Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright were, by all accounts, perfectly normal schoolteachers, if a bit too curious for their own good.

They taught their subjects, science and history, to students. They dealt with troublemakers, and shared anecdotes during breaks.

And they believed in stars.

Ian was a man of science. He knew stars did not and never did exist, backed up by heaps of perfectly legitimate scholarly research.

Barbara was knowledgeable in history. She knew that stars were not seen in the sky, despite old drawings and descriptions of the objects throughout history. After all, a look in the night sky could provide reason enough.

Both schoolteachers always yearned for adventure, for something more in life than most settled for. A life constantly on the move wasn’t something they wanted, but rather a few exhilarating memories to be able to think back on and share.

They decided to go on a trip to Rome one summer, traveling together only because it was more practical and more enjoyable in good company. No other reason whatsoever.

Rome called to them, in a way that was unexplainable. It called like the stars, or a certain shade of blue, or calls for doctors, or the junkyard on Totter’s Lane.

They would always be called to the stars. But it didn’t mean that they couldn’t make their own adventures in the meantime.

—
Dodo Chaplet was a perky girl, and her belief in the stars wasn’t even one of her most notable quirks.

Dodo could shrug off anything. If someone dismissed the stars, she’d ignore them and keep right on believing.

Her beliefs were unshakable, like her optimism, but even she felt a sense that things weren’t quite right in her life.

She had an impulse to walk into every single police box she saw, regardless of if it was occupied or not.

They always seemed incredibly small. The same on the outside as it was on the inside, which should seem to be how it should be, but Dodo didn’t think so.

She often felt like she was missing people in her life. Good friends and mentors, a brother figure and a grandfather figure.

And yet they never appeared. They never existed, although Dodo would have no idea of knowing this.

She kept on with sheer determination, traveling through life with very little care, and with her belief as unshakable as ever.

—
Ben Jackson and Polly Wright felt drawn together from the moment they met.

Their first day of acquaintanceship saw Polly being brainwashed by a computer named WOTAN and Ben rushing in to save her from the dangerous machines taking over London.

It wasn’t easy, and a secretive branch of military had to be called in to deal with the machines, but Ben and Polly made it out—with a strong bond from the experience.

When everything had been dealt with and everyone was sent to recover in their own homes, both Ben and Polly felt like there had been something they missed.

There shouldn’t have been, obviously. They had both done all they could, and the machines had all been completely destroyed.

There shouldn’t be anything else.

But sitting on a bench together, looking up at the starless sky that looked more out of place than ever, they knew that something had changed.

For worse or better, they couldn’t quite say. But it had changed for certain, taking away something unexplainable from both of them.

Ben had to go back to work, eventually. But that seemed…small, almost. He used to think that serving in the Navy was one of the most important jobs a man could do, but now he wasn’t as certain.

Polly was looking for work, too, after her old job was ended with the whole WOTAN mess. But every job she looked at seemed dull and small.

What they were comparing their lives with, exactly, they were unsure. But everything seemed different now.

Their lives had been changed irreversibly, maybe even before WOTAN, and they didn’t know why.

They continued looking up at the sky. There were never any stars, but they never stopped looking.

—
Jamie McCrimmon had many a strange thought throughout his days.

There were some other Scottish blokes who had weird fantasies, but Jamie thought his went far beyond even those.

The thoughts weren't clear. It was like peering through the hills on a foggy day and trying to make sense of things.

He had glimpses of a strange little man, with a mischievous smile and an adventurous heart.

He had thoughts of others running side by side with him, clever and kind.

There were times he would jerk awake at night, not from nightmares of the war, but of hulking monsters made of metal or shrill-voiced murderous beasties.

The strangest thing was the way he would keep looking up to the sky to look for something. He imagined places other than the Earth, other planets and creatures and stars.

But that was all ridiculous. After all, stars didn't exist. One glance up at nighttime to the sky devoid of everything but the moon could show that to anybody.

Maybe he had gone mad from his near-death escape from the Redcoats, that adventure that seemed to increase his strange thoughts and dreams.

Still, he had a sense of wrongness every time he spotted the dark empty sky.

When the stars came back, most of Jamie's memories did not.

—
Victoria Waterfield lived a good life, with a privileged lifestyle and a loving father.

Her life was perfect, and many would do anything to be in her position.

And yet, she was not satisfied.

She loved her home and her father and her stable life. But she wanted something else, too.
Something to go out and do, to go out and explore, before going back to her comfortable bed at the end of the day.

She had never been a lover of frights or action, but lately she had been slightly thrilled by the prospect of adventure.

She had begun reading in earnest, all kinds of texts. She enjoyed both the fictional stories and informative books, although certain aspects of science made her skeptical—even though she had no knowledge or interest of science beforehand.

She was a curious girl, passionate about learning whatever had caught her interest.

For her birthday, a distant relative had given her some drawing tools. She drew what was in her heart, even though she hid it afterwards in fear of ridicule or critique.

She drew of the sky, speckled with many shining stars.

—
Nobody was entirely sure what UNIT was truly for, including Liz Shaw.

Why was it separate, completely, from any other branch of government or military?

There were a few odd instances they were called to take care of, such as strange humanoid lizards living underground or reptilian creatures who emerged from the water or mad scientists creating dangerous creatures.

But surely not enough to have a need arise for an entire faction.

Liz Shaw worked as the organization’s scientist, responsible for identifying foreign materials and tech that often resulted from either prehistoric Earth creatures or power hungry inventors.

It was a simple, but challenging, job that paid well. But Liz felt like something was missing.

Even though it was completely illogical and absurd, Liz believed in the stars. The stars, and planets, and creatures that lived beyond Earth in the vast universe.

Many people in UNIT, although they were reluctant to admit it, believed all of it as well.

The Brigadier, in particular, seemed to feel the unexplainable oddness, too. He often dropped by the lab, almost expecting to see someone there besides Liz, even though she had been working there for quite some time.

Liz felt that way, too. She would constantly expect someone else to be in the lab with her, to share unasked for thoughts or suggestions or criticisms…someone to share a good friendly rivalry with.

She got a job offer, once. One that was incredibly tempting and promising. She turned it down.

“Nobody would be able to work as well as I do,” Liz explained to the Brigadier when asked. “I don’t trust anyone else to take my spot.”

So, she stayed. But it never really seemed right.

—
Jo Grant worked at UNIT as an assistant for scientist Dr. Liz Shaw.

Liz was great. She was intelligent and caring in her own way, and never afraid to speak her mind or offer corrections to whatever Jo was doing.

It felt almost fitting. Though despite there being no reason to dislike it, Jo never felt like she quite fit with Liz.

She got on well with her, sure, but it wasn’t right. It wasn’t the same as talking with Mike, Benton, or the Brigadier and the familiarity they provided.

Her first day seemed almost underwhelming, as did many of the days following it. There was the slight disaster of a first meeting with Liz, where Jo messed up an important experiment, but other than that nothing noteworthy occurred.

Nothing seemed to go as it should have.

A computer called BOSS brainwashed multiple people—including Mike—and they never really recovered. Jo thought it should’ve been an easy fix, but when trying to grasp what exactly the fix could be, she came up empty handed.

That whole fiasco did one thing though—introduce her to Cliff. It felt like her life was finally drifting back on track as she travelled around the world with her new husband.

The last goodbye to Liz, Benton, and the Brigadier was bittersweet, and felt lacking.

Her last goodbye to the lab itself was even more uncomfortable, and she left it soon after arriving.

Jo thought the corner of the lab always seemed strangely empty.

—
Sarah Jane Smith once wrote an article about those who believed in stars.

For something that had reportedly never existed, there was certainly an abundance of evidence supporting them.

Paintings and poems, in particular, were fond of mentioning stars throughout the centuries. People all around the world, through different time periods and from different backgrounds and cultures, believed in stars.

Believed it with a strength that would even cause the most seasoned reporter to question their own beliefs.

Sarah Jane wasn’t a most seasoned reporter, and nor did she question her beliefs—she always believed in the existence of stars, regardless of their presence in the modern world.

She had plenty of theories—perhaps the stars had existed at one point before blinking out, or the Earth had merely moved farther away from where it previously resided over the years and departed from the stars.

Regardless, Sarah Jane believed in stars. She also believed that government organizations, such as UNIT, might hold some answers to the questions about the existence of stars.

The evidence wasn’t solid, but it was compelling nonetheless.

Nearly every member of UNIT, after a bit of needling and prodding, admitted to believing in stars.

Even though her disguise of being her aunt was found out rather quickly, Sarah Jane was still able to strike up a friendship with the UNIT members after proving her usefulness against time displaced dinosaurs.

Something besides the stars felt off, felt lacking. The others at UNIT seemed to agree when she asked.

Dr. Shaw, who had appointed her as a temporary assistant just to give her a solid reason to be able to stay, had said that someone in particular felt missing, especially in the lab. The Brigadier and Benton seemed to agree with her.

Sarah Jane didn’t necessarily feel it in the lab. Rather, she felt the absence whenever she looked at the sky, or a cape, or a scarf.

She found one individual who shared her experience, to her surprise—medical officer Harry Sullivan, who seemed about as far from an adventurer or star believer as anyone could be.

Sarah Jane stuck around UNIT for longer than she had expected, even though very little had occurred other than the dinosaurs and a giant rogue robot.

She eventually decided to leave, to the disappointment of many UNIT members, especially Harry.

She was fond of Harry, sure, and felt a kinship with him from their shared strange feelings, but she had her own goals and dreams to follow.

She never saw herself as a mother, but she did feel like something—or two someones, perhaps—had been missing after she met a meddlesome group of kids on Bannerman Road.

The three of them believed not only in stars, but in alien life as well.

They also felt like someone in their lives was missing, and Sarah Jane felt herself miss someone who didn’t exist for the second time in her life.

—
The second Tegan Jovanka stepped into Heathrow airport for her first day on the job with her aunt’s support, she felt like a gigantic joke was played on her.

Just the word "Heathrow" caused a flood of emotions. Aggravation, frustration, and a strange faint reluctance.

When a passenger was being particularly difficult, or one of the other stewardesses who was pretty uppity failed at a task ridiculously, Tegan felt herself turn to the air beside her with a snide comment on the tip of her tongue.

She felt like she was missing someone. Multiple someones, individuals who would cause her annoyance and the need to smack them upside the head, but who she would protect with her life. Someone who she had a true confidant in, who was kind and beautiful and impossibly intelligent.

They left an aching absent place by her side.

An unfortunate incident with a passenger’s pet let Tegan know that she now had a sudden, crushing fear of snakes.

—
After Peri Brown returned to America from her vacation, she started staring up at the stars.

A part of her had believed in the stars in the past, but now that belief and interest had increased tenfold.

Her family was concerned for her, asking if she needed to see somebody to help her.

She declined. She was Perpugillium Brown, and she not only believed in the stars and alien life—she knew, from deep within, that she was right. And she wasn’t going to let anyone tell her otherwise.

Life on Earth seemed more and more bland as her dreams became more and more extravagant.

She dreamed of being royalty and marrying an ideal man. And she knew these dreams were true, in some way. She knew she had to make these dreams become reality, but had no way of doing so.

So she did the only thing she felt she could. She held fast to her belief in the stars, and shared her dreams with anyone who would listen.

Most people called her crazy, but she ignored them.

She was able to be an inspiration for a few people that led to a belief in the stars and inexplainable memories arising.

Being able to help those few people…well, for Peri that was a job well done.

—
Mel Bush loved the stars.

She loved looking at drawn pictures of them, and listening to fairytales with them when she was younger.

She’d stare up at the sky and imagine how it might look full of shiny bright lights. She could imagine it incredibly well, even.

As she grew older, her love of fairytales and stars continued, if a bit more hidden now.

She loved the stars, the idea and look and intrigue of it all, but she also believed in them. Really, truly believed in the stars.

It was silly, really. There were no stars in the sky, so they didn’t exist—simple as that.

But no proof could ever stop Mel’s belief.

So she believed in stars. She dreamed of stars. She wanted to live there, beyond the stars. She knew it was possible—she dreamt it and believed in it, after all.

Mel had always loved the stars, and she would never stop.

—
Ace McShane had always had strange, foggy memories of another life—similar to her own, up to a point.

She dreamt of being on a different planet, of meeting a man who became a father figure in all the best and worst ways, of seeing heaps of stuff that would belong more in Star Wars or other such sci-fi movies.

