Work Text:
Tick… Tick… Tick… went the clock on the wall, though what should have been the focus was the teacher at the front of the classroom, once again raddling off which pages from the textbook they were to read for that night’s homework. Despite already having written it down, Frankie could feel the judging eyes of Mrs. Hollas burning into her from the back of the classroom, probably scribbling in her notebook about her staring at the clock instead of the teacher, or how many times she’d tapped her pencil against her notebook, or whatever it was she decided she did wrong this time. Biting the inside of her lip, she ran her thumbs along where the porcelain covering her face ended and her jawline began, eyes still up at that tick-tick-ticking clock. Three… two…
RIIING
Grabbing the strap of her already packed bag, she stood from her desk and headed for the door, the footsteps of Mrs. Hollas following behind her. Coming to the meeting room, she slid into her usual seat at the eight-person table, the much older woman clicking her tongue as she sat across from her.
“Tell me how you think you did,” she instructed, just barely looking up at her through her thinly framed glasses as she thumbed through the notebook.
“Okay?” Frankie guessed, a tiny voice in her head already telling her she answered wrong, “I did all my work and kept to myself.”
“Hmm.” Mrs. Hollas looked down at her scribbly handwriting. “When the teacher assigned the homework, you wrote it in your planner, did you not?”
“I did.” Reaching into her backpack, she pulled out the gray, ringed booklet, opening it up to that day and showing the words she’d written.
“But if you paid attention to your classmates, you would have noticed most of them didn’t write it down until the second time she explained the assignment.”
Behind the mask, Frankie couldn’t help but frown. “Some kids didn’t write it down at all.”
Mrs. Hollas’s eyes narrowed as she lifted her head. “Are you arguing with me?”
“No, it’s just… Last week, when I didn’t write something down, you said-”
“Frankie,” her stern voice interrupted, “Do we need another lesson?”
The young girl’s eyes glanced at the clock. Less than two minutes until her next class. Head down, she answered a quiet “No.”
Again clicking her tongue, Mrs. Hollas turned to a fresh page in her notebook, scribbling the words as she spoke. “What have I told you about looking at the clock while you’re speaking to someone?”
“It’s rude, but-”
“There is no “but,” Frankie. When you look at the clock when you’re talking to someone, you’re telling them they’re boring you and you want to leave the conversation. What would you think if you were talking to a friend, and they kept looking at their watch?”
I’d think they had somewhere to be soon, Frankie thought, Or just wanted to know what time it was. That wasn’t the right answer, though, she knew from past experiences. “Strange thoughts?”
“No, you’d think, “Oh, they really can’t wait for me to stop talking, can’t they?” Honestly, Frankie, you need to be more considerate of-”
RIIING
Mrs. Hollas huffed. “We’ll pick this up at lunch time. Don’t talk back, and maybe you’ll get to spend some time with your friends.”
What friends? Frankie quietly wondered as she picked up her bag. The girls she sat with at lunch were kind and fun, but they weren’t her friends. Not really. How could they be her friends if she had to hide so much of who she was?
With her head down, Frankie made her way back to her classroom, Mrs. Hollas tailing after her. Just barely looking up as she opened the door, the first thing she noticed was it was not her usual teacher at the front of the room, but a stranger who stopped and stared as she made her way to her seat.
“As I was saying,” he continued, brow furrowed as he kept his gaze on Frankie, “your teacher left clear instructions for your tests. Please remain seated, and would Miss.…”
He glanced down at his notes. “… Francine Barnett please take your test and go to room 329.”
Frankie remained seated for just a moment, watching with a lump in her throat as the substitute picked up the stack of papers from the teacher’s desk. Hearing the footsteps of Mrs. Hollas, she stood up and made her way to the front of the classroom.
“Um…” her voice was quiet, “I usually prefer to take my tests in here.”
The substitute raised a brow. “Your notes say you’re allowed to take your tests in a separate classroom.”
“I know, but-”
The sound of Mrs. Hollas clearing her throat interrupted her. “Frankie, weren’t we just talking about arguing with adults?”
“But you know I-”
“When an adult tells you to do something, you don’t argue.”
“But-”
“When an adult tells you to do something, you don’t argue.”
Knowing deep in her gut there would be no winning, Frankie lowered her head, taking her test from the substitute and making her way out of the classroom.
“When an adult tells you to do something, you don’t argue,” Mrs. Hollas’s words echoed in her head. I’ll be eighteen next month. What will she tell me then?
