Doctor Who: ALBION - Countdown
Chapter 25 - Reformation
Disclaimer - I don't own nothing or nobody you know/recognize. Doctor Who is intellectual property of the BBC, afaik.
Characters: Gleeson!Doctor, Markham, River, Jack, OCs
Will Markham sat in the library, engrossed in the code he was writing on his laptop that he almost missed the door opening. He could see the intruder's reflection in the screen and feigned ignorance until they were right behind him.
"I told you, minimum of a year," he informed the man behind him.
"How about five?" he replied, leaning over his associate's shoulder to see what he was doing.
Will quickly saved his program and closed the lid. "Nosy. Prove it." Will saw he still wore the same gold trench coat over his light blue suit, with a gold-green striped tie and a white scarf.
The Doctor smiled at his friend and turned his head. "River! He's in here!"
Upon hearing this, Will tightened up his robe in a moment of modesty. It was, after all, the only thing he had been wearing. "You could have called ahead, you know. What if I had been entertaining?"
The Doctor had already strolled over to the book shelves. "Eh? Entertaining who?"
"A lady friend? Jack?" The Time Lord scoffed at this. "I am allowed to have a life, you know!" he chided.
"Not while you're watching my children, Markham," he said in a warning tone, pulling a book from the shelf.
"Leave him be, sweetie," River countered, entering the Library with two young boys in tow. He saw she was dressed casually, blue jeans, white jumper, and a black leather jacket. "Hello, Will," she greeted him, giving him a quick hug before turning to her children. "Boys, this is your Uncle Will. You'll be staying with him for a while," she informed them. "He'll be your tutor, now."
The twins looked at him, sizing him up. "I don't like him," the blond decided. The dark haired one kept his silence. Both wore modern clothing of the time, so they would not stand out in a crowd, unlike their father, who always seemed to dress in a fashion that seemed slightly out of step with the times.
"Tough," the Doctor declared, looking up from his book. "Will is going to be your teacher for the next few years. You will listen to him and you will do as he says, from your education to chores. Is that understood?"
The blond gave him a gruff nod, obviously unhappy with this decision. The other one wandered over to the shelves and picked a book at random, flipping through it. "We have better books on the TARDIS," he finally said.
"Get used to it," the Doctor told him, patting him on the head.
He looked back to Will. "I don't want to stay."
River knelt down in front of him. "Honey, we discussed this over and over. And over. You two need a proper childhood and your father and I will visit as often as we can."
"Every day?" the blond asked.
"No, not every day, Alistair," his father told him, rolling his eyes. "And not every week, either, Jamie," he answered the blond before he could ask.
"As often as we can," River repeated herself, pulling the twins to her in a hug. "How about we ask Uncle Will for a tour, see how you like the place?" she urged, looking up to him.
"After he gets dressed," the Doctor muttered under his breath.
"I told you, you should have called ahead," Will whispered back before kneeling down to the boys. "It's not so bad here, and your grandmother helped me decorate." He glanced to River. "They do know their grandmother, right?"
River smirked. "Amy and Rory have met and spoiled them on numerous occasions," she replied.
"Emphasis on spoiled," their father muttered.
"Don't start, sweetie," she tasked him. He rolled his eyes again and pulled another book at random, flipping through it. "You know full well Amy is simply making up for the chance to be a mother that she didn't get with me."
Will decided it was time to change the subject. "So, about that tour?" he clapped his hands together. The parents nodded their assent. "Why don't I let you guys look around in here a few minutes while I throw some clothes on?" he suggested, excusing himself.
He didn't realize the Doctor had followed him to his room until he turned around to pull his pants on. "Yes?" he asked.
The Time Lord fingered the door frame, ignoring his friend's state of semi-undress. "Will, are you sure you're up to this?"
Will grabbed a shirt and pulled it on as he answered. "Of course. I had two boys of my own, back home. I tutored Will from before they were born and-" He paused, lost in the memory. "I still miss them," he admitted, "but I know what kind of trouble you get into. I understand you wanting to keep them safe. If I run into any trouble, I have Jack, Amy and Rory, and a couple others to call on."
"A couple others?"
"What, you think I've just been sitting about on my ass, waiting on you to show up?"
"It's not that, Will, I-"
"Don't want to give up your children?" he asked, tucking in his shirt. He crossed the room to his friend and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Trust me, they're going to be fine."
The Doctor seemed to fight the urge to reply, but couldn't find the words.
"I know about loss, giving up my family for the greater good," he assured the other man. "I gave up everything and everyone I ever knew and loved so your friends could return here, to their home. I know this is an honor and I hope to do right by you, as I did Charles when I took Will under my wing."
"Mentor Chiron," the Doctor said.
"Mentor Chiron," Will repeated, smiling.
