Title: Cat's Cradle
Author: Bluehaven4220
Summary: Maggie Chisholm comes to work at UNIT with the Doctor, but what happens when she catches Sergeant Benton's eye?
Reviews: Always welcome and very much appreciated
A/N: Maggie Chisholm is my own creation. She was introduced in 'Musically Inclined' as Jamie McCrimmon's niece. As such, Maggie (and her history, friends, and family) belong to me. Please ask if you'd like to use her for anything. Special thanks to ninewood for all her help. I truly appreciate it.
ooOoo
A man has no more character than he can command in a time of crisis- Anonymous
John Benton walked through the hallway toward the laboratory, threading his beret through the lapel on his shoulder. By order of the Brigadier he was to escort a young woman the Doctor had brought back with him to be interviewed. Apparently the Doctor wanted her as an assistant, but as with all personnel, she needed to be "rigorously screened and scrupulously filed". Of course she did, because the Brigadier was only following protocol, he thought to himself. And pigs have learned to fly, oh happy day.
"Miss Chisholm?" he looked up from his file to see her prone on her back, fiddling with a wrench.
"Yes?" she sat up and ran her fingers down the wrench.
"The Brigadier wants to see you now."
Maggie rolled her eyes, set the tool back on the ground, and got to her feet. Dusting her knees, she walked toward Benton and followed him toward the Brigadier's office.
"So what's your name?" she asked.
"Benton, Miss..." he answered.
"That's it, just Benton?" she chuckled, crossing her arms in front of her.
"No, you could call me Sergeant."
"Sergeant Benton?"
"Name and rank, Miss," he acknowledged the title. Nothing said was said until they reached the Brigadier's office, where he waited outside the door while he interrogated her, gave her a pass, and instructed Benton to take her back to the laboratory.
"So Miss…"
"Please, my name is Maggie," she smiled at him. "Miss Chisholm sounds so formal and stuffy. Just call me Maggie."
They returned to the laboratory to see the Doctor.
"Ah Maggie, there you are," he greeted her. "I need you over here now. If you would just hold that there while I adjust this…" he looked over to see Benton at the door. "That'll be all, Sergeant, thank you."
Benton cleared his throat, thought better of saying something, and went out.
"So then, Maggie, what did the Brigadier want?"
"Wanted me to sign a whole bunch of papers," she answered, her brow arched. "Something about official secrets acts and privacy agreements. I don't understand all of it, but I signed them."
"I shouldn't worry about it, my dear," he smiled. "It's just so he knows you won't be spilling everything they want to keep from the general public."
"But I don't know that much, what danger could I possibly pose to whatever it is?"
"There's no need to worry, hand me that silicone rod there." Using it to stir his tea, he set the mug down and went back to his work.
"Do you still need me here tonight or can I head home for the night?"
"No no it's alright, my dear. You head home and get some rest."
Maggie nodded and rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah… rest." She blinked, got her bag packed, and made her way to the parking lot.
"Miss Chisholm!" she heard as she made her way down the drive.
She turned to see Sergeant Benton standing at his car. "Can I give you a lift home?"
"No thanks," she answered a little too quickly. "I don't live far, no need to worry."
"It's dark and it's cold, I must insist…"
"I don't take well to insisting, Sergeant," there was a definite tone to her voice. "Thank you for the offer, but I really don't need it. Good night sir."
"If you're sure!" he called to her.
"I'm sure, now leave me be!" she called back over her shoulder, not daring to stop.
"Good night then," he mumbled as he watched her walk away.
ooOoo
It took her a good twenty minutes, but she reached her 'home' without incident. Well, 'home' could really only be described as 'hovel'. It was not in a part of town that one would want to be in at night, especially with the types of people that had a reputation for hanging in her doorway. Still, it was cheap, and a place to lay her head.
"Hello lovely," one called to her, blocking her way to the door. "Fancy a quickie?"
Maggie, not yet familiar with 20th century terminology, politely declined and asked for him to move.
"Naw, I don't think so," he barred the door with his arm, leaning close so that his nose very nearly touched her face. "I wasn't asking, either, and when I don't get what I want…" he kissed her cheek. "Things get ugly real fast." Red rimmed eyes and rotting teeth were enough to start her shaking, and when one dirty hand made it's way up her skirt, she screamed.
