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Doctor Who:
Fireside
by
tswheaton
SECOND DRAFT, MARCH 2011
© TRAVIS S WHEATON, JANUARY 2009
Australian Writers Guild Assoc Member No.12444
Geelong, AU
INT. LIVING ROOM
Inside a warm cosy living room, lit only by an open fireplace and a small lamp hovering in one corner over a leather armchair, an elderly man sits quietly reading a book.
The wiry man would easily be 80 years old, with a white head of hair and a warm wrinkly face. He is dressed as if expecting visitors that he knows will never come. His eyes have a twinkle to them that come with having lived perhaps more than one lifetime's worth of adventures.
A quiet knock at the front door appears to go unheard, as the man flips a page of his book, and mutters to himself.
OLD MAN
No, that's not quite right.
The book's title reads "Age of Blood – Aztec Sacrifice".
A second, firmer knock on the door draws the man from his book. He glances at the clock on the mantle above the fire, then slowly marks his page, stands, and walks over to the door.
The old man straightens his shirt.
.
EXT. HALL/BALCONY
A long glass-enclosed balcony runs the length of the building, overlooking an inner courtyard from several levels up. Doors are dotted regularly along the balcony.
A young man with wet hair and wearing a damp brown suit stands by a door, waiting.
As the door opens, the young man takes a step back. He peers closely as the old man emerges, before hesitantly posing a question.
YOUNG MAN
Mr Chesterton?
The old man props himself slightly on the door as he in-turn inspects the wet young man standing before him.
OLD MAN
Yes.
The young man in the hall takes a step closer.
YOUNG MAN
Mr Ian Chesterton?
IAN CHESTERTON
The one and the same.
A beaming smile breaks out across the young man's face.
YOUNG MAN
Ian, it's me – it's the Doctor!
The young man presents himself like the prize on a game-show.
Ian looks blankly back.
IAN CHESTERTON
I didn't know we were getting a new
doctor. What happened to Dr Hill?
The young man shakes his head.
YOUNG MAN
No, no, no. Ian – Sir Ian – it's me.
The Doctor.
Ian stands resolutely in the doorway. He looks the man up and down again, before shaking his head.
IAN CHESTERTON
I'm sorry, I don't know you.
YOUNG MAN
That's because I've changed.
IAN CHESTERTON
You've changed?
YOUNG MAN
Yes - Oh, you never knew about that.
Ian, I am the same man that you once
travelled the stars with.
The old man takes a step back, his twinkling eyes now showing a little fear and trepidation.
IAN CHESTERTON
I'm sorry, I don't know what you are
talking about.
The young man leans in closely towards Ian, his brow furrowed intently.
YOUNG MAN
Don't have dementia do you?
IAN CHESTERTON
I certainly do not!
YOUNG MAN
Then you know who I am.
Once more, Ian shakes his head.
IAN CHESTERTON
But you can't be.
YOUNG MAN
I am.
IAN CHESTERTON
You simply can't be.
The young man gestures up and down his body again.
YOUNG MAN
Really, really am.
IAN CHESTERTON
The Doctor was old when I was young.
Now I'm old, he must be…
YOUNG MAN
I know it's hard to understand–
IAN CHESTERTON
I don't know what you want, but there
is simply no way you could possibly
be him!
Ian starts to close the door.
The young man's right thumb hooks itself into his damp suit jacket, and the left hand rises up and gesticulates as he speaks.
YOUNG MAN
Now you listen to me, Chesterfield!
I refuse to believe you could possibly
still have such a closed mind, after
everything we went through.
The door with Ian behind it stops closing.
Slowly, it re-opens.
IAN CHESTERTON
What did you call me?
In a less aggressive manner, the young man continues.
YOUNG MAN
It certainly should be more open than it
was on that day you stepped aboard my
TARDIS, in Totters Lane, November, 1963,
after you followed my grand-daughter
home from your school…
The young man raises his eyebrows at Ian, who in turn raises a hand to his mouth in disbelief.
YOUNG MAN (con't)
If you could touch the alien sand,
and hear the cries of strange birds and…
The young man pats his forehead.
YOUNG MAN (con't)
Ahh… Watch them wheel in another sky,
and so on, then would you believe me?