The Doctor laid a hand on his friend's shoulder, then slid it up to the back of his neck. "If you don't, there's no time or place you could hide from me," he warned with a smirk. He shook Will's neck for emphasis as he chuckled.
"What are you gonna do, sic Jack on me?" Will laughed.
"Nah, he'd enjoy that too much," the Doctor laughed. "More than you would when he found you!"
Will pushed him back into the hall. "Is that a threat or a promise?" he chuckled as he reached back and grabbed his shoes.
The pair returned to the Library to find Alistair idly flipping through a book while Jamie had opened Will's laptop and was idly flicking through it's contents. River sat on the couch, watching him.
"Oi! What do you think you're doing?" Will accused the blond.
"Correcting your errors in code," he said idly.
Will started to say something, then glanced back in annoyance to the boy's parents. "First things first, you boys respect my privacy and I'll respect yours!" he declared, then turned the laptop around to see what the boy had done. "You do know this was a rough draft, right?" he grumbled, looking over the changes.
"It's amateurish at best," Jamie replied, unimpressed.
Will shot the Doctor a dirty look, only to see the man had a smirk on his face. "I don't know what your parents have taught you so far, but this world is decidedly less advanced than what they probably have told you. To blend in, we have to stay under the radar. That means no advanced programming or anything else this world won't see for decades or centuries yet."
"I also increased your computing power, battery life, memory-" he began as River gave an impressed chuckle.
"Show off," Will grumbled, closing the laptop. "Now come on, I promised you lot a tour of the Estate." He tugged the boy's head away from the table and toward his parents, then lead the family out into the hall. He first took them to the room he had set up for the boys. "We didn't know how soon you were going to drop them off, so Amy had me buy cribs as well as bunk beds for them," he pointed out the bedding. I guess I can take the cribs back, now?"
The Doctor chuckled at the memory of Rory's complaint some time back. "Bunk beds." He turned to the twins. "Just like back in your room in the TARDIS!" He scooped up Alistair and placed him on the top bunk. "You like?"
Alistair rolled his eyes at his father. "It's a bed."
"A bed with a ladder!" he replied cheerily.
River hung her head and rubbed the ridge of her nose. "Sweetie," she cautioned. "They know what bunk beds are."
Will leaned over to her. "Amy's idea."
"So I guessed," she smirked.
Once the family were satisfied with the boys' bedroom arrangement, they proceeded with the rest of the tour. Will pointed out his own room down the hall, the bathrooms, the kitchen and proper dining room, the sitting room, and various other rooms in the main house.
He then led the quartet to the stable, pointing out he had modified it into a small gym for the boys to get their exercise, and warning them they were not to be in there without supervision. Next he showed them the garage, where he promised to show them how to repair various things.
Jamie began rooting around the tool box. "You don't even have a Sonic?" he asked, examining a spanner.
The Doctor took the tool. "No, he doesn't have a Sonic, and neither will you, young man," he warned.
Jamie started to protest, but his father held up a finger for him to be silent. He glared at Will next.
"Don't give me that, your parents should have already set some basic rules like that," he announced, also glancing to Alistair to see if he was going to protest as well. He kept his silence.
The Doctor began ticking off his proclamations on his fingers. "No Sonics. No time travel devices. No weapons. And no anything else I may have forgotten, but I'm sure Will shall cover at a later date. Understood?"
Two reluctant nods followed.
"All right then. Markham?" he flourished his arm for the man to continue.
Will showed them the rest of the property, pointing out the boundaries and areas that were off limits to the boys for their own safety. The boys were getting tired of walking, so it was decided it was time to head back to the house. River walked ahead with the boys as the two men lagged behind to talk.
"Is everything going okay here, Will?" he inquired.
"Pretty much what I expected," he shrugged. "We found a number of cameras and other monitoring devices. Jack feigned ignorance, but I think he had someone install them to keep an eye on things here, just in case."
"We? Someone?"
"I told you, I haven't been sitting here waiting on you lot to show up," he replied.
"What's his name? Or her name?" the Time Lord chuckled.
"Su," he replied with a wistful smile.
"Sue? Can she be trusted?"
Will paused before he answered. "As much as you trust me, yes. I was upfront about the boys coming and she was okay with that," he said. "In fact, I've opened up to her like no one else, not even- not even Tosh, Jacks, or Charles." The names were still hard for him to say. The memories of his lost loved ones would always be a sore spot, he knew.
The Doctor stopped and grabbed Will's arm. "You did what?" he hissed.
"Except for where I came from and who you really are, I've been pretty honest with her. It's called building trust."
"I want to meet her," he decided. Ahead, River stopped and looked back to them.
Will glanced at his mobile for the time. "That's nice, she should be here any time, now."
"She's coming by tonight?"
