Doctor Who fan fiction
12th Doctor
Clara Oswald
O/C Vyvian
This is my first attempt at this – Just a cute little story about the early days of the 12th Doctor, featuring an OC companion named Vyvian who only appears in this story.. Reviews are welcome. This story is still in progress...
Chapter I – Clara's decision
The Doctor had just regenerated from the dashing young man Clara had grown to love, to what she perceived to be a bitter, angry older man with gray hair and a Scottish accent. The regeneration had not gone smoothly, and he was disoriented and babbling psychotically about his internal organs.
Trapped in the TARDIS, Clara backed up, then slumped against the wall, her eyes wide – staring at the madman before her, who was wearing the Doctor's clothes. "I...I don't understand. I thought I had met all of you?"
"I'm new," The Doctor muttered, his back to her. He was staring at the TARDIS console, watching the lights flashing. "It's quite overwhelming though, isn't it?"
Confused, Clara shook her head, "Sorry?"
"This – thingy..." The Doctor waved his arms around, "The buttons, the lights, I am supposed to know how to fly this thing but I can't quite remember at the moment. My brain is still adjusting to the new me,"
"Your brain isn't the only thing that's adjusting," Clara said under her breath. How could this happen? She knew all too well about the Time Lord's physiology, that they didn't die, they had a certain number of "lives" and each one is an entirely new person, but still the same person. Having gone through the Doctor's time line, Clara had seen him in all his forms, from the crotchety old man traveling with his granddaughter, the tall, pointy -nosed Dandy and his gadgets, the fresh faced blonde man in his cricket outfit, and finally, "her" doctor, the young, energetic, happy-go lucky floppy haired mad genius with a penchant for fish sticks and custard.
Eying this new, slightly dangerous man, she couldn't imagine him having a whimsical side. He seemed to be the embodiment of the dark secrets "her" Doctor was keeping from her. For the first time in a long time, Clara admitted to herself that she was actually afraid.
Suddenly, as if a light-bulb had gone off over his head, the Doctor ran over to one spot on the control panel and started pushing a series of buttons, "Ah..yes..that's right..." He ran around the console, spinning dials and pulling levers, with a maniacal gleam in his big gray eyes. "Yes, yes, very good old girl," He patted the console lovingly, then turned to Clara, "Right then, um...you...can't remember your name. Doesn't matter..don't tell me, I'll just forget it again anyway. I seem to remember how to fly this ship though, it's like riding a...you know...one of those two wheel things. Anyway, where would you like to go?"
Clara cast her eyes down, avoiding his, "Home, please,"
The Doctor's face fell, "Oh, I see..."
Clara, for once, was at a loss for words. He looked genuinely upset.
"I thought that you would still – well, I suppose it's..." He trailed off, then turned away from her and focused his attention on the console. "Fair enough. Home it is then, uh..Miss..."
"Clara," She sighed.
"Clara," The doctor repeated, "And where is home for Clara?"
"London," Clara answered, then hastily added, "In the year 2014 if that's possible, please? I know how sometimes you get dates mixed up and...and...I don't want to go on an adventure... I just want to go home," Even as she said those words, Clara couldn't believe it was her talking. She had pictured herself going on little escapades with the Doctor indefinitely. But – this – wasn't her Doctor.
"Home for Miss Clara!" The doctor announced triumphantly. He pulled the lever that opened the TARDIS doors, "Shall we?"
Clara stood up and rubbed her eyes – she looked out the doors – she was home.
The Doctor had managed to land the TARDIS right in the middle of Central Park in New York City. This attracted no small bit of attention, and tourists began to snap pictures with their cameras and cell phones.
"Where are we? This looks like modern day Earth but...is this London?" Clara asked, amazed.
The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and locked it behind him. He had somehow found time to change clothes. He was now dressed in a long black jacket with red lining, slim leg trousers with Doc Martens shoes, and a crisp white shirt – no tie. He loudly cleared his throat to get Clara's attention
She spun around and noticed his new outfit, "You're not wearing your bow-tie?"
"No, it's not..it's not..." he frowned, thinking of the right words, "It's not me."
They both stood silently for a few minutes, the Doctor visibly upset about Clara's decision. "I have never taken anyone with me against their will," He finally said, "Well.. unless it was extreme circumstances...oh there was Donna...and Tegan...oh that girl was a handful...but...the point is...When someone wants to go home, I bring them home..."
Clara reached out for his hand, "I'm sorry, I'm so very sorry. But I don't know who you are anymore."
"You're my impossible girl," The Doctor whispered.
She dropped his hand, "No, not anymore...I'm sorry..." and with that, she turned and walked away from him.
