The 13 Doctors
in which Eight has a huge crisis and I gather all his past and future selves together to help
I had this dream in July 2016, during the health crisis with my mom
Dream Events
Something traumatic has happened to Eight before the dream starts (so what's new, LOL), and so I begin the dream in his TARDIS (the gorgeous steampunk-ish one from the TV Movie), watching him have a full-scale freakout. (Aww poor bby Eight ♥ ♥) At length, he flops down in the big armchair (the one we see him sit in at the end of the TV Movie) and weeps silently, his hands covering his face. I try to ask him what's wrong, but don't get much sense out of him except a couple of broken sentences here and there.
Finally I get the craziest idea: get all of the other Doctors from their different timelines together to counsel Eight. Surprisingly, Eight doesn't question me fiddling with his TARDIS controls, and even more surprisingly, I manage to find each of the Doctors without 1) wrecking/crashing the TARDIS 2) going to the wrong timeline 3) ticking anybody off. (I KNOW RIGHT??? LOL) All of the other Doctors are busy kicking butt in different places, but drop everything as soon as they hear Eight is in trouble.
At last, Doctors 1-12 plus the War Doctor are all gathered in Eight's TARDIS, all except Nine standing in a semicircle of solidarity around the back of Eight's chair. Nine kneels in front of Eight and asks him something I can't hear; I come closer, and I hear Nine say, "If there's anyone who would understand, I would. You know that."
"But they're all dead! ALL of them! And I am responsible!" Eight sobs. (Awwwww bless his heart[s] ;_;)
The War Doctor speaks up at that point, but I am distracted by a couple of the Doctors moving away for a moment. Five and Ten are busy checking out Eight's TARDIS--I hear Five say, "What a design! I thought mine was well-done, but this beats them all!" and Ten adds, "Why did I ever get rid of this one again?" (ROFLLL) Meanwhile, One is busy tidying up around the console of the TARDIS, where Eight's toolbox lies open, its contents scattered. "You really must take better care of your tools, my boy," he gently scolds Eight as he picks up the Sonic Screwdriver. "Though I'm not quite sure what this one is supposed to do." Eleven catches that comment and looks scandalized at one of his past selves not knowing what the Sonic Screwdriver is for (bahaha xD)
Nine and the War Doctor are conferring quietly by this point, and Eight looks a bit more composed now. "They've told me the Time War was averted, somehow," Eight is saying as I approach him. "I can be grateful for that. But..." His eyes are still tearful, his voice still choked. "But that doesn't bring back my companions."
"You know there are some things you can't change, people you can't save," Ten advises. "Fixed point in time and all that."
"Like poor Adric," Five says, regretfully. Doctors number Four through Twelve all groan at once; Three and Two exchange a confused look, and One is too busy dusting the console to be listening (LOL). Six whacks Five in the arm, saying "Did you have to mention that?!", and Five shrugs, replying simply, "We were all thinking it."
"Not to put too fine a point on it," Seven says after a moment, "but we--I--really can't dissolve myself in guilt over what I couldn't control. If I did that, I would be rather useless, you know. I wouldn't be helping anyone, only weeping, fretting, and..." Nine shoots him a warning look over Eight's head, and Seven wisely shuts up. (Eight seems not to take notice of the commentary, which is probably a good thing.)
"The Time War has affected us all." This comes from Twelve, who has camped himself in a nearby chair, an intensely thoughtful look on his face. "It isn't just one of us feeling guilty, but all of us who have regenerated after it as well, and thus it can affect all of our timelines. If we pretend that because we didn't experience it or because it is now past, it shouldn't matter..." He steeples his fingers under his chin, thinking hard. "Well, quite frankly, we will never be free of it."
The gathered Doctors, including Eight, nod gravely. "He's right, you know," Three says, nudging Two.
"I believe you mean 'I'm right,'" corrects Two, looking a bit perturbed.
Three grins. "Why, indeed I did. But I never thought I'd hear you admit it." Two blinks, and then glares at Three indignantly; Three just begins to chuckle, and walks away from Two as the shorter Doctor tries to keep up.
Four nods his head toward Two and Three. "Feuding again, aren't they?" he asks Eight, jokingly, leaning on the back of Eight's chair. "Ah, well, it will pass soon enough. I'm quite surprised they've kept from making each other cross for this long."
"I am, too," Eight says, observing his past selves' bickering with the beginnings of a smile appearing. He looks up at Four. "I should thank you all for being here, but...I suppose I'd be thanking myself, as well."
"You would be," Four replies, laughing. "And you should thank yourself. You've done well, after all." The dream fades and I wake up.