"Again, call ahead," Will griped. "I am allowed to have my own life, you know." He began to type on his mobile. "In fact, why don't I tell her you're here? She's been dying to meet you."
"Will, I'm asking you: Can this woman be trusted?" he snarled.
Will looked back at him with a steely defiance. "Yes. If you can't trust me on this, then you should never have trusted me in the first place," he informed his friend.
"Boys?"
"Not now, River, we're talking," the Doctor told her without looking. Will did look and took a double take.
"We've got company, sweetie," she replied.
The Doctor now turned and saw what the others were looking at. Standing across the field near the estate was a man in a trench coat, wind flapping it around his body. Even from that distance, the trio recognized who it was.
The Doctor began striding toward him. "River, get the boys to the TARDIS. I'll deal with this." Will followed him, the idea being he would head off the raging bull of the man beside him.
"What the blazes do you think you're doing here, Jack?" the Time Lord demanded, still twenty feet away and closing.
Jack held his hands up in defense. "I'm just here to talk."
"I told you to stay away, Jack," Will warned. He tossed something from his pocket at the man.
Jack fumbled to catch it, and held it up to see what it was. The Doctor threw another at him. "Recording devices, Jack."
Without warning, several more fell out of the air, all hitting Jack. Another volley followed. He didn't try to avoid them. "Where did-?" he began before another volley rained down, one catching him on the lip.
"Oi! That's enough, you two!" the Time Lord called out. One more fell at Jack's feet. "River!"
"This hasn't been the first time I've found these devices, Jack," Will informed him.
"It ends. Now." the Time Lord warned.
"Not my idea," Jack said. "There are certain factions who know about you, Will, and want to keep an eye on you."
Will crossed his arms in disbelief. "Go on."
"They know you don't belong here and are associated with me."
"And?" the Doctor prodded.
"And, yes, you," he admitted. "The new people in charge want your secrets. All of them. And if you can't help them, they've decided you're against them."
"Bloody Hades," Will griped. "Athena take me!" He threw his arms up in the air.
Jack started to say something, but the Doctor's scowl kept him quiet. "I've tried to head them off, tell them you're nothing to worry about, but they don't believe me."
"Eh? Why's that?"
"Because, he keeps writing all this security code which is leaps beyond what this era is capable of!" he poked Will in the arm. "Even the various militaries hold back at least a decade before cluing the media in."
The Doctor turned on his ally. "Bloody idiot!" He suddenly wished he had a hat to slap the other man with.
"Can I help it if I can't dumb down for this lot?" he defended himself. "Who's after me, anyway?"
Jack hesitated, glancing nervously to the Time Lord. "UNIT."
"UNIT? What happened to Torchwood?"
"What remained besides Gwen and myself, was absorbed into UNIT. Centralization of departments or some such," he explained.
"What remained?" Will asked.
"Technology, the few stragglers who survived Canary Wharf like Ianto, et cetera," he said. "UNIT and Torchwood have become something else, now. I'm not sure where I stand with them."
"What are we going to do about this, gentlemen?" Will asked.
"I can't leave my children in this situation, Will. I'm sorry," the Doctor said, then turned to Jack. "Why didn't you say something sooner?"
"I needed to know how far this went, which is way deeper than I expected. I barely managed to get someone inside, but I think they already knew that when they accepted her."
"Her?" the Doctor repeated, then realized who he meant. "HER? No, Jack! I won't allow her to do this!"
"She's already in, and trying not to expose her true mission in order to protect your family," he protested. "She's fully aware of the stakes should she be exposed."
They would have argued more, but the Doctor saw a vehicle approaching. "One of your friends, Jack?" he pointed.
Jack watched it approach rapidly. The red sports car came screeching to a halt barely a foot from the nearest of the trio. "James," he muttered under his breath.
A blondish man in his forties got out. He wore a slightly rumpled overcoat a shade darker than his thinning hair, a dark blue suit underneath, with a crooked tie. He pulled off his driving gloves. "Right then, you lot, I want explanations and I want them now!"
The three men stared at him unfazed. "Who in the Bloody Hades' name are you?" Will demanded.
"This is actually private property," Jack reminded him. "We're asking you to leave, James. Go get in your mid-life crisis mobile and get out of here. Now."
"Shut up, Harkness," the man snapped then turned to the Time Lord. "You're him, aren't you?"
"Depends who you're looking for," he replied.
James shook his finger. "Don't get smart with me, Doctor. I've read your files. Lethbridge-Stewart was fairly concise in chronicling your adventures together." He looked to Will. "We're still trying to figure you out, though, Markham."
"Who. Are. You?" Will asked again.
