Disclaimer: You know the drill... and also, I mention Harry Potter which - like Doctor Who - I do not own. Ouch!
AN - This was really hard to write so I'm really sorry if it doesn't live up to your expectations. The Doctor needed a backstory (which is a tad vague so that ppl will not feel disillusioned/angry with what i did - coz I didn't want to wreck the Doctor) so I created one, using bits of info from various episodes (in the new series) eg, that he had a brother once. I really hope that this chappie doesn't disappoint, coz i know its a big step to take on the doctor's history - coz he's such an enigma - but i felt that at this point it needed to be done. Especially for Rose's sake.
So, yes, I hope you like it (waits nervously with hands over head so as to protect oneself from flames) and enjoy :)
Chapter 11 - The Doctor and Gallifrey:
Tardis Fact File 4:
The Doctor himself is somewhat of an enigma. He has never revealed his true Gallifreyan name, going only by the title 'doctor' and occasionally, under the alias of John Smith, whenever it is required. He is known as the last of the Time Lords, his people and home planet - Gallifrey - having been destroyed in the last Great Time War. Not a lot is known about his origins, except that he had a lonely childhood despite once having a brother.
The Doctor, though he is reluctant to discuss his childhood, was born on the planet Gallifrey into a small family with one younger brother and an older sister. At the age of eight, like any other Time Lord or Lady, he was taken to the Academy to study history, science, languages, mathematics, humanities and other subjects appropriate for a young Gallifreyan. However, he disgraced his family by running away from the Academy, after looking into the Untempered Schism during an initiation ceremony. He therefore never received formal education or training, and was never granted his own Tardis. His family, though they loved him dearly, were forced to emancipate him according to ancient Time Lord traditions. This hurt his younger brother the most; he was never quite the same after the Doctor had left. The Doctor was forced to rescue his Tardis from the wrecking yard. However, the fact of the matter was that he had stolen her, which caused her to be a bit resistant, resulting in many bumpy rides.
After his initial desertion, the Doctor returned to Gallifrey as an anonymous child to be brought up in an orphanage. It was from this point onwards that he called himself 'the Doctor' for he wanted no-one to know of his true identity, because of the shame it would bring on his family, the hurt it would cause them and the trouble he would face if he was discovered. He was different, shaped in a different mould, and this was not strictly tolerated on Gallifrey - after all, they were a proud and noble race. They swore only ever to watch and never interfere - something the Doctor found it hard to do.
At the end of his formal education, the Doctor continued to travel, but in all this time he never revisited his family. Instead he decided to leave Gallifrey altogether, to find new adventures across the universe. And so he did.
Rose's mind went blank and she felt completely calm. Then she heard a voice echoing in her head.
"Rose, come with me" the Doctor's voice said clearly, as though he was inside her mind. In fact, she was inside his, but that was a minor detail. Suddenly, she saw a door standing right in front of her. Realising that she had a body to move in, she quickly examined herself - two legs, two arms, a torso and a head, everything was there and in working order. Then she looked to her right, and saw the Doctor standing there, an unreadable expression on his handsome features.
How can you be inside your own head? she asked him.
"You know, you can talk in here - just don't shout coz we're inside my mind and I don't need a head-ache."
"But isn't that, you know, dangerous or something?" Rose whispered, eyes wide.
"Well, if I was a normal person I would say yes, extremely dangerous, do not try this at home kids, but this is me. And, let's face it, I'm brilliant" he concluded, speaking at a normal volume. Rose beamed at him, pleased that he was finally relaxing a bit.
"And also, I trust you inside my head. After all, you are my wife, and you deserve to see what I see" he slipped his hand into hers, "Allons-y", and with that he pushed open the door.
It was a rather strange experience to stand in someone's thoughts and memories. Behind the door, Rose had expected some sort of a scenery - a specific memory to which the Doctor would grant them access. Perhaps something a bit like a memory in a pensieve- Harry Potter style. But all she could see, stretching on for miles and miles, was a swirling mass of orange, purple, red, green, gold, blue mist - forever changing in coulour and consistency. No pensieve moments here.
"You know Rose, real life isn't necessarily like a film" the Doctor said suddenly.
"Oi! How many times, Doctor? Ask before you read my thoughts"
"You're one to talk, standing in the midst of my many memories"
"You invited me" she cried indignantly.
"Ouch! Lower the decibels or I'm gonna get a head-ache" he whined.
"And another thing," Rose continued to whisper, "What makes you assume that I was thinking about the film and not the book?"
"Were you refering to the book?" the Doctor countered, a smile twitching up the corners of his mouth.
"Well, no, but I do read, you know," Rose defended herself, "I just happen to be a bit of a movie buff"
"Right, sorry. Won't make that mistake again" the Doctor said smiling.
"So anyway, how come it's all blurry and stuff? How come it's not like a specific memory…like in Harry Potter" she mumbled.
"Well, Rose, I didn't exactly have time to think about what I wanted to show you, so I'm not particularly focused on anything right now. As a result, the haziness before you is all my poor Time Lord mind can manage. I don't know where to begin..."
"Why don't you show me where you grew up?" Rose suggested, "That'd be a good place to start"
The Doctor heaved a sigh.
"What's wrong? You grew up somewhere - it can't have been that bad" Rose tried to be supportive.
"It's not that, it's just… it won't be what you're expecting." And with that, the Doctor launched into the story of how he left home and wound up in an orphanage in the slums of the Citadel. The mist surrounding them began to solidify as an entire landscape began to form, stretching out before them...
AN - The next bit is going to be snippets of the Doctor's life on Gallifrey that he shows Rose. If you have any ideas please let me know
Also, please review - they make my day! Thanks so much to those of you who review pretty much every single chapter of everything - i truly appreciate it.
next chapter should be up soon, now that my writers block is partially gone - thanks for sticking with this story :)
