by Cour M.
With this confession, Ten’s head snapped toward her.
“You did?”
“Yes. We had traveled in space, we came in contact with the Weeping Angels, I almost died and that, mingled with your looks, charm, and the fact that I had loyally waited for you for 14 years led to me sadly developing feelings.”
“Did you know Rory at the time?”
“Yes, I was engaged to him.”
Ten blinked.
“I came between you both.”
“No more than how I came between him and I. Yet you fixed it. I fixed it. And things only got better for us. When I kissed you—yeah, I kiss you, you just resisted and informed me that you were practically immortal, I was human, and you cared, but not in that way because it was impossible for you to do so. And you became my best friend. We connected always.”
“That was what I was hoping would happen between Martha and I,” Doctor stressed, happy that she understood him.
“Well, did you just tell her about how you were immortal, it was impossible for you to do anything, and that it was the curse of being a Timelord. Surely she understood, right?”
Ten drummed his hand against his face, nervous.
“Doctor, you did say that, right?”
“No.”
“Seriously? Dear god, you are even worse at communicating than my Doctor, and he was bad as it was. What did you tell her then?”
“I just simply told her to stop it, and how she was not going to be my companion and replace the previous one. I just offered her one trip in the TARDIS, and then I would take her home.”
Amy’s face dropped.
“You what?”
Ten ground his teeth and looked away.
“Doctor, forgive me, but what the hell?”
“I…”
“Doctor, why did you say that?”
“I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do. You’re just afraid to talk about it. Why would you invite a woman to climb aboard your TARDIS and then immediately make her feel as if she would never be on the same level as the woman before her and make her feel inferior? That is not what you do. That is not the way of the Doctor.”
“I…”
“Why place a shadow over her and make her feel as if she had to compete with a ghost? You caused a wall between you and her even before she got a chance.”
“I was afraid of her feelings for me.”
“A little tip, Doctor… they are just feelings.”
“Oh Amy, there is no such thing as ‘just feelings’. Feelings are everything.”
“Yes, they are. But they are not meant for you to be afraid of. It was not her fault for feeling for you, Doctor, just as it wasn’t my fault that I felt for you. And you knew that… but I suppose you would, because you had learned that probably because of Martha, I guess.”
“You think so?”
“I don’t know, you tell me? It’s your brain.”
“Yes, it is.”
“But you never shall tell me.”
“Of course not,” he smiled, “because it’s my brain. I’m very clever, by the way, clever enough to know when there is no point in talking.”
“There is nothing clever about not talking about what you need to talk about.”
“Fine then,” he sighed, “before her, with Rose, I was soft on her, because I could forget my past mistakes. The Time War, everything, and there was never much spoken between us, no shackles, no ties, but still there was that bond. Ties without being tied down. And with Martha, well, she wanted reality. Always she wanted reality. And she was a weight.”
“Because she was real?”
“Yes. And now I see what it all was. Reality can scare me sometimes. There is a great difference between running with your companion and your companion running alongside you only. Every now and again, we ran together. But most of the time, I only let her run alongside me. I did push her away, because Martha always brought some sort of truth with her. Rose was a dream, and Martha was reality. I was not ready for such an incredible thing as reality. I was too used to dreaming.”
“Just like I was.”
Ten eyed her curiously.
“What?”
“Doctor, I had been dreaming of you for 14 years, and all that time, Rory had been right there, waiting. And I didn’t notice for a long time. And then one day, I did. I woke up and realized that the dream is pretty. But reality can be prettier.”
“We both were dreamers then?”
“Yes, the dreamer of improbable dreams, and you had your Doctor, and I had my Nurse. Dear god, it’s weird that we had that in common, but, what can you do, huh?”
“Yes, what can you do?”
“Yet with Martha, why not just tell her that you are a Timelord and you couldn’t do anything? Why build the wall between you both and put her through that all? It must have been lonely for you both.”
“It was. We were next to each other here, and also far apart.”
“Why would you do that?”
“At first I told myself that it was her feelings that frightened me, but it was something else.”
“What?”
“I was an idiot,” Ten chuckled, “simple as that.”
Amy laughed.
“Yes, you probably were.”
Ten bumped heads with her, still happy that he didn’t tell her the real reason that he had pushed Martha away. Still happy that he kept one more secret to himself.
“Oi, you two!” Rory called from above, “the battle is over, now Doctor, give me back my wife.”
Ten and Amy stood up, joining the others as Amy felt an inner sense of accomplishment, for she had distracted the Doctor for as long as the battle had commenced. He was not the sort to stand by and let a battle be waged—it would hurt his sense of helpfulness.
“Now what do we do?” Ace asked, going to the TARDIS doors, “He’s out there. Jack is.”
“He’ll be fine.”
“And how are you certain about that?” Rory stressed, “Doctor, I know that I let him go out there and enlist and I shouldn’t have…”
“Rory,” The Doctor countered, “Don’t worry. Jack is fine. He always is. He has no choice but to be. And if he lays wounded on the battlefield, then the creature will take him, he’ll be able to summon us with the huon particles that are within him, and then we’ll get to him.”