"Lord James Gloucester, head of Torchwood," he declared, throwing an annoyed look at Jack. "This one doesn't like it or me, and I suppose he's informed you we've been folded into UNIT?" The trio didn't give a hint of concern. This only seemed to annoy Gloucester even more. Right then, I'll be straight with you," he said, tossing Jack another look, but he remained stoic. "This estate is under observation under royal decree as a possible threat to the British Empire and Royal Family."
The Doctor and Jack were unimpressed, while Will burst out laughing. "Me? A threat? You must be joking!"
"We don't know a thing about you, Markham, other than you simply appeared a few years ago out of nowhere and you're somehow linked to this pair, who have files longer than the bloody Amazon!" He pointed at the other two. "Most of the files on computer about these two have mysteriously been wiped, for some mysterious reason, and that mystery seems to have extended to you of late. Care to explain why?"
"Which is why you people asked me to design your firewalls and electronic security?" Will countered. "Do you take me for a fool?"
"And what about this lady friend of yours?" James asked. "Who is she?"
"None of your business," he said coldly.
"Some Asian -possibly Japanese- woman who appears out of nowhere, quite literally, acts all cozy with you, even though you've barely had contact? And what about her blonde girlfriend? She's the bigger mystery."
"They're no concern to you," Will told him. Jack took a step forward to show his solidarity. The Doctor didn't move, but seemed to be studying the other three curiously.
James eyed both of them, then looked to the Doctor. "We'll have your secrets, the lot of you," he said. "This is a new UNIT and Torchwood, Doctor. No more humoring you and your lot. We'll know everything about you, whether you like it or not."
"I'd like to see you try," the Time Lord retorted. "And the next time you disrespect the good name of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, you will regret it," he warned. "You're not fit to shine his shoes."
Gloucester snorted, then returned to his car, tearing up the ground as he backed up and returned whence he came.
"I'm sorry, Will, but I can't leave my kids here if that man wants my secrets. It's too dangerous," the Doctor finally said after Gloucester's car had left their sight.
"He won't be a problem," Will said. "I've already put a plan in place in case we were attacked, from within as well as without." He picked up one of the recently recovered sensors from the ground. "I told you I'd already found these before."
"So who was planting them?" the Doctor asked, eyeing Jack.
He held up his hands in innocence. "I've been trying to find that out, myself," he said. "You don't think I've been wasting my time, waiting for your pretty face to show up again, have you?" The Doctor raised an annoyed eyebrow. "Okay, I have been doing that, too, but I've also been trying to find out the reason behind this sudden interest in our pasts. Something doesn't quite feel right about it. It's more than what James implied."
"If that's the case, then you better get back to it, Jack," he ordered.
Jack snapped to attention and saluted him, "As you command!" he snarked, then turned to Will. "I'll see you?"
"Only on their surveillance tapes, Jack," he smirked. "Make sure they're wiped," he asked.
Jack smiled. "Private use only, promise," he winked, then adjusted his vortex manipulator and vanished as Will shook his head.
"I thought you said you only had one lady friend over?" the Doctor inquired as they began to walk back to the main house.
"Eh?"
"Gloucester said there were two women here, a Japanese and a blonde?"
"She can't dye her hair?" he offered.
"I got the feeling he had seen them here together," he said. "If you're hiding something from me, Will-?"
"I told you, they can be trusted," he assured the Time Lord.
"How do I know they aren't using you to get to me? They could be Gloucester's agents."
Will tapped his head. "I'd know if they were deceiving me. They aren't. They only want to help."
"Help who?"
"Us. You, me, River, the boys."
"I need more proof than your word, Will."
"Why, because you've abandoned your family before?"
The Doctor stopped in his tracks. "What? How did you know-?"
Will tapped his head once more. "Remember when we first met? Literally running into each other?" he said. "I picked up more than I realized," he lied. "I've trusted Su with some of my secrets. She can be trusted."
"What about my secrets, Markham?"
"I haven't told her anything she didn't already know."
"Great," he rolled his eyes. "Another LINDA fan girl."
Will chuckled to himself. "Not quite." He held the door open for the Time Lord to enter as the other man called out for his family.
"River! Boys?"
She sauntered back into the front room. "Is Jack not staying? What a shame," she said dryly, holstering her weapon. Will caught the Doctor giving her a stern look.
"Where are the boys? We're leaving," the Time Lord announced.
She glanced to Will as she replied. "And by we, you mean the two of us or-"
"All of us."
"What's going on?" she inquired, concerned.
"Jack has a new boss," Will told her. "He wants all of our secrets, or else."
"Good luck with that," she scoffed. "Now what's for dinner?" She headed into the kitchen, dismissing the latest drama.
"We're not staying for dinner, River," the Doctor declared. "We're leaving. Now."
She ignored him and began looking in the refrigerator. "We may be, but the boys are staying."
"River!"
"Don't 'River' me, Sweetie," she cut him off, spinning around and slamming the door shut. "The boys stay with Will and get a proper education, as we already agreed."