She tried explaining her memories to others, to her mum and friends and teachers. It wasn’t long until she learned that they would never believe her.

Stars didn’t exist, let alone anything living beyond them.

So Ace stopped talking about them, and kept them to herself. Some fun reality all her own.

When she first perfected her first Nitro-9 batch, she had flashes of using it in other occasions—for distractions against monstrous creatures, or to destroy obstacles.

All she used it for now was test runs in an abandoned scrapyard to find ways to improve it even more.

She didn’t know what she would do with the cans once she found no more ways to improve it.

She felt even more lonely with the dreams than before.

The dreams were a nice escape, a nice reality.

But when she was thrown roughly back into the reality she was cursed with, the coldness crushed down even harsher.

So she built up her collection of Nitro-9 cans, and bought a baseball bat.

It didn’t feel the same, didn’t hold as much power as the one in her dreams. But it was still a comfort, and she lugged it around with her everywhere.

Her reality would always be different from the one in her dreams, and she hated it. She hated the fact that he, whoever ‘he’ was, was no longer there. That they never met.

She was angry at him, even though she knew she had little reason to be.

The next time she went to the store, Ace bought a new patch for her jacket—a red question mark.

—
Elsewhere, a Lone Centurion meets his Girl Who Waited and they reunite with their Raggedy Doctor.

Elsewhere, the universe is being reset.

Elsewhere, there are stars again.

Elsewhere, the dreams of multiple humans become reality—for better or for worse.

Chapter Text

Dinosaurs.

There were dinosaurs roaming the streets of London.

The Doctor and UNIT had seen a lot of wild, unexplained things, but this was certainly unexpected.

It wasn’t only the dinosaurs. A handful of times a person appeared, disoriented and confused and very clearly of a previous time.

They appeared and disappeared suddenly, nobody able to see exactly how they appeared. Except for, of course, the Doctor.

To him, these creatures appeared and disappeared in a distortion, temporarily pausing time to transport these beings.

After seeing the stegosaurus disappear, the Doctor had requested to be told immediately if another displaced creature appeared.

It turns out he needn’t have bothered. The next one happened in the middle of his lab.

This time eddy resulted in a boy, no older than eighteen or nineteen, appearing. He looked humanoid, but his clothes didn’t seem like they belonged to any time period the Doctor could point out.

And he was in rough shape.

There were tears on his shirt and pants, revealing bleeding scrapes. A part of his sleeve seemed singed, and there was a hint of a burn underneath.

The boy looked completely out of it, even considering he was just displaced through time. The Doctor was surprised he was still standing, as he seemed ready to faint at any given moment.

“Doctor, we have to help him!”

The Doctor couldn’t help the small exasperated sigh he let out. He knew Sarah meant the best, but really? Did she expect him to just leave this boy in this state and let him travel back into danger?

No, he was the Doctor. He wouldn’t allow that. And besides, he was curious where and when this boy came from.

He solved the problem after a few checks with his sonic screwdriver. It was a lot easier to fix a time eddy of a barely conscious boy than it was to fix one of a looming dinosaur or aggressive caveman.

As soon as he spotted the sonic screwdriver, the boy’s eyes widened even farther.

“Doctor…”

He barely got the word out when he collapsed, Sarah rushing forwards to catch him before he bumped his head.

The Doctor was even more intrigued now.

“Doctor, what’s going on?”

The Doctor looked up to see the unimpressed face of the Brigadier followed by both Benton and Yates, all looking at the kid on the floor.

“My word, Doctor!” Benton exclaimed with wide eyes. “Have you kidnapped some kid?”

The Doctor sent him a look. “Do you think I’d do that?”

The three UNIT soldiers said nothing.

“Alright, do you think I’d do that without a valid reason?”

Benton answered. “Probably not.”

“He appeared in the lab, just like those dinosaurs,” the Doctor explained. “Displaced in time.”

Yates peered at the boy curiously. “It doesn’t look like any time period I recognize, Doctor.”

“No,” the Doctor agreed, scanning the kid with the sonic screwdriver again. “And it doesn’t look like any of the clothing trends I’m familiar with in the future, either. And there’s one more thing.”

“What is it?” Sarah Jane asked.

“Artron energy,” the Doctor answered. “An abundance of it. One travel through time this way wouldn’t cause that amount.”

“What does it mean, then?” The Brigadier asked.

“I have a theory,” the Doctor responded, pocketing the sonic screwdriver.

The Brigadier raised an eyebrow. “Would you like to share it?”

The Doctor gave him a small polite smile. “Not particularly. Don’t you have more tests to run on that Tyrannosaurus rex you captured?”

The Brigadier sighed but turned away and left. He didn’t have the energy to continue talking today, especially with someone like the Doctor.

“Benton, can you find a doctor to help him?”

Benton nodded quickly before rushing out. Yates was on his heels, glancing back at the unconscious boy with a strange nervousness.

“Will you share your theory with me?” Sarah asked, and the Doctor contemplated it for a few moments.

“Not quite yet. I’d like to make sure I’m right first.”

“Oh, I get it,” Sarah grinned. “You don’t want to bruise your ego with a wrong guess.”

“It’s…merely a scientific method of testing a theory.”

“Of course,” Sarah nodded solemnly with a twinkle of amusement in her eyes.

The medical officer arrived and started to perform some checks and wrap up the boy’s injuries with bandages.

“Where did he come from?” The medical officer, Sullivan if the Doctor remembered correctly, asked.

“That’s what I’m inclined to find out, as soon as the boy wakes up.”

The Doctor kept an eye on the boy as he continued to think on the current mystery of the time displacement, only leaving the room after Sarah almost got eaten by the recently unchained Tyrannosaurus rex.

When he returned, the boy was awake and being checked on by Sullivan.

Sullivan turned towards the Doctor as he entered the room.

“It seems like he’s doing well, and he’s answered all of my questions so far. I couldn’t ask him about the year or current Prime Minister, naturally, but still…”

The Doctor nodded and temporarily dismissed him, wanting to talk to the boy one-on-one and test his theory.

“You’re the Doctor?” The boy asked.

“I am,” he confirmed. “And you are?”

“Adric.”

“Well, Adric, it seems like you’re a great deal away from home. Where is home for you, exactly?”

“Alzarius.”

“I’m not familiar with that place.”

“You wouldn’t be,” Adric answered. “It’s…a very long way from here, and hard to get to.”

“I have my ways,” the Doctor smiled, glancing over to the blue police box in the corner of the lab.

Adric followed his gaze and perked up. “The TARDIS!”

He scrambled up and went over to her, pressing a hand against the outside.

“You’re still recovering, you shouldn’t be up and about yet!”

“Oh, I’m fine,” Adric dismissed, unwrapping a few bandages. “See?”

As he said, many of the scrapes and scratches had either shrunk considerably or disappeared altogether.

“Interesting,” the Doctor muttered. “And you know of the TARDIS?”

Adric hesitated for a few moments before nodding. “I do.”

The Doctor rose his eyebrows. “Am I right to assume that you know me in the future?”

“You might be.”

“Perfect,” the Doctor smiled. “I knew Sarah had no reason to doubt my theory.”

“Sarah…is that the girl that was with you earlier.”

“Yes, though I do think that she’d prefer it if you called her Sarah Jane.”

Adric frowned. “But you call her something different?”

“Yes.”

“Humans are so strange.”

“Oh, I strongly agree, but they’re don’t like when you point that out.” The Doctor looked up as the door to the lab opened. “Ah, Brigadier, kind of you to join us at last.”

Adric’s eyes widened slightly as he recognized the name as one the Doctor had called him once, right after his regeneration.

“I feel as if that comment was rather pointed, Doctor.”

“Not at all, Brigadier. I was simply wondering when you would finally check in on our guest here.”

“I came as soon as I heard he had woken up,” the Brigadier explained. “Have you learned anything of note? Can this be used to stop the dinosaurs appearing?”

“I don’t imagine so,” the Doctor answered. “Adric here is an intriguing case, but I don’t believe that he’ll be the answer to our current problem.”

“Have you figured out where he’s from?”

“You could ask me yourself,” Adric interjected.

The Doctor looked over to the Brigadier with a grin, and he sighed.

“Yes, my apologies. Where are you from?”

“Alzarius.”

“Of course, I should have guessed.” He turned to the Doctor, who responded with an equally clueless look.

“Is there anything else either of you would like to report?” Asked the Brigadier. “I need to go check on any more possible dinosaur sightings.”

“Dinosaurs?” Adric asked. “I thought they were extinct.”

“They are, but recently many have been time displaced,” the Doctor explained. “That’s how you arrived in this time.”

“And this time would be…?” Adric asked.

“1974,” the Brigadier responded.

Adric’s face fell. “Ah, then that would likely be before…”

The Brigadier looked between Adric and the Doctor before announcing his leave and exiting the lab.

The Doctor placed a hand on Adric’s shoulder. “Before what, exactly?”

He looked pained, but grounded by the Doctor’s touch. “Before the Earth was destroyed.”

“Well, yes, you’d be correct,” the Doctor said. “The Earth isn’t destroyed until the year five billion when it’s engulfed by the sun. But everyone here will be long gone by then, I’d think.”

“The sun?” Adric asked. “But…but I failed! I wasn’t able to solve it in time, and the freighter crashed, and-“

“Steady now,” the Doctor interrupted. “I’m not sure on the details exactly, but you didn’t cause the end of the Earth. Even if something had happened to change the timeline, I would feel it. The Earth exists as it should be.”

“I don’t understand,” Adric muttered, shaking his head. “I don’t understand, I-“

“You don’t have to understand everything this moment,” the Doctor said. “You are alive and safe, and so is the Earth. That’s enough.”

“But it’s not enough! I need to understand.”

“You don’t need to.” The Doctor shook his head. “Simply let things be. I know that seems difficult. I have struggled with it, and continue to struggle with it frankly. But it’s something I have to accept, as do you.”

Adric deflated into one of the seats, fiddling with the rope around his waist. “We once went to a place where we discovered my greatest fear—a mathematical problem I couldn’t solve. Letting everyone down. I suppose I did both in the end, didn’t I?”

“‘We’?” The Doctor questioned. “My future incarnation, yes?”

Adric nodded. “Yes. Along with Nyssa and Tegan. I’m not messing with paradoxes or anything by sharing this with you, am I?”

The Doctor sat down and leaned back in his seat with his hands clasped over his chest. “I think you simply being here is a paradox in and of itself.”

Adric’s eyes widened.

The Doctor waved a hand at him dismissively. “Not to worry. These situations happen in the business of time travel, I know what to do. I will have to erase my memories of this meeting, and inform everyone else here to avoid talking about you around me. After I secure a safe place for you to live, of course.”

Adric was quiet for a moment. “I don’t think I know how to live a normal life on Earth.”

“Oh, I have an inkling that your life won’t be all that normal,” the Doctor smiled. “Once your eye is opened to the abnormal, you will see it everywhere.”

Adric smiled slightly back at him. “You have a point there, Doctor. I don’t think my life could’ve been remotely normal after meeting you.”

“That is one adventure I am looking forward to.”

Adric rushed forward and captured the Doctor in a hug. The Doctor was caught off guard for a few seconds before returning the hug back, just as securely.

A few hours later, after the situation with the dinosaurs was solved but right before the Doctor would erase his memories, Sarah posed a question.

“Was your theory right?”

“It was. I told you it would be right, didn’t I?”

“Can I finally know what it was, then?”

The Doctor smiled, closing his eyes to focus on his memory wipe.

“Oh, simply an old friend I haven’t met yet.”

Chapter Text

The outbreak started while Rory was working.

There had been whispers around the world of a new virus, a dangerous one that ate at the brain.

The patient was an American who was visiting family in Leadworth. Rory himself wasn't in charge of the patient, but he overhead a couple of nurses gossiping in the break room while he was getting a cup of coffee.

He was incoherent, only groaning and growling. He was foaming at the mouth. The nurses thought it was rabies.

And how Rory wished that were true.

The exact moment of the chaos came in pieces.

He remembered the screaming and running and biting. He remembered seeing crazed, bloodied individuals rushing out the doors after patients and staff and only having one thought on his mind—Amy.

Amy could handle herself, probably better than Rory could, but he still worried. Of course he did. His first stop was Amy’s house, where she answered the door confused and concerned by Rory’s disheveled appearance.

Her confusion ended fairly quickly after seeing the mayhem taking over the streets. She ushered Rory in and grabbed a baton, from one of her old work outfits, before calling up Mels.

