Title: The Shop Girl/ Fandom: Doctor Who
Genre/Type: AU/Friendship/First Meetings / Characters/Pairings: Doctor/Amy (Friendship)
Series: Like Ships in the Night (Prologue) / Rating: K / Warnings/Spoilers: None / Setting: AU Series Four, London / A/N: This is the prologue to my new SuperWho series that I'm writing but can be read on its own, as it's not SuperWho yet. I've written this as AU Series 4, so Amy meets the Doctor and is his companion instead of Donna returning. The rest of the series will take place during Series 4, but with different stories, etc. Enjoy!
"There you go, Madam. Hope you enjoy that."
"Well of course I will, I did buy it."
"Yeah, and you keep smiling."
"Well, I never."
"Obviously." Amy Pond muttered as the woman snatched the bag from her hand and flounced away with a huff. Amy sighed as she looked around the posh store, filled with people going to and fro, obviously trying to find something to do with their time without actually having to do anything. She sighed again as she glanced at the clock above her counter. 2.45. Another hour and a quarter before she finished. Oh joy. Sighing again, Amy straightened her counter, swept the floor, served several more uppity customers, tapped and picked at her nails and looked at the clock. 3.15. She rolled her eyes as she turned back around, tapping her nails against the counter.
"Don't look, Amelia," She told herself, looking everywhere but up, "It won't suddenly change to four."
"Slow day luv?"
"The slowest. You'd think most of the people came here to escape something, heaven forbid actually buy anything." Amy's co-worker snickered beside her.
"Tell you what, Andy asked me to re-stock the shelves at the back. Why don't you do that instead?"
"Really? You don't mind then?"
"No," she said waving her hands in front of her, "Not at all. Could use a change of pace. We both could. Go on now, nearest the window."
"Thanks so much. I owe you one." Amy scattered off to the back shelves, glad that there wasn't a clock in sight. The store was slower now, the lunch-time rush over. Only a few well dressed women milled around in the aisles, and a man dressed in a brown overcoat, his head sticking in- Amy stopped suddenly and stared with curiosity at the man, as he stuck his head further into the rack of woman's lingerie.
"Umm, sir," She said, crossing her arms and clearing her throat as she watched in amusement as the man jumped at the sound of her voice and quickly withdrew his head, "Can I help you?" He spun around, a lacy read camisole on his head. Amy tried to hide her smile, "Are you ah...going to buy that?"
"What?" The man asked, staring with an embarrassed look of confusion at Amy. Amy nodded with her head as the camisole fell over the man's eyes. "Ah…" The man said snatching the camisole off his head and looking at it like it might just suddenly rear its head and attack him, "No, no, of course not," He stammered, turning around, grabbing a coat hanger and stuffing the camisole onto the rack, only resulting in further garments falling to the ground in a heap. "Ah..." He said, bending down and awkwardly picking up the clothes and trying to stuff them back on the rack, glancing and squinting at Amy, "Amy is it?" Amy nodded, as he finally stuffed the last camisole onto the rack and ran his hand through his hair, before turning back to Amy, "Right, then, Amy. Sorry about that. Thought I saw a…" Amy narrowed her eyes, as the man's mouth opened and shut a look of confusion on his face, "Rat?" He finished, squinting at Amy.
"Rat?" She repeated.
"No," He said shaking his head, "Rat, no. Electrical fault." He said snapping his fingers, "That's it. John Smith." He said, withdrawing a little black book and flashing it at Amy before snapping it closed again, "Agent of the… Electrical Fault and Rat Removal Agency." He nodded with satisfaction as he stuffed the book back into his coat.
"Right…" Amy said, pursing her lips and nodding, "Agent Smith was it? Of the Rat Fault and…"
"Right," He said nodding again, "I think I'm just gonna, you know," He said, pointing towards the staff room, "Leave now." Amy smiled and nodded as the man nodded one last time before heading off towards the staff rooms. Amy turned around as the man walked back towards her, "It's this way, isn't it?" He asked pointing towards the exit. Amy nodded and the man walked backwards, knocking into a dummy and sending it crashing to the ground. He stumbled around, before opening his mouth and pointing towards the exit. "That-"
"Yeah, that way." He nodded and trotted towards the exit leaving Amy with the fallen dummy, its separated head staring up at Amy with unmoving eyes. Amy smiled and shook her head, as she bent down and started picking up the fallen items. "And what are you looking at?" She demanded as she picked up the dummy and placed the head back on, smoothing down the wrinkled skirt, but only succeeding in making it even worse. She stood back and looked side to side as the dummy teetered precariously on its stand. She quickly walked away, hoping the manager didn't see it while she was still there. The next few minutes were spent in stacking shelves, sorting clothes that she could never even hope to afford and pretending to be a posh lady, as she browsed through the aisles, 'tutting' at the prices, and receiving many a glance from the real customers. Retrieving one last box from the storage cupboard, Amy made her way back down the aisles passing the dummy that still teetered on its stand. Suddenly she paused and turned back to face the dummy, frowning as it faced right at her. "Funny," She said, plunking the box down beside her as she turned the head back around, "There. Now you're right." She patted the dummy and picked up her box and walked away, unaware of a pair of unmoving eyes following her.
