Author's Note: part of the Tyler Twin/Within Temptation series. Since Never Ending Story will involve End of Time and Wilf will make his comeback, I felt the need to give him his own oneshot about how he met Donna's grandmother and their life before Victoria's death. A bit brief but my whole story plan changed when a vital fact hit me. Oh and since the 26th February is my birthday could you all review as a birthday present *cheeky grin*
The sky was a clear blue. Cloudless, calm and peaceful. The perfect sky for today. The world war had ended and peace had come at last. Taking a deep breath and enjoying his first peace filled breath after so long, he smiled.
He dropped his gun down on the concrete floor and looked up at the rising sun, day had only broken an hour ago and he wanted to see the sun rise on the first day of true peace.
He would be proud to say that he never killed a man. Most would find that cowardly but he didn't. After all it wasn't these soldiers' fault that their leader had sent them to fight him just as it wasn't his fault that he had been drafted in by the government.
He sighed blissfully.
And then suddenly the peace was disturbed.
A flame flew across the sky as a plane of some sort hurtled towards the ground, Wilf ducked and landed on his belly, looking up at the sky as the strange plane shuddered across the sky before falling into the forest.
Without even thinking Wilf ran.
Someone could be trapped. Someone could be dying. Someone could be hurt. He had to help. He had to save them.
He ran.
Ran so fast that before he knew it he was jumping down into the crater caused by the crash and running to the smoking plane. To his horror there was a woman strapped into the seat unconscious, probably one of those female spies that the soldiers had whispered about at camp. He looked round wildly and, to his relief, found a large rock. Picking it up he used his strength to smash the window with it, ignoring the shards of glass as he half-climbed in and unbuckled the girl.
Pulling her out with some struggle – her dead weight was heavy on his weak arms – he staggered backwards, away from the plane before picking her up properly and hurriedly making his way out of the crater before the plane bursts into flames properly.
He laid the girl on the dusty ground and looked at her properly.
She was beautiful.
Her face was pale; almost snow white in his opinion, and her hair was a fiery bright red that fell past her shoulder, almost to her elbow. Her lips were thin but were a pretty pale pink and her nose was long and straight, not a single freckle or spot or blemish on her face. He wondered what colour her eyes were.
He blinked and realised he should be checking her pulse not checking her out. He leaned forwards ready to search for her pulse her eyes suddenly flew open and she inhaled sharply causing him to back off quickly.
Her eyes were a bright blue like his.
"Who are you?" she demanded immediately. Her voice was soft despite the harshness of her tone, and it was accent less.
"Private Wilfred Mott at your service ma'am" Wilf said politely holding a hand out to her. "And you are?"
"Ro..." she shook her head. "Victoria, Victoria Smith" she said taking his hand and allowing him to pull her up.
She was about a head shorter than him and stood up proudly with a high posture, a true lady despite what she was wearing. Her clothes were plain beige trousers and tight long sleeved top in a style he had never seen before. She wore a darker brown coloured boots and a matching sleeveless jacket. She looked almost alien like as if she belonged up in the stars that he watched since a child.
"Come on then love, let's get you off to a doctor to check you out. You might have been injured from that crash" Wilf said gently leading her out of the woods.
"Doctor?" she murmured dazedly. "He's here too?"
Wilf stared for her a moment and decided she had hit her head in the crash. Unless there was a fellow spy she worked with called the Doctor.
DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW
The next few days had been rather tense.
The doctor had surprisingly announced that Victoria was completely healthy. Not a single bruise internally or otherwise could be found. In fact the doctor had confided to Wilf it was like looking at a new born, no scar or ear piecing to be found. After that Wilf had chivalrously offered his bed in the little bed and breakfast he was staying in France before his boat home will arrive. It didn't get many scandalous looks since many soldiers had taken women to their rooms for their own private celebrations but they had got disturbing knowing looks and innuendo filled comments that had infuriated the French speaking Victoria. She had spent days with flaming pink cheeks that didn't go well with her hair.
Wilf had searched thoroughly for some female clothes for Victoria and to his relief he had succeeded in buying a simple cotton plaid dress with a belt for the waist and a pair of black shoes. She looked even more stunning in female clothing and Wilf thought he would die if he saw her in evening wear and make up.
