Shakespeare's Letters (Doctor Who fanfiction)

This story was originally written for a contest at The Star Cult. Enjoy!

Shakespeare picked up his quill and began to write.
"To the Doctor:
I know it is unlikely my words will ever reach you, but nevertheless I would like to thank you for the time we spent together. It may have been brief, but I still owe you for saving the universe from... me. I'm sorry I wrote that play that nearly destroyed us all. I vow that 'Love's Labor's Won' will not be recreated. It was a mistake to write a sequel, and those aliens ruined it anyway.

"And how art thou, pray tell? It hath been many years since last we met. I hope thou art still having wonderful adventures. And how doth the lady Martha, from the far off land of Freedonia? Do tell me more about the strange and wonderful place she comes from. It seems to be the stuff of legend, and would certainly make for excellent writing material. I hope the two you are still traveling together. Methinks you work well with eachother, and I hope you stay together for some time. I send you both my love and wish that you are still faring well, as you were when we last met.
Thy trusted friend,
William Shakespeare"

Not knowing where to send the letter, Shakespeare merely left the letter on a table next to an envelope. He went to bed and dreamed of the strange man and his companion, as he had so many nights before. That morning, the playwright was awakened by a strange whooshing sound, and he got up just in time to see a blue police box disappear. He recognized it immediately as the TARDIS, and cried out in frustration that he had been too slow and missed his chance.

Determined to stay awake until the Doctor returned, Shakespeare got dressed and went back to the letter. He was about to start writing again, when he realized something was different. There, after his message, was another one written in blue ink. Intrigued, Shakespeare began to read.

"To William Shakespeare:
Thank you so much for writing me this letter. I always take pleasure in helping out a fellow genius. And about 'Love's Labor's Won'... You should never feel ashamed of something you have written. It was the Carrionite's fault for getting in the way. I'm sure you'll go on to write many more great, famous works, so don't doubt yourself. You are absolutely brilliant, never forget that. And how am I? Oh, I'm off to trouble as usual- you know me. And as for Martha..." Here, the handwriting changed again.

"I'm doing just fine, thank you. You are the one who compared me to a summer's day, were you not? You flatter me too much. Now then, you asked me about Freedonia? It is a marvelous place, where all people are treated equally, no matter what race or gender we are. It is, well, a place of freedom. Freedom, equality... those are both great things, and I think they make great writing material, too, but what would I know? Anyways, the Doctor and I are still traveling together and having fun, and we're both enjoying ourselves.
Your friend,
Martha Jones
(And your other friend,
The Doctor!)"

Shakespeare smiled at this, but he still felt sad. They had come here only to leave him alone, or else someone was playing a cruel trick on him.

"To Martha," he wrote,
"I'm glad to hear you are doing well and still traveling with the Doctor. My imagination can take me many places, but methinks thou hast been to places that I cannot even imagine. Pray tell, what is it like to travel so far so quickly? And what is it like to travel with that wonderful man?
Thy trusted friend,
William Shakespeare"

Shakespeare was just about to go to bed, when he noticed that somehow he hadn't been paying attention, and more words had appeared on the letter.
"Why don't you ask her yourself?" And the whooshing noise returned, but this time the blue box waited. The door opened, and Martha and the Doctor took the man for the trip of a lifetime.