Disclaimer: I own only the plot. Doctor Who and all related characters are BBC, and WordGirl is PBS.
Unlike my previous WG/DW fics, the Episodes (chapters) are individually titled, like episodes of Hartnell's era. Mainly because this story features William Hartnell's (First) Doctor, as well as Susan Foreman as played by Carole Ann Ford.
Also, Stay tuned until the end to witness the first edition of 'The Doctor's World,' featuring facts and words based off Doctor Who.
WordGirl and Doctor Who in...
A FAMILIAR STRANGER!
Narrator: Listen for the words 'Acquaintance' and 'Tourist'.
What a wonderful day in our Fair City...a few years in the future!
That's right, Becky Botsford is fifteen years old now, and her friends and acquaintances have all gotten a bit older as well! Violet, Scoops, Tobey, Victoria and Eileen, along with all the others, have entered High School, and are having a wonderful time!
"I'll say!" said Becky as she jogged down the mall, wearing a larger-sized version of her usual outfit from grade school. "I'd go over all the changes that happened during that deliberate time skip of yours, but there's a new Pretty Princess Official Music album coming out, and I need to get in line!"
She waved goodbye to the invisible narrator, and picked up her pace; a disguised-as-a-trenchcoat-wearing-human Bob, or Captain Huggyface as he's known to the superhero world, merely laughed a chimpanzee's laugh before returning to his massive hero sandwich.
Yeah... I guess some things never do change.
Meanwhile, just in the other corner of the mall...
Vrrrrooooossshhshsh...Vrrroooossshh...Vrrooosh...CLUNK!
Without anyone noticing, a new, blue-colored vending machine appeared in a corner, and then opened up...and two people stepped out and closed the machine behind them! One was a teenage girl with a short haircut, a dark orange and yellow striped sweater, a brown skirt with blue pants underneath, and a pair of earpieces hanging around her neck from which she heard her music. She looked around, excited to see so many people of so many colors.
The other was an old man with white hair that hung around the back of his head, wearing a coat, a vest, and a pair of trousers that all went out of style a century ago. His wrinkled face gazed disapprovingly upon the scene the girl loved, absent-mindedly playing with his ring ( a signet-style ring which contained a prominent blue crystal) and his walking stick as he said "Well, you've picked a rather dangerous place this time, Susan."
"Are you serious, Grandfather?" the girl, Susan, asked the old man, still excited; "This is the late 20th Century, in Fair City! It's not the time when strange things are commonplace!"
"It's also the time when rumors are becoming harder and harder to disprove, my child. If someone saw us arrive just now, the might tell their friends...and word would spread across time and space along the proverbial grapevine, until, eventually, they hear about it."
Susan sighed, and said: "What will it take to convince you, the Time Lords won't find us here, in this ordinary shopping mall?"
"...You're assurance that you won't do anything too obvious will do for now." said the man after a pause. Then he patted his granddaughter on the shoulder, and smiled at her.
"Thank you, Grandfather. And I promise you; I'll be just an ordinary tourist, and stay in the background."
"As will I...now, I wonder what sort of food is served here; I will admit, I've wanted something from somewhere other than the food dispenser as of late."
"Oh, I'm not hungry, Grandfather; I'm here for the music...and I heard of a line of dolls called 'Pretty Princess' that everyone loved in this age!"
The old man giggled, and said, "Oh, very well...you can go off on your own if you must...but run right back to the ship if anything suspicious happens."
"Understood! I'll find you at the food court when I'm done!" And with that, the pair parted ways.
*(one scene transition later)*
Becky danced her way out of the hall, her head full of new music inspired by Pretty Princess coming from her headset...when she suddenly collided with a fellow mall-goer! The two teenage girls fell down on the floor, spilling the contents of the bags they were carrying among other things.
"Oh my – I'm sorry! I didn't mean to – I wasn't watching where I was going! I..." Becky frantically said as she picked up the various books and clothes that flew out of her shopping bag...
"Oh my – I'm sorry! I didn't mean to – I wasn't watching where I was going! I..." the other girl unknowingly echoed back at her, desperately trying to organize the pile of clothes and books she had just dropped...
...and then both parties stopped as they realized they were saying the same thing to each other.
"Umm...Well, what I meant to say was..." Both said, at exactly the same time.
"Uhh...you can stop now..." Both said, at exactly the same time yet again.
"..." they began to say...and then they both gave up, and wound up laughing instead.
"Wow!" Becky finally said after a fit of laughter, "Talk about an awkward way to start a conversation!"