IAN CHESTERTON
Doctor!
A beaming smile breaks over the Doctor's face.
THE DOCTOR
That's me.
With fresh eyes Ian inspects the man standing before him.
For a moment the two men simply stare at each other; Ian digesting the revelation, and the Doctor looking awkward.
THE DOCTOR
Can I come in?
Reading some hesitation on Ian's face, he continues.
THE DOCTOR (con't)
Explain all this over some tea and
crumpets?
Ian finally offers a small laugh.
IAN CHESTERTON
I can offer you tea.
.
INT. LIVING ROOM
Draped over the back of a chair, the Doctor's suit jacket is drying in front of the fire.
The Doctor pensively paces around the room with an unwavering cup of tea in one hand. He occasionally stops by the fire to warm himself and help his wet clothes to dry.
Ian is settled back in his armchair, suddenly looking very old and frail. He watches the Doctor with wander.
Pausing suddenly, the Doctor nods at the table next to Ian's chair.
THE DOCTOR
Anything interesting?
He has a sip of his tea.
Ian glances down at the book he had been reading, then shakes his head slowly.
IAN CHESTERTON
Nothing you don't already know.
THE DOCTOR
Oh, there's lots of things I don't know.
Like, why Queen Elisabeth wants to lose
my head! Or the face behind the Face
of Boe.
IAN CHESTERTON
You certainly are a very different Doctor.
The Doctor moves closer to Ian.
THE DOCTOR
I was really just a kid when you knew me.
Few hundred years old. So arrogant and
tetchy.
IAN CHESTERTON
And now…
THE DOCTOR
Now… Now…
The Doctor starts pacing again.
Ian watches him.
Slowly the Doctor comes to a halt, and kneels in front of Ian.
THE DOCTOR
I'm sorry, Ian. I should never have
kidnapped you, and Barbara.
A haze falls over the Doctor's eyes as he remembers Barbara.
There is silence.
The Doctor points toward a wedding photo of Barbara and Ian on the wall near the mantle.
THE DOCTOR con't
So, things fell into place, when you got
back…
Ian smiles hesitantly at the memories.
IAN CHESTERTON
We were married on the 29th of July,
1969 – just after Neil Armstrong walked
on the moon.
THE DOCTOR
But now you're alone?
IAN CHESTERTON
She died, Doctor.
Three years after we returned to Earth.
Cancer...
The doctors couldn't tell us what caused
it, but they said it looked like some
form of radiation poisoning.
Ian's eyes hold a firm grip on the Doctor's, waiting for a reaction.
The Doctor is speechless, and so Ian continues.
IAN CHESTERTON
We couldn't exactly tell them that we had
been exposed to lethal levels of radiation
on an alien world, saved only by an antidote
that we knew nothing about. An antidote
that evidently didn't save us all.
There is still nothing but silence from the Doctor.
IAN CHESTERTON con't
She died in March of 1972, and I buried her
at Shoreditch Cemetery. I had to stand in
front of her family and know that I could
never tell them the truth.
THE DOCTOR
I don't know what to say.
IAN CHESTERTON
No, I guess you don't. I've had 40 years to
think about what I would say to you, Doctor.
Somehow I don't think you've spent much
time thinking about us.
The Doctor shakes his head defensively.
THE DOCTOR
I do. I do think about you; all of you.
IAN CHESTERTON
And do you think about those of us who died?
The Doctor's face is sullen as he listens to Ian. He pictures Donna, collapsing in the TARDIS; River Song, alone in her spacesuit; Adric, waving goodbye from the deck of the freighter...
THE DOCTOR
Especially those.
IAN CHESTERTON
I blamed you. For a long time. Then I blamed
the Daleks. Finally I realised the only person
I could blame was myself.
For a moment Ian is lost. The Doctor doesn't move.
Returning, Ian's eyes flicker around the room until finally resettling on the Doctor.
IAN CHESTERTON
How long has it been, for you, since you
sent us home in that Dalek time machine?
The Doctor finds the answer by looking into the fireplace.
THE DOCTOR
Seven hundred years?
