AN: Second time. There is something seriously wrong if what I type dissapears on me, if it happens again I'm complaining to the managment. I have tried to edit to the best of my ability but I'm having things dissapear on me and no it's not my computer. Please forgive any errors I am trying to solve them.
Chapter 11
There was a soft knock on the door and Romana dried her eyes as the last strains of her Tardis dissipated. "Come in," She called switching from mother to president for the last time. The job that lay before her was a difficult one, even more difficult than sending her daughter away had been.
"Romana," The Doctor's familiar voice filled the air and the mantle slipped from her shoulders once more. She began to sob uncontrollably and heard as he shut the door. "You did the right thing." He assured her taking her in his arms until she regained her composure. Romana sighed and looked up at him.
"It's good to see you again Doctor." She said softly. He smiled and nodded his head.
"It's always a pleasure to see you as well." He replied kissing her cheek and letting her go. Romana nodded her head and went to look out the large window that faced the mountain above the citadel.
"She told you about the war didn't she?" She wondered. He laughed as she heard him approach.
"I can't hide anything from you can I?" He asked. She smiled and shook her head. They had known each other far too long and much too well.
"I assume you also made love to her." Romana observed.
"Am I that transparent?" He questioned. She sighed and shook her head.
"You used to look at me the way you looked at her," she explained. He took her by the arms and turned her to face him.
"Don't be angry, please. I couldn't bare it if you were upset with me." The Doctor pleaded giving her that little pout of his that was an endearing quirk of his eighth life.
"Just tell me you love her." She said looking up at him. He smiled and brushed a lock of hair from her face.
"With all my heart." He confessed. "Jealous?" He grinned. She smiled back and shook her head.
"The time for you and I is passed Doctor. Fiona has a mind of her own. She's made her choice as I made mine a long time ago." Romana told him. He nodded his head and looked out the window again. "I suppose I don't have to tell you what's happening then." She added changing the topic.
"She only told me that it was another Time War and didn't go into much detail." He admitted. Romana felt relieved that Fiona had not broken too many rules. "I take it she doesn't know the worst of it." He mused. She looked up at him to find him watching her.
"What makes you think that Doctor?" She asked with an air of innocence. He laughed seeing right through her casual façade.
"Because she wouldn't have left if she had known the truth." He told proving that he knew her daughter well enough.
"No she wouldn't have." Romana admitted.
"How bad is it?" He inquired. She sighed and shook her head.
"Bad enough upset the whole balance of the universe." Romana confessed. He was silent for a few minutes before smacking his hands together.
"Just like old time eh, Romana?" He asked. She shook her head at his enthusiasm and his ability to thrive on problem solving though she suspected it was the threat of danger that really energized him.
"If you knew things were this bad then why did you come?" She asked. His smile disappeared and he looked at her with a look she hadn't seen in a long time.
"Because some things are worth fighting for Romana; didn't you learn anything when you traveled with me?" He replied with a touch of humor which didn't quite reach his eyes. She nodded her head and smiled up at him. He was still the same man that she had fallen in love with so long ago in that other life. "Let's go shall we?" He asked holding his hand out to her. She chuckled and shook her head. Yes, just like old times, she thought to herself. She took his hand and they went to face the unavoidable future together.
Doctor *** Who *** Ohw *** Rotcod
Fiona knew that the Doctor's old type forty Tardis was the only one still in operation even in the current star date. She had traveled back in time to visit the Doctor's past lives knowing it was safe as long as she didn't break any cardinal rules of time travel. The only dilemma was in choosing which one to visit. She knew from studying him in school that there was a certain point in the Doctor's history when he had been exiled to Earth. She picked his third regeneration and set in the coordinates letting the Tardis' automatic landing take over.
Knowing how out of place she would look in her silvery white dress she headed for the wardrobe room hoping to find something decent to wear. Though the section of the ship was standard in all Tardis' the contents were usually chosen by the inhabitants and her mother didn't share her taste in clothes. She wasn't happy with the selection to choose from so she mixed and matched a variety of different styles. She chose a split skirt from either the Victorian or the Regency era and a peasant style blouse from the 60's or 70's labeled `hippy`. She hoped she could pass as a native.