Mels who had a disregard for driving regulations, or any regulations really, and multiple guns in her home.

Rory never really asked why she had them—it was Mels, after all, and even if Rory was extremely curious, he’d be too scared to ask. But now, he had never been happier that his friend enjoyed breaking laws.

She arrived quickly enough, although noticeably sporting a few bloodstains.

“We need to get out of town.”

“To where?” Amy asked.

“I don’t know,” huffed Mels, searching the kitchen for the sharpest knives to stash in the backpack she brought. “The country, maybe? Away from here. Anywhere where those crazies aren’t. Do you have a bag packed?”

Amy didn’t, and neither did Rory. But she rushed upstairs and stuffed clothes in a backpack, and did the same in another bag for the handful of clothes that Rory had at her place. She also grabbed a couple of water bottles and granola bars.

It wasn’t much, but it should hopefully hold them over until all this confusion was over. Until they got somewhere away from those people.

How were they to know that this was now their new reality?

As they exited through the back door, one of the infected leapt out of nowhere and jumped on Mels.

She shot it in the head, but that only caused a swarm to head towards the sound.

“Get in the car, I’ll hold them off!”

“Mels-“

“Go!” Mels pushed both of them away after showing her bag into Rory’s hands, clutching her bleeding arm all the while.

Rory forced Amy to the car, despite everything in his body wanting to go help Mels. There were simply too many of them.

They scrambled into the car, and floored it out of there.

After a few days of driving and living off the meager supplies instead of risking looting a store, they found a safe haven with survivors. Safe from the zombies, as everyone now knew them to be.

One year later, they had a daughter. Two after that was when the problems started.

Their daughter's name was Melody, in honor of Mels. And little Melody was the light of Amy and Rory's lives.

Living in a post-apocalyptic world was far from easy, even when living in a safe haven.

Rory made a living as a nurse still. While anyone who was bitten didn't so much as step a foot into the medical area, there were plenty of people who were hurt other ways.

On search patrols for food, weapons, and other survivors, which Amy went on whenever Rory was off work, people got injured a lot. Whether it was tripping and falling while running away from zombies, or being attacked by crazed survivors, Rory could be especially busy some days.

Melody was two years old and hitting all the milestones kids her age did. She could walk, talk in small stilted sentences, and understand what people were saying to her.

And she was one hundred percent her mother's daughter.

"Come on, Melody, I got you some lunch," Rory told her, putting a plate on the table.

Melody peeked over at the food and stuck her tongue out.

"Yuck!"

"What do you mean, Melody?" Rory sighed. "I made it for you last week and you loved it!"

Melody shook her head. "Yuck!"

Rory took a deep breath. "Then what do you want to eat for lunch, huh?"

"Chocolate!"

"You are not eating chocolate for lunch, Melody."

Melody scowled. "Chocolate!"

"If you eat all your food," Rory bribed. "Then you can have some chocolate."

"No!" Melody shouted. "Chocolate!"

Rory swore that sometimes it was easier negotiating with a zombie than his own daughter. But, he supposed, that was fatherhood.

He thought of his own father often. He wished he could have saved him, too, but his house was closer to the hospital. Closer to the outbreak. There was no way that Rory would’ve gotten them both out alive.

He was struck out of his thoughts by two clangs of the bell, the signal that meant that they had infiltrators—whether that be humans or not.

Rory grabbed Melody and ran to the back room they used as a shelter.

The shelter room, which also doubled as their pantry, held multiple cans of food and a few perishables up on shelves, along with a half-empty case of water. There was only one window in the room, and it was boarded up, leaving the room entirely dark besides a few candles that could be lit.

Melody hated the room, and made sure everyone knew it—even as Rory tried to calm and quiet her.

“No! No!” Melody continued yelling out.

“Hey, it’s alright, Melody,” Rory tried to soothe. “No need to cry. Just quiet down, okay?”

“No!”

Rory heard footsteps on the ground outside. He had wedged a chair underneath the doorknob, but it wasn’t very steady.

The door shuttered on his hinges, hit by something. After a few hits, the wood began to break, splintering—the work of an axe.

Rory reluctantly placed Melody down, her cries hurting his very soul, but he kept her safe behind him as he gripped his gun with both hands.

“If you come in here, I will shoot you.”

A hand reached around to knock the chair out of place, and Rory hit the arm with a bullet.

The man behind it cursed, but kicked open the door with a gun of his own in his hand.

The man looked half-starved and ragged, which Rory presumed to be the reason that he was so determined to break in.

“Give me the food, and I will be of no harm to you.”

Rory opened his mouth to retort before spotting something moving behind the man. His eyes widened.

“You brought them here.”

The man whirled around as a zombie but down on his neck, falling forward into the room. Rory aimed at the zombie and the one behind it and shot them each right in the head. Another one stumbled over the other bodies, and Rory shot it, too.

The noise was only serving to draw more to his position.

Melody screamed, and Rory span his head around as quickly as he could.

The intruder was already turned, and scrambling after Melody.

Rory shot it as well, even as his gun was drawing frighteningly empty, and slammed the door shut—for the little good it did.

Melody’s frightened cries had turned to pained screams, and Rory checked her over. His blood froze as he saw bloody teethmarks on her leg.

With the first-aid kit in the room, cleaned it and bandaged it as he would’ve any other wound. The sound of the zombies desperately reaching out through the holes in the door and the sound of Melody’s screams all buzzed about in his head as he hoped against everything that he simply saw wrong.

The breach in the fence was temporarily mended, and the zombies were picked off, and Rory was still desperately holding his daughter.

Amy came home, and he told her what happened. She didn’t even humor the idea of turning Melody in to the guards, of effectively killing their daughter.

So they waited. They did everything they could, giving Melody her favorite foods and taking long stretches away from their respective jobs.

And then, Melody simply…didn’t change.

One week passed, then two, then a whole week. And she stayed the same.

She continued to fuss, and throw temper tantrums, and require her favorite stories—often history based— to be told before bedtime.

They knew people would want her. They knew that they’d want a cure.

But Amy and Rory would never let anything happen to their daughter, no matter what.

They left the moment that they discovered how the scientist Madame Kovarian treated someone thought to be immune…and how they were dealt with after they were found not to be.

Living outside of their safe haven was rough, to put it lightly. They lived on edge, without safety and adequate supplies.

But they were all together. When they finally found a new safe haven, one more like a community than a military base—then their life had become…not normal, not perfect, but theirs. Truly theirs.

Melody knew nothing of how the world was before the outbreak. But she knew she grew up, deeply loved and protected, by both of her parents.

Chapter Text

“Just keep an eye on them for a while, yeah?”

Ruby looked at the Doctor like a deer in the headlights.

“Me?”

“Yeah, you’re good with kids,” the Doctor said. “Space babies, remember.”

“I don’t know much about taking care of alien kids on my own,” Ruby protested. “What if they eat something poisonous to their race, or trip and fall, or get lost, or-“

“Ruby, babes,” the Doctor interrupted with a kind smile. “You’ll be fine. I know you will. Besides, who can resist that cute little face?”

Ruby looked down at the child, who had introduced themself earlier as Check. Check looked a lot like a human kid, maybe six or seven. The only real difference was the natural bright purple hair, orange eyes, and strange triangle-shaped markings on their cheeks.

“They are extremely cute,” Ruby relented. “Oh, fine, go off to do whatever you need to. Dismantle a government, or whatever. I’ll get the pleasure of dealing with this little angel.

Check grinned up at Ruby, the little triangles on his cheeks faintly glowing.

“Now that’s all settled, see you in a bit!” The Doctor said with a wave. “Don’t have too much fun now.”

Ruby waved back, and Check copied her motion with a small look of confusion. “How could we? You’re taking all the fun with you.”

The Doctor blew a kiss at her before closing the TARDIS door behind her.

Ruby placed her hands on her hips with a sigh.

“Alright, Check, what do you want to do-“

Ruby turned around to a glaring absence of any kid.

“-now. Check! Check, this isn’t time for hide-and-seek. Where are you?”

Ruby checked all over the console room, then her own room, before—with slight trepidation—the Doctor’s room (which looked like it hadn’t seen much use).

Nothing.

She looked down the long corridor of doors that seemed to go on forever before turning, which likely led to another corridor with even more doors.

“The Doctor is going to hold this over my head forever,” Ruby grumbled. “Alright, here goes nothing!”

The first door she opened almost led her straight into a dark pit of nothingness.

Hesitantly, she leaned over. “Check? Are you in here?”

She didn’t get a response, but placed a sticky-note—from a stack she found in the console room—on the door anyway, decorated with a question mark. Just to be safe.

The second seemed to be a wardrobe. Not the massive wardrobe she got her amazing 1960s outfit from, but it was still a fairly large closet space.

It seemed to hold quite a wide variety, and didn’t seem to be organized whatsoever. Long Victorian dresses were placed next to 1990s band shirts, a black Dracula-style cape was draped on a chair over a pair of neon green pants with too many ruffles…

Although, Ruby did spot a cute pink top and jeans to grab later. After making sure the room was void of any sneaky alien kids, she marked the door with a sticky note with a quick sketch of a shirt on it, and continued on her way.

The rooms went on and on, some familiar and some decidedly not. There was a cozy library with a cold cup of tea on a table, a laboratory with half-completed experiments, multiple random storage closets, a kitchen, and a room that resembled a small museum.

Still, no Check.

Then, Ruby reached the bedrooms.

She shouldn’t have been surprised by them, really. But she hadn’t seen any other bedroom in the TARDIS the whole time she had been there, so it took her a bit by surprise.

They weren’t just guest rooms, either—although a few of them were.

The rooms were decorated, lived in. Filled with trinkets and clothes, books and photographs (both in black-and-white and in color of various camera qualities). Some beds were unmade, some books sporting bookmarks, some drawings half-finished. Some even held a few weapons, like knives and futuristic laser guns.

A stuffed panda, a shiny crystal, cans of what seemed to be explosives(!?), teaching plans, medical textbooks…a sailor outfit, a kilt, a fur coat, a pair of striped overalls, flowing white dresses…clothes that Ruby saw as being from the past, close to present, future, or entirely alien…

Ruby knew, logically, that she wasn’t the first person to travel with the Doctor.

He had lived a long time, and he had mentioned others that he used to be with—his mention of his granddaughter, in particular, had been a bit of a shock.

But it was different to see this all plainly in front of her. It was different connecting abstract thoughts and names with actual people, who had various interests and preferences and personalities.

It faced Ruby with the very real possibility of how, one day, this would be her. Another empty bedroom of a nameless and faceless friend of the Doctor.

Would he even remember her, years and decades and centuries down the line? Did he remember all of the occupants that lived in these rooms?

Ruby would like to think so, she really would, but honestly…she wasn’t entirely sure.

Could she remember friends she used to play with in primary school? Maybe, in a distant sort of way. Certain memories and feelings. But that was only when she was reminded of them, every once in a while.

Would that be how the Doctor would view her, after she inevitably had to part ways with him?

She’d like to say that she’d travel with him forever, but…the empty rooms seemed to dismiss that belief from her mind.

Ruby found Check in one of the rooms.

They were curled up sleeping in the bed, and Ruby couldn’t help but take a picture on her phone (after taking a few moments to exhale in relief).

She let them sleep. After all, they had been through a tiring day of hiding from the planet’s oppressive government. They deserved some rest.

So, she did one of the only things she could; snoop.

On the wall were posters of constellations, naming the different stars. A few empty shelves held dust.

A sketch pad sat on one of the shelves, and flipping through it, Ruby thought the various landscapes were quite good. There were a few drawings of individuals, too—a few humanoids and aliens showing up here and there, but three particular faces kept showing up; a girl with short hair (drawn on one page with devil horns, to which the entire picture seemed to be scribbled out in revenge), another girl with curly hair, and a man in a strange cricket uniform.

The closet seemed to be separated into two halves. The front half sported clothes that reminded her of school uniforms—white button-ups, black pants, coats, and ties. The back half of the wardrobe, meanwhile, held multiple copies of what seemed to be brightly colored pajamas and one singular costume party outfit.

There were a few boxes shoved haphazardly in the corner. Inside were loads of math books, a few classic literature novels (like Dracula and The Time Machine), and various trinkets that seemed to be from different times and/or planets.

It was…an odd mixture of items, to say the least.

Ruby had picked up the Dracula book, thinking she might as well read to pass the time, when the Doctor rushed back in.

