Chapter Five: Some Things Are Worth Fighting For

"But what the hell happened? How did you do it?” ~Sylvia Noble, in ‘The Runaway Bride’

 

               At first all Rebecca could do was stand there like an idiot, staring at the door wondering what the heck had just happened. When the force of what it finally hit her, it struck her like a physical blow. Not only had the Doctor abandoned her after giving her his word, he also refused her to her face. For some reason it felt like the Doctor had been a lifelong friend of hers and he had stabbed her in the heart. A completely childish and irrational emotion, but today wasn’t her day for rational thought.

               The feeling soon passed, however, and it was soon replaced by a feeling of anger. The music didn’t even need to come back to encourage her; she knew that she was going to go back in that TARDIS if it killed her to give the Doctor a piece of her mind, properly this time.

               There was only the question of how.

               She was certain that the door was locked this time; the Doctor had seen to that. If the door was locked, then how could she get in? Doubt plagued Rebecca’s mind. What was she doing, acting like a two year old? It was apparent that the Doctor didn’t want her there, so why was she set bent on trying to force her way into his life? Because he might actually give me answers, She thought. He might be able to tell what the hell is wrong with me!

               Banishing the doubts from her mind, she grabbed the doorknob and pushed with all of her might, thinking that if the TARDIS wouldn’t let her in then maybe she could get in by brute force. It surprised her when the door gave way quite easily, as if the TARDIS wanted her back in. The sudden change of balance almost caused her to fall down on her face, but luckily she didn’t. She then looked up and expected the Doctor to be there, gaping at how she managed to get back in.

               Of course he wasn’t there. Where would the fun be in that?

               Rebecca looked around, wondering where the Doctor could have gone. It wasn’t like she had left him for more than a minute. Then she heard it; a banging noise, coming from down the stairs. As quietly as she could bear, she descended the staircase to find the Doctor underneath the consol, banging on the TARDIS with a giant sledgehammer. Does the Doctor do this to you all of the time? She cringed inwardly, feeling a sudden pang of sympathy for the TARDIS. I'm so sorry. But don't worry, I'll teach the Doctor a lesson for the both of us.

               With that, she did the first thing that came to her mind. She walked over to the Doctor, who was still engrossed in 'fixing' the TARDIS, lifted her foot, and stomped on his foot as hard as she possibly could.

               All that you could hear was a loud shout in some language that Rebecca couldn't quite understand. She could tell that it was some sort of curse, and not a mild one. Rebecca had to bite her tongue so she wouldn't start laughing. The hammer then slipped from his hand and fell onto his stomach, effectively knocking the wind from his lungs. At this point it took all of her willpower not to start cracking up; even so, she couldn't help but crack a smile.

               The Doctor, muttering under his breath, started to crawl out from underneath the consol. On his way out he managed to hit his head on the edge, causing him to fall down again. Now Rebecca couldn't control herself; her laughter echoed throughout the TARDIS halls. Once the Doctor finally managed to stand up, he held his head gingerly and said the only thing that could describe what he was feeling at that moment; "Ow!" Which, of course, only caused Rebecca to fall into another fit of laughter.

               "Don't," She managed to get out between laughs. "Don't you pretend like you didn't deserve that."

               "But I didn't!" The Doctor protested. "What did I do wrong?"

               "You pushed me out of the door, practically threw me out!"

               "You broke into my TARDIS!"

               "You," She said, pointing at the Doctor's chest. "You broke your promise. You promised you would stay in the forest, but you didn't."

               "You," The Doctor began, then tried to come up with a comeback to what she just said. When he found he couldn't, he finished his sentence the best way that he could. "are very stubborn, you know that?"

               Rebecca smiled, because she knew that she had won. It might have been a small victory, but it was a victory nontheless.

               She was about to say something, when the Doctor's face contorted into a completely different emotion entirely. "Wait--wait--wati!" He said. "How did you get back in here? I was positive--absolutely certain--that I locked the door that time." He paused for a moment and just stared at her, as if he were trying to solve her puzzle just by looking at her. "How the hell did you do that?" He said softly, as if he were talking to himself rather than her.

               "How the hell indeed?" Rebecca replied, who herself had no idea. "I thought maybe you would be able to answer that question."

               The Doctor just stared at her directly in the eyes for another minute, and Rebecca just stared back, as if daring him to try to throw her out again. He then turned back to the consol, as if he was ashamed. "What do you want from me anyway, Rebecca Sterling? Why can't you just take my advice and just forget about me?"

               The question took Rebecca by surprise. It took a moment to gather a slightly coherent answer. "Because, Doctor, I--I need some answers. All my life, things have been happening to me--things I can't explain. The banana disappearing, seeing things no one else does, remembering things that never happened--" She was about to go on and describe the music, but she stopped herself. She wasn't quite ready to give up that part of herself, no matter how irrational it was. "No one believes me, not even my Dad. You're the only one who has been able to supply any answers. I just want to know what's going on, that's all. Is that too much to ask?"