He called after her but she didn't stop, didn't turn around, didn't want him to see the tears that were uncontrollably streaming down her face. She started running..away from him, away from that chapter in her life...then she realized, she wasn't home, this wasn't London. But she didn't care.
Chapter II – Doctor in New York
The Doctor stood in the middle of the busy park and watched Clara go. It seemed to him that she couldn't get away from him fast enough.
"Am I that horrible looking?" He said out loud.
A teenage boy who happened to be passing by, answered him, "You look like the guy my dad plays cards with on weekends," and he kept walking.
"Your dad?" The Doctor repeated, fascinated, "I look like someone's dad?"
He walked over to a woman who was sitting on a bench, reading a book on her e-reader, "Excuse me, I'm so sorry to bother you, but might I trouble you for a mirror?"
The woman smiled and pulled out a compact from her purse.
The Doctor got his first real look at himself. His hair was short and gray, the same color as his eyes, which were huge and bloodshot. There were deep set lines and wrinkles, all framed by thick gray eyebrows, and his face appeared gaunt. "I don't like it." he said, handing the woman her mirror.
"What's wrong with my mirror?" She asked, offended.
"Oh no," the Doctor smiled, "Your mirror is quite lovely, it's the face I saw in the mirror and...you've got a strange accent for London, are you here on holiday?" He sat next to her on the bench.
The woman shook her head and laughed, "London? No, I'm from here, well Brooklyn actually. Are you here on vacation? Scotland right? I'm good with accents,"
"I'm not from Scotland.." the Doctor started.."I'm from..." he clamped his hand over his own mouth for a second, then pulled it away and said, "I do rather sound Scottish! I'm Scottish?!"
The woman almost fell over laughing now, "Yep, you sure are Scottish. You probably have been for awhile."
The Doctor smiled at her. She looked like she was in her early 30's – dark eyes and long dark hair pulled into a ponytail. She was wearing a t-shirt with an illegible band logo and torn up jeans.
"I'm so sorry about your trousers, did you get into an accident?"
The woman stopped laughing, "Huh? No I bought them like that. I guess girls don't wear ripped jeans in Scotland?"
"I wouldn't know," The Doctor answered, "There's a lot I don't know..." He trailed off, his gaze seemingly fixed on something in the distance, something metal. "Say, um...I've forgotten your name, no..that's not right. I don't know your name."
"I'm Vyvian," The girl said, "And you are?"
"I'm called the Doctor," he answered, still staring at the far away shape, "You can call me the Doctor. Um, Vyvian – do you see something strange about 200 yards that way?"
Vyvian looked to where he was pointing, "I'm from New York, I see something strange every 200 yards every day, but I try to block it out."
The Doctor stood up - "That doesn't look right...I'll just be...oh no – you're not my assistant – I've just met you. Um..it was nice just meeting you, um, oh I've forgotten your name again. Again? I've only just heard it. I'm so sorry..." He started running in the direction of the metal object, pulling his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket.
On the other side of the seating area, in an empty patch of grass, the Doctor leaned over something metallic mostly covered by dirt and garbage. He knelt down and ran his sonic screwdriver over the area, "That's odd...that's not even from this planet..."
"What's not from this planet?" A voice next to him asked. He looked down at a pair of perfectly manicured toes inside pink flip-flops – then looked up at Vyvian who was standing over him.
"Someone says something isn't from this planet and you're not the least bit surprised?" The Doctor asked, getting to his feet, "You're my kind of girl!"
Vyvian blushed, "Are all Scottish men this forward?"
Now the Doctor blushed too, "I told you, I'm not from Scotland, I just sound...and I'm not flirting by the way – I don't...I don't do that anymore. At least I don't think I do that any more." he sighed, "I'm new."
"I don't normally pick up older men in the park," Vivian answered, "And I'm not new."
There was something about this girl that the Doctor immediately liked. She was outgoing like Clara, but unlike Clara Vyvian seemed to trust him.
"Hang on a minute," The Doctor said, "Did you just pick me up? I don't think you just picked me up?"
Vyvian put her hand over her mouth embarrassed, "I meant..oh...well what is that thing in the dirt anyway?"
The Doctor got on his knees again and wiped away the dirt, extracting the metal that was buried a few feet into the ground. He took out a handkerchief and wrapped the tennis-ball sized piece of metal with it. "I'm going to take this back to analyze it. It definitely doesn't belong here,"
"Oh so you're like a Scientist Doctor?" Vyvian asked, "What university are you affiliated with? NYU? They have a lot of Europeans working there,"
"I'm kind of an independent actually," The Doctor answered, getting to his feet, "I have a mobile laboratory."
He started walking over to where he parked the TARDIS. He half – expected to see Clara standing there, an angry look on her face, furious he brought her to the wrong city. He was actually disappointed when he reached the blue box and she wasn't there. But Vyvian was right behind him. "Wow a Police Box! I Haven't seen one of these since I went to England a few years ago! Must be part of an art installation or something?"
