I don't own Doctor Who
An Earthly Timelord
"Ryan! Yas! Graham! Dan!" The new reused man screamed out in from his dazed mental thought process. Swaying around in the tropical beached island. Reeling from the old but new sensation. Only this 13th or 14th or Rasalon (Who probably quite literally knew) what Regeneration the time lord had performed.
"Peri!" The new Doctor announced out with gritted enthusiasm "I need a mirror….wait she is still in the prison paradox. Zoe! Come out of that stupid box and….wait she doesn't remember me. Chameleon! I….oh can't ask him either."
"No! NO! NO!" The newly awakened 14th Doctor tantrummy fitted. Banging his hands together on the sides of his side burned head. "This isn't right! I'm not right! And stop playing Opera on the radio Grace! Beethoven really isn't what I need right now!"
"No! You idiot!" The Doctor slapped himself again. Annoyed he allowed his post regenerative amnesia to mislead his mind once more.
Breathing calmly the Doctor looked down onto his cloths. Concern flourishing him raptly "These aren't my cloths Liz." The Doctor acknowledged cautionly. "I meant to be wearing her cloths. Her charity shop grandeur. The cloths never change Amy never ever."
The Doctor was sound enough to remember his past reincarnations. He had 14 lifetimes worth of experience. This was new. True he felt comfortable in this attire despite the choice of outfit looking striking a more dismal variation of his tenth self's attire. Yet why had they changed? Okay yeesssss his certain self's wished their new self's wardrobe would be primed and ready the moment the doctor had finished off a regeneration but never like this. "The new us would always wear what the last us wore beforehand Romana. Even our people never figured out how to effect clothing during regeneration."
Which brought this new incarnation of the 14th space dandy back to his previous query. "Doctor number ten?" Like a dash of lighting the renewed Doctor raised to one of the sea salted rocks. Bending down to the stone shadows. The Doctor finally could see the reflective image of his new life's face.
"Well she did want to go to Barcelona again." The Doctor concluded casually. Remembering the hints his former female self-had desired to return to Barcelona. Not the city Barcelona, the planet Barcelona.
"They have dogs with no..NO!" The Doctor cried out swatting away the waterflow. Drenching his liquated hands on his face for some feeling of comfort. The Doctor immediacy ran inside his raggedy old Tardis. Examining his former's organed geared like diamond interior.
Doctor nodded grinning astonished from his inherited console room. "Ah yeah I redecorated I believe Didn't I NOOOO!" The Doctor growled scuffing his wild hair "Seriously was their ever a interior I ever liked?" The Doctor wondered rolling his eyes.
"Then again the last time I had this face. His interior was just handed down to me from big ears." The Doctor laughed remembering his ninth self's coral design. "Did either faces ever create a console room we could call our own?"
Doctor rolled down onto the black damp floor of the humming Tardis. The very old grandfather taking time to come to terms with this recent regeneration. Having regenerative withdrawals was nothing new to the Doctor. Well actually the feeling always found itself to be a new first time no matter how many times he had regenerated.
"This is different." The new doctor answered. "This doesn't happen to me." The Doctor answered feeling his jaw. The slick he would often shave proudly back in the day of his tenth self. "I don't go backwards I go forwards."
The Doctor had been no stranger to degeneration. Like the time his fourth self-had been infected by a space amoeba which forced him to regress backwards into his first three self's. Another time was when his Sixth-self and Peri were engulfed into some pocket dimension nonsense which forced back into his fifth self for the sake of having a more stable body during that adventure. Not to mention that entire once and future debacle his tenth self gotten into.
"This was different". The Doctor said to himself. "This isn't degermation or even a retro regeneration." Doctor number fourteen told himself "I'm new. I'm really new."
The Doctor walked up to his console taking in hand the screen. Looking at his shady reflection in the screen's mirrored gaze "I'm not like him." The Doctor asked himself once more "Number ten. I'm not like him. I am someone else. Old face but new doctor."
