The Angel in the Phone Box
"Ah, there we go then," said the Doctor, replacing a grille on the floor of the TARDIS console room. "That should have you feeling better, old girl."
The TARDIS hummed in response, like a sound of gratitude to which the Doctor replied with a grin and a pat of the console. Though their guest's healing and feeding in the Zero Room hadn't damaged the TARDIS in any significant way, the presence of another time sensitive being had given her the equivalent of a mildly upset stomach. Not unbearable, but a little discomforting, enough the Doctor felt that he should have a look at it.
Claraesia had finished her recovery and had been given the freedom to roam about the TARDIS wherever she pleased, something she had been very eager to take advantage of. She'd been exploring every square inch of it. The Doctor couldn't blame her. If he were her, stuck for so long in that room at Wester Drumlins, he would jump at the first chance he had to see something new and amazing. It was why he had left Gallifrey after all…
He found it more than a little peculiar that she was of the same race of beings so known and feared among those who knew them. Her demeanour was more like an overly curious child than a deadly predator. Her ability to selectively control her quantum lock was still something he found very fascinating and absolutely amazing, along with the fact that they had found her not long after Sec's pondering about other unique beings like him.
It did make the Doctor wonder if there was more to this than just mere coincidence. Bigger and stranger things had happened of course but he couldn't quite shake the feeling… was there possibly more to this? After all, there was the whole thing with Bad Wolf.
As he made another pass around the console, the Doctor vaguely acknowledged someone else in the room with him. He continued his meanderings, paused for a moment and looked back properly and jumped. Claraesia was stood there, staring at him.
"Whoa hey careful! Sneaking up on people like that! You practically gave me a double heart attack!"
She petrified, literally, for the span of a few seconds before reverting again, looking sheepish. She scrawled something on her blackboard and showed it to him.
I'm sorry, Doctor.
He gave her a smile. "Nah, don't worry about it. I've had worse in my time."
She returned it, though she still looked a little embarrassed. She looked around the TARDIS and wrote a new message.
She sounds nice.
"Yeah, she does, doesn't she?" The Doctor came to stand beside her. "Not many other people are as in tune with her like I am or you clearly are."
She nodded. How did you get her?
"Well… I guess you could say I sort of… kind of… stole her," he admitted.
Or she stole you, Claraesia suggested on her board.
The Doctor frowned. "Why do you say that?"
Claraesia considered the question before shrugging in a non-committal sort of way then wrote something else.
Just a thought. I don't think she minds either way.
"I'd certainly hope so." He watched as she turned her eyes to the floor with the air of someone working up the courage to say something. "Everything alright?"
She didn't reply for about a minute before writing a follow-up on the chalkboard. Even when she did, she hesitated before she turned it to show him.
I just wanted to say how sorry I am for the both of you. I understand how it must feel, being the only ones of your kind. Almost the moment she showed that, she hurriedly rubbed it off to write something else. Well perhaps not completely, I don't wish to presume. There are others of my kind unlike… never mind, forget I said anything. Not said literally but you understand. I hope.
She looked almost ashamed that she had written that to begin with and was behaving like the Doctor had just yelled at her for insinuating such a thing. She took a couple of steps back, making like she was going to leave.
"Hey, hey, hey," he said gently. "I appreciate you that, I do. You're not just presuming when you say that. I have a feeling you do understand."
She regarded the Doctor with a nervous hesitation, as if he had said something she had hoped to hear but didn't quite believe it. She tentatively wrote a response.
You really mean that?
"Of course I do! Given what I know about your kind, I think it's fair to say you are probably the only one among them and I don't just mean about the quantum lock. You are different from them, Claraesia. You're better than them." She looked at him in sheer disbelief. "I really mean it. None of them would have thrown themselves in front of a gun for someone they've only just met. None of them would have ever said they were sorry for the death of anyone. Given how they seem to have treated you for being the way you are, you don't have anything to be sorry for. When you're regarded as an outcast by your own kind… I know how that feels."
She cocked her head in curiosity. Really? You do?
He nodded. "Oh yeah. There was a time when I wasn't allowed to go home. In fact, I wasn't allowed to go anywhere except one planet and one place in time. No prizes for guessing which one."
Earth?
"Correctamundo!" He frowned. "No, that still doesn't sound right to say, does it? Anyway," he pressed on, "I broke the rules of my people by interfering with the affairs of other planets and they banished me to Earth. They wouldn't let me go anywhere unless they needed me to do something they otherwise wouldn't be willing to do."
