for whack_a_muse: Kept

[rude_not_ginger]

She is like ">| Quit being a butt to him! It is not his fault!"
Ten is like What? He only has EVERYTHING I EVER WANTED

Dorothy: Right, everything except the TARDIS, and eternal youth, and, y'know, freedom. >|
The Doctor: There's more to life than just freedom.
Dorothy: Not much more.
The Doctor: I've been free a long time, Dorothy. It wouldn't hurt to just stand still a while.
Dorothy: But you have a choice! He's not going to stop for a while, he's trapped for the rest of his life. And that's all he has-- one life.
The Doctor: People can do more in one life than others can in dozens. You look at a sunset when you've got only one life and it MEANS something
Dorothy: Do you really think you've done the right thing, here?
The Doctor: Leaving him with Rose? It's what I'd want if I were him.
Dorothy: But you're not him.
The Doctor: But he's me.
Dorothy: Yeah, he is. But you're not him, and you never will be. He's different, Doctor.
The Doctor: He should be grateful.
Dorothy: Grateful! That you abandoned him?
The Doctor: He didn't need me! And I left him with Rose! And the Tylers!
Dorothy: Did you even ask him what he wanted?
The Doctor: If he didn't want it, he'd have said something.
Dorothy: You seem awful damn sure of that.
The Doctor: Why wouldn't he? It's a perfect life! Simple, easy, a whole world to explore with the woman he----with Rose!
Dorothy: After all this time, you still think human life is simple?
The Doctor: I think it's something I could never have.
Dorothy: But it wasn't enough for YOU to give up your world for. Why should it be for him?
The Doctor: I CAN'T give up my world for it. I can't! I'll never grow old, I'll regenerate.
Dorothy: You could choose not to. You could leave the TARDIS, lock the doors and walk away. But you don't, because it's the most important thing in the universe to you. Your freedom is everything, and you took his away forever, and you think that's right.
The Doctor: It's not that easy. When you've got years, that's enough. One world is enough. I have FOREVER.
Dorothy: ...Doctor, pardon my French, but you really don't know the first goddamn thing about being human.
The Doctor: I've been human before.
Dorothy: I find that hard to believe.
The Doctor: Was quite the experience. And just because I don't relate to you or to him doesn't mean I don't UNDERSTAND.
Dorothy: Actually, it... kinda does.
The Doctor: You don't encompass all of humanity, Dorothy.
The Doctor: And he's only SOMEWHAT human
Dorothy: And you don't know everything just because you're OLD.
Dorothy: I just think... you're trying to justify it to yourself as much as to me.
The Doctor: I'm not justifying anything.
Dorothy: No, you're really not!
The Doctor: What would you have had me do? Give him my TARDIS? Leave the maniac who committed genocide to wander the universe?
Dorothy: Not abandon him, for a start.
The Doctor: Abandon him? He doesn't need me!
Dorothy: He's your own flesh and blood, and you just dumped him like he's nothing!
The Doctor: He's a CLONE of me. He's not my son or some nonsense!
Dorothy: He's family. And you turned your back on him.
The Doctor: Family?? He's a murderer with my face!
Dorothy: Is that what it is? You can't even stand to look at him?
The Doctor: I can't understand how you can justify what he's done!
Dorothy: It's not about justifying his actions, it's about helping him! But because he makes you uncomfortable, you won't even try, you just dump him off in another universe and try and forget he even exists!
The Doctor: I gave him that universe! I gave him Rose!
Dorothy: And you thought that would be enough?
The Doctor: It should be enough!
Dorothy: Would it be enough for you?
The Doctor: Yes!
The Doctor: I-I don't know.
Dorothy: After everything you've seen. The entire universe at your fingertips. Centuries of absolute freedom. Could you just turn your back and walk away, knowing all you'd ever see for the rest of your very short life was one planet? One tiny little backward civilization?
Dorothy: You're capable of a lot of things, Doctor, but I don't think even you could do that and be happy.
The Doctor: He only has one life. He can spend it with her. Why isn't that enough?
Dorothy: Because he knows what it's like to be you.
The Doctor: I've always wanted the slow life. The life I can never lead. He gets it and I'm supposed to feel sorry for him? No. NO.
Dorothy: You don't want the slow life.
The Doctor: I've always lived the fast life.
Dorothy: Because you want to. You could stop anytime, if you wanted. Literally; anytime, anywhere. But you can't.
