Sorry, should have done this earlier. Credit for the general premise of the next few chapters are borrowed from Seafoam Tainted Memoirs. Coming up with original ideas is so hard! But there is a reason I've used this game idea. It's leading up to something!
So, I basically didn't like what happened when I originally posted this chapter. It got way dark way too fast. So I've lightened it up a bit if you've already read this chapter. It's amazing what a difference of a couple of decades can make!
(Monotone) I do not own Doctor Who.
CHAPTER 28
Amy had an idea. "You know, we've had a lot of adventures outside the TARDIS. But a thought had occurred to me awhile back when we were on that other TARDIS: This ship isn't just bigger on the inside. She's ginormous! Add to the fact that she is sentient, I'll bet that she could cook up an adventure for us inside! And as an added bonus, we wouldn't have to worry about deadly aliens, because she'd never let them on board!"
"See, that's why I keep you around, Pond. Always full of clever ideas!" Eleven responded energetically.
So it was agreed. For their next adventure, they were staying in. The Doctors didn't tell anyone that they were secretly very nervous at what kind of adventure the Old Girl would come up with.
When everyone woke up the next morning, they'd found that the Old Girl had spent the night redecorating. It even appeared that their beds had been moved while they were sleeping, though how no one had noticed that in the middle of the night was a mystery. They all woke up in little houses. Once everyone was awake, they were paid a visit by a woman with dark hair and a blue Victorian style dress.
"Hello. My name is Idris. Otherwise known as the Old Girl or Sexy." She laughed. "I'm the TARDIS!"
Everyone who hadn't met her yet was amazed.
She continued. "There is going to be a little competition. Each team is headed by a Doctor and his Rose and two companions. Team Twelve includes Clara and Danny. Team Eleven includes the Ponds. Team Meta Crisis includes the Temples. Team Ten includes the Smiths. And team Nine includes Jack and River. Okay, technically, River should have been on team Eleven, but Eleven had an extra and Nine was one person short, and do you really want to put the Ponds on opposing teams?"
There was a lot of snickering at that comment.
"Your objective: live domestically in a different era and country, which will be a simulated town in 1980's US. Your goal: do not get arrested!"
There were a lot of complaints at that.
"Alright, rules! These rules well be posted in the kitchen of each of your houses for your reference, so there is no excuse for breaking them!
1. Each couple must pose as if they are married whether they are or not.
2. The husbands must get a job (including the Doctor!). The time lord Doctors will work under aliases - the name of the actor who played them in the parallel world's show. Tentoo's alias will be Don Tennant because he is part Donna.
3. The wives must stay home and do the cooking and cleaning and raise the holographic children that I will soon provide. Each couple will have a boy and girl. Please give your children names!
4. If a companion goes to jail, that person is out of the competition. If the Doctor gets arrested, the entire team is out.
5. There will be absolutely no use of gadgets not found in the 1980's. That means no sonics, no psychic papers, no advanced computers, no mobile phones, no vortex manipulators, etc.) Use of these items will result in public shaming."
Now the complaints turned to whines.
"6. The houses in this simulation are rentals, and so is the furniture, so there will be no defacing of property. Offenders will be subject to public shaming.
7. There will be no sabotaging of other teams. Sabotage will result in the Doctor's arrest and the entire team being removed from the competition.
The last Doctor in the game will be declared the winner. Good luck!"
To say that team Nine was less than thrilled was an understatement, but they made the best of the situation. "Mr. and Mrs. Eccleston", as the Doctor and Rose were called, had two adorable children with blonde hair like their Mum and blue eyes like their Dad. The girl, Marion, had a habit of smiling with her tongue between her teeth. The boy, Pete, liked to say "fantastic!" a lot. But they were relatively good children and Rose loved playing Mum. "Chris" was able to find work as a mechanic. At first, this couple actually seemed to adjust, despite the Doctor's aversion to domestics.
Next door to the "Ecclestons", "Mr. and Mrs." Harkness were having a rough go. Their children, Gwen and Ianto, both had brown hair like their Dad, but it was curly like their Mum. They were not well behaved. River was called into the school on the very first day of the game because both children were chasing other children on the playground and trying to kiss them, and they called their teachers "Sweetie". Jack was having trouble finding work, but finally got a job as a bartender.