"Why?" The Doctor growled shoving away the screen.
Suddenly the Tardis's alarm belle went off. The Doctor hurryingly touched the buttons. Calm fully taking back the tv monitor apologetically. "What is this?" He demanded. Pressing a few wily buttons "Incoming transmission? What on earth could be causing?"
The Doctor's eyes widened. "No..No…No, No, No!" The Doctor fummed. "Not here not now!" The entranced Doctor whined. The complained timelord with heavy hearts he dreaded as he read the thine print on his computer's messing bored.
'INCOMING TRANSMISSION FROM TARDIS!'
The sliding alert would often mean it was a passing Time Lord's Tardis. A booming alert would mean it was an enemies Tardis but a booming and sliding alert could only mean one thing.
His Tardis was right outside his current Tardis.
This was a incoming from him. Rather one of his previous or future incarnations. Something he truly did not need to deal with at this literal moment in time. "Rreused face and a multi me event. Yeah going to pass out on that me."
Unfortunately for fourteen. Knowing himself whoever this previous incarnation was he or she wasn't going to allow him off the hook. While it seemed this variation of the Doctor had no plans to bored his Tardis. They none the less still had plans to send a message and with the staggering bleeps they were not going to allow this version of the Doctor off the hook.
Knowing his former self's too well. The Doctor seemed to have no choice but to hail the call. "But I swear if one of them makes a dig at the interior I will not be responsible for my act…"
"He…..he….hello there!" A foozled but familiar voice broke through the interrupting channel.
The Doctor stopped. Modelling the computer's sub linked controls. "I know that voice, that skinny high pitched girly voice."
A few more adjustments on the controls. The Screen finally cleared. In the wake the current Doctor finally could see who was on the other side. The Doctor gawked seeing the two persons who were now looking back at him.
"I just really had to push fate didn't I?" The Doctor reeling thought.
The said two persons were none other than Rose Tyler. A the bad wolf blond wearing her navy blue jacket. No matter how many lifetimes passed. The Doctor couldn't help but leave a smile seeing her wonderful face. The gentle smile she casted to him. His hearts would always be at ease seeing her.
The person next to her on the other hand was who this current incarnation of the Doctor found his unwanted predicament with. He knew he wouldn't enjoy seeing the Doctor passed this vizor.
He enjoyed the sensation less as the said Doctor was in fact his tenth self.
"Ohh." The Tenth Doctor mused seeing his copycat through the mirror. The cooing curiously, the owling gaze and the house bucked jaw. A child purely fascinated with the an entirely new thing in their presence.
Traits this Doctor had re-inherited
The Doctor alarmed his head. Looking at Rose's attire. His best guess this was during the time his Tenth-self had practically teamed up with every companion in he had in order to take down Davros and his reality bomb. The Tylers, the Smiths, Martha, Jack and his gang.
"Donna." The Doctor whispered to himself a bit more sadly. This was the last adventure he had with her. Not just for that incarnation's lifetime but….forever.
"Hey…hey…..hey." The tenth doctor snapped his fingers back to his future double ganger "While me and me the 'crew'" Rose giggled on the side by how fly the previous Doctor was trying to sound "Are trying to realign earth back to its original constellation. How did you come in?"
The 14th Doctor could hear the plain disappointment in his past-self tone. No doubt despite the perilous situation he was in. This certain incarnation none the less still desired to be meeting a more interesting incarnation such as the Fifth Doctor. Though even this Doctor couldn't blame his tenth-self for such a desire. Their fifth self was so coooooooooooolllllllllll!
"Heh trust me to meet me ten minutes from now." The past Doctor commented.
"Ten minutes from?" The 14th Doctor questioned. Then it hit him. His former-self had absolutely no idea he was talking to his future regeneration! He believed 14 was still number ten. After all why should he? A face re use had never happened to any of the Doctors before. Why would he possibly suspect this Doctor was not simply his current-self a bit further down his current regeneration?
