To The Moon and Back [A Doctor Who fanfiction]

Bus Stop

The Doctor's POV

At least, I wish that's how it would've happened.

I pulled another one of the TARDIS's levers, running my hand down my face. How could I have been so blind? How did I not see the bus coming? How could I let her step out into the street? Questions swam through my head and I walked around the console room. The TARDIS has been trying to comfort me but nothing has helped.

I shook my head as I realized what I had to do. It was a horrible idea, and I'd probably cause loads of paradoxes in the process, but I had to get her back. I'd lost her once, let her die, and I wasn't going to let that happen again. I would never be able to live with myself if I did.

I ran towards Bella's body in the street, calling her name. I kneeled down next to her body, rolling her over to face me. I heard the bus doors open behind me and somebody get out, saying 'Oh my god, I didn't mean to,'

Bella opened her eyes and looked up at me. Her head was bleeding, her broken body fragile in my arms. 'Doctor,' She said softly, moving her arm and wincing. 'I'm here, Mirabelle.' I said, tears slipping down my face. 'I feel so, cold.' She said, her eyes fluttering for a second before widening. 'Am I going to die?' She asked, fear filling her fading eyes. 'No, I won't let you," I said, brushing stray hairs out of her face.

I felt something sticky on my fingers and I looked down to see my hand dotted with blood: Bella's blood. 'I'm scared,' She said, her eyes fluttering again. 'Please Doctor, please don't let me die again.' She moved slightly before going completely limp in my arms, her eyes going cold.

I shook the memories from my mind and adjusted a dial, setting it back to half an hour before Bella was hit. I flipped a lever and sent the TARDIS flying through the time vortex.

She landed and I ran over and stepped outside, looking around. I ran down the sidewalk, looking for the nearest bus stop. I turned a corner and saw a bus, the bus, and ran over to it.

I hopped up the steps and looked at the driver, who was an older man with thin, gray hair and a beer belly. "Card, please." He said in a monotone voice, turning to look at me. "Actually, I'll take the bus." I said, holding up my physic paper. He squinted at it and shook his head. "I don't remember being told about a driver exchange today." He said, looking at me curiously. "Sudden schedule change," I explained. "You've got the rest of the day off."

His eyes widened and he stood up, gesturing for me to take his seat. "Thanks!" He said, laughing as he hopped off the bus and started walking down the street cheerfully.

"Okay everyone!" I spoke over the bus microphone, plopping down in the driver's seat. "I'm your new bus driver! Hello! You can call me John, or Mister Smith I really have no preference. Now, let's get to driving!" I studied the bus's complicated driving mechanisms before finally figuring out how to properly accelerate and brake.

I drove ahead, getting more nervous as I neared the corner that we where it happened.

I got so lost in my thought that I didn't notice when a girl hopped out into the street. I slammed on the brakes but I couldn't stop in time. I opened the bus doors and ran out to see if the girl was okay.

"Oh my god, I didn't mean to," I began, but I stopped when I saw a man kneeling next to the girl in the street, a man with a tweed jacket and a bowtie, a man with floppy hair and tears dripping down their face and on to the girl's bloody head. I was the man, and Bella was the girl. I had hit Bella.

I stood there in shock, and a few minutes later the man stood up, walking away from the girl and shoving past me without a glance. He walked away, leaving her body in the street.

I looked around desperately and a strange man standing on the corner caught my eye. He was wearing a long trench coat and a cowboy hat that covered his face, but somehow I still knew.

"It looks like you need a doctor." He said, leaning up against the lamppost. "Do you think she's going to be okay?" I asked. "Something tells me she will." He said, giving me a knowing smile. I nodded at him and he tipped his hat at me before walking back down the sidewalk and disappearing into the crowd.

I ran back into the bus, grabbing the microphone and speaking into it. "We're in need of a doctor. Is anyone here a doctor?" A middle-aged man stood up in the back up the bus, calling up to me, "I'm a doctor."

I gestured for him to follow me and led him to Bella's body in the street. He pulled a first aid kit out of his briefcase and began examining her, and I patiently waited, holding her hand the whole time.

"She should be okay," He concluded after a while, standing up. "No broken bones, miraculously. I stitched up the cut on her forehead but she'll have a major headache when she wakes up." I stood up and shook his hand. "I can't thank you enough." I said, smiling happily at him. "I'll call in another replacement for the bus, too." He looked at me curiously before going back to the bus.

I scooped Bella up, carrying her back to the TARDIS and setting her down in the bedroom, gently tucking her in. I walked back downstairs to the clothing room and grabbed my old trench coat and cowboy hat and threw them on. I ran back to the console room and quickly set the time and date.

When the TARDIS landed I ran outside, running down the sidewalk, hoping I wasn't too late. I stopped at the corner and looked around to see a man standing by a body in the street, looking around desperately. We caught each other's eye and I leaned up against lamppost. "I think you need a doctor." I said, smiling.