Erasure

“And that, dear, sweet Leela, is how I first met your friend, the Doctor.”

“Adric, meet a useless Time Lord. Useless Time Lord, meet Adric.”

“Are you awake? You took quite a knock on the head up there. Well, I can still feel your pulse, that's something. I don't know if you can hear me, but we're going to be fine. You're going to be fine. I've sent a communication back to the Capitol. They'll have a skimmer here soon. Can you manage a smile? You do have the most devastating smile, you know. But don't let anyone know I said that. Including you, it seems. Stay with me, Leela.”

“He reached back and put a finger on my lips. "But remember, don't speak. Let me do the talking. I'm used to all this kind of thing, you... you'll just mess everything up, knock pot plants over and generally embarrass us. Well, you. Embarrass you. I won't be embarrassed. I don't do embarrassed. Do I, Adric?" Adric gave a response that he absolutely didn't, but said it in a tone that suggested the Doctor actually embarrassed himself quite a lot.”

“Now, as a member of the CIA, I am not particularly trained in negotiation. Or physical fracas. Or, frankly, deep philosophical discussions about the merits of temporal and causal reality and its effects on the Web of Time. What I am reasonably well trained in is being straightforward, blunt, and using the fastest solution. So, I took out my stasor and shot Riyan Tarth down.”

“Clever Doctor. I also wanted, at that moment, to punch him on the nose, which wasn't something I recall ever thinking about anyone in my life before. Clearly, he brought that out in people.”

“And that's another reason I'm glad I met you when I did. Because you've made me so much better over these past few years. The Narvin of today would never use the Oubliette, it's an abhorrence. A device of pure evil. But I needed you to show me how to be a better Time Lord. A better Gallifreyan. A better me. So, thank you.”