"New cloths, new interior, same face." The 14th Doctor mused. It was nothing new a current regeneration would change their attire and even interior. The seventh, eleventh and eighth Doctors had done such a thing themselves.
Which caused a few aggrieved frowns pass the 14th Doctor. Remembering the reason those three Doctors had done so. Breaking out from their personal traits and decor as a depressed side effect caused by a personal tragedy which had happened in their current lifetimes.
Something this Doctor would soon learn.
"Oh stop bullying him." The Doctor Donna squashed pushing ten and Rose out of the way allowing her to appear on the vizor. The Firey red hair gawked seeing the new Doctor. Her mouth shoved right open "Oh MY GOD!" She squalled.
She looked back at ten "You GOT OLD!"
"HEY!" Both Doctors boomed at her as Rose burst out laughing. Additionally The Doctor could hear some giggles from the background joining in. Jack's cheeky snickers could be heard especially.
"How am I old!" The 14th Doctor asked flabbergasted. He then pointed from his view point in the skype call at his predecessor "I look exactly like him!"
"Well." Started Donna bemusedly "I would say about….3000 years older?" She slyly smiled.
"3000?" The 14th Doctor acoffed "I'm about 1454 older at best missy."
"Lets say 1900 to be generous." Donna mentioned sarcastically.
"Exactly 1400 tops." The tenth Doctor confirmed joining his future-self. A tad desperate if one could be honest.
"Being a ya bit vain in your old age aren't you Doc?" A upbeat and assured American voice cooled out.
"Oh no." Both Doctors moaned.
Just like that Captain Jack Harkness came from the corner poking his head into the screen. "Well, well. One doctor, two doc's, three doc's now with you. I got myself a lucky quartet. Three more of you and we can do a Doctor's lucky seven am I right?" Jack joked.
"Not now Jack." The Four Doctor's chastised. Those said Doctors being ten, 14, Donna and what the 14th Doctor could guess was the meta crisis Doctor in the background. Though Donna seemed to see more the humour in the situation be more indulged to the captain's joke.
"Now, now a man can dream. I mean we all made a Seven Doctors manuscript out there somewhere." Jack mused purring down onto the console "Got to say Doc, whatever good omens you were wishing for. Seriously did not work in your favour mate. Did you ever think about getting some work done in the next 900 years?"
"I will have you know Jack I.."
"Oh is that another Doctor." A peering mousey voice peeked through. Jackie Tyler pushed through. Peeking down the new Doctor "Ah…just another one of this one ain't he?" Jackie moaned motioning her shoulder to the tenth doctor who rolled his eyes. "Kinda hoping for someone new you know? Even big ears would have been a nice surprise."
"Jackie as pleasant as always." The 14th Doctor dampeningly responded.
"Oh. 10,000 years in the future still a misery guts as ever." Jackie whined.
"Come on Jacks." Mickey pattered his arms on his foster mother's shoulder with apologetic grin. "I mean, big ears and well sonic the hedgehog there." Pointing to the tenth Doctor "Got to admit if we met any other Doctors or even a whole gang of em. I pretty sure they would find a way to get a slap from ya."
"That's a thought." Both Doctors agreed with the defender. Still feeling from the mother Tyler's furious face slap. If Jackie ever dared to do such an act to their First-self the Grandfather Doctor. Well that probably would trigger the second time war.
"Look this is all nice and everything. The whole multi Doctor thing." Martha jumped him while happy to see the new Doctor still concerned with the present situation in this timeline. "But unless we stay on track Earth is really going to end up like an episode of Star Trek Voyager." Martha frowned.
"I agree." Sarah Jane joining in the group. Suddenly the 14th Doctor felt the same tingly warmth he felt when seeing Rose when he saw his Sarah Jane. Her brown hair, her gentle but stoic facial expression she always wore.
The emergence which always made him catch his breath whatever face he had on him.
