The Doctor had this dance he did when flying the TARDIS. From the first adventure we had to the time after that and the time after that, he danced around the console. He rarely spoke about anything. It was always gibberish or technical terms or shouts of excitement. He never said anything about himself.
"How have you been Doctor?" The Doctor was dancing again and I was determined to learn about the mysterious man I was traveling with. After a few adventures filled with much running, I figured he owed me some explanation as to who he was.
"I am as I always am. I'm top notch, perfectly fine-"
"Lonely enough to come back and get me." I stood in front of him to stop his dance. "Doctor, so far we've faced my super fans, found aliens in Nebraska in 1975, and found rogue Daleks in another galaxy. I know that you care about me and that door leads both ways. In your eyes I see so much pain-" The Doctor side-stepped me and continued his dance. I took that as a signal to stop talking. My questions weren't answered, but I knew that I wasn't going to get any responses in the next minutes.
As the TARDIS jarred and flew around, the Doctor took the monitor and looked at the screen for a long while. His knuckles turned white and his face creased with worry.
"Doctor, is something wrong?" I stepped closer to him. He stepped away, but I saw him wipe away the beginnings of tears. I decided silence was best and sat down as he continued to waltz around.
"I need to make a stop." I smiled and nodded.
"What will we be doing at this stop?" My hands were playing with the rings I wore on my fingers.
"No, no. Just me. We're going to Chiswick." I stopped playing with my rings. "You can look around at the shops, but I will be doing this alone."
"Doctor, if you need someone to talk to-"
"I know. I don't need you now." The Doctor's words stung a little. He didn't mean anything by it. I just never liked to feel useless and I hated to feel like someone was upset with me. The Doctor needed time, then. I was fine giving him all the time he needed.
"Right, well, I think I'm going to change clothes." The Doctor probably didn't even notice as I left the room and made my way to the wardrobe where I had some of my clothes. The Doctor was nice enough to take me to my apartment for some clothes the day he picked me up for good.
I changed into my oldest pair of jeans. There were rips and tears, but they were like a comfort blanket. I rolled up the sleeves of my plaid shirt and hung my clock necklace around my neck.
I needed all the comfort I could get. The articles of clothing were the best for me right now. Going into the past and into the future and to distant planets and through space was all well and good, but my own time always made me uncomfortable.
Before we landed I found my way to my room. Sitting right on my bed was a newer notebook filled with stories of adventures with the Doctor. The older, trusty notebook sat next to my bed on a nightstand. I could type up every story written in the new book and no one would believe it. But it was all true.
From inside my room sitting on my bed, I heard the engines sound. I grabbed my phone and some cash. With the new notebook clutched tightly in one hand, I ventured out.
Chiswick looked like any other town. The streets were normal. There were no aliens and no threats or dangers. It was just a normal, lazy day. The sun was shining and there were a few clouds in the sky. It was so odd to me when I had seen far reaches of space. But I saw a coffee shop I would most likely inhabit as I waited for him. The Doctor was waiting for me by the door. He had a key hanging from his fingers and far-off look on his face. He thrust the key in my face and I hesitantly took it.
"A TARDIS key, just in case you get bored." I placed the chain around my neck so it sat next to the clock. "But don't touch the controls." I nodded as the Doctor turned to walk away.
"Doctor," I called after him. The Doctor barely turned his head as he acknowledged me. "When will you be back? I'll just be over there." I pointed at the coffee shop. The Doctor still didn't seem to notice. I felt the gravity of the situation in my gut.
"I don't know when I'll be back." I nodded.
"Just, please, don't leave me. As much as you need me, I need you." The Doctor didn't say anything in response, but he pulled me close and we stood embracing for a few moments. I felt a small, little, tiny drop on my shoulder and I knew it was a tear. "Everything will be alright."
"Rachel Foster, of course it will be." The Doctor pulled away with a small sad smile on his face. I didn't have the heart to correct him yet again that my last name was Clover, not Foster. There, right behind his eyes I saw the tears welling and the immense sadness hidden behind the boyish, smiling front.
