Hi. Found myself at a creative burnout and many setbacks on my various writing projects. Then an idea struck to me, loosely inspired by a fan-made Twelfth Doctor trailer, and this little gem emerged.
I don't own Doctor Who, enjoy!
(-)
It rained. All this place did was rain.
Seventy-two hours, each day of the year since its creation, it rained constantly. One would think that a place like this couldn't sustain any life, and they would be right… for now anyway.
Maybe one day, a civilisation will emerge or a colony from another planet will settle down here. It was only a matter of time before someone would disturb the peace. For now, however, it was quiet.
At this time, any chance of life was drowned out by the rain, and now the world was left barren and alone. Years pass, years turn into decades, decades turn into centuries, and centuries turn into a millennium. Time passes, and yet the misty, wet wasteland remains.
But for a minute, there was something coming through the mist. A peculiar object slowly fading in and out of existence, emitting the first sound that wasn't the sound of the rain hitting the ground below. It echoed in the air and traversed through the raindrops before coming to a complete halt.
Sitting in the wasteland was a blue police box. It was tall and wooden and was out of place in this world, yet it felt right at home. It always felt that way whenever it was perched on new, irregular territory.
Slowly, the doors to the police box started to open. Inside was a stranger to this new world; a tall, thin being with thick brown hair in a checkered-tartan suit and a navy-blue trench coat. This stranger was known in many worlds; a symbol of hope, a destroyer, a hero, a harbinger of chaos. Depending on who you ask, the list of names for this stranger is endless.
But not in this world, this world had not seen or heard of this stranger before. This was a new experience for everyone and everything.
The raindrops did carry a name through the air, somehow emitting from the blue box itself.
The Doctor.
This stranger, the Doctor, observed this new world from the comfort of the TARDIS with a pair of new eyes. Old but new, in his case. It was only hours ago when the Doctor changed his face, from a brilliant woman to this new face. However it wasn't exactly new.
The Doctor could feel that every single cell in his body was new and different, as was the case with every one of his regenerations. Yet, he woke up on the side of a cliff with a familiar face. One that resembled one of the old favourites, the one with the skinny suit.
Why? That was just one of the many questions forever repeating in the Doctor's head. How could one of his old faces come back?
As much as he wanted to answer those questions, the Doctor was thrown into more adventures. He had gotten side-tracked with defeating the Daleks once again, and then landing himself at the creation of the Daleks. It was a point of time that the Doctor didn't want to stay in, so he left as quickly as he could. Then there was that madness with the Sycorax and a brief stint on Planet Bedtime Stories, it had become a bit too much for the Doctor. He didn't mind of course, he loved the open call of adventure, no matter how much it tired him out. At this point, adventure was the only thing he lived for.
But now… the Doctor found himself here. He had no idea where 'here' was, but he immediately loved it. A wide grin grew across his face, a little chuckle in delight quietly escaping from his mouth.
He extended his arm out, his hand as flat as the ground below. The rain pelted his hand, the water dripping off his fingertips. The Doctor's grin grew wider.
Rain, neverlasting rain… brillant!
His gleeful curiosity urged the Doctor outside, he felt the ground beneath his tattered trainers. He was surprised to learn that the ground was flat and his shoes weren't fully submerged on the surface of the water. In fact, the water was shallow. It was like a small puddle that was evaporating under the warm sunlight.
Hands in his pockets, the Doctor strided out of the TARDIS and walked forward. He felt the constant rainfall on him, soaking his clothes one droplet at a time. But he didn't mind. Something about his strange, new planet made him feel at ease. Like the entire universe had stopped at this single moment. For one single moment, the universe let the Doctor breathe.
The Doctor had the urge to spin around, and spin around he did. His long coat twirled and flapped around as the last of the Time Lords practically danced around the wet landscape, arms spread out as he embraced the rainfall. He felt free. Just this once, he felt no regret. No sadness.
Only for one second, sadly…
The Doctor darted around to the TARDIS, as if waiting for someone to join him or watch and have a laugh at his brief celebration. His infectious smile faded away as he realised that he was all alone.
The TARDIS remained open, revealing an empty console room. A console room that had become a figment of the past too quickly. It was full of people, his old friends, before. Now it was empty once again.
On this day, no one stood at those doors.
Susan, Barbara, Ian, Vicki, Steven, Katarina, Dodo, Polly, Ben, Jamie, Victoria, Zoe, Liz, Jo, Sarah Jane, Harry, Leela, K9, Romana, Adric, Nyssa, Tegan, Turlough, Peri, Mel, Ace, Charley, C'rizz, Lucie, Tasmin, Molly, Rose, Jack, Mickey, Martha, Donna, Wilf, Amy, Rory, River, Clara, Bill, Nardole, Graham, Ryan, Dan… Yaz. Friends, family, and companions alike, he could imagine all of them standing in the TARDIS, watching him smile.
Even Yaz. Thinking of her name hurt too much, she was just there not too long ago.
Maybe he could—
The Doctor shook his head. No, it was too late. She moved on.
The rain had completely drenched him at this point, as the Doctor stood alone with his TARDIS… forever waiting. The mood had changed all of a sudden. Now the rainstorm wasn't delightful, it was gloomy and sad.
But that was what rain was. It had two sides to it; beautiful, calm, blissful and full of hope, and yet makes you feel heartbroken and lonely. A true dilemma like no other.
The Doctor took a breath, letting his feelings hide themselves away, and stared back at the new world. Maybe he'll come back someday. Maybe the rain will go away, replace it with sunlight and a nice beach. Maybe it'll become something else… something beautiful perhaps?
Or maybe, it'll stay the same. The Doctor was eager to find out regardless.
Hands in his pockets once more, the Doctor wandered over to the TARDIS and stepped into the console room. He stopped and looked back at the new world for a final time before he snapped his fingers towards the TARDIS doors.
At the sound of his fingers, the doors to the TARDIS shut. The world was quiet and the rain continued to fall. The sounds of wheezing and groaning filled the natural world as the TARDIS started to take off, the lantern on the roof illuminating a magnificent light blue.
The TARDIS then faded away, taking the lights and sounds with it. Once the TARDIS and the Doctor had left, the world returned to its natural order.
Rain… everlasting rain. All this place did was rain. No life could ever see this place, not yet anyway. Not at this present time.
Except for one man and his blue box, who needed a time of reflection before trouble finds him again.
One little stop, that was all that was needed.
(-)
Well, I hope you enjoyed this. If you liked this, I also do various Doctor Who crossovers. All works in progress, but I'm getting there I promise…
This is TARDIS1039, signing off… Allons-y!