"I know, right? First I crash into you, and then we start talking at the same time..."
"...all that's missing is the awkward introductions! Hi, I'm Becky Botsford!"
Becky extended her hand towards the girl, who slowly (apparently unsure of herself) reached out and grabbed Becky's hand. As they shook, the girl said: "My name's Susan."
And with that, both girls finally had recovered all their spilled goods, and stood up as Becky said; "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Susan!"
"...Come again?" asked Susan.
"An 'acquaintance' is a 'person you know, but not usually a close friend.' At least not yet, in most cases. Anyway, when I say I 'make your acquaintance,' I am saying that I know you, and that you know me as well!"
"...I guess it does!" Then, Susan turned away from Becky, thinking aloud to herself: "Huh...i wonder if that leaves me with several thousand acquaintances..."
"Um, what are you talking-"
"Oh, nothing! Nothing, Becky! It was just some silly stuff..."
"Oh, it's OK. I've got a couple of secrets myself! You don't have to tell if you don't want to."
This made Susan breathe a sigh of relief. "Thank you for understanding."
"Yeah...You know, Susan, if you want to be friends, and not just acquaintances, I'd be happy with that."
"Oh, sorry, but me and my Grandfather won't be here for that long. We're just tourists passing through. I don't really think it would be worth becoming full-time friends...I won't really be seeing you again after today."
"Aww..." Becky said disappointed...but then she brightened up, saying: "Who's to say we can't hang out today?"
"...Nothing, really!"
"Well then, come on!"
…..
Both girls laughed themselves silly at the various ridiculous fashion choices each tried out, gazed in sparkly-eyed awe at the newest line of Pretty Princess and Magic Pony dolls, and snapped their fingers to the latest music. In short, to make her stay feel very well spent, Becky treated Susan to every enjoyment a teenage mall-girl would expect.
Meanwhile, at the food court...
The old man had propped hiscane up against a chair, and sat down to enjoy a chicken sandwich, trying desperately to distract himself from the fear he expressed when talking to his granddaughter. Some of the time, he succeeded, while other times found him glancing to and fro as if anyone could be a potential enemy.
It was during one of those times that an elderly, dark-skinned woman in a light purple dress, with a bun in her white hair and a giant purple necklace on her neck, walked up to the old man and asked: "Oh excuse me, honey-bunny, but what's got you so jumpy?"
"GAH!" shouted the old man, caught by surprise. After he caught his sandwich before it hit the floor, he looked at the newcomer and, cautiously, said: "Please, do not sneak up on poor old tourists like that. It's rather rude. Besides, who are you...and how did you know I was 'jumpy'?"
"Oh, I'm Granny May, and I just know these things. Plus, look at these hands a'yours!" Granny May said as she grabbed the man's right hand with both of hers.
"When old hands are shaking that much, you know somebody's afraid of something. Know what I'm saying?"
The old man pulled his hand out of her grasp, irritated; 'I can deal with my fear in my own way, thank you very much."
"I was just trying to make a new acquaintance." And with that, Granny May strolled off, leaving the old man to continue his meal...
….until he noticed that the blue signet ring on his right hand had suddenly disappeared. He looked at Granny May as she left, and then called after her (in a completely non-threatening tone): "I don't suppose you've seen my ring lying about, have you? Hmm?"
Granny May instantly stopped...and said: "Oh, sorry, no. Is it special to you?"
"Yes...a friend gave it to me. Also, he told me that the crystal's from the planet Metebelis III, and would be very dangerous in the wrong hands."
At this, Granny May snickered, and said: "Or very valuable when sold to the right person...you know what, I'll keep it!" as she displayed the ring to him... now on her own hand.
And before the old man could react, Granny May pulled a pair of knitting needles out of her hair, and pointed them at him...sending a wave of purple yarn towards him, tying him up!
"Later, sucker!" she said tauntingly, as she pressed her finger to her giant pearl necklace...which instantly turned into a suit of armor and a jetpack, with which she flew away, leaving the man totally shocked!
"...A jetpack? Humans in this time have jetpacks? Oh dear dear dear dear, I must have gotten a... coordinate mixed up somehow..." he said to himself worriedly.
*(one scene transition later)*
"...And then my Grandfather said: 'No, my child; I don't think that's a toy at all!'"
Becky laughed at Susan's anecdote about her grandfather, and then commented: "Wow, that was embarrassing! And the voice you gave your grandfather sounds like-"
Suddenly, Becky's super-hearing picked up "Stop! Thief!",somewhere within the mall, alerting her to a potential crime in progress.