The Doctor pulled his key out, "Nope, I brought it here, she's mine..."
He spun around, "I'm sorry, where are my manners, Miss who's name I only just heard and have already forgotten, would you like to come inside?"
Chapter III – Vyvian's big adventure
The Doctor let Vyvian walk ahead of him into the TARDIS, then he pulled the lever on the console to close the door, "Go ahead and say it," He grinned at her, "Bigger on the inside, smaller on the outside, get it all out, everyone does,"
"I think that's obvious," Vyvian returned his smile, "This is so freakin' cool! What a neat little lab!"
The Doctor furrowed his eyebrows, "It's not a lab, it's a ship – that travels in space and time. Now tell me you're shocked by that!" He folded his arms across his chest, proud of himself.
Vyvian shook her head, "I told you, I'm from New York. Nothing shocks me anymore. I was bound to run into a spaceship eventually."
The Doctor couldn't stop smiling, "Who are you, exactly? Are you another impossible girl?"
Vyvian looked at him blankly.
"You're not afraid of me," The Doctor continued, "You don't know me yet you followed me into my spaceship without even batting an eyelash. Do you know something I don't know?"
Vyvian shrugged, "I figured you weren't going to hurt me, you're like a kindly older man. And I'm good at sizing people up quickly, you're not insane, but I get the feeling something serious happened to you recently – like a big change of life type of thing. Lost your job? Wife left you? Just had major surgery? Something big that you haven't fully recovered from?"
The Doctor looked away, "A friend of mine, a dear friend – decided she doesn't want to be my friend anymore because I've changed. Like I told you, I'm new..."
"I don't really understand what you mean by new." Vyvian admitted, "But if this person was really your friend, she would stick by you no matter what,"
"It's a lot more complicated then that..." The Doctor whispered, "She was friends with the old me..."
"Oh right, like you said, you're new. So, plastic surgery? Not for nothing Doctor but I don't think it went well, unless you're really 90 years old or so..."
"I'm a lot older than that," The Doctor sighed, "And yes this is a new face, but...it's all very complex," He turned to look at his new friend, a wicked twinkle in his eyes, "What would you say, dear lady, if I were too tell you that I am in fact a centuries old Alien from a Planet your species hasn't even discovered yet?" He folded his arms again in that smug way and waited to see her reaction.
A few seconds passed, Vyvian looked like she was seriously considering what the Doctor had told her, then she finally said, "Centuries old, huh? Well then I gotta say the plastic surgery worked great, you don't look a day over 55!"
The Doctor closed his eyes and bowed his head, "Does nothing faze you?"
"I've learned to go with the flow, and as long as I'm not in any physical danger, I'm not going to sweat it," The she turned away from him, "I wasn't supposed to live this long anyway..."
The Doctor turned his back and switched some dials on the TARDIS control panel. "So she does have a secret", he thought to himself, "They all do, don't they?". He turned a knob and a little platform popped up, on which he put the metallic tennis ball.
A small computer screen popped up and the metallic ball began to rotate on the platform. "Yes, yes, very interesting," The Docror tapped on the touch-screen and the rotating stopped.
"Well young lady, my trusty TARDIS has not let me down. She has analyzed this ball and found traces of animal protein."
Vyvan looked over the ball, "Animal protein? From another planet?"
The Doctor grinned proudly, "Yes, yes. An animal called LAMB. I believe they are the warrior race from Alzureus 7."
Vyvian picked up the ball and crushed it in her fist, "It's aluminum foil! It's a wrapper from someone's lunch! Probably a lamb gyro from the food cart in the park!"
The Doctor scratched his chin, "Food cart, eh? Someone is making nutrition parcels from an alien race?"
"Oh no, no, no, tell me you don't know what a lamb is? Baby sheep? It's an..." She held her fingers up in the air, doing air-quotes, "AN EARTHLY CREATURE. One of ours..."
He looked at her blankly, blinking his eyes. "Alzureus 7?"
"More like the local Halal food market. Not alien. Just a wrapper - trash."
The Doctor snorted contemptibly, "Yes, yes of course. I knew that. I was just checking how clever you were. I only let clever people travel in the TARDIS."
"What do you mean travel? We haven't gone anywhere?"
The Doctor winked, and didn't turn away from her while he adjusted a few controls on the TARDIS console, "Oh have we not? I would like to be the first to welcome you, Miss...uhm..."
"Vyvian."
"Miss Vyvian - welcome to LONDON!" He pulled the "open door lever" and Vyvian watched, with a look of wonder on her face, as the doors opened to a street with Big Ben in the distance.