The Lost Ships

Prison

I pace the floor of the small holding cell. When will they come? They said they'd be here soon to bail me out. The room is tiny, making the space I can pace frustratingly small.

"Please stop." The man is sitting on the only furniture in the room: a narrow wooden bench.

I sigh and slump against the wall. He is staring at me. He's been doing that the whole time. Watching me silently as I paced. It was infuriating.

"When are they coming?" I groan.

"Be patient!" He sounds exasperated.

"Easy for you to say! You're so cool, cucumbers are jealous!"

He raises an eyebrow as if to say 'Seriously?' Groaning again, I lower myself into a sitting position.

"You can sit here," He offers, gesturing to the bench beside him.

I just raise my eyebrows at him, not bothering to answer.

He checked his watch. "They're late."

"No kidding!" I lower my face into my hands, frustrated. "I'm starting to wonder if they'll ever come." I mumble.

"Don't be dramatic."

"When you've been in prison for the last 10 years you're going to be impatient!"

"How about when you've been there for 30?" He says it practically, with almost no emotion.

I look up at him, but his gaze is fixed on the opposite wall.

I stand and walk over, sitting beside him on the bench.

"I'm sorry. I missed your name."

He looks at me. "Call me The Doctor."

"The Doctor?" I raise my eyebrows again.

"That's what everyone in the prison has always called me."

"But what's your real name?" I persist.

He smiles slightly at me. "Christopher."

Then he makes a face. "Never cared much for that name."

I grin. "Alright Doctor, what were you in prison for?"

He shrugs. "Don't remember. Don't care. It was probably something stupid anyway."

I laugh. "How can you not remember?!"

He shrugged again, grinning this time.

I'm opening my mouth to make a sassy comment when the door opens. They're here! Finally!

I'm surrounded by hugs and happy chattering. I'm so glad they finally came!

But, as I'm pulled out the door by my excited friends, I see a man in a staff uniform come over to the Doctor. They exchange a few words and then the man leads the convict away, back into the prison.

As he walks away, the Doctor casts one last glance back towards our group. It was full of a deep, aching loneliness.

Till the end of my days I never forget that look, and always regret that there had been no one to take him away from the prison and into a loving home.

I always regret that I hadn't offered.

A/N: Got a list of prompts from guarneretoye on Tumblr. I decided to use this one: Waiting in a holding cell together for our friends to bail us out and you're unexpectedly cool AU.
The narrator can be anyone. I had no specific character in mind. And then Nine of course.
Hope you enjoyed!