"-sounds like trouble!" she said accidentally. Susan asked her what she meant by 'trouble,' to which Becky responded:
"Nothing! Nothing, and I didn't mean to insult your grandfather in any way...listen, I gotta go...maybe you should go meet up with your Grandfather or something. Nice hanging out with you, Bye!"
And with that, Becky ran off, smiling back at Susan as she ducked behind a corner, waited until Susan started wandering off...then whistled to Bob, who rushed over to her so they could change into their alter-egos as Becky shouted: "WOOOORRRDD UP!"
*(one scene transition later)*
"GRANDFATHER!" Susan shouted, horrified at seeing her grandfather tied up in a pile of yarn, even though bystanders were working to free him as she continued: "Who did this?"
"An old woman, who also stole my ring!"
"Somebody call the pol-" Susan started to shout, but her grandfather interrupted her: "No! I cannot become involved in something like this! That woman had-"
Suddenly, the old man was interrupted himself, as the armored thief known as Granny May was suddenly dumped onto the ground in front of him, all tied up in her own yarn!
Then, everyone saw a sight that shocked no one except for Susan and her grandfather: A girl (apparently in her teens) floated into view from above, wearing a skin-tight red uniform with a yellow-and-red star decoration on her chest, boots and gloves colored a darker red than most of her outfit, a yellow cape, and a red helmet that went over her entire head, leaving only space for her hair and face! On her shoulder was a chimpanzee with a blue shirt with a yellow lighting bolt, red pants, and a red helmet with a noticeable antenna!
"Grroooh! WordGirl got me again! Maybe I really am getting too old for this..." said Granny May in a sad manner.
"Well, technically Captain Huggyface did a lot of the work..." said the floating teenage girl, modestly, as the monkey on her shoulder giggled with embarrassment.
"...But anyway, I take it you were the one she stole this ring from?" the girl then asked, opening her hand to reveal a ring with a large blue crystal, as she floated towards the old man.
"h...How did you know it was me?" he asked, nervously...to which she responded: "Well, you were the only one covered in Granny May's yarn in the entire mall..."
"Oh." the old man said, relieved somewhat. He then cleared his throat, shook of the remainder of the yarn, and took his ring from the flying girl.
"Well, thank you...hmmm...who are you?" he asked, embarrassed.
"What?" said a random confused bystander, "You don't know WordGirl and Captain Huggyface? The heroes who fight for truth, justice, and the use of the right word?"
"Oh, sorry...you see, we're just tourists, just passing through..."
"Tourists, eh? As in 'people who travel to or visit special places for pleasure or business? Well, that would somewhat explain why you haven't heard of me..."
"...Yes yes yes, of course! We're not from around here, and don't really pay attention to world news... We were just stopping in this town here to pick up some supplies, and then we would be right on our way...but I can say I'm glad to have met you, WordGirl. And your monkey friend, Captain Huggyface...that's his name, right?"
Captain Huggyface nodded, glad that someone got his name and species right on the first try!
"All in a day's work!" said WordGirl, just before she and Huggy waved to him. "Pleased to make your acquaintance! And now that it seems I am no longer needed WOOOORRRDD UP!"
And with that, WordGirl flew away in a flash of orange light.
Susan looked at the space in the air where WordGirl was floating, and her face gleamed in admiration...and her imagination ran wild, what with meeting a friend and that superhero in the same day...
….until her grandfather grabbed her hand and said: "Come along now Susan; I think it best we left now."
"What? But...Grandfather! There's so much more to-"
"I'm afraid we're going to miss the rest this place has to offer." The two then left, leaving the nearby civilians confused.
*(one scene transition later)*
"But Grandfather," she said when she didn't think anyone was watching them, as they approached the vending machine they arrived in, "I chose this era because the people here wouldn't recognize a TARDIS or a Time Lord if they see them!"
"I know, Susan, but this cannot be the era you chose! That woman had a jetpack, and that 'WordGirl' character was obviously an alien! None of those things are supposed to happen yet on this planet! Obviously, we landed in the wrong time or...or something! And we have to get out of here!"
"No...Impossible! I set those directions myself! Ooh...At least let me say goodbye to Becky, Grandfather!"
"I'm afraid that will not be-" the old man began to say, when another voice interrupted her:
"Susan? What are you doing back here...wait, is that your Grandfather?" asked Becky, who had just rounded the corner with Bob right behind her.
"Oh, Becky!" Susan ran up to her, and gave her a quick hug.