The alarm sounded and she headed for the console room once again. Afraid a wooden wardrobe would stick out inside a military facility she dialed the Chameleon Circuit to Metal Storage Cabinet instead. She checked to make sure she was indoors first then locked the controls and headed for the door of the Tardis. She opened it a crack to make sure she was alone and stepped outside closing the door. She took the time to lock it up tight not wanting a stray human happening upon the inside.
She turned to search for the Doctor but found five men with guns aimed at her instead. So much for landing in an Army Base, she thought to herself. One of the men, the only one with stripes of distinction on his sleeve looked a bit taken back as though he was expecting someone else.
"You aren't the Master!" He exclaimed starting to lower his weapon but then thought better of it. "Or are you?" He demanded. She laughed and shook her head.
"There's no need to worry about that." She assured him. "A Time Lord may only regenerate within their own gender. A male can't take on the appearance of a female or vise versa." She explained. "I'm Fiona by the way." She added stepping forward in greeting but the men reacted as if they were going to shoot her so she raised her hands to show that she was unarmed.
"Lower your weapons," The man who had spoken to her commanded the others and they obeyed. The man with authority holstered his own weapon and stepped forward accepting the hand she held out as soon as it was safe. "I'm Sergeant Benton. Are you a Time Lord like the Doctor then?" He asked and she nodded her head. "What brings you to our neck of the woods?" he asked almost reluctant to return possession of her hand.
"I'm on a field trip you might say." She offered hoping she used the right term since she was not as familiar with earth colloquialisms as Andromeda. Before Sergeant Benton had time to respond a stern looking man entered the room and the other four men snapped to attention.
"Sergeant Benton what is the meaning of this?" The man growled. Sergeant Benton saluted the older man who returned the gesture.
"Another Time Lord, Brigadier." He offered the man who seemed to be in charge.
"Come to steal him away from me have you? I daresay he'd like that but you can't have him." The man said gruffly before holding his hand out to her and smiling in direct contrast to his words. The abrupt turn about took her by surprise but she accept his hand. "Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart at your service Ma'am." He told her generously. Fiona wondered just how well the Doctor was treated by these humans.
"Thank you Brigadier but I assure you I haven't come to steal anyone or anything and as for service, my Tardis and I are just fine thank you." She replied not quite sure of his intensions. The man laughed chasing all signs of the stern commander from his face.
"I'm sure you are, my dear. Sergeant has the Doctor and Miss Grant returned yet?" Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart asked turning back to his subordinate. Sergeant Benton shook his head.
"Not that I am aware of Sir." Sergeant Benton replied.
"Well have him report to me as soon as he does." Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart commanded. "In the meantime see to Miss… What was the name again?"
"I'm sorry I hadn't introduced myself yet. My name is Fionadvoratrelundar." She said causing the man to frown.
"Well see that Miss Verlunder gets a pass, same clearance as the Doctor probably though…" He hesitated again.
"She's not the Master, Sir." Sergeant Benton offered causing his commander's frown to deepen.
"I should certainly hope not Sergeant." Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart replied. "Just to be on the safe side though you better have the Doctor look her over. She looks like one of those demmed flower people to me so keep an eye on her just to be sure." He finished heading for the exit. "Oh!" He said turning back to them. "See that you serve our guest some refreshment. I won't have the Time Lords thinking we're devoid of manners. We're not as primitive as the Doctor might have you think Miss… Trunder." Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart told her before heading off to some unknown destination mumbling to himself about `why he put up with that man`. Fiona could not help but smile after him. When she looked up she found her assigned protector smiling after his commanding officer as well. He looked down at her and the smile slipped from his face.
"Dismissed," He ordered the soldiers, nearly forgotten, from the room. "This way if you please Miss…" He started trying to remember her name as well.
She smiled and shook her head. "Fiona is fine Sergeant Benton just call me Fiona." She told him.
"Follow me… Fiona." He said acting as though he might get in trouble for addressing her so informally and led the way from the room.
