oracle [doctor who]

three

"I gave them that warning and they laughed in my face," Nora fired back. "I told them to run while they still could. They didn't heed my warning and it bit them in the ass. They didn't listen to me about how awful humans can be."

"Those are the people I represent," Harriet said. "I did it on their behalf."

"Then I should've stopped you," the Doctor lamented. 

Harriet glowered. "What does that make you, Doctor? Another alien threat?"

"Don't challenge me, Harriet Jones, because I'm a completely new man," the Doctor threatened. "I could bring down your Government with a single word." 

"Don't threaten her," Nora warned, grabbing at his sleeve.

He ripped her hand off him and shot her a withering look. "Not now. I'll deal with you later."

She laughed and bit her lip flirtily. "Promise?"

"You're the most remarkable man I've ever met, but I don't think you're quite capable of that," Harriet said in response to the Doctor's threat. Nora growled and stormed off, back towards her car. She couldn't watch this. She couldn't watch the Doctor ruin Harriet's life because they disagreed.

He's going to ask questions, Nora.

I know, Nora replied. I don't trust him with the truth. Not yet.

Neither do I. He's too volatile. Too new.

Nora tried to brainstorm lies for when he questioned her. She was running through her answers for the third time when she noticed the TARDIS rematerializing by the stairs of the building. She set her jaw and stalked up to the doors. As soon as they opened, she hurled herself at the Doctor, bitching, "If that's how you're gonna treat everyone you disagree with, we're gonna have a rough time."

"Who are you?" Rose inquired. "Where did you get those scars? How did you-"

"Nu-uh, me first," Nora cut in. "How do you know me?"

The Doctor looked sorrowful. "We met once. I guess I got the wrong impression of you."

"Fuck you!" Nora shouted, shoving him. "Fuck you for what you did to Harriet! The moment you turned your back the leader tried to stab you in the back and you really believed they would leave and keep their word?"

"You can't base your judgment of an entire species off the actions of one member," the Doctor retorted.

She jabbed her finger into his chest. "You don't get to tell me what I can or can't do. You don't know shit about me." She ripped her jacket off, putting her scars on full display, and tied it around her waist. "You wanna know how I got these scars? I got most of these from dear old Dad. He beat the shit out of my mom and I. He, uh, he used to do this thing whenever my mom fought back where he would grab me and he'd press a cigarette to my skin until she gave in."

For a moment, she was silent as she stared at one particular burn mark on her arm from the time she swore to her mom up and down that it didn't really hurt that bad, please don't give in. She cleared her throat and continued. "And you know what, Doc? My dad, he used to swear that he'd stop - stop drinking, stop beating us, etc. - and every time, every fucking time, he broke that promise. So excuse me if I'm a bit cynical."

"Nora-"

"I'm not done!" she spat. "Fuck you for berating Harriet. She was just doing what she thought was best. And isn't that life? Just doing what we think is best? And sometimes we're wrong and sometimes we're right and sometimes it's that gray area where it's neither wrong nor right, but no matter what you just keep doing your best. Harriet saw people murdered in front of her, she saw what those Sycorax could do, and she made the decision she thought was best."