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It’s late in the evening, the sun setting behind them and turning the world a beautiful shade of pink. Barbara leans back against the wooden bench, her glass bottle of shandy making her hand cold. She changes hands, glancing around the pub gardens.
Ever since the Doctor discovered that the TARDIS had landed in England in 2003, they have spent the day doing nothing but exploring and enjoying the sights and marvelling about how different the world looks forty years in the future. Naturally, the moment she and Ian spotted a pub, Barbara and Ian dragged the Doctor inside to investigate. But he got bored by the sights of alcohol and cigarette smoke and spots programmes playing on a big colour TV, and went back to the TARDIS.
But Barbara and Ian didn’t leave, more than happy to stay at the pub. Well, they stayed in the pub garden. They always went out to the pub after work back in the 1960s, so it is very nice to be at a pub again, just like old times.
And they’ve been here for hours now, just drinking lemonade and beer (Barbara likes shandy the best, a drink made of a mixture of beer and lemonade) and eating crisps, loving the familiarity of spending time together in a traditional English pub.
She shuffles closer to Ian, leaning her head against his shoulder and sipping her drink.
“This is lovely,” she says, yawning. She’s rather pleasantly drunk, a bit woozy but not feeling sick or anything like that. There isn’t any alcohol in the TARDIS, so she doesn’t often get the chance to get a bit drunk. And it’s quite nice.
“Yes, it is,” Ian says. He puts his arm around her, pulling her close. He sips his beer and smiles. “I love you, Barbara.”
A bit shocked by his random comment, Barbara chuckles. But then she kisses him, tasting beer on his lips, and whispers, “I love you too.”