Just a short DW one-shot on the Doctor's thoughts. No specific Doctor, though ninth regeneration +.

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN DOCTOR WHO, OR THE LYRICS TO WISH I STAYED BY ELLIE GOULDING. I MAKE NO PROFIT FROM THIS.

Enjoy =D

Why can't we speak another language, one we all agree on?
When men look outside, why do they see houses,
Instead of the fields they grew from?
We are constantly uprooted from them, making us tiresome and fearful,
Can you get up right now? Endeavour to free-fall…

The Doctor missed Gallifrey. He missed everything, from the red grass to the people who had once walked the magnificent planet. He missed the air, the friendship with the Master that had been left behind. Heck, he even missed the academy…

Sometimes he does wonder what would of happened if he'd somehow found a way to stop the war, save his race… but it's best not to think of what could've been.

Oh, he always tells his companions of how great the Time Lords. They were fantastic. They knew everything, everyone, everywhere, everywhen. They were great, they were the height of majestic.

But, somewhere in his heart the Doctor knows the time-lords changed during the war. They were no longer the race everyone should've been. They were power-hungry, suddenly obsessed with riches and glory. Just like the Master now was.

With that skipping rope, the trampoline,
The crafty smoke that made us choke,
But we didn't give up hope.
It's the simple ways of getting paid,
The carelessness of running away,
I wish I stayed,
I wish I stayed,
I wish I stayed.

The Doctor cares about the Master more than he lets himself admit. He thinks about him sometimes, willing the telepathic link to somehow fix itself, somehow letting the Doctor know the Master is out there somewhere, alive. But it's dead. The link, that is. The Master… who knows?

The Doctor ran away from his home planet. He ran away from his family, planning to return one day, but he never got the chance. Now he'd never know. He had that burden, that responsibility. The Doctor had so much in his past… so much in his future. So much in his now.

'Cause you can fall if you want to, it's just a matter of how far,
You've treasured your home town, but you've forgotten where you are.
And it will stay with you 'til you're mind's been found,
and it has been found wondering around.

Humans were great… amazing creatures that beyond fascinated him. He never completely understood them. They never understood him completely, either, so it was even. They'd rubbed off on him, he'd noticed. Their emotions, their habits…

He was a wonderer by nature, someone who needed freedom. The Doctor needed the universe at his fingertips, the stars in his hands, time within his grasp. He'd always wanted these things, and adventure. The thrill of the chase.

But, above all, sometimes the Doctor wishes he stayed.

The carelessness of running away,

I wish I stayed…

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