Dorothy: And now you've forced him to. You might as well have sentenced him to death.
The Doctor: He might've gotten worse from the Shadow Proclamation. He destroyed an entire race!
Dorothy: Who would have destroyed the entire universe!
The Doctor: I would've stopped them!
Dorothy: And how many more innocents would have died?
The Doctor: None! I had a plan!
Dorothy: Oh, you had a plan. Well, I guess in that case it's okay to condemn him as beyond all hope, then.
The Doctor: He's not condemned. He'll live out a good life---you make it as if Earth isn't my favorite planet. I LOVE Earth. He loves it too!
Dorothy: You don't get it. What you've done to him is... cruel and unusual punishment.
The Doctor: Well forgive me for giving him Rose and a future when he would've had nothing and, oh, right, nothing.
Dorothy: He would have had you! He would have had a family and adventure and freedom, and he would have had you!
The Doctor: Why would he want ME?
Dorothy: He's human. You're the only family he's got.
The Doctor: I'm not family! I'm the genetic code that wrote him!
Dorothy: That IS family!
The Doctor: That's not family! That's not anything! He is an ECHO of me.
Dorothy: He's a living person, Doctor! Whether you like it or not!
The Doctor: He's a THING. He's not even enough to be a person!
Dorothy: ...
Dorothy: I can't believe you just said that.
The Doctor: You don't know him.
Dorothy: Neither do you.
The Doctor: He's my right hand! Of course I know him!
Dorothy: I'm not sure you know anything anymore.
The Doctor: You don't know me, either!
Dorothy: ...No.
Dorothy: But I know what it means to be human.
The Doctor: He's not even really human. He's only MOSTLY human.
Dorothy: So?
The Doctor: So he doesn't even know what it's like!
The Doctor: So how can you defend him!
Dorothy: Someone ought to.
The Doctor: He can defend himself. Obviously, seeing as he destroyed an entire race in "defense".
Dorothy: I might've done the same thing in his shoes.
Dorothy: Does that mean I'm not a person too?
The Doctor: You'd have been smarter.
Dorothy: I'd have been emotional. Irrational. Angry.
Dorothy: I'd have done what I had to do.
The Doctor: And you'd have slaughtered billions of creatures without a second thought?
Dorothy: So that no one else would have to? Maybe.
The Doctor: There are other ways. There is ALWAYS another way
Dorothy: Of course there is. But in the heat of the moment, a HUMAN would react with their instinct.
The Doctor: That doesn't make it right.
Dorothy: No. But it doesn't make us beyond saving, either.
The Doctor: I gave him Rose. She saved me.
Dorothy: She didn't want him. She wanted you.
The Doctor: She wanted someone who could love her. He can love her.
Dorothy: She loved you.
The Doctor: She loved him, too.
Dorothy: But he's only part of you. She only loved part of him.
The Doctor: I can't love her like he can!
Dorothy: And she can't love him like she loves you.
The Doctor: Then what do we do? She can get the love she deserves if she stays with him, he gets watched over, and the universe is safe. Or, none of it.
Dorothy: They both could have stayed.
The Doctor: And he would've hated me. Because he loved her.
Dorothy: Maybe. But it would've been on his terms.
The Doctor: And not on mine.
Dorothy: No, yours would have you pretending he never existed at all!
The Doctor: He's everything I stopped being.
Dorothy: And you think running away from it with your fingers in your ears screaming "LA LA LA" is going to make it okay?
The Doctor: I didn't run away!
Dorothy: You absolutely did.
The Doctor: Why do you care? It's between him and me.
Dorothy: Because it's cruel.
The Doctor: You don't get to decide that! I do!
Dorothy: Says who? You're not God.
The Doctor: I'm the Doctor. There's no higher authority.
Dorothy: Well, I'm challenging it.
The Doctor: You can't!
Dorothy: Watch me.
The Doctor: I'm watching you. Notice me, me, watching you. You still can't reverse it. I knew what I was doing.
Dorothy: Then you're not the man I thought you were.
The Doctor: Who did you think I was?
Dorothy: I didn't think you were so bigoted, but apparently I was wrong.
The Doctor: I'm not bigoted!
Dorothy: You just told me you don't even think he's a PERSON just because of the way he was born! I think that's pretty much the definition of bigoted!
The Doctor: He wasn't born! He was mutated out of my cells!
Dorothy: Fine, created, whatever. So what?
The Doctor: So? So what? So he's---not! He's only sort of me. He's not me. And I gave him her!
