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locker_monsterTitle: Home (8/8)
Rating: PG
Characters: Ten, Martha, Ian, Barbara
Timeline: Set during "Blink"
Summary: Stranded in 1969, the Doctor turns to some old friends so he and Martha can return home.
Disclaimer: Nope, these characters still ain't mine.
A/N: Posting this in honour of Doctor Who's 46th anniversary. A shout-out to my beta![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
agapi42. Thank you so much for all your help!
Chapter One. Chapter Two. Chapter Three. Chapter Four. Chapter Five. Chapter Six. Chapter Seven.
The night sky was perfectly clear for once and the stars twinkled as brightly as was possible within the confines of a sprawling city. With no need to consult any tools, the Doctor found the right quadrant of space that he wanted. Staring up at those familiar points of light, he dialled a number on Martha’s mobile and brought the phone to his ear. After two rings, someone picked up at the other end.
“I’m calling from your garden,” the Doctor said after a standard greeting. He paused and listened for a moment. “Come look for yourself.” Ending the call, he looked over his shoulder.
Ian and Barbara emerged from their house a few seconds later, Barbara wrapping a shawl around her shoulders. Ian helped her to straighten it out as they approached the Doctor. “How can you be phoning us from out here?” he wondered.
“Mobile telephone.” He brandished it for the couple to see. “I borrowed Martha’s. They’ll be all the rage in thirty years so you better get used to seeing every human on the street with one of these plastered to their ear.”
The idea of a phone they could take anywhere seemed to impress the pair but they had seen far more interesting things elsewhere in the galaxy. It didn’t distract them for long from the fact that the Doctor was in their garden with a telescope. He had also taken the liberty of grabbing three lawn chairs from the shed, which were grouped around the telescope.
“Take a look.” Ian took up the Doctor’s offer and he put his eye to the eyepiece while Barbara sat down in one of the chairs.
“What should I be looking for, Doctor?” Ian’s enthusiasm for the stars hadn’t diminished at all.
“A missing star.”
Ian looked up from the telescope, appearing just as confused as his wife.
“Both of you asked about Susan,” the Doctor began. He had thought long and hard about this conversation. The humans in front of him were among the very few people who had known about his granddaughter. He didn’t look away from them as he spoke. “My planet is gone and so are all my people, Susan included.”
Neither of his companions said a word as they took in the news. Ian crossed over to Barbara and placed his hand on her shoulder, which she promptly covered with her own.
“There was a war and the final battle wiped out everyone from all of time and space.” It still hurt to say the words, even now.
“Oh, Doctor, I’m so sorry.” Unshed tears made Barbara’s eyes shine.
“Everyone?” Ian asked quietly.
“It doesn't mean I'm alone.” The Doctor smiled weakly. Gallifrey was gone and so were the Time Lords, but his friends were not. “You meant a lot to Susan. You deserved to know before I left.”
The couple reacted visibly to his comment, tensing at the thought of another goodbye.
“The TARDIS?” asked Barbara.
“The timey-wimey detector went ding an hour ago. Martha’s already on her way.”
“Let us give you a ride?” Ian offered. “Don’t think you can go just yet, Doctor.” Some levity returned and the three of them pushed back their remorse.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
They returned to Wester Drumlins House. The Doctor had programmed the TARDIS to materialize there once she had left 2007 upon detecting the presence of the Authorised Control Disc, thanks to the code he had given Billy. Even without the timey-wimey detector, the Doctor would have known his time machine was coming. He had been her pilot long enough to be intimately familiar with the displacement she caused whenever she travelled. It was cleaner than the touch of a Weeping Angel and much more powerful than a time ring or a vortex manipulator.
The unease that the house caused was forgotten as they made their way down to the cellar. Wester Drumlins was old enough that the space beneath the house resembled an underground cavern. The light provided by the old bulbs was weak but, even amongst the shadows, the TARDIS was a striking sight.
His hearts raced as he laid eyes on his home. Behind him, Ian and Barbara paused in nostalgic awe. Police boxes were still common during this time, appearing at the odd street corner when you least expected it, but they knew what existed beyond those doors. This was no ordinary police box.
“Fancy a peek inside?” The Doctor was already moving forward as he asked the question. The doors were already unlocked, telling him Martha was inside and waiting for him. He pushed the doors open with an air of theatricality and gestured for Ian and Barbara to enter.
They made it as far as the threshold before they came to a dead halt. The TARDIS was still bigger on the inside, but nothing else was the same.
“I’ve remodelled a bit since we last met.” He dashed up the ramp while the pair managed a more leisurely pace. Going through the familiar motions, the Doctor took off his coat and flung it over one of the support struts before taking his place at the console. Martha was sitting on the jump seat as she watched Ian and Barbara with a smile. The return of the TARDIS had given her the opportunity to raid her wardrobe and she had changed her clothes to something a bit more 2007.
