A/N: I don't own Doctor Who. This idea has been playing around in my head for awhile ever since I watched all of Classic Who (over 2 years ago). Ian and Barbara are one of my most favorite Classic Companions. I've been working on this story on/off for the better part of almost two and a half years. I finally finished it.
This takes place during the Ponds and the Doctor's adventures during The Power Of Three. It's what I think they could've done. I hope you all enjoy what I've come up with here and let me know what you think.
Back to the Beginning
Chapter 1
"What do you say to one more stop before heading back to your party?" the Doctor asked as he flipped a switch on the TARDIS console.
"Sounds good to me," Amy pushed herself from her leaning position on the railing.
"Some place where we won't run into any monsters," Rory said.
"Well, no promises there," the Doctor patted Rory's cheek, "Where do you want to go then?"
"I don't know," Rory shrugged his shoulders.
"How about we go shopping?" Amy suggested.
"Shopping?" Rory and the Doctor asked incredulously in unison.
"What? You said you didn't know where you wanted to go," Amy looked to her husband.
"Shopping? You want to take the TARDIS shopping?" the Doctor was offended, "She can go anywhere in time and space and you want her to take you shopping?"
"In the 1960s," Amy clarified.
"Better," the Doctor tapped Amy's nose playfully.
"And how about Paris?" Rory added.
"Really?" Amy grabbed Rory's arm with excitement, "Even with their prices?"
Rory's mouth opened and closed like a fish, but Amy didn't even notice, "Oh, you're the best husband ever."
The Doctor just smiled at the couple, laying the course in the TARDIS. Within a few moments, the familiar wheezing sound could be heard as they landed. Amy eagerly opened the doors and stepped outside followed by her boys.
"This is not Paris," Amy stated as she looked around.
The Doctor picked up a discarded newspaper lying on the ground and pointed to the date, "No, but I did get the year right… it's 1965."
"One out of two isn't bad for him," Rory whispered, but the Doctor heard him anyway.
"Oi! I resent that," the Doctor swatted him with the newspaper, "I'm a lot better than I used to be. There was a time when I couldn't control the TARDIS at all… never knew where we'd end up next."
"You mean like now?" Amy folded her arms.
"No, not like now, smarty-pants," the Doctor shook his head and swatted her with the newspaper good-naturedly too. He looked around at their surroundings, "But this place does look very familiar."
"We are in London," Rory pointed to the newspaper.
"Right, but more than that," the Doctor said quietly and started to walk away with Amy and Rory trailing behind.
"What's with all the junk?" Rory looked around as they headed to where they thought the exit would be.
"We're probably in a junkyard," Amy reasoned, "The Doctor always takes us to the nicest places."
The Doctor rolled his eyes as Amy smiled at him. He turned his attention to Rory who just came up to step with him on his other side, "Shouldn't we just leave and go back to our party? My dad will be wondering where we are by now."
"Nonsense, I can have you two back ten minutes after we left," the Doctor shook his head and continued walking.
"Not so sure about that," Rory muttered to himself.
"Why don't we just find a nice park nearby and we can have a picnic, yeah?" Amy suggested.
"Good idea," Rory nodded, "And then we'll go home."
"Whatever you two…," the Doctor trailed off as he saw the words painted on the gate to the entrance of where they landed.
"What is it, Doctor?" Amy looked worried at the Doctor's expression.
"76 Totter's Lane," the Doctor smiled.
"You mean you're happy that we landed in a junkyard?" Rory misread the Doctor's smile.
"Just haven't been here in awhile, Rory," the Doctor sighed and immediately snapped out of it, "Let's find a park for our picnic."
"Shouldn't we get some food from the TARDIS first?" Rory pointed his thumb back into the junkyard.
"Nah, we can just have a nice walk in the park and then we can come back for some food," the Doctor draped his arms over Amy and Rory's shoulders as they headed off in search of a park.
"This looks good," Amy said as they neared a small park. There were some children playing and couples who had the same idea as the trio, having a picnic.
One of the children kicked a soccer ball in their direction. The same little kid shouted, "Hey, mister! Could you kick that back over here please?"
The Doctor smiled and instead of just kicking it back in one long swift kick, he dribbled the ball back over with his feet. Amy and Rory smiled on. He could be such a little boy sometimes and others, such an old man.
"Thanks, mister!" the children chorused as they went back to playing.
As he turned around to head back over to Amy and Rory who had now taken a seat below a giant oak tree, the Doctor paused and looked around the park. He couldn't help but smile at the life going on around him: couples having picnics, joggers jogging through the park, children playing, a man standing in direct path of an oncoming car…
Wait.
That last one wasn't a good thing. Quick as a flash, the Doctor ran for the man who was in danger of getting hit, knocking him out of the way. The horn blared, but the Doctor wasn't quick enough to get himself out of the way. He was hit with the side of the car in the process. The car sped off. Amy and Rory ran over in a heartbeat. The man the Doctor saved got up and jogged over to his savior as a woman ran over too, joining the man.
"What happened?" Amy looked up to the man the Doctor saved. She was already kneeling down by the Doctor, his head in her lap.
"I-I don't know," the man replied, "I was just crossing the street to get some ice cream for my wife and I and the next thing I know…"
He gestured to the Doctor on the ground.
The man's wife spoke up, "Is he all right? Did anybody get the number plate of the car?"
"It was too fast," Rory leaned over the Doctor, opening one of his eyes with his finger, "He looks like he's just unconscious. He'll be fine."
"Are you a doctor?" the woman asked.
"Nurse," Rory replied.
"But he'll be fine?" Amy looked to her husband for reassurance.
"He should be," Rory nodded.
"Do you think we should still call for an ambulance? A doctor? Get him to the hospital?" the woman asked.
"He'll be okay," Rory got up, now eye-level with the two strangers. "I've seen him unconscious before."
"He in the habit of saving lives?" the man asked.
"You could say that," Amy nodded.
"I'd like to thank him properly," the man said, "And to make sure he's all right. Not that I don't trust your word, son… I'd just feel better if I saw for myself that he'll be okay."
"Come to our house where you two can rest and he can be comfortable for when he wakes up. That way we'll be able to give him a proper thank you," the woman suggested.
"Uh, I-I suppose that's okay," Rory looked a little uneasy, looking to Amy for some sort of answer.
"Just until he's conscious," Amy agreed. Her only concern was for the Doctor's well-being.
"Let me help you get him up," the man knelt down to help Amy carry the Doctor. As he shifted the Doctor to lean more on him than Amy, he asked, "Might I know the name of the man I owe my life to?"
"John," Amy blurted before Rory could say anything. She and Rory knew that he had been deleting himself from history. So to avoid 'the Doctor' being name-dropped in the past, she thought it'd be better to just use his alias.
"John," the man nodded.
"And I'm Amy and this is my husband Rory," Amy nodded to Rory who switched with her to help carry the Doctor to the car.
They reached it in no time. After situating the Doctor in the backseat, the man turned to Amy and Rory and stuck out his hand, "By the way, I'm Ian Chesterton and this is my wife Barbara."
Rory and Amy nodded as they all got in the car to head to the Chesterton's home.
Yay? Boo? I love Ian and Barbara so much. Since this story is (finally) complete, I'll probably be posting a new chapter every week - most likely on Wednesdays. I thought posting this on the first day of the year would be appropriate. New start of a new year. Gonna try to write more this year. :) Let me know what you think so far! Happy New Year!