Title: Rebels
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Spencer Reid
Fandom: Doctor Who/Criminal Minds
Rating: PG-13
Table: Buffet 2, fc_smorgasbord
Prompt: 34, Rebellion
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the Tenth Doctor or Spencer Reid, unfortunately. Please do not sue.

***

"So, you didn't feel that you wanted to fit in when you were a child?" Spencer asked, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Wow, Gallifreyan kids must have been really different from humans. All human children want is to fit in and to be accepted."

The Doctor laughed wryly, shaking his head. "Oh, Gallifreyan children are that way too, believe me," he said, his tone dry. "There was a time when I desperately wanted to fit in. But I learned very young that I never would, and I was able to accept that about myself."

"Most kids wouldn't be able to do that -- so I'm betting that you had a much higher level of intelligence even than most Gallifreyan children," Spencer told him, leaning back in his chair. "Even among your own people, you were always a standout, weren't you?"

"I'm afraid that I stood out more for the fact that I was a rebel who didn't accept a lot of the rules and regulations that were put on Gallifreyan children than for any other reason," the Doctor told him, with another wry smile. "I was a troublemaker in a lot of ways."

"A lot of really intelligent kids are classed as 'troublemakers,' because they're more naturally curious than others, and adults don't know how to deal with them," Spencer pointed out. "So I'd say that there was nothing wrong with your curiosity."

"Weren't you rebellious in some ways when you were a child?" the Doctor asked his young lover, raising his brows in question as he looked over at Spencer. "You seem like the type of child who would have been questioning everything, wanting to know more."

"Yeah, I was like that," Spencer said, his voice quiet and a little melancholy. "But that wasn't my way of rebelling. That was just who I was naturally. I was the geeky kid who always knew all the answers. The one who was never going to fit in, no matter what."

"So how did you rebel?" the Doctor asked, his curiosity obvious. He reached out to take Spencer's hand in his, squeezing it gently. "I'm sorry that your childhood didn't seem happy, but you must have done some things to rebel against feeling like an outsider."

"No, I never really did," Spencer said slowly, shaking his head. "I always wanted to have my own little rebellion, but I didn't. Not until I was a teenager, and I realized that I had to have my mom put into a mental hospital for her own good."

"That guilt is still with you, isn't it?" the Doctor asked quietly. "I'm sorry, love," he whispered, squeezing Spencer's hand again. "I know that must have been hard for you. And since she was your main authority figure, it must have been quite an act of rebellion for you to do that."

"It was," Spencer sighed, the words seeming to be pulled reluctantly from him when he spoke again. "I guess I was never all that big on rebellion. I was one of those kids who did what I was told -- except when it came to intellectual things."

"You were an outcast, just like I was," the Doctor told him with a smile. "That's why we fit so well with each other, Spencer. People who have had steady, normal lives, and who are fairly well-adjusted, don't really fit into my world. They don't get along with me."

"Are you saying that I'm not well-adjusted?" Spencer asked with a nervous laugh. "I've always thought that I managed to fit in pretty well in the world I chose for myself. Working with the BAU and using my talents with them .... I thought I'd made a niche for myself."

"You did, love, you did," the Doctor hastened to reassure him. "And you fit in well, in the world that you lived in. But there are some parts of Earth society that you didn't fit into -- just like there were some parts of Gallifreyan society that I never felt I was a part of."

"Not fitting in seems like such a horrible thing when you're young," Spencer said thoughtfully, drumming his fingers on the tabletop. "But really, it's not so bad. And kids rebel so they'll seem like they don't fit in, even though it's really what they want."

"I think young people have minds of their own -- minds that are so convoluted that sometimes it's hard to know what they want," the Doctor muttered. "I was certainly that way. A lot of the time, I myself didn't know exactly what I wanted."

"Other than becoming a Time Lord," Spencer reminded him. "You were always set on that. I was the one who never really knew what I wanted. That's why I got all those degrees. I was interested in everything, but I wasn't sure how I was going to put all those interests to good use."

"You found a way to do that with the BAU," the Doctor told him. "I achieved my greatest goal, but after I became a Time Lord, I still rebelled. I wanted to change the status quo, shake things up, make people see things in a new and different light."

"But they never did, did they?" Spencer asked softly. "That wasn't your fault, Doctor. Sometimes people refuse to see what's right in front of their faces, and even though they know they're wrong, they keep on clinging to their own vision because they're scared of anything new."

"I know," the Doctor said sadly, shaking his head. "That was the way most people on Gallifrey were. They couldn't see that they were wrong, and that they had to change their ways of thinking and viewing the rest of the world if they wanted to avoid destruction."

"They didn't avoid destruction in the end, because they wouldn't rebel against all of the rules that they'd been taught to believe were the right thing," Spencer said, his voice barely a whisper. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, Doctor."

"I wish that I hadn't been the one to bring destruction on my people, but I suppose it was destiny, in a way," the Doctor said with a sigh, shaking his head as though clearing away old memories. "It's fitting that I was the one to destroy Gallifrey, wasn't it?"

"You mean because you're the one who always encouraged them to rebel and embrace new ways?" The younger man sighed, nodding. "I guess it makes a twisted kind of sense. "It's like what they wouldn't accept finally brought about their destruction."

"That's exactly it," the Doctor told him, standing up and heading for the console. "Let's not talk about this any more, Spencer. I don't want to push your questions aside, but there are some aspects of my life that I'd prefer to keep the door closed on. The past is over and done with, after all."

Spencer nodded, agreeing with his lover. "There are some things about my past that I'd rather keep there, too. They may be part of what's made me the person I am, but that doesn't mean I have to dwell on their more unpleasant aspects."

"That need to rebel against the structures of our lives is with everyone, no matter where they're from," the Doctor mused. "Maybe it wasn't as strong in you as in others because you were a rebel just by being the person you are. You didn't have to work at it."

"And so were you," Spencer told him, smiling. "I can just imagine you when you were a kid, how much fun you must have been. Anybody who didn't agree with your views was missing out, Doctor. And I'm pretty sure that you might think the same thing about me."

"Indeed I do," the Doctor said, returning Spencer's smile and reaching out to touch his hand. "Anyone who didn't appreciate you when you were younger must regret it when they see what an amazing man you've become. And I consider myself lucky to be with you, rebel or not."

"So, what's our next scene of rebellion?" Spencer asked with a smile, changing the subject as he looked down at the console. "There are so many places that I haven't seen yet -- and you know me, Doctor. I want to see the whole galaxy at some point."

"And I want to show it all to you," the Doctor told him, his voice soft and loving. He moved to where the younger man was standing, slipping an arm around Spencer's waist and studying the console with him as they considered what part of the universe they would see next.

***