Disclaimer:The Doctor and any other characters deriving from Doctor Who, are not my own, but belong to BBC. The character John is not mine, but belongs to the true history as laid out by those who followed God's direction in the writing of the Bible. So ultimately, John is His character.
Chapter 1:
Surveying the closet was always a chore. Especially when Clare Kennedy hadn't done any laundry in days. Now she was left with only patterned skirts, which made trying to find a matching blouse all the more difficult. And of course, if Clare did manage to find the right combination, she still had to find shoes, a purse, and other accessories to match. Just when she had decided to give up and wear a pair of blue jeans, something she rarely did, Clare spotted a soft yellow three-quarter length sweater in the back of her closet.
"Bingo!" Clare exclaimed.
Within moments she had pulled together the sweater, a pink and yellow stripe knee-length skirt, a pink ribbon for her hair, pink flip-flops, and the appropriate undergarments. She threw these in a small basket along with a bottle of perfume and the small make-up bag she usually kept in her purse.
After taking a quick shower, Clare towel dried her hair and hurried into the hastily accumulated apparel. She pulled her brunette curls back into the ribbon, allowing only a few small locks to slip out and frame her heart-shaped face. She then used a thin line of eyeliner and a light application of mascara to frame her bright green eyes. She finished by placing a veneer of gloss on her small, full lips before tossing the make-up items back into their small bag. Clare didn't wear cosmetics every day, but today she felt like dressing up.
Clare was almost out the door, when she heard footsteps descending the stairs that led into the front entryway. Recognizing her brother's tread, she breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't sure what she would have done if it had been her mother. As it was, however, she turned with a ready smile.
"Hey Matt, you're up early."
Matt glanced at his watch to see it was only quarter to seven. "Yeah, I guess I am. I just woke up early with extra energy this morning."
By this time Matt had reached the bottom of the steps, and Clare stood staring up into green eyes that seemed always to be dancing.
"What are you up to today?" She asked.
"Oh, you know; school, football practice, work. Just the usual."
Matt, four years Clare's junior, was a junior in High School. His tall, well-built frame, was perfect for his favorite sport, and was also perfect for attracting every girl in school. After school and on Saturdays, Matt worked at a local store that sold musical instruments. The rest of his time was split between hanging with his buddies, teasing his older sisters, and playing with his niece and nephew. Often he managed to do all three at once.
"How about you?" Matt asked.
"Well I work today, then I'm off tomorrow."
Matt nodded absently, and ran his hand through his wavy brown locks. "You've met my boss, right?" He asked.
Clare wasn't sure where the question came from, but she answered anyway. "Yeah. Guy in his mid-twenties, tall, pretty normal looking, Jacob…Jacob something."
"Coyle."
"Yeah, Jacob Coyle. What about him?"
Matt looked uneasy. "Mom met him yesterday. She seems to think him perfect."
Clare was still confused. "So?" Matt just stared at her.
Finally it dawned. "You're worried Mom is going to set me up with Jacob?"
"Yeah."
Clare took a breath, and let it out slowly. "Well, we'll just have to hope you're wrong."
Matt gave her a we-both-know-that-won't-happen-but-I'll-let-you-ke ep-dreaming look. Clare only grinned and gave him a quick hug before going out the door. She walked towards the driveway, and smiled when she spotted her car.
The vehicle was dark blue, and was covered in bumper stickers pertaining to Clare's favorite TV show: Doctor Who. On the side doors she had spray painted the words "Bad Wolf" and "Daleks Beware." Both of which were also puns on the BBC show. Matt had often called her obsessed with Doctor Who, and Clare couldn't really argue with him. She called her car her "Tardis," and enjoyed driving it wherever she went.
Clare hopped in her car, started the ignition, and backed out of the driveway. She rolled down her window a few inches to enjoy the brisk autumn air.
Early October was a beautiful time of year in Sunrise Beach, Missouri. The trees had changed color, and everywhere were shades of yellow, orange, and red that shouted beauty to anyone willing to look. The lake of the Ozarks sparkled in the early morning sunlight, and the bluffs that seemed almost to frame the water were covered in the glorious trees.