He walked away, down the street. I walked the opposite direction towards the coffee shop. As soon as I was by the door, I turned back to see the Doctor walking out of a florist's shop with a bunch of lilies wrapped in black paper. There was no woman he would see, save River Song, but she wasn't here. Yes, I knew of River Song, Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, and Amy and Rory Pond-Williams. He had told me of his many friends throughout his times. I didn't know all of them or all of his adventures, but he told me stories and referenced them quite often.
The Doctor was going to a cemetery with a bunch of lilies to place on a grave. I didn't know who he got the flowers for or to whose grave he was going, but I knew they were a close friend. The Doctor must have cared for them dearly.
That was when I felt it. A sharp shooting pain centered on my nose area and forehead. The force knocked me back a bit. It took me a moment for me to realize I was standing on the wrong side of the door and someone had opened up the door, smacking my face. My hand immediately went to my nose. Pulling away from my face, I saw no blood.
"Oh, I'm sorry. You should watch where you stand." The woman who smacked my face with the door led me inside the shop. "Oi! I need an ice pack over here." I was surprised how loudly she shouted, but she sat me at a table. "Sorry, dear, I didn't see you standing there. You should really move out of the way or not stop so close to a door. My mate Stacy once got hit with a door. She had to get a nose job; of course I just thought that she wanted an excuse for a nose job. She did have one hell of a beak…" From that moment I tuned her out a bit. She seemed very nice, I didn't know her name, or what kind of person she was, but she didn't seem like a serial killer.
She set her bag on the chair across from me and grabbed out her wallet. She looked at me expectantly. I figured she asked me a question.
"Sorry, what? Did you ask something? I think I zoned out a little bit." A flash of concern washed over her face.
"I hope you don't have a concussion. But I asked if you wanted some coffee or tea. I'll pay; my treat." She waited for my answer.
"No, no. I can pay for myself. I hardly know you. Nothing's broken; you don't have to feel obligated to buy me a cup of coffee." I took my cash out of my pocket. "Really, I can pay for myself." She would have none of it.
"Look, I'm paying. Is there anything you want?" I smiled up at her, my hair cascading over my shoulder.
"A cup of coffee, if that's alright." She rolled her eyes, but walked away with a smile. My hair was getting in my face. My notebook found its way to the table as I gathered my hair and found a stray elastic tie in my pocket. I did a simple braid and waited for the woman to come back.
"Here you are." The steaming cup was placed right in front of me, thankfully avoiding my notebook. "I got some cream for my tea, if you want some for your coffee as well." I smiled at her as she sat opposite me.
"Thank you so much," I smiled picking up some packets of sugar and dumping them in. "By the way, what is your name. You never said." She passed me the tiny pitcher filled with cream and I poured it into my cup. I watched as the coffee turned a pretty light caramel color.
"Want some coffee with that cream and sugar?" She asked laughing at my drink. I laughed as well. "My name's Donna, though, Donna Noble" She paused for a second before catching her mistake. "I mean, Temple-Noble, Donna Temple-Noble." The smile on my face faltered. "Silly me. It's been five years but I still can't get used to my new hyphenated last name. My husband always patronizes me about it, but I love him so much," She got a wistful smile on her face as my thoughts scattered about. I took a sip of my coffee to keep any noises of surprise or any comments from slipping out.
"You're married then?" Donna snapped her attention back to me.
"Yeah," She smiled. "Well, what about you? What's your name?" She took a sip of her tea, but her eyes were on me expectantly.
"My name's Rachel Clover and, right now, I am traveling with a friend." I was trying to be truthful with Donna, but the Doctor told me what happened with Donna and why she had to leave. But Donna perked up at the mention of my friend.
"Oh, I see some traveling romance. Boyfriend? Girlfriend?" She was clutching her cup in her grasp. I smiled and shook my head fervently.
"Oh no, no. He's just a friend." I laughed at the absurdity of the situation. "But yeah, we travel all around. It's so fascinating to see all these new things."
"You're American?" Donna asked. I smiled and nodded. "Is this one of your stops? I mean, Chiswick is a great home, but not much for traveling and adventures. You and your mate should be somewhere like Paris; a couple more young people in some big city where real things happen." I shook my head, the smile dropping from my face.
