Brave Enough ━━ 𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐇 𝐃𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑² ( 𝐬.𝐮 )

↳ prologue

LINDSEY WATCHED THE DOCTOR DASH AROUND THE CONSOLE HALF CONCEALED BY THE PILLAR, he was flicking several switches and checking the monitor.

"6 pm.. Tuesday," Lindsey frowned, "October... 5006... On the way to Barcelona!

The Doctor then straightened up to face Lindsey, "Now then... what do I look like?" he asked her with a grin, before she had a chance to open her mouth he held up his hand to silence her, "No, no no, no no no no no-no-no. No. Don't tell me."

Lindsey looked at him, completely bemused.

"Let's see... two legs, two arms, two hands..." He trailed off testing his wrist, circling it. "Slight weakness in the dorsal tubercle." He frowned before his hands fly to his head.

"Hair! I'm not bald! " he exclaimed, touching his hair. "Oh, Oh! Big hair!"

"Sideburns!" he cheered, fingers trailing down the sides of his head, "I've got sideburns! Or really bad skin."

Lindsey frowned, this wasn't the Doctor she knew and travelled with. The Time Lord continued inspecting himself, "Little bit thinner..." he remarked, slapping his stomach, "That's weird. Give me time, I'll get used to it." He froze, shifting "I... have got... a mole," he breathed, rotating his shoulders.

"That's all right. Love the mole," he grinned, before turning towards Lindsey was still half-hidden beside the pillar. "Go on then, tell me," he asked her.

Lindsey knew she felt scared but she soon felt a familiar brush in her mind, 'It's him, my angel.' she flinched hearing that same, familiar voice again as she held her head in pain. The Doctor frowned, "Lindsey?" he stepped towards her, placing his hands on her cheek. She flinched at the sudden touch making him drop his arms slightly.

Lindsey looked up at him, "Who are you?" she asked, unsure whether to believe the voice, he felt her heartbreak as he gave her a hurt look.

"I'm the Doctor," he said crestfallen, slightly surprised.

"How can you be him?" she whispered, unknowingly moving closer to him.

"Lindsey, I swear it's me," his voice wavered as he reached up again to cup her cheeks making her look at him, "I was dying. To save my own life I changed my body. Every single cell, but... it's still me."

The Doctor stroked her cheek gently, he was silently pleading for her to believe him, he couldn't bear the thought of Lindsey not knowing that it was truly him.

Lindsey's eyes glistened with tears as she saw the familiar look in his eyes.

"You can't be," she denied, even though she already knew the truth.

"Oh, Lindsey Stirling the woman in the glass dome," she froze as he spoke slowly taking her hands in his. "How could I ever forget to first time I met you. You were trapped in Van Stattens museum when we arrived in 2019. I asked you to come with me away from that Cage and we ran."

A stray tear tan down her cheek, "Doctor?"

"Hello," the Doctor grinned, placing a kiss on her forehead, he takes off around the other side of the console.

"And we never stopped, did we? All across the universe. Running, running, running..." he trailed off flicking a few switches in the console, setting the TARDIS to fly through the vortex.

Lindsey frowned as she vaguely remembered what happened, she was angry that the Doctor sent her back to Rose's timeline but what happened next was still hazy but she knew that this was her fault. She was the cause of the Doctor changing into another person. "This is my fault," she whispered.

The Doctor frowned, he looked up seeing that she had gone quiet, "What?"

"It's my fault," Lindsey repeated, "You've changed."

"No, no, no, no," the Doctor said, rushing over to her pulling her in his arms. Lindsey was about to protest as she tried to pull away but soon melted in his embrace, she gripped the old Doctor's leather jacket tightly. "It is not your fault. It was never your fault."

"But you've changed-"

"Lindsey I'm still me," the Doctor cut her off, pulling away as he cupped one side of her face and gently stroked her cheek with his thumb.

Lindsey tilted her head against his palm leaned, "I know," she whispered, a small smile appeared on his lips. The Doctor suddenly stopped, she frowned when she noticed the look on his face, he gagged suddenly, bending over the console.

"Doctor?" Lindsey gasped as he made her way over to him.

"I'm fine. I'm-," the Doctor gagged, more violently, he was retching, leaning against her for a moment. "Uh oh."

"Doctor, what's wrong?"

Some of what looked to be regeneration energy flew out of his mouth and up into the air before disappearing.

"Oh... the change is going a bit wrong and all," the Doctor gags again, almost falling if Lindsey hadn't steadied him.

A lever on the console caught his eye and he surged forward, "I haven't used this one in years," the Doctor pulled it, causing us to nearly fall from the jerk the TARDIS gave.

"What're you doing?!" Lindsey cried out as she quickly grabbed onto the console.

"Putting on a bit of speed!" The Doctor said, sounding crazed, "That's it!" he started turning more knobs and press buttons while holding tightly onto the console. "My beautiful ship! Come on, faster! That's a girl! Faster!" Lindsey stared at him, both frightened and worried about the way he was acting, "Wanna break the time limit?!," he asked her.

"Doctor, stop it!" Lindsey yelled at him from across the console.

The Doctor rolled his eye, "Ah, don't be so dull Lindsey... let's have a bit of fun! Let's rip through that vortex!" he hollered.

"Doctor please!" she yelled to him.

The Doctor caught the look on her face, he calms for a moment, "The regeneration's going wrong. I can't stop myself..." he admitted, he then grimaced in pain. "Ah, my head..." He violently springs up into standing position again, and his voice has gone back to being crazed. "Faster! Let's open those engines!" he shouted before darting to Lindsey's side of the console pulling down a lever, "We're gonna crash land!" he laughs maniacally.

"Well then, do something!"

"Too late! Out of control!" he replied, his voice turning hysterical. "Oh, I love it! Hot dawg!" The Doctor hops in the air excitedly, while she continued to hold onto the console tightly, "Hold on tight, here we go!," the Doctor grinned madly.