He winced internally when he remembered what that had led them to doing in the end and what it cost them. It must have shown on his face because Claraesia was looking at him with a concerned expression. He flashed her a disarming grin and carried on.
"So I was left stranded, something of an intergalactic yo-yo. It would have been a lot worse if not for one thing. I had my friends, humans I worked alongside at a government organisation who had me as their scientific advisor. The Brigadier, Liz, Mike, Jo, Benton, Sarah…" He smiled fondly. "They made it so much better. I may have been stuck, but at least I wasn't alone."
The Doctor's words seemed to hearten her, but he could see that another question occurred to her and it was another difficult one. One that caused her to turn to stone briefly, apparently in thought. She took even longer to write and show this one.
You are a Time Lord. They are human. Their lives are fleeting compared to yours. Even knowing that… is it worth it?
The Doctor blanched initially on reading this, but he could tell by her expression that she wasn't asking out of malevolence or mocking. In the brief moments when her eyes met his, he could see a familiar pain reflected in them. One that told him she had experienced something similar and was scared to relive it again. As she took her time in asking, the Doctor took his time in answering.
"Yes. Every time." He crossed the distance between them and locked his gaze with hers. "I'm sorry you had to endure what you did, whatever it was. But it's over now. You're not alone anymore. You've got me, Martha and Sec. Him and I, we're both outcasts of our kind. We know how you feel. We can help you, if you let us."
He was concerned at first. She didn't look fully convinced by his words and she broke eye contact, turning to stone for a solid two minutes while she stared at the floor. The Doctor waited patiently as if he were stone too. When she looked up again, it was like she was beginning to hope again. She started to hold her arms out but let them drop back to her side. The Doctor didn't miss the gesture.
"Aw, come here." He offered her a hug which she accepted. "There you go, it's alright." They stayed like that for a while before he pulled away with a smile. "Hey, would you like to see something?" He crossed to the console monitor. "Right now, we're close to the Heaven's Cluster of Skull Moon. It's an absolutely beautiful sight. Wanna take a look?" She nodded enthusiastically and started toward the monitor but the Doctor held up a hand. "Nah, that's boring. Let's do this instead."
He led her to the door. She looked scared when he went to open it, but he assured her with a look he would be fine and she let him. With a creek, the door opened and they stood there at the edge.
It wasn't called the Heaven's Cluster in vain. It was a vast, expansive nebula that looked more like a collection of clouds than constellations of stars due to the gases given off. Not only that, but they were alight with the kind of colours one would only associate with the afterlife of its namesake. Soft pinks, golden yellows and brightest white. An absolutely breath-taking view. The Doctor thought so and clearly Claraesia did too. The way she was drinking in the sight, absorbing everything, it was like giving water to someone who had been dying of thirst in the desert. He had a feeling she wanted to step right out there into it all.
He got an idea. He got her attention, gestured with his head to go out of the doors. She stared at him for a moment, silently asking if he was serious. The Doctor nodded and held out a hand. She smiled nervously, tensed and jumped out. At the same time, the Doctor took hold of her ankle and acted as a tether while she floated in the atmospheric bubble projected by the TARDIS.
A Time Lord helping an Angel to fly through heaven. The Doctor couldn't suppress a grin. The universe really was an amazing place.
In a life that was full of running and danger and adrenaline, Martha liked to take what time she could to relax in the comfort of the room the Doctor had provided for her in the TARDIS. It was very comfortable, spacious and been decorated with some of Martha's personal effects. It certainly beat any student accommodation she'd had to endure.
Lying on her bed, it occurred to Martha that she had never seen the Doctor sleep. She didn't even know if he had a bedroom. She usually found him either in the console room or somewhere else in the TARDIS. Did he actually need to sleep? Was it something like he only needed to sleep once a month or something? She couldn't say for certain. As much as he told her things, there was a lot he didn't tell her.
Her thoughts transitioned to Claraesia. Did the Weeping Angel need sleep? She'd obviously needed to do something to recover from the damage she'd sustained to herself. It made Martha cringe when she remembered the extent of it. Left for so long and completely starved of the energy she needed. Had the other Angels really done that to her? Recalling all of those chunks and scarring on her body gave rise to another question: had they done that to her too?
Martha looked up at the sound of her door opening to see Claraesia enter. Her rather vacant expression was replaced with a look of shock followed by turning to stone, returning to flesh and an embarrassed look taking hold. The look of someone who just realised they wandered into somewhere they shouldn't have.
