Chapter 17

Waverly Sub Station

December 24th

The Doctor and Alex reappeared in the Waverly Sub Station. The Doctor, still silent, put the teleport watch in his pocket and he walked over to the TARDIS and walked inside. He took off his red jacket and tossed it on one of the chairs. He walked right passed the control console and then into one of the corridors of the TARDIS. He walked for several minutes before stopping and standing silently. He hadn't been in this part of the TARDIS in a long time. This lights were low and the Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and used it on the lights. They turned on and the Doctor remember what this part of the TARDIS was. He opened the door to his right and walked inside.

The room had thirteen different holographic images of men inside of it. The first one was the oldest one looking one, but the Doctor knew he was the youngest one in this group. To the right of each image their was the outfit that the man was wearing and some small memorabilia that each one had acquired during his life. The Doctor walked over to the fourth image and picked up a white paper bag. He opened the bag and smiled at the jelly babies inside. He took one out and ate it. He closed the bag and put it back down on the table. He walked down the row again and cringed when he saw the jacket next to the sixth man.

"My mid-life crisis," the Doctor, snickered at himself.

"What is this place, Doctor?" asked Alex, who was standing behind him.

The Doctor turned around and asked Alex, "How did you get here?"

"I followed you," said Alex, opening the bag of jelly babies and started eating them, "I'm good at following people. I'm as good as you are."
The Doctor smiled and asked, "Enjoying those jelly babies?"

"Yeah," said Alex, mouth full of candy, "They're pretty good."

Alex noticed the third man with the frilly velvet green jacket, "Who's this guy?"

The Doctor walked up next to Alex and said, "That is my third self, the Third Doctor if you like to call him that. He was my favorite past self."

"Wait a minute," said Alex, pointing a finger at the Doctor, "That man is you?"

"Yes," said the Doctor, "These are all my past selves. That one over there is my first incarnation and the one at the other end is my thirteenth life."
Alex walked down the row of men. She walked past the man with the ridiculously long scarf and then the long blonde man with some kind of weird uniform on. "What is he wearing?"

"That is a cricket uniform," said the Doctor.

"Not blondy," said Alex, "That guy. His coat looks like something Harper would make. And wear."

"That would be my sixth self or as I like to call it, my mid-life crisis."

"What's with the question mark on this one's sweater?"

"I was trying to bring back some mystery to who I was," said the Doctor.

Alex saw a man in a black velvet suit with no frill. He had brown curly hair and a pocket watch in his hand, smiling happily. The next man wore a black leather jacket and wore a beaten down and crushed face mixed with a small piece of happiness. "What's wrong with him?"

The Doctor looked at which incarnation she was at and he answered, "That is my ninth incarnation or the Ninth Doctor. He was the incarnation that fought the most in the Time War and he was the one who had to end the War. He left it a broken man trying to find peace again."

"Did he?" asked Alex.

"Yes, he did," said the Doctor, "In the form of a nineteen year old girl named Rose Tyler. He died to save her life."

"Oh my god," said Alex. She saw the man who replaced him. He was skinnier, probably the skinniest one of them all. He had spikey hair and a pinstripe suit on. He wore converse on his feet and Alex smiled at that one. She walked down to the youngest looking incarnation in a brown tweed jacket and a bow tie. "Why are you wearing a bow tie?"

"That was when I believed that bow ties were cool," answered the Doctor.

Alex walked down to the twelfth man and then to the thirteenth. She saw an empty spot and asked the Doctor, "Who is this one for?"

"Me," the Doctor said plainly, "That's for me when I regenerate and the Fifteenth Doctor takes over.

"Oh," said Alex, walking back down the row of Doctors with the Doctor right behind her. She looked at the first two men and thought it was weird that the oldest looking one was the youngest one and the second man wore a fur coat that was too big for him.

The Doctor stopped and stared at the old man, "This is the incarnation that I rank above the others, even my third self."

"But you said Three was your favorite," asked Alex.

"Oh, he is, but this one, the First Doctor, without him, I would not be the man I am today or was in any of my other incarnations. It was him who set my lives in motion. He was the one who had the guts to rebel and run away. He is the only incarnation that can make peace when I meet my others selves. He is the most stable incarnation and the de facto leader of us when there are multiple Doctor incidences," said the Doctor, "This man right here is the man who made me the way I am."

Alex could here the sincerity in the Doctor voice and she started to walk out when the Doctor asked her, "Alex, where are you going?"

"Back outside."

"Do you know the way?" asked the Doctor.

"No, I don't," she confessed.

"I didn't think so." The Doctor came out of the Hall of Doctors and led the way back to the TARDIS control room. They both walked outside and upstairs into the Russo home. "We're back," announce the Doctor.

"And just in time for dinner too," said Alex, "I'm starving. I haven't eaten in nearly two days."
"Are you both okay?" asked Theresa.

"Better then ever," said the Doctor, "I was just reminded of my past and the whole V-Strain and True Vampire business is all over. Now all we have to do is have an amazing Christmas."

"That sounds wonderful," said Jerry, carrying plates of food to the table.

The Doctor went to help Jerry with the plates. Theresa walked over to Alex and asked her, "Have you talked to him yet about the way you feel?"

"No, I haven't," said Alex, "He did show me his past selves."

"What?" asked Theresa.

"Remember when he said he could change?" asked Alex, "That's what almost happened to him earlier today."

"Oh, that's right," said Theresa, "So what did he look like before."

"Like thirteen other people," said Alex, "He told me that he was in his fourteenth life. I didn't really believe him, but after seeing that, it's true. He is really in his fourteenth life."

"That's just weird, even for this family," said Theresa, "But anyway, you better tell him about the confusion you are going through. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, I do," said Alex, "And yes, I will talk to him. But first let's eat."

Theresa smiled and replied, "Okay, Sweetie."

The two sat down at the table with the others and they ate that night's meal. Tomorrow was Christmas Day and with nothing to ruin it, they would have a great day, but first Alex had to talk to the Doctor about the conflict going on with emotions. After dinner, Alex walked to the Doctor and asked him, "Can we talk about something?"