Finally reaching room 329, Frankie’s stomach dropped further as she saw the very reason she preferred to stay in her classroom for test taking. Three other students sat at the table, one wearing a mask very similar to her own. In the corner sat two of their instructors, but the one with the mask had his sat across from him.
“-did the Age of Gold begin?” she continued to read allowed to her student, “A. Venice, B. Galdone, C. Earth, or D. Floridia.”
Frankie looked to Mrs. Hollas, hoping beyond hope she would take pity on her, but instead only saw her going to sit with the other instructors in the corner.
“Good morning, ladies,” Mrs. Hollas cheerily half-whispered to the other two women.
With no other option, Frankie took a seat at the far end of the table and tried to get started.
Simplify, she read from the sheet, 5 – 2x – 4x-
“Which of the following caused the rapid spread of the Age of Gold’s political and social ideas?” the woman continued to read allowed to her student, “A-”
“Did I tell you about my weekend with my grandsons?” Mrs. Hollas continued in her half-whisper, “My husband barbequed, and my daughter-”
Simplify, Frankie tried again to read, 5 – 2x – 4x + 7 – 9x…
“Who was responsible for spreading the Tripple Theory?”
“Oh, and his birthday’s coming up!”
Frankie put her pencil to the paper, but like a Post-it note that’s sticky edge had dried up, she realized the equation had completely fallen out of her mind.
5 – 2x-
A CLANK echoed through the air, followed by the feeling of warm air blowing directly onto her. Glancing up, Frankie realized she was sitting right below the heat vent.
5 – 2x – 4x + 7-
“What year did the Battle of Gold take place?”
“And next week, we’re planning-”
Despite attempting to scoot out of the direction of the warm air, Frankie found little relief. Perhaps, she thought, she could move to another seat, but that ran the risk of the others looking up at her, wondering what she was doing. No one else seemed to be bothered by the air, but then again, no one else was seated directly under it. Is that what people did? Is that what normal people did? Worse still, would Mrs. Hollas write it down in her notebook if she got up and changed seats? Would it turn out to be something they had to talk about later?
5 – 2x – 4x + 7 – 9x…
“What were the direct consequences of the Battle of Gold?”
“Oh, little Archie is going to love it! Can you believe he’s about to turn-”
Fingers tapping against the wooden table, Frankie scribbled down 12 – 3x, quickly moving onto the next question. Simplify: 5x – 2y + 3-
A foreign hand covered her own, flattening her tapping fingers. Instinctively pulling away, she looked up to see Mrs. Hollas.
“Focus on your test,” she whispered, eyes narrowed in a way that told not to interrupt her conversation again.
Head down, she gave a simple, apologetic nod, shoving her hand deep into her skirt pocket.
5x – 2y + 3x – 6y…
“The Drought is the most famous work of which artist?”
The hot air continuing to blow down, Frankie could feel the collar of her blouse brush against her neck ever so lightly. Attempting to pull it away from her skin, she was suddenly aware of how humid it was becoming beneath her mask, the sensation of porcelain touching her damp face making her skin crawl. Thumbing the mask’s edge, she lifted it ever so slightly, letting in just the smallest brush of cooler air.
5x – 2y +-
“Oh, did I tell you about this candle shop I went to?”
5x – 2-
“Which of the following artists collaborated-”
“Oh, and there was this darling little-”
The little relief wasn’t enough. If that mask wasn’t off her face in the next ten seconds, she would surely have to rip her own skin off. Sliding her thumb further under the porcelain, the specially fitted mask came away easily, earning a quiet sigh of relief to escape her lips. Setting it down next to her paper, she rubbed her hands over what she was sure was a very red and damp face before looking back down at her test.
5x – 2y +-
The familiar sound of throat clearing caused her to look up. Once again, Mrs. Hollas stood before her, tapping her finger against the mask on the table.
“On.”
“But it’s too-”
“On. No more arguing, or we’ll be paying a visit to Mr. Bunker.”
Swallowing hard, Frankie looked to the mask, the very memory of the sensation making her want to gag. Still, with no other option, she picked it up with a trembling hand, a pitiful lump forming in her throat the second it touched her skin.
5x –
“What was the finale decree from King-”
“Now, where was I?”
“A. Every man is entitled to-”
Perspiration already began to rebuild behind the mask, leaving Frankie fighting the urge to claw at herself until she bled.
“My youngest grandson-”
5x – 2y + 3x-
“B. No man shall-”
“-looked right up to my husband-”
The mask was touching her sweaty face.