"Sergeant, can I ask a personal question?" Fiona asked. He stopped short causing her to almost crash into him. He turned to look at her expectantly and waited for her inquiry. "When did flowers start evolving into people?" She wondered. He stared at her for a few minutes with a mystified look on his face before breaking out into laughter. She was curious as to what was so funny and decided to ask the Doctor when she saw him.
"It's a long story Miss… Fiona," He told her once he had a chance to recover. "How about I explain it to you over a nice hot cup of tea?" He added.
"No thank you," Fiona said causing him to look disappointed. "I would love a cup of coffee though if you have one." She added and he brightened up.
"I think I can arrange that." He smiled at her. She returned his smile and they started back down the hallway. He fell into step beside her. "Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?" he asked. She shook her head and waited. "Are you seeing anyone?" He wondered. She frowned and looked back the way they had come and then in the direction where they were heading. She worried if he was going blind or if he was seeing apparitions.
"No," She replied looking back up at him. He seemed to be relieved, perhaps he was seeing things. "There is no one here but you and I Sergeant Benton." She offered helpfully. "Are you in need of medical assistant?" She inquired. He erupted in laughter once more and she wondered what was so amusing.
"No I meant were you going out with anyone?" he asked yet another question. She wasn't sure what he meant and frowned.
"I'm going where you are leading me, Sergeant." She replied. He smiled and shook his head.
"Okay then, are you dating anyone?" he tried again. She was growing more confused by the second.
"Carbon dating living tissue is a difficult process, Sergeant Benton, with your lack of advanced technology I seriously doubt such a thing would be feasible." She responded trying not to sound condescending.
"That's the nicest way of saying we're primitive I've ever heard." He chuckled.
"I'm new to your ways Sergeant but I'm not completely thoughtless towards less advanced cultures. I understand your technology though `primitive` to some is quite `cutting edge`. Oh, dear! That is the right phrase isn't it?" She wondered and he nodded.
"What we use here at U.N.I.T is nearly futuristic compared to what the rest of the country uses but I suppose to you and the Doctor we're just babes playing with building blocks." Sergeant Benton told her. Fiona stopped putting a hand on his arm making him stop to look down at her.
"Our civilization started out very much the same way. I think your ingenuity is commendable Sergeant." Fiona said.
"John," He said with a look on his face. She frowned, waiting for an explanation. "My name is John." He clarified. She smiled and nodded her head.
"Alright John I admire the human race even if you are `just playing with building blocks`, every great civilization must start somewhere." She told him.
"I wish all Time Lords were as compassionate as you." He complained. "So far the only two we've ever encountered are arrogant and condescending but at least the Doctor trys to help us." He added.
"I'm afraid arrogance is a common ailment among Time Lords, John. I'm sure I suffer from it on occasions as well." She admitted.
"I find that very hard to believe Fiona." John said seriously. Fiona smiled and shook her head.
"Thank you John but hard to believe or not it's true I'm afraid," She said slipping her arm through his. "Now how about that wonderful cup of coffee you promised me?" She asked. He looked a bit uncomfortable but nodded his head and led the way to the final destination which looked to be some sort of laboratory.
"If you'll just wait here in the Doctor's quarters I'll bring the coffee to you. I'm sure the Doctor and Miss Grant will want a nice cup of tea when they return." John said opening a door for her. She nodded and went inside to wait. It was a pleasant space filled with every piece of equipment the Doctor might need in helping the British defend the earth from enemies; above or below. There was a spiral staircase to the left leading to a second floor room, a couch which looked to be used for sleeping, desks and workbenches, and of course the Doctor's Tardis.
She went over to the Tardis and walked around it, it did look at bit rough but she was sure it was better on the inside. She had seen the schematics of a type forty but she had never seen the real thing; she couldn't wait to peek inside. She didn't resist the urge to reach out and touch it.
"What in the Medusa Cascade do you think you're doing?" A man asked gruffly. Fiona jumped and spun around to face the intruder and found herself face to face with the third incarnation of the Doctor. There was a young girl with him and Fiona smiled at them both.
