Chapter Text
Matt Smith had always been satisfied with his career as an actor. He had starred in some of the biggest movies and television shows in recent years and had even been nominated for several prestigious awards. But despite his professional success, he found himself feeling unfulfilled in his personal life.He had been single for years, and at 40 years old, he felt like time was running out. He had always been on the lookout for love, but he had never been successful. Matt had gone on countless dates, but nothing ever seemed to click. He had always imagined himself at this point in his life being married and having children, but instead he was still single.
Something was definitely missing in his life. Or rather, someone.
He was sitting alone in his apartment, staring at the television screen as he flipped through channels when his phome rang. He picked up the call as soon as he saw his friend Paul's name appear on the screen.
"Hey, mate! How does it feel to have turned 40? I hope you had fun on the Galapagos trip with your friends. I'm sorry I couldn't come."
Matt smiled as he heard his friend's voice. Paul had moved to Scotland after he got married and it had been an eternity since they last saw each other, yet they still managed to find time to catch up over the phone.
"Hey, Paul! It's great to hear from you. Yeah, the trip was fun. I'm really glad I went."
Paul asked him how he was doing and Matt hesitated before responding. He knew that Paul could sense the uncertainty in his voice and he wasn't sure if he wanted to open up about his loneliness. He decided to be honest with his friend and told him about how he felt unfulfilled in his personal life despite professional success.
"When I started this career, many people told me it would be difficult to balance work and family, but I didn't believe them. Now I realize that I have always put my career first and haven't found time for anything else."
Matt heard Paul make sounds of approval as he spoke and then asked, "Are you sure it's your career that's been keeping you from finding someone?"
"What do you mean?"
"Matt, you haven't seriously dated a girl since you broke up with Lily. I know for a fact that other friends of yours have tried to set you up on blind dates which you always refused. And let's not forget about the possibility of using dating apps. It's not that you don't have the time, but rather the motivation. You know what's holding you back."
Matt frowned. He tensed at his friend's words. He wished he had never brought up the subject because it meant having to admit his feelings for Alex Kingston for the thousandth time and potentially be accused of not letting go. He knew that being in love with her had influenced him over the years, and now a part of him was convinced that his heart would always belong to her and that maybe one day she would accept it.
"You can't keep going like this," Paul continued. "You should tell her."
"I already did it years ago and almost lost her for good. I won't risk it again. I'm happy to have her as a friend."
"You never know, Matt. People can surprise you sometimes when it comes to matters of the heart. Don't be afraid to take risks and go after what you want!"
He sighed heavily and thanked Paul for his advice. He promised to take it all into consideration. He wished more than anything that he could find someone who made him feel the way Alex did, but he also wanted to be realistic about his expectations. If by some miracle she were to give him a chance, he would be the happiest man in the world. However, confessing his love again could potentially end the friendship they had worked hard to salvage after the first time. Maybe if Alex were out of his life for good, it would be easier to move on because her presence always gave him a glimmer of hope. But Matt felt that he would rather be alone for the rest of his life than give up Alex's friendship.
Matt thanked Paul for listening and hung up the phone.
As he sat there lost in thought, the television suddenly flickered and went out, plunging him into darkness. He sighed and reached for the remote to try and fix it, but as he did, a strange feeling washed over him. It was as if he was being pulled in a million different directions, his body vibrating with energy.
Then, just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped.
A loud knock at the door startled him.
Matt stood up, walked to the door, and looked through the peephole to see who was on the other side and he was surprised to see Jodie Whittaker. She was dressed in her 13th Doctor costume, complete with her signature coat and rainbow-striped shirt.
Matt opened the door, still unsure of why Jodie was there. She entered his apartment, looking around at his cozy living room.
"Hello, Matt," Jodie said with a smile. "Long time no see."
Matt was confused. He had never met Jodie before, or so he thought. He tried to recall if they had ever been introduced at a cast party or some other event, but he couldn't remember.
"Um, I'm sorry, have we met before?" Matt asked, trying to be polite.
Jodie's smile faltered for a moment before she regained her composure.
"Yes, we have," she said. "In a manner of speaking. You probably don't remember. It was a short meeting and then I had another face"
Matt blinked trying to make sense of her words, "Listen Jodie, I don't want to be rude but..."
"Right" she interrupted. "This may be a little hard for you to believe, but I am not Jodie Whittaker. I am the Doctor."
He stood there, his mind struggling to process what was happening, and he couldn't quite shake the feeling that he was dreaming or that Jodie was playing an elaborate prank on him.
"Look, Jodie," he said, trying to keep his tone light. "Did someone ask you to do this? Because it's not very funny."
Her expression turned serious.
"I assure you, Matt, this is no joke," she said. "I am the real 13th Doctor, and I'm here to help you."
Matt was taken aback by her sudden seriousness.
His brows furrowed in confusion as he tried to make sense of the situation. It all seemed so surreal, he couldn't have the 13th Doctor standing right in front of him in his living room.
She began to explain that she came from another universe, which was both very similar and yet very different. She didn't travel between the two universes often because it was complicated and could be dangerous, but she did so occasionally.
As she spoke, her words seemed to echo in his mind, each one sounding more implausible than the last. He shook his head, trying to clear the fog from his thoughts, but it was no use. He was still reeling from the shock of it all.
"Fine" was all he could say when she finished, "so you are the Doctor".
"The one and only." she said with a smile but evidently, she could tell by his expression that he still didn't believe her, because she crossed her arms and huffed "It's so difficult here. In my world, I can usually just say that I'm a Time Lord, that I travel through time and space, ask people if they want to go on an adventure with me, and they're like 'Sure, why not?' But in this universe, you're more skeptical, maybe because you've never been invaded and almost destroyed by some alien species."
