I definitely don't own Doctor Who! I only own my OC. This is a 9-12/OC fic so it ends with 12 even though the show itself doesn't. I also have included 4 in this first chapter and if I wrote him well enough I'll include him in other chapters as well I've only seen parts of his series and I really enjoyed what I was able to see, he's such a smart arse but so sarcastic and rude. Hope you'll all enjoy it just the same. I had wanted to call the character Clara but decided against it since there would be confusion in later chapters. Any way, Constructive criticism is welcomed as always so with that, allons-y!
Chapter 1 The Meeting of Three Doctors
31, December , 2004
The sound of snoring filled a small bedroom as the single occupant slept away, completely ignoring the beams of sunlight filtering through the shoddy blinds covering their window. A loud buzzing screeched from the little black alarm clock and a small pale hand scrambled to hit the off button. The alarm clock was shut off with a groan of victory as the occupant finally got up. A woman with shoulder length ginger hair blearily looked around and rubbed at her grey eyes as used her free hand to feel around for her glasses. Round, metal framed glasses were easily perched on her nose as she stretched and stood up from the comfort of her bed. She shuffled towards the bathroom door to do her business and came out ten minutes later in a nice white button down shirt and black pressed slacks. She had just entered the kitchen when her landline began to ring.
"Hello? This is Evelyn Noble," She cheerfully stated into the phone.
"No need to put on that tone, little soldier," A happy older voice tutted, "Is everything going all right?"
"Is mum listening in?" Evelyn asked, the sounds of shuffling filtered through the other side of the phone and she rolled her eyes as she started her electric kettle.
"Not anymore," The voice responded, "she means well, you know."
"I do, but I just can't take the insults from her today," She responded as she pulled down her favorite mug which was decorated with a happy Donald Duck, "I finally have a spot in a museum and I think this is the break I've been working for."
"That's wonderful," The voice stated, "I see why you didn't want your mum to know, she would've been less positive about it."
"I know," She mumbled before stretching slightly, "Is everything all right on your end, Gramps?"
"It's lovely,"Gramps replied, "Your sister got a job as a temp."
"That's good," She stated as she poured herself a cup of hot water and added instant coffee to it, "She still working in the Chiswick area?"
"Yes, for a company that makes keys, I believe," He replied.
"Good for her," she looked at the time, "Gramps I have to head out, I'll give you a call on how it goes, love you."
"Love you too, little soldier," Gramps chuckled.
Evelyn hung up the phone and downed the rest of her coffee, ignoring the hot liquid burning her throat. The mug was placed in the sink and she headed back to her room and grabbed a pair of black flats and pulled them on. She then made sure she had everything she needed, mobile, keys, wallet and identification card were in her pockets and her paintings were protected in plastic coverings that were in a trolley next to the door. She sighed and pulled on her military style coat, a Christmas gift from her Gramps, before heading out the door of her flat. She locked the door behind her and began the careful walk down three flights of stairs with the trolley full of paintings.
"I didn't think this through," she muttered as she slowly went down the first flight of steps.
The cart was letting out a loud thump every three steps and she was beginning to worry that one of the paintings was going to break. She hoped they wouldn't, even as she started down the second flight she was making a face at every thump that proceeded her steps.
"Why are you making so much noise?" A neighbor asked as they opened their door.
"Sorry, Mrs. Settler," Evelyn apologized with a smile smile on her face, "I wouldn't be making this much noise if the lift worked."
That shut her neighbor up and she hurried towards the last flight of stairs, she knew that Mrs. Settler had a horrible temper and quick words only stopped her for a few seconds. Eventually she hit the ground floor and began to push the trolley down into the street where she almost hit a man. He backed up in surprise of the sudden trolley filled with paintings almost running him over.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," She started to apologize, "I didn't see you there. Are you all right?"
"All good, no harm done," The man replied his voice thick with a northern accent, he gave her a smile.
