Chapter Text
They say there is no time like the present... But what does that mean in the presence of a Time Lord? Well, I can tell you, it means very little but all the same a great deal.
And in this pretty world of Time and Space so decadent and oblivious she was working away at a canvas board, streaking and sweeping at creative pace as nothing seemed to be truly piquing her curiosity let alone inspiration. Sitting in a bean bag, hands clasped around brushes rather loosely and when she dropped her pallette of splattered, messy paints, her paintbrushes fell to the carpet as well and with a clatter she slung her legs up from her seated position until her canvas was sat bare and boring. The picture upon it the same as all the others. That dull and lifeless artwork that everyone seemed so able to accomplish these days and get far too much praise for... She thought back to how the art she loved to create and was truly difficult and interesting in her mind, was never good enough for those else in the world.
She sighed boredly and rolled her head on her shoulders as she lay back even further in the comfy seat that no longer seemed to give her quite so much comfort as it used to. And as she slouched upwards and her spine straightened, she sighed again then gathered what little paint she could save from the dented pallette she so thrashed... She stood, feeling useless and wasted as she chose to move out into her garden.
Standing on the wooden decking, she watched as the bamboo grove at the far-end of her large garden swayed in the settling breeze as well as the dainty cosmos in the forefront, in her monochromatic kimono with a large dragon painted on the back of it like a coiled striped tiger, ready to pounce or curl up on a fence and fall asleep.
And just as she was thinking of taking up the offer of that coiled cat's inkling, a ghostly cube of wooden blue appeared in front of her, it almost landed on her toes! She stepped back and watched as the ghostly figure became more solid and real.
What was it?
A blue, police call box.
"What in the world-" She stuttered.
"More like out of world, actually! Oh, sorry, this isn't where I was aiming to land... Sorry about the intrusion, lovely garden, very Japanesey!"
"Um yeah, sure, it was uhh planted that way. Sorry, ehm, who are you?"
"The Doctor. Nice to meet you. You?"
"If we're being like that, Silver. Name's Silver."
"Ooh, nice! Why not gold?"
"Gold is overrated. And anyway, silver is light and malleable, fast, small and slim. Like me, I s'pose."
"Good, fits you well. Come on, get in, you seem right for my books!"
"Excuse me?" She squealed as the strange man - in his equally strange blue box - snatched her by the arm and pulled her into his box.
The place begins to rattle and shake at the newfound occupant of the great TARDIS.
"Doesn't usually do that..." The Doctor quizzed. Then saw as Silver trailed her nimble fingers up the banister and stared with glee and awe in her slept eyes. "Now then!... Before you say it, yes, it's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside-"
"Yeah, well that's kind of obvious, isn't it?!" She snapped her eyes back to make eye contact with him and catch him completely off guard.
"Haha, yes well, that's what every other of my companions have said before-" The Doctor rubbed his hands, suddenly feeling nervous.
"Wow, you must choose some thickos then-" Silver let her eyes travel back to the railing her digits had entwined themselves with. There were tiny dimples in the metal and it made her wonder what metal it could possibly be made of. It felt like nothing she'd felt before.
"Oi, that's rude, that is.-" Doctor waggled an authoritative finger at her but she didn't even bother looking up.
"Yeah, no shi-"
"Ah-ah! No swearing in my TARDIS, she's sensitive-"
"You're sensitive, you old crone. Now, who are you-"
"I already told you, I'm the Doctor. And you're Silver. And this is the TARDIS, Time and Relative Dimension in Space, she 'as feelings too, you know-"
"So do books and rocks."
"I like your mind, you think differently!" He smiled ecstatically.
"I like your box, she's fancy!" She said back with just as much enthusiasm.
"Haha! Brilliant! Where d'you wanna go?"
But before she could answe he said, "Let me rephrase that... WHEN do you want to go?"
"When? Oh, that's great. 1818."
"Very specific. Why then?"
"Want to meet Mary Shelley, get myself a copy of the first release of her famous book, Frankenstein."
"Ah, a book worm, no wonder you seemed so contemplative... with your Japanesey garden, pretty kimonos and funky art studio for a living room... Not to mention the bean bags instead of chairs! Who has bean bags instead of chairs? Someone with imagination and a brilliant mind. Someone like you!" His fingers shot at you with enthusiasm and laughed giddily.
"No, not much of a bookworm, actually... Haven't read a book since Lolita-"
"Ooh, you dirty little thing, you~"
"Well, gotta start young if you wanna get old!"
"Who would wanna get old?"
"Gotta get your money's worth, especially when it comes to life."
"Hmm true that! So, 1818, was it?"
"No, actually... I wanna look around... Why are you so pent up on jumping to different worlds or through time when you have such a beautiful creature as this? If you're asking what I want... then my answer is, I want to see your TARDIS... that's not a euphamism, by the way-"
"Why would anyone think that's a euphamism- Okay, nevermind. Fine... But I have to say, I've never had that answer, before... You humans always seem to want such extreme things."
