Zoe and the 11 Doctors - The Image of an Angel

Chapter 2

Great, he followed me.

I stood up, waiting for the Doctor to step out of the Tardis. This time, I wasn't going to act so timidly, and I decided that I was going to make him let me come back to my own house. But the man who stepped out was not the Doctor.

No, he was much different. This man was far younger, with floppy, curly, hazel hair, and bright blue eyes. He wore a silver waistcoat with a black frock coat, and a silky green cravat. His mouth twitched into a grin for a split second as Zoe stared in confusion.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm the Doctor. Nice to meet -"

"No you're not."

"Sorry, I don't understand. I'm the Doctor. May I ask you're name?"

"Zoe. And whilst you are much more polite than the Doctor, you're not him."

The man paused for a moment, then smiled as an idea burst into his head. "What did this Doctor look like?"

"White hair, wrinkled, black coat, a bit like yours, checkered trousers, and a walking stick."

"Ah, my first incarnation. Oh to be young." he muttered.

"I beg your pardon? First incarnation? You're just some other alien who's stolen the Tardis, aren't you? The Doctor said it could travel through space and time, so you must have just ended up at the same point! Imposter!" Zoe was getting more stressed by the minute. First, and alien comes down out of nowhere in a spaceship. Then he kicks her out of her own house. Then another alien pretending to be the Doctor comes and tries to trick her. So much for a normal day.

"Tell me, have any other Doctors arrived?"

"No! Probably because there are no other Doctors!"

"Didn't I tell you about regeneration?"

"Surely you can remember the minute of conversation?"

"No, I mean, did my first face tell you about the Time Lord's regeneration?" I raised an eyebrow, and he looked annoyed. "Obviously not. When a Time lord dies, he can, well, cheat death. It's called regeneration. The cells repair themselves, but with a consequence of becoming a new person. The logic and science is quite fascinating, really."

"And what makes you think I'll believe that?" Zoe was not going to be defeated that easily, again.

"I didn't think you'd believe me, which is why I'm going to do this." Before she could step away he had pulled her by the arm, into the Tardis. She stumbled in, whilst he closed the door and headed off. When Zoe looked up, she was astounded.

It was bigger on the inside.

A console stood in the centre, from which the wheezing noise was now drifting. Stairs led off to different rooms, none of which Zoe would dare to wonder down. The man, who she still did not believe to be the Doctor, was flicking switches and pressing flashing button, all of which had no meaning to Zoe. She tried to run to the door, but it had been locked shut. Suddenly they jerked and she lost her balance, crumpling to the floor. As soon as the man had finished fiddling with the controls, he strode over and held out a hand. Despite not trusting this stranger in the slightest, she accepted his offer. His hand was soft but with a firm grip as he pulled her to her feet.

"Sorry about that. Tried to land in the same spot as my old Tardis had, or too close anyway. Tardis didn't like it. I think we're safe now. Let me just check." He whizzed off over to a screen on the console, from which he read something. "Yes, we're alright. In your kitchen, I believe."

"Why does my house have to be overrun with Tardis'?"

"You think you're overrun? May I just point out, that I am my eighth face, so you could end up with another six in your house. How does that sound?" He grinned a little as he saw Zoe's bewildered face.

"You are the Doctor, aren't you?"

"Well, yes, that is what I've been trying to tell you for the past five minutes." He walked off and stepped out into my kitchen, Zoe hurriedly following after him. Outside waiting for us was 'the first' Doctor.

"What are you doing with my Tardis? And why is that girl with you, I told her to go away and mind her own business."

"I see I haven't lost my rudeness yet, then." When the first Doctor realised that this was him, he first looked bewildered, then fuming.

"You're not supposed to be here! Do you know the damage meeting my future self could do?"

"Well, if I'm here, then surely nothing happened to you."

"Time can be rewritten! Or has old age made me forget that?"

"I'm not that old. Only  875."

"What?! You're 875 years old?"

"Give or take a bit, yes. Not even middle aged."

"So, Doctor?"

"Yes?" Both Doctors responded, then looked at each other. The eighth Doctor raised his eyebrows, but the first Doctor just glared.

"Ok, before I ask my question, we have a little problem to sort out." Both of the Doctors seemed confused. "You're both called the Doctor, and so will both respond at the same time."

"Ah." They chorused.

"So, I'll call you," she looked the first Doctor up and down, trying to pick out a feature that would define him. She had to look for a while before deciding. "I'll call you Checkers, because I like your checkered trousers. As for you," she looked at the eighth Doctor, "You're easy. I'll call you Curly." She looked at his floppy hair and grinned.

"I do not appreciate being called Checkers, thank you very much. It's competely and utterly disrespectful. Call me Doctor, or I shall leave."

"What, and miss out on the 'investigation'? Anyway, Curly here's fine with is name, aren't you?"

"I agree with myself, it's disrespectful and utterly ridiculous." Zoe frowned and the first Doctor raised his eyes in triumph. "But," the eighth Doctor continued, "what's life without a bit of fun and ridcule?"

"Yes! That's it for you, Checkers!" Zoe pumped her fists in the air. But her moment of glory was shortly disrupted by a wheezing sound, which she was now quite used to. The three of them rushed into the living room, where yet another Tardis had materialised. The door swung open, and a tall man stepped out. He was wearing a large red coat, a brown hat over is curly brown hair, and his most definable feature, a multicoloured scarf that trailed down to the floor.

"Hello!" He said, directing his gaze at Zoe. "I'm the Doctor, and before I ask anything else, there's one question that I've been wanting to ask someone all day."

"Yes?"

"Woud you care for a jelly baby?"