…
Three, boring days passed Amy by, without incident or a strange looking man in a brown coat with a woman's undergarment on his head. Amy smiled at the thought as she unpacked her final item for the day.
"What's that for?" Her friend Nancy asked with a smile as she hung up a ridiculously over-priced dress next to Amy.
"Ah, nothing," Amy shrugged, "Just thinking about something. What you up to tonight?"
"Going out with this, like super-hot guy," Nancy replied, her gold bangles dangling on her arms as she hung up another dress, "His name's Tom."
"What happened to the other guy," Amy asked, "You know the firefighter?"
"Oh him," Nancy said with a dismissive wave, "That was last week. Anyway, Tom," She rolled her eyes, "You should see him. He's a male model."
"Oh, got a friend?"
"I could ask. Really, Amy, I could. I'm sure he has like heaps."
"Of model friends? I'm sure he has."
"Oh," Nancy said, waving her hand at Amy, "You party pooper. Want me to ask?"
"Nah," Amy said, hanging up her last dress for the day, "I think I'll wait."
"Wait?" Nancy repeated, "Wait for what girl? A knight in shining armor?" She asked. Amy poked her tongue out at Nancy, as the two took their empty boxes back to the storage rooms.
"The right guy."
"Ah-ha," Nancy said, dumping her box on the ground, "And I suppose you know exactly what he'll be like?"
"Of course I do," Amy replied with a grin, as she dumped her box down next to Nancy's, "He'll be tall- at least 6 foot- handsome, with dark hair and eyes that will send shivers down my spine… oh," She said snapping her fingers, "And he'll be American."
"Ah-Ha," Nancy said, nodding her head slowly, "Anything else?"
"Single would be good."
"Oh, yeah, that's always a draw card." Nancy crossed her arms as she stared at Amy, "Seriously? Where are you going to find this Superman?"
"I don't know," Amy replied frowning and shrugging, "Maybe America?"
"Oh, girl," Nancy said shaking her head, "And maybe a flying box complete with an alien will land in your backyard."
…..
It was a week since she'd met the man with the brown coat and Amy still hadn't met any dark and handsome American men (or any dark and handsome men of any nationality for that matter). But she would, she knew it. Her life was about to change, even if she had to change it herself. And how to start? Call in sick, watch Audrey Hepburn movies on TV and stay in her PJs all day. Half way through 'Funny Face' the doorbell rang. Sighing Amy sunk deeper into her couch as Fred Astaire looked at Audrey… just like her American Superman will look at her. The knock sounded again and Amy groaned, pausing Fred and stomping towards the door. "If you're selling, I'm not buying!" She shouted, yanking open the door, "Especially if you're selling what I think you're-" Suddenly she stopped as she saw the knocker, standing before her with his trademark confused look, "You!" She said instead. The man opened and shut his mouth for several seconds as he shoved his hands into his pocket.
"Don't you ever change?" She asked, crossing her arms and looking him up and down, "And you are not trying on my underwear."
"What, why… what?" He stammered, "No! That's not… that's just wrong!" Amy smiled.
"Then what are you doing here?"
"You live here?"
"Nah, I'm just burgling the place. In my pajamas."
"Right, I can see that. You wouldn't happen to be Scottish or have seen a walking dummy would you?"
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Scottish-"
"No, no, not that. The dummy part."
"Have you seen a walking dummy recently? Or any kind of unusual dummy related activity? You know moving arms, eyes-"
"Heads."
"Heads-"
"No, no," Amy interrupted stepping out onto the front step, "Moving head. On a dummy. The day I saw you, the dummy that you knocked over - and let me clean up by the way - its head moved."
"Moved? You sure-"
"Yes, yes. I put it back on its place and then forgot about it, until I passed by later. I swear the head was facing the other way. But I turned back around and it was looking at me."
"The dummy?"
"Yeah, and its eyes weren't moving and why am I telling you this? I don't even know you?" She re-crossed her arms and stepped back inside.
"Because I might be the only person who believes you." Amy stepped further back into the safety of her house and squinted at the man. She didn't know him from Adam. For all she knew, he could be a serial murderer. A clumsy one that obviously never change, but still… "Amy," He said, and Amy looked into his eyes, eyes that seemed ten times older than the man they belonged to, "Trust me."
