Yet another Doctor Who fanfic from me. I have a bad habit of starting these and then dropping them, but that's all right the best part of creating something is the journey even if it never has a true end. Right, this is only Doctors 9-12. No 13, and no timeless children. I also enjoy playing around with the idea of the impossible planet, like what kind of alien had been on it? What were they like? There's so much that can be done with it. Now that's out of the way, please enjoy!
1
"And now we're going to use phthalo blue to try and create a soft sky," A calming male voice instructed.
The owner of the voice was a middle-aged man with had of his hair line receding. He looked over at the student sitting behind their easels as they followed his instructions. Several of his students, most of the ones that sat further in the back, were his advanced painting students. One of them caught his eye. She was looking at her phone and scrolling through it, trying to find the right music to listen to. He shook his head in disbelief, she was supposed to be working on her final painting. He walked up to her and cleared his throat.
"Yes?" She asked and she looked up at him with a slight frown.
"No phones during demos," He stated, "it was in the syllabus, Judy."
"I'm looking for the right music, and I'm not even a part of the demo," Judy argued.
"Just get your final done," He said, and she nodded as she went back to her phone and picked a song.
She put her light blue ear buds into her ears and picked up her paint brush. He walked away and went back to teaching his class. He barely acknowledged someone entering the class. It was a middle-aged man wearing a leather jacket over a jumper. He stood at the back of the class with his hands clasped behind his back. What a strange man, but he didn't have time to ponder it as they moved onto the next stage with his demo. The introduction of the pallet knife and alizarin crimson mixed with dark sienna to create mountains. He was going the Bob Ross route to teach the landscaping demo. It would always produce wonderful results.
Judy looked up at the teacher and shook her head in thought, the man had a bad habit of signalling her out even though she was one of the few people that didn't need extensions and turned her work in on time. It wasn't fair to signal her out all the time. She let out a frustrated sigh before turning to her blank canvas and frowning. She couldn't think of anything to paint. She ran a hand through her shoulder length auburn hair and messed up the natural spiral curls that had taken her years to figure out how to take care of.
"Stop stressing, Judy," The man next to her whispered, "you always get top marks."
"Wow, my stress is gone, my crops are watered, and my skin is clear," She sarcastically said, "thanks Tim, I'll make sure to remember that."
Tim rolled his eyes at her and she shot him a dirty look. Just because she did well, it didn't mean she didn't stress about her work. She ran a hand down her face and began to bounce her leg. Her music wasn't helping her any, Putting on the Ritz made her want to dance and sing more than paint. Well, she still had work to do, she'd be damned if she didn't put forth her best effort. She dipped into the alizarin crimson with a fan brush and hesitated before placing it against the white canvas. Now that there was a mark, she needed to do something with it.
"Do you ever go into a piece knowing what you're going to do, or do you just waltz into a finished piece?" Tim snarkily asked and she gave him a sarcastic smile back.
"Isn't that the wonder of painting?" She asked and he lifted his upper lip in a slight sneer.
Judy turned her attention back to her canvas and started to use the brush to create the outline of a face. The face of her namesake, Judy Garland, her mother had loved the woman since she had seen her in her most iconic movie. Judy enjoyed the actress as well, though her adoration lied within her music and the way she could sing, and by god she had learned how to perform as well due to her inspiration. Her dream had been to be on the big stage until she learned of the horrors of what her hero had gone through, as soon as she learned that she had changed her mind to be a traditional artist. She had gotten into the groove of painting when something moved in the corner of her eye. Judy turned to see what it was, and was surprised to see a man walking behind the line of advanced students and studying their work. Was he part of the administration making sure the teacher was doing his job? She tilted her head in thought. He didn't really look like the administration type. He looked more like an old U-boat captain. She'd never say it to his face though. She simply returned to her painting and tried to ignore his presence when he stopped behind her. It proved difficult to do and she put her brush down before turned to look at him.
"Can I help you?" Judy asked him with a smile, one that had been perfected from years of working retail.
"Just curious," He stated with a grin, it was slightly manic in appearance and made the corners next to his blue eyes crinkle, "a fan of Judy Garland?"
"I was named after her," Judy answered as she shot a few glares at a couple of her snickering classmates, "please, excuse me I should get back to my painting."
"Good luck getting a conversation outta old Judy," Tim snickered, and the man turned to him with his brows raised, "she's horrible at them, and typically snubs anyone who tries to talk to her."