He fumed and looked between the two of them. "What do you two know that you aren't telling me?" he demanded.
Will crossed his arms in defiance, staring at the floor as he leaned against a counter. River stood her ground, hands on hips.
"They're not safe here, with that Gloucester sniffing around and planting bugs all over this place!" he yelled. "I won't leave them in danger like that!"
"You've already abandoned your family, twice over," Will said. He looked up to see the Doctor's face turning red from rage and the surprise on River's face. "You left your first family behind when you left Gallifrey, then abandoned your granddaughter in the mid 22d Century."
The Time Lord took a step toward him. "Watch yourself. You don't know what you're talking about," he warned.
"2168."
The Doctor took another step forward and grabbed the front of Will's shirt. Will made no move to defend himself, merely holding the Time Lord's gaze. After a moment he released Will and turned away, placing his hands on the counter to steady himself.
"Stay out of my head, Markham."
"Sweetie?" River asked, concerned at this revelation, but he merely held up a finger for her silence. She took it and slipped her hand in his. He turned his head away. "Talk to me, sweetie," she urged. "We can trust Will, just like you trust me." She hugged herself into his thick arm.
"Me trust you?" he scoffed as the memory of his long ago second meeting with this mysterious blonde woman came back. "Don't be ridiculous."
"Right. Where's the fun in that?" she teased back.
Whatever the Time Lord's thoughts on this accusation, he kept them to himself. It was a long minute before he turned back to fully face the other two. "I'm sorry, Will. I just-"
"Don't want to give up your family again? Believe me, I can understand. I already told you as much."
The Time Lord gave a curt nod. "Then you can understand why I don't want to leave my children in a situation where someone like Gloucester can take them?"
"I was responsible for keeping the crown prince safe back home," he reminded them.
"That was one child, you had a full castle and Torchwood to back you up, and you were never aware that he had a twin who had swapped places with him on several occasions, before," the Doctor countered. "I have two children which, as you have already seen, are already far beyond your limited knowledge."
"One, I had my suspicions, but recognized similar characteristics to his mother's mood swings, the true origin of which I was not privy to. Without giving him a complete psychiatric exam, I had no proof," he explained. "Two, he was seemingly fine a day later, so I chalked it up to typical youthful mood swings, like any other child. Had he been mine or had I been more familiar with him, I would have questioned it more. In fact, I did mention it to Charles, who merely brushed it off."
"And if my children have these 'mood swings'?"
"Then I contact you for advice. Jack if it's an extreme emergency," he offered. "The fact I'm already aware of your regenerative capability doesn't bother me much, but I will try to keep them both out of mortal danger."
The Time Lord glowered at him. "So your Plan B is Jack? That's it?"
"Plan C."
"Then what's Plan B?"
Will smirked. "Spoilers."
The Doctor fought the urge to slap him again. He was saved by a knock at the front door. Will excused himself to answer it, with River following to see who it was.
A friendly face stood there with two pizza boxes. "I'm sorry, miss, I have no money to pay you," he smirked.
Su shoved the boxes into his belly. "We'll think of something later, big boy," she winked before noticing River leaning against the doorframe leading to the kitchen. "Did I come at a bad time?"
"Oh, um, Su, allow me to introduce you to-"
The blonde took the initiative. "River Song. We've met," she said, taking the other woman's hand, ignoring their reactions.
"You have?"
"We have?"
"Stick with me, sweetie, we'll annoy the old fella," River suggested, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and leading her into the kitchen. Will followed, dumbfounded. "Sweetie, dinner."
The trio reentered the kitchen to find the burly Time Lord still leaning against the sink counter. He gave the newcomer a suspicious look. Will couldn't help but notice the usually confidant woman he had been seeing was taken aback as he set the pizzas down.
"Su Smith, this is my husband, Doctor John Smith," River introduced them. Will did a double take. "He usually goes by Doctor," she added. "Honey, this is Will's friend, Su."
He offered his hand, still eyeing her. "Have we met?"
Su had seemed shaken upon seeing him and especially so at the word husband, despite River's assuring rub of her shoulders. "No, Grand-, um, grand to meet you, that is. Doctor...Smith?" she fumbled. Her hand trembled as he tried to take it, only managing to grab two fingers which she quickly withdrew.
The Doctor couldn't help but notice the silent exchange between Will's puzzled expression and River's knowing nod.
"Is something wrong?" he asked the trio.
"No! Um, no, It's just- I mean, I wasn't expecting to see you here, is all?" Su fumbled, still shaken.
"Leave her be, sweetie, the pizza's getting cold. Will, go fetch the boys?" she asked, directing Su into a chair at the table, then taking the seat next to her. The Doctor sat across from the women, his mind working, trying to recall where he had met her before. His twins soon distracted him as plates were passed around as well as drinks.