Dorothy: And?
The Doctor: And he should be grateful! I could've left him alone on that universe!
Dorothy: I just don't understand why you hate him so much.
The Doctor: I don't hate him.
The Doctor: I just...can't look at him. He's everything about me I can't bear exaggerated and brought out.
Dorothy: But Doctor, you punished HIM for it.
The Doctor: The only punishing I did was locking him away from me. And considering his actions, that's more like mercy.
Dorothy: Is that what you tell yourself.
The Doctor: It's what I'm telling you!
Dorothy: It's not right.
The Doctor: I only do what's right.
Dorothy: Liar.
Dorothy: You do what's right for YOU.
The Doctor: I do what's right! And what he did was wrong! And I still gave him a whole world to explore with Rose. And you act like I threw him to the Tereleptin mines at Raga!
Dorothy: Because you didn't do it because of what he did, you did it because you couldn't stand to look at him.
The Doctor: T-That's not what I said!
Dorothy: But it's the truth. You could have found a million other ways to punish him but you chose the way you did because you didn't want to deal with him.
Dorothy: You're not some great judge of fairness when you're letting your own problems cloud your decisions, so don't tell me you're the all-high-and-mighty end-all be-all authority!
The Doctor: My punishment was kinder than anyone else's might've been!
Dorothy: That doesn't make it okay.
The Doctor: It doesn't make me wrong, either.
Dorothy: I think it does.
The Doctor: Doesn't matter now. It's done.
Dorothy: And you'll just walk away. Like you walk away from everything. How many other people have you just walked away from?
The Doctor: Why do you care? Why! It's between him and me and nobody else!
Dorothy: Because when people are being mistreated, someone ought to care.
The Doctor: I'm not his father. I'm not mistreating him. I could mistreat him. But I'm just leaving him. I left him! It's over!
Dorothy: It will never be over for him!
The Doctor: He's only got sixty years to endure it!
Dorothy: That's a LIFETIME!
The Doctor: Yep. His lifetime.
Dorothy: And not yours. And that's all that matters to you, isn't it.
The Doctor: He never protested.
Dorothy: Did you give him a chance?
The Doctor: Yes, and he committed genocide.
Dorothy: Not what I meant.
The Doctor: There was the whole time on the beach. He could've said anything. Instead, he said what Rose wanted to hear and won the girl. There you go. Perfect story.
Dorothy: What if he had said something? Would you have listened?
The Doctor: I----I don't know.
Dorothy: And you never bothered to ask.
The Doctor: I left him kissing Rose. I've always been told not to ask questions to people while they're busy.
Dorothy: Yes, you're jealous, I get that. I'm not talking about Rose, I'm talking about you.
The Doctor: I'm not jealous!
Dorothy: Sure as hell sounds like you are.
The Doctor: Maybe I am. It doesn't matter.
Dorothy: It absolutely does! You seem to be blaming him for taking your precious Rose away, when you're the one that left him with her in the first place!
The Doctor: grumbles You sound like Donna.
Dorothy: I take it you didn't listen to her, either.
The Doctor: I'm leaving.
Dorothy: I can't stop you.
The Doctor: No, you can't.
Dorothy: But I can try.
Dorothy: I don't hate you, you know.
The Doctor: I'd hate to see what hate looks like on you, then.
Dorothy: I'm angry and disappointed and... frankly, shocked that you're capable of this, but you're my friend, and I could never hate you.
The Doctor: Well, we've differing opinions about what is right and wrong. Won't be the last time. But you're wrong.
Dorothy: And you're welcome to do your damnedest to convince me.
The Doctor: When he does his damndest to convince me he's more than a monster with my face.
Dorothy: ...Monster.
The Doctor: A whole species! Wiped out!
Dorothy: He came from you.
The Doctor: And humans came from primates, do you see the apes taking responsibility for you?
Dorothy: No, but I doubt they'd call us monsters.
The Doctor: Considering what you lot do to them in science labs, I wouldn't be surprised.
Dorothy: Oh, so now I'M the monster.
The Doctor: I didn't say that.
Dorothy: No, just my entire species. Go on, tell me how primitive "my lot" is.
The Doctor: This conversation wasn't about you.
Dorothy: No, but it clearly bothers you that he's half-human. Is that why you can't look at him? Because he's half-"monster"?
The Doctor: Stop it. I love Earth. I love humans. Protect you all enough!