“Huon particles are in the TARDIS though,” Amy realized, “but were those safe to put in him?”
“For him, yes, but for anyone else, it’s deadly. And would kill anyone.”
“I thought Jack was human,” Ace noted.
“Oh, he is, alright. But he is also something more.”
Suddenly the TARDIS shifted under them and began to be moved as they all grabbed hold of something.
“Doctor, what is happening?” Amy cried.
“That’s the feeling of a plan coming together,” Ten laughed, as he noticed that his screwdriver was buzzing away, “You see, since he was gone, I signaled the huon particles within him, which means that one can easily be attracted to the other—to the point where one can go to the other.”
“We’re going to Jack, and he’s okay!” Amy laughed.
“Of course he is,” Ten smiled, “Rory Williams, nothing to worry about!”
“When I see him and he is alive and well,” Rory acknowledged, “then I will agree.”
“Is he always like this?” Ten asked Amy.
“He’s a nurse, so why are you so surprised Mr. I Hate Guns,” she argued.
“Fair enough. Well, sort of.”
The TARDIS was traveling with super speed and then they began to materialize around a set of soldiers, huddled together. One of them was Captain Jack Harkness with bullet holes in his uniform and blood in many places as he was inspecting a soldier that was closest to him.
“Jack, still alive?” Ten laughed.
“Were you of any doubt?” Jack said, helping up the
soldier, “These men need food and water.”
“Of course.”
Amy, Rory and Ace began to help the men out of the consul room as one of them, taller in nature and still with his strength to him, stood up and looked around him in wonder.
“Told you I was going to save us,” Jack pointed out, winking at him.
“Yes, you did. I can’t believe it!” The man twirled around, dirtied and still with blood on his uniform. “My god, I’ve seen everything at this point.”
“Oh my god!” Ace sighed, looking at the man, and her expression was well deserved as Amy came forward and recognized the man.
“It’s you. It really is you!”
The soldier looked at them, confused.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized, “but I do not believe that we are acquainted. I would have remembered you all if I had.”
“Allow me to make introductions,” Ten interjected happily, unable to resist his giddiness despite that they were in enemy territory. “Amy, Ace, Rory and Jack, this is private Clive Staples Lewis.”
Despite all that Lewis had been through, he bowed his head.
“I am honored to meet you all. And thank you for saving our lives, but we need your help. There are more soldiers back there, and I know that it will be hard to believe, but we are in another world!”
“Another world?” Amy gasped.
“Yes another world with Clive Staples Lewis. Also known by you as C.S. Lewis,” Ten clarified.
Chapter 8
The Magnificent Seven
At Nine’s insistence, all of the misplaced historical figures filed into the TARDIS, with Clara following behind as Commander Nestor faced them. Seeing her amused expression, Nine chuckled and offered her his hand.
“Have you ever wanted to see outer space in the doorway of a time machine that’s shaped like a police box from a level 5 planet?”
Commander Nestor looked at his hand and curiosity got the better of her. She took his offer and entered the TARDIS with him, gasping once she entered.
Each individual’s reaction was amusing to say the least.
Guy Fawkes clapped his hands over his shoulder.
Euripides was thinking of what epic word he could put to it that did it justice.
Virgil was exclaiming about how this inspired him to write a segment for his current epic work.
Jeannette rushed around the consul unit, looking at all the buttons and wondering how everything worked.
Mozart unconsciously began to move his hands about as a conductor.
Emily Bronte was the one to run about, turning around as if she were in a valley of flowers.
And it was Ethel Waters who said the words that lifted the Doctor up.
“It’s bigger on the inside!” She laughed, “Fantastic!”
“And that’s what makes you one of the best blues singers, Ethel,” Nine laughed, jumping eagerly, “you always sing it like it is.”
She laughed as Jeannette moved forward.
“How is this possible?” Jeannette cried, “because this sort of science is impossible.”
“Not impossible, Jeannette, just improbable.”
“Tomato tomato, Governor Smith. But how does this work, tell me, what is the science behind all this?”
“While I always admire a scientific mind, Jeannette, the truth is that this is Timelord Science, which Earth, even at its more evolved state, will not fully understand ever. Now everyone, please grab hold of something.”
He pulled the lever and they all grabbed ahold as the bumpy ride showed them that they were mid-flight.
“Mr. Smith,” Commander Nestor demanded, “tell me where we are going?”
“Commander, seven magnificent historical characters arrived on your planet and were immediately confined to a room. You want to make them believers, then you should always show them what they ought to believe in. And here we are!” He pulled the lever, parking it.
“Where are we, John?” Clara asked.
“Did you just call me John?”
“Focus!”
“Right.”
Nine rushed to the doors of the TARDIS and faced everyone.
“I’ve got a gang,” he noted, “I’ve never had a gang before.”
“John, focus again,” Clara instructed.
