Doctor Who : The Roads Time Can Take

Arthur Conan Smith — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 23:09:58 +0000

The TARDIS materialises on an innocent street corner and nobody notices.
Nobody but Alison Cheney. “Is that…”
The Doctor had dropped her back off in Lannet when all the death and destruction that followed him had become too much.
“I’m sorry, guys, I’ll be right back, alright?” She puts down the glass she’s holding and doesn’t even listen to her customers’ replies as she walks out of the pub.
“That’s him, alright.” He’d promised never to come back. But there he was. The big, bold blue police box that nobody ever seemed to notice was there, standing on the corner of her street.
The doors open and he steps out– No. That is not her Doctor. This guy’s skinny, with an odd-shaped face and puffy hair and a bowtie.
He doesn’t notice her and runs off. Should she… Yes.
“Doctor!” She shouts out to him.
He stops dead in his tracks and turns around. “Yes, hello, who are you?”
“I’m Alison. Alison Cheney? You remember me.”
“You do look vaguely f– Oh. Oh! Ah. Yes.” He staggers back, like there’s something wrong.
“Doctor?”
“Yes?” He looks at her like he’s forgotten what they were talking about, until he seems to remember. “I’m sorry. I’m not.. I’m not the Doctor you know.”
“He.. you.. did tell me about regeneration.”
“Ah, did I? Hmm. This is.. even more complicated. Than that.”
She just looks at him.
“I’ve really got to..” Her eyes stare straight into his. “See, first I was him, yeah? Then, I wasn’t. And then I was never going to have been.. him. The me you know.”
“How does that..”
“Work? Beats me.”
“So how do you remember me?”
“I.. Okay, it’s like this. That Doctor.. that me.. the one you travelled with. He happened. For all intents and purposes, as far as the universe is concerned, he happened. He happened just as much as you do and I am.”
“Right. But you’re not him.”
“Never have been. I remember you and the things you did with him like I do everything. I can see every road Time can take. But it’s like reading a map. Like reading a script.”
“So none of it..”
“You happened, Alison Cheney, believe me. You were out there, with him. With the could’ve been me that wasn’t.” He grabs her by the shoulders. “Just.. not me. So I’m sorry.”
An explosion shakes the town and they look at the sky. Smoke and blue lights.
“Wanna come?” He grins.
She hesitates but grabs his hand anyway and they run. Like she could say no.

Doctor Who : Lannet, Lancashire

Arthur Conan Smith — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 22:33:31 +0000

Guide Note: Alternate ending is in the next post.

Accidental Man of Mystery » Alison Cheney

Doctor Who : The Roads Time Can Take

Doctor Who : Lannet, Lancashire