The Birth of a Timelord- A Doctor Who Fanfiction

The Death of a Timelord

The Doctor knew something horrible was going to happen the second he opened his eyes. However, despite the feeling of impending doom, he was eerily placid. Like the calm before the storm, he felt almost at ease. It was as if a part of him was relieved; All of the chaos and bad omens were suddenly coming to a climax. Soon, it would all be over. And the anxiety that gnawed constantly at the back of his mind would finally cease.

Although, a part of him was in turmoil. He wanted desperately to prevent the tragedy- to protect the people around him and his future. The Doctor wanted to believe he could fix the problem before it even started. Yet, a piece of him knew it wasn't avoidable.

But none of this really mattered because he had no idea what was going to happen.

Zero stirred next to him, and The Doctor almost envied her. Still asleep, she was protected from the wave of anxiety washing over her husband. But, he supposed, as soon as she opened her eyes it would consume her as well. It wasn't a pleasant thought, and he hoped it wouldn't become reality.

The younger Timelord shifted, rested her head on his chest, and yawned. Soon she'd drifted back to sleep, leaving The Doctor without hope of distraction from his thoughts. So, he started counting. But before he could reach one hundred he would find himself back where he started. This lasted for, as far as the time traveler could tell, well over an hour. Hoping to avoid whatever was waiting for him later in the day, he didn't get up. He laid silently in bed, completely still, while his wife dreamed.

But this soon led to a cascade of solicitude and over thinking. What if laying in bed causes the issue? What if Zero never wakes up? Perhaps this was all in his head. Or maybe he was still dreaming. Could he be trapped in a nightmare? Almost all of these thoughts were completely irrational and The Doctor knew it. But this didn't stop him. Was it possible something bad has already happened? Could someone, maybe a friend, have died? If so, who? Is it possible he could have prevented it? Perhaps it was all his fault and-

"I was thinking," Zero yawned softly. The Doctor flinched slightly as he was wrenched from his thoughts after what felt like an eternity of silence. "I was thinking about baby names."

He swallowed a lump in his throat as a new wave of anxiety and possible issues surfaced in his mind. "What were they?"

"I like Paris."

"How about Gertrude?"

Zero shifted so she could give her husband a confused look. "Definitely not."

"Okay... Fine." The Doctor spoke softly as he tucked a curl behind her ear. "Do you have any better ideas?"

"I kind of want to name it-" She started.

"It?" He interrupted.

"Yes 'it'! We don't know if it's a girl or a boy, and I don't want to find out until it's born!" She grumbled.

"Fair enough."

"Anyways, I want to name it after Art."

"Why?" The Doctor frowned.

"He saved both of our lives on more than one occasion," Zero crossed her arms. "I like Oeuvre D'art."

"Is that French?" His frown deepened. "Seems a bit pretentious."

"Right, Doctor! Sorry, I didn't think that would be an issue for you!" Zero replied saucily.

"Okay, jeez! I take it back!" The Doctor lifted his hands in defeat. Then he sighed, wrapping his arms back around his wife. "We'll name it whatever you want."

Before he could place a gentle kiss on his wife's cheek, the scene seemed to dissolve around him. The first thing he was aware of was how cold and hard the ground was. Then, he realised how thirsty he was. Forcing himself to open his eyes, he was greeted with suffocating darkness.