Those who owned summer houses on the lake had left shortly after Labor Day, anxious to get back to their cozy little lives in warmer climates down south. But the locals were still around, and these were the people that Clare knew best. The same people she always saw at the grocery store, talked to at her brother's games, ran into at community picnics, joked with at the barbeques, and inwardly rolled her eyes at when hearing the same old local gossip.
She couldn't care less if little Timmy Smooter spent his days climbing trees in order to scare his mama, or if he preferred to terrorize all the stray cats and frighten little girls in the process. She wouldn't choose to hear the sad woes of Miss Priscilla Spinster who "never did find a man, bless her heart." And she certainly didn't care to hear the sighs over "young love."
But when you spent your days living in a small town talking to the same people, and hearing the same gossip, you really couldn't escape the life stories of Timmy, Miss Priscilla, or the "younguns" of the town.
Clare pulled into the parking lot of the Diner where she worked as Head Baker and Assistant chef, and parked next to the only car there. She swung in the doors at half past seven and headed for the bakery in the back. When she saw that the bakery was empty of human life, she pushed through the swinging door that joined the bakery to the main kitchen. Inside she found her brother-in-law putting peaches into a large food processor. Already on the counter were trays filled with thick chunks of Clare's homemade French bread and Clare could smell the coffee already brewing.
"What's the special this morning?" Clare asked.
Dustin Richardson turned with a ready smile. "Hey Clare. The special is French toast with a peach mamba sauce and bacon on the side.
Eva's Diner was a relatively small place loved by the people of Sunrise Beach, Dustin had opened the Diner almost 6 years ago and had named it after his mother. Evalynn Richardson had given birth to seven children, of which Dustin was the third, and had endowed them all with a love for cooking. When Dustin's wife and Clare's sister, Kim, had given birth to a beautiful little girl only weeks after opening, it had seemed only natural to name her Evalynn Rose after her grandmother. Now Clare's niece loved to claim the Diner was named after her.
Eva's Diner served a special for every meal. Pancakes, hash browns, and eggs were always available for those who didn't wish for the morning special. Larry Bishop, an old friend of the Richardson family, ran a Deli sandwich bar for the customers that preferred Deli to the afternoon and evening special. Other than Larry's daughter, Emily, the rest of the Diner staff was related to Dustin, and altogether they were a tight knit group.
Clare took another quick whiff of the room before heading back to the bakery. She hummed as she pulled on an apron, and got to work. First she mixed a large batch of her chocolate chip cookies, followed by oatmeal raisin, macaroon, and finally lemon delight.
When she finished, she put the multiple bowls of cookie dough in the walk-in fridge and glanced at the clock. It was still quarter of an hour till eight o'clock opening. She went to the kitchen asked Dustin how she could help. He pointed her to the bowl of pancake batter on the counter. Clare nodded and began to pour the batter onto the already hot griddle. She used the other half of her griddle to start cooking bacon. She had barely started when Dustin's siblings, Jack and Kelly breezed into the room.
Kelly was Dustin's younger sister, and also an identical twin. She was married to Mark Bloom, who worked for the Sunrise Beach fireman. She was usually a quiet character, except when the Kansas City Chiefs were on television. Clare had long ago learned that you didn't want to be at Kelly's house when the chiefs were on unless you wanted a lecture afterwards about the many malfunctions of Matt Cassel, the dropped throws of the wide receiver, or the utter failure of the defense.
Jack was Dustin's younger brother, and was known as a prankster. At the age of 21, he was highly sought after by the young women of his church. His jet-black hair and bright blue eyes were an intriguing combination with a tan face and sturdy build. Clare loved to joke with him, because Jack always gave as good as he got. If he wasn't joking with the Diner staff, he was trying to put salt in their coffee or pepper in their dessert.
Dustin put Jack to work on the hash browns and eggs, and Kelly was sent back out to open up and tend the front. Things got crazy at this point, and Clare didn't have time to get back to the bakery until almost two hours later.
