I Need a Doctor!

Memories to Forget

The Doctor showed me to a new layer of the TARDIS. It was simple, with a mesh wire floor and bumpy gold walls similar to the console room's. Racks drooping with hundreds of clothes lined the walls, each one seeming to hold more than the last.

"Wow." I never knew a man could have a closet bigger than a woman's. 

"I know, right?" The Doctor looked at me and flashed a smug grin.

"It's just-wow!"

The Doctor walked over to one of the smaller racks, shuffling through. He gave a triumphant laugh, pulling out a dress. "This looks to be your size. You should find some suitable items in this one." He patted the end of the rack, replacing the article of clothing to its proper position. "Alright, I'll leave you to your devices."

He began to walk from the room, aiming for the stairs.

"Wait!" I called, twirling on my bear feet.

He turned, a questioning look on his face. He paused, hands behind his back. "Yes?"

"Um." I stuttered, looking back at the clothes. "What do I do when I find some that fit?"

He rocked on his heels. "Put it aside and ask Jack to help you carry them to your room."

I nodded, making sure he was out of sight before going to the rack.

After an hour, I had put aside a considerable amount of clothing. I felt a little guilty, using things from what I assumed was his personal closet. I was about to put a new outfit on when I paused, a question flitting into my head.

Where are all of these clothes from?

I looked at the racks. Almost a third of them were female clothing. I had a feeling the Doctor wasn't a transvestite, or had ever been a girl. He was just too set in his ways to have been female at some point.

Looking at some of the clothing, I noticed the time difference in many of them. 

"Companions."

I jumped, spinning to see Jack at the top of the stairs, leaning against the banister.

"Beg your pardon?"

"Companions," he repeated. "He's had many companions. Mainly female. I'm pretty much one of the only male companions he's had." He smiled. "That is what confused you about the clothes, right?"

I nodded, looking back at the clothing. "Different time periods?"

Jack laughed. "More than you might think."

I coughed, feeling awkward. "What, I mean, um. What happened?... To his old companions?"

Jack shrugged a shoulder. "Couldn't take it. Or got to old. Some had family they needed to be with. Some... were never able to... come back."

"Come back?" I stopped, eyes widening. "You mean, they-"

"Yeah." Jack looked down.

I brought a hand to my mouth. They had died? How? Why? An accident on a travel? Lost in space? Eaten? Captured?

Jack quickly walked up to me, sensing my worry. "He would never-NEVER- let something happen to a companion if he could at all help it!" His eyes seemed to fog over. "It's almost never his fault! He tries, and he tried, Rose! You know he tried!"

I stared at Jack. "Excuse me?"

Jack stopped, his eyes coming back into focus. "Oh. No, I-" He swallowed, looking for the proper words. "It-" He took a quick intake of breath, turning his head. He exhaled, looking back at me. "It was an accident. He tried to get her back, but parallel universes are tricky. You have to understand, he really did try to get her back! It's just... Rose meant a lot to the Doctor. And she was helping him save the world, and she just... slipped. Losing a companion for any reason is hard, but when it takes them so far away... You know the Doctor hates death. He hates it in every form. The only thing good that came out of Rose being... lost... was that the Doctor was able to give her a... part of himself that would allow her to die in the best way possible. I know this probably doesn't make sense, but it will someday. It will someday."

I gulped, watching Jack's face as it contorted from the memory. I wasn't sure which part he was thinking about, but I could tell the whole thing upset him.

He shook himself from his thoughts, looking back at the clothes. He forced a smile at me. "Let's get those to your room."

I nodded somberly, deciding to avoid the earlier topic at any cost.

As we walked through the hall to my room, the Doctor nearly ran into us, leaving from his library.

"Ah! Good to see you two! Now, Sophia, I'm not sure if you like to dress to the time period or not, so just in case, we're heading to France tonight to see the unveiling of the Eiffel Tower! The year will be 1889, so dress for slightly Victorian!"

As the Doctor rounded the corner and Jack and I unloaded our baggage, I turned to Jack. "We're seriously going to see the unveiling of the Eiffel Tower?"

Jack smiled. "Not all of our adventures are strictly business."

I laughed. After all they had been through, it was heartening to know they still had a sense of humor.