"Oh, very well then. Hello and goodbye, new acquaintance of Susan." said the old man, exasperated; "Now my child, can we get on with it and leave? We have to get out of here!"
"Wait...Why?"
"None of your business!" he shot back, as he pulled Susan over and whispered: "Susan, not only is this era too advanced, your acquaintance knew where to find us! If we don't get out of here immediately, we'll be surrounded by Time Lords before you can say 'Rassilon's your uncle!'"
"Fine... I really wish we could just be the tourists we claim to be, and didn't have to live in fear all the time..." Susan whispered back...
...when suddenly, Becky said: "What are you talking about?"
And before the old man could shout 'none of your business' again, Becky continued: "I thought I heard something about 'Time Lords'...sorta rings a bell..."
Then, completely oblivious to the old man's panic, she suddenly exclaimed: "Wait a minute...Are you running from the Doctor?"
"...What?"
"The Doctor's one of WordGirl's best friends, and he's a Time Lord...Susan, please tell me you're not one of the Doctor's enemies!"
"...But...But my grandfather is the Doctor!"
"SUSAN!" shouted her grandfather angrily; "Now that she knows my name, she has everything she needs to set the Time Lords after us!"
Becky gasped in amazement; Here was the man who, popping up at random intervals in his timeline, helped her against Daleks, Cybermen, Ice Warriors, and several of her own gallery of supervillains! The nigh-immortal time-traveling alien known only as the Doctor!
Instantly, she remembered that the Doctor was of the opinion that she and Tobey would make fantastic romantic partners, so she worked over what she would say in her head: she would describe how she and Scoops came to a decision that they were better off as 'just friends', but Tobey hasn't wavered in his devotion to her...and she, after thinking about it, may even be considering finally giving him a chance...
...but her thoughts were interrupted as she saw the Doctor fiddling with the door of a nearby vending machine!
Becky paused for a second...and then shouted: "Wait! WordGirl says your one of her best friends! Please, don't go! I'm sure she won't give away anything you don't want known! I promise I won't tell anyone either!"
"Oh? And how do you know that, hmmm? I've never met this WordGirl before, so I cannot say I trust her in any way!"
Becky thought over the Doctor's question for a second... thinking about how everytime the Doctor's met her, except this one, he knew everything about her...and then she said: "How do I know WordGirl won't betray you? Because...I'm WordGirl!"
And with that, Becky pressed her hand to her chest, and changed into WordGirl before their very eyes! Everyone, including her nearby monkey, was shocked...and even more shocked when the monkey sighed, and pulled the uniform of Captain Huggyface out of nowhere!
…..
….. "Ah, I see..." said the Doctor, "If I revealed your true identity, your family would be in big trouble...so you keep my being here secret, and I'll keep your secret. Is that how it works?"
"...Well, it's a start."
Finally, Susan spoke up: "You're actually trusting someone? Oh, thank you, Grandfather!"
"...Heh. Seems I am." said the Doctor with a smile, as Susan wrapped her arms around him.
WordGirl smiled, and said: "Well, we have some catching up to do...we can do it inside your TARDIS if you'd prefer. Now, where is it parked?"
"Right here!" the Doctor said as he grabbed the edge of the vending machine, and pulled it open...to reveal the familiar bigger-on-the-inside interior of the TARDIS.
"...Wait, your TARDIS can change shape, like the Master's? I thought it was stuck in the form of-"
"Please, don't spoil the surprise for me."
Later, WordGirl and the Doctor have told each other a lot about...well, each other, within the TARDIS...
The Doctor was quite shocked to hear the narrator, but as soon as WordGirl explained that he was just a narrator, the Doctor thought: 'oh, it must be one of those times.'
Then, he turned back to WordGirl: "So, WordGirl, let me see if I follow...In my future, I really am the space-time tourist I want to be, meet you as a child, and play the role of a fellow superhero? Defeating all these fantastic creatures that I have never heard of before, and acting like I know everything there is to know about them?"
WordGirl nodded, and the Doctor put his hand to his chin in amazement. "Well, sorry to say, I'll just have to wait and see. Deal with it as it comes up."
"It's OK. Still surprised you haven't met the Daleks yet...you said they were your oldest enemies!"
"I can think of a reason for that: I've really just started my travels, and have really made an effort to stay out of trouble and make as few enemies...or, as you've found out, friends, as possible."