She eyed him slightly and wondered what a man in his late thirties to early forties was doing outside in the cold when most were usually at work. She ignored her thoughts and gave him a small apologetic smile before continuing on her way. Her mind wandered to him again, but only for a few seconds, he looked strange with those big ears and nose of his. She shook her head and turned down a street. She may have been born and raised in Chiswick but she had been living in London long enough that she was able to find the modern art museum within minutes. The doors were opened by a woman in a long coat who smiled at her as she quickly walked through the door.
"Thank you," Evelyn softly stated, "I really appreciate that."
"No problem, are you Evelyn Noble?" The woman asked.
"Yeah, you must be director Harrison," Evelyn smiled, "Am I on time?"
"A bit early actually," Director Harrison admitted as she began to walk towards a large wall that was blank, "We cleared up this wall for you to use, if you need any help just call one of the workers."
"Yes ma'am," Evelyn nodded in understanding.
Director Harrison walked away, the heels of her shoes echoing off the hardwood floor. Evelyn eyed the wall and began to move some of her larger paintings out of the Trolley. She removed the plastic coverings and gently rested them against the wall. A citadel trapped with a bubble against an orange sky was the main piece to her show. She called it A Time Now Forgotten, it was something she had dreamed of and had wanted to paint. A few of her others were like that in the sense that everything looked similar but different at the same time. Mint green oceans against a sandy beach and towns and cities that seemed other worldly stood out amongst her art. She had hung a few of her other pieces before grabbing A Time Forgotten and attempting to put it up on the wall. She had two hooks that were still in the wall from a previous show that were in the perfect spot for the large painting. She almost fell back with the painting when a second pair of hands helped her put it on the hooks.
"Thanks for that," She smiled at the person who helped her, she blinked in surprise when she saw it was the man from earlier, "Small world isn't it?"
"What?" He asked crossing his arms across his chest.
"I almost ran you over with my Trolley this morning," Evelyn stated, "unless you happen to have a twin brother."
"Ah yes," He stated as if remembering something, "You painted all these?"
"Yeah," She confirmed, "My portion of the show is called Dreamscape."
He was silent at that and looking at the main piece with concealed grief on his face, and reminiscence like he had seen it before. She would never had known about it if she hadn't looked into his eyes. She couldn't help but wonder why this one painting made him sad. She kept quiet, it wasn't any of her business really. She was like her Gramps in that retrospect, even like her father, they both liked to get to know a person before prying.
She gave a quiet sigh. She didn't like this man being sad. She fought with herself before gently putting a hand on his shoulder and giving it a small pat. He jumped in surprise as she moved and turned her attention towards a few of her smaller paintings and unwrapped them. He stood there and watched as those were put on display.
"Have you got a name stranger?" Evelyn asked.
"The Doctor," He replied, she hung up another painting and he looked towards the plaque that told the artists name and painting information.
"Really? Doctor who?" She asked and he smirked to himself at the words that were always asked of him, "Doctor of what exactly?"
"Just the Doctor," He replied as he quickly came up with a lie to her last question, "Of science."
She stopped and looked towards him. He met her grey eyes with his own blue and he couldn't help but wonder if he found a human with strong telepathic abilities. He couldn't tell if she knew he was lying or not. She held up a small painting and moved towards the wall to place it amongst the others. He had never seen a place like the one depicted in the painting.
"What's this one called?" He asked with a small frown.
"It's unnamed," She admitted, "I could never find the right name for it."
She shrugged a little and turned her eyes away from the painting. He couldn't help but notice that this one had a single figure in it looking up towards the sky from a field of tall red grass against an amethyst sky. He then thought of the name of the show. Dreamscape. There was his answer to telepathic abilities. He waited till she was busy putting up cards next to each painting and scanned her with a strange device that glowed blue at the tip and hummed as it did. He waiting for a few minutes and removed his finger from a small button before looking down at a small screen.
"Where are you from?" He asked, she turned to him in surprise.
"Chiswick, born and raised," She replied with ease, "Why?"
"Just wondering," He replied, "You always this paranoid around strangers?"