"Unless this meet and greet is part of our mission to save the earth I do feel we should focus on the task on hand." Sarah Jane then flipped out her wrist scanner to inspect the Tardis's energy cells "Ah. I see."
"See what?" Mickey asked.
Sarah Jane looked at Donna. Using her eyes to prod her to answer for her. Which seemed to annoy the tenth Doctor. "Hey Don't ask her. You can ask me."
"I know but where would be the fun in that?" Sarah Jane wittily shoot back.
Donna continued excitedly with the explanation. "The reason we are contacting you in the first place is thanks to the sub wave network and Mr Smith's Xylok power battery!" Her face turned a bit more boredly "And the Tourchwood thingy machigs."
"HEY!" Jack shot back.
Donna calmed herself and used her hands to create a sign langued diaphragm "Combining all these superpowers together created a sub wave through time. Accidental of course, but when we were communicating Luke, K-9 and Jack's gang."
"Jack's gang I love it." The Captain couldn't help but say
"I know you do." Donna smiled "Anyways. Your Tardis." She finger pointed the 14th Doctor "Your Tardis was passing the time stream when we sent the link out. Considering all these liner advancements we were pouring into our own in order to get earth back. Our Tardis in a moment of over power reached out to her future-self. Sensing her. Needing a older version of her to stabilize the sub link with earth in order for her senses to not get lost with all these different powerhouses pouring into her."
"She needed an older sister to help her find her way home." The Tenth Doctor grinned tapping the control's of his faithful ship.
"More like an older her." The 14th Doctor agreed tapping the controls from his side.
"Looks like we succeeded then." Rose smiled gently "I mean if he's there then we did it in the end."
"Yeah." The 14th Doctor replied to the woman he loved. The woman he still loved. "But you are going to have one hell of a time getting there."
"Didn't we always." Rose confirmed gleefully eyeing the 14th incarnation. The same butterfly eyes which eased him no matter what.
"Yeah." The 14th Doctor replied with a bashful grin.
Suddenly his Tardis's interface began to bleep. Both Doctors checked their systems. The tenth Doctor faced back to his 14th self "The link has been stabilized. We now can finally bring earth home Doctor….thank you."
"No worries Doctor." He truthfully recuperated. "You know. For multi Doctor events this wasn't so bad."
"Yeah. Yeah." The Tenth Doctor nagged "It might not be dealing with Omegan or the Dead Zone. Doubt we will look back on this as one our best but you know I don't mind seeing the old faces now and then."
"Tell me about it." The 14th Doctor joked out.
"Still Doctor. Gotta say I don't think your interior is really us. I mean it could be for one of us but rather I mean 'us'. I get you wanted to get out from the coral design but I don't perhaps consider a bit more alternative looks before finalizing on a new look?" The Tenth Doctor offered.
"This isn't our design. Its her design." The 14th Doctor secretly berated himself. Looking around his inherited console room and feeling a pang of sadness due to the passing of his former self "She should be here talking to you. Sharing all these memories. Not me."
"I will look into it Doctor or rather Doctors." The 14th Doctor joked. Before the Doctor was about to cancel the communications entirely. He noticed another look alike in his tenth selves Tardis. The Meta crisis Doctor looking at him. Like really looking directly at him. The only one at that present crew who didn't say a word.
Just eyeing him sombrely. The 14th Doctor didn't understand why but for some reason he felt his human clone somehow knew. Not just of Donna's fate but about this incarnation's destiny as well. Could have been possible he knew he was in fact a new regeneration? Did he know what was in store for him? Could he even know why this regeneration picked this face?
The Meta crisis Doctor didn't say a word. He didn't move nor did he give any indication he was going to do anything else admis this meeting. Whatever secrets he held or thought he held he would keep to himself.
Something the 14th Doctor needed to accept.
Doctor returned to the screen seeing the contact would soon be off linked. Turning one last time to face his tenth-self. To see the companions he knew and gained within that regeneration. The family he laughed with, he journeyed with. People he found a pure golden wonder filled happiness every moment and second he spent with.