"Well yeah, I want a unicorn but hey, I don't NEED it... but you? You seem to NEED adventure, danger, something to do in this vast nothingness..." She steps forward, meandering slyly, thinking that she has somehow been cast into a drama sci-fi television programme. She continued to corner him as he stumbled backwards, taken aback by her sudden predatory tact. "...You thrive off the thrill and danger, surely that would make you a psychopath?... But your morality seems intact, polite, fun and very giddy... I don't know who you are or what all this shit is, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO CONSENT TO BEING ON TELEVISION!"
The Doctor was silent for a long moment, letting each of her words sink in, he truly felt like he could relate but then he burst out with laughter and called, "What did I say about swearing in my TARDIS?! Wait, television, what are you on about?" His voice echoing loudly throughout the control room of the TARDIS.
"Yeah! It's either some fake ass sci-fi show, or a prank! Come on, which is it? Spit it out!" She barked accusingly.
"Neither, obvs!" He shrugged.
"Obvs!? What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Alright, I give up... You people are so small-minded, even with the longest words, big names, cool language and pretty minds but at the same time you're stupid!"
"You're stupid, you old freak!"
"Oh and how am I 'stupid', STUPID?!" His voice getting louder and louder by the second.
"SIMPLE! YOU SKULK AROUND IN A BLUE BOX THAT'S REALLY QUITE CONFUSING WITH ALL ITS INTER-DIMESNIONAL FLIM-FLAM AND THAT MOTHER FREAKING LADY TARDIS WHO'S SENSITIVE TO SWEARS WELL SUCK ON THIS YOU SQUIRMING, PSYCHOTIC, FAT FUC-"
"HOW DARE YOU, SHE'S SENSITIVE-"
"NO, YOU'RE SENSITIVE! YOU'VE TWISTED THIS SHOUT TILL THERE'S NONE OF YOU LEFT ONLY THE GIDDINESS OF A SILLY CHILD, PUSHED OUT TOO SOON BY THEIR MOTHERS AND LEFT TO FLY THE NEST WITH FEATHERLESS WINGS!"
"THERE YOU GO AGAIN, WITH YOUR PRETTY MIND AND BEAUTIFUL BRAIN BUT THAT DUMB LITTLE TONGUE OF YOURS, DARTING AROUND USELESSLY, STRUTTING YOUR WORDS TOO SIMPLY FROM YOUR SIMPLE, LACK OF KNOWLEDGE-"
"IT'S A LACK OF LANGUAGE NOT LACK OF KNOWLEDGE! THAT'S WHAT KEEPS US TIED DOWN, THE WORDS WE CANNOT USE FOR THE DESCRIPTIONS WE TRULY DESIRE!"
"...Well, you got me there."
"Yeah... Yeah I do... Wait, really? I do?"
"Yeah. Now then! CHOP CHOP! Let's go on a tour then, mind you, my TARDIS is endless... so, anything you want, she's got it!"
"Endless? Well, I don't know if I could stick looking at your flappy ears for eternity, I think I'll take the other option, let's go through time."
"The ears... Yeah, I get that. Time travel it is! Wahoo! You sure are indecisive, Miss Silver!"
"No no, I like to know all my options, before I make my decision, Dumbo!"
"What did you call me?"
"Dumbo the elephant went to town to go and live in the circus, off her went with a trumpety trump, trump trump trump!" She sang and danced a silly march.
The doctor chuckled and shook his head while pulling levers and dialing numbers.
"Here we are, 18:18!" The doctor stated.
She rushed to the door, excitedly, flung it open to see her home but with a heavier set sky and dusk settling in. Her eyes narrowed and she growled. "Your stage men are shit."
"I beg your pardon? My stage men are brilliant, especially considering they don't exist!"
"Yeah right." She looked at the sun dial in her garden and saw a prolonged shadow cast over the Roman numerals: VI. She groaned and turned around to see the doctor with a smug look to his features.
"What?" He asked, knowingly.
"You dick head. I thought you wanted an adventure, not to see my house again!"
"Language"
"I'm outside your TARDIS, chill!"
"Oh yes, so you are! See ya then!"
"What do you mean, see ya?!"
"As in, goodbye." He cheerily pushed her out of the way and was closing the doors behind him.
"But why?! Why would you show up then disappear?!"
"Because I decided you were too annoying and thought I'd leave you behind, there are millions of other humans on Earth, maybe one day I'll come back for your attitude or maybe I won't... We'll see! So for now, see ya!" He slammed the doors in her face.
"You asshole!" She said astonishingly. But just before he teleported his box away, Silver raced to grab some pencils and whatever she could find, at the time it was her failed, boring painting on that canvas board, so she simply drew over it. She sketched the TARDIS with detail and drew from a picture she'd taken of him when in the TARDIS itself.
She set to work right away and was painting in vigour and smiling from ear to ear at the funny looking ears as she painted them, laughing about how they weren't out of proportion but in fact, IN proportion! She was scribbling, painting, dabbing with intimate details and then she was done and grinning like an idiot. This stranger's appearance had given her all the inspiration she needed... But now she'd done this... She wanted more... NEEDED more. And now she was contradicting herself. Puzzled by what she should do.