It made Martha almost laugh at the thought that she was part of the same race of deadly predators that had plucked them out of time. She suppressed it though, since she didn't want to make her feel worse. The Angel started to leave but Martha held up a hand.
"Hey, hey, it's okay. You don't have to go," she said.
Claraesia paused, then wrote something on her chalkboard.
Are you sure you don't mind?
"Not at all." She patted a spot on her bed. "Here, have a seat." A little nervously, Claraesia took her offer. "So… how are you?"
I'm well, thank you. She rubbed out the response to right a reply. How are you, Martha?
"Yeah, I'm good too. But really, are you doing okay? I mean, you're looking a lot better than you did when we found you but I'm asking just to be sure." The Angel nodded, though with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Claraesia, I… look actually, do you mind if I call you something else? Just Claraesia's a bit of a mouthful."
Is that bad?
"No, no, not at all," said Martha quickly. "But you know, humans give our friends nicknames. That's what I meant is all, I'd like to give you a nickname."
Claraesia looked surprised. You consider me a friend?
"Yeah, of course I do. You saved the life of my friend and you seem like a really lovely person. Of course you're my friend," she said kindly.
Thank you, Martha, Claraesia replied on her board. I consider you to be my friend too.
"Glad to hear it. So, do you mind if I just call you something like… Clare?" she tried. "How does that sound, alright?"
She nodded. Yes. I like the sound of that.
"Okay then, Clare. Sorry to ask again but are you sure you're doing okay?" she repeated.
Of course. Why would you think otherwise?
"Well, I'm just concerned that…" She paused before continuing. "I think… those other Angels hurt you. Am I right?" Clare didn't answer directly, only looking away and holding her arms close to her. "That says it all. I'm sorry if you don't want to talk about it but it might help if you did."
Martha knew that she couldn't speak, but she made no move to write anything on her board. She continued to rub her arms like someone would if they were cold and didn't look Martha in the eye. Every now and again, her hands would also wander across her shoulders and faintly touch the spots between her shoulder blades.
"Do you mind if I ask, why don't you have any wings?" Again, this produced no reply and actually made her retreat a little more. "Sorry, I was only… here, maybe I should take a look."
Martha reached towards her back, but the moment she did Clare sprang away and up from the bed. For the briefest of seconds, Martha thought she saw her face contort into the same angry snarl that she had seen from the other Angels. But it was gone just as quickly as it arrived, replaced by a shameful grimace. She looked like she was about to leave.
"No, no, wait," Martha urged. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pushed to know. We don't have to talk about anything like that if you don't want to." She gestured for Clare to sit next to her again but the Angel still hesitated. "I promise I won't bring it up again. What would you like to talk about?"
Claraesia regarded her for a while before carefully sitting back down again. She picked up her board, deliberating what to write on it. What she did surprised Martha.
Tell me about you. What is the life of Martha Jones? Where were you born? Do you have a family? What do you like to do?
"You really wanna know?" Clare nodded and smiled sincerely. "Okay, well, I was born in 1983 and I live in London. I've got my mum, my dad, my sister Tish and my brother Leo." She looked for Clare's reaction, wondering how she could possibly find this interesting but she was listening closely. "I… like reading a good book. Harry Potter, Narnia stories, that sort of stuff. Oh, I also really like the film versions too, even though the books are way better."
Why is that?
"Because they have so much more detail and exploration for everything. Films can only have an hour and a half to get through it all, but with a book you can just take your time with it. Um I like a bit of telly too, especially hospital dramas, even though it really is eye opening just how much they sacrifice realism for the sake of drama in those things. It's really noticeable when you've been doing the training to do what they're doing."
And what kind of training is that?
"Medical," she answered. "Before I met the Doctor, I was training to become a doctor myself."
A noble profession, she commented. What made you want to do that?
"Thanks," said Martha. "I remember when I was younger, my brother pushed me off the swing and I broke my arm. Any other kid would have been scared, being taken off in the ambulance and getting their arm plastered. Me? I was fascinated by it. I wanted to do what they could do, heal and help. It was how I met the Doctor. He admitted himself into the hospital I was training at, then it got scooped up and dumped on the moon by a rain cloud."
Judoon?
"Yeah! How did you know?" asked Martha.
I remember my sisters mentioning about the energy build-up of an H2O scoop, mentioned Clare. It matches their methods: discretion with a total lack of it.