"I don't even know your name."
"I'm the Doctor."
"Doctor Who?" She asked. He cocked his head to the side and nodded once.
"Close enough. Now we have to hurry before he comes."
"Before who comes?"
"I'll explain later," He said turning around, "Well come on."
"What, now?" Amy demanded, looking down at her Hello Kitty PJs and fluffy slippers, "I'm in my pajamas!"
"Yes, yes!" The Doctor said, holding out his hand, "And you look lovely! Come on!"
"And in what?" Amy asked, looking behind the man and out onto the empty street behind him.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
…
"A box… that flies…" Amy walked slowly around the TARDIS' central console as the Doctor ran around; pushing this and pulling that like a mad man.
"In a way," He answered from the opposite side as he put on a pair of Clark Kent glasses and peered at a screen that was suspended from somewhere, "It stands for Time and Relative Dimensions in Space and it doesn't just fly it travels- and you're not even listening."
"Hmm, what?" Amy asked spinning around the face the Doctor, "It's just… a box that flies." She finished clapping her hands in front of her and grinning, "Wait till I tell Nancy!"
"Who?"
"Never mind. So," She said, coming to stand next to the Doctor, "Are you an alien then?" The Doctor looked down from the screen at Amy.
"Yes. That ok?" Amy nodded. "You scared?" Amy started grinning again and shook her head, "Good." The Doctor said grinning back, "Because we're here!"
"Wait! Where?" Amy asked as the Doctor dashed away and down the ramp that led to two impossibly large doors. He flung one open and was gone before she could say anything else. She shifted from foot to foot as she looked around her. "Doctor?" She called, looking up at the TARDIS console as it made a series of disturbing beeps, "Wait for me!" She called as she dashed after the Doctor. She emerged from the TARDIS door and looked around the dark interior of a musty basement somewhere. The door shut behind her as she walked slowly out. The Doctor stood before her, waving his little toy around like a torch, its little buzzing light hitting things around it and leaving a trail of blue, as Amy looked behind her at the TARDIS. "Where are we?" She asked, putting a hand over her mouth and scrunching up her nose, "And what on Earth is that smell?"
"You're better off not knowing what that is," The Doctor replied, hitting Amy with his little blue light and making her squint as he stopped the buzzing and looked around him, "And we're at Gilbert's."
"What? I don't want to be here at the best of times. Why are we in the basement?"
"That's where the best things happen, Amy." He said turning and grinning at Amy, holding out his hand. "Scared yet?"
"Uh-huh," She replied, grinning back and taking his hand, "Lead the way, Space Boy!" The Doctor grinned even bigger as he and Amy ran through the basement corridors until they stopped in front of a storage room. The hall was dark, but a strange light flooded out from under the door.
"What's that?" Amy whispered leaning into the Doctor as he buzzed his little toy again.
"He's here."
"Who?" The Doctor looked at Amy and then opened the door slowly, Amy creeping along behind him. They slowly crept in, Amy looking around her as adrenaline began to pulse through her. They slowed down as they neared a stack of crates, ceiling high. The Doctor looked at Amy and put his fingers to his lips. Amy nodded as they peered around the corner. A group of dummies sat around a large crate, some with no heads, others with no arms or legs and others with no faces. A man sat on the crate and was humming a children's nursery rhyme as he attached a head to one of the nearby dummies.
"There you are, precious," He said in perfect London English, "No Princess, but it'll do. After all, look where we are. Completely barbaric." He paused and looked around him in disgust as he tutted and shook his head, before getting up and turning his back towards the Doctor and Amy. The Doctor looked at Amy again, mouthing 'stay here' as he walked around the crates with his hands casually in his pockets.
"Oi! You!" He shouted and the man spun around revealing a face covered in tattoos. He eyed the Doctor up and down with disgust.
"Who are you?" He seethed, dropping the head onto the floor with a crash. The Doctor stood in place as several dummies faces turned towards him, their unseeing eyes boring into his.
"I'm the Doctor," He said quietly but firmly, "And this has to stop."
"Does it?" The man asked, this time looking with amusement at the Doctor, "And who do you think you are to tell me that? A lowly physician?" He snickered, "I'm in no need of repairs, Doctor."
"No, I can see that," The Doctor replied, "But you're on a protected Planet and I'm not just a lowly physician."
"Oh?" The man asked, as several of the dummies started to rise from the floor. Amy gripped the sides of the crate as a dummy seemed to like straight at her.
"I'm a Time Lord," The Doctor replied.
"That-that's not possible," The man said, taking a slow step back, "The Time Lords are myths, legends. They don't exist."