“It’s different,” admitted Ian. He ran his hand over the coral-like material of a support strut, the light from within casting a golden-green tinge on his skin.
“But it suits you,” Barbara added, staring up at the time rotor.
The appearance of the console room did seem to change almost as often as he regenerated. “A TARDIS for all Doctors,” said the Doctor.
Martha hopped off the jump seat and hugged both Ian and Barbara. “Thank you so much.”
“We’d do it all again in a heartbeat,” Barbara assured her as they embraced.
“You could,” the Doctor murmured, the words coming out in a rush. As all eyes turned to him, he awkwardly ran his hand through his hair. “One last spin in the TARDIS for old time’s sake? Call it an early anniversary present.” He smiled hopefully. It was a last minute offer, sprung completely out of the blue, but he wanted so very much to show his gratitude for these two humans. “Piloting the TARDIS isn't as chaotic as before. We can go anywhere you want.”
“Most of the time,” Martha said quietly though her tone was light.
Ian and Barbara exchanged a glance but it seemed no words were needed. Maybe the thought of coming along had dawned on them as well.
“We would,” said Ian, “if you had arrived a few months earlier.”
The Doctor stared at his friends blankly. Beside him, Martha grinned and he turned to her, trying to discern what was going on from her. She raised an eyebrow and nodded her head at Barbara and Ian. He stared at her for a second more before it all fell into place. His eyes widened and he glanced to his former companions.
“Oh!” He pulled them both into a tight hug and they all shared a laugh. “Brilliant, just brilliant.”
The hug lasted for a moment more before they parted.
“Thank you, for everything.” After four hundred plus years, there was nothing more he could say, but he meant every word.
Ian and Barbara said their goodbyes and the Doctor and Martha watched them leave the TARDIS. It was an eerily familiar scene, a memory replayed back-to-front, almost a mirror image of how they had parted the first time, but this time the Doctor knew they would be returning home safely to a new adventure.
In the cellar of Wester Drumlins House, Ian and Barbara Chesterton watched as the TARDIS dematerialized. Never before had they had the chance to see the singular sight and it invoked both wonder and a far-distant longing, but they had no regrets about the life they lived. When the blue box had disappeared completely, Ian leaned over and kissed Barbara on the cheek and she leaned into his embrace. Her right hand went to her stomach and she smiled.
Rating: PG
Characters: Ten, Martha, Ian, Barbara
Timeline: Set during "Blink"
Summary: Stranded in 1969, the Doctor turns to some old friends so he and Martha can return home.
Disclaimer: Nope, these characters still ain't mine.
A/N: Posting this in honour of Doctor Who's 46th anniversary. A shout-out to my beta
agapi42. Thank you so much for all your help!Chapter One. Chapter Two. Chapter Three. Chapter Four. Chapter Five. Chapter Six. Chapter Seven.
The night sky was perfectly clear for once and the stars twinkled as brightly as was possible within the confines of a sprawling city. With no need to consult any tools, the Doctor found the right quadrant of space that he wanted. Staring up at those familiar points of light, he dialled a number on Martha’s mobile and brought the phone to his ear. After two rings, someone picked up at the other end.
“I’m calling from your garden,” the Doctor said after a standard greeting. He paused and listened for a moment. “Come look for yourself.” Ending the call, he looked over his shoulder.
Ian and Barbara emerged from their house a few seconds later, Barbara wrapping a shawl around her shoulders. Ian helped her to straighten it out as they approached the Doctor. “How can you be phoning us from out here?” he wondered.
“Mobile telephone.” He brandished it for the couple to see. “I borrowed Martha’s. They’ll be all the rage in thirty years so you better get used to seeing every human on the street with one of these plastered to their ear.”
The idea of a phone they could take anywhere seemed to impress the pair but they had seen far more interesting things elsewhere in the galaxy. It didn’t distract them for long from the fact that the Doctor was in their garden with a telescope. He had also taken the liberty of grabbing three lawn chairs from the shed, which were grouped around the telescope.
“Take a look.” Ian took up the Doctor’s offer and he put his eye to the eyepiece while Barbara sat down in one of the chairs.
“What should I be looking for, Doctor?” Ian’s enthusiasm for the stars hadn’t diminished at all.
“A missing star.”
Ian looked up from the telescope, appearing just as confused as his wife.
“Both of you asked about Susan,” the Doctor began. He had thought long and hard about this conversation. The humans in front of him were among the very few people who had known about his granddaughter. He didn’t look away from them as he spoke. “My planet is gone and so are all my people, Susan included.”
Neither of his companions said a word as they took in the news. Ian crossed over to Barbara and placed his hand on her shoulder, which she promptly covered with her own.