"Blame my mum on that one," She quipped at him, "Always said I was a bit too trusting of people."
He hummed in response to that and tried to figure out where he had met her before. It then hit him where he had met her before and he checked his watch. He needed to leave soon. She stood back from the wall and surveyed it. She liked the setup she had and pulled a cover over the trolley. She had some leftover paintings that she decided not to put up.
"You staying for the entire show?" She asked him.
"No," He responded with a slight grimace.
"All right then, hopefully I'll see you around then," She smiled at him.
He watched as she pushed the trolley towards a hallway and went back to staring at the main piece. It wasn't for sale. The one painting she could sell for sure didn't have any price listed next to it. The others were priced around hundreds of pounds, and he was sure they would sell. He crossed his arms across his chest and began to walk out of the museum and towards a blue police box that had been sitting outside of the building.
Evelyn found herself walking in the garages of the museum and let out a small shiver. The heating was off in this part of the building and she was beginning to see her breath. She almost wanted to call out for an employee but thought against it. That was usually how people died in horror films and she didn't want to go out that way. She parked the trolley in a small alcove where it'd be left alone and took a chance to look around the garage. Sculptures and paintings filled the garage and were covered with the smallest of icicles. She stepped towards a large sculpture and noted the style. Renaissance at the latest. It was done in the style of the classic Roman and Greek statues where everyone looked like a god. She brought a hand up and wiped away some of the ice to see if it was made of marble. It was freezing to the touch but it was made from marble.
"Whats something so old doing in this museum?" She quietly mumbled with a frown on her face.
She jumped when something was knocked over and turned to see where it had come from. A vase painted in an Aztec pattern rolled over towards her and she knelt down to gently pick it up. It was covered in small fracture lines but hadn't broke. She sighed in relief and placed it on a table next to the statue. She grabbed an old spear from a past exhibit on ancient China and held it before her with the blade ready to attack. She stepped behind a statue where the vase had come from and she blinked at the sight of a man crouching behind the table. He had a mop of brown curly hair hidden under a hat. He looked up at her and gave her a smile as he held his hands up in defense. She rolled her eyes at him and moved the spear away from him.
"What are you doing down there for?" Evelyn asked, "You scared me half to death."
"I fell besides what are you doing in here?" He replied as he sprung up to his feet.
"A likely story," She stated before chuckling not even answering his own question, "You can't be all bad with a scarf like that."
He looked down and picked at the scarf around his neck. It was long with bright stripes and he looked towards Evelyn with a small frown as she crossed her arms in an attempt to stay warm. She was a strange woman who didn't react the way she should to him appearing. He looked around the garage.
"Have you noticed anything strange?" He asked her.
"This is my first time here," She admitted, "But they don't usually keep things freezing like this bad for the art when it's put into a warmer area."
He moved around the garage and headed towards a wall where the thermostat showed the temperature. Evelyn made a face and followed after the strange man. He almost reminded her of the Doctor. He turned the knob on the thermostat and the room remained cold.
"So who are you then?" She finally asked.
"The Doctor," He replied.
"You're the second Doctor I've met today," Evelyn informed him, "You lot having a meeting or something?"
He paused and looked at her and gave her a toothy grin. She raised a brow at his maniac grin and he turned back towards the thermostat. She gained an annoyed look at being ignored and turned her attention towards the wall. The ice had crawled outward towards the air vents. She moved away from the second Doctor of the day and walked to the vent. She placed her fingers through the grating and pried it off the wall with a loud metallic screech.
"Brilliant," The Doctor stated as he bounded over, a torch in his hand, "Guess you are somewhat useful."
"Thanks, I'll try not to be insulted," Evelyn stated as she placed the grate against the wall and crouched to peer into the vent with him.
A small metal sphere clanked towards them and the Doctor pointed his device at it and a buzzing filled the room as a blue light emanated from it. The sphere moved around normally for a few seconds before stumbling around in a drunken manner. It fell out of the vent and rolled towards the two before stopping in front of Evelyn. She studied it for a few seconds before frowning.