"I didn't mean any harm Doctor. I'm waiting for Sergeant Benton." Fiona replied startling the two people before her. "You must Miss Grant. I'm Fionadvoratrelundar." She offered her introductions moving to shake their hands.
"Please call me Jo. I'm very pleased to meet you; I'm the Doctor's assistant." Jo replied introducing herself in return. Fiona smiled at her and turned towards the Doctor who she was surprised to find frowning at her.
"So they sent a child to check on me did they? Well I won't have it, you can go back and…" he began all blustery but she smiled and shook her head.
"I'm not here to check up on you Doctor. I only came to visit." Fiona explained he looked surprised but relieved.
"Well in that case…" He said holding out his hand. "I'm very pleased to meet you." He added as they shook hands.
"Have you come to help the Doctor?" Jo wondered just as Sergeant Benton returned with the refreshments.
"Oh good you're back," John said setting the stuff down on a table near the center of the room. "The Brigadier wanted a word with you when you got back sir." He added handing cups to both Fiona and Jo. Fiona fixed her coffee the way she liked it and took a sip content to watch the scene unfold before her eyes. She was witnessing history in the making and was not only interested in the Doctor's past lives but also how he interacted with humans.
"Does he really? The nerve of that man! Who does he think I am to be ordered about? I'm not one of his soldiers that he can just snap his fingers and make me jump to attention." The Doctor said angrily. Jo handed him the cup of tea in her hand and smiled consolingly.
"Now Doctor, you know he doesn't mean anything by it. You did agree to work with Unit in return for access to top secret research facilities." Joe said going to get a second cup for herself.
"Yes, Yes I don't need to be reminded of that at every turn." The Doctor fumed.
"He's in a bad today." Fiona commented softly to John but he shook his head.
"He's always like that." John whispered back. Fiona smiled and nodded her head in understanding.
"If I'm `always` in a bad mood Sergeant Benton it's because I'm constantly ordered about by mindless Autons bent on destroying their own planet." The Doctor fussed.
"You're a Time Lord Doctor, maybe instead of complaining about the way things are all the time you could start guiding these `mindless Autons`." Fiona suggested. The Doctor looked at her in surprise as though he had forgotten she was even there. "You're already in exile what more can the others do to you?" She asked knowing that the Time Lords weren't very worried about the Doctor in this point in time; in fact they had nearly forgotten about him.
"Well you might be right," The Doctor calmed down a little. "I suppose I better go see what he wants then." He acquiesced and set his cup down on the table heading for the door.
"Ah, Doctor there you are." Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart said coming into the room.
"Yes Brigadier, Sergeant Benton said you wanted to see me." The Doctor said slightly testy. Fiona cleared her throat and he ran his hand through his hair. "Yes I know." He responded to her silent reminder.
"You know! Who told you? Sergeant Benton…" Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart exclaimed turning an angry glare at John.
"I think he was talking to me, Brigadier." Fiona exclaimed.
"Ah, as I was saying Doctor I've got new orders for you." Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart said.
"Orders?" The Doctor exclaimed belligerently.
"Your manners Doctor," Fiona reminded him. She smiled slipping her arm through the Brigadier's. "Now how about we all sit down and have a nice cup of coffee. Then Brigadier you can ask the Doctor nicely what you would like him to do for you." Fiona coaxed playing the peacemaker, a part she'd played many times since her mother took office nearly fifty years ago.
"Yes well you see that's the thing I was supposed to tell the Doctor…" Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart began.
"You mean `ask` the Doctor don't you?" Fiona pressed.
"Of course," he replied hesitantly. "Oh blast it Miss Vertlunder you've ruined all my fun." The stern façade fell from his face and he broke into a huge grin. "I was going to let the Doctor bluster a bit about being ordered to do something before telling him what the order was." He complained accepting a cup of tea from John.
"And just what was this order you were going to give me?" The Doctor wondered with curiosity.
"To have tea with the Queen at her country estate, my dear Doctor." Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart laughed.
"Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, you are the most annoying man on the face of this earth! Why didn't you just say so in the first place?" The Doctor laughed along with the private joke. Fiona wasn't sure what to make of what had occurred; apparently she had misjudged the situation completely.
