A Moment of Peace
Agent Malkere
Disclaimer: I own a laptop, a teapot, far too much tea, a few mugs, and a sketch book – that's it.
The Doctor hadn't set a course into the TARDIS, hadn't even set the coordinates to random. He'd just leaned against the console and whispered to his ship to take him somewhere, anywhere, anywhere she thought best. He hurt. Rose was gone and the emptiness in the back of his mind where the other Timelords had been screamed louder than ever and he simply ached. The emptiness ached, the silence ached. It hurt to breathe, to draw breath. The Doctor had forgotten that silence could be so loud. It felt like his soul was being torn to shreds. An open wound packed tightly with salt.
Rough, heavy sighs shuddered through the floor grating as the TARDIS gently settled in its selected location. The Doctor felt a gentle nudge at the edge of his mind, urging him to go outside. He hauled himself slowly to his feet – when had he ended up on his knees? – and gave the TARDIS's console an exhausted pat of thanks. He halfheartedly pulled on his trench coat and stumbled to the doors of his ship.
The wave of air that washed over him as the doors opened was sweet and humid with the pungent musk of un-urbanized jungle. A sigh escaped the Doctor's lips. No memories were attached to this place. He'd never been able to take any of his companions here. The ratio of elements that made up the air on this planet would be un-breathable for humans. Toxic. It was actually closer to Gallifrey's atmospheric makeup than Earth's.
The instant his foot touched the surface of the planet, the Doctor knew exactly why the TARDIS had brought him here. The planet sang. A soft, sweet melody of life that filled up the empty ache of silence in the back of his mind. His eyes slid shut and tears of relief trickled down his cheeks. Beneath him the planet hummed gently. It was beautiful beyond his wildest imagining. He'd never felt such a deep sense of peace.
His feet seemed to move of their own accord, leading the weary Timelord to the base of one of the massive jungle trees. The Doctor curled up in one of the many hollows between the roots with a sigh and buried the fingers of his right hand into the thick moss that cushioned his head. The moss and every other thing around him sparkled with life. Alive, alive – it was all so alive.
And for the first time in a very long time, the Doctor allowed himself to be soothed to sleep.
Thin, white tendrils extended from the moss. They softly brushed against the Doctor's right hand, then, as though coming to some sort of consensus, they wove together into a delicate, web-like cocoon.
Ever so gently, Pandora embraced the newcomer.
A/N: This is meant to take place sometime between the end of Doctor Who season two and season three, and not long after the end of the movie for Avatar (not that that really matters in this case). The idea of what would happen if you combined the Doctor, who is essentially a touch telepath, with an entire planet where all the natives are psychicly linked has been bugging me almost since the first time I saw Avatar. Someday I'd really like to take this oneshot and turn it into a full blown multi-chapter or at least a two parter because I'd really love to see what would happen if the Doctor met the Na'vi.