"Guardian of the Array"

8. Over a Piece of Pie

Somewhere in Indiana, in the year 1987

The Doctor and Gemma could both see how excited Artie was to see what would be on the other side of those doors. They could all have been playing tricks on him, very elaborate and believable games, but when he saw what was out there, he would know for sure.

"Ready?" Gemma asked the boy.

"Yes," Artie nodded.

"Don't wander off," the Doctor added.

"Got it," he turned his nod to her and she opened the doors.

Gemma would wheel his chair out on to the sidewalk outside, and for a moment the trio stopped to see what was around them: this was not Artie's bedroom at all. The boy let out an audible gasp. The differences could be considered subtle by some, but this was without a doubt the 1980's. Gemma turned a smile to the Doctor.

"Right then, Doctor. To the pie."

The diner was just as the Doctor remembered it, give and take the wear and tear of years. The trio settled around a table near the windows. Artie was the first to grab a menu, still investigating what it meant to be in the past.

"Ah, early summer then," the Doctor appraised, looking out the window.

"Were you hoping for something else? Christmas?" Gemma asked, taking a menu as well.

"I've had all the Christmases I can take for a while," the Doctor admitted, and whatever had motivated this declaration, it disappeared the moment the waitress approached their table.

"Ready to order?" the woman asked, pulling a pad from her apron and a pen from behind her ear. When she saw Artie's wheelchair, she had a split second reaction of sadness for him, but she hid it in a bright smile she turned to him. "Do you know what you want, sweetheart?"

"Can I get a cheeseburger?"

"Sure you can," she scribbled it on the pad. "Comes with a heap of fries, too," she told him.

"Are there pickles in the cheeseburger?"

"There are," she nodded. "Do you want yours without?"

"No!" Artie replied before she could start writing. "I want more," he explained, and she laughed, nodding as she wrote the request in.

"Double pickles for you. And a coke?" He nodded. "Great. How about for dessert?"

"Pie," he smiled.

"Good choice," the waitress tapped his shoulder before turning to the Doctor. "Is this your son?" she asked, and they all paused almost in time with each other. Artie looked to the Doctor, the Doctor looked to Artie, Gemma, sitting next to Artie, across from the Doctor, gave a pointed look. She supposed she could have been the kid's mother, if she'd been just out of high school or sometime close to that. It hadn't dawned on her until then, but the three of them did look like they could have been related.

"Ah, yes… yes, this is Arthur… my son," the Doctor slowly adjusted into a shaky American accent, though Gemma could all but see the woman's mind working it all out in her head.

"Artie," the boy added, and the Doctor gave a jovial laugh that startled Gemma.

"He doesn't like it when I call him Arthur," she told the waitress, who laughed along. With the Doctor's order added to the pad, the waitress now turned to Gemma.

"And you're…" she started, and Artie latched on to her arm.

"She's my aunt," he declared, and for a boy on his first journey, he was rolling with the twists and turns like he'd been at it for years.

"Yes, my… sister," the Doctor pitched in, and Gemma looked at her before turning a smile to the waitress. "My sister Gemma… and I'm Jane," she declared. "We were passing through, and we had to come for the pie."

"So you've heard about our pie then," the waitress sounded proud.

"Yes, my… our brother told us all about it. John… rest his soul," she held a hand to her heart and the waitress gasped. Gemma was trying desperately not to interrupt this little show the Doctor was putting on, and if she was having trouble keeping from laughing, Artie was utterly fascinated. Once the newly created family was left alone, the Doctor turned a satisfied smile to the others, who were staring back at her. "What?" she asked, slipping back into her normal voice.

"Nothing… Sis," Gemma sat back up, while the Doctor tugged at her jacket.

A moment later, the chimes over the door had given a twinkling rattle, announcing the arrival of a new customer. When the man walked in, everyone who saw him greeted him with a smile or a wave, inquiring as to how he was doing and how things were going with the team. By his clothes, he would have been some kind of coach. The Doctor was the only one to be facing toward the door, so she was the only one who saw him at first, and as Gemma was busy listening to Artie as he noticed interesting things in the menu, she paid her no mind.

"Do you see that man?" she still asked, and a few seconds later, Gemma finally looked up.

"Sorry?" she asked.

"That man there, standing at the counter. Take a look, be discreet," she kept her voice low. Gemma hardened and did as told, while Artie kept looking at the menu, oblivious.

"What about him?" Gemma shrugged once she'd turned back to the Doctor. "Looks like he'd be the football coach or something."

"Is that all?" the Doctor asked her, and she nodded. Looking out the window, suddenly the peaceful town felt different. The Doctor spied a few more people, going about their business, who should have raised several alarms by their mere presence but didn't. "Ah… So that's how it is…" she told herself.

"What is?" Gemma asked, just as the waitress returned with their orders. "That was quick," she complimented, and the smell of the food was hard to argue with.

"I'll bring the pie when you're done here," the waitress told them before leaving again.

"Look, whatever it is that's bothering you, can it wait until we've eaten?" Gemma asked the Doctor, looking to Artie, who had already started eating his fries one after the other.

"I suppose it can…" she barely managed to say before the other two both got at their burgers. Even as they ate, Gemma could see something was bugging the Doctor, and she couldn't wait to share it. Artie looked anxious to find out, too, as he didn't get a word in, too busy eating: he was trying to get done fast, sensing something exciting was awaiting them. Gemma had to both tell him to slow down a bit and to make herself eat a little faster so she wouldn't be left behind. They ended up taking the pie to go, or else they might have rushed through it, too. By the time they left the diner, it was hard to know how much time they'd been inside anymore. They were full, and now the Doctor was leading them off somewhere.

"What's gotten into you?" Gemma asked the Doctor, pushing Artie's chair so they didn't fall behind.

"You really don't see them, do you?" the Doctor asked, looking around. Gemma could faintly hear the sonic screwdriver's whirring.

"See what?" she asked.

"Look! There's someone on the bridge!" Artie pointed, and the women turned to look.

As Artie had said, there was someone standing on the bridge rails. Two seconds later, he jumped into the river below. Two more seconds later, Gemma had placed the bag with the pie containers in the boy's lap and kicked off her shoes before running for the river's edge.

TO BE CONTINUED (TUESDAY)