"Well, they are space rhinos," noted Martha. "And that was when I met him. I've been travelling with him ever since and it's one hell of a trip." She took a moment to ask, "Are you really actually interested to know all of this?"
I really am. I quite admire humans, she admitted.
"Why is that?" asked Martha. "What do you mean?"
She took a little more time writing her response.
Your spirit. You get hurt, you heal. You encounter obstacles, you improve. Life is difficult, but you live.
It was a rather simple expression, yet Martha found herself moved by it somewhat. That had come from someone who had apparently suffered a lot, yet still held onto that hope and those ideals. That took real strength. If only she was actually willing to talk about it…
Another thought occurred to Martha. If, for now, she wasn't willing to do so, perhaps Martha could help her heal in some other way, to help give her a fresh start in the TARDIS. The first thing would be to help change her outlook of herself.
"You know what? You've been wearing that ragged dress since you got here. I think it's about time you tried something new." She stood up from her bed. "Have you seen the wardrobe yet?"
The room full of clothes? Yes, I did. She paused before writing her next message. I assumed I wouldn't be permitted to wear any.
"You're kidding?" Her innocent expression told Martha she wasn't. "Aww Clare. Did you see how many clothes there were? Of course you're fine to try them. Now, come on. Let's see if we can't find something that works for you."
At this, the Angel's face lit up and she eagerly allowed Martha to lead the way, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
Martha had never really been one of those people who made a hobby out of shopping. Granted she did like to find clothes and outfits she liked, but she wouldn't be trying on a million different things whilst having some poor bloke carry around fifty shopping bags. It wasn't something she indulged in and that became even truer when she started doing her studies. But if it might go some small length to giving Clare a new outlook on her life, then was willing to try.
They arrived at the wardrobe. After saying that she could try on whatever she wanted, the Angel was off to pick out a selection of clothes. When she got back, she set them down and immediately started to pull her dress over her head right in front of Martha.
"Whoa hey! What are you doing?!" Clare looked up in confusion. "Aren't you gonna, you know, go behind the screen?"
Clare looked at it and back at Martha, tilting her head quizzically at her. A solid thirty seconds passed until realisation dawned on her face and she gave her a sheepish smile before going behind the screen. Martha breathed a sigh of relief. Thank god she hadn't done that with Sec or the Doctor present.
The first one she tried on was a long silk evening gown.
"Hey wow, that looks great!" She saw how Clare looked a little uncomfortable. "Are you okay?" The Angel held up her hand in a so-so sort of way. "It doesn't have to be a dress, you know. There's other sorts of clothes."
The second outfit she tried was a smart white shirt, a waistcoat and pressed trousers. Martha frowned.
"Isn't that what Sec wears? Are you copying him or something?" Clare nodded, then looked reproachful like she had done something wrong. "No, no that's not a bad thing. Just… maybe you should go for something that would be more unique to you? Get your own style."
She considered this and appeared to agree. After another few minutes, she was wearing a brown coat, a long scarf and a fedora hat.
"Yeah, not so sure about that one. It looks a bit… eccentric." Clare turned on the spot and put her hands in the pockets. There was a rustling of paper when she pulled out a bag, looking at it curiously. "Hey, what are those? Jelly babies? Hey, pass me one."
They went through a few more outfits. Weird futuristic looking jumpsuits that did nothing about flattering anyone's figure. A more modern looking sleeveless top and jeans that neither of them felt really complimented her well. A jacket with tassels and a multi-coloured shirt that looked like it was from the sixties that while Clare seemed to love, Martha advised strongly against.
Eventually though, she picked out a set of clothes that Martha definitely thought looked good on her and Clare seemed to think so too. She did a few poses in the nearby mirror, checking it from every angle and letting herself be frozen in stone to hold the poses.
"You like that one?" The Angel nodded. "Yep, I think it looks good on you."
Clare beamed in joy and turned to stone with it frozen on her face. Martha shook her head as she laughed. Life in the TARDIS was certainly never dull, even with something as simple as trying on clothes.
This was one of those times that Sec cursed the sheer size of the TARDIS. With this and the fact he still wasn't sure if she had gotten past changing her internal layout to deliberately confuse him, it was difficult to find the place he wanted to be or the people he might want to talk to. Right now, it was their recent most recent occupant. She simply didn't want to stay still.
After some time wandering, he did find someone though not who he was looking for.
"Martha? Have you seen Claraesia?" he asked.
"Yeah, we were just talking. She went off to the library after I recommended a few things for her to look at," she said. A teasing smile came to her face. "I think she'd very much like your opinion on something when you see her."
