A/N: Sorry for the late update! I've been busy preparing the school festival… (looks away) And why aren't you reviewing? It discourages me :( Please keep me going! Okay, enough with the moping, let's start!

Chapter 11

Let's Talk About the Stars

"As a punishment for killing the previous Lord Burner, the President withdrew the Burn Edict and appointed me to the post in his place."

"And did you... that is, did you ever—"

"He gave me a test, issued a burn edict against an old man— well, he was old in that incarnation, anyway— an old man and a child. They were no threat to anyone, they were... my family."

"What happened?"

Romana asked. Braxietel laughed, as if the question was absurd.

"I told you. Only two people have ever survived a burn edict. Someone tipped off the old man. He stole a TARDIS and escaped Gallifrey with his granddaughter. And the Lord President died in an 'accident' that day. A… coincidence."

~The Conversation Between Romana and Irving Braxietel~

*…*…*…*…*…*

Theta was having a nightmare.

Every time he slept, or even dozed off, random memories slipped into his dreams in bits and pieces. He didn't know what was true and what was not, so he didn't tell anyone and just kept it to himself.

Some were fun—he was running around with a Sonic Screwdriver in hand. He was holding his baby granddaughter, laughing in joy. He was barefoot on the moon, he was kissing a pink and yellow human, he was bantering with Donna the ginger, he was dancing at Amy and Rory's wedding, he was, he was…

Some didn't make sense at all.

Waving at 'fat' babies? Courting the Virgin Queen? His utterly awesome, cool fez being blown to pieces by his so-called wife? And good God—how many times was he marrying someone? He could make head nor sense of it!

—And some were downright terrible.

Today was, unfortunately, one of the bad days. The young child tossed and turned, moaning in his sleep. Images flashed passed at a dizzying speed, so fast that the colors bled into each other and the shapes blurred. Voices, however, rang hauntingly clear in his ears, penetrating his very heart and chilling his spine.

It's taken me all these years to realize that the laws of time are mine. And they will obeyme!

Who decides they're so unimportant? You?

For a long time now, I thought I was just a survivor, but I'm not. I'm the winner. That's who I am. A Time Lord Victorious!

…And there's no one to stop you?

No.

This is wrong, Doctor! I don't care who you are. The Time Lord Victorious is wrong!

That's for ME to decide!

A cold pride, an unlimited sense of sheer power surged within the man's hearts. He turned and started to walk away, his eyes flashing dangerously. He stopped only when he heard the gunshot. It was only then that his mind cleared, and in its place were the—the drums. His head was suddenly flooded with the cold, the panic, the fear, the wildly surging pride vanishing, breaking down, running away, the drumbeats following him everywhere, BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM, he will knock four times, it's too late, and, and—

What have I done?

"NO!" Theta screamed, jolting upright in his bed. He felt like he was drowning, a dead sense of terror suffocating him. He struggled to free himself from the bedsheet, frantically lashing out. Finally he managed to roll out from his bed, crashing onto the floor. The voice echoed again in his head.

A Time Lord Victorious!

"No," he whispered, oblivious to the pain in his back and his chest. Feeling weak and breathing harshly, he got up. Sweating and shuddering, he looked around the room wildly.

Out. Away. Out. Away!

A sudden impulse to run away, to somewhere far, far out there seized him. Hearts drumming painfully fast, eyes open wide, Theta Sigma did just as a terrified child ought to do. He did what he had been doing all his life.

He ran.

*…*…*…*…*…*

Wilfred Mott was taking a nighttime stroll. When Donna had won a lottery ticket, she had chosen a manor which had a forest nearby for him. It was their secret place; when she felt forlorn and lost for apparently no reason at all, he would bring her here and watch the stars together—and she felt peace.

Oh, the night sky! How beautiful it was! Peaceful and beautiful. Now that she had her memory back, Donna was far more confident and considerably brighter. And the Doctor was actually back, too! Of course, he was currently in a… a situation, but it was nothing irreversible, right?

Feeling hope for the first time in a long, long time, Wilf made his way up the grassy hill to the woods, wearing his favorite red hat and holding a lantern in his hand. He halted midway when he heard a muffled sob break through the collective chirping of the crickets.

Was someone crying?

He peered into the forest uncertainly, holding his lantern higher up in the air.

"Hello?" He called out. "Anyone there?"

For a moment it was completely silent; then he heard a stifled hiccup. Yes. Someone was definitely there—desperately trying not to cry.

