I've redone this chapter, due to the advice of CommaConcept and Flinch-Hayward, two excellent people.
However, you'll have to give it time - the first few chapters are unbeta'ed, and a bit rubbish, but it does pick up, I promise you. I'd been on a 2 year hiatus when I first wrote, so it took a while to get back into it. But give it a try. For anyone arriving at this fic from Flinch-Hayward's Fourteen series, this story is part of that - it follows on from the (currently unwritten) 'One Good Reason' episode in Jack's timeline, and from the (currently unwritten) fic 'Untitled' in 12's timeline. Yes, it IS called 'Untitled', and you'll see why, if I write it and if you read it. On with the tale - while painful, the first couple of chapters are necessary for the plot D=
Return Trip
The pretty seaside resort of Whortleby, England, 1953
The mist rose in tendrils above the churchyard, as if the souls had finally freed themselves from their rotting hosts and were determinedly pushing for the safety of heaven. Ed smiled at the odd cliches his mind came up with.
He started as he caught a movement from the corner of his eye. Through the mist the young boy watched the outline of a hooded and cloaked figure slowing walking towards him, picking his way through the gravestones barring his path... but how he walked, more of a glide than a step... As the boy shifted slightly he felt a hand creeping its way up his arm. Stifling a shriek of alarm he threw himself backwards against the tombstone he was crouched behind and stared up into the soft brown eyes of his girlfriend. She giggled and threw herself down beside him.
"Don't fucking do that!" he hissed at her, brow creased in fury, but she ignored his anger.
"Lighten up, Ed," she whispered into his ear. "Why are you hiding from Mr Hegarty, he won't eat you. Well, probably not."
Embarrassed, Ed drew himself up and pushed her over into the leaves. Far from being annoyed at this, she brushed herself off, slipped her slim frame onto Ed's lap and gently kissed his nose.
"Would you like to come over to my place for tea, Mum's out and..." She first looked over her shoulder at Mr Hegarty's deadpan wizened face behind her, then down at the metal claws protruding through her abdomen. A drop of lifeblood slipped from her mouth, trickled down her chin and dripped onto Ed's cheek. He stared down at the broken body of his hopes, his dreams, his world, whilst his immature mind tried to process the raw data into something he could comprehend. This time nothing could stop the tortured shriek ripping from his throat, until a thud of steel against flesh, like a pan into rotten fruit, and he lay back, tasting the tang of iron and slipping back into merciful nothingness, as Mr Hegarty bent his head down to feed.
The interesting scape of the TARDIS, Time Vortex, err, sometime.
"WILL YOU STOP THAT BLOODY RACKET!" Nadrin yelled, storming into the console room with eyes full of the same sort of purpose and intent as a vegetarian in a abatoir.
"I'll have you know the mandolin is a very noble and beautiful instrument," the 12th Doctor murmured around his homburg hat, inexplicably in his mouth, eyes narrowed in concentration (not the hat). Nadrin watched as his fingers moved deftly over the fretboard, producing an eerie tinkling tune, much unlike the normal repertoire of the instrument. She sat down crosslegged on the floor before him and cocked her side to one side.
"How have you tuned that thing?" she enquired, cursing herself for a fool before the words had even left her lips.
"Ahawell, you'll be glad you asked that!" the Doctor said suddenly and enthusiastically, leaping the his feet. "It's tuned to the tradtional Erythraean tuning, used by the people of Erythrae, of course, such a thing is obvious, it consits of a fifth, followed by a single semi-tone, then an augmented fourth, it's rather crazy really, the most interesting thing about it is..."
Nadrin had long since phased out, and was far more occupied in cleaning the grease from under her nails. The Doctor noticed after going through the history of Erythraean composition, and sat carefully back down, balancing the mandolin on his lap. He looked down at his latest companion.
She was certainly an odd one was Nadrin, she looked totally human, except for her bright piercing green eyes. A vivid lime green, they were almost hypnotising. As can often be expected of a hybrid being, she had an odd mixture of traits and characteristics, usually she was a very fiery and abrasive character, yet she could instantly become the softest, sweetest, most caring being known to time, usually when presented with something like a baby rabbit or something. Her intense attention to detail, fierce loyalty and swift, calculating mind had got them out of many a scrape, in the same way her exquisitely beautiful features and a tendency to kick like a mule had got them into many a scrape.
The Doctor chuckled at this thought, and Nadrin looked up at him, having snapped out of her reverie. She rose gradually and stretched with a slight yawn as the Doctor checked their course at the console.
"Hm, I'd like to check up on some old friends on Earth, early 21st century, this okay with you, Naddy?" the Doctor asked without looking at her. She gently stamped her foot down on his, and after a pretend yelp of agony replied.
"I suppose so. Who are these friends?" she enquired, looking up at the Doctor with interest. He hadn't mentioned having friends on Earth before.
"Just some chaps from UNIT, I wish to see how they've been protecting the world in my absense." The Doctor smiled down at his companion's diminutive figure, and braced himself as the bump as the ship landed. He strode to the doors, flung them open, and took in the scene before him, the quintessentially English cottages, the sea, the sunlight filtering through the trees, and the accusing stare of Captain Jack Harkness.
"Ah."
Still dunno where tis going. See you in 2 years for the update. If you're interested the title is from a song by Electric Wizard, the one which sunk me into that state of despair. I'm sure it's obvious where I started to listen to ELP.