“Oh, good! Finally found you! Check’s parents are going mental trying to find them, and…”

The Doctor trailed off as he looked around the room, recognition entering his eyes. He smiled slightly. “Oh, my word. How precious. I haven’t seen this room in quite some time…”

He trailed off again, echoing pretty much exactly what Ruby did—flipping through the sketchbook with a fond smile, eyeing the clothes, and looking at the contents of the boxes before pulling out a book.

“Man, Black Orchid!” The Doctor grinned. There was a twinge of sadness in his eyes, but he spoke with an effortless smile. “That takes me back.”

“To what, exactly?” Ruby asked, casting a look over to make sure that Check was still sleeping soundly (they were, somehow, not awakened by the Doctor’s volume).

“Oh, it’s a long story,” the Doctor dismissed, flipping through the book’s pages. “Went to a costume party. Got framed for murder. Discovered a dark family secret. You know, the usual.”

“Right,” Ruby drawled. “So, this room…who’d it belong to.”

“Adric and Turlough.”

“The bed seems a little small to fit two people.”

“No, no, Turlough moved into the room after…” the Doctor cleared his throat and glanced away. “After Adric died.”

“Oh, god,” Ruby apologized. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up any bad memories or anything-“

“No, no, no need for any of that, Ruby,” interrupted the Doctor. “It’s sad, yes. But what’s sadder is never bringing him up again, and letting his memory fade.”

Ruby gave him a small smile and placed her hand on his shoulder. “So, Doctor, why exactly did Turlough move into this room when the TARDIS can apparently produce countless rooms.”

“I think we all wanted to cover it up, to ignore it,” the Doctor answered. “That face liked to do that—seemed all kind and open, but could suppress his emotions like nobody’s business and deflect everything with passive-aggressiveness. Tegan always hated that. I suppose they all did, really, but she was especially vocal about it.”

Ruby answered with a blank look. “Tegan?”

“Right, I suppose I’m getting ahead of myself,” the Doctor smiled sheepishly. “Let’s get Check back to their parents, then you can listen to me reminisce, yeah?”

Ruby smiled back and gave a thumbs up. “Sounds like a plan.”

After they returned to the TARDIS, the Doctor regaled Ruby with endless anecdotes and stories. He’d start a story, then get sidetracked by answering a question from Ruby, and go on and on. The Doctor seemed a bit saddened by some of the stories, but also looked like a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

When they passed by the other rooms, the Doctor could name each and every occupant, and told Ruby a short story about all of them.

Maybe Ruby couldn’t continue on with the Doctor forever, but she felt satisfied in the fact that her memory would stay with the Doctor for as long as he lived.

Chapter Text

“Here we are—Earth, just as you wanted,” the Doctor announced as he opened the TARDIS door. “I don’t know why you keep insisting on Earth, Tegan. You’ve lived here your entire life, surely you’d want some new sights.”

“Earth’s a big place, Doctor,” Tegan shrugged. “Besides, I get homesick. And ‘Earth’ is a lot broader than ‘Heathrow’, so at least I know you’ll actually land here. After a few false starts, anyway.”

“That wasn’t my fault,” the Doctor protested. “The TARDIS has been rather temperamental lately, I’ll have you know. I think I have an inkling of where she picked it up from-“

“Where are we, exactly?” Nyssa interjected. “And when, I suppose.”

They seemed to have landed in a storage closet, so the Doctor opened up the door and peeked out to reveal groups of humans wandering about.

“Ah, it seems to be some sort of human entertainment area,” the Doctor said. “Perhaps a park, or a circus, or-“

“A zoo?” Tegan asked, looking up at a giant sign.

The Doctor twirled around to follow her gaze. “Oh, yes, that seems about right.”

“What is a zoo?” Adric asked. “I think I’ve heard of it in passing, but I still don’t know what it really means.”

“I thought you’d be familiar with it, Adric,” Tegan said. “I thought you knew everything. Besides, the TARDIS is practically a zoo itself, anyway.”

The Doctor took pity on the even more confused Adric and Nyssa. “It’s a place that humans go to in order to look at exotic Earth animals they likely wouldn’t see any other place. Other planets have zoos, of course, but they can differ slightly from human ones.”

Adric’s eyes lit up. “I want to see a dog, then!”

“A dog wouldn’t be in a zoo, unless someone brought one with them from home,” Tegan said. “But there’s probably wolves here.”

“I want to see a dog, though. Like K-9!”

“I don’t think any other dog could compare to K-9 anyways,” the Doctor said. “But I would like to see the wolves, if possible. Now, right around here should be…ah!”

The Doctor walked over to a nearby stand and took a pamphlet, holding it up in triumph. “A map!”

“I bet we’ll still get lost with you leading us, even with the clearest map there is.” Tegan looked over to Nyssa. “What animals would you want to see, Nyssa?”

Nyssa tilted her head in contemplation. “I’m not sure. I don’t know much about Earth animals, so I’m curious how they differ from other animals I’ve seen. Could I see the map, please?”

The Doctor handed a second map over to Nyssa, still looking over the other one.

“Hm, these bears look interesting. I don’t think I’ve seen one in person before.”

“Me neither,” said Tegan, peering over Nyssa’s shoulder to look at the map. “Or if I did, I was pretty young and I can’t remember it. So, let’s get going. The bears would be…that direction!”

“I thought we were going to see the wolves!” Adric protested. “Doctor, tell Tegan we’re seeing the wolves first!”

“Hm?” The Doctor was still looking over the map. “Tegan, be nice.”

“I’m being plenty nice, thank you very much.” Tegan crossed her arms and glared over at Adric. “Adric here is just throwing a fit over not getting his way.”

“I am not!”

“The bear enclosure isn’t very far from the wolves at all,” Nyssa interjected. “We could simply visit the wolves first, and walk over to the bears in no time at all. I don’t mind.”

“At least one other person here is being mature,” Tegan said.

“I hope you aren’t counting yourself as one.”

“Alright!” The Doctor exclaimed, finally looking up from the map. “Where are we heading to first? I heard some talk about bears, right?”

“We’re going to the wolves first, Doctor! Remember?”

Tegan rolled her eyes. This was going to be a long day.

— — —
They went to the wolves and the bears.

Adric seemed a little disappointed at first, no doubt comparing them to K-9, but he was interested when the young wolves started to play fight each other.

The bears were all lazing about. Those that they could see, at least. Nyssa didn’t seem that disappointed, though, and declared that it was a helpful insight into the habits of bears.

For the next stop, the Doctor’s suggested the petting zoo area.

It was back the way they came on a slightly different path instead of continuing the same way to end up at the reptile exhibit, which bragged about their diversity of snakes. If Tegan noticed, she didn’t mention it.

There were a couple of families there, parents with young kids, but it wasn’t a long wait until they were allowed into the pen.

The pen was split in two parts, separated by a gate. One side held larger animals, like goats and a pony, while the other side held smaller animals monitored more closely by staff, like rabbits and tortoises.

Nyssa went over to the goats first, with Tegan following. Adric, meanwhile, went over to the rabbits.

The Doctor stayed back, leaning against the fence and keeping an eye on all three of his companions.

“It’s nice to see that kids can still have fun at that age.”

The Doctor turned to the side where one of the parents had started to speak with him. “Yes, I suppose it is nice to see them relax like this.”

“Oh,” the woman’s eyes widened slightly at his accent. “Are you visiting America, or have you recently moved?”

“No, no, just visiting.”

Adric ran up to the Doctor. “Come over here! These rabbits are so soft, you have to feel them.”

The Doctor smiled at him. “I’ll be there in a moment.”

Adric nodded and went back to where he was, the staff member placing the rabbit in his lap.

“If you’ll excuse me…”

“Of course,” the woman answered. “You go right ahead. I hope I still have that bond with my son when he gets older. I’ve heard that it can be a little rough as they grow up.”

“Oh, there are moments when I want to throw them into the void of space, believe me,” the Doctor said.

He watched as Adric fed a rabbit a carrot, periodically looking up at the Doctor in impatience. He saw Tegan and Nyssa talking to a young girl who seemed to be a little hesitant, coaxing her into placing her hand on the head of a goat.

He smiled. “But I wouldn’t trade this family for the world.”

Chapter Text

"I think this is the strangest thing you've asked me to do. And that's saying quite a lot."

The Doctor simply grinned, readjusting his hat. "Come on, Ace. I thought you loved trying new things."

"I'm not saying I'm against it," Ace clarified. "It's just...weird."

The Doctor rose his eyebrows pointedly. "If you have a better idea, I'm all ears."

"Do you have everything you need to do this in the TARDIS?" Ace asked, looking around skeptically. "Costumes, make-up...do you have the skills for that kind of make-up? Because I sure don't."

The Doctor huffed. "I'll have you know, Ace, that I am fairly proficient in the field of cosmetics. In fact, one time I was required to-"

"Alright, alright," Ace interrupted with a slight fond eye roll. "I believe you, Professor, I just don't know how we can pull this off."

"Well, I don't know about you, but my acting skills are extraordinary," the Doctor declared, rolling his 'r'. "And I doubt that it will be difficult, Ace. These are teenagers in this house on a dare. We merely need to scare them a bit so that we can fix up the TARDIS without much fuss."

"There are easier ways to do that than dressing up as ghosts, Professor.” Ace crossed her arms as she talked. “Like maybe calling the police for a group of teenagers trespassing in an abandoned house. Just an example."

The Doctor leveled Ace with an unconvinced look. "Don't pretend you don't like these dramatics just as much as I do."

Ace shrugged with a small grin. "Well, I guess it is a little wicked."

The Doctor grinned back at her, tapping her on the nose. "There we go. Glad those pretenses are over and done with. Now, let's go get into costume."

The TARDIS wardrobe was truly a treasure trove of outfits. It was a surprise that the Doctor was able to find exactly what he wanted in that terribly disorganized room. Ace assumed it was a sort of “organized chaos”, where anyone but the Doctor would be clueless about how to find any sort of pattern in the organization.

So, somehow, the Doctor emerged from one side of the room with perfectly fitting outfits. Ace, meanwhile, had combed through a pile of cloaks looking for a proper ghostly one with no luck whatsoever.

The outfits the Doctor picked out even sported bloodstains...whether they were fake or not was a legitimate concern, but Ace didn't care much—it added realism to their costumes, at least.

The Doctor then proceeded to coat their faces in dirt and dark red paint—Ace's first, then his own. The end result certainly didn't look as bad as Ace had feared, but she was still glad that the lighting they were going to be in would be very dim.

"Let's start simple, shall we?" The Doctor asked in a hushed voice as they exited the TARDIS.

The Doctor and Ace walked over to another room, one right on top of the teenagers. Below them, the muffled voices seemed a little uneasy, but altogether resigned to spending a night in an abandoned house.

The Doctor took his umbrella and tapped it loudly on the floor. The voices immediately stopped.

Ace walked the length of the room, making sure to be as loud as possible.

The voices then started up again, hushed and fearful. The Doctor looked over to Ace and put up two fingers.

Phase Two, then.

They stopped disguising their presence as they made their way to the room with the teenagers. When they reached the door to the room, the Doctor banged his fist against the door.

In a gravely, near-inaudible voice, the Doctor spoke. "Get out...get out...get out."

With each repetition, he added volume. Ace joined his chant.

"Get out! Get out! Get out!"

The teenagers seemed to be arguing about their next move. At last, one of them broke off and tore open the door.

Ace and the Doctor bared their teeth and growled. The teen scrambled back with a yelp, one of the others instantly running out the door. The third ran over to grab the first one's arm, dragging him back.

As the first teen hesitated, Ace grabbed her bat (that she brought with, regardless of how it fit with her costume) and swung it at the wall. Not close enough to hit anyone, but close enough that it looked like she was trying to.

The bat crashed into the rotting wood, destroying a few panels. The two teens instantly took off.

"Was the damage necessary?"

"It got them out of here!" Ace said. "This place is abandoned, anyway. Nobody will care."

"I'll grant you that point," the Doctor said. "Now, let's go get cleaned up. That is, unless..."

"Unless?" Ace echoed curiously.

The Doctor feigned nonchalance, swinging his umbrella around in his hand as they made their way back to the TARDIS. "Well, it shouldn't take exceptionally long to fix up the TARDIS since we scared off that lot. For some reason, I think the 31st of October would be a nice place to visit. What do you think?"