They had spent regular nights up on the roof where Wilf had seen Victoria's plane fall looking up at the stars and just talking. He had discovered quickly that Victoria had little memories of her life, the doctor didn't say anything about amnesia and Victoria had assured him that she had little memories to begin with.
She had been an orphan in an orphanage that schooled their orphans. So she had nothing to truly remember, no parents or loving adults or friends that stayed for long.
"I do remember though. A boy who loved adventures, he was a very dear friend of mine but I had to leave him" she said sadly, her eyes looked so far away. "It was my time to go and he wasn't please that I took his toy dog either"
Wilf chuckled. "Well, dogs are supposed to be a man's best friend" he said.
"True but K-9 always preferred a woman's touch" Victoria said with a slight frown. As if she, herself, was unsure what she truly meant. She sighed. "I wish I had a telescope, I would love to see the stars closer"
"I have one at home" Wilf said trying to keep his eyes on the stars and not on the woman beside him. "I drive my mother mad with my fascination with the stars; she often had to check my bedroom regularly to make sure I haven't snuck out into the garden"
Victoria laughed a sweet tinkling laugh. "You sound like a troublemaker" she said with a smile.
"I was but I knew when I had to be on my best behaviour so I wouldn't show my parents up. They have been very good parents and are waiting impatiently for me to return home. I'm an only child so I'm a bit more precious to them, so I should leave soon, my Lieutenant has promise a boat this week"
"Could I come with you?" Victoria asked.
Wilf looked at her in surprise. "Are you sure, love? I don't have any connections so I can't secure you a job and I don't even own my own place, I still live with my parents"
"I don't want to be alone" Victoria confessed, lowing her head so her hair could hide her blush. "You make me so happy and it's been so long since I've had a friend"
Wilf placed a hand on her shoulder. "My mother always wanted a daughter, I'm sure she would welcome you with open arms"
Victoria smiled at him warmly and took his hand quickly, giving it a light squeeze. "Thank you" she whispered.
DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW
"If she has no papers then we can't let her enter Britain" Lieutenant Adams said sternly. "I'm sorry Private Mott but there's nothing I can do to change that"
"But she was flying a plane! Her English is perfect so that must mean she was a member of the R.A.F, couldn't you get someone to confirm it and send the papers over?" Wilf said desperately.
"That would take weeks and I was under the impression that you wanted to go home to your parents" Lieutenant Adams said with a sigh.
"I do! But I can't leave her alone, she has no one! No parents or grandparents, not even a cousin!"
Lieutenant Adams smiled. "You were always an honourable and generous man. Very positive and uplifting man, you kept this team together better than I could. If you want Miss Smith to come home with you so desperately then I suggest you give strong evidence that she is a British citizen"
"How?!"
"Well a marriage certificate with a British man would do the job well"
Wilf looked at his senior officer with disbelief. "You cannot be suggesting that I marry her for convenience!"
"Well, why not? She's a pretty girl and you're a handsome lad-"
"She's someone that needs to be loved and cared for! She wouldn't want to be forced into something just so she can come home with me-"
"By the sounds of it Wilfred, if she wants to come home with you then she wants to marry you" Wilf blushed lightly at the thought and the Lieutenant smile broadened. "Now then, I am a very busy man Private Mott so can you please leave"
"Yes, sir" Wilf mumbled saluting briefly before quickly making his getaway. He found Victoria hovering the doorway with an embarrassed pink flush in her face. She had obviously heard every word of the conversation that went on between him and his senior officer. "I'm sorry" he mumbled.
She shook her head. "I wouldn't mind" she muttered. "Marrying you. You've been very kind to me and I really don't want to be alone again"
He cupped her face and smiled at her gently. "Victoria I care for you very much but I don't want you to end up in a loveless marriage just so I can take you back to England. I'll stay here, find a job in Paris maybe, I'm fairly good at French"
"No, you can't leave your parents hanging like that" Victoria said firmly. "Besides we are already very good friends, I can easily fall in love with you"
"But-"
She pressed her lips against his in a very chaste kiss. "I'm probably already in love with you" she declared, eyes sparkling brightly. "Let's get married and go home"
Wilf entered his Lieutenant's room without knocking much to the man's annoyance. "Lieutenant, how soon can I get married?"
DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW
The wedding was small with only a few friends from the troops coming to witness. A nice French lady had given Victoria a white dress for the occasion and one soldier had taken a couple photos with a promise to post them to Wilf once they get developed. At the party afterwards one told Wilf that he was mad to marry just like that in the post-war craze.
"The romance will die and you'll spend the rest of your lives hating each other" he drunkenly informed Wilf.
"She's my friend. I'll never hate her" Wilf said sincerely.
Very shortly afterwards the boat to take them back to England arrived and Wilf's parents were surprised to find they had a daughter in law. George had shifted uncomfortably and attempted to make small talk while his wife Margret had yet to stop ranting how Wilf ran off and got married without inviting them.
"Not that I blame you dear, Wilfred has always been a troublemaker. A very mischievous little boy, I don't put this past him at all! Oh no he was bound to do something so...as...controversial as this!" Margret batted a loose strand of hair out of her face. "He holds very strange beliefs my dear; he thinks that men will one day walk the moon! Honestly the moon!"
"I think it's possible" Victoria said politely causing Wilf to grin. "After all the Americans have made that devastating bomb have they not?"
Margret shuddered. "Oh don't talk to me about that dreadful thing! They may have been the enemy but no one deserved that! Now dear, Wilfred mentioned that you're looking for a little work, to help out in the house. Well I heard that Mildred from round the corner needs a new shop girl, her old one had run off with a married man, can you believe it? It's all very scandalous and hushed up. Millie doesn't need the embarrassment, I can put a good word in for you if you'd like?"
"Yes please Mrs Mott, I would like to help out in anyway possible"
"Oh don't call me Mrs Mott, after all you are one too now, call me Margret. Now Wilfred I hope you realise you're going to be sleeping on the floor for a long time. There's no way you and poor Victoria can fit on your childhood bed"
"As long as Victoria is comfortable I don't mind" Wilf said giving Victoria's hand a shy squeeze.
"Oh George, aren't they adorable? They remind me so much of us back when we were that age!"
Wilf felt like he could die of embarrassment right there and then.
DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW
"What do you mean you're going to destroy Galifrey?!"
"Say that a little louder; I don't think the high council quite heard you"
"Oh don't be sarcastic with me or I'll give you a right slapping! Galifrey is our home, Doctor. How could you destroy such a beautiful place for the sake of ending this war?"
"Easy Fred, Rassilion has gone insane. He wants to destroy the Time Lock and do you know what that means? Everything will get out, the daleks, the nightmare child, everything. The whole universe, the whole time and space would be destroyed and I can't let that happen"
"So you're going to blow us all up! Who made you the king of the universe, huh? No one ever said you can make this choice, Doctor"
"Fre-"
"Don't call me that! You will either address me as Ex-Lady President or Romanadvoratrelundar"
The fire, the burning, the screaming, the panic, the fear, the hate, oh Doctor how could you? How could you?
"Victoria, Victoria, wake up, please wake up love" Wilf yelled as he shook the shivering form of his wife. Her eyes opened but she didn't see him, she looked around wildly as if she was some sort of deer caught by hunters. "It was just a nightmare love, just a nightmare, don't worry"
"Don't touch me" she hissed.
Wilf backed off looking a little stunned that she had such a violent reaction to his touch. They hadn't been the most touchy, touchy couple but they had been content with the occasional hug and hand holding. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply before meeting his eyes with a strange sense of confidence, it was almost as if she was a queen and Wilf had only just noticed her crown.
"I'm sorry Wilf, I don't know what came over me" she murmured.
"It's all right love, we both been through a tough war" Wilf said gently. "There's bound to be nightmares. I get the odd one or two myself"
"I didn't know that"
"I don't like to broadcast it. But I have found the best way to calm myself down was to go and look at the stars" Wilf held his hand out to her. "Would you like to do a little star watching?"
