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The Doctor wondered why no one wanted to sit next to him.

The grandstand was teeming with people of all ages and backgrounds, each one hoping for a glimpse of the newly inaugurated President of the United States. Even the morning’s light rain had not kept the crowds - or the vendors - away. The Doctor was amused to see how many families had bags of popcorn.

He had brought his own snacks, of course.

Arriving an hour before the grand speeches at the capitol, the Doctor had been content to sit back and watch the crowd. It was a fascinating day, of course, that’s why he was here. For the people who showed up to watch their new president, he could see more hope than fear -  but he was not at all surprised to see that most people showed signs of both.

The sun was just starting to peek through the clouds when he saw the horses. Mounted police were walking the parade route, doing a last check in preparation for the start of the procession. Beautiful animals , thought the Doctor. Having met some fine police horses in the past, he could only guess how proud these “officers” were to serve on this particular occasion.

“I didn’t think you were a parade sort of fellow.”

The Doctor didn’t have to turn around to identify the speaker. “No wonder this seat stayed empty. Were you being lazy, or did you just plan ahead?” Now the doctor turned, and his eyes betrayed only mild surprise. “A colonel? I had you pegged for at least a 3-Star General.”

His companion sat down, his immaculate dress uniform looking as if it had never been worn (which it hadn’t, of course). The preposterous assemblage of medals honored this Army Colonel’s service in Iraq (both times), Korea, Vietnam, and both theaters of World War II. He also had a medal for service in the RAF during the Sontaran Invasion of 2009, which made no sense because that little incident had been wiped from the timeline. Anything to push my buttons, thought the Doctor.

“I decided that today was a good day to keep a low profile.” His companion replied. “Besides, I don’t want to cause any trouble when I’m so very far from home.”

The Doctor almost snorted. “Or when the Continuum isn’t here to protect you?”

Q returned the Doctor’s gaze, a look of faint disdain on his face. “That has nothing to do with it.”

“Oh, come off it, Q. Every time you leave your universe, trouble follows you. And for an omnipotent, omniscient, immortal godlike being, it’s almost funny that I ended up rescuing you.”

“Yes, yes, of course you’d never let me forget about that little incident.” Q sighed.

“I mean really, did you even stop to think that this universe and yours run on different rules?” The Doctor was using his cross voice, but the twinkle in his eye betrayed how close he was to laughing....a fact entirely lost on Q, who didn’t look over as he defended himself.

“They looked like pepperpots!” Q hissed, with growing frustration.

Now the Doctor chuckled, and Q looked over to realize he’d been had again. Jean-Luc never annoyed me as much as this. Perhaps it’s best that we don’t have Time Lords back home.

A cheer rose from their right, and both beings looked down the road to see the beginnings of the parade. Men in trenchcoats and sunglasses, hands on their ears, signaled that the guest of honor would be arriving soon. Q watched as the distant group of people turned onto their street, making their way slowly along the parade route. He could hear the drums start up behind them, as the procession began in earnest.

The Doctor turned as well, watching the approaching crowd. He could see the man at its head, now, along with what had to be his wife and a young blonde woman.

Q noticed as well. “Doesn’t he have more children?”

“His older sons are in the second limo with their families, as well as their other sister. His youngest son is already in the presidential grandstand, since he didn’t want to ride in the limo.” The Doctor pointed out the younger man next to the blonde woman. “And that’s his son-in-law.”

“The ambassador?”

“Not for a few years, yet.”

They continued to watch the group approach. The wind had calmed down a bit, and - though clouds remained - the rain was holding off, for now. President Trump, despite a reputation for being slightly overweight, seemed to be full of energy, waving to the crowd with a broad grin. His wife smiled as well, though one could tell that she would have preferred to ride.

Q shook his head. “Remarkable, these humans. Half of them are cheering for this man, desperate for him to do more than a human is capable of in just a heartbeat’s worth of time. And the other half is cheering for the hope that he will not destroy them all, or that he’ll be so bad at getting them all killed that he can be stopped before it’s too late.”

The Doctor said nothing.

“When I look at scenes like this one, it makes me wonder how these creatures made it to the stars in the first place.”

At this, the Doctor smiled. “You know, it took them decades to set foot on another planet, and it was almost a century before first contact. But it was less than 10 years between their first flight in space and their first landing on their satellite. Do you know why?”

Q shrugged. “I couldn’t guess.”

The Doctor nodded to the Presidential party, still slowly approaching. “Because the US President told his country that they needed to go, and the country followed him.” He still remembered that speech. It had been a great one. Sneaking into the gallery that night had been absolutely worth it.

“And here I thought they raced to the moon to win a war.” Q retorted.

“Sort of. And astronauts died on both sides before the race was over, and many since. But before they retired the moon ships, they flew one last mission. An American ship met a ship from their adversary, the USSR, in orbit. The spacemen, from two almost-at-war nations, shook hands in space, exchanged gifts, and made history.” The Doctor gave Q a look, gazing at him over his sunglasses. “Not exactly a warlike ending, is it?”

Q looked back. “They screw it up, don’t worry.”

“Oh, I know that. But I’ve seen what happens when they get it right. And it really is marvelous.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small bag. “Want one?”

The look on Q’s face said that no, he did not want a jelly baby.

The President was almost in front of them now, and the crowd continued to cheer him on. The Doctor was surprised by the shouts of Melania’s name as well as her husband’s. The wind had picked up a bit, bringing with it a slight chill.