"I think I've `stuck my foot in it` as my friend Andromeda would say." Fiona said feeling a bit useless. The potentially explosive situation she was trying to defuse was nothing more than an obviously friendly bickering.
"Not at all, my dear girl, you merely misunderstood Alistair's intentions." The Doctor smiled at her making her hearts flip.
"So much for diplomacy," She sighed and went back to her coffee. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up to see the Doctor standing there.
"Not many people can put me in my place as well as you did." He offered some comfort.
"Thank you Doctor," Fiona acknowledged his attempt to make her feel better. "Brigadier is it by invitation only or can anyone visit the Queen?" She asked turning back to her host.
"Well I suppose one more Time Lord is just as welcome as the next." Came the reply.
"But I thought I'd be going as the Doctor's guest!" Jo exclaimed in disappointment. Fiona felt guilty and was about to repeal her request when the Brigadier spoke up.
"You'll be attending as my guest Miss Grant." He assured her.
"Good, I'm glad that's settled I wouldn't want to take away that experience from Jo since I'm just a visitor here." Fiona sighed in relief. "Brigadier, would it be alright if I return to my Tardis to rest for a bit? It might be morning here but it was half passed the second sun when I left Gallifrey and I didn't think to get some sleep before I landed." She asked feeling more tired than she aught to at a mere one hundred sixty.
"Of course it would be alright my dear what would give you the idea you had to ask first?" The Brigadier asked.
"You told John you wanted the Doctor to have a look at me though I am in perfect health." Fiona reminded him.
"Oh right! Doctor I wanted to know if Miss D'lunder here is as harmless as she seems. We don't want another Master running around loose now do we?" The Brigadier asked. Fiona bit her wondering how to explain.
"My dear Alistair, there are many Time Lord's that I am unfamiliar with." The Doctor exclaimed testily.
"Doctor," Fiona warned before turning her attention t the Brigadier. "If I had known that was the information you sought I could have told you the Doctor couldn't possibly recognize me." Fiona clarified.
"Yes and why is that?" he asked curiously.
"Well you might say I haven't exactly been born yet." She revealed startling them.
"You're from the Doctor's future?" Jo asked in amazement voicing the question in everyone's mind.
"Yes I suppose that is a better way of putting things." Fiona replied. The Doctor pulled her aside.
"Fiona, do you realize the danger involved in being here? Not to mention…" he began but she shook her head and patted his arm.
"Trust me Doctor, I do know the rules and it isn't my intention to interfering. I certainly don't want to mess with your time line and more than you are intentionally messing with the human's natural progression." Fiona informed him. He didn't look convinced and she knew what temptation it must be for him to ask questions which he knew she couldn't answer. "Technically it was you who invited me here." She added.
"Did I now?" he wondered curiously.
"I did choose when I wanted to visit but it was because of your suggestion that I started on this journey in the first place." She told him.
"Well then I must have known you could be trusted." He smiled and nodded his head. They rejoined the others who were also full of questions, but it was Jo who was the most insistent.
"Is this the first time you've met the Doctor or did you know him in the future?" She wanted to know.
"No this isn't the first time I've met the Doctor but I only met him once before though I've studied him extensively in school." She told them though letting the Doctor knew he would eventually be a course studied at the academy might not have been such a good idea.
"Was it our Doctor that you met or the next one?" Jo wanted to know obviously aware of a Time Lord's power of regeneration. "Is that one of the things that you can't say?" she wondered belatedly. Fiona smiled and shook her head.
"Though I'm not sure the Doctor would appreciate the knowledge, there is nothing in the rules that would prevent me from saying." Fiona answered.
"Oh, Please!" Jo pleaded looking to the Doctor for permission. Fiona waited to see if he was alright with knowing which of his lives that she had met and he gave his nod of approval.
"The Doctor that I met was already in his eighth personification," Fiona revealed and John whistled while even the Doctor looked taken back.
"Good grief, I'm not sure if I could handle five more Doctors. I've had enough trouble dealing with the two I've already met." The Brigadier complained getting a glare from the one in question.