Ace grinned. "Well, Professor, I think that I wouldn't pass up a chance to freak some people out."

"Hm, yes," the Doctor smiled. "It is rather fun, is it not?"

"Could you at least touch up the makeup first, though?"

"What do you mean? It looks great to me."

Ace looked at him with a grin before wordlessly entering back into the TARDIS.

"I'll have you know, my cosmetic skills were vital in securing the success of-"

"Alright, Professor, let's get fixing up the TARDIS already."

The Doctor stepped inside of the TARDIS, continuing his protests.

"Really, Ace, I think you'd benefit from hearing my story of-"

The TARDIS door closed behind him, cutting him off with a loud hum.

"Not you, too!"

Chapter Text

Intro to Time and Space. Taught by Professor Smith, who insists to be referred to as the Doctor.

Intro to Time and Space…what did that even mean?

Steven signed up for it, honestly, because he was intrigued and didn’t have much else to do. He was in Year Seven now, and had less classes he was required to take.

The Doctor was extremely interesting, a sheer contrast to most of the other teachers. He hyper, and intelligent, and rude, and kind…such an enigma, Steven was just drawn to him.

He was also, apparently, a metamorphmagus.

The first day of class, the Doctor entered to greet the students—eighteen in total, counting Steven, from different years and houses.

About half the class were Gryffindors, which Steven was relieved a bit by. He loved meeting new people and all, but it was still comforting to have a bit of familiarity. Only one other student was a Gryffindor seventh year, though, so Steven took a seat next to her.

The desks were arranged in groups of three, so Steven got the middle seat.

“Do you have any idea what this class is really about?” Donna asked him.

“No idea,” Steven smiled back. “But I’m definitely curious to learn.”

One other girl took the seat beside Steven, right before the bell rang. She introduced herself as sixth year Hufflepuff Jo Grant, and had a bit of nervous-excited energy that only increased Steven’s anticipation for the Doctor’s arrival.

The Doctor looked similar to many other professors—white hair, black robes, a cane, and a serious looking expression.

His personality, however, was not similar to anyone Steven had ever met before.

His first question to the class was a simple one. “What do any of you know about time and space?”

The class looked at each other for a few moments, a little uncertain, before a few hands rose up.

“You there,” the Doctor said, pointing to one kid.

“It’s Luke, sir.”

“Did I ask your name?”

Luke looked confused. “Um…no, you didn’t.”

“Then why did you give it?”

“I learned it was a traditional way to make introductions.”

“I am not a traditional teacher, as you’ll learn,” the Doctor said. “Well, go on with it. What’s your answer?”

“Time and space are both tools of measurement,” Luke answered. “Time measures the amount that passes and will pass, and space measures the distance and area in a plane.”

“A very textbook answer over here,” the Doctor said. “And correct, on some level, but not the answer I was looking for. You next, the one right by Mr. Luke.”

The boy didn’t introduce himself this time. “Spacetime is a four-dimensional mathematical term, often seen in the form of a diagram.”

“Time and space. Not spacetime. Now, can anyone answer my question besides a third year?”

Nobody rose their hands. Steven had absolutely no idea what the Doctor was on about, and was not willing to risk being berated in front of the entire class.

“Nobody?” The Doctor asked. “Well then, I believe that it was a good idea that you all enrolled in this class. Let’s hope that you’re all able to learn something this year. For this class, I want you to grab a history book from the back of the room and make a presentation on any historical event.”

With that, the Doctor promptly left the room. The rest of the class looked at each other in bewilderment.

A few students turned to talk to each other. A few more students, including the two third years that attempted to answer the question earlier, grabbed a book and parchment and began researching. Some others brought out work from other classes.

Steven brought out a deck of cards for Exploding Snap, and after seeing the interest from a few other students, moved a few desks over to face his row of three and placed desks at the end.

Donna and Jo kept their seats, and five other students claimed seats at the table. One girl—who stood apart greatly from the others with her American accent—huffed in displeasure as she was unable to claim a seat quick enough, choosing instead to get started on the homework.

Steven recognized three of the players as fellow Gryffindors and one other as a Slytherin in his same year, but the other one—a younger Ravenclaw—was unknown to him.

“How do you play?” The Ravenclaw asked.

Ace, one of the Gryffindors, shot him a confused look. “You’re in fourth year, too, yeah? Shouldn’t you have learned by now?”

The Ravenclaw blushed in embarrassment. “Ah, forgive me, I recently transferred here this year.”

“Oh really?” Another Gryffindor, Jamie, asked. “Where from?”

“I was homeschooled.”

“Alright, let’s get on with it,” said seventh year Slytherin Owen. “I have revenge to take.”

“Oh, this again,” Donna muttered.

“Are you still talking about that game from fifth year?” Steven asked, incredulous. “I won that game fair and square!”

“Oh, you most certainly did not,” protested Owen. “Everyone there knew you cheated, only they all backed you up because they were all Gryffindors.”

“You’re just a sore loser,” Steven insisted. “But, have it your way. Let’s settle the score once and for all.”

“Hold on, I need to make sure there’s no biases this time,” Owen said, looking suspiciously at the five Gryffindors around him. “Martha! Can you help me a sec?”

Martha, the only other Slytherin in the class, glanced up at Owen for a moment before wordlessly returning to her history book.

“Come on! Help a fella out!”

“I won’t be biased,” Ravenclaw boy declared. “I think that rivalry among different houses breeds resentment across the student body.”

Owen looked over at him strangely. “Alright, mate, but I better not catch you cheating, either!”

The Ravenclaw looked almost insulted by the insinuation. “I would never. Cheating doesn’t allow for a true battle of wits.”

“Whatever you say,” Owen dismissed. “Now, let’s start.”

“I believe that Steven will win,” Leela decided, looking over to the other people at the table. “Does anyone wish to bet?”

Nobody did. Steven won. Again.

Owen, this time surrounded by multiple unbiased parties, quit the game and instead decided to scribble mindlessly on a piece of parchment.

“And then there were seven,” Steven grinned. “Who’s up next?”

Steven lost to everyone else there besides the Ravenclaw boy, who was so taken aback by the exploding aspect that he couldn’t tap the cards quickly enough.

As he was gathering up his cards right before the end of class, right before quickly sketching out an outline for the homework, the Ravenclaw boy came up to him.

“Did you really cheat?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Steven grinned. “And so did Owen. He’s just mad I did it better.”

“So, it was still fair, then?”

“Fairness in everything being unfair, I suppose.”

The Ravenclaw nodded, deep in thought. “Yes. That makes sense, then. It was good meeting you…”

Steven stuck out his hand, which the boy took to shake. “Steven Taylor. Pleasure to meet you.”

“Charlie Smith,” the Ravenclaw greeted back. “And the pleasure’s all mine.”

The second day of class, a completely different teacher walked in the classroom doors.

“Are you in the wrong classroom, sir?” Jo asked.

He surely looked scattered enough for that. He was leaning against the desk, tinkering with what seemed to be a mix between muggle and wizard technology.

He looked up at Jo’s voice. “Oh, me? No, I’m fairly sure I’m in the right place.”

He quickly looked around at the classroom and students before nodding to himself. “Yes, yes, quite sure.”

“Are you a substitute?” One of the Hufflepuff girls asked.

“No, not a substitute.”

“Did the Doctor quit or something?” Donna asked.

Owen leaned forward in interest. “Was he fired? I bet he was.”

The man shook his head, still mostly focusing on the contraption in his hands. “Nothing of the sort.”

“Did he die?” Bill asked. “I mean, he did look a little old and frail, but a lot of wizards look like that.”

“Definitely not,” the man replied. “I’m the Doctor.”

Leela nodded grimly. “I see. You fought him to the death to claim that title and job. I can only hold you in high respect.”

“I can see I have my work cut out for me in this class,” the man, the Doctor, sighed. “I am the Doctor, the same as the one before. I might look different, act different, sound different…but I can assure you, I am the same man. You can ask any of the other staff if you still doubt me.”

“So you’re a metamorphmagus?” Luke asked. “I have only read of them, it’s interesting to meet one in person.”

“Well, sort of,” the Doctor said. “I work a little differently, but it’s more or less the same thing.”

“I don’t believe this at all,” Donna declared. “I think he’s pulling a trick.”

“The old man did seem cruel,” Owen mused. “Do you think he could pull this off?”

“And who would this bloke be, anyway?” Another Gryffindor, Rose, asked. “I haven’t seen him around the castle at all, have any of you?”

“I mean, he said he’s the Doctor,” Jamie shrugged. “That isn’t any stranger than anything else I’ve seen and heard about. We’re learning magic, aren’t we?”

“Ah, thank you…Jamie, was it?” The Doctor smiled. “Oh dear, I didn’t do attendance yet today, did I? Or yesterday, for that matter.”

“Will you actually want to learn our names today?” Ace asked. “You weren’t too keen on that yesterday.”

“Well, I’ll try my best to remember,” the Doctor said. “But sometimes things will slip my mind. You’ll have to forgive me.”

“Will we?” Owen asked. “I still don’t believe this guy.”

“What, do you think he’s getting revenge for us playing Exploding Snap instead of working yesterday?” Steven asked.

If looks could kill…

“What?” Steven asked, a little nervously. “We all got our work done in the end, right?”

“Exploding Snap?” The Doctor asked, clapping his hands together. “Oh, what a marvelous game. Do you have cards on you?”

Steven did, and they once again spent the entire class period playing games—this time, though, with their teacher. Steven noticed distantly that he never did do the attendance.

At the end of the first month of class, the Doctor had circled through fourteen more different faces and personalities before returning to the one the class was first introduced to.

They still weren’t entirely sure what exactly they were learning. Sometimes the Doctor would lecture on history, sometimes on math or science, sometimes on a subject completely unrelated. The Doctor would let the class use the time as a study period, or request their help to capture some loose nifflers (Steven had lost a rather shiny watch during that altercation and had never found it again), or they’d all play Exploding Snap or some other game—sometimes with the Doctor, and sometimes without them.

After the first initial cycle, the appearance of the Doctor seemed to follow no clear pattern.

The Doctor was a blond man one day, a blonde woman the next, then an older man with gray hair, and then a younger brown-haired man.

And the class all had their own opinions and favorites.

With eighteen students and sixteen different Doctors, it was no surprise that nearly everyone had a different favorite.

Steven’s favorite was, to his own surprise, the first one. That Doctor was rude and blunt and demanding, but he also had a side of mischief and deep kindness and caring.

Steven fell asleep during class one day after a long week of studying, completing homework, and Quidditch practice.

When the Doctor called him out to talk in the hallway, Steven was preparing himself for a lecture and the complete dismissal of any reasons Steven had.

Instead, the Doctor made sure he was alright and told him to rest in the medical bay for as long as he needed. The Doctor then said that if any other teacher gave him trouble that he would “give them a good talking to”.

Needless to say, Steven gained a fondness for that stubborn old man.

The rest had their different favorites as well for various reasons.

Well, all besides Owen, who kept insisting that he disliked them all equally (Steven privately thought he had a preference for the one wearing a leather jacket, although he never brought it up).

Steven still wasn’t sure what, exactly, the class Intro to Time and Space was supposed to teach them all.

But he was definitely glad he enrolled.

Chapter Text

The Doctor was actually really good at not causing paradoxes with his other selves. No, really! He was!

It was just, well…he had a lot of selves. And they travelled to a lot of places, and a lot of times. It was especially difficult when a distress signal would be sent out to anyone nearby…and multiple TARDISes happened to be flying within range.

Such was the predicament that three incarnations of the Doctor found themselves in presently.

Three TARDISes appearing in the same home, luckily empty except for two lost aliens that had called for help.

Apparently, the other three aliens that they had been stranded with were taken by the local government, which seemed to operate in a large mansion at the edge of town.

The Doctors decided to split the group up, half traveling to the mansion with one of the aliens while the other half stayed at the TARDISes with the other alien.

In total, there were ten time travelers gathered together. The three Doctors would not be convinced in any way to stay, so they were all obviously going. They wanted to put up a front of scholars and scientists to get an audience with the officials, so they brought the two they thought could be the calmest and most scientific—Zoe and Nyssa.

This left five protesting companions to stay and keep watch—Steven, Vicki, Jamie, Adric, and Tegan.

“Good luck,” the Second Doctor wished as he left.

“I have a feeling that they’ll need it,” the First mumbled.

The Fifth Doctor looked at the group pointedly. “Be good. Steven’s in charge. He’s the eldest.”