5x – 2y-
“C. All lands belonging to-”
The mask was touching her sweaty face.
“-and in the sweetest, most innocent voice possible-”
The mask was touching her sweaty face.
“D. The crown lands are now-”
The mask was touching her sweaty face.
The mask was touching her sweaty face.
The mask was touching her sweaty face.
A loud SMACK rang sharply through the tiny room, Frankie’s palms still stinging as she stood up with enough force for her chair to fall over. In one quick motion, her paper and pencil went flying across the room, and a piercing, frustrated scream-sob left her lips as she wrapped her arms around her head, biceps pressed against her ears as she collapsed into a crying heap on the ground.
“Frankie!” Mrs. Hollas scolded, eyes narrowed, and lips curled in disgust as she stood form her chair, “Is that any way for a girl your age to behave?”
Frankie didn’t answer. Rather, she couldn’t, the only sound she could produce being those trembling, pathetic sobs.
With an exasperated sign, the old instructor reached under the table, grabbing Frankie by the arm and forcing her to her feet.
“For goodness’ sake, Frankie,” Mrs. Hollas continued to scold as she dragged her from the room and down the hall, “You’re nearly eighteen, far too old for this nonsense!”
Don’t you think I know that!? Frankie wanted to yell. Did Mrs. Hollas really, truly think she didn’t know how embarrassing it was to break down crying in the middle of class?
Coming to a sudden halt, Mrs. Hollas turned to her, grabbing her tightly by the shoulders.
“What do you think those other kids are thinking, Frankie? What do you think I’m thinking?”
Struggling to even breathe through her sobs, Frankie’s voice and body trembled. “Str-Strange thoughts.”
“Right on the money! Strange thoughts, indeed!”
Releasing her grip on just one shoulder, Mrs. Hollas continued dragging her down the hall, stopping once again as they came to a large, metal door.
“Be grateful, Frankie,” she said through gritted teeth as she not so gently pushed the girl into the courtyard, “The real world isn’t going to coddle you.”
Stumbling as she was forced into the outside, Frankie could hear the SLAM of the door closing behind her. With no strength left to even stand, she quickly fell to her knees, collapsing into a ball as she continued to sob.
“Be grateful,” Mrs. Hollas’s words repeated in her head. Grateful? Grateful for what, exactly? For feeling like trash? For literally being thrown out like trash? For the constant shame and reminders of being… wrong? Was she truly supposed to be grateful for that?
Through the wind and chirping birds, as well as her own sobs, a sound began to make its way to her ears. A strange, rhythmic wheezing; so out of place, it caused Frankie’s cries to halt in her throat.
Vwoorp, vwoorp, vwoorp.
The girl’s eyes widened behind the mask, unsure if she could believe what she was seeing. Meer feet away from her, a large, blue box began to appear, growing more solid with each wheeze, until it fully materialized. Not a moment was spared for Frankie to make any kind of sense of it, before a woman in a long, light blue coat stepped out of its doors.
“Hiya,” she greeted as her eyes landed on Frankie, “This wouldn’t happen to be Key Gardens Senior Living Facility, would it?”
Eyes still wide and mouth agape as she stared at the impossible woman, Frankie pulled herself to her knees.
“N-No,” she shook her head, “I… I mean, it was a long time ago, but… n-now it’s Ellery High School.”
The woman’s hopeful grin fell into a disappointed grimace. Hands on her hips as she turned her head, she looked to the blue box in annoyance. “We’ll be having a chat later, you and I.”
Frankie’s eyes remained glued to the strange woman, looking her up and down. This wasn’t a thing that happened, people didn’t just magically appear out of blue boxes!
This time with a furrowed brow, the woman turned her attention back to Frankie.
“What’re you doing there on the ground?”
A wave of self-consciousness hitting her, Frankie’s gaze lowered to the pavement. “I… It’s in my individual education plan that I can sit in a safe space by myself when I need to calm down.”
The woman looked around, eyeing the trash scattered across the ground and the lack of any adults on the premises. “This space doesn’t look very safe to me.”
“Better than an empty cupboard.”
Looking back at Frankie, the woman’s head crooked. “Is today some kind of festival day?”
“No? Why would it-?” Suddenly, she remembered. Fingers grazing the porcelain edges, she continued to stare down at the ground. “Oh, this… this is just something I wear.”
“Can I ask why? Sorry, not from around here, not sure what the customs are.”
Frankie just barely looked up at the woman. “My face isn’t right.”