"What is it?" She asked.
"A stellar probe," The Doctor replied as he picked it up, "Has anything weird happened at this museum?"
"The Director Harrison just started a few days ago," Evelyn stated as she thought for a few seconds, "She's the reason why unknowns are a part of the show today, it was weird getting a call from her."
"Any strange habits?" He pressed looming over her a bit.
"She never seems to leave the building," She replied as she began to get a little nervous from his presence, "any of the artists I know said that they've never seen her out in public."
"Fascinating," He muttered as he looked back towards the Probe, he then pointed his device towards her.
"Oi, stop bleeping me," She stated with a frown as she moved his device away from her.
"You seem to have an abnormally strong telepathic wavelength," He stated as he looked at the screen on his device, "Are you sure, you're human?"
"Perfectly," She dryly commented.
They didn't get the chance to continue talking when a door slammed open. They put the grate back on and he grabbed her elbow and quietly ran them towards a large crate to hide behind. Evelyn was stuck next to the Doctor, something she wasn't too unhappy about since he provided warmth and smelled like jelly babies of all things, she looked towards an old mirror that was half covered by a tarp and held in a scream by covering her mouth. There stood a creature that lumbered around on spindle like arms and legs with a long neck and sharp teeth. She looked away from it and attempted not to think about it or even hear it. The Doctor had noticed it as well and blinked at the appearance of a montoglorian silk weaver.
It let out a low growl before lumbering out the door. They waited a few seconds before walking out from behind the crate.
"That was an honest to god Alien," Evelyn muttered, "I owe Gramps an apology, he always said they were real."
The Doctor rolled his eyes at that and headed out towards the creature. Evelyn made a face before heading after him. She quietly cursed herself for not trying harder in primary school. Athletics might've actually helped to keep up with the long legged man. He stopped at a door and she skidded to a stop behind him. He looked over his shoulder and gave her a look.
"Sorry, I couldn't let you go alone," Evelyn hissed at him, "It wouldn't be right."
"Do what you wish," He mumbled as he put his device against the door lock.
Evelyn looked at the plaque on the door and frowned. Director Harrison what could she have to do with aliens? Even if the woman was brand new to the museum and hardly seen, it couldn't possibly mean that she was an alien. Evelyn made a face at that line of thought. Could it? Could the woman who gave her a chance be an alien? Gramps was never going to let her live that down.
She was brought out of her thoughts by a loud clicking as the door glided open. A green light filtered through the doorway and her mouth fell open at the sight of advanced machinery grinding away. She rubbed her ears slightly at the buzzing that filled the room as she followed the Doctor in. He moved towards a panel of sorts and used his device on it as she kept guard at the door. There wasn't anything she could do to help. Her mind was busy trying to wrap around the fact that aliens even existed and wanted to be on the planet in the first part.
She jumped when a loud alarm started blaring and the Doctor moved around the machinery in an attempt to turn it off. The alien from earlier came barreling down the hallway and she immediately slammed the doors shut and looked for something to bar the door with. The door vibrated and she pressed her hands against the wood. The alien continued to hit the door.
"Keep that door shut," The Doctor ordered.
"I already was," Evelyn grumbled as sweat began to trail down her face.
The door moved a bit and she put all her strength into moving it back. She looked behind her and watched as sparks flew from the machinery around them. The Doctor appeared from underneath a grate and pulled a wire with him as he rushed towards the machinery and pressed it against the metal. She returned her attention to the door and let out a startled yell at the hole that was inside the wood.
"Don't you dare say here's Johnny,"She growled at the creature as she attempted to push past her fear.
It growled at her and moved to bite down on her left arm. She moved her arm and placed a foot against the bottom of the door. It let out a louder growl and knocked her off her feet by ramming its head into her chest. She let out a wheeze as the breath was knocked out of her. The door began to open as the alien pressed against the wood and she rammed a foot against it. It slammed into the alien and caused it to fall back.
