A/N I just got a crazy idea. Anyway I just love Steven and Vicki and this is my way of extending their time together. I suppose this is a bit of insight into both character compressed into a short cute one-shot.
Vicki was in a hammock, which was tied to two bookcases. She had a book resting on her chest and it went up and down with her breath. She's ignored the book at the moment and she lay there looking up at the star covered ceiling. She'd always loved the stars. She remembered back home, her father would show her what all the constellations were and how old each star was. Vicki didn't care, not really but she loved being with her father. She looked around at all the books even thought they weren't the books of her time. In her time, books were software floating out in cyberspace. Paper was expensive only a few people could afford paper books. There were few trees left; it seemed a waste to confine them to paper when they could be shared by everyone. Vicki had written lots of books but that was rather unexceptional. In her time, she had to write a book for her homework. She remembered Barbara's face when she told her that.
"A whole book" Barbara exclaimed.
"Yes, we had a week to do the research and another week to write our findings on the subject we were asked to do." Vicki said matter of factly.
"But how did you get it all done in time?" Barbara asked.
"I just paced myself, one book was easy though it was when you had four due in on the same day."
"I thought dissertations were bad" Barbara said.
Vicki didn't know what a dissertation was but she didn't tell her that. She could find out later. She did miss Barbara and Ian sometimes. They'd been good to her and looked after her. She hoped to see them again one day.
"What are you doing here?" Steven asked.
"I'm napping in the library" Vicki replied.
"Fine but what about your bed" Steven asked confused.
"I prefer hammocks"
"Fair enough" then a thought struck Steven "You don't know where I could find one do you?"
Vicki turned to look at him "Maybe"
"Vicki" he pleaded "Please that thing the doctor's got me sleeping me on, is giving me the most awful back pain."
"He did tell you about the bed bots didn't he" Vicki asked seriously.
"What, Bed bots?" Steven asked casually with a hint of panic.
"Don't worry, it will be fine" Vicki said going back to her book.
"What do you mean fine?" Steven asked sounding a bit more panicked
"Oh, it's just the Doctor has these bed bots, they're smaller than the eyes can see. They're meant to release a relaxing agent and massage your muscles as you sleep." Vicki replied.
"What do you mean meant?" Steven asked he was starting to get really panicked now.
Vicki smiled "Well they're broken, you see"
Steven laughed at that "What isn't broken on this ship?"
He sat down a comfy chair and then he asked "So what do these bed bots do now"
"The doctor isn't sure yet but he think they might cause back pain, headaches and hair loss" she said "But don't worry the doctor's sure he's switched them all of."
"What do you mean he's sure" Steven said suspiciously.
"Well they are quite small, they're might be a colony somewhere." Vicki smiled.
"Oh my God, I'm going to kill him, is my hair all right" he pulled at his hair and it seemed to be staying in. If she'd known Steven was so gullible she would have made sure to glue some fake hair to him in the night. She started laughing.
"You tricked me?" he turned to Vicki. She put her book over her face.
"I'm going to get you for that" and with that grabbed Vicki of the hammock and started to carry her and she kicked and screamed jokingly and Steven spun her around for a bit until they both got dizzy and fell to the book.
"Steven, you made me lose my place." She said grabbing the book.
"Sorry Vicki" he said sincerely "What are you reading."
"Alice in wonderland, Ian recommended it." She said "It said it was comforting that there was something crazier than this life."
"I can't imagine that." Steven said "Then again I couldn't imagine ever leaving Mechanus."
"Me neither" Vicki said thinking of the planet Dido and how she believed that Koquillion would trap her there forever.
"Does it compare?" Steven asked.
"At the moment she's decided to follow a white rabbit." Vicki answered.
"Well, we're following a white haired old man" Steven noted. "There are parallels"
"I guess but I can't imagine anything more wondrous than being with the doctor." Vicki said sincerely.
"I imagine wonderland would be boring after the Doctor then again anywhere would be boring after this." Steven said glumly
"Are you ok Steven?" Vicki asked putting her head on his shoulder.
"I was just thinking of home for a second." Steven replied staring off into Space as if his home was there.
Ian and Barbara were obsessed with home. They talked about it constantly to be honest she couldn't imagine anything more boring. But she'd smiled as they told their stories knowing it made them happy. To just talk about home was to resurrect it in their minds and for a second they were back there.
"What's your home like?"
"I grew up in a hive block in Lancashire, 200 families packed in together; it was just me and my mum though along with 500 of the nosiest neighbours you've ever met."
"That sounds nice" Vicki said.
"Nice is not how anyone has ever described Hive block 4.189 delta" he said with a wry chuckle "I remember that we got these food rations from the government, I remember the hustle and bustle on food day, everyone shoving and fighting, all the gossip and nonsense. People used to say the gossip was better than the food."
"Do you miss it?" she asked.
"It's gone, it was destroyed when I was 15, most of my friends died, my mother died and I was conscripted into the army, I became a pilot and then I crash-landed " he paused for a moment "and now I'm here" Steven looked around him and it him how crazy his life was. He was sitting in a library in a blue box with a girl from the future. He wondered what the people back home would make of that.
"I'm sorry Steven"
"It's ok, what about you?" he said trying to take the subject of his own home.
"This is my home" she smiled, she picked up the book "Wonderland"
"I guess it's my home to" Steven said holding her hand.
"What are you two dilly dallying about, we've just landed on top of a mountain so I suggest you put something warm on." The Doctor said handing them some warm coats that fit them perfectly.
The doctor led them out the room with a flourish. He was going on about some interesting readings he discovered and how the mountain was emitting a tachyon burst. Vicki didn't care but she loved being with the Doctor and she squeezed his arm as he led her outside.
Vicki looked outside the Tardis doors "through the rabbit hole."
A/N these two are a lot of fun and it was quite fun giving them new depth. They should have had more adventures together. I think wonderland did turn into a great metaphor for the Tardis and it has made me realise I need to write something starring the first doctor. He's so amazing.