She smiled and hesitantly took his hand.
DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW
It had been a year since Wilf had saved her life. The nightmares hadn't lessened but she learned to cope better with Wilf by her side and the stars shining above. She had spent every morning of the week and Saturday afternoon working in Mildred's shop. Mildred was a nice but stern woman, her daughter Minnie was constantly being scolded for her outrageous behaviour. When she was not in the shop, Victoria was with Margret Mott learning to cook or with Wilf falling more and more in love with the gentle and eccentric young man.
"I've only just noticed dear" Margret said, breaking the peaceful silence of the bright sunny afternoon, "that you're wearing a beautiful locket, did Wilfred give you that?"
Victoria fingered the gold chain and shook her head. "It was a family heirloom I was told. I've had it ever since I can remember"
"I see" Margret smiled as they fell into their comfortable silence.
"I'm home" Wilf called out as he opened the front door, immediately interrupting the silence.
"Hello Wilfred" Margret said as Wilf bent down and kissed her cheek, "good day?"
"Yes, very good, I might be promoted soon which means more pennies to go in the house saving jar" Wilf said excitedly before sweeping Victoria up into a rib-breaking bear hug. She laughed joyfully and pecked his lips quickly before he put her back down. "Before I forget I have a present for you love" he opened his briefcase and pulled out a brown paper bag. "Happy Birthday"
"Oh I didn't know it was your birthday!" Margret exclaimed. "Wilfred why didn't you say?"
"Victoria doesn't know when her birthday is, the orphanage just made a random guess of what month she was born in and celebrated any time they could afford to, so I just decided it's today since it's been a year today when we met" Wilf said with a shrug.
Margret rolled her eyes and huffed before leaving the living room. Victoria slowly pulled out a blue leather bound book with a strange pattern etched in. She slowly stroked the front cover of it in awe, for some reason it felt very familiar.
"It's the design for these new police boxes" Wilf said nervously. "It's different from most things so I thought you'd like it...and well it's a journal! So you can write down your nightmares and any other thought you don't wish to tell me"
"It's beautiful" Victoria said reassuringly.
For some reason the book made her feel sad, a strange little longing to be home and to see her best friend for the very last time, the book felt more special than it should be and couldn't put her finger on why it was.
So she writes in it. Not a lot just a few pages of the dreadful war in her head, of the Doctor she dreams about and the planet Galifrey.
She then takes her locket off and puts it in between the pages like a bookmark and never had a nightmare since.
Sometimes she wonders if the locket had caused the nightmares.
DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW
"It's beautiful" she said turning round slowly, taking in every little detail of the room. It was small with plain white walls and low ceiling but it could easily be painted with something cheerful.
"It's not much" Wilf said. "Two bedrooms just like my parents but it's ours"
"It's perfect!" Victoria exclaimed. "Besides it's plenty of room for us and a baby...if we have one"
"I'm sure we will. A pretty little thing with your hair" Wilf said instantly cupping Victoria's face.
"With your eyes" she replied, leaning in close to him.
"We have the same coloured eyes"
"Your eyes are lighter and kinder"
"No I think yours are lovelier than m-"
Victoria interrupted him with a kiss that deepened. Living with Wilf's parents for so long had meant that physical contact was very limited due to embarrassment and politeness. This would be their wedding night even though their wedding was three years ago.
Wilf suddenly swept her off her feet and carried her in the traditional bridal style, ignoring her surprised squeak.
"Wilf, what are you doing?!" she asked clinging to his neck tightly.
"Carrying you over the threshold" Wilf grinned. "We never got to do it after our wedding"
DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW
"Now if you look to the right, upper left, that's it. Do you see a bright star?" the little girl nodded and Wilf grinned. "That's Sirius, the dog star"
"Hello Sirius" the girl chirped. "You're very pretty just like my Mummy"
"Don't think flattering me will get you out of going to bed" Victoria said sternly as she handed a mug of hot chocolate to her daughter. "It's getting late and I want to you to go straight up after this drink"
"But Mummy" Sylvia wailed with pouting lips and pleading eyes.