Steven looked at the group he was now placed in charge of and sighed slightly. He was barely able to take care of himself most days, and Vicki was her own set of challenges. On top of that, he was still reeling slightly from the realization that the Doctor could change his appearance.

“Well, since it’s raining outside, we can stay inside and…draw?” Steven turned to the alien, who had introduced himself as Tom. Tom nodded to indicate that drawing was an acceptable activity and disappeared into another room.

“If you have paper and a writing utensil, I would like to use them,” Adric chimed in. “There are some mathematical equations that I have been working on…”

Tegan rolled her eyes. “This again. I swear, do you talk about anything but your ‘mathematical equations’?”

“I did earn this badge for my excellence in that field.”

“Oh, I am well aware.”

“Hey, Vicki…and, uh, Jamie! Any ideas?” Steven interrupted.

Tom appeared in the doorway. “I apologize. I do not have regular paper. I do have these.”

Steven took the items with a slight wonder. “Physical notecards. They feel so strange.”

“Oh, I have an idea!” Vicki declared. “What if we make little cards for each of them and use them to battle each other?”

Jamie’s eyes lit up. “We can use beasties we met on travels!”

“If it will keep everyone busy, I will gladly participate,” Steven said. “Here you go!”

Steven handed out a few notecards to everyone along with a pencil. Adric spent most of the time working on mathematical equations (with Vicki occasionally peeking over to make suggestions), Tegan spent a great deal getting on Adric’s case about not working on the cards, and Jamie spent several minutes on sounding out particular troubling words to write down.

Steven made cards for the Monk, the Drahvins, and the “Chumblies” as Vicki called them. After a moment of hesitation, Steven also made a card for the Mechanoids.

The others eventually placed down their own cards. They had made sure there were no repeats, but even so, there were many creatures that were a bit unsettling in Steven’s opinion.

Jamie had made a card with beings called the Cybermen, which only became more frightening when they were described in more detail. None of the others seemed to recognize them either, and Steven hoped none of them would have to cross paths with the Cybermen in the future.

Vicki had made a card of the Daleks, which Steven didn’t see much of but they seemed frightening enough when they crossed paths. They were good for one thing, though—forcing the Doctor, Vicki, Ian, and Barbara to arrive on Mechanus where Steven met them.

Jamie seemed to recognize them, though, and not with a bit of fondness. Although he admitted that they caused him to meet a good friend, too—a previous traveling companion named Victoria.

Adric made a card for vampires (vampires!), Tegan made one of the Master (who Steven learned was the same species as the Doctor and the Monk, but with a lot more malicious intent), and Vicki made another one for her horrifying sand beast of a pet (Steven was glad he never met him).

And then was the time to actually play the game. Which was more difficult than it sounded.

“How do we figure out who wins?” Jamie asked. “I’ve no idea who most of these beasties are on the other cards!”

“I guess we…talk it through?” Vicki suggested. “We debate—give our cases on why our card should win, then the other three players here can vote on the winner.”

“Alright, I’ll shuffle these cards and deal them out,” Tegan volunteered. “Who’s going first?”

Vicki and Adric went first, each searching through their cards. Vicki leaned close to whisper to Steven.

She showed him a card with a drawing that looked like a mix between a man and a lion. “Do you have any idea what this is?”

“None.”

“Hey, no getting advice!” Adric said. “That’s cheating.”

“Did we even go over rules?” Jamie asked, leaning back against a sofa with his arms behind his head. “Nothing can really be counted as cheating, eh?”

Adric scowled at him and looked over at Tegan hopefully. Tegan shook her head without a moment’s thought and Adric returned to his cards, sulking.

Vicki eventually placed down a Macra, a giant crab-like creature, and Adric put down a yeti.

“A yeti? One of you met a yeti?” Tegan exclaimed.

Steven put his hands up. “Not me!”

“I did!” Jamie grinned. “It was actually a robot or something, though. It was still pretty freaky, I’ll tell ya.”

Now was the time for Adric and Vicki to debate. It was very obvious that neither had any idea about their card, and Jamie was not going to help either.

“Macra, yes,” Vicki nodded. “They were big, uh, and crabby. They lure their enemies in by…by imitating voices of other people, then cut them in half!”

“You’re making that up!”

“Sure I am,” Vicki replied. “Your turn!”

Adric frowned, staring down at his card. “A yeti. Yetis live…in cold regions. You can tell by the fur. They can multiply, and also immobilize humans by scratching them with a special substance on their claws and eat them alive!”

Tegan crossed her arms. “That’s not what a yeti does.”

“How do you know?” Adric asked. “You’ve never met one!”

“They’re a human myth, Adric,” Tegan said. “Another strike against Alz-ar-ius, huh?”

Adric scowled. “I’ve told you, it’s pronounced Alz-air-ius. And this proves nothing.“

Jamie and Steven both voted in favor of Vicki, as well.

“The Macra did cut people in half, at least,” Jamie explained. “But they brainwashed a bunch of people to do it. So that was the closest, at least.”

Steven and Tegan went up against each other next.

Steven was dealt three cards—a Drahvin, a Mechanoid, and a vampire. Steven placed the vampire down first.

Tegan, meanwhile, placed down Sandy the sand beast.

“I’ve got a vampire. Simple enough.” Steven shrugged. “They’re practically immortal, except for sunlight and garlic. They feed off human blood, and can turn into bats. They can also hypnotize you, so you have no chance of running.”

“Well, this,” Tegan started, pointing at her card. “This is downright terrifying. I mean, look at that thing. It would eat you up for breakfast without a second thought.”

“Hey!” Vicki protested. “Sandy wasn’t evil. He was really sensitive, and a great listener! I vote for Steven.”

“I vote for Steven, too,” Adric said with a glare at Tegan.

“Vampires are pretty scary, and aren’t some wee pet like that thing,” Jamie agreed.

Tegan narrowed her eyes. “Rematch.”

“Alright,” Steven agreed. He placed down his Drahvin and Tegan put down a card titled the Mara with a snake on it.

“The Mara infect your brain and possess you,” Tegan said. “They did that to me. Would not recommend. It’s like…the culmination of all your nightmares, truly. A complete loss of control and sanity.”

Oh, Steven thought. We’re doing this.

“The Drahvin were run by an evil woman who tried to wipe out a whole fleet of beings who offered help,” Steven said. “They also held me and Vicki hostage a while, and tried to suffocate me in an airlock.”

“She also killed off most of the men on the ship,” Vicki chimed in.

“Seems like a world I’d like to live in,” Tegan said with a pointed look towards Adric.

Adric, to no one’s surprise, took Steven’s side. Vicki did, as well, but Jamie voted for Tegan.

“Final round,” Tegan said. “Winner takes all.”

“Fine by me,” Steven replied. “You first.”

Tegan placed down a card with the Master on it. “This is the Master. He’s an evil Time Lord who causes chaos and death wherever he goes. He’s wiped out cities. He terrorizes the Doctor wherever he goes. And he killed my aunt, too. And took the body of Nyssa’s dad.”

Adric cleared his throat pointedly.

“And kidnapped and forced Adric to do his bidding, too, I guess.”

Steven placed down his final card. This was a tough match, but Steven was nothing if not determined. He could sell it, garner pity votes. This is what it had come to.

Tegan’s reasonings were solid, but they lacked a ton of emotion or personality. Like Tegan had detached herself from them. Steven had done so with his own memories, too, but he was not going to lose this game. If he ended up unearthing some buried trauma, then so be it.

“The Mechanoids,” Steven started, lowering his head slightly. “Despicable robots. While I was fighting in a galactic war in my ship, I crashed and landed on their planet. I was ushered to an empty room and forced to stay there for over two years with no companion besides a stuffed panda. I don’t think I would have ever made it if it weren’t for the sheer luck of the Doctor ending up there.”

He looked all three voters in the eye, making sure to look real broken up. He didn’t really know how much of it was acting, but he was using it to his advantage anyhow.

“If it wasn’t for the Doctor, I would still be on Mechanus now—isolated and constantly watched by unfeeling robots—instead of here with all of you.”

Tegan glared at him, unmoved. She likely knew what he was doing, but she wasn’t the one voting, so it didn’t matter much.

Tom looked very disturbed by everything that was said in the last few minutes.

Adric voted for Tegan, surprisingly. Vicki and Jamie, however, voted for Steven.

Steven grinned at Tegan. He won.

“Using dirty tricks I see,” Tegan huffed. “If we went again, I’d use that strategy against you.”

“Then it’s a good thing we aren’t going again,” Steven replied. “Jamie, your turn! Pick your opponent.”

They played the game a few more times before it grew too boring.

Steven glanced outside, noting that the rain had subsided greatly. “I don’t suppose that there’s any rubber boots and raincoats in the TARDIS…or, rather, any of the TARDISes.”

“I’m sure there’s some in there somewhere,” Jamie shrugged. “I think there’s at least one of everything in there.”

He was right, of course. They all managed to get dressed up in boots and coats that fit near-perfectly, including Tom.

“Shouldn’t we be watching the TARDISes?” Vicki asked with a nervous glance back.

“The Doctors probably all guessed we ran off somewhere by now, anyway,” remarked Tegan. “I’m sure this won’t hurt.”

She did have a point. If something suspicious occurred around them, or if Steven wasn’t responsible for this number of younger people, he would’ve wandered off in a heartbeat.

Adric was the first to jump in a mud puddle, splashing all over Tegan’s jeans. Steven was sure that she’d retaliate, but instead of jumping in another nearby puddle, she grabbed a fistful of mud and threw it.

It soared past Adric, instead hitting Jamie, who looked at her with a devious grin as he took a handful of mud himself.

An all out mud war began.

Steven and Vicki initially allied against the rest of them before Vicki betrayed Steven while his back was turned, smushing his face and creating a handprint of mud across his cheek.

No loyalty in war, apparently.

Steven couldn’t stand that, of course, and threw mud right back at her.

By the time the Doctors, Nyssa, Zoe, and the other aliens returned, everyone was covered nearly head to toe in mud—including Tom.

All of them looked a little battered and worse for wear, but after they had quickly patched up and changed, they all came right back out and joined the mud war.

The end result required multiple showers and deep cleans of three TARDIS interiors, but they all were beaming.

“I’m glad I put you in charge, Steven,” the Second Doctor declared. “You managed to keep Jamie in line! That’s a very hard feat.”

“Aye!” Jamie protested.

“It’s true,” Zoe added.

They continued bickering as the doors to their TARDIS closed.

“Yes, nobody wandered off,” the First Doctor observed. “It was quite the miracle.”

“I didn’t doubt you for a second,” the Fifth declared, although Steven could clearly see the doubt written across his face. “I’m just surprised you managed to keep Tegan and Adric from killing each other without Nyssa there.”

“I think that I achieved that by making Tegan want to kill me more.”

“Ah, solid strategy,” the Doctor nodded, patting him on the shoulder. “I would say that I’d try that, but having a murderous Tegan after me might actually cause me to regenerate. Good day!”

He disappeared into his own TARDIS with his companions and the aliens, to return to their own home. Tegan gave him one last glare as she departed.

“Well, dear boy,” Steven’s Doctor said once the other two groups had disappeared past their respective TARDIS doors. “We better be off. Any suggestions?”

“Like you can truly pilot this thing.”

The Doctor had the audacity to look affronted, and turned towards Vicki for support. She didn’t offer any.

“Traitors, all of you,” he muttered, walking over to the TARDIS controls.

As he pulled levers and pressed buttons, the TARDIS doors closed and they took off. Where to, exactly, was an unknown.

But that was a given when traveling with the Doctor. And, really, that was half the fun.

Chapter Text

It sat inconspicuously on the kitchen table.

A rare delicacy, said to only be located on one singular planet for a short time. It was lucky they managed to be there at all, let alone be gifted one of the desserts by the queen of the planet.

The Doctor also said that it was reported to taste better than any Earth food. Chocolate and red velvet and ice cream…all of that was nothing compared to the treat sitting in front of them right now.

It was a deep blue with golden designs of waves on it. Its smell was irresistible and indescribable, completely unlike anything Earth or many other planets could offer.

It was delicious.

It, however, was also only one portion.

The tension in the room could be cut by a knife as three figures all stared at the near-legendary dessert on the table.

The Doctor cleared his throat, finally putting an end to the silence. “Well, seeing as I was the one who was given this, it only seems fitting that-“

“Hold it right there,” Tegan interrupted immediately. “You think you deserve it the most? After doing what, exactly, to help?”

