Chapter Text
Bill had impressed the Doctor regularly. First, in class, she would smile rather than frown when she didn’t understand something. To him, this showed not only her hunger for learning, but also that she was smart enough to know that not understanding wasn’t ever a bad thing – as long as you didn’t let your lack of knowledge control you. This was a facet to learning that resonated deep within himself.
Second, when she had stood up to him about not mindwiping people. He should have known better after what he did to Donna, but he had been on Earth for so long recently. His sentence to guard the Vault was as long as Missy’s to be in it. In the past seven hundred or so years, he had gotten lazy. Erasing people’s memories was far easier, since he couldn’t just pick up and leave like he usually did.
Third, while he wished she didn’t ask quite so many questions, when he could get her to focus, her questions helped him solve and figure out whatever was actually going on. He could save more people because of her. It was a comfort. She wasn’t the first student he had taken under his wing in such a way and he was certain she wouldn’t be the last, but it had been awhile since he had wanted to travel this much with anyone.
Fourth, she and Nardole provided a balance he had been looking for. He hated to love Nardole and he loved to hate him. Bill created a calm within that torrent. Besides, Bill gave him an excuse to show off to Nardole, which after so many years together, he had not been able to do recently.
The list could go on, but the point was, Bill wasn’t just a student or mentee, she was a fantastic travelling companion. She reminded him a great deal of Donna. He sighed and shook his head. It wouldn’t do him any good to start thinking about her. He saved her the best he could, and as he had said on the frozen Thames, he had to move on.
He had known Bill practically an entire school-year, before he had to save her from Heather – the Puddle Girl – which he thought was actually a pretty good track record. Not all of his mentees had been so lucky. But now it was Summer Hols and he was getting bored.
Bill had to work more hours in the Summer so she could afford to attend classes and work shorter shifts during the school term. While he wanted to ensure she completed her education, he also wanted to travel. They had agreed to once every two weeks and always when Bill would have at least one day off afterwards to ‘recover’. He tried to remind her that he had a time machine so that wouldn’t matter. But she would hear none of it, especially since being tied up in 1814 had left marks on her wrists that she hadn’t thought to have the Doctor fix until one too many people asked about them.
Anyway, it was time for a trip and he was trying to pick a place to take her. They saved people often enough, but sometimes it was just good to go and see another planet. Enjoy a purple sky or an ice sun. But for this trip, their first of the Summer Hols, he wanted to do something extra special.
He was going through the TARDIS database. He wanted to pick a place he hadn’t been before either. After all, what’s the point of having a Time and Space ship if he just went to the same places all the time?
He smiled as the name Parveon II appeared on the screen. Not a planet; it was one of Parveon’s moons. Once a cycle, the species there held “The Celebration of Colour”. This event was basically a tourist trap, which is why it was only held once a cycle. The locals never talked about it and the Doctor certainly wasn’t going to reveal their secret. But, the moon itself provided some interesting features, which was reason enough to go.
The festival would give him and Bill a bit more to see and do, since the locals would intentionally wear extra colourful costumes and have more food options and the like. And they could talk about the physics of light which created an interesting effect: educational too. It was perfect! He couldn’t resist. He pulled out his phone and sent her a text:
Saturday. 10.30am. Don’t be late!
It was summer and he wanted to leave her at least a couple of hours to sleep in, but how he was going to keep himself entertained in the meantime, he had no idea. He was surprised at how quickly she texted back:
See you then!
He dropped the phone on his desk and looked at the picture of River, with that knowing smile, that stared back at him from his desk. River had been the one to really get him into texting. Though he still preferred calling, he realised that texting was better for these situations and he had learned to only call for the really important things. Not that this wasn’t important. It just wasn’t urgent or immediate.
He sighed, pulled a hand down his face, sat in his chair, and lifted his feet to rest on the desk. “I hope the three of you are proud of yourselves!”
The pictures of Susan and River just smiled at him and the TARDIS hummed a little louder. He felt like all three were mocking him. They were right. Of course they were. Didn’t mean he had to be happy about it. And of course, they were pleased with themselves.