The boys, never having had pizza before, were initially hesitant, but soon devoured several slices apiece. Laughing at their reactions, the Doctor soon turned his attentions back to the newcomer.
"So Will tells us you're going to help him watch over and teach my boys, is that true?"
"Sweetie," River scolded him. The boys were temporarily distracted by this news.
"Don't you want to know who's going to help Will with educating our sons?" he asked before turning back to the other woman. "Do you have any special qualifications? Medical training? Other children?" he pressed.
River and Will both reacted to this, but Su had regained her composure. "Well, I have a higher than average IQ, and helped my ex-husband raise several children, as well as some younger relatives," she informed them. She glanced to Will and could see he was nervous she would slip up in front of the Doctor.
"Ex-husband? And this girlfriend of yours?"
Will rolled his eyes as she glanced to him. "Sorry, before you arrived, we finally had a visit from that idiot who's been planting those bugs, Gloucester. And Jack. He mentioned you know who," he related, adding the last after a furtive glance to the Time Lord. River gave him a knowing smile, dabbing the corner of her mouth.
"You found another batch?" she asked. He nodded.
"How many times have they been planted here?" the Doctor inquired.
"Three times before, that we've found," Will answered. "We usually find them after a run into town or leave the premises," he admitted. "I haven't checked the perimeter lately, where we found them today." He glanced to Su. "It's probably been, what, about six months since we've found any, otherwise?" She nodded. "I usually check at least once a week. Now that the boys are here, we can make a regular chore out of it."
"Chore?" Jamie questioned, mid-bite.
"Shh, and chew with your mouth closed, honey," River chided him.
"Yes, besides your regular schooling, you two will have chores," Will explained. "Is that a problem?"
Their parents shook their heads and looked to the twins. They only saw knowing smirks among the four adults.
Once the boys had been thoroughly disappointed, the Time Lord turned his attention back to Su. "You were saying about tutoring your children and young relatives?"
Su spared a quick glance to Will. "Yes, my, um, ex-husband and I raised four children and I later helped out with my nephews," she explained.
"What happened to them?" he asked, then saw River's furious look. "If, ah, you don't mind me asking?"
"David, he-he died," she said as Will took her hand in support. "The children weren't mine, so they went to live with other relatives. I-I was so heartbroken, I had to...I-I left the area. I eventually wound up here, where I met Will. The rest is history." She forced a smirk at him.
"You don't look that old?" he asked.
"Sweetie!"
"No, it's okay," she said. "I am older than I look. I guess I just have good genes?" She looked at him hesitantly.
"I'm older than I look, too," Will added. "And Charles as well. You never had a problem with that, either?"
"Are you sure we haven't met before?" the Time Lord asked again.
"No, I'm sure I would have remembered meeting someone as intense as you," she replied.
River gave him a smug smile as Will choked down a laugh, and failed.
Nonplussed, he continued. "And what has Will told you about us?"
"That you two are travelers and he made you agree to stay with your boys for a while before leaving them with him for their education," she explained, matter of factly.
"Do you travel much? Where are you from, maybe that's where we met?" he asked her.
"Oh, um, my parents weren't from anywhere near here," she replied nervously. "My grand-um, my father was from a, um, suburb of London. My mother was, um, from-" she glanced down at her plate, "China! Yes, China, originally," she blurted. "Just outside Shanghai."
The Doctor gave her a suspicious look. He began speaking in an odd language to Will's ears. Su replied in the same language, somewhat unsure in her reply before switching back. "Sorry, I only know a little Mandarin, my mother didn't speak it that much, and what she did wasn't for young ears," she motioned towards the boys.
River was amused by this, while Will seemed unusually nervous by the exchange.
"Well, at least the boys can learn something of another new language," the Doctor finally smiled, relieving the others.
"Why, the TARDIS translator circuits usually do the job for us," Alistair piped up.
Jamie elbowed him. "Remember what they told us!" he hissed.
"Translator circuits?" Will echoed. It was only after he had spoken that he realized he had blown their cover.
"You're working on a translator device?" Su asked, trying to help him recover.
"I tinker," the Doctor replied, still unsure of her, going along with her assumption.
"You should see what he did to a screwdriver," River noted with a smirk. Will and the boys laughed, Su fought a smirk.
The Doctor ignored River. "What did your parents do?"
"They were scientists," she said.
"Interesting. I know plenty of scientists, what areas did they work in? Perhaps I know them?"
"Oh, they weren't very well known," she lied to him. "Their names were, um, Ian Emrys and Niu Ling."
The Time Lord studied her for a long moment. "Hmm, you don't say? What did they study?"
"Oh, um, history and science," she told him.
"And what do you do?"
