and button. "It's been so lonely without you, Diana. So… lonely."
"Oh, Doctor, it's alright," I said comfortingly as I stepped forward and pulled him into a hug. "I'm here now. You don't have to be alone anymore."
His hands moved to my waist for a single, lingering moment, then moved away. He rested them on my shoulders and made me take a step back. "There is… something that I must tell you. About the Time War."
"I know."
"You do?"
I smiled and briefly rested my hand against his cheek. "Yes. And it's alright, Doctor."
"But I'm not the Doctor. Not anymore. I'm a warrior, an abomination to the name Doctor."
"You'll always be the Doctor to me."
He turned away with a heavy sigh. "Call me something else, anything else. But don't call me Doctor." My eyesight blurred with tears when he ran a hand across his face. "I don't deserve that name. Not anymore."
"Theta. How about I call you Theta?"
"Theta," he breathed. "How long it has been since you called me by that name. Or any name, for that matter."
I put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?" I asked slowly.
"I have missed you, my dear. So very much." The Doctor turned and looked at me, his face hardened and battle-worn. "These years of war have changed me and hurt me in ways you couldn't imagine. Without you by my side, the war seemed even more hopeless."
"There's always hope, Theta. Always." I smiled and looked around the console room. "The TARDIS, for example, is just as much a beacon of hope as you are. The sound she makes brings hope to countless millions across the universe. Her sound means that you are coming to save them. You don't need me to have hope. Do you understand that?"
There was a loud clang of metal on metal and the Doctor and I jumped. I grabbed the Doctor's hand and squeezed. "What was that?" I asked.
"I-I don't know. It sounded like-"
"Like a TARDIS colliding with another TARDIS?"
The voice of the Fifth Doctor echoed oddly in the console room as he his body started to materialize in front of me. When he was completely present, he shook his head and readjusted his coat.
"Doctor?" The War Doctor and I asked simultaneously.
"Yes, hello. Could one of you explain why I've suddenly appeared here?"
I shrugged with a blank expression. "N-No, not really."
"Oh, come now, Diana," chimed the Fourth Doctor as he started to materialize beside his older self. "Surely you know something."
"Not two of you," I mumbled.
"More than two, it would seem, my dear."
"Three?" I asked, somewhat incredulously. I looked worriedly at the War Doctor. "Theta? Do you remember any of this?"
"No. None of this looks or feels familiar."
Within a few more seconds, six other incarnations of the Doctor had materialized inside the console room. I looked at each Doctor in awe, confusion, and a partially contained amount of excitement. I noticed Three and Nine were in the middle of a heated argument, throwing sassy comments back and forth at one another, and One, Two and Six were having a similar argument. Four, Five, and Eight were having a surprisingly decent conversation with one another.
"Theta, what do we do?" I asked softly.
"Get them to shut up, I suppose."
I chuckled and let go of his hand. "I'll try first and then you can have a go." I cleared my throat. "Doctors? Could I have your attention, please?"
To my surprise, each Doctor immediately stopped talking and looked at me. The console room suddenly felt much more crammed than it had originally felt. I knew I was blushing when it felt like the room temperature went up about ten degrees.
"Right. Okay. Um, since the ten of you shouldn't all be here at the same time and at least two TARDISes have collided, I think it might be best if we could all stop arguing and… Well, figure out how to fix this." When none of them moved or spoke, I swallowed nervously and readjusted the neckline of my shirt. "Hello? Anyone?"
"Who put you in charge?" One asked, not rudely, but curiously.
"N-No one, actually. Sorry."
"She's right, you know," Three added. "We should be trying to fix the problem instead of arguing about it."
Nine rolled his eyes. "Oi, you were the one telling me and my 'big ears' to go and shove off. If you'd like to apologize, Dandy."
Three scoffed and put his hands on his hips. "My dear fellow, that is extremely rude!"
"He's always being terribly rude," Two added.
"I am not always like this! You take that back!"
"My ears are not big, by the way!"