               There was another pause at the Doctor's end. He still refused to turn around, to face the person he was talking to. "No, that's not too much to ask. It's just--" He broke off, loosing his stoic control that he had. He needed that control before he could continue. "It's just that with that knowledge comes a price. All the people I've helped--all those wonderful, wonderful people--they always end up getting hurt. Trust me, you don't want my help."
               "What if I'm willing to take that risk? I'm an adult, Doctor. I can make my own decisions. You don't have the right to make them for me." Rebecca's stubborn side wouldn't give up the issue, now that she finally found some light to illuminate the darkness in herself.

               The Doctor still didn't look at her, instead choosing to look at the heart of the TARDIS. He refused to respond to her statement, perhaps knowing deep down that she was right. Or perhaps just because of the lack of things to say.

               Thinking that she had won another small victory, Rebecca continued talking. "I want your help, Doctor. I know that you can give me some answers, if only a few of them--"

               It was at this point the Doctor could no long contain himself. "Don't you understand, Rebecca? I've tried asking you nicely, I really have. But you've left me no choice; I've got to say it plainly. I. Don't. Want. To. Help. You." He sighed, turning back to her slowly. "I'm sure you're a very nice person, Rebecca, but you've got to understand."

               Silence. Complete and utter silence, for no other words could be spoken. Never before had that though crossed her mind. Rebecca had always assumed that the Doctor at least wanted to help her, and the only reason he wouldn't was because he was worried about her getting hurt. All of that being a ruse--it caught her completely off guard. A numb, dead feeling coursed through her body, a relieving feeling that allowed her emotions to die down enough so that she could talk.

               "I--I understand, Doctor," Rebecca said. Her voice trembled slightly and she started to back away. "I'm really sorry for bothering you so much." All the stubbornness, the fire that kept her arguing with the Doctor was gone. Only a dull spark remained.

               The Doctor's smile was kind, like it was for a small child he was comforting. "I'm sorry too, Rebecca. I didn't mean for it to end this way."

               "I know..." Rebecca said. "I guess this is... goodbye." She continued backing away until she reached the stairs. Her face began to redden as a trickle of emotions came through.

               "Goodbye, Rebecca Sterling." The Doctor said, as stoically as he could. What Rebecca didn't know is that he too was fighting to contain his emotions.

               Rebecca then ran up the stairs. She didn't want to be in his way any more. No longer did she want the Doctor's help; all she wanted was to get out of the TARDIS and out of his life.

               So she did. The doors slammed shut behind her, its sound echoing throughout the TARDIS.

               The Doctor then dropped his guise, and let his emotions show full on his face. He covered his face with his hand and shook his head slightly. He knew that he had to turn Rebecca away for her own safety. Then why was there still a bitter taste in his mouth?

               He started to work again on the TARDIS, this time with a slightly heavy heart. He started to do what he always did when he needed to think; talk to himself. "Why can't she just understand that I'm trying to protect her? She doesn't know what happens to people when I try to help them." He then sighed, a deep sigh that bore the weight of over 900 years of memories. "I promised myself that I would never take another companion..."

               His voice trailed off as another sound could be heard, one that wasn't one of the normal sounds heard in the TARDIS.

               A scream.

Author's Note

More questions~ (I hope you're not getting sick of all of the questions)

1. Did I surprise you with the Doctor's reaction? (I hope I did, because I surprised myself writing this.)
2. Again, I have to ask, am I getting the Doctor even close to being right?
3. Are the length of my chapters good?
4. Overall, are you interested?

I'll get to work on the next chapter soon, I promise!

Reviews

[compositionc]

1. THE DOCTOR IS A MEANIE BUTT EVEN IF IT WAS FOR BECKY'S OWN GOOD
2. TotALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLY.
3. Yes. Very goooodddd.
2. Nope. *sarcasm*

[halflives]

YESYESYESYES MY FAVORITE LINE~ *goes insane* "how the hell did you do that?" "how the hell indeed". I love Rebecca in the beginning with her laughing fit and the Doc being his clumsy self.
1. AHHHH WHAT THE BLOODY HELL??!?! THIS IS NOT THE DOCTOR WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. He could have been nicer about it. *goes off the scold the Doctor*
2. Duh, you sontaran, he's brilliant. He's looking over my shoulder at the minute and telling me how awesome you made him. ^^
3. THE LENGTH IS EFFING PERFECT.
4. ...Do I need to answer that?

[obvious pseudonym]

1. yeah i didn't expect him too be that mean but he really wasn't cause he had a good reason
2. the doctors really good. he's being mad but not too mad and he's working for you
3. the length is perfect. personally i want them longer but that's only cause i want too keep reading so don't mind me
4. omg you sucked me in instantly i really want to know what rebecca is. and them to go adventures. i can't wait too see how it plays out.

lol i liked it when she stomped on his foot and a chain reaction started. made me laugh

[DontBlink158]

1 Yeah i was shocked, the doctor always wants to help! but i somewhat understand cause of what happens...
2 Yes you are doing a good Doctor, you never do know what exactly the doctor is thinking. So you are doing a great job.
3 im not a person to ask cause my chapter are (at least from reviews) to short, but i like your lenght. Not super long where i start to get a headace, but not to short where its hardly worth it.
4 I am very interested cant wait for the next one!
Keep writing, i love this!!