Work Text:
“Doctor,”
“Mm?”
“What’s your name?”
Finkelstein and Alice sat in front of the large window in what used to be Sally’s room. The Doctor sat comfortably in his assistant’s lap, Alice’s legs shielding his useless ones, and her tail wrapped around his rump. His wheelchair had been parked and set aside, clear to anyone that might come across this scene that the Doctor had been carried the very short distance to the window.
“What sort of question is that?” Finkelstein inquired in amusement, a hint of a smile along his lips. He raised his head to look up at her.
Alice’s ears twitched at her love’s response, and a very soft, nervous laugh left her.
“I-I meant your given name,” she said.
The Halloween Town residents all called the scientist by his title, Dr. Finkelstein. Even his closest friends. Even his dearest creation, Sally. He was always introduced, requested, and relied upon by this title.
For all intents and purposes, “Doctor” could very well have replaced Finkelstein’s first name at this point.
But Alice had to know; all people have a given name.
The Doctor had given her hers.
Finkelstein’s eyes softened behind his glasses. “My parents named me William,” he answered.
“William…” Alice repeated. It sounded lovely on her lips, Finkelstein thought, clenching his gloved hands into tiny fists in embarrassment. The cat-sìth saw this, and took one of his hands gently into her own.
“I was named after my grandfather,” he said.
“Is he still around?”
A hoarse laugh escaped the old Doctor’s throat, “No, no, no!” He waved his hand apologetically, and cleared his throat before speaking again. “He’s long since passed, my dear. All of them.”
His entire family? Alice’s red eyes went wide in shock.
Finkelstein closed his eyes in reminisce, “Yes, believe it or not; biologically, I’m the last surviving member of my family!” He laughed again, though whether it was to ignore this tragic fact, Alice didn’t know. She wrapped her arms around him anyway, pulling the old Doctor closer in a comforting and affectionate embrace.
“I’m so sorry,” the cat-sìth uttered into his bony shoulder, and Finkelstein raised his head up towards Alice again to see that her ears were pinned back, and eyes shone with tears.
The old scientist carefully (and awkwardly) shuffled his body around to face Alice properly. His black gloves disappeared into the cat girl’s fur, thumbs wiping away at her tears as he softly asked, “Why are you upset, my kitten?”
“B-Because…” Alice nuzzled against her dear Doctor’s hand, “you’re the only one left.”
“And that is why I took Igor in,” Finkelstein explained. “That is why I moved to Halloween Town, why I created Sally, and Jewel.” His hands moved from Alice’s face to her hands, thumbs gently brushing against the top of them.
“I care for everyone in this town… even though I sometimes don’t act like it,” the cat-sìth saw a mischievous glint in the Doctor’s glasses, and a smile tugged at her mouth.
“Halloween Town is my family, Alice. And so are you, now.”
The cat girl instigated a kiss, which Finkelstein gladly received. They held one another, tender and sweet. It wasn’t until Alice spoke up that both the silence and kiss broke.
“So… where is your family buried?”
“Under the lab,” said William, all too happy to answer. “Would you like to visit them?”