She glanced nervously to Will. "Oh, not much. I was traveling for a bit, until I met Will. I felt somewhat lost after losing David and the kids," she explained, solemnly. "Will seems to have shaken me out of that."
"So how do I know you two are going to last?"
"Oi!" Will chided him.
"And you didn't answer my question about that girlfriend of yours?"
"Sweetie, enough with the inquisition," River scolded him. "Boys, if you're done eating, go wash up and get your things. We'll help you set up your rooms, okay?"
The twins nodded and left the room. She turned back to their father. "Will trusts her and she's answered enough of your silly questions. Leave her be," she warned.
He turned his attention back to Su after seeing the boys off. "I'm waiting for an answer."
"My cousin. Jenny. Genevieve," she lied.
"So, Sue Smith, daughter of Ian Emrys and Niu Ling, cousin of Genevieve Emrys, widow of David Smith, and now lover of William Markham. Did I miss anything?"
"We're not-!" she exclaimed. "I mean, Will and I haven't, um-"
"It's none of his business what we do or do not do in our private moments," Will warned.
"But you were aware you were being filmed," the Doctor noted, "and know Jack has seen-"
"I asked him to erase those recordings!" he declared. "Not only for our privacy, but for the sake of your kids!"
"If you say so," the Time Lord demurred.
Will pulled out his phone. "Ask him yourself."
"Boys," River warned, rising. "Look, why don't Su and I help the boys get unpacked and you two can finish your chat while you clean up down here? Hm?" She helped Su up and they exited the room together.
Will glared at the Doctor. "Leave her be. She's a good woman and you can trust her."
"How do you know she's not working for Gloucester?"
"Jack never recognized her. Don't you think he would dig into Torchwood agents' backgrounds?"
"Not if she was a recent recruit and this was her first field assignment."
"You're impossible, you know that?"
"I've been called worse," the Time Lord demurred.
Elsewhere in the house, River and Su began to help the boys unpack their belongings. "I should apologize for him, but you probably miss that about him, don't you?" River asked quietly.
"You know who I am?"
River stopped and stared at her. "You mean you don't recognize me?"
"No? Should I?"
River dropped her voice to a whisper. "You said you helped raise your other relatives?" She nodded to the boys.
"I was talking about Aunt Jenny?" she whispered back. "Will mentioned having met her, but I had no idea who he was talking about at first," she admitted.
"Oh, sweetie!" she hissed, realizing her mistake in the other woman's timeline. "Come with me! Boys, don't move, we'll be right back!"
River led Su outside, avoiding the two men. Near the stable, she stopped and paused. "How long has it been for you?"
Su was confused now. "What do you mean?"
River reached out and pushed against an invisible door. Su's face lit up. "It's cloaked! He fixed it?"
"He didn't do anything," she winked, grabbing the other woman's hand and leading her inside. "Don't worry, it's still the same old blue police box it's always been."
"I'd always hoped so!" Su said as she walked around in wonder. "It's so massive! And beautiful! He only used the basic default when I was with him! It was so drab and plain!" she laughed as she gave the raised dais a once over, then looking up to see the two stories of walkways above with various halls leading deeper into the craft.
"I would give you the full tour, but we only have a few minutes," River told her. "Don't worry, your secrets are safe with me."
Su stroked the control panel, marveling over the various displays. "I don't even know what half of these do!" she laughed, the tears beginning to fall. She turned to River. "Thank you, so very, very much for letting me see this!"
"What are friends for?" River replied, giving her a hug. She then turned and pressed a control. A small lid flipped open and River took something from inside it and handed it to Su. "If you ever need us, use this and we'll come running. Emergency use, only, you understand?"
Su looked down at the pendant. It was a small five sided shape with a crossbar attached above. One side had triangular shapes, the other was etched in circles. "Thank you, River!" she cried, hugging the woman again.
"I hate to rush you, but he would have my hide if he knew I was doing this," she scolded herself.
Su wiped her tears away. "This was more than enough. I can only hope you make him happy."
"Sweetie, that's barely scratching the surface," she laughed as they exited. "I don't suppose you have one around here? Will threatened something about 2168 earlier?"
"I would, but it's cloaked as well," she informed the other woman. "I would hate to see his reaction, after all that's happened."
"Don't worry, I'll pop back in later and you can show me," River smiled conspiratorially. "I'd also love to meet Jenny, as well. He's barely mentioned her. I'd love to know why."
The two women returned to the boys' room to see the men had called a truce and were hastily dismantling the cribs Amy had picked out. River quipped he finally had a good use for his screwdriver. He muttered something under his breath about a library the others didn't catch. After, River ordered the boys into a bath before bed, letting the men take the disassembled crib outside.
"So are you two staying the night or leaving as soon as the boys are asleep?" Will asked.