“There was a war and the final battle wiped out everyone from all of time and space.” It still hurt to say the words, even now.
“Oh, Doctor, I’m so sorry.” Unshed tears made Barbara’s eyes shine.
“Everyone?” Ian asked quietly.
“It doesn't mean I'm alone.” The Doctor smiled weakly. Gallifrey was gone and so were the Time Lords, but his friends were not. “You meant a lot to Susan. You deserved to know before I left.”
The couple reacted visibly to his comment, tensing at the thought of another goodbye.
“The TARDIS?” asked Barbara.
“The timey-wimey detector went ding an hour ago. Martha’s already on her way.”
“Let us give you a ride?” Ian offered. “Don’t think you can go just yet, Doctor.” Some levity returned and the three of them pushed back their remorse.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
They returned to Wester Drumlins House. The Doctor had programmed the TARDIS to materialize there once she had left 2007 upon detecting the presence of the Authorised Control Disc, thanks to the code he had given Billy. Even without the timey-wimey detector, the Doctor would have known his time machine was coming. He had been her pilot long enough to be intimately familiar with the displacement she caused whenever she travelled. It was cleaner than the touch of a Weeping Angel and much more powerful than a time ring or a vortex manipulator.
The unease that the house caused was forgotten as they made their way down to the cellar. Wester Drumlins was old enough that the space beneath the house resembled an underground cavern. The light provided by the old bulbs was weak but, even amongst the shadows, the TARDIS was a striking sight.
His hearts raced as he laid eyes on his home. Behind him, Ian and Barbara paused in nostalgic awe. Police boxes were still common during this time, appearing at the odd street corner when you least expected it, but they knew what existed beyond those doors. This was no ordinary police box.
“Fancy a peek inside?” The Doctor was already moving forward as he asked the question. The doors were already unlocked, telling him Martha was inside and waiting for him. He pushed the doors open with an air of theatricality and gestured for Ian and Barbara to enter.
They made it as far as the threshold before they came to a dead halt. The TARDIS was still bigger on the inside, but nothing else was the same.
“I’ve remodelled a bit since we last met.” He dashed up the ramp while the pair managed a more leisurely pace. Going through the familiar motions, the Doctor took off his coat and flung it over one of the support struts before taking his place at the console. Martha was sitting on the jump seat as she watched Ian and Barbara with a smile. The return of the TARDIS had given her the opportunity to raid her wardrobe and she had changed her clothes to something a bit more 2007.
“It’s different,” admitted Ian. He ran his hand over the coral-like material of a support strut, the light from within casting a golden-green tinge on his skin.
“But it suits you,” Barbara added, staring up at the time rotor.
The appearance of the console room did seem to change almost as often as he regenerated. “A TARDIS for all Doctors,” said the Doctor.
Martha hopped off the jump seat and hugged both Ian and Barbara. “Thank you so much.”
“We’d do it all again in a heartbeat,” Barbara assured her as they embraced.
“You could,” the Doctor murmured, the words coming out in a rush. As all eyes turned to him, he awkwardly ran his hand through his hair. “One last spin in the TARDIS for old time’s sake? Call it an early anniversary present.” He smiled hopefully. It was a last minute offer, sprung completely out of the blue, but he wanted so very much to show his gratitude for these two humans. “Piloting the TARDIS isn't as chaotic as before. We can go anywhere you want.”
“Most of the time,” Martha said quietly though her tone was light.
Ian and Barbara exchanged a glance but it seemed no words were needed. Maybe the thought of coming along had dawned on them as well.
“We would,” said Ian, “if you had arrived a few months earlier.”
The Doctor stared at his friends blankly. Beside him, Martha grinned and he turned to her, trying to discern what was going on from her. She raised an eyebrow and nodded her head at Barbara and Ian. He stared at her for a second more before it all fell into place. His eyes widened and he glanced to his former companions.
“Oh!” He pulled them both into a tight hug and they all shared a laugh. “Brilliant, just brilliant.”
The hug lasted for a moment more before they parted.
“Thank you, for everything.” After four hundred plus years, there was nothing more he could say, but he meant every word.
Ian and Barbara said their goodbyes and the Doctor and Martha watched them leave the TARDIS. It was an eerily familiar scene, a memory replayed back-to-front, almost a mirror image of how they had parted the first time, but this time the Doctor knew they would be returning home safely to a new adventure.
In the cellar of Wester Drumlins House, Ian and Barbara Chesterton watched as the TARDIS dematerialized. Never before had they had the chance to see the singular sight and it invoked both wonder and a far-distant longing, but they had no regrets about the life they lived. When the blue box had disappeared completely, Ian leaned over and kissed Barbara on the cheek and she leaned into his embrace. Her right hand went to her stomach and she smiled.
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