Dorothy: How gracious of you. How kind and benevolent a supreme being you are, to look down on all the little people and bestow us with your protection.
The Doctor: Stop!
Dorothy: They're my people. He is one of my people. If you won't protect him, I will.
The Doctor: I'd protect him. But don't ask me to forgive him.
Dorothy: Fine. I can do that too.
Dorothy: I'm sorry you can't.
The Doctor: I'm not.
Dorothy: You love to hate him.
The Doctor: No, I love to hate the Master.
The Doctor: I love to have no feelings about him whatsoever.
Dorothy: ...How can you be so cold?
The Doctor: Practice.
Dorothy: It makes me sick.
The Doctor: I have Venusian antacids.
Dorothy: Can I ask you a question? And have your promise that you'll answer me with the truth?
The Doctor: crosses his arms All right.
Dorothy: Have you ever honestly cared about anyone but yourself?
The Doctor: Yes.
Dorothy: Who?
The Doctor: A question. Singular.
Dorothy: I don't know if I can believe you.
The Doctor: You don't have to.
Dorothy: I want to.
Dorothy: But I don't know if it means anything to you that I do.
The Doctor: It matters. But I don't think I can convince you.
Dorothy: And you wouldn't even bother to try.
The Doctor: I wouldn't know where to start.
Dorothy: So you give up?
The Doctor: I don't know.
Dorothy: ...
Dorothy: I would fight for you.
The Doctor: You don't even know me.
Dorothy: [shrug] Don't need to.
The Doctor: How old are you, Dorothy?
Dorothy: [sigh] Too old.
The Doctor: [shakes head] Too young.
Dorothy: [laughs] Why, because I still care?
The Doctor: [flatly] Yes.
Dorothy: I'm me. I'm always going to care.
The Doctor: Stay that way. One day you'll find you're and bitter.
Dorothy: I don't think so.
Dorothy: I'm grounded.
The Doctor: Being grounded is my worst nightmare.
Dorothy: Yet you're quick to inflict it on others.
The Doctor: And we're back to this.
Dorothy: [shrug] Just saying.
Dorothy: ...Did you lie to me?
The Doctor: Lie to you? What? No!
Dorothy: Prove it.
The Doctor: Prove what?
Dorothy: I'm challenging you to prove to me that you care. About anyone else.
The Doctor: I save entire worlds!
Dorothy: I don't mean worlds. I mean one person.
The Doctor: Any one person.
Dorothy: Anyone at all.
The Doctor: Susan Foreman. My granddaughter.
Dorothy: *shakes her head* Doesn't count.
The Doctor: Fine. Sarah Jane Smith. Ian Chesterton. Romanadvortralundar. Leela. Vislor Turlough.
Dorothy: I'm assuming these are people you've traveled with?
The Doctor: Yes.
Dorothy: And you left them all.
The Doctor: No. They all left me. Sarah Jane left after an argument, Ian went back home with Barbara, Romana left to be her own Romana, Leela ran off and got married, and Turlough went back home.
The Doctor: I never forget.
Dorothy: And you never fought for them.
The Doctor: And deny them their happiness?
Dorothy: You allowed them to walk out of your life, and you never looked back. What were the words you used... Right. You left them, and it was over.
The Doctor: I'm not going to cling to them when they're ready to leave! They're my companions, not my pets!
Dorothy: You wanted them to go.
The Doctor: No!
Dorothy: But you never fought for them.
The Doctor: I would've died for them! For anyone I traveled with! I did, sometimes!
Dorothy: But what does that mean to you?
Dorothy: How much of yourself would you give for one person? And how much is enough to matter to you?
The Doctor: What does this have to do with him?
Dorothy: [shrug]
The Doctor: Don't shrug.
Dorothy: Doesn't matter.
The Doctor: Apparently it does.
Dorothy: Not to you.
The Doctor: I don't understand!
Dorothy: I'm not asking you to.
The Doctor: Then what are you asking me?
Dorothy: ...Nothing.
The Doctor: Then this conversation is over.
Dorothy: Fine. Doesn't matter.
The Doctor: Fine.
Dorothy: Gonna leave me now?
The Doctor: Yes.
Dorothy: Forever?
The Doctor: Probably not.
Dorothy: I don't believe you.
The Doctor: Goodbye, Dorothy.

Muse: The Doctor (Ten)
Fandom: Doctor Who
Word Count: 3,156 YA RLY
Written with the amazing galeforcehero
handysparehand referenced with permission.