"No, we're not really adventuring now. My friend had some business here. He won't talk to me about it, but I believe he lost someone close to him recently. I don't even know what to do about it. I feel like I should help him somehow, but he won't take my help." I liked the comforting feeling of the warmth of my cup between my hands as I looked at my notebook, wanting to write this whole thing down.
"Oh, I know what that's like, losing someone." She looked at me and I saw a hint of a tear on her cheek. "Very recently, actually. My granddad passed." Her eyes started to carry more tears, so I looked for a napkin to give her so she could dab them away. "He passed away six months ago. Other than my husband, he was one person who always supported me."
"I'm so sorry for your loss." I had never really lost someone so close to me. I could only imagine what it felt like. "It must be absolutely terrible to go through something like that." Donna nodded.
"It isn't easy, give your friend time and I'm sure he'll be fine. And when he needs you, he knows you'll be there." I smiled. She perked up a little bit. "Well, let's be done with that. There are other times to be sad than when you meet a new person at a coffee shop."
"Well, then, Donna, what do you do for a living? You know I'm traveling. What about you?" She smiled.
"Well, recently, I've been published." I smiled. She seemed so happy about it. "My granddad's last request was for me to put my writing out there. You see I've had these dreams for a while and my granddad told me to write them all down. I wrote a story, really. Best dreams I ever had." She smiled. "I dedicated the book to him, you know. Like a last thank you."
"I graduated as a Creative Writing major. But I highly doubt I'll be published ever, it's so great for you. What is your book about?"
"Just the dream I've been having. It's about a man who comes and goes and travels in time and I go around traveling with him through space." She smiled. "It's a bit daft, but it sells well enough. I also have some savings from a lottery I won around the time I got married. My husband mostly brings home the bacon on a daily basis." I didn't have anything to say. I couldn't think of anything to say. "So, you've traveled? Where have you been and how long have you been traveling?"
"Oh, we've been so many places. It feels like we've been traveling for years, but really it's more like days or months." I smiled as I thought about the adventures so far and imagined the things that might happen. "It's been the best experience of my life. I'm so lucky."
"Sounds like a great experience. I thought once I might like to travel, but then I met my husband and I knew that I was right where I needed to be." Donna smiled and looked at her watch. "Oh, look at the time, I must be going. Tonight is date night." She smiled and got up, fixing her clothes and picking up her bag.
"Have fun on your date, Donna. It was so nice to meet you." She smiled and gave me a half hug before walking to the door. She waved on her way out and I smiled, waving back slightly.
As soon as she was out of sight, I breathed a sigh of relief. It was so nice to meet her. Donna was a great person, full of compassion and when I looked in her eyes, I saw the spark of her memories with the Doctor. It was so sad, the way she left the TARDIS and life with the Doctor.
I sat at the table for maybe ten more minutes, finishing off my cup of cold coffee before getting up and walking a few shops down to a bookstore. I opened the door. The bell jingling and smell of books made me happy in a way only a bookstore could. It seemed so long since I had been in a store.
"Is there anything I can help you find?" I smiled as the worker walked up to me. "Any books you're specifically looking for? Any specific genre?" I nodded.
"Yes, I'm looking for a book by Donna Noble, or maybe Temple-Noble. She wrote a book about a time traveler and his companion through time and space? Do you have that book here? It was recently published." The worker smiled and nodded.
"Right over here." The worker gestured to a stack of books. The book on top particularly stood out to me. I knew immediately it was the book I was looking for.
The cover was a bright blue with golden swirls and a black silhouette; 'Who' By Donna Noble: a fantastic tale of adventure and suspense. I flipped through the book. There were little doodles and sketches everywhere. It was a beautiful book and before I could even think, I was at the counter pulling out my money and buying the book.
"I loved this book. If you liked Verity Newman's A Journal of Impossible Things, you'll love this book too. Enjoy your purchase and your day." The worker gave me my book and receipt with a smile and I went on my way.
I walked back to the coffee store, but I sat at one of the tables outside. Once again I was taking out my notebook. It was more of journal now, but probably more like Donna's stories than anything else.