And then she snapped her fingers.
Matt's eyes widened in amazement as he watched the TARDIS materialize before his eyes. The sound of its engines grew louder and louder, like a low rumble that shook the room.
At first, the TARDIS was just a flicker in the air, like a ghostly apparition that shimmered in and out of existence. But then, it solidified, becoming more and more defined until it was there in all its glory, right in the middle of his living room.
The Doctor opened the door and asked him "Wanna take a look inside?"
He nodded and approached hesitant but also excited. Matt couldn't believe his eyes as he stepped inside. The space was vast, with walls that seemed to stretch on forever. The walls were lined with glowing panels, and a console sat at the center of the room, flashing with lights and buttons.
The air inside the TARDIS was electric, charged with energy that seemed to hum in his bones. Matt's senses were overwhelmed by the sheer scale and complexity of the machine before him.
He could hardly believe that he was standing inside the TARDIS, a machine that was capable of traveling through time and space. It was like being on set again, but this was real.
Matt looked over at the Doctor, who was smiling at him. She looked pleased with herself, as if she had just pulled off a grand trick.
"Welcome aboard," she said, gesturing to the console. "Shall we take her for a spin?"
***
Matt was feeling a sense of wonder and awe. The Doctor was fiddling with the console when suddenly, she turned to him, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Want to see something truly spectacular?" she asked.
Matt nodded eagerly, and she began to program the TARDIS's controls. As the machine hummed to life, the space around them began to shift and change. Stars streaked past them at dizzying speeds, and the fabric of the universe seemed to twist and contort.
Finally, they arrived at their destination: the birth of the universe itself. Matt gasped in amazement as he saw the very first moments of creation unfolding before his eyes. It was like watching a cosmic explosion, with stars and galaxies forming and spreading out in all directions.
As they watched the universe take shape, Matt turned to the Doctor with a question. "Is it true that you've had my face in the past?" he asked.
She nodded, a wistful expression crossing her face. "Yes," she said. "I've had many faces over the centuries. Every time I regenerate, I take on a new appearance."
Matt looked at her in amazement. "But..how?" he asked.
She smiled at him. "Sometimes I choose faces of real people I've met and been impressed by, as a way of honoring them. It often happens unconsciously, but never randomly. When we met by chance years ago and talked, you told me of your pain over your shattered football dream. You told me you didn't know what to do with your life anymore. What struck me was your maturity. You were an old soul in a young boy's body. Somehow you reminded me of myself"
Matt was speechless at that story, suddenly remembering that meeting and how he had vented his misfortunes with an unknown man. The Doctor had told him that there was something special in the path of every human being, but that people often don't believe it. Somehow that phrase had helped him find a new purpose in life.
There was another question burning in his heart, but he wasn't sure he wanted to ask it because it concerned the woman he loved and the woman the Doctor had once loved. In the end he decided to ask in a generic way, without going straight to the point "So, is it a coincidence that some real people, whose face you chose, end up playing you in a show that exists in this universe?"
"I don't have a real answer to that. The multiverse is something even I know little about. What I do know is that some things are just meant to be."
Matt gulped. He was thinking about Alex. He was thinking about the fact that when the Doctor looked like Matt, he had married a woman who was identical to Alex. Was it a coincidence or a joke of the universe? He didn't dare to ask. Instead, he turned back admire mesmerized by the beauty of the birth of the universe. The colors, the sounds, and the sheer magnitude of it all had him feeling small yet awed. As he stood there, taking it all in, he couldn't help but wonder why the Doctor had brought him here.
"Why do you think I needed your help?" he finally asked, still staring out into the vastness of space.
The Doctor turned to him with a knowing smile. "We were both feeling a little alone, weren't we?" she said. "And I thought maybe this would help."
Matt nodded thoughtfully, feeling a bit sheepish. He knew that he had been feeling lonely lately, even though he had friends and family around him. But he had no idea how the Doctor knew.
Suddenly, the Doctor turned to him again, a serious look on her face. "Matt, I have to ask you something," she said. "What are you waiting for?"
Matt looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?" he asked.
Her eyes softened. "You're in love with Alex, so what are you waiting?"
Matt felt his heart skip a beat at the mention of her name but the Doctor continue " I know love can be the scariest thing in the world. It's wonderful and painful at the same time. And it's risky, but it's a risk worth it. Don't waste your time. Life is too short for that."
Matt nodded slowly, taking in her words. He knew that she was right. He had been holding back, afraid of putting his heart on the line and getting hurt. But he was also afraid of hurting Alex, of making her uncomfortable, of not being enough for her. Yet in the past she had never told him that she didn't love him back. Matt vividly remembered her face and her tearful eyes as he told him that if Matt chose her, he would regret it one day.She'd been hurt so badly that she didn't believe he could forever and fully love her the way she deserved.
How many times had he asked the universe to give him a sign of what was right to do. And here is the sign, the Doctor who came from another world to help him once again. Suddenly Matt felt that he couldn't spend one more minute without Alex knowing that he still loved her.
"What do you want, Matt?" the Doctor asked, her voice gentle yet insistent.
Matt thought for a moment, then spoke from the heart "I want her to know that I will always be there for her, any way she wants me to. That I have loved her since before I even existed and that I will love her as long as this universe exists and beyond because she is worth it"
The Doctor smiled, a twinkle in her eye. "Well, then," she said, turning back to the TARDIS controls. "Let's get to work."