Once there she found her assistant, Ellie, dropping balls of dough onto cookie sheets. Clare could smell the chocolate chip already in the oven, and oatmeal raisin cookies sat cooling on the counter.
Ellie was another of Dustin's sisters, and Kelly's twin. Ellie was married to Evan Goodwin, and they had a daughter, Lily, who was 18 months. Evan watched her during the day, because he worked a night job. Clare was very glad to have Ellie on her team, for she was a very efficient worker.
"How's Lily this morning?" Clare asked as she pulled the chocolate chip from the oven and replaced them with macaroon.
"Oh, she was up early. But I managed to keep her quiet until I had to leave. I left her sleeping in our bed with Evan."
"Aww…."
Yeah, I know. I kind of just wanted to stay and cuddle with them."
Clare smiled before turning for the refrigerator in order to pull out ingredients for the dessert for dinner.
"What are you making?" Ellie asked.
"Well, the special is lemon potatoes, chicken, and green beans with almonds, so I thought I'd make an apple spice cake."
"Yum. With the cream cheese frosting?"
"Of course!"
"That's one of my favorites."
Clare didn't comment as she began to measure and mix ingredients. Her mind floated back to the Doctor Who episode she had watched the night before. Clare was always caught up with the latest season, but she still loved to go back and watch certain episodes over again.
The one she had watched last night had an interesting little girl character that could draw things into being. Or rather, out of being. Like once in the episode the little girl had drawn a boy that she saw playing in the adjacent yard, and the boy had literally disappeared from the yard, and was trapped inside the picture the little girl had drawn.
That was one of Clare's favorite episodes. The best part was when the hero, the Doctor, had become trapped inside a picture, and his ditz of a female companion, Rose, had to figure out how to save him and everyone else.
Clare was startled from her musing when Ellie dropped a spoon on the floor, and it clattered. By this time, Clare had finished with the cake mixture, and was already working on the frosting. She paused from this task long enough to take the lemon delights out of the oven, and place her cake inside.
As Ellie waited the prescribed two minutes to cool before taking the finished cookies off the tray and placing them on a wire rack, Clare added applesauce, cinnamon, and brown sugar to her frosting. After mixing the whole thing in the large kitchen aid for two minutes, she had a fluffy, soft-looking mixture that tasted delightful when she put it on her tongue. She sighed gently in pleasure and wondered, not for the first time, what kind of dessert the Doctor liked.
Another day on the planet of Gallifrey was coming to an end. David Disciple, or "The Counselor," as his time-lord friends called him, sighed in contentment as he watched the sun go down. In David's estimation, though he had seen many planets and worlds, Gallifrey was by far the most beautiful.
"David!" His peaceful moment was interrupted by the sound of his mother's voice.
"In here, Mother."
Violet disciple, or "The Healer," entered the room. She had newly regenerated a week ago, and at the moment was a beautiful slender time lord with auburn hair, and eyes that matched her name.
"What does the Doctor like for dessert?" She asked him.
David turned in pleasure at the name of his best friend. The Doctor and he had been best friends since they were little boys. They had looked into the time vortex together, and both run away. They had traveled the universe in the Doctor's Tardis. And though the Doctor had regenerated into many different manly forms, his appetite had never changed. He had always loved the same dessert, and it had been his downfall many times.
"Strawberry Shortcake, Mother. The Doctor loves Strawberry Shortcake."
Violet smiled. "Great. That's what we'll make for his visit day after tomorrow."
"Thank you, Mother."
They barely had time to share a private smile before David's sisters rushed into the room. They too had names given to them by their parents and the names they had chose after looking into the time vortex. Only David's youngest sister, Rose, was still known by her given name and not her chosen.
Amy was the oldest Disciple sister, and she had chosen the name of "Protector." From a very young age Amy had been protective of her younger sisters, of her family's feelings, and of the small Gallifrean creatures. At the moment she had two small pets. One was a fertle: a type of turtle that was covered in yellow and red shades, and was a rare form of furry water life. A Gallifrean shark had injured the fertle, and Amy had rescued the poor creature, and named it Tribble.