The woman frowned. “Not… In what way?”
“I don’t express emotion right. Like, I smile too big when I shouldn’t or look too bored when people talk to me. It’s so I don’t make people uncomfortable when I’m around them.”
“Does wearing it make you feel better?”
“It…” She paused, mind coming to a temporary stop. “You know, no one’s ever asked me that.”
Flashing a small smile, the woman stepped forward, taking a seat on the ground next to her. “Can you tell me your name?”
“Frankie.”
“Nice to meet you, Frankie. I’m the Doctor, and for the record, I don’t believe in faces being “right” or “wrong.” If you want to take it off for a bit, I don’t mind.”
“I…” Still running her fingers along the edge of the mask, she pondered for a moment. “I don’t want to get in trouble again.”
“You’ll get in trouble if you take it off?”
“Well… Mrs. Hollas gets upset if I take it off.”
“Mrs. Hollas isn’t here, though, is she?”
“No, I… I guess she’s not…” Hesitantly, she ran her fingers underneath the porcelain, feeling the cool air against her face as she slid it off her skin.
A small frown crossed the Doctor’s face. “Have you been crying?”
Feeling her stomach drop, Frankie quickly held the mask to her face. “Sorry, I-”
“No, no! I didn’t mean…” Scooting closer, she gestured to the mask. “Can I just…?”
Very gently, the Doctor reached out, guiding her movements until she was bare faced. “There’s nothing wrong with crying when you’re upset, or smiling when you’re happy. They’re perfectly natural reactions.”
“But I do them wrong.” Fidgeting with the mask in her hands, Frankie alternated between looking at her and looking at the ground, “Everything I do is wrong. I just… I… I don’t feel things right, I don’t do things right-”
“Who told you that, exactly?” the Doctor interrupted.
“My teachers. Ever since I was little, I…” She paused. “… I don’t behave the way I should, the way other people behave. It’s like… Have you ever missed school for a few days, and came back to find out you missed an important lesson? It’s like the lesson I missed is how to be a person. Everyone else knows and understands all these secret rules, and I’m expected to know them too, but I just… don’t.”
Tugging gently on the hem of her coat sleeve, the Doctor gave a somber nod. “And when you break these secret rules, people get mad at you?”
“Yes!” Just knowing she understood, the weight in Frankie’s chest began to lift. “It’s like everyone else has a manual on how to behave, and no one will let me read it, but I still have to piece it all together. It’s not like I want to not know what I’m doing, I just don’t!”
“Not a crime to not know what you’re doing,” the Doctor agreed, “Happens to me quite a lot. Trick is to pretend you know, and it comes to you eventually. … Usually.”
“It gets exhausting to pretend, though. Always having to give the right answer, even if it’s not the true one.”
The Doctor’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“You know, like… like how you can’t say you want to leave a party because you don’t want to talk anymore or are just done being around people for the day. You have to say your parents need you at home, or you have something to do early in the morning. If you told them the real reason, they’ll start thinking strange thoughts and won’t want to hang out with you anymore.”
“Your teachers tell you that? That you have to conform, else you won’t have friends?”
“Well… I… they never said it like that, but… if I don’t behave like everyone else, people will have strange thoughts about me.”
“And that’ll stop people from liking you?”
“Well… yeah, I guess.”
The Doctor sighed. “Oh, Frankie…” Fingers fidgeting with twigs on the ground, she spent a moment looking off into the distance before turning back to the teenager. “A moment ago, when you saw that box appear, did you think it was strange?”
“Well…” The impossibility of that scene suddenly came back to her. “…that’s putting it mildly, but yeah. How did you-?”
“And when I came out of that box, did you think I was strange?”
“Yeah, but-”
“And did any of that make you not want to be my friend?”
“I… No, I guess not, but-”
“You know what…” Rising to her feet, the Doctor grinned as she held out her hand. “Let me show you something.”
For a moment, Frankie didn’t move, just stared at the Doctor’s outstretched hand. Finally, she took the chance, allowing her to help her to her feet as she led her to the blue box.
“Here-” she said as she pushed open one of the doors, “-have a look around.”
Looking back and forth between the Doctor and the ajar door, Frankie hesitated, all those years of stranger danger ringing in her head. Still, this clearly wasn’t a typical stranger. Taking a cautious step forward, she poked her head into the box, only to quickly take a step back. Eyes as wide as dinner plates, she looked to the Doctor, and then back into the box.
“Wha-!?” Mouth agape, she hurriedly walked around the perimeter. “How is… It’s bigger on the inside!”