“I could stop this, all of it,” said the Doctor, quietly. “If I wanted to.”

Q looked at him, surprised. “Just like that, eh?”

The Doctor shrugged. “I’ve done it before. I removed the Prime Minister of Great Britain from power with six words, once. Still regret that one. But I get nasty when I lose my temper.”

Six words, and he calls it losing his temper, thought Q.

“Fine, I’ll humor you. You want me to ask you why you don’t just end this farce, and you’ll give me a speech about humans rising above adversity or some rubbish, and I’ll sit here and nod and tell you how wise you are. But I’m not going to play that game. I know how this presidency ends, how it changes the world. And so do you.” Q looked at the Doctor now, studying him intently. “So let me turn the question around. Knowing what happens, how can you not do something?”

The Doctor returned his gaze. “Because the last time I did that, a rogue Time Lord took over the planet and submitted its entire population to imprisonment and torture. All to get back at me.” Q saw the beginnings of rage in the Doctor’s eyes… and sorrow as well. “I’m not going to risk that again.”

Looking back to the crowd, the Doctor spoke very softly. “It can always get worse.”

Before Q could respond, the Doctor grinned. “Besides, I know humanity. Humans themselves, they can be awful and greedy and selfish and stupid. But Humanity? Gets you every time.” He pointed to the grandstand across the street from their seats. “Watch this.”

Q looked over, just in time to see an older white man fall forward out of his seat. A few onlookers shouted for help, but Q’s eye’s were drawn first to the presidential party. The President himself had walked far enough along that he didn’t notice the disturbance. His daughter, however, saw the man fall and grabbed the elbow of the nearest security man. The man then radioed for help.

When Q looked back at the fallen man, a young woman was pushing on his chest. It took Q only an instant to realize that she was manually pumping his heart, in an effort to keep him alive. It was only moments before medics arrived to take over.

Q turned to the Doctor. “These humans are fragile, we both knew that already.”

The Doctor leaned back and smiled. “Ah, but that’s not the whole story. Did you see the president’s daughter? Maybe she didn’t want to cause a scene that would mar her father’s moment of glory. Maybe she was concerned for her own safety. Maybe she genuinely wanted to get the man help. But whatever her reasons were, those medics got to him 3 and a half minutes faster than they would have, and those three minutes made the difference. He lives another 17 years, before dying in his sleep.”

“But there’s more. You see, the woman who kept him alive? She so fears what Donald Trump will do as president, that she could not bear to live under his rule. So she tidied up her affairs, wrote notes, and was going to go home to her apartment. She planned to quietly end her life. All she had left to do was see the inauguration, to make sure that yes, this was really happening, her nightmare was real. And in doing so, she sat down three seats away from an old man who voted for Trump, who hopes with all his heart that President Trump will do everything that she fears with all her heart.”

The Doctor watched the medics wheel the old man away, as the woman followed - carrying his backpack and her own bag. “So now instead of a quiet suicide at home, this woman will spend her evening at the hospital bed of a man she’s never met. A man with no family, no ties, no connections other than to hate. They keep in touch, corresponding on and off, for the rest of his life. She, meanwhile, becomes a nurse. How many people do you think she saves, over the years?”

Q was already tired of the set piece. “Surely you have a point.”

“I’m getting there.” said the Doctor. “The point is this - even in the face of fear, or hate, or unfathomable uncertainty, there’s still hope.” He waved at the crowd. “You can see it. Even people who fear everything that this man stands for are hopeful that everything will work out in the end. They will fight him, they will challenge him, they will hope to constrain him - but ultimately they expect to survive him.”

The Doctor looked up and down the street, taking in the crowd. “They believe that tomorrow will come.” Looking at Q, he continued softly. “Not every planet gets to say that, you know.”

“I know.” Some of the impatience had left Q’s voice as he replied.

Behind the first family, the marching bands were beginning to hit their stride. The drums of the Marine Corps band were first, and loudest. The Doctor looked at Q, who remained thoughtful.

“I know what you’re thinking.” said the Doctor.

Q smiled in spite of himself. Few sentients sparred with him like this Time Lord, and it was refreshing. “OK, then. What if you are?”

“Then I’ll just have to fix it, won’t I? You know, technically I’m still President of Earth. I could just take over for good this time.” The Doctor smiled at the look on Q’s face. “I mean it. They gave me a plane and everything. Of course, I may have blown it up. But still…”

“Surely you’re joking.”

“Only one way to find out.” With that, the Doctor pulled out his sonic. “Just say the word.”

Q shook his head, stifling one of his chuckles. “No, thank you. Another time, perhaps.” At this, he stood. “It’s time I got on with my vacation.”

The Doctor stood as well, reaching out to offer a handshake. “Don’t get into any trouble while you’re in this universe. I wouldn’t want to have to come to your rescue.”

The smile left Q’s face. He didn’t take the Doctor’s hand, but just glared at him.

“Again.” said the Doctor with a laugh.

“Au Contraire, mon ami.” said Q, softening. “I wouldn’t want to be further in your debt. Until next time…” And with a snap of his fingers, Q was gone.

The Doctor walked down the steps to the sidewalk, then paused to look at the capitol, in the distance. Even with the new President well past their spot, the crowd continued to cheer as the soldiers and sailors and musicians marched past. Before turning and walking toward the blue police box on the corner, he spoke softly to himself.

“Keep calm, lads.” He whispered, "And carry on."