"I hope you have a plan, Doctor," She stated as she looked over her shoulder.
"Just a few seconds!" He shouted as his device made another appearance.
He pointed at the panels and sparks flew out of all of them. The lights flickered for a few seconds before turning off completely. Evelyn let out a shaky breath at being in complete darkness and began to look around in a panicked stated. Something wet brushed against her face and she began to scramble backwards towards a wall. There was quiet mumbling coming from the area where the Doctor had been. There were a few more spark and suddenly the lights came back and Evelyn took her chance to get away from the alien that had been looming over her.
"Doctor," She called as she moved towards him, "What is this thing?"
"A montoglorian silk weaver," he responded as he fiddled with something on the panel, "They seem to be attracted to art museums on different planets, they used to own the largest one before the planet was destroyed."
"What does it want?" She questioned.
"The artists," He replied in a light tone.
"Is that all?" Her voice went up a few octaves at those words as the alien looked over at her.
He just grinned at her and she gave him a look of disbelief as the silk weaver ran towards her. She backed up a bit until it neared the panels. It was flung away by a sudden force field. It took her a few seconds to realize that she wasn't going to die.
"A heads up would've been wonderful," She commented to the Doctor as he moved towards the panels again.
"Possibly," He replied as he pulled a small lever, "now this should begin to send them back to their mothership."
"Oh that—that's anticlimactic," Evelyn muttered as she moved away from the panels and checked her watch.
"Don't you have somewhere to be?" The Doctor asked as he appeared over her shoulder.
"I do actually," She told him, "Can't say it was a fun time, but it was enlightening."
She left before he could respond to that. He stood still for a few seconds before a grin stretched across his face. There wasn't too many humans that could give insults back like he could. She was wittier than she looked. He moved around the panels and made sure that the montoglorian's would actually leave the planet. He left the room, sparing a glance at the montoglorian that was unconscious on the ground, and headed towards the main area. People were walking around in different dress than he was used to.
"Oh my that Dreamscape show is quite astonishing," an elderly woman stated to the woman next to her as they passed by him, "Who was the artist again?"
"It was that Noble girl from Chiswick," The other one replied, "I believe her name was Evelyn."
"Such an imagination on that one," The first one stated, "I think that one ocean scene would be perfect in the dining room."
The twenty-first century was always a different planet to him. It was why he spent most of his time in the seventies and eighties, that and the good music. He put his hands into his pockets and began to walk around the different shows. They ranged from paintings to sculptures and he found himself questioning the human mind. He found the one show that had quite a few people standing in front of it.
"Why isn't the big one for sale?" A woman with brown hair pulled into a tight bun.
"I'm rather attached to it," Evelyn's voice sounded over the noise, "Maybe on the next show, yeah?"
The brunette hummed in a dismissive manner and he saw Evelyn's left eye twitch before a pleasant expression covered her face. The woman left and he stepped towards it to see the show. He was looking at scenery that belonged to other planets, including one far too familiar to him. He looked towards Evelyn and caught her eye. She sent him a look before answering a question posted to her. She looked stressed at the amount of people and he noted the extreme paleness of her skin.
"What do you take inspiration from?" A man asked her, she kept a smile on her face even as he looked her up and down.
"Real life and my own dreams hence the name Dreamscape," She stated in a calm tone, the biting sarcasm was hidden far to well.
"Oh, do you do portraits?" He asked again.
"Only when I accept commissions," She answered and he rolled his eyes before walking away.
The Doctor walked up to her and she tensed before sighing. She crossed her arms across her chest and raised a brow at him. Women in this century were completely different to those he was used to.
"Can I help you, Doctor?" She quietly asked.
"No," He responded, "Just taking in the scenery."
"If that's all," She muttered as a worker walked past her and put a sold sign on four of her paintings.
"The large one," He finally asked after a few seconds of awkward silence, "How'd you paint that one?"
"With a brush," She quipped.
"Witty," He stated, "But what was the inspiration?"