Wilf took a cautious step forward, and called out again, this time louder. "It's okay. I'm Wilfred—Wilfred Mott, Donna's grandfather. Why don't you come out?"

A pause. And, to his great surprise, Theta's head hesitantly poked out from behind the trees. Upon seeing Wilf, the boy ducked his head and took a clumsy step or two forward into the moonlight. Then he stumbled and slumped onto the grass. He curled up into a ball, his eyes wet and his entire body shaking uncontrollably. He hiccupped and looked up at Will with his big, brown, puppy-like eyes, trying to look brave but failing miserably.

Wilf hurriedly set the lantern down and ran up to the little boy.

"Doctor? You okay?"

"Yeah," Theta whispered, but his voice was quivering. He sniffed. Wilfred shuffled closer and crouched down next to him. Then he began speaking.

"Doctor, I'm just an old man, and I've never been that much helpful to you. And I… I don't know why, but you were always quite truthful to me in the hardest of times. Eh, you understand, right? So I want you to tell me what's wrong, Doc, and get on with it."

The old soldier gently pulled the young Time Lord into a tight embrace. Theta didn't resist. Instead, he let his shivering body lean against Wilfred's warmth. Little by little, his body relaxed, the uncontrollable tremors ebbing away. He felt secure, as if he could really, really trust the old man… as if Wilfred Mott was his family. A real, reliable, trustworthy family. He drew in a deep breath and opened his eyes, his mind much clearer than before.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Theta mumbled, quickly pulling away in embarrassment. He wiped his face with his palms. "It's just… I…"

He hugged his legs and rocked back and forth, feeling weak, broken, and hating himself for it. Finally, hesitantly, he looked up and asked the question that had been plaguing his heart like a demon tonight.

"Am I a good man, Wilf?"

*…*…*…*…*…*…*

The deep brown eyes. So sad, so old, so hurt.

That voice. Pleading, on the verge of breaking down in tears, but holding it back nevertheless.

For a fleeting moment, Wilfred saw him, the same old Doctor in Theta Sigma more than ever.

"I had a dream, a really bad dream," Theta confessed, rubbing his eyes with his palms. "I do keep having dreams of my past, but usually it's fleeting, and I can't quite remember it when I wake up. But today… it was different. It was so, so clear, and it stayed. It was my worst fear."

When he dreamed about losing his companions, he woke up sweating and terribly scared, too. However, they soon dissipated; his friends were alive and well, right here in this house. There was nothing to be afraid of.

However, today, he saw the worst thing ever. Something that he couldn't just ignore or run away from. The scariest thing in the universe.

Himself. The Time Lord Victorious.

"The Doctor wanted to rule Time itself. He changed, he did terrible things— he went too far. He tried to change fixed points, he declared himself as the winner, the master of time, the Time Lord Victorious. And he felt proud. Proud. It was madness, Wilfred; it took a woman's death to bring him back! Is he…" The boy faltered, almost breaking down again. "…Am I a monster?"

"God, blimey, no, Doctor!" Wilfred shook his head, taken aback. He remembered, for a second, the broken Doctor he had met in the Café on that fateful Christmas day—the day the Doctor he knew and respected died.

No one. Travelling alone. I thought it would be better. But I did some things, it went wrong. I need—

Was that 'mistake' what Theta dreamed of…?

"You make mistakes sometimes, but you always knew what was wrong and what wasn't. You were the best man I've ever seen, Doctor. You saved an useless old man's life by sacrificing yourself. You took Donna to the stars. I fought in the War, private Mott, and I didn't kill a single man, and I was proud of it. But blimey, you, Doctor, you saved the entire world dozens of times without a single murder, and you didn't even ask for any thanks." Wilfred cleared his throat awkwardly. "I mean, you are not just a good man. And you were never a monster. You were an amazing man, Doctor, the best I've ever seen. Always pulling plans by the sleeve and running around to save people! And I respect you for it."

Theta gaped at the old man's fierceness for a brief moment. Why was he so protective of the Doctor, when even he wasn't sure of himself? Or, to be more precise, what would become of him? He wondered to himself, puzzled. But at the same time, he also felt relief—warmth—wash over him. So, he must not have become a Time Lord Victorious in the end. After all, Wilfred was the living proof of it; the Doctor was a good man to some extent.

Theta buried his face into Wilfred's shoulder and murmured fondly.

"…Thanks, Wilf."

"Anytime, Doctor. Anytime."