By the end of the first day, no one on team Nine had been arrested, though River was contemplating shooting her children. Or her "husband". Or herself, if that meant she got to end the torture. Jack was having trouble not getting drunk at work. The cars that "Chris" had worked on seemed to have some upgrades that weren't there before. But Rose thrived, despite having to provide dinner for the Harkness family as well (because River doesn't know how to cook). The Doctor noticed.
Team Ten's homes were a block away from Team Nine, but they didn't know it. "Mr. and Mrs. Tennant" seemed to be of to a great start. Their children, Jack and Jackie, had their Mum's blonde hair and their Dad's unbridled curiosity and joy. "David" found work as a science teacher in the high school. He didn't know it, but every female student in his class crushed on him immediately. Like their past selves, Rose and the Doctor were adjusting well!
Next door, the Smith's were also adjusting well. Their children, Madelyn and Mark, were bright and well behaved. Mickey got a job as a mechanic in the same garage as "Chris" but business was slow.
Still, by the end of the day, no one on Team Ten was arrested. Martha whined and complained that she wasn't allowed to work. "This is the 80's, you know! Women can be doctors in the '80's!" But the TARDIS wouldn't budge on her rules, claiming that all teams had to start out on an even level. Mickey fixed several cars, and might have helped "Chris" with a few of the upgrades. "David" might have accidentally almost blown up a chem lab. But Rose, like her past self, thrived. Being a wife and mother really looked good on her. The Doctor noticed.
Team Meta Crisis was set up one block away from the others. The other "Mr. and Mrs. Tennant" adored their children, David and Donna. The neighbors all remarked about how this Tennant family looked exactly like the Tennant family one block over, though when twins marry twins, what do you expect? "Don" found work as a college professor. He was so happy to find that he out ranked his time lord twin! But like his twin, all his female students crushed on him. Unlike his twin, he knew it, and was rather embarrassed by it all. But he and Rose adjusted well.
The Temples got strange looks from some of the neighbors. Interracial couples were not unheard of, just generally frowned upon. Donna relished being seen as the "progressive" woman in town. It was quite empowering! Their children had dark skin like their Dad, but they inherited their Mum's spunk and temper which got them into trouble at school. Donna headed into a conference right after River. Shaun found work as a CPA.
At the end of the day, no one on team Meta Crisis was arrested. Donna may have wanted to strangle her children, Shaun found his job boring, and "Don" might have lectured about theories that might not have been discovered for a couple of centuries yet, but once again, Rose thrived. The Doctor noticed.
Team Eleven was, as you might suppose, one block down from the last team. "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" were known to be very eccentric. But their blonde headed children children, Amelia and Rory, were adored by the community. They also had an unusual lunch though: fish sticks and custard. "Matt" became the curator of the history museum.
The Williams family ("Why don't you go by Pond?" the Doctor cried. "Because that's not my name!" Rory replied.) lived next door. Their children, Melody (since the name didn't stick with their first daughter) and Anthony, were model students. They inherited their Mum's fiery ginger locks and their Dad's unfortunate nose. Rory was quickly hired on at the local hospital as a nurse.
But no one got arrested at the end of the first day, which was well and good. This team was possibly the most well adjusted team in the game, though "Matt" may have gotten in trouble for changing museum displays that he claimed to be wrong. Rory was able to save the life of a little girl. He had forgotten how much he loved nursing. Amy was going "bat crazy" staying alone all day while the kids were at school, but she loved being a Mum and looked forward to when it would be real (again). Still, the most well adjusted person was Rose, who thrived as a Mum and house keeper. The Doctor noticed.
Team Twelve had some interesting dynamics. No one believed that the "Capaldi's" were married. Those who did thought that it was disgusting for Rose to marry someone who could be her father. Their children, Mickey and Jenny, unlike those generated by their past selves, had black hair, which could have only been from their Dad. The mystery of the Doctor's hair color before he went grey was solved! The children did have their mother's smile, however. "Peter" became the caretaker for a the school (much to the dismay of "Mr. And Mrs. Pink").
"Mr. and Mrs. Pink" lived next door with their children, Sam and Sadie. They were bullied at school, so Clara decided to home school them. Danny, surprised no one when he became a math teacher at the same school as "David", though the Doctor still insisted that it was PE.
Once again, nobody on team Twelve was arrested. Danny and "Peter" had had an argument on the school grounds and "David" took "Peter's" side so it wasn't really fighting fair. And Clara wished she'd been there to diffuse the situation. But, like the other times, Rose thrived. And the Doctor noticed.