She heard rushing footsteps and felt someone push their way between her and her assailant. Shielded by his back, she couldn't see who it was.
"I believe the lady asked you to leave."
"Bugger off," the man growled at her savior.
She heard the familiar sound of a gun being drawn. "She asked you to leave, sir, and I suggest you do it."
With his hands up at the gun pointed in his face, Maggie's would-be assailant backed away. "Hey, there's for violence! I'm going!"
Once he'd gone, Maggie saw the gun reholstered, and her protector turn around.
"Are you alright, Miss Chisholm?"
Her vision cleared. Her brain registered that the man standing in front of her was Sergeant Benton, and, exhausted, she collapsed in his arms. Shaking, she couldn't bring herself to answer his question.
"Come on, I'll take you back to UNIT."
They got back into Benton's car, and drove back to UNIT in silence. Once in the parking lot, he stopped, opened the door, went around the other side, and opened the passenger side door.
"Miss Chisholm?" he leaned into the passenger side. "Can you stand?"
"Yes…" she got out of the car, almost blindly groping for Benton. He was real, something she could hold on to, for if she did not, she was sure her legs would give out from under her.
Putting an arm around her, he felt her stumble.
"Come on, Miss, I'll carry you in," he bent and lifted her with such ease she almost couldn't believe it. He didn't look that strong, at least not to the naked eye. It didn't take them long to reach the laboratory again.
"Is that you, Sergeant?" she heard as the Doctor turned from his equipment to see the two of them coming into view. "Good grief, what's happened?"
"Miss Chisholm was very nearly assaulted," he answered, setting her down on a bench the Doctor had laid out.
"Oh my dear…" he took a small penlight out of the breast pocket of his jacket and checked her pupil dilation. "Sergeant, I think the Brigadier is still here."
"Shall I fetch him, Doctor?"
"If you would, Sergeant," the Doctor didn't turn, moved his finger in front of Maggie's eyes.
"No!" Maggie nearly shouted, startling them both.
"Why not?"
"He doesn't… I can't…" she stammered.
"He has to know about this, Maggie, you're his responsibility same as everyone else here."
"I know but…"
"And as a member of UNIT you're entitled to respect, and what has happened to you is unacceptable. I'll go and fetch him, Doctor, and see what he has to say about this." Benton turned on his heel and went out the door, leaving Maggie and the Doctor to talk.
Pulling up a chair in front of her, the Doctor handed her a tissue. "What happened, my dear?"
Maggie wiped at her eyes, still shaking.
"I was on my way home when this man…"
The Doctor nodded.
"He blocked my way to my door and asked me if I wanted a quickie. I don't know what that is so I said no thank you."
"And then what happened?"
"And then he tried to touch me."
"And that's when Sergeant Benton stepped in?"
"Once he heard me screaming, yes," Maggie answered. "Then he threatened the man off and brought me back here."
"I see," the Doctor rubbed the back of his neck. "Well I'm very glad you weren't hurt my dear. What of all your things though?"
"They're still at my apartment…"
She'd been on the verge of asking if he'd accompany her back so she could at least pack a few essentials and find suitable accommodation for the night, though if she had to she could sleep standing up in the laboratory, when the Brigadier came barging in to the laboratory, hastily acknowledged the Doctor and demanded to know what had happened exactly.
"I've just told the whole thing to the Doctor. Must I say it again?"
"Yes I'm afraid so," the Brigadier answered, listening patiently as Maggie sobbed her way through yet another account of her near assault and Benton's rescue.
The Brigadier turned to Benton, cleared his throat. "Well done Old Man."
"Thank you sir." While he never wanted to take credit for doing something anyone with a conscience would do, he forced himself to hide a smile for being praised, and from the Brigadier no less. "What do you suggest we do about this?"
The Brigadier cleared his throat. "Miss Chisholm, I'd like for you to stay the night here."
"But all my things are still there."
"Now don't worry Maggie," the Doctor placed an arm around her shoulder. "I have clothes and toiletries in the TARDIS."
"Good. And Miss Chisholm? I want you to see a medical doctor in the morning."
"Yes sir."
"Sergeant Benton?"
"Sir?"
"I'd like for you to stay the night as well. I'm going to need full accounts from both of you."
"Yes sir."