The Doctor scoffed, offended. “I’ll have you know, Tegan, that I was the one to physically rescue the queen.”

“Only after Turlough and I took out all the guards with the high-frequencies,” Tegan was quick to remind.

The Doctor took off his hat, folding it to point right at Tegan. “Might I remind you that it was my idea, then?”

Tegan rolled her eyes and batted the hat away, leading the Doctor to place it in his pocket.

Turlough crossed his arms. “Oh, was it? Because I distinctly remember one of the queen’s advisors giving you the idea.”

“He might’ve informed me of it, sure, but I was the one who made it possible.” The Doctor looked between Tegan and Turlough. “What would you have me do? Return it to the advisor?”

“No,” Tegan interjected. “If this dessert is as amazing as you say and how it seems to be, it’s only right for the one who helped the most with the rescue to be the one who gets to eat it.”

“The queen herself gave it to me,” the Doctor stressed. “I feel as if that’s being dismissed too quickly. The food should be eaten only by those who it is granted to.”

“I’m sure that the queen would’ve given it to the first person to rescue her,” Tegan said. “It wasn’t a judge of your character or whatever. It was pure luck. It could’ve been any of us.”

“But it wasn’t, was it?”

“You have a spaceship that can also travel in time,” Turlough pointed out. “Why can’t you just go back there and get some more? I’m sure that the queen had a load somewhere. Just grab one.”

“I am not going to commit thievery, Turlough.”

“Yeah, Turlough,” Tegan said. “The Doctor only commits crimes when it suits him. It’s very different from anyone else.”

The Doctor glared at her before continuing to speak as if she hadn’t interrupted. “Additionally, it would not have the same value. It is much more valuable to be gifted a treat by a queen than simply taking one.”

Tegan snorted. “In other words, he can’t pilot the TARDIS.”

“That is not what I was saying whatsoever. If you perhaps improved your listening skills, you might realize that-“

“Why can’t we just split it?” Turlough rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe I’m being the voice of reason here, honestly.”

“Split it?” The Doctor repeated. “It is not meant to be split. It loses flavor, and also goes against tradition.”

“Then I vote that the human here should get to have the alien food,” Tegan reasoned. “After all, I’ve only lived in human food my whole life…this would certainly be a once-in-a-lifetime thing for me.”

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience for almost anybody, Tegan,” said the Doctor. “Need I remind you that it is incredibly difficult to get your hands on this?”

“And you’re using your human experience against us now?” Turlough asked. “You’re not the only one who had to eat that garbage for way too long.”

“Thanks for your input, Turlough. It was not asked for.”

“For the love of-“ Turlough cut himself off in frustration, pushing past the Doctor and Tegan to get through the kitchen. “I really don’t care about this that much. I’m going to bed. I guess I’ll see in the morning which one of you strangled the other to death. Have fun!”

He suddenly stopped in the middle of the room.

“What is it, Turlough?” The Doctor asked, peeking around him.

There, sitting in a chair just hidden from view, was Nyssa. Eating the last bite of a very delicious looking treat.

She nodded to them, as if nothing had happened, before heading back towards her room.

“Wait a minute there, Nyssa!” Tegan called out. “Why’d you eat that?”

“It didn’t seem as if any unanimous decision would be made,” Nyssa answered practically.

“And it also looked very tasty.”

Chapter Text

The Doctor is a renowned, mysterious, and rather eccentric scientist who enjoys playing cricket, tinkering, and disrupting deadly plots (particularly those against his best enemy, the Master).

He also has a tendency to pick up strays.

A trusty dog a while ago. A second dog, that was less trusty and more sickly, a few years back. And, of course, the gaggle of adolescents and young adults.

He didn’t picture his life going this way, no, but there was no use in trying to change at this point. Besides, it was always nice to get a fresh perspective on things.

“It’s a traveling carnival,” the Doctor explained. “But lately, there have been reports of visitors going missing and sights of strange creatures.”

“‘Strange creatures’?” Tegan echoed. “Are they sure that’s not just part of the carnival?”

“Well, Tegan, that’s what I’m aiming to find out!” The Doctor smiled. “So, who’s interested?”

They all agreed.

So, the next day, all six of them plus a dog crammed into an old blue van. The Doctor sat in the driver’s seat with Peri next to him, Tegan and Nyssa claimed the back, and Adric and Turlough sulked in the middle with Kamelion lying on the floor.

“Why did we have to bring him?” Turlough grumbled.

“Yeah!” Adric agreed. “Why couldn’t we bring K9 instead?”

“Sarah’s got custody of him this weekend,” the Doctor answered.

“And nobody can take Kamelion?” Adric asked.

“Nobody wants him,” Turlough answered, slowly sliding his foot away from where Kamelion’s tail was touching it.

“Turlough,” warned the Doctor, looking at him pointedly through the mirror.

Turlough simply rolled his eyes in response.

“Alright, everyone got everything?” The Doctor asked as he started the car.

“We’ve got my Walkman to tune out Turlough and Adric,” Tegan answered.

“Hey!” Adric called out.

“Hopefully this time you won’t ask when we’ll be there every five minutes,” Turlough snapped back.

“It felt like years in the car being stuck there only with you,” Tegan huffed.

“Hey, Tegan,” Nyssa interrupted before Turlough could respond. “Which song should we listen to?”

They went back to talking to each other and Turlough decided to glare at the passing trees as the car started down the road.

“Can I turn on the radio?” Peri asked.

“Please don’t let her, Doctor,” Adric instantly said.

“Yeah, we don’t need her American music in here.”

“Oh, stop it, Turlough,” Peri huffed. “I’m sure you only listen to English music, then. You strike me as such a big Beatles fan.”

“I’d rather listen to classical,” Turlough replied, not because it was entirely true, but so Peri wouldn’t win.

“You’re so boring,” Tegan scoffed. “Classical, really?”

“I thought you were supposed to be listening to music.”

“I’m trying to, but I can hardly hear it over the sound of your ego expanding.”

“Everyone, quiet down,” the Doctor instructed, hands tightening on the steering wheel. “I’m trying to focus on the road.”

“With your sense of direction, it won’t matter how focused you are,” said Tegan. “We’ll still end up two towns over, three hours later than it should take.”

“Then I suppose you’d like to drive, Tegan?” The Doctor asked, making eye contact with her through the mirror. “If your sense of direction is so much better and all…”

“Oh, don’t pull that on me,” Tegan said, rolling her eyes. Nyssa ejected the tape with a small sigh, accepting the fact that the arguments wouldn’t end anytime soon. “I asked you to drive me to the airport months ago, and every time you say you’re on your way, a road is miraculously closed or you somehow take a wrong turn and end up in the middle of a new mystery!”

“I can drive,” Turlough volunteered.

“Absolutely not,” the Doctor answered. “You are banned from ever driving in my presence after you stole—and crashed!—the Brigadier’s car.”

Turlough smiled smugly in response.

“I can’t wait until I get my license,” Adric lamented. “Then I can go wherever I want.”

“I have mine already,” Nyssa said. “Can’t you get yours now, too?”

Adric frowned. “I asked Varsh to teach me how to drive, but he’s either always using the car or letting one of his friends borrow it. And I asked the Doctor, but the one time he started to teach me, the whole van broke down and couldn’t be used for a week. And then the Doctor got distracted by other tasks.”

The Doctor turned his head around to look at Adric. “I do not get distracted.”

“Doctor, look out!” Peri called.

The Doctor turned around and slammed in the brakes, barely avoiding hitting the car in front of him.

“Yes, you demonstrated that trait very well,” Turlough commented.

The Doctor sighed and placed his head against the wheel for a few seconds, ignoring the honks from behind him. “I can and will crash this car into a pole, regardless of the harm it will cause any of us, including me.”

The Doctor took another breath, put his head back up, and continued driving. Everyone was silent.

“Can we stop at the next gas station?” Peri asked. “I need to use the bathroom.”

— — —
Fifty minutes and two stops later, they finally arrived.

“Here we are!” The Doctor announced, stepping out of the van with a flourish of his arms. “The Tamers Traveling Circus!”

Everyone scrambled out of the car as fast as they could, trying to avoid stepping on Kamelion.

“Finally,” Adric huffed, stretching out his sore legs.

“Where should we go first, Doctor?” Peri asked, practically bouncing up and down in excitement. “I haven’t gone to a fair in forever!”

“Well, I was thinking of making my first stop simply checking around,” the Doctor said. “Looking out for anything, or anyone, out of the ordinary…that sort of thing.”

“So, basically…,” Tegan drawled. “Just explore?”

“With a purpose!” The Doctor added. “Keep an eye out for the mysterious or suspicious.”

“Are we splitting up, then?” Nyssa asked. “I think there’s too much ground to cover in one day if we all stick together.”

“Excellent point, Nyssa!” The Doctor grinned. “Yes, splitting up is a fine point. Three teams of two would do quite nicely, I’d imagine.”

“I’m with Nyssa!” Tegan immediately claimed.

“I’m with the Doctor!” Peri called soon after.

Turlough and Adric made eye contact and scowled.

“Come on, I just spent hours next to him!” Adric tried to tell the Doctor. “I don’t want to spend any more!”

“If I have to hear one more math equation or talks about how you’re ‘so much smarter’-“

“You’re only mad because I’m right!”

“No, I’m mad because you’re an impossible little-“

“Adric, Turlough,” the Doctor chimed in. “You can also take Kamelion.”

They both groaned again.

“Do they even allow dogs in here?” Turlough asked.

“Yeah, we might have to leave him in the car,” Adric agreed, not seeming sympathetic at all.

“Don’t worry, I checked before we left,” the Doctor smiled, attaching the leash to Kamelion’s collar and handing it to Turlough. “He’s all yours. Adric and Turlough, keep an eye on each other. Don’t let the other wander off.”

“Yes, Doctor,” Adric droned, while Turlough gave a small eye roll in response.

— — —
The groups split up almost instantly after getting inside. Adric and Turlough, dragging along a skittish Kamelion, immediately went towards the game and food stalls. Tegan and Nyssa went off in the direction of the tents with the performers.

The Doctor and Peri wandered around a bit, asking various attendees if they had seen anything suspicious around. They all said no, with confused little glances, but something definitely felt off about the responses from the staff members…and not just the strange outfits or makeup.

“Everything is alright here at Tamers Circus,” the clown responded with an eerily blank smile. “It always has been, and it always will be. Please, enjoy your stay. I think you’d enjoy a trip in the Tunnel of Love.”

“Tunnel of Love?” The Doctor echoed, looking over at the place the clown indicated. “How did they set up something like that?”

“Maybe they built around something that was already there?” Peri suggested.

“Maybe,” the Doctor mumbled. “In any case, let’s go talk to the people in line.”

They bumped into one couple towards the front of the line, which seemed strangely short considering the amount of people attending the circus.

The Doctor tapped a young man on his shoulder. “Excuse me, but you wouldn’t happen to have seen anything out of the ordinary here, have you?”

“No, I haven’t,” the man responded, puzzled.

“Ah, well,” sighed the Doctor. “Thank you for your time.”

He turned to Peri as the couple entered the ride. “Should we experience this ride ourselves, then?”

Peri gave him an incredulous look. “Are you asking me to go on the Tunnel of Ride with you, Doctor?”

“Ah, well, I didn’t think of that,” the Doctor’s gaze fell to the ground. “Oh, look!”

He bent over and picked something up off the ground. “It’s a wallet.”

“Do you think it belonged to that couple?” Peri asked.

“Very likely,” the Doctor nodded. “Well, I think we should wait at the end for them then.”

They walked over to the end of the ride, where a couple soon exited. The Doctor recognized them as the ones in line before the couple he talked to.

They waited a few more minutes before the ride stopped again, letting off another couple.

“Wait, Doctor,” Peri said. “Aren’t those the two who were behind us?”

“Yes, I think so,” the Doctor agreed. “So where did the other two go?”

“Did we just miss them?” Peri asked.

“It’s a possibility.” The Doctor frowned. “But I have a feeling something else is going on here. Come on, Peri, let’s go gather the others.”

— — —
The Doctor bumped into somebody, and he twirled around. “Oh, sorry, I-“

He cut himself off as he recognized exactly who he ran into. “Turlough! Adric! Just the two I was looking for!”

“Does this mean we won’t be able to ride the horse?” Adric frowned.