"River wants to stay tonight," the Doctor replied. "Fair warning, the boys' sleep cycle seems to be more like mine than human."
"Meaning?"
The ginger man smiled. "Take naps every chance you get," he chuckled. "What about you two? Is Su staying tonight?"
"She didn't say, but seeing as you lot are here, probably not."
"And you two haven't-?"
"None. Of. Your. Business."
"So that's a no then?" he laughed.
Will tapped his head. "I seem to recall you went quite a long while without," he said smugly.
The Doctor didn't find that funny at all.
The adults put the two boys to bed, then retreated to the Library once more. "I really should be going," Su insisted. "It's been nice meeting you, River," she said, the pair tossing an annoyed glance to the Doctor.
"Anytime, sweetie," River replied with a knowing smile, assuring her, "We'll see you soon enough."
"Keep him here?" Will asked her as he escorted Su to the door. River winked and sidled up to her beloved on the couch as the other couple left.
Outside, Su led Will to the garage. "Are you sure he doesn't know who you really are?" he asked.
"I don't think so, and River promised to help run him astray if he tries anything," she confided.
"I'll see you soon?"
She glanced back to the manor house. "Once he's gone, I can come and go as often as I can," she said teasingly and kissed him goodnight before stepping up into her own invisible craft.
Will took his time returning to the Library. "If you two are good, you can see yourselves to bed. I'm turning in myself."
"Thanks sweetie," River waved before turning back to the Doctor. "You're in a right mood tonight. Something bothering you?"
"Mm. Will. Jack. Gloucester. Su Smith," he counted off. "Jack says he'll be working to throw Gloucester off, but how much does he already know? What did Alistair reveal in his memoirs about me?"
"That's understandable," River agreed.
"Yes," he mused, still distracted.
"What?"
"Su. I think I remember where I saw her before?" he said. "She was one of the two women with Abraxas at our wedding. Then the blonde must be-" He stopped as he connected the dots. "No. It couldn't be?"
"You're just over thinking it, sweetie, seeing connections that aren't really there," she assured him as she let her fingers trace across him. "I seem to recall Amy saying you accused her of the same thing, once. There's nothing to be suspicious about with Su or Will."
He didn't say anything, but glanced out the window. The dim light in the room let him see the half moon rising outside. He let River play her game of distraction, but he was almost positive that he was right.
Governor Abraxas had been almost aggressive to him at first, until a greater danger presented itself. Then he seemed to act to help the Doctor's party, before disappearing, only to turn up again at the wedding. How had he known where it had taken place? Much less how he had gone from 52d Century Barcelona to 21st Century Earth? Was he immortal like Jack or a fellow time traveler? And if the one lady with him was who he now believed her to be, it had to be the latter. This opened up another level of questions as to their timelines against his. River timeline's was maddening enough, but now to have a potential enemy with the same? Each thought led to more thoughts and he didn't even realize River was pulling on his arm.
"Sweetie? Come to bed," she insisted. The tone of her voice left no question as to why. He didn't resist.
The next morning, Will woke to find the Time Lord looking out the window of his bedroom out onto the estate. "Ever hear of personal space?" he grumbled, wiping the sleep from his eyes.
The Time Lord didn't respond at first. "You know how difficult for me this is, Will."
"Didn't we discuss this last night?"
"I know you need your secrets, but you need to be honest with me."
"About what?"
"Susan. Jenny. Who Abraxas is."
Will gave a sigh of defeat. "She never mentioned Abraxas. Neither has Jenny."
The Doctor finally turned and looked at him for a long minute, studying him. He finally turned and left the room.
Neither man said anything more as the couple fixed their sons a farewell breakfast before giving them final instructions and tear-filled hugs and goodbyes.
Before departing, he finally pulled Will aside for a brief moment. "I'm placing my most valued possessions in your care Will Markham. Can I trust you?"
Will simply answered, "Mentor Chiron."
The Time Lord did not reply, but shook Will's hand, then reminded the boys to be on their best behavior before stepping into the invisible TARDIS with River. A minute later, a familiar groaning indicated that he had departed.
"Well then, you two, let's see what you already know to begin your education," Will suggested, ushering the twins back inside. He noticed Alistair gave no resistance, but Jamie stared after the spot where his parents had disappeared for a moment before following his brother.
TBC...
Author's note:
Character casting:
Alistair and Jamie - no one in particular. They won't be that age forever.
Sir James Gloucester was Primeval's Ben Miller at first, then I switched him to Philip Glenister from Life on Mars, changing the name several times along the way. As for his mystery prisoner(s)? soon...
Next: Schooling begins, we see what the Doctor is up to and who he's doing it with, and perhaps a secret or two will come to light? (aka finally getting to the arc that's been building since Will survived, I mean, left Albion!)