They waited to speak until the Brigadier left, politely asking the Doctor if they could have a word in private.
"If you're sure Maggie."
"Yes Doctor I'm sure. We won't be too long."
"Very well. I'll go see if the Brigadier wants my help with those reports he wants you to fill out."
And quickly as the Brigadier, he left the two of them standing alone in the laboratory.
"I wanted to thank you," Maggie spoke first.
"Think nothing of it, Miss," Benton insisted. "Just doing my duty."
"Well, duty or not…" she offered him her hand, and just as he took it, she approached him and gently kissed his cheek.
When she pulled away, Benton looked at her with shocked eyes.
"Ah… um… thank you."
"For what? I don't deserve to be thanked. You're the one who saved me."
"Yes well, I wasn't about to stand there and let him hurt you."
Muttering something about worse things happening, Maggie cleared her throat. "Right. Well… I'm going to… leave now. Left something in the…" she turned and left Benton standing there confused.
She wandered around the corridors, not looking for anything in particular when she bumped into the Doctor.
"Maggie, what are you doing? You should be resting."
"Rest? No such thing as rest. I don't need rest…" she lurched forward and cast her eyes upward. "Excuse me…" she rushed into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. Once again, she wretched and heaved her stomach contents into the toilet bowl.
"Oh dear…" the Doctor knocked smartly on the door. "Maggie, do you need some help?"
"No, I'm fine!" she wretched again, waited for the feeling to pass. She wretched several more times, each time expelling more into the toilet bowl.
Breathing heavily, she called for the Doctor to come in, asking if he would help her to the sink so she could wash her mouth out. Once she was able to do so, he asked her if she was indeed alright.
"Yes Doctor, it just happens after."
"How do you mean?"
Maggie swished water and spit it down the drain. "I mean it's happened before."
"Oh I see…"
"No you don't see Doctor, that's not what I mean."
He waited until she composed herself enough to stand, even if she was incredibly shaky on her feet.
"I was nearly raped when I was fourteen years old."
He caught her as her knees gave out from vomiting so much.
"Easy girl, let's get you to a chair." The Doctor took her by the arm and led her into another room. Sitting her down with a glass of water, he pulled up a chair in front of her. Once she'd set the water down, he took her hands in his. "Now, I wasn't sure if I heard you correctly. What happened when you were fourteen?"
"I was nearly raped."
"By whom?"
"His name was Robbie. He was one of my father's tenants and…"
The Doctor gently squeezed her hand. "What did he do?"
"He'd had his eye on me for a while and kept making untoward advances toward me. Every other day he'd ask me for a kiss, or something equally unappetizing. Trust me, I had no interest in him. Frankly he made my skin crawl. Something about him was just… off." It seemed as though she were trying to weave six stories into one, hence the extremely short sentences and harried expression in her eyes. "Eventually I got tired of it and told him in a very unladylike way to leave me be…" she took a deep breath. "Then he started to chase me, and wouldn't you know it, I tripped over a root. Of all things, a damn tree root." There was a small tear gathering in the corner of her eye. "He threw himself on top of me and pinned me to the ground. Then he stuck his hand up my skirt and…"
"I hope you screamed."
"Oh yes indeed Doctor, but no one heard me," her voice was shaking beyond all recognition. "He touched me till I…" she couldn't bring herself to say it. "And then he left me there alone. Once he left I got up, walked home and didn't say a word about it for a week."
"Why the devil not?"
"Because I thought it was my fault," she whimpered, sheer defeat in her voice. "That I'd done something to provoke him."
The Doctor sighed, hanging his head for just a brief second.
"I mean, I understand now that I did nothing to provoke him, and he did it just to hold some sort of power over me, because I didn't want him. But this whole thing that happened tonight… it just brought back so much…"
"I know…" the Doctor patted her hand. "There's no time limit on this at all. You still have a right to feel angry about it."
"But I don't want to be," she admitted. "I want to move on and forget it ever happened. He's dead, I'm not, that's all there is to it."
"That's a good way of thinking of it," the Doctor answered, pulling her into a quick hug. "Now, off to bed. It's been a long night, and you need to rest."
"Right…" she cleared her throat. "Good night Doctor."
Getting back into the TARDIS, she walked toward the bedrooms, opened her door, and fell into bed.