"Then I shall be certain to give it to her." He frowned at her. "I know that look. Why are you giving me that look?"
"What look? I'm not giving you any look," she said innocently.
"You know precisely which look. The one you would always give me when you teased me about Annie in the village," insisted Sec. "Please stop that."
"Sec, I really have no idea what you're talking about." That smile came back. "Although, she is really nice and it's obvious she really likes you. Maybe-"
"And with that, I bid you good day," he said abruptly and walked past her.
"I was only saying!" she called after him.
He ignored her and pressed on. What ridiculous notions that human could get sometimes. Sec had no interest in such things, that much he was certain of. Besides, he had only just met the Angel and barely knew her. Yes, she was unique in a way that interested him and she seemed to have a good and gentle heart and she was quite aesthetically pleasing in a sense but…
Sec stopped in the corridor and shook his head furiously. Where in the world had that thought come from?
He entered the library but could still find no sign of Claraesia. That was until he noticed the build-up of a series of books that were lying haphazardly around one of the shelves, like someone had just casually tossed them aside.
All of a sudden, a book fell from above, joining the scattered pile below. Sec looked up to see the Angel sat atop one of the book shelves. A few more books were piled around her and she was eagerly flicking through another one.
"Claraesia?" he called. She was so immersed, she didn't look up. "Claraesia, hello? I must speak with-oof!"
He was cut off when she tossed aside the book she was reading and it hit him on the head. At this, she took notice of him and her hands flew to her mouth when she realised what she had done. Rubbing his head, Sec heard the sounds of frantic movement and moments later, she was at his side and examining his head.
"Please, that is not… I am fine," he insisted. "It's merely a small bump." She gave him an apologetic look and turned away guiltily. "It's alright, Claraesia. Though I would ask you to be more careful with these books. We wouldn't want them to be damaged or else do any damage."
Claraesia nodded and raised her hands, only to realise something. She looked back up at the shelf she had been perched on and held up a finger to Sec, evidently asking him to wait. She climbed back up and returned with her board which she had obviously left up there.
I'm sorry, Sec.
"It's quite alright," he said. It was then he noticed she was wearing different clothes than before.
She now sported a loose white tunic that billowed freely around the top half of her body and was tied at the neck with black lace. Atop this was some kind of intricate blue waistcoat, decorated with a feather pattern. Around her neck she wore a thin scarf made from some kind of velvet. Whatever material the fabric was made from shimmered like a rainbow and changed colour in the light. Her legs were covered by black pants and high dark boots.
She noticed him looking and did a little twirl on the spot, looking at him as if to ask 'what do you think?' It took Sec a couple of tries to get the proper response out.
"It um… yes, it looks… nice. Very nice indeed, yes. It suits you well," he murmured.
It seemed a rather lacklustre reply, but it didn't seem to displease Claraesia. In fact, she seemed very pleased and grinned at him in a way that made Sec completely forget why he came to find her in the first place. It was only when she tapped his shoulder to direct his attention to another message on her board that he remembered.
You were looking for me?
"Yes! Yes, I was. I… I apologise, it slipped my mind." He brought out the book he had been carrying under his arm. "I have a book for you that might be of interest." He gave it to her. "Since you cannot speak and that it might be inconvenient to carry a blackboard everywhere you go, this could be an alternative method of communication. I hope…"
It was a book on the basics on human sign language. Clare took the book and studied the cover intently. She turned a few of the pages, frowning at them and setting it down to attempt a few gestures. For a moment, Sec thought she disliked it. Until a small smile formed on her face that gradually grew into a beaming grin.
She looked up at him, her eyes shining. She flickered between flesh and stone more than once while she rapidly turned the pages. She found the one she was looking for and handed it to Sec, keeping it open there. She raised both of her hands, moved them down and repeated the gesture with only her left hand in a stroking motion. He looked at the page for a translation.
'Thank you so much!'
At this, he returned her smile. "Thank you, I'm glad you like it. Perhaps… we could learn it together?"
She nodded enthusiastically at the idea and dragged him over to a table with two chairs set next to it. She sat him down, placed the book on the table and the two of them set to work. Work that, Sec had to admit, was not entirely unenjoyable.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Honestly, where would we get without you reviewers? Thanks again to those who pointed out the mistakes in the last chapter and we always love reading your opinions and the parts you enjoyed. All I can say in regards to predictions however is... SPOILERS! Enjoy ^_^