"Eight Doctors! How many lives does a Time Lords have?" Jo wanted to know.
"Thirteen all totaled; the life we're born with and twelve more besides." She answered.
"Please tell me I don't spend them all here!" The Doctor begged making her laugh and shake her head.
"Don't worry Doctor you get your Tardis up and running once again before your next regeneration." Fiona assured him trying not to give away too much. He looked relieved and was content to leave it at that.
"Why did you decide to grace us with your presence though? Surely you could have chosen any of the others." The Brigadier wanted to know. Fiona smiled at him.
"When I met the Doctor in my time he suggested I visit him so I assumed he was predicting my future knowing I had already visited him in the past." She tried to put into simple words they could understand. "You're just lucky I guess." She smiled at them.
"What a concept!" Jo exclaimed. "Maybe you could help the Doctor get his Tardis fixed. I know he'd be ever so grateful." Jo suggested. Fiona thought about the risks, weighing both the interests of the Doctor, the disregard of his contemporaries, and the distraction of her own peers and decided that the risks were minimal. There would be little to no interference from either party if she did give the Doctor a hand so she nodded her head.
"I think I can manage that," She agreed.
"Oh thank you!" Jo startled her with a grateful hug.
"Yes well I'm sure that can wait until Miss Lunder can rest." Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart said sounding rather disappointed by the prospect of the Doctor's eventual departure.
"By the way, m'dear, where is your Tardis?" The Doctor inquired. Fiona frowned realizing she had not paid the least bit of attention.
"I have no idea other than somewhere in this building." She admitted looking to John for help in remembering where he had found her.
"I know where it is I'll have it brought here for you." He offered. Fiona nodded and gave him a grateful smile as he left to fetch her machine.
"I suppose I shall be leaving now as well. Our visit with the Queen is in two days." Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart informed the Doctor before disappearing as well. Fiona could not manage to stifle the yawn that snuck up on her.
"Why don't you lie down on the couch over there until Benton comes back with your ship?" Jo offered motioning to the couch against the wall. There was a pillow on one end and a blanket draped over the other and Fiona nodded her thanks. She looked back up at the Doctor who seemed to have forgotten her very existence.
"He won't mind?" she wondered. Jo smiled and shook her head.
"He's in one of his tinkering moods he doesn't even know I'm in the room most of the time." Jo explained.
"Jo hand me that geostabilizer." The Doctor demanded.
"Unless he needs something," Jo shook her head making her short blond hair bounce and she rolled her eyes. She began to fulfill the Doctor's request but stopped and turned back to Fiona. "What does a geowhatsit looks like?" Jo wondered. Fiona smiled and went to the toolbox that looked as though it had come out of the Tardis and picked up the right tool. An idea that she just couldn't resist struck her and she picked up another one as well showing both to Jo.
"This one with the stripes on the handles is a transdimensional Geostabalizer. This plain handled one is the geostabilizer the Doctor asked for. If you really want to throw a kink in the works ask him which one he wants." Fiona whispered conspiratorially. Jo smiled and nodded her head.
"Geostabilizer?" Jo asked trying not to confuse the two.
"No that one has stripes on the handles." Fiona shook her head. Jo nodded her head and held up the right one.
"This one is the geostabilizer." Jo guessed correctly and Fiona nodded her head going to the couch to sit down.
"Jo where is that stabilizer?" The Doctor asked testily. Jo winked at Fiona and went to pull their trick on the Doctor to see if he would notice. Jo asked the question that Fiona had directed her to ask but he didn't notice right away until a few seconds later and looked up at Jo in surprise. Jo burst into laughter and he glanced in Fiona's direction. She just smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "The geostabilizer will do just fine Jo, thanks." The Doctor replied with a smile and a shake of his head. Fiona yawned again as she lay down falling asleep the second her head hit the pillow. She hadn't realized how tired she really was until her eyes closed. In the few seconds that it took for her to drift completely off to sleep she felt a blanket being draped over her and she thought to thank whoever was responsible once she woke up. "You're welcome." The Doctor's voice whispered close by making her smile in her sleep.