"Come on love, one night won't hurt" Wilf said gently with the same pout and pleading eyes.
Victoria gave them both her sternest glare. It was becoming more and more obvious that she was the strict parent not that it was hard to get Sylvia to behave, she was a very bright girl and knew that good behaviour meant more treats than being naughty. But still Wilf had it easy being the fun parent while Victoria had to put limitations and negotiate and punish Sylvia.
"You don't have to be the one to deal with a grouchy child tomorrow" she reminded him calmly. "Besides Sylvie you have dance class early tomorrow and you don't want to miss that if you want to be a dancer"
"A story then!" Sylvia burst out. "A bedtime story while I have my hot chocolate, then I'll go to bed"
Victoria looked at her daughter and smiled fondly. Sylvia was definitely her father's daughter with his blonde hair and kind blue eyes not to mention the thirst to hear anything fantasy. "All right then" she sighed. "Let me see....hmm...Galifrey is in the constellation of Kasterborous, galactic coordinates 10, 0, 11, 0, 0 by 0, 2 from galactic 0 centre"
"Ooh, that sounds so far away" Sylvia whispered, eyes wide with awe.
Victoria nodded gravely. "It's a beautiful planet with two bright shining suns and a sky of burnt orange, the pastures are fiery red and the leaves of the trees are silver..."
DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW
It was 1963 when she saw it. A bright blue box just like all the others sitting there in Foreman's rubbish tip. She stopped and stared, for some reason there was something very special about that box, something calling out to her, urging her to go in...
"Mum, come on" Sylvia moaned loudly as she tugged at Victoria's hand. "I'm going to be late for school"
"That blue box..." Victoria murmured.
Sylvia rolled her eyes. "It's just a normal police box, now come on" Victoria allowed herself to be dragged away. She noted with sadness that her daughter was becoming less and less intrigued by the wonders of the world and more involved in knowledge right in front of her.
DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW
The night Donna Noble was born Victoria Mott had a dream.
It was a strange and very vague one but she knew from it that Donna will need her journal. That a blonde woman with pretty eyes and alien babies will need their help and a man...the Doctor...he was real.
She had been woken up by the phone. Her son in law informing her that Sylvia had gone into labour and Wilf was out of the bed in a shot while yelling ecstatically that he was going to be a grandfather.
Normally neighbours would shout rude things but as usual Wilf had befriended the world and Victoria couldn't help but smile as the next door neighbour shouted, "Congrats Wilf! Now let me get some sleep!"
To their disappointment they had never conceived another child and Sylvia seemed to have grown up far too fast. To have a grandchild was such a blessing; it allowed them to look after a small person once more. By the time they got to the hospital Donna had been born and was asleep in her mother's arms.
"She has your hair love! How brilliant is that!" Wilf whispered gleefully as he held Donna in his arms. "Oh she's beautiful Sylvie; you made such a beautiful baby"
"Thanks Dad" Sylvia croaked with a weak smile.
"Donna" Victoria whispered in awe as Wilf passed the baby to her, "you're going to be the most important woman of the universe one day"
DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW
"Donna! What happened?" Victoria cried out as she opened the door to a tearful twelve year old. "Did you get into another fight with your mother?"
It had become a regular occurrence over the years for Donna and Sylvia to argue and bicker bitterly over every little thing. Like her mother Donna was a very bright child but unlike her mother Donna kept hold on strange beliefs of aliens and vampires, and had constantly accused her mother of being narrow-minded. Unlike Victoria, Sylvia took 'being the strict parent' to the extreme where Donna had often run to her grandparents for the night since she was five.
She almost looked like a five year old with her red hair shoved into two pigtails and one sock lower than the other, skirt filthy and clothes rumpled. Tears had made her eyes look more watery and she fidgeted constantly.
"Oh Nan!" she sobbed before throwing her arms round Victoria. "Can I stay here for the night?"
Victoria rubbed Donna's back soothingly as Donna cried into her shoulder. Inwardly she sighed and knew she would be having a long talk to Sylvia about being less....harsh. She knew Sylvia only wanted the best for Donna but she had always pushed too hard and never truly encouraged the poor girl. "Come on dear, let's get out of the doorway and make some hot chocolate, I believe Granddad is out looking at the stars, wouldn't you want to have a look as well?"