“Pretty strange, right?” the Doctor grinned, motioning for her to follow her inside.
Unable to do anything else, Frankie followed her in. “How… What is this place?”
“It’s called the TARDIS. It’s my ship, and my home.”
In complete awe, Frankie continued to walk around, eyeing the crystal pillars closely. “What is that, amber? Or some kind of quartz?”
“You know, I’m actually not sure.” Closing the door behind her, the Doctor walked over to her. “Still think strange is bad?”
“I mean… this is just… incredible.” She turned to look at her. “And you live here? On your own?”
“Not on my own, usually. I have a mate I travel with, but I left her at the Wonderous Water Slides so I could try to talk to someone at Key Gardens.”
“Bit late on that one.”
“Yeah. Funny thing about my TARDIS. She doesn’t always take me to where I want to be, but she always takes me where I need to be.”
Frankie blinked. “So… you think your… TARDIS wanted you to find me?”
“It’s possible.”
“But… why?”
“Well…” she leaned back against the center console, “…maybe because there was someone out there like you once. Someone whose teachers were never fond of. Always asked too many questions, couldn’t sit still, never acted with the “dignity” a Time Lord should have. None of what his society deemed as “normal” came naturally to him, and for years he forced himself into conformity, though he didn’t realize it until a long time after. Then, he got away from that world, traveled to many places with many different customs and behavior deemed “normal,” and slowly over time, his true self started to come out. He was very strange, and silly, and though people found him odd, he still made many friends. Still have many friends.”
Standing up straight, the Doctor flashed a grin at Frankie. “I’m sure many people have had “strange thoughts” about me. But you know what? Ever since I stopped catering to a perceived ideal of what I “should” be, life has been so much better. Being your true, authentic self is the most freeing thing ever, and I promise you; people will like that self.”
“But…” Frankie paused, looking down at the ground. “What if I’ve been pretending so long, I don’t know what my true self is?”
“Then you’ll have to stop pretending and find out.”
Pondering her words, Frankie ran her fingers along the edges of the mask in her hands. Stop pretending. Find out…
A loud, banging, KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK rang through the ship, making both Frankie and the Doctor jump.
“This is the school authorities!” a stern and demanding voice declared from the other side of the door, “Release the student you have inside, or we’ll be forced to alert the police!”
Sparing each other a quick glance, the Doctor and Frankie hurried to the door, opening it to find two school security guards, as well as an angry Mrs. Hollas.
“What in the world has gotten into you today!?” Mrs. Hollas demanded as she grabbed Frankie’s arm, pulling her from the TARDIS, “Causing disruptions, talking back, and now allowing yourself to be lured by a stranger into-”
Reaching into her pocket, the Doctor pulled out a wallet-like leather sleeve, flashing its contents to the adults. “I’m no stranger, and Frankie was in no harm with me.”
“Superintendent’s District Safety Inspector,” one of the guards read from the slip of paper.
“That’s right,” the Doctor said, giving the paper a quick glance before putting it back in her pocket, “I was sent to poll random students and staff on how the school’s managing the wellbeing of its students. From what Frankie’s told me, I’m not pleased.”
“What Frankie’s…” Mrs. Hollas glared at the girl, her arm still in her grasp. “What exactly has she told you?”
“That’s classified. But for one thing, I would advise-” As she spoke, she pulled Mrs. Hollas’s hand off Frankie’s arm. “-not manhandling your students, or disciplinary action might be taken in the near future.”
Mrs. Hollas paled. “I-I…”
“I suggest you apologize to Frankie.”
Looking towards the girl, the older woman’s mouth just opened and closed, her mind clearly still spinning. “I… I’m sorry for laying hands on you, Frankie.”
The girl nodded before flashing the Doctor a small grin.
“You’re supposed to say, “it’s okay,”” Mrs. Hollas told Frankie.
“Except it’s not okay,” the Doctor interjected, “Forgiveness is earned, not owed, and Frankie is a person, not a machine to be programed, and as such, she is owed respect.”
Again doing her impression of a fish, Mrs. Hollas’s eyes darted back and forth between Frankie and the Doctor.
“I will be writing a scathing report to the superintendent,” the Doctor warned, “Treat Frankie and other students like her better, or there will be consequences.”
Taking a step back, the Doctor closed the door. A moment later, the vwoorp, vwoorp, vwoorp started again, and the TARDIS began to fade out of existence. Once gone completely, the four of them just stood there, staring in stunned silence until one of the security guards cleared his throat.