I sighed and rested my forehead in my hand. "Of course," I muttered. "Of course they would insult each other. Nothing new ever happens with them."
"I do not have a large nose!"
"My teeth are perfectly fine, thank you!"
"Celery is wonderful, for your information. It accents my jacket."
"My sense of style is just fine!"
"Don't you like cravats?"
I moved my hand away from my head and exclaimed, "Boys! Boys, you're all pretty and wonderful and handsome and I promise I'll kiss each and every one of you in turn! But for now, can we please try and separate your TARDISes before we all get blown to kingdom come?"
"What do you know about this, my dear?" One asked.
"I know that when two TARDISes at different points in their time stream collide, it causes an explosion."
One gently patted my hand. "Do you know how long we have until the explosion?"
"I don't know exactly how long we have, but it's not very long. Probably not any longer than ten minutes, at best." I looked hopefully at Five and took a deep breath. "Please tell me that you've met one of your future selves before."
"Yes, have."
"The one with me and your future self and the TARDIS almost causing an explosion the size of Belgium?"
He nodded. "Yes."
"Do you remember what your other self did? Please tell me you do."
Five grabbed my hand and quickly kissed my cheek. "I remember. Don't worry."
I tried to ignore the fact that I was blushing and turned to look at the other Doctors. "Everyone take a step back to give him room. Please."
One of the Doctors grabbed my elbow and pulled back. "What is he doing?" Four asked.
"Saving your lives," I replied.
Six straightened his coat. "Humph. What makes him so special that he gets to do… whatever he's doing?"
"I don't know. If he can't do it properly, then you can do it."
"Do you promise?"
I laughed. "Yes, of course, you silly Time Lord."
Four moved his hand so that it was on my mid-back. He leaned close to me, his wonderfully curly hair brushing against mine and his lips tickling my ear. "What was that you said about a kiss, Diana?"
Seven's arm bumped against mine and startled me. I looked up at him and smiled. "Doctor," I said pleasantly.
"Hello, my dearrr Diana." His accent and the way in which he rolled his 'r's gave me rather pleasant chills up my spine. "It is always good to see you."
"And it's certainly good to see you."
"It's not working!" Five exclaimed.
I rushed forward. "What? What do you mean it's not working? It has to work!"
"I don't understand it. It should be working."
"Six, Seven!" I called. "Come here!" The two Doctors glanced at each other before cautiously stepping forward. I grabbed their hands and pulled them close. "Do you both remember when you were in your fifth incarnation and your TARDIS collided with your older self? The one with the coral desktop theme, remember?"
Six nodded. "Yes. What about it?"
"Five tried to do what your older self did and it's not working. So I want both of you to try. Maybe something's wrong, maybe not. I don't know. But please, I need you to try."
When they both stepped past me and looked over the console, I turned my back and worriedly held my hand to my mouth. I hadn't realized it at first, but I knew that if none of the Doctors could figure out how to separate the TARDISes then we would all die. The thought terrified me and I didn't quite know how to cope with the idea of death when I was still so young.
The War Doctor seemed to notice my worry more than his counterparts. All he had to do was put an arm around my shoulder and I fell against his chest, crying as silently as I could manage. He gently put his arms around me and held me close.
"It's alright, my dear. We'll find a way out of this."
"I'm so scared, Theta." I fisted my hands in his leather jacket and sniffled. "I don't want to die. I'm terrified of dying."
"I know."
"It's not working!" Seven announced angrily.
The other Doctors erupted into angry arguments and shouting. I buried my head in Theta's chest and sniffled again. He pressed his cheek against the side of my face and kissed my forehead. "It's going to be alright. I promise."
Three was asking his fifth incarnation, "What did he do, your future self? Tell me exactly what he did and said."
"He said he was venting the thermobuffer, drawing the Helmic regulator, and then he fried the Zeiton crystals. A supernova and black hole at the exact same instant. That is exactly what he did and that's exactly what I did, but it didn't work!"