Donna sniffled before giving Victoria a nod. She allowed Victoria to herd her into the kitchen and stood around waiting as Victoria prepared some hot chocolate and biscuits to take out in the garden. Though with the way Wilf was complaining about light pollution Victoria suspected the stargazing spot will move to a hill or something very soon.
"My little General!" Wilf said cheerfully opening his arms out for Donna to run into. "Had another fight with your mother? Never mind dear, come and have a look at Mars it's particularly bright tonight, do you know that seers had thought it meant a war to come? Well if that's true then Mars is always going to be bright, we always seem to be at war"
Donna beamed up at her grandfather and allowed him to sit her on his lap though she was really getting too big for that and peered through the telescope. "I can see it Granddad! It looks like a red smartie!" Wilf laughed and ruffled her hair. "Now if you went a little to the right...."
Victoria watched amused as she passed out the hot chocolates and biscuits to her husband and granddaughter. After a few minutes of Donna complaining that she couldn't see the bloomin' star, they fell into a comfortable silence that Donna broke within a few minutes which was expected since Donna could never keep still or silent for long.
"Nan, tell me the story, please"
"All right then" she sighed knowing exactly what story it was that Donna wanted to hear. "Let me see....hmm...Galifrey is in the constellation of Kasterborous, galactic coordinates 10, 0, 11, 0, 0 by 0, 2 from galactic 0 centre there is a beautiful planet with two bright shining suns and a sky of burnt orange, the pastures are fiery red and the leaves of the trees are silver..."
DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW
It seemed to have gone by so very fast.
It had only been yesterday when she woke up in Wilf's arms after the plane crash. His hair was blonde and face lineless though eyes were slightly hard due to the fighting and devastation he had seen. And yet here he slept in a chair opposite her, grey and wrinkled holding onto a desperate prayer that she would not die.
Her daughter had taken to bleaching her hair blonde to hide her greyness and her granddaughter was a young woman taking care of two very troublesome twins with her friend Rose.
Oh Rose.
Victoria hoped that one day Rose will find her way back to her man and sort things out. After all neither deserved to be alone and the children needed to be protected and loved. She could see that Alex girl turning very bitter once she reaches adulthood.
A scarping sound broke her out of her musings as a man with wild brown hair and plain brown suit sat down beside her. She knew who he was and the resemblance between him and his son was astonishing.
"Donna opened the locket today" he told her, "just as she was dying, dalek extermination. She shouldn't have lasted as long as she did but then again that's those damn Time Lord genes, we're always holding out till the last minute. I don't understand really. I don't know why you didn't open it yourself or why Donna pushed me out of the way in the first place, none of it makes sense"
"Love doesn't" she croaked. "I wanted to protect Donna just as she wanted to protect you. Besides it's not like I'm not happy like this. No nightmares, no wars and strict rules and such loneliness. I had Wilf for so long and that's been the best thing ever"
A small twitch in his lips. "His hand fits in yours?"
"You better look after her and those children" she told them sternly. "I wish I could have met them properly but with Torchwood in the way it was never possible" A dark look crossed his face but she dismissed it. There was no time to sort out anger issues. "Goodbye Doctor"
"I...I just want you to know that you were brilliant" he said squeaking slightly. "You've always intimidated me and I guess that's where Donna gets it from. She's just as brilliant as you, maybe more because she's got so much humanity in her....i....well...goodbye Romana"
The flat line alarm, so loud and blunt, was the only response he got.
Birds and butterflies She rules until the end of time With every breath Once you will know my dear
Rivers and mountains she creates
But you'll never know
The next move she'll make
You can try
But it is useless to ask why
Cannot control her
She goes her own way
She gives and she takes
She rules until the end of time
She goes her own way
And all the choices that we make
We are only passing through on her way
I find my strength
Believing that your soul lives on
Until the end of time
I'll carry it with me
You don't have to fear
A new beginning always starts at the end
Until the end of time
She goes her own way
Mother Earth – Within Temptation