Memories he still treasured to this day.
"Doctor." 14 grabbing ten's attention one last time.
"Thank you. Thank you for never ending the journey. Thank you for always finding a way to keep it growing for our…."
Before he could finish the screen went blank. In its stud was the blackened hollowed reflection of the 14th Doctor.
"Our family." He finished.
The 14th Doctor smiled closing his eyes. Sarah Jane was right all those centuries ago. For acting like such a loner. He really did have one of the greatest families of all.
Even now a part of him wished he could go through it all over again. Saving Rose from the Plastic dummies, meeting Ricky the idiot, dealing with Jackie's thunderous rage, playing cheese and ladders with Jack, reuniting with Sarah Jane in the school, being impressed with Martha's skill and finding Donna on his Tardis after she ran away from her wedding.
He truly valued those days and them. Jack. No one could have ever asked for a more loyal friend a man who would never know death but would always understand the value of life in its truest form. Martha Jones the real definite article of being a Doctor and equal who braved and faced demons the Doctor doubted he could deal with. Mickey an idiot but a defender two universes were truly blessed to have protecting them. Jackie a mother with a fiery temper when her cub was under threat. A mother he wished he could have had back in his childhood.
Rose and Sarah Jane. Those two would always match his two hearts
Donna…Donna.
Donna was not the first companion he lost. Not the first one he wished to save. He was a selfish man. Here he was thinking about one companion he failed. What of the others he let down in the past? Jaimie and Zoe memory erased by his people, Peri trapped in a time lock thanks to that dam trial, Ace ran away from him because she grew to fear him.
"Adric? Alex? Amy? Rory? Susan? Bill? How many have I failed. How many did I fail to go back for."
None of the previous Doctors would give up so easily. The First Doctor would be stiff upper lift and whack any threat with his cane. The Second Doctor He would never allow anyone to get the upper argument over him. The Third Doctor the kung fu Time Lord defied exile for the sake of the innocent. The Fourth Doctor that scarf was a tapestry hanging around his neck a reminder why he could never give up. The Fifth Doctor his passion and sense of justice would never allow him to bow down. The Sixth Doctor he may have been mad in fashion but he was pure in soul and triumphant in bravery. The Seventh Doctor while manipulative and fearful none the less would uphold the golden promise they all made that day they left Galifrey. The Eighth Doctor often mocked being a one shot wonder but when the day came for him to be Doctor he would hear the call and jump in no questions asked. The Warrior, the one they tried so hard to forget for so long, he was the Doctor on the day it was impossible to make things right but he still found a way. The Ninth Doctor born from the ashes of war but a centre role model for the incarnations after him, the man who discovered to be the Doctor again who took the time to finally heal. The Tenth Doctor the man who invented the best adventured of all. The Eleventh Doctor the big brother who was meant to be the final life decided to give himself the best life ever against all odds. The twelfth Doctor a man who didn't like to hug but a man who cared more deeply than believed. The Thirteenth Doctor cheer girl who would get you out of bed just to experience real life for one good day.
None of them would give up. None of them would swatter away to the background. They would keep fighting on. Never running back but always going forwards. The Doctor still prayed one day he would be able to redeem the lost days for the companions he lost and failed. One day he hoped.
"One day, I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine."
The First Doctor's farewell speech to their previous Granddaughter boomed in the Doctor's head. How many more one days did the Doctor have left? His cycle was in a mess and his timeline had become far more complicated than it ever had been.
All the more reasons why one day would finally become today.
Taking a mighty grip of the Tadris leather. The storm of Skaro thrusted mightily down. Hearing the legendary booms echo from his beloved ship. The Doctor knew at least one thing he planned do with this regeneration.
"To finally save Donna Noble. My mate and if anyone dares to stop me."
One last echo floated from the Tardis engine. Indicated the travelour and ship had landed in the Doctor's desired location.
"To hell with them!"
THE END