Another Arrival (open to all)

[merlin_doctor]

"5008. Not 2008, 5008." Missing a destination by a few years of a few miles was something he was well used to. Missing by three thousand years and most of a galaxy was strange even for him. No matter how many button he pushed or levers he tweaked nothing changed. His rubber mallet, unused for decades, didn't even do anything. Apparently he

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[clever_wanderer]

The Doctor took a step out of the TARDIS only to be met with yet another TARDIS. He really should have been expecting it by now, he supposed, he'd already given up keeping track of the amount of other selves, friends, and TARDIS's that seemed to be popping up everyday.

The new arrival stepped out of his own TARDIS with about the same amount of confusion on his face as he remembered himself having. The man was a bit shorter than him, blond-haired, blue-eyed, and for some reason, appeared to be accompanied by a grey wolf.

"That's...different," he said,looking from the wolf to the man and back again, "so which one are you, then? Me, or someone else?"

[merlin_doctor]

It was always strange, the first time he saw a former regeneration from this perspective. Had he really been that tall? And his hair - what had he been thinking?

"I'm you," the Doctor said as he turned and locked the TARDIS door behind him. "Assuming, of course, that you really are the Doctor and not a shape shifter."

He looked again at all the TARDISes. "Are there really that many of us here?"

[clever_wanderer]

"I am not a shape shifter," he confirmed, "last time I checked, at least."

He looked his other self over. This wasn't so bad, bit like his fifth self in a way, though lacking the sort of "vulnerable boyish" look he had going at the time. This one appeared fairly young, but one look at him told you he was much, much older.

He shrugged, perhaps this other self would actually like him, as opposed to the grumpy, French double he'd met upon arrival. It was worth a try.

"I'm afraid so," he said, "and there's a lot more as well, not just us."

[merlin_doctor]

"This can't be good." If all the police boxes belonged to other hims than this was a disaster on a scale he'd never seen before. Not since the destruction of Gallifrey had he run into more than one regeneration at a time.

"Who is here besides us?" It was too quiet for 21st century London, a fact that added to the ominous atmosphere. Sawyer seemed to sense that something was wrong too, and nudged his nose against the Doctor's open hand.

[sarahs_attic]

Sarah was sitting in the back garden reading one of the novels written about her husband's family and the school they started. It was so odd to think they were all only fictional characters in this world.

She didn't know where her Doctor had got off to, Keeping track of her wasn't Sarah's job, though she wasn't quite sure what her purpose here was. She had no intention of turning into the welcome wagon. She'd had enough of that, trying to fit herself to Joey's notions of hospitality.

So when a man with a wolf stepped out of one of the TARDISes, she barely looked up. If they wanted to chat, they could come over and say hello. Joey (in the book) was in an amusing fix and Sarah wanted to see how it all came out. Or at the very least, finish the chapter first.

[merlin_doctor]

While he stared at the TARDISes, trying to understand what so many in one place could mean, Sawyer ran from blue box to blue box, sniffing each one. Not until he let out a low growl did the Doctor follow, more concerned about any person Sawyer might have found than any threat to the wolf. Though he was really an overgrown puppy, Sawyer could look threatening when he wanted to.

"Sorry about..." His first general impression was a woman with brown hair, looking down at a book. And then she looked up. "Sarah," he whispered.

[sarahs_attic]

"Doctor?" It was hardly a stretch. About half the people here seemed to be the Doctor in one incarnation or another.

"Hullo. Who's a pretty doggie?" She reached over to let the animal sniff her hand and then gave him a quick scratch between the ears. "Or are you a pretty wolfie?" Trust the Doctor to have a pet wolf.

[merlin_doctor]

The Doctor nodded slightly at Sarah's questions, but remained silent as companions past and present introduced themselves. Sawyer seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to knowing who to be friendly to.

"He's a gray wolf. I took care for him when he was a pup and then he wouldn't leave."

[literaryloser]

Fitz had been minding his own business, but perked up when he saw another TARDIS land. After all, anyone could be carrying Trix- but no, this was a strange man and...a wolf. ...Fitz hoped he didn't smell like lunch, but he probably did.

"...Nice wolf?"

[merlin_doctor]

"Nicer than an alien poodle fighting a civil war." The Doctor smiled at his old friend, hoping to put him at ease. "Hello Fitz."

[literaryloser]

Flail! "What? Huh? Who--What?" Confused look! He definitely doesn't know this guy or why he would know about those freaky poodles. (Dogs with hands. Just...no.)

[merlin_doctor]

"You didn't forget the dogs with opposable thumbs, did you? Not something you see very often, no matter how much you travel."

He'd almost forgotten how completely befuddled Fitz could look.

[loom_baby]

Jackie has the unfortunate luck of walking right into the new TARDIS, having been reading the newspaper.

He squawked in an undignified manner as he fell to the ground, the paper fluttering around him.

[merlin_doctor]

"Sawyer, no." When the man fell to the ground the wolf thought that it meant he wanted to wrestle, and jumped on the stranger's chest. The Doctor had to repeat his command before the wolf moved.

"Sorry," he said, offering the blond man a hand.

[loom_baby]

Ew... wolf slobber.

Jack took the hand gratefully And pulled himself up. "Thanks, and no problem. I should have watched where I was going." Never mind the fact that the TARDIS wasn't there a second ago...

[merlin_doctor]

"I've found that to be a good general rule."

He waited for the usual exclamation about his TARDIS being bigger on the inside, but it didn't come. The man seemed unphased by the xenothechnology.

"I'm the Doctor and this overgrown puppy is Sawyer."

[unearthlysusan]

There was a wolf in the middle of garden.

Susan had seen a lot of strange things, but she hadn't been expecting that one.

In fact, she'd barely even registered the appearance of yet another TARDIS, or the man who stepped out of it. After all, what was one more ship when the garden was full of them?

A wolf was new, though. A wolf was interesting.

Tentatively, she stepped closer to it, wondering if it would attack.

"Hello," she said, in what she hoped was a gentle voice. It was the sort of tone David had used, when dealing with unruly animals on the little farmstead they'd called home.

[merlin_doctor]

Sawyer ran towards the voice, leaping around the girl in circles a number of times before pausing to sniff her and lick the backs of her knees. He let out a soft bark, the tone of which the Doctor had long ago decided meant 'welcome' or 'you're back!'

The Doctor, for his part, stood frozen in the TARDIS doorway. She looked so much the same as she had, all those centuries ago when he had last seen her. His Susan, his granddaughter. He had the overwelming urge to wrap him arms around her and hold her tightly. He wasn't sure such affection would be welcomed. He wasn't sure he was even capable of such interactions anymore.

"Hello Susan."

[unearthlysusan]

She hadn't been expecting that sort of reaction from the wolf, and laughed rather delightedly. The idea of patting him was extremely tempting, but Susan reminds herself just in time that he isn't a dog, despite his currently playful facade.

Nevertheless, she dropped to her knees to greet Sawyer properly, still beaming, and she was in that position when the man spoke.

A man standing in the TARDIS doorway, and looking at her in a way that had become worryingly familiar. It was the way later incarnations of her Grandfather - only later incarnations, though - looked at her. As if they couldn't quite believe she was real.

"Hello," she replied, before adding, as if addressing Sawyer: "Is he with you?"

[merlin_doctor]

"Sometimes I'm not sure which one of us is following the other. But then again sawyer's not very good at piloting the TARDIS."

The Doctor stepped out of the doorway and locked the TARDIS behind him. He didn't move far, but stood with his hands in his pockets and watched the girl and the wolf. "He'll let you pet him, if you want. He's rather domestic for a wild animal."