IAN CHESTERTON
Seven hundred years. And after all that time,
today you just decide to drop in and see what
became of Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright,
former school teachers?
The Doctor enthusiastically jumps back up to his feet and waves towards the ceiling.
THE DOCTOR
There were Daleks, here, on planet Earth,
killing people. Daleks, on Earth. Invading.
Alien planets in the sky. I… wanted to make
sure you were okay.
IAN CHESTERTON
I always thought - if I was still alive when
they finally came to the Earth - I assured
myself that I would be ready to fight them.
Ian laughs sadly.
IAN CHESTERTON
Do you know what I did when I heard their
voices on the radio? I hid under the bed.
The Doctor briefly puts his hand on Ian's.
IAN CHESTERTON con't
Just the sound of that cold emotionless voice…
knowing that this time I was all alone.
[Beat]
You were here, weren't you? I may not keep
a close eye on current events anymore, but –
that Jones lady - she called for you - when
everyone was standing on the rooftops.
You've been back to Earth.
The Doctor nods his head, and sits like a schoolboy in front of Ian.
THE DOCTOR
It's hard to stay away. Something about
this place just wont let me go.
IAN CHESTERTON
Have you been back, to 2164? Have you
seen Susan?
The Doctor stares blankly at a photo on the wall, seeing Susan's face in the frame, just the way she looked when he watched her on the TARDIS scanner screen the day he forced her to leave him, and find her own path in life.
THE DOCTOR
I can't. She's locked off.
IAN CHESTERTON
Locked off?
THE DOCTOR
The Daleks have changed history so many
times, re-written this planet's future so
often – the timeline is damaged irreparably.
Susan is gone, into a parallel timeline.
She's still alive – well – but there is no way
to reach her.
IAN CHESTERTON
What did they do this time?
The Doctor scowls.
THE DOCTOR
They tried to use the Earth as a – a - cog
in a doomsday weapon that would have
destroyed all life – all non Dalek life –
in the Universe.
Ian shows no surprise.
IAN CHESTERTON
And you stopped them.
THE DOCTOR
With a little help from my friends.
IAN CHESTERTON
So you still travel with an entourage. But –
not now?
Once more, the Doctor stands up, restless.
THE DOCTOR
Vicki. Remember her. Instead of the French
Revolution, try looking up the Siege of Troy.
She's in there. Left me for some young
Greek guy in uniform.
Ian chuckles upon hearing the news.
IAN CHESTERTON
Why does that not surprise me?
For a moment the Doctor starts to smile as he remembers his past.
THE DOCTOR
Then there was Katarina - pretty little Trojan
hand-maiden. And Sara Kingdom.
His voice slowly trails off.
THE DOCTOR (con't)
The Daleks killed them both.
Ian leans forwards in his chair.
IAN CHESTERTON
Do you just replace us, when we die, or
decide to leave?
THE DOCTOR
I can't do it alone.
IAN CHESTERTON
You don't need help to pilot the ship.
THE DOCTOR
Not the ship. Me.
Again the two men sit in silence.
THE DOCTOR
Would you do it again?
Ian laughs as he moves in his chair, slowly shaking his head.
IAN CHESTERTON
How many times have I asked myself that
same question? The chance to go back…
to see Barbara just one more time…
The Doctor looks away at the mention of Barbara's name.
Ian pauses for a moment in reflection.
IAN CHESTERTON
I touched the alien sands of Aridious; saw
strange creatures on Vortis; was knighted
in the court of Richard the Lionheart… I
experienced things beyond imagining –
because of you.
The memories of visiting a dozen different worlds and times floods over Ian as he stares into the Doctor's face.
He shakes his head as if to clear it, then turns back to the Doctor.
IAN CHESTERTON (con't)
Tell me, Doctor, why you are really here?
THE DOCTOR
I ruin lives. I met a girl, Rose. Now she's
trapped in a parallel dimension just like Susan,
because of me. Martha, training to become a
doctor to save lives before I took her round the
galaxy, now just hours ago she was threatening
to destroy the entire planet to spare the human
race from the Daleks. And Donna… Donna who
saved the entire Universe… she can't even
remember me, or the magnificent things she did,
because if she does, she'll die.
[Beat]
It wasn't your fault Barbara died, Ian. It was mine.
