Summary: March 1998, the Doctor awakens in Hospital after her fall from the TARDIS only to find herself visited by the retired Brigadier, with the Brigadier once again holding the TARDIS out of reach the Doctor has no choice but to co-operate.
(I have no place to take this, this is just me embracing the 13th?14th?15th? Doctor. {I say she's 15th but that's only by the number of regenerations she's undergone in the past} What better way to initiate a new Doctor than with the Brigadier?)
An Old Friend
She sat in the plastic seat across from him, the game of chess was set out between them on the simple table.
The wooden pieces worn with use over the years, so many times they had played this game against each other, almost a ritual of theirs for every incarnation to play at least once.
She hadn't played in a while, but their game was just as companionable as it always was.
Sitting quietly in contemplation over a game of worn wooden pieces hadn't been enough to hold her previous incarnations attention, he had preferred grander more complex puzzles.
For the first time since he'd arrived and their game had begun he asked the question. 'Are you really the Doctor?'
She gave a slight smile and drifted her gaze up from the board to meet his eyes. 'Yes, Brigadier, it really is me.'
Her old friend gave a curt nod. 'You've done it again then, Doctor?'
She felt the amused smile fill her face again. 'Yes.' She agreed because he was right, she had once again regenerated and he was here meeting a new face once again.
He calmly moved his rook forward. 'You're still travelling in that TARDIS of yours then?' He asked calmly.
She sighed, she had to be honest with him now. Was her pride the same as it had been back in those earlier days? Or was this merely the memory of her wounded pride creating the emotion? She felt slightly detached from the emotion, she didn't often have times like these with her new regenerations, there were more than gender noun difficulties to adjust to evidently. 'I've…' She found the sentence difficult to say allowing herself to instinctively insist on the next word. 'Temporarily.' She noticed amusement form in his eyes. 'Been separated from the TARDIS.'
His eyebrow quirked. 'Your TARDIS wouldn't so happen to be have a fresh coat of paint, would it, Doctor?'
She blinked a few times in surprise, as usual Alistair could throw an unexpected curve-ball into any conversation. 'Well, I repainted it a thousand years ago, but I suppose one could still class it as fresh… but the distinctive difference is the St John's Ambulance symbol on the door.' She couldn't help but feel a little smug at having such a creditable piece of information to prove the ownership of her TARDIS with.
A smile crept onto the retired Brigadier's face. 'Right, so, Doctor-'
She moved her bishop to check his king while at the same time reciting the list she often did in this time. 'Yetis, Autons, Daleks, Cybermen and Silurians.' She leant back in her seat and added. 'Check.'
He chuckled. 'I was actually going to ask if you've seen your new face yet.'
She shook her head. 'I haven't had much time to really see it.'
'I had guessed as such, you don't seem all that… comfortable, for lack of a better word.'
She considered him. 'Well really, Alistair!' She said in irritation. 'I'm the same-'
'How long has it been since you changed?'
She sighed and rubbed at her face. 'Not long.' She said. 'A few hours perhaps?'
'I'm just glad that you landed where you did, there would've been so many more hassles otherwise.'
She gave a smile. 'I don't recall entering in the coordinates for this time-period.' She admitted.
The Brigadier rose his eyebrow. 'Still haven't managed to get your TARDIS working correctly then?'
She stiffened feeling her present self's irritation at his question, she drew a deep breath. 'My TARDIS is in perfect working order, thank you very much, Brigadier!'
'Of course, and that would explain why UNIT is now having to pay for the damages to a barn in-'
'Okay!' She said moodily. 'I will admit that my regeneration caused the circuits to overload and, well…' She felt herself blushing in embarrassment. 'But on the whole I've got the TARDIS working just fine and my piloting has never been better!'
'You sound like you've already experienced this sort of situation before.'
'Well… two regenerations ago I had quite the doozy.'
'So why in the name of sanity were you still in flight for this one?' He demanded.
She frowned. 'I… had a lot on my mind.' She said. 'I…' She looked up at him, it hadn't been too long ago that he'd met her 7th incarnation and Ace, he was retired for the most part, perhaps he would understand? 'I'm old, Alistair, very old and very tired.'
The Brigadier considered her. 'Well really, Doctor.'
She gazed at the board. 'I've lost too many people and I just…'
'Doctor!'
She looked up at him, his voice was holding that military steel she knew so well, she waited, knowing full well that what he was going to say would be strictly no-nonsense and straight to the point.
'You're allowed a brief reprieve now and then, but regardless of how old, tired and worn-out you feel, don't you ever give up!'
'Just one more.' She echoed her previous incarnation's words with the TARDIS.
'How many more do you have?' He asked.
'I've been given a new regeneration cycle.' She said. 'I'll have eleven more if it is a full cycle.'
'Then don't waste them.' He said sharply.
She drew a breath to argue.
'That, Doctor, is both a request and an order.'
She gave a smile. 'Aren't you supposed to be retired?'
'Aren't you still UNIT's Scientific Advisor?'
She smiled. 'Ah, so I am.'
The Brigadier moved a final chess piece and the Doctor gave a sigh at her defeat.
'You're probably best off coming with me, I doubt that you'll be willing to stay here much longer, as I recall you have a penchant for escapism when you are left to hospital care.'
She gave a smile. 'I'm perfectly healthy so why should I stay here?'
He sighed. 'Wait here while I go and fill out your release forms.' He said standing and leaving the room.
She calmly collected the chess pieces as she thought for a moment, he hadn't revealed where they had the TARDIS, so for now she would have to humour him.
Despite how pleasant it was to see him again after so long she couldn't help but feel irritated about not being able to leave.
He knew what she was like, knew she was already itching to move on, right now he had given her a silent ultimatum, either she humoured him and when he was good and ready he would take her to the TARDIS or she'd once again have to scour the world for the TARDIS.
She sighed and gazed at the black bishop in her hand, the memories were just as vivid as ever, every incarnation left their mark on the pieces, game after game of chess, there were more memories to come, more use to wear down the polish on the pieces.
'Ready, Doctor?'
She stood, easily finishing packing up the chess-set, placing the pouch into one half of the board while folding it over shutting the box.
She followed him out of the room, and out of the hospital to his car.
She had to admit, she needed a few moments to think over all that had happened recently, and after a little reflection she'd continue travelling.
Staying still and guarding the vault for as long as she had deserved a treat for her knew incarnation, she'd have some fun, go somewhere exciting and throw off that self-restraint she'd had last incarnation.
All that weight and mood didn't suit her now, no, she could feel the familiar buzz of energy compelling her to move, the need to look at everything, to explore and to adventure.
But before she could, she considered the Brigadier carefully, she had to convince him to let her have the TARDIS back.
No problem, she was perfectly fine after all, it wasn't as if she was suffering-
She gasped as a jolt of pain shot through her.
'Are you alright, Doctor?'
She took a deep breath. 'Just, lingering effects of regeneration, nothing to worry about…'
He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and shot her a slightly irritated look. 'Common sense would have me turn this car around and get you back to the hospital.' He said more to himself than her. 'But experience tells me that is not going to help at all.' He shot her a look. 'How long until the effects usually fade, Doctor?'
'Oh, around twenty-four hours or so.' She said. 'It takes time for everything to get up to speed.' She blinked and realised that she had just condemned herself to at least twenty-four hours in his "care".
Me and my need to always answer a question! She mentally accused her previous selves of cultivating this integral flaw, always answer a question, how many questions had they never answered in some way? Very few, mostly truths, sometimes lies, but answers all the same.
Information asked for was supplied instantly with little thought.
She'd have to work on correcting it.