"My dear fellow, you have to reverse the polarity first." Three pulled his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and pointed it at one of the switches on the console. "There. Now you can vent the thermobuffer and such."
Three was, in fact, right and within a minute, each Doctor was back in his own TARDIS and we were all safe and no longer in fear of dying. Each Doctor gave me a brief farewell before returning to their part in the Doctor's time stream.
"There, see? I told you we would be alright." Theta flipped a few levers on the console so that the TARDIS landed. "Care to step outside?"
"You ditching me or something?" I asked playfully.
"Just go outside," he encouraged.
I turned and walked out, closing the door behind me. I was met with a breathtaking view of beautiful, sparkling turquoise water that stretched as far past me as I could see. The doors opened and closed behind me and Theta stepped out.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" he remarked. "I've been so entangled with the Time War and the destruction and fires and pain that I've forgotten what it's like to see something simple and beautiful like this place. And I wanted to share it with someone I care about."
I looked back at him and smiled. "I'm glad you chose to share it with me, Theta."
He took my hand and led me away from the TARDIS, through sand and shells. "This place is called Droch Mac Tíre."
"And what does that mean?"
"Bad Wolf," he answered lightly. "But this place, oh this place. It is said that the Great Physician and his Wolf visit this planet once every century and they sing and dance and they watch the stars for days and nights and then they leave. Only to return a few years later."
I tilted my head to the side. "But aren't you known as the Great Physician?"
"I am. Or was."
"But who is his Wolf?" I briefly wondered why, if Rose was the Bad Wolf, he would take me here to the place where he took his Wolf. After all, who else could the Wolf be if it wasn't Rose Tyler?
Theta chuckled. "Spoilers, my dear. Spoilers."
"So where are you, exactly? In our timeline?"
"I'm still quite recent, actually. Sorry."
"How recent?"
"Remember when I got shot by the Autons? That's where I was just before this."
"I see." He smiled and gently patted my hand. "I still can't believe that you're really here. It's been so many, many long years for me."
"And it will be many, many more," hissed a horrible, dark voice from behind us. We both turned and saw the source of the voice: one of the Whisper Men. "You should say goodbye, Oncoming Storm."
"Who are you?" Theta demanded harshly, pushing me behind him. "What do you want?"
"T-That's a Whisper Man," I told him. "He's part of the Great Intelligence and he wants to kill you."
"Why would it want to kill me?"
"You don't want to know." I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards me. "Run!"
We took off as fast as we could manage in the direction of the TARDIS. I could hear the Whisper Man gaining on us, but didn't look back for fear of slowing down. When we reached the TARDIS, I pushed the door open and shoved Theta inside first.
The grip of bony, leather-bound fingers wrapped around my wrist startled me. The Whisper Man harshly dragged me backwards and shoved me to the ground. I let out a grunt as I hit the sand. Theta started to step out of the TARDIS, but I screamed at him to go back inside. He hit the Whisper Man in the face when it took a step inside and took a menacing pose.
The doors closed in his face with a loud slam. I watched the ship dematerialize and hoped that he was safe, no matter what. The Whisper Man turned on me and hissed, his teeth yellow and sharp and terrifying.
"It shall be my great pleasure to watch you die. You, little girl, who so loves the man with a billion lives of blood on his hands. Yes, you shall die."
"No!"
I turned and saw Two, running as fast as his legs could carry him. He pulled his sonic screwdriver out of his coat pocket and pointed it at the Whisper Man. His eyes were narrowed and he face was hard as he stared hatefully at the creature.
"You harm a single hair on her head and I will kill you."
"You cannot kill me, Doctor."
Two raised an eyebrow. It was incredible how menacing he could look, especially since I had never really seen him get truly angry before. "You think so? You might be surprised at how dangerous I can be when I feel in the mood."
Sorry it's so crummy. I really wanted to have each of the Doctors interact, but wasn't sure how to go about doing it. The second part will be up as soon as I can manage. Please don't be rude when reviewing. I did my best... Happy Doctor Day, everyone!