[Beat]
It doesn't matter where I go – people always die.
A glimmer of comprehension crosses Ian's face.
IAN CHESTERTON
You need someone to tell you that it's alright.
That you do more good, than harm. That's why
you came to visit an old friend, who has been
through it all with you, and survived.
THE DOCTOR
And..?
Ian shakes his head.
IAN CHESTERTON
I'm sorry. I really am.
Ian's gaze passes over the wall of photos before returning to the Doctor.
IAN CHESTERTON (con't)
How can I sit here and say that what you
have done, the choices you have made,
were the right ones? Doctor, only you can
grant yourself absolution.
The Doctor wipes his hands over his face, re-emerging slowly with a smile. He stands up and drinks the now cold beverage he's been carrying around in one go, then stares into the empty cup.
THE DOCTOR
That wasn't tea – it was cocoa.
Ian chuckles.
IAN CHESTERTON
It's ok – I promise it's not marriage proposal.
The Doctor puts the cup down on the mantle, grabs his nearly dry jacket, and then turns and fastens a fierce glare on Ian.
THE DOCTOR
Can you make a promise to me?
IAN CHESTERTON
Of course.
THE DOCTOR
I mean – Universe Ending if you break your
word kind of promise.
Ian sits forwards in his chair.
IAN CHESTERTON
What are you talking about?
.
INT. HALLWAY, COAL HILL SCHOOL, 1963
Kids are casually bustling along the hallway, going to their next class. As they begin to thin out a teacher emerges from one of the classrooms – Barbara Wright.
She walks down the hall, turning a blind eye to some obvious lingerers, telling one student to straighten his school tie - with only half a smile.
Two men standing next to a noticeboard draw her attention; a young man apparently of a similar age to herself, and an elderly man, leaning on the younger one for support. She makes her way over to them.
BARBARA WRIGHT
Excuse me, may I help you?
Both men turn around. The Doctor tries to hide his smile by turning to face Ian, who is staring at Barbara, speechless.
Seeing that Ian needs a moment, the Doctor turns back to face Barbara.
THE DOCTOR
Would you believe my - grandfather -
went to school, this school, a long, long
time ago.
Barbara looks sceptically at the pair.
BARBARA WRIGHT
I'm not sure I would believe that, given
that the school was only built in 1947.
She raises her eyebrows slightly at the pair.
THE DOCTOR
Ah yes, but, it was rebuilt on the grounds
of the old Coal Hill School.
Barbara shakes her head.
BARBARA WRIGHT
No, there was a linen factory here from 1888
until it was destroyed in World War II.
THE DOCTOR
(to himself)
Blimey, who'd pick a fight with a history
teacher?
THE DOCTOR con't
Oh. Then I guess you'll never believe that
my granddaughter is sitting in one of these
classrooms, right now?
Before Barbara can answer, or digest the comment, Ian finally finds his tongue and intervenes.
IAN CHESTERTON
I apologise for my… son. His imagination
is really out of this world.
Barbara finally pays attention to the elderly figure. She gives him a friendly smile.
BARBARA WRIGHT
Perhaps he ought to write for The Sun.
Barbara shuffles restlessly and glances down the hallway.
BARBARA WRIGHT (con't)
Is there something that I can do for you?
Ian shakes his head slightly as he stares at Barbara.
IAN CHESTERTON
No, no I've seen what I needed to.
BARBARA WRIGHT
Well if you'll excuse me, I have to get to
my next class.
She starts to walk passed them.
Ian turns around and calls out after her.
IAN CHESTERTON
Just – one thing.
The Doctor immediately tenses, looking acutely at Ian.
IAN CHESTERTON (con't)
Looks… a lot like fog, tonight.
Barbara nods her head cautiously.
IAN CHESTERTON (con't)
Looks like fog.
Ian repeats himself, his eyes misting over.
The Doctor smiles politely and poignantly at Barbara.
Barbara smiles back.
BARBARA WRIGHT
Thank-you, I'll be sure and get a lift home.
She turns and heads off to her class.
THE DOCTOR
Thank-you, Barbara.
The Doctor walks Ian slowly down the hall in the opposite direction.