"A dream," she answered as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail, "It was a really strange one, that's the only thing I remembered from it."
"It's lovely," He muttered, but she heard him anyway.
"Thank you," it was said in such a genuine tone that he looked at her in surprise.
A younger woman walked up to her and whispered in her ear. She nodded and gave him a small smile before heading off. He watched her go before turning his attention towards the paintings. He actually found himself liking them. He left the museum after a couple of minutes and Evelyn came back a few seconds after he left. She couldn't help but wonder if that was the last time she'd see the Doctor again. She quietly headed out of the museum and looked around for him, it was weird but something drew her towards him. A wind picked up and she pulled her coat around her a bit more as she surveyed the street.
"Not even a farewell," She muttered, "I shouldn't be surprised."
She let out a sneeze and shivered slightly. It looked like the weather was going to get colder. She headed back into the museum and told a quiet fib so she could leave. 'Spending New Years with my mates' was a perfect excuse for her to go. She didn't want to put up with anymore questioning from the people who believed that she shouldn't be in the museum because she was an unknown. She was given a nice farewell and instructions to pick up her earnings and left over paintings at the end of the week. She headed out and walked past a few pubs where people were celebrating the new year. She had an hour before it became two thousand and five.
She pulled out her mobile and began to put in the number for her mum's house. She held it to her ear as it began to lightly snow. It gave her the dialing tone for a few seconds before it was answered.
"Hello, Noble house, this is Donna speaking," Her sister answered.
"Hello Donna," Evelyn smiled as she greeted her sister, she got a happy squeal in response, "Did Gramps tell you the good news."
"Yes, it's brilliant that you got accepted into a museum," Donna stated, "Did you sell anything?"
"I sold a few paintings," Evelyn replied, "I, er, mightvemetsomeone."
"Mind rolling that by me again?" Donna questioned with a smug tone.
"Well," Evelyn started as her cheeks turned a light pink, "I might've met someone, he was interesting."
"What's he look like?" Donna asked as she slipped into her older sister gossiping tone.
"He has a nice head of hair," Evelyn replied, "But he was awfully rude."
"You sound smitten," Donna teased and Evelyn's cheeks flared a deep red from that, "But we continue this when you come visit for Easter."
"Is that Evie on the phone?" Gramps voice met her ears and she smiled softly as she heard Donna hand the phone to him, "How'd it go little soldier?"
"It went well, hopefully they accept my art again," She replied, "Gramps, you were right about aliens."
"I was?" He asked in surprise, "What brought this about?"
"I saw an alien," She replied, "a right proper one."
She saw a man with a brown trench coat leaning against a building and she paused in her steps when his eyes met hers. He looked so sad and frightened that she felt it as well. He stumbled a little as he stepped forward and she finally noticed the cut on his forehead. She panicked a little and headed towards him.
"Someone's hurt, I'll see you on Easter," She quickly told her Gramps before hanging up her mobile, she caught the stranger before he fell onto the ground, "Are you all right?"
"Just a bit much to drink with my mates," He stated in a strained voice as he stood up straighter and looked at her, "Celebrating the new year."
"Did one of them hit you?" She asked as she motioned towards the small cut on his forehead, "not very good friends if they did."
"Ahh don't worry about me," He told her with a smile and she felt her cheeks turn a light pink, "Just try to have a great new year, I bet it's going to be fantastic."
She blinked at that before smiling softly at him. She gently released him and he stumbled a bit. His hair bounced with his movements and she wondered if it was as soft as it looked. She completely ignored that thought and was glad that it was cold as her face heated up a little bit.
"You as well, make sure that you get that cut patched up," She told him, "I should probably head inside, and you should do the same."
"Yeah," He told her as he winced, "My flats close to here, you get home safe."
She gave him a grin and a salute before heading out. He grinned back and waved as she left. She headed back to her flat with a small smile on her face. She met three interesting people on the span of one day, found out that aliens actually existed, and she actually sold some of her art.
It was an interesting day to say the least.