"Oh, I exist," the Doctor replied, taking a step forward, "And I'm no myth. If anything," He paused and looked down at the man, "I'm a nightmare." The man stumbled back into the crate as one of the dummies looked up at him, the rest standing and teetering on their plastic legs. Amy held her breath as time seemed to stand still.
"And what are you doing to do Time Lord?" The man challenged the Doctor, "What are you going to do? Kill me?"
"No," The Doctor replied, "I'm not going to kill you. But I'm going to stop you."
"How?"
"With this," The Doctor said, withdrawing a small plastic canister filled with a bright purple liquid. The man looked at the canister with fear on his face.
"Is that-"
"Anti-plastic." The Doctor finished. The man squinted at the canister, then at the Doctor and back again.
"Anti-plastic?" He repeated.
"Yeah, anti-plastic." The Doctor said nodding and shaking his little canister at the man. "Almighty anti-plastic. The dummies all looked at the Doctor as the man slowly stood up.
"Anti-plastic?" He said all traces of fear gone from his voice as he folded his arms in front of him, "Really?"
"Oh, fine," The Doctor said, "Fine, fine, fine! You don't believe me! Ha! Amy?" He called and Amy rushed out from behind the crate and grabbed onto his arm as she looked at the dummies that stared at her with interest.
"Yeah?" She whispered.
"Run." The Doctor said simply, grabbing her hand and bolting out of the nearby door.
"But the blue box thing is that way!" Amy shouted.
"We're not going there!" The Doctor shouted back, "We're going up!" He pulled on Amy's hand as they neared the service elevator, pulling her in and pressing the close button as several dummies approached from the outside.
"Doctor!" She squealed as one of the dummies put its arm into the closing doors. Withdrawing his little toy again, the Doctor flashed it with a loud buzz at the arm, sending it shooting back out as the doors finally slammed closed, leaving Amy and the Doctor in silence.
"What was that?" Amy asked, taking a deep breath, "And what were those?"
"This is my sonic screwdriver," The Doctor said proudly holding it up.
"A screwdriver?"
"Oi, don't knock the sonic!" The Doctor protested, shoving the sonic back into his pocket and pressing the G button on the elevator pad.
"And those," Amy said pointing at the doors, "Things, dummy things. What were they?"
"They're just dummies," He replied, "For now anyway."
"Just dummies?" She repeated, "Just dummies that walk and look at you?"
"That man back there," The Doctor said, "He's a Life Bringer. Rich people from all over the galaxy hire him to bring them a family, make them one really."
"Like an adoption agency then?"
"Sort of," The Doctor said, nodding, "The Life Bringers find a planet that supports life like the ones that the people that hired them live on. Then, if they can find beings that fit the adoption parameters, then they… borrow them. But if they can't… well, they make them."
"But dummies? You mean there's an alien planet filled with dummy like people out there?"
"Oh, you'd be surprised. But in this case, no. Those dummies were just the suits to transport the actually beings. The Bringer makes them perform basic functions like walking and such, so that the new borns don't have to do it themselves."
"So like a carriage… that walks and looks at you, strangely."
"You're catching on fine." The Doctor said, grinning. Amy shook her head.
"So they're not alive then?"
"No, they're like robots, machines. The beings that the Life Bringer made are somewhere else, more than likely on his ship somewhere."
"So now what? They're gonna find us, Doctor."
"Oh, I'm counting on it." He said with a wink. The doors clicked open revealing the darkened interior of the store. The floors were spotless, thanks to the superior cleaning crew and the shelves were stacked, neat as a pin. The only things out of place were…
"Buckets?" Amy said, as the Doctor ran over to where four buckets sat in the middle of the floor.
"Yep," He said, grinning again, "Buckets. This is the real anti-plastic."
"So you didn't just make that word up? Because it sure sounded like you did."
"This stuff is real," He said, pointing the buckets, "This stuff," He threw the small canister at Amy, "Is cordial. Bubblegum I think." Amy screwed up her nose and stuffed it into one of the near-by shelves and rushed over to stand next to the Doctor.
"You do this a lot them?" She asked.
"This and that," He replied, "Scared yet?" Amy shook her head.
"You alone then?"
"For now. You could…"
"Could what?" She repeated.
"You, know… come with me?"
"Where?"
"Anywhere you want."
"Anywhere?" she said smiling, "America?"
"America."
"America… In my Hello Kitties?"
"Anywhere." He replied, smiling, "You ready?"
"For what?" She replied, looking at him. He picked up a bucket.
"It's anti time!" Amy grinned as she picked up a bucket from the floor and held it like the Doctor. Suddenly the sound of plastic feet sounded from the stairs.
"Just aim it at them," The Doctor said, "Make sure you hit them."
"Then what?"
"Allons-y!"