“You say ‘we’ as if I agreed to join you,” Turlough replied.

The Doctor could see that they had been embracing the circus for the day. They both held half-eaten ice cream cones, and Turlough was even lugging around a big teddy bear.

Then, the Doctor noticed a very important absence.

“Where’s Kamelion?”

Turlough shrugged, still eating his ice cream. “No idea. He must’ve wandered off.”

“What a shame,” said Adric, nodding solemnly.

“I thought I told you to keep an eye on him!”

“You said to keep an eye on each other,” reminded Adric. “You just said that Kamelion was ‘all ours’.”

“So, really, you can’t blame us for…unfortunately losing the mutt in all this chaos of a carnival.”

“Right,” Adric nodded. “You were the one who entrusted him with us.”

“I really don’t know why you thought we’d be the most responsible and trustworthy out of everyone.”

“Yeah, you should’ve given him to Nyssa instead. Or you could’ve just not brought him at all.”

“If anyone’s at fault in this situation, it would probably be the person who brought us all here to this shady circus and burdened us with a sick dog.”

“Exactly. We’re blameless.”

The Doctor closed his eyes and sighed. “I think I preferred it when you two were fighting.”

Adric shrugged. “Well, Turlough bought me ice cream and I helped him win a prize with my knowledge of physics, so we’re all good now.”

“Yeah, that pretty much covers it,” Turlough nodded. “I like watching how jealous the little kids get of me. It brings me joy.”

“Oh, my.” The Doctor shook his head and forced his thoughts to get back on track. “Anyways, I ran into something rather strange…the Tunnel of Love!”

They both stared at the Doctor in bafflement and concern.

“Uh, Doctor,” Turlough started. “I know you don’t seem to have much experience in it, but love isn’t really all that strange-“

“No, no, not that!” The Doctor dismissed before narrowing his eyes. “And I have plenty experience in the field of love, thank you very much. What I meant is that one couple who went into the ride…never came back out again.”

“Are you sure about that, Doctor?” Adric asked.

“Quite positive,” the Doctor affirmed. “Now, who wants to test it out?”

“I am not going into the Tunnel of Love with any of you,” Turlough instantly answered.

“Yeah, me neither,” added Adric. “Where’s Tegan and Nyssa? I’m sure they’d be willing to go.”

The Doctor sighed. “I sent Peri out to look for them over by the tents, where they were earlier. It really wasn’t a good idea to split up, who came up with that?”

“Nyssa.”

“Oh, well.” The Doctor placed his hands in his pockets. “I’m sure she had a good reason.”

“I think we know who his favorite is,” Turlough mumbled to Adric.

“I think we always knew who it was.”

— — —
“This really is quite fascinating,” Nyssa said, placing her head on Tegan’s shoulder as they watched the performance. “Think of the quick calculations it must take to catch each of the pins at that speed.”

“Lots of practice, I’d wager,” Tegan answered, lying her head on top of Nyssa’s.

Nyssa smiled. “Imagine one of the others learning to juggle like that—the Doctor, or Adric, or Turlough…”

Tegan snorted. “Well, they’re all certified clowns already. All they’d need would be some makeup.”

“And costumes,” Nyssa added, eyeing the large shoes and strange outfits.

“Maybe they’d finally change into something else,” Tegan muttered. “I swear, they have the wardrobe of a cartoon character—just multiple of the same exact outfit to wear every day.”

“Tegan! Nyssa!”

They both looked up at the sound of their names to see a familiar figuring rushing towards them.

“Peri!” Nyssa replied in surprise.

“Why are you shouting?” Tegan asked. “There’s a show going on here!”

Peri glanced over at the clowns, who were now getting on tiny unicycles to ride. “Oh, sorry. But the Doctor said this is urgent!”

Tegan rolled her eyes. “Everything with the Doctor is.”

“What is it?” Nyssa asked.

“Something strange happened when we were investigating the Tunnel of Love,” Peri explained. “I think a couple disappeared while riding it! And, well…we want someone to investigate.”

“So you want us to go?” Tegan asked. “Of course it has to be us. We can’t get one day off around the Doctor, can we?”

“Well, who else would go?” Nyssa asked. “Turlough?”

Tegan snorted. “You’re right. Who’d want to go with him? Alright, Peri, lead the way.”

Tegan and Nyssa followed Peri over to the Tunnel of Love where the other three were waiting.

“Where’s Kamelion?” Nyssa asked.

The Doctor just sighed and didn’t answer. “Alright, you two take this.”

He handed Nyssa a radio from his pocket, and took another one out for himself.

“Where’d you get that from?” Tegan asked in surprise.

“Hm? Oh, I simply…borrowed them, some time ago. I’m sure their owners didn’t miss them.”

“Are we promoting stealing now, Doctor?” Asked Peri with a cheeky smile.

“It’s…well…I was a different person back then,” the Doctor stammered. “Different face and all. Anyway, I think it’s about time Tegan and Nyssa were on their way. Narrate everything you see there, no matter how small it may seem. Understand?”

“Understood,” Nyssa nodded solemnly.

“We’ve got this, Doctor,” Tegan assured him. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Alright,” the Doctor answered. “We’ll be waiting near the exit for you.”

“If they come out, you mean.”

“Yes, thank you, Turlough. Your positive outlook is such a virtue as always.”

Tegan and Nyssa departed through the entrance and boarded the ride, shifting closer together in response to the eerily smiley employee operating the ride.

The ride started up, the small boat sailing down the canal. Bright hearts were projected all around the walls and some cheesy pop love song was playing over the speakers way too loudly.

Tegan practically had to shout to narrate everything. When she pointed this out, of course, Adric responded by saying that she shouted everything anyway. She hoped her opinion on that was communicated well enough through the radio.

“This design could be purposeful,” the Doctor said, with Nyssa and Tegan having to place the radio as close to their ears as possible. “With the volume, it would be hard for others to hear cries for help.”

“Or they could just be really terrible at making good rides,” Peri added.

“Wait,” Nyssa interrupted. “Something’s happening.”

Sure enough, something strange was going on in the ride. A board had suddenly risen up from the ground, blocking off the clear path forward. The boat bounced into it, crashing Tegan and Nyssa together violently, and instead the water pushed it towards a darker path.

“I think we better hold on tight,” Tegan warned.

Nyssa held onto the rail with one hand while clutching the radio in her other. Tegan grabbed the rail on both sides of Nyssa, securing her in the ride.

The boat drove off the edge, sending Tegan and Nyssa into a heart-stopping free fall for a few fearful moments before crashing into a still pool of water at the bottom. The water splashed back at them, soaking both Tegan and Nyssa.

Tegan carefully stood up on the rocking boat and jumped over to the cement on the side. She reached around to help Nyssa out, who was fiddling with the radio.

“Is something wrong with it?” Tegan asked in concern.

“It’s not working,” frowned Nyssa.

“Did the water short circuit it or something?”

“No, it doesn’t seem to be from water damage,” Nyssa answered. “It’s more like…something here is stopping it from working. A dampener of some kind.”

“I guess someone here really doesn’t want anyone to call for help.”

Tegan looked down the dark, ominous hallway and sighed. “Well, it seems like there’s only one way out of here. We better step on it if we want to get back home by nightfall.”

“Is getting back home on time the most pressing issue currently?”

“I’d rather focus on that than possibly falling into a serial killer’s den because of the Doctor’s insistence,” Tegan huffed. “And the day was going so well, too.”

Nyssa smiled as they started to walk down the tunnel, hand in hand. “I’ll assume that you mean things were great without the others around.”

“Of course I mean that. They’re insufferable at the best of times!” Tegan glanced over with a soft smile of her own. “But it was mainly because I was able to spend some quality time with you.”

Nyssa opened her mouth to respond when a new voice beat her to it.

“Aw, how sweet. I was really hoping to meet the Doctor here, of all of you, but I suppose I would be jealous if he rode this ride with someone else.”

Tegan couldn’t stop her groan, and even Nyssa sighed in annoyance.

“Of course,” Tegan said. “Of course it’s you. Tamers Circus! What else was I expecting?

“It’s really rude to not greet an old friend first.”

“Alright then, Master,” said Nyssa, setting her shoulders back. “We meet yet again. What are you planning here?”

“Jumping right into things, are we?” The Master clapped twice and overhead lights turned on, brightening up the room so suddenly that it temporarily disoriented both Tegan and Nyssa. “Like I said before, I would’ve really preferred to preform my little monologue to the Doctor…but you’ll do. First, I’d like to know what you think my plan is.”

Tegan and Nyssa exchanged confused glances. Nyssa spoke up.

“To be completely honest, we haven’t thought about it much…we know that there’s sightings of strange creatures and reported disappearances around this circus. The staff members have also acted strangely, and people have been pushed towards riding this Tunnel of Love. Some of them disappear down here and are subject to whatever your plan is for them.”

“The plan is simple,” the Master smirked. “I take a few customers who fall down here and brainwash them into becoming my staff. No complaints and no pay.”

Tegan furrowed her brow. “That’s it? That’s your nefarious plan?”

“Well, I have to raise money somehow!” The Master scowled. “Through this circus I earn a great deal of money to save for future schemes, especially since I don’t have to pay my workers. And the workers I can even keep for future use as lackeys or experiments.”

“So…why bother exposing all of this to us now?” Nyssa asked.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Tegan crossed her arms. “It’s simply been too long since we last met, and he wanted to get the Doctor’s attention.”

“That’s not true!”

“Then what was the point of this, exactly?” Nyssa inquired.

“I…I simply desired to crush your spirits more for the next time that we meet!”

“My spirits aren’t very crushed right now. What about you, Nyssa?”

“No, mine aren’t either,” Nyssa replied. “In fact, I would say that I had a pretty nice time in this circus today. It might have raised my spirits, even.”

The Master opened and closed his mouth several times, searching for words to say. Eventually, he ran over and hopped on the boat, pressing a few buttons on a device to make the water flow him away.

It was moving fairly slowly, honestly, so all Nyssa and Tegan could do was stand awkwardly as the boat moved away.

Eventually, they decided to just keep walking. After all, if the Master was heading in that direction, there must be a way out. They passed his boat fairly quickly and exited through a door at the end of the hallway, looking back as the Master glared at them in a small, bright pink boat with an upbeat love song still audibly playing from the ride up above.

“Nyssa, Tegan!” The Doctor called as they reunited. “You had me worried. You wouldn’t respond to my radio transmissions!”

“He was about ten seconds from sending two of us in,” Turlough informed them. “I’m not sure which two, exactly, but it would be a nightmare regardless.”

“So, what happened?” Peri asked curiously.

“It was the Master,” Tegan replied dryly.

“Isn’t it always?” Adric sighed. “What could he possibly be planning?”

“We’ll tell you all about it later.” Tegan looked up at the setting sun. “For now, I think we better get out of here.”

“But what about the Master?” The Doctor pressed. “Surely we must stop whatever he’s up to.”

“I think it could wait for a while,” Nyssa said. “We should find a way to reverse the brainwashing of the staff here soon, of course.”

“Brainwashing?” Peri echoed.

“But I think it would do us all good to get some rest and come back to it in the morning,” Nyssa continued.

“But the Master-“

Tegan cut the Doctor off. “The Masted won’t do anything rash without you there to witness it.”

“He feeds off attention,” Adric agreed.

“Sounds like some others I know,” Turlough mumbled.

“Hey! I thought we were allies, now.”

“Only when we’re arguing against the others. I can still argue against you whenever I like.”

“What? When was that decided?”

The Doctor sighed and started walking away from the Tunnel of Love ride reluctantly. “Alright, but we’re staying in a nearby hotel and heading back here first thing in the morning. Understood?”

“Yes, Dad,” mocked Tegan, walking past him to the exit of the circus.

Upon seeing the strange look on the Doctor’s face, Turlough patted him on the shoulder. “I’ve got it, Pops.”

Adric followed after him. “I also understand, Papa.”

Peri nodded at the Doctor. “Crystal clear, old man.”

The Doctor sighed and placed his head in his hands. “Why must they be this way, Nyssa?”

Nyssa hummed as she trailed after them. “I’m not sure, Father.”

They approached the van, everyone mentally preparing themselves for the unavoidable future war that would occur on the ride to the hotel.

“Look!” Peri pointed. “Kamelion found his way back!”

As she said, the old dog was lounging right by the van, looking up as everyone approached.

“Oh joy,” muttered Turlough. “Kamelion’s back.”