I looked back at my stories from meeting the Doctor. I didn't have any pens to write, but I re-read everything I had written. The stories were great, but not many had an ending. I figured I could start thinking up endings for each of the stories, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Seeing Donna and knowing that everything had to end and hoping I would never have to forget the Doctor, a foul taste spread throughout my mouth. I looked at the clock around my neck. I had told the Doctor I would be at the café. I guessed he hadn't returned yet. All of my hope went into the wish that he hadn't left me here alone, abandoned. I got more worried as it started to get later into the evening.
I was rewarded by the Doctor slumping down into the seat across from me. He looked so tired and unhappy.
"So," I was trying to be as nonchalant as possible. "How was everything? Did you get your personal errand done?" The Doctor stayed silent for a bit. I wasn't even sure he would answer me.
"Yes, I got my errand done. Though I got a bit distracted on the way aliens and such, you know," He stood up and held his hand out to me. "Shall we?" I nodded and took his hand. We walked back to the TARDIS in silence. When we got to the door, the Doctor turned to me. "You have one more book than normal."
"Yeah, and I met someone interesting today." I smiled hesitantly. I wasn't sure how the Doctor would react to me meeting Donna. "She opened a door and smacked my face with it. It was nice to just sit and chat with someone." The Doctor nodded as he ran up to his control panel.
"Well, who was this kind stranger?" I bit my lip, picking at the holes in my jeans.
"Doctor," I paused. I didn't know if I wanted to continue. "I met Donna today." The Doctor froze. He didn't move a muscle.
"If you so much as mentioned me, Rachel," The Doctor's words stung and I swear his voice cracked.
"I just said I was traveling with a friend. Nothing else." I walked up behind the Doctor and put my hand on his shoulder. "You should see this, though." I had put down my notebook, but I handed the Doctor Donna's book. The Doctor traced the outline of the book, and then grabbed it from my grasp. "She says the book is based on the best dreams she's ever had."
The Doctor didn't say anything, but flipped to the back cover and through the rest of the book. I watched him. He needed to know about the book and I hoped it would make him happy.
"She wrote a book about me. And her head didn't explode. She dreams about our adventures." The Doctor looked so genuinely happy. Then a thought occurred to him. "This book doesn't exist in the future. It must have been destroyed. This may be the only surviving copy." I just stood in front of the Doctor. "Rachel," The Doctor grabbed my face and kissed my forehead. "This is the best gift ever." I smiled.
"Doctor, can I ask whose grave you visited?" The Doctor froze once again.
"A very dear friend of mine." I knew exactly who the Doctor meant.
"You visited Donna's grandfather." The Doctor nodded, his eyes welling with tears.
"I hate this; feeling so human. I should be exploring time and space, and here I am, crying over an old man who was bound to die sooner or later." I grabbed the Doctor's shoulders and pulled him into an embrace.
"It's okay. Donna misses him too. Look at the book's dedication." The Doctor opened the book behind my back and saw what I wanted him to see. "Doctor, I know it's hard, but everything happens for a reason. We can visit him in the past if you want." The Doctor pulled away shaking his head.
"No, no, we should move on for now." I nodded and sat down, taking out my notebook. The quasi-fairytale I started the first day I met the Doctor was rewritten in this notebook and I started to add on to it.
The man never stayed in one place too long. The girl had the best adventures with the alien man, but then something happened. The girl saw what he tried to hide. He was more human than he let on. They kept running, but chips and cracks appeared on the façade he used to disguise his weakness.
She didn't want to break him, but the girl carefully chipped away at the exterior to find the man within. The man might have been alien, but even aliens have emotions. Still the Doctor tried to outrun everything. And the girl was happy to run along with him, knowing that she would have some sort of ending soon.
Because everything comes to an end.
I closed my notebook again. And I watched the Doctor. He wrapped the book in a cloth and carefully placed it in a storage box. I watched his every move. I saw the gears turning in his mind and the compartmentalizing of his feelings. And then the boyish, happy Time Lord was back. We were leaving Chiswick behind, probably for the last time. And the Doctor started to dance, once again.