The other creature, if viewed by a human, would be called a mini cow. In Gallifrey, they were called Mu. It's mother had neglected Amy's mu, and when found the creature had only come up to her ankle. Now fully grown, the mu was almost to her knee. Little Tennant was now a very loved pet in the Disciple household, and she gladly supplied them with milk.
The next Disciple sister was Martha. Martha was called the "Composer." She loved music, and had quite a gift at creating it. Especially when playing her favorite instrument; an apparatus that was a combination of an acoustic guitar and a harp. Many evenings were spent around the fire, listening to Martha's newest song, as it seemed to fall gracefully off her slender fingers and through the instrument into their very souls.
Rose, the youngest of the Disciple children, was not yet old enough for the time when she would look into the time vortex, and give herself a new name. For now, she was simply the delight of the family. Like her older siblings, rose was half time lord. So when injured or close to death, her body could regenerate. But because of her human genetics, she always regenerated back into the same form. Just younger. Because of this, she was always to have the same brown eyes she had inherited from her father, and the fine blond hair that her mother had when she was born.
Violet Disciple had continued to wear that blond hair till last week when she had been mortally injured in a vehicle accident, and had needed to regenerate into the auburn haired beauty she was now.
"How was school today?" Violet asked the girls.
Amy rolled her eyes, but Rose seemed rather excited. "We learned about Earth today!" The little girl exclaimed.
"We've been learning about Earth for the past month." Amy sighed.
David laughed as he looped an arm around Amy's shoulders. "Terrible place, that Earth is." He said sarcastically.
"Well, it's different when you've seen it. It's not fair, Mother! David gets to go to Earth all the time with the Doctor, and Dad lived there, but all we get to do is hear about it in school. I want to actually go see London."
"Well…London isn't that great actually." David said.
"But the Doctor loves London!" Rose cried.
She absolutely adores the Doctor, and anything he said was written in stone as far as Rose was concerned. David merely smiled at her and made a circular motion next to his ear. Rose giggled.
"Crazy that one," David went on. "Their accents make your head spin. All that "bloody" and "blimey" and "Mum." Not to mention their confusing currency. No I'd prefer New York City any day."
"So they have musical instruments on Earth?" Martha asked.
"Oh yeah, they have lots of them. But my favorite is the piano. It's covered with black and white things they call keys, and each one plays a different note."
"You see what I mean, Mom?" Amy groused. "David gets to go and see all these cool things, just because his best friend has a Tardis. Why can't we ever go along?"
David turned Amy so she was facing him, and took her face gently in his hands. He stared into her green eyes for multiple seconds before speaking. "Amy, the universe out there isn't all fine and dandy. You've looked into the time vortex, you know. There is pain, loss, heartache, and death out there. Other species can't preserve themselves like we can. Mom and Dad keep you here because they know this, and they are trying to protect you." He placed special emphasis on the word protect, as that was a concept that Amy understood. "Please Amy, trust me, trust our parents. Let us take care of you. We love you." His voice had grown steadily quieter until the last statement was a whisper.
David wanted desperately for Amy to understand. He couldn't imagine sending Amy out into the universe. She would come back wounded and scarred, and David loved her too much to watch it happen.
Amy's eyes shone with tears, and she wrapped her arms around David. David hugged her
back, lovingly returning the embrace.
"I love you too, David." Amy whispered.
David sighed inwardly in relief. He looked at his mother over the top of Amy's head. She smiled her thanks, and he nodded slightly. After a few moments Amy stepped back, and David released her.
"I do have a surprise for you girls, though." He said.
"What is it? What is it?" Rose jumped up and down in anticipation.
"I'm not going to tell you yet."
Rose grabbed his hand, and looked up at him imploringly. "Please David. Can't you at least give us a hint?"
"Nope." David grinned as Martha looped her arm through his free one.
"Come on David, you know how impatient Rose can get." She gave him her most winning smile.
"Not going to happen. You are just going to have to wait."
David smiled to himself as he excitedly relished the thought of introducing the idea of a television to his sisters.