Wilfred chuckled, patting the young boy's back. Theta sighed, the tension seeping away from his muscles, his heart not pounding frantically anymore. Yes, he felt a good deal better now. Coming out into the open was a good choice; running into Wilfred was even better. Just what he needed.

Seeing the boy calm down bit by bit, Wilf relaxed and pulled himself up. The child Doctor looked up at him, questioning with his eyes.

"I'll be right back," Wilfred called out, stumbling down the hill. "Wait here!"

So he did. Theta waited. And waited.

After a few minutes, Wilfred came hurrying back up the hill. He found Theta Sigma deeply immersed in thought, staring up at the night sky. The child was still unaware of his presence, and was quite startled when the old man tossed a red blanket over his body and handed him a cup of steaming hot chocolate. It was a cool autumn night, and Theta was still in his pajamas, after all.

"Wow, brilliant! I mean… thank you, Wilf." The boy grinned awkwardly, sipping the warm liquid happily. He loved sweets—especially chocolate. "The caffeine and sugar stimulate synapses and heighten brain function. Not to mention the elevated activity of hormones—makes one feel much better. Just what I need. Chocolate!"

Theta giggled a little, then frowned and shook his head. "Wait. What? Sorry, I'm so sorry. I keep rambling—don't know what gets into me."

"No, it's okay. That's—" Despite the confusion he was going through at the moment, Wilfred tried his best to think of an appropriate word. No, 'normal' would never work for the Doctor. Wait. Oh. Yes. Blimey, that was it. "That's… Doctor-ish!"

"Doctor-ish?!" Theta burst out laughing. "That's a good thing, right?"

"The best!" Wilfred chuckled. Theta grinned playfully, and flopped back onto the grass. He gazed at the stars, humming thoughtfully. Stars. There were so many, but not one was the same one he used to see on Gallifrey. But still, they were equally beautiful. He briefly wondered what their names were.

"That's the North Star."

To his great surprise, it was Wilfred who answered his silent questions. Unaware of Theta's open staring, Wilf lay down next to Theta and began pointing out the stars one by one, a nostalgic smile on his face.

"I used to take Donna out and watch the stars on her bad day. We would laugh and talk and listen— it was beautiful."

He lapsed back into silence, and Theta continued to stare at him, his brown eyes wavering. Then he spoke up quietly.

"I used to watch the stars, too, you know. Back on Gallifrey."

Wilfred looked at the young Doctor, wide-eyed. He had never heard him talk about his childhood, except during the exchange with the Master chap. The boy was still staring up at the sky, unconsciously tapping rhythmic beats of four on the ground.

"My father was a criminal, a renegade. I don't even remember his face anymore. He never came back home. I've never had a proper dad." Theta laughed softly. "Funny, because my mother was a renowned member of the High Council. She loved me, but she was always too busy to take care of me. Almost all of my relatives were psychopaths. My closest friend—Koschei—went mad after he was forced to look into the Schism. Others picked on me at the Academy, and I was alone… really, really alone."

He sighed, a sigh much too old and tired for a little boy.

"I had an older brother named Brax. He was never the protective type. Instead, he was always the sensible one— the elite. I wanted to be exactly like him, but… I couldn't. I failed. There couldn't be two of him. I was very, very angry and frustrated because of it. But then, that was when I looked up. I saw the stars."

Theta looked up at the night sky. His face broke into a small, wistful smile.

"It was beautiful—so, so beautiful. I fell in love with it. I wanted to run, just run away, far out there, and walk the stars. That was the biggest hope I've ever had in my life, and it saved me. My own silly dream. Wilfred, if you watched stars with Donna in times of darkness, then… that was the best thing you could have ever done for her." He turned his gaze onto Wilfred, grinning. But his eyes were solemn and sincere. "I wish you were my dad."

Wilfred's heart stuttered. The same words. The same eyes.

I'd be proud.

Of what?

If you were my dad.

The same man, Doctor Theta Sigma.

—And Wilfred's answer would always, always be the same for him. At least he owed him that much.

Theta blinked in surprise as Wilfred abruptly pulled him into a tight hug. He fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Wi—Wilf?" He stammered.

"Doctor, I'd be proud if you were my son," came the reply, slow and fierce. The answer that would never change and never will. "And you can call me your father whenever you want to."

It would be his honor.

A/N: Okay. So. Finally. Wilf/Theta bonding short chapter done! Yay! Please R&R… Next chapter will be featuring River, Jenny, Gallifrey, Brax and Romana.