“Right, sorry.” Nine opened the doors behind him and was framed in the middle of it, with the starlight from space accentuating his figure. “Emily, Ethel, Jeanette, Wolfgang, Virgil, Euripides and terrorist.”
“My name is Fawkes, man!” Guy Fawkes stressed.
“Doesn’t matter,” Nine dismissed, and then he nodded behind him, “Welcome to outer space.”
“Amazing!” Emily Bronte cried, at the end of the chain, “this is just like magic!”
At the Doctor’s encouragement, all of them were convinced to enjoy the full experience where each one of them held onto the other person’s ankle and they created a chain in space. Emily Bronte had been the most eager, willing to be the edge of the chain, then she was held by Jeannette, who was held by Ethel, who was held by Guy Fawkes, then Virgil, Euripides, Commander Nestor, Mozart, and Clara was at the bottom of the chain, where Nine held her ankle while holding onto the door, anchoring them.
“How are we even breathing!” Jeannette cried, “we should be suffocating and even dying from the cold!”
“It’s the TARDIS,” Nine assured them all, “she has extended her force-field around you all so that you can breathe and won’t freeze. And don’t worry! I promise that I won’t let any of you drift into space. Trust me, I’m the…”
He trailed off and Clara, noting his silence, looked at him.
“You’re the what?”
“I’m the governor,” Nine covered up his slip. Clara shifted her attention and looked back up at Mozart, who was in front of them.
“How are you feeling?”
“Like I see what the angels see,” Mozart cried, “Like I can do anything!”
“How about you, Guy?” Ethel Waters asked, “what do you feel?”
Guy Fawkes was surprised that she had spoken to him.
“I feel… blessed. I always knew it.”
“Knew what?” Commander Nestor asked him.
“That God was on my side,” He confessed, “Yes, he is on my side. I was looking for a sign before, and now I have it.”
Clara heard this and turned to Nine, who grimaced at the declaration. Dismissing his unease for the present, she looked back out toward space and all of its vastness. She looked ahead, at all the people from history who were now holding onto each other while a spaceman was letting them float from his TARDIS.
“Clara,” Nine voiced.
“Yes?”
“How do you feel?”
“Fantastic,” she smiled, and Nine laughed at this.
Eventually the lot of them returned to the TARDIS, but they were not willing to relinquish their view of space, so they just sat and stood in the doorway of it, just looking out. Clara took that chance to go up to the Doctor, who was sitting a distance from where they all were, alone in quiet contemplation.
“So, they look happy,” she began.
“Yes, they do.”
“And you’re not,” she added, “it’s clear. So tell me, did you discover anything in that hour that you were gone?”
“It was an hour to you, but it was four weeks for me at least. Probably longer.”
“Longer? What were you doing and where did you go?”
“I never left the planet, no. I stayed there, but I just scoured every part of it, surveying all, monitoring any distortions in the planet. Any plasma cores erupting, any inconsistencies or marked changes of any kind. Nothing. I found nothing at all. No change of any kind, nothing to symbolize that these people were brought here for any reason, nor what is the connection they have to Uxarieus at all.”
“But what about space?” Clara specified, “you surveyed the planet, but how about its atmosphere and
stratosphere. The space around it?”
Nine looked on her in amazement.
“Very good, yes, clever thinking, and I wish that it were that simple. Unfortunately, I checked all the space around it as well. Every bit of it, even monitoring some of the stars and neighboring planets, just in case an invading space armada was resting here and using the planet’s surface to hide. There was nothing at all. Not even a hint of there being anything amiss.”
“So, basically we still don’t know what’s going on?”
“No we don’t. And just to be clear, I really don’t like not knowing things.”
“Yeah, well get in line, buddy.”
Clara and Nine gave each other a look, smiled and then looked away from each other. With her eyes drifting over the people before them, her gaze rested on Guy Fawkes.
“Governor, there is something else.”
“What?”
“I’m not blind, and nor is everyone else. You are cruel to Guy Fawkes, and it’s not just you being sassy—yeah, I’m in on your sassiness now. You are deliberately mean toward him. And I think I know why.”
“I’m not going to apologize.”
“You’re blaming him for actions that he hasn’t committed.”
“But he will commit. Clara, you know the history. Your country celebrates the failed plot of it. He will take part in an assignation plot and try and kill many.”
“He’s not even the main person who plotted it,” Clara magnified, “for some reason, history just focused on him when he was just another man who was following a leader.”
“You are defending him?”
“No, I’m just saying that will he think of doing something that many politicians haven’t done? How is he really worse than them? Think about those times, Governor. No one ever wishes to talk about it, the monarchy had demoralized so many during his time and with the king’s predecessor. This is Elizabethan England for goodness sakes; everyone was guilty of doing awful things, from the Queen to her heir, all was—it was bad for many, Governor. So yes, he will commit a plot that is terrible, but how can I hold that against him when the people he fights have done worse? It was all bad.”
“This was an explosion, a cowardly act,” Nine spat, looking at Guy Fawkes, “not a sword in battle.”