“I, uh… I’ll inform the principal about the misunderstanding.”
With that, the two guards walked away, leaving Frankie and Mrs. Hollas alone.
“Let’s go now, Frankie,” Mrs. Hollas shakily spoke, “You have a test to finish.”
The older woman began heading for the door, but Frankie stood still, fingers grasped around the edge of the mask as she stared, longingly, at where the TARDIS had been.
“Frankie,” Mrs. Hollas called out, “Let’s go.”
With a sigh on her lips, Frankie turned around, slipping on her mask as she followed Mrs. Hollas inside.
--
The restaurant was full to the brim with happy chatter, the light of the setting sun just barely poking in through the open windows. Laughing as she felt a breeze on her face, Frankie took a sip of her drink. Everyone at the table had cleared their plates, even the ten-month-old at her side had gotten most of her dinner in her mouth, rather than on her face. The woman on her other side smiled brightly at her, their matching wedding bands clinking as she reached out to touch her hand.
“To Frankie!” one of the others at the table proclaimed as she raised her drink in the air, “May she celebrate another forty years!”
“To Frankie!” the group cheered as they clinked their glasses together.
“Mama, mama!” the baby girl chanted as she happily hit her hands against the highchair tray.
Laughing again as she kissed her daughter’s forehead, Frankie stood from her seat as she looked to the group of five.
“I’m so happy you all could come tonight,” she said as she held up her glass, “It means so much that you all want to celebrate with-”
Suddenly, a sound drifted to her ear. It was faint, mixed in with the sounds of the restaurant goers, but there was no mistaking it.
Vwoorp, vwoorp, vwoorp.
A cold chill traveled through her veins. How many years had passed since she last heard that sound? How long had she dreamt of hearing it again?
“Everything okay, sweetie?” her wife asked.
Looking down at her, Frankie nodded. “Fine, fine,” she assured her, setting her glass down before sparing a quick look back at the group, “Sorry, I just… I need to check something. Be right back.”
With that, she made her way through the maze of tables, dodging waiters and other customers as she made her way to the front entrance. Stepping outside, she looked around, finding that beautiful blue box on the other side of the street. Joy already alight in her chest, she watched as the doors opened, the Doctor and another woman hurriedly stepping out.
“Doctor!” Barely stopping to check for cars, Frankie ran across the street, just catching up to the other two women. “Doctor!”
The Doctor and her friend stopped, turning to look at Frankie.
“Doctor!” Frankie grinned as she tried to catch her breath, “You probably don’t remember me, but-”
“Frankie?” the Doctor asked.
Grinning even wider, Frankie began to bounce on her toes. “It’s been so long!”
“Has it?” the Doctor asked.
“Doctor!” the young woman in her company sharply tried to get her attention.
“Oh, this is my mate, Yaz. Sorry, but we really have to-”
“Before you go-!” Hands clasped and fingers fidgeting, her mind raced with all the words she’s ever wanted to say. “I just… I promised myself if I ever saw you again… You changed my life, Doctor. Everything you said to me that day changed my life. It took a lot of time and years of therapy to get where I am today, but it all started that day you showed up at my school. It was exactly what I needed to hear, and you know what? You were right, there were people who liked me – the real me. I have friends, real friends, a wife, a daughter, everything I’ve always wanted. Thank you, Doctor. Just… thank you.”
“I’m glad to hear it, Frankie,” the Doctor grinned, “Would really love to stay and chat, but there’s a really big fish situation we need to take care of.”
“Of course, uh…” Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a rectangular device, typing in a few words before a piece of paper printed out of it. “When you’re done with that, maybe I could buy you both a drink? Or anything. It’s my birthday, and I’ll be around for a while.”
“Really would love to, but the situation is, well, situationing.” She turned to run off, but quickly turned back around. “Just, uh, stay away from any open bodies of water for the next hour or two.”
Watching as the Doctor and Yaz took off running down the street, Frankie grinned as she held her hands to the center of her chest. Oh, what her younger self would have given to run with the Doctor; if only she could have seen what wonderful adventures she’d make for herself. Feeling lighter with each step, she made her way back to the restaurant, still grinning as she returned to her group.
“Sorry, sorry,” Frankie said as she sat down, “Just saw someone I knew back in school. Wanted to say hello.”
Her wife chuckled. “The waitress came by with the check while you were gone. We’re ready to head to Bar & Cakes if you are.”
Frankie flashed her a grin. “Always ready for cake.”