"You see," the Doctor continued, "The whole reason I left my home on Planet Gallifrey was I broke a few rules of my people, the Time Lords... and if they were to find out where I was they would punish me severely...leaving no one to look after poor Susan here. You can understand why I'm frightened of nearly everything...can't you?"
WordGirl nodded again. Then Susan said: "I keep telling him friends are a valuable thing to have, but where I see nice people and worthwhile acquaintances, he only sees people who want to threaten me. And he won't take any chances. We're always on the move, seeing the sights and then leaving without a trace."
"A life I would prefer not to have, Susan...but until I'm more confident about being able to protect you, it is what we must deal with."
"...But it's not all bad, WordGirl!" Susan said, "Because if it weren't for my Grandfather's curiosity, we would be living an unbelievably boring life on Karn or someplace like that where the Time Lords rarely go! As it is, we actually get to see some interesting things! It's why we are tourists, after a fashion, and not just frightened people running away!"
"...Well, glad your happy at any rate!"
"Yes...well, now, may I ask you a question? Namely, what planet are you from?"
"Oh, me and Captain Huggyface come from Planet Lexicon!"
Suddenly, the Doctor's face lit up in remembrance: "What? Lexicon? The word-capital of the universe?"
"Never heard it called that before, but yeah!"
"...What a coincidence! I went there during my schooling days on Gallifrey! I learned over two billion languages during my stay of a few months there! My tutor, Astellakar, was one of the friendliest people I remember having the good fortune to encounter! Oh, before I fled Gallifrey, I intended to take Susan there once..."
Suddenly, the Doctor stopped talking, and his thoughts turned inwards...only interrupted by Captain Huggyface screeching something, to which the Doctor responded: "The food dispenser? It's past that door over there."
…...
…..Then, the Doctor said: "Oh, very well, A quick tour wouldn't hurt us. Shall we pay a visit to Planet Lexicon, Susan?"
"Oh, that would be splendid, Grandfather!"
"Excellent! Well, WordGirl, It's been nice getting acquainted with you, but you said you have responsibilities as a superhero, so I must ask us to part ways here..."
WordGirl nodded...but then, suddenly, she remembered something...something the Doctor told her a long time ago via a letter...
…...
In case you wanted to ask me what your home planet, Lexicon, was like; you'll find out soon enough, and I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise. Just keep being the superhero, keep living your normal lives as Becky and Bob Botsford, and let it come to you.
-The Doctor.
…...
"Wait! Can't I come too? I left my planet as a child, and hardly have any memories other than what Huggy told me about..."
"But we can't take you with us, or-"
"But this is a time machine, right? You could take me right back here the instant you're done! Nobody would miss anything!"
Susan caught on to what WordGirl was requesting: "Oh, Grandfather, can she come?"
The Doctor thought...and finally said: "Very well. But remember, all of you: We're not to get involved in anything noteworthy; we're just tourists, here to see the sights and leave."
"I can deal with that!"
The Doctor smiled, and then walked over to the central console of the TARDIS...and with a flick of a few switches, they disappeared into the emptiness of time.
Vrrrrooooshhhh...Vrooooooshh...Vrrroooosshh...Vrooooosh...
What will WordGirl and the Doctor encounter on Planet Lexicon? Will they be able to stay just tourists, or will their new acquaintanceship be cut short by disaster? And can the answer be any more obvious?
For these answers and more, stay tuned for the next exciting adventure of WORDGIRL and DOCTOR WHO!
NEXT EPISODE:
THE LIBRARY CITY
Out of a white void steps a well-dressed, white-haired old man...
"Hello! I'm the Doctor! The original, you might say! My friend WordGirl tells me that, during the breaks between her stories, some colorful characters show up and define new words for the audience! I've decided to take a crack at it myself; hence, welcome to 'The Doctor's World.'"
An image of space appears...
"So...Space...Time...All of this is my domain. This is the universe. Universe, being 'All existing matter and space considered as a whole,' or, for short, everything there ever is."
"And all throughout my long life, I shall explore every inch of it! Flying through the vast emptiness in my tiny little TARDIS, seeing all that the universe has to offer me. All of time, and space, everything that ever happened or ever will...quite a challenge, but I intend to see the greatness of all things that I can. For to me, there is no such thing as 'too much experience.'"
"Now, back to the show!"
For Fans of Doctor Who: Happy 50th anniversary, and enjoy my tribute to William Hartnell's era!
For Fans of WordGirl: Enjoy this fun romp into my interpretation of WordGirl's origins!
For fans of fanfiction in general: You're in for a real treat! (just don't forget to favorite and/or review)
