The Doctor sighs, rolling his eyes as the man behind him gives a mightily irritated huff. The quietude had been peaceful, but something tells him that it will not last much longer.
Proving him right, Hunter says determinedly, "I'm not gonna give up this time. You can count on that." A beat passes in which he appears to collect a few thoughts. "I won't let her slip away again. We're meant to be together."
The Doctor peers at him over his shoulder. "You realize that's my wife you're talking about." He fights hard to keep the acid out of his tone. It does not work.
Hunter flinches as if he has been stricken. With an angry glint in his eye, he coldly replies, "She should have been my wife."
Another sigh escapes the Doctor's lips. "Alright, I'll humor you. Whose fault is it that she isn't your wife?" he inquires. "Whose decision was it to stop speaking to her? Who was the one who was constantly jealous even though he was too afraid to tell her his feelings?" His pause is purely rhetorical. When Hunter does not respond, the Doctor continues warily, "Look, this doesn't have to be a 'winner takes all' scenario. I know how much you mean to her, even if she's unhappy with you. Instead of wasting time arguing with me, why don't you spend whatever moments you have here trying to rebuild that friendship?"
"If I wasn't supposed to get another chance," says Hunter, "why would fate bring me here?"
"There is no such thing as 'fate' or 'destiny.' There's simply what is and what isn't. A glitch in my device accidentally brought you here; I just haven't the faintest idea exactly how. I can tell you this much, though: you are not here to tear us apart. That's for certain."
The Doctor loses his sarcastically cheerful disposition as he speaks, and he stops walking, turning to face the young man with serious eyes. Hunter tries to cover a shiver by shoving his hands in his jeans pockets. He drops his gaze just as Annalise comes springing up behind them.
"Why've we stopped?" she inquisitively asks. "We'll never get anywhere by standing still."
The Doctor peers at her closely, intuitively sensing something is amiss. She gives him her bright and sparkly smile, so he does not press her. Still, he can feel that something is not right. The only question—the most frightening one to ask—is what could be wrong.
YOU ARE READING
The Time of Change
FanfictionThere are some people who seem destined for greatness. There are others who seem stuck on the path of failure. For most of her life, Annalise Song felt as if she was the unhappy median between the two: bound to be nothing more than mediocre and soli...