She looked up at the wooden decking, expecting it to be devoid of the TARDIS, but from her dedication to her artwork she had seemingly forgotten to look up. And there he was, just standing there, casually leant against the doorway to his fit for a space ball carriage and that eerily cute smile to his features. And those damn Dumbo ears of his, ready to fly him away at a moment's notice.
"Have you not left yet?" She asked, cheekily.
"I thought I'd see what you were doing... I didn't get the rise out of you I was looking for... So, I thought I'd see what the fuss was about." He honestly told her with a shrug as he tilted to movement and swayed his way towards her.
"As in you wanted me to watch as your time box sprouts Dumbo ears too and flies you both to safety and for me to watch on in awe and some kind of sense that I was missing out?..." She asked sarcastically. The Doctor rose his brows, looked up and pouted as he shrugged and waved his hands in a tilting scales way.
"Maybe..."
"Well, I like my ears just fine, thank you." She smiled and tugged on her small earlobes.
"Haha! Come on, I was wrong about you." He ushered you onwards to his TARDIS.
"So you don't think I'm annoying anymore?..."
"I didn't say that, I just admitted I could probably handle you-"
"Oh hunny, no man can handle me~"
"Mmm right, the innuendos, I'm gonna have to ask them to maybe dial themselves down a little-"
"Why? Is the TARDIS sensitive to those as well?"
Doctor laughed heartily as she smirked then chuckled too.
"Oh, hey, you can have this, if you want, I mean it's only from a photo so it's not great but yeah, have it." She smiled shortly as she picked up her canvas board, still sticky with fresh paint and handed it to him in the entry of the TARDIS. "It's still wet mind..."
"I hope that's not a euphemism..." The Doctor chuckled with you before looking at the painting he was handed. But when his eyes were laid upon it he could not find his words to speak. And then things were leaking from him, what were they? They were tears, he was crying. One of his tears fell onto the painting but it had no effect as it rolled down the board's unpainted part.
"Doctor, are you alright?" She asked him gently as she placed a just as gentle hand to his arm, but barely grazed him... Odd for a human, especially a woman. The Doctor thought subconsciously. "You don't have to have it if it's so bad it brings you to tears!" She said with a tease to her tone. Her hands going to clasp the canvas with some unknown emotion but a strong one that seemed to linger behind her eyes and well tears into them.
"No I just- no one has ever painted me before... I don't think I've ever even thought of what I'd look like as a painting... But now I know... Thank you..." He cried and sniffled as he wiped his tears with his sleeve.
"Don't you get all sappy on me now, Doctor, we have an adventure to go on! Unless this is a TV show and someone comes round here and throws a bucket of slime over us or something!" She joked.
"Haha! Still don't believe me, do you, Miss Silver? Well, 1818 it is. Not the time this time!" He clapped excitedly, skilfully placing your painting between two digits away from his clapping palms, he then turned it into until it was straight and planted it prettily in one of the TARDIS' compartments, sealing it away safely.
The TARDIS whirred jovially at the picture of her and her maker.
Silver skipped into the TARDIS after grabbing her digital camera and a bag of on the go sketch stuff. "It's just Silver, by the way, no 'Miss' before it, otherwise I sound like a teacher. Thanks, Dumbo!" She spoke and teased.
"Ah, my bad, sorry Just Silver By The Way, I've never heard that last name, By The Way... Hmm, in sure I'll remember it somehow!" The Doctor teased back with a silly, obnoxious grin as he leant across the TARDIS controls and tapped a few buttons.
Silver narrowed her eyes at him and craned her neck up and back slowly then said, "I feel like this is the start of something either very brilliant or very bad-"
"I'd say brilliant, wouldn't you?"
"Well, being a pessimist has gotten me so far, it's not likely I'll be changing any time soon..."
"Fair enough, but everyone is constantly changing, just think about it!"
"I do, rather a lot actually."
"Huh. Ooh, good thinking, looks like Mary might be in trouble with aliens! Come along, Silver, the game is on!" He landed the TARDIS and skipped flamboyantly down the steps and out into the new place that they had landed... Presumably in 1818.
"THAT'S THE WRONG UNIVERSE!" Silver yelled at him but he was already off exploring. She chuckled and shook her head, glanced to the controls and went to touch one when the TARDIS zapped her, as if to say, 'don't even think about it'. "Worth a shot. I guess there's no escaping this guy, is there?" She said with a light chuckle, looking up at the beaming turquoise in the heart of the control panel.
«BZEWWSH»
"Me too, sister. Me too." Silver replied to the ship's buzz, even though she couldn't possibly understand what or if it was speaking.
"You coming or what?!"
"GIMME A MINUTE, I'M NEW!"
"Could'a fooled me!"
"...ass."
"WHAT WAS THAT?" The Doctor came stumbling into the TARDIS and Silver was closing to his position.
"I SAID..." She ran over to him, he spun with her, taken off guard when she smacked his bum and repeated, "ASS!"