"I'm a busy person, I don't have time to talk," Judy muttered as she went back to painting.
The man moved on after that and soon the students themselves were cleaning up and placing their pieces against the wall till the next time they came in for studio time. He stayed at the back of the class as they left, one by one. Only one remained and that was Judy as she searched her bag for something and frowned when she couldn't find it. She let out a sound of disbelief before slinging it over her shoulder and putting her earbuds back in and taking her phone out to switch the song to something else. The man frowned in thought and noticed a small book tucked under one of the easels, he walked over to it and plucked it out from under it. It had her name stamped on the cover in gold lettering, he flipped through it. It had nothing but small stories and sketches inside of it. He headed out of the classroom and looked down the hallway, for a girl shorter than him she sure could make good time seeing as she was nowhere to be seen.
"I can't believe I lost it," Judy muttered to herself as she exited the art building and put her hands into her jean pockets, fishing out her car keys, "Gran gave me that journal and I went and lost it, like an idiot."
She huffed as she pulled out the keys and looked down at the small picture of her, her mother, and her grandmother together. It was the last time they had been together since pneumonia took her grandmother. She felt that familiar pang of grief but forced it down as she searched for the right key for her car. She found it and briskly walked to her car, keeping an eye on her surroundings just in case. She was opening her car when a hand on her shoulder caused her to jump and instinctively lash out with a fist. Her hit landed and a groan of pain informed her that it had been a pretty good hit.
"I am so sorry," Judy apologized as she recognised the man from earlier, "you really shouldn't sneak up on people, what if I had my keys between my fingers?"
"Why would your keys be between your fingers?" The man asked as he rubbed his cheek in pain.
"I'm a woman all by myself in the middle of a deserted parking lot, c'mon keep up," She stated with a look that implied she thought he was stupid.
"What was your plan of escape after hitting me?" He pressed.
"I'm standing next to a car that can be locked and only unlocked by the key," She answered with a shrug, "smacking my attacker with a moving vehicle was my next move."
She was prepared to do a hit and run if she was about to be attacked by someone? Good thing she had stopped upon seeing him, he didn't fancy being hit by a car. She put her hands into her pockets and leaned against the side of her car, studying him. He felt oddly scrutinized by her gaze. Judy frowned slightly before tilting her head.
"Why'd you scare me anyway?" She questioned, "It's not like calling my name would've been a better idea."
"Are you always this sarcastic?" He questioned.
"Do you always answer questions with a question?" She fired back and he made a suffering sound before holding out her book.
Judy was quiet for a few seconds before accepting it. It went into her bag and she made a face. She had to apologize since he had returned her property to him, but she really didn't want to. He was a bit of an enigma, and it bothered her. It was worse than struggling through Dune and its wooden writing style. Perfect story, bad execution. Well, she wasn't one to judge and she had enjoyed it. Judy knew she was getting off topic, but it stalled the inevitable. Which led to her making a strange face.
"Can I interest you in some coffee, or tea?" She asked him, "The campus has a couple of cafés for students."
"Is that your way of apologizing?" He asked and she raised a brow, "Sure, I could always go for a cup."
"Are you an exchange student from Britain?" She questioned as she locked her car door and began to lead the way to the café, "I haven't heard that accent since my last binge of Merlin."
"Sad ending that," He stated, and she nodded in agreement, "No, I'm just from the north."
"Of course, how silly of me," She stated as she opened the door to the nearest café and ushered him in, "let me know what you want, I'll put it through the app."
He did and he watched as she quickly ordered on her the café app and led him to a nice seat that was out of the way and tucked into a corner. A couple of students greeted her, and she was awkward in returning them with a stiff wave. She wasn't an outgoing person, even though she was a performer at heart. In day-to-day life she was horrible at the smaller interactions. She paused as she noticed a strange caption on the daily special she had ordered, "Bad Wolf Iced Coffee"? Must be a part of their fairy tale theme they'd been doing for the past two weeks, but a part of her wondered about that. It felt oddly out of place, especially when she considered the fact that they had been named after the heroes of the stories not the villains. She shrugged it off when her name was called, and she went up to grab the coffee.
"Having a fun date, Judy?" A woman with bright red hair asked, winking teasingly.
"Date? Don't you think he's too old?" Judy questioned back as she moved out of the way of another person grabbing their coffee.
"I've never seen you actually talk to a man like that before," The woman continued, "must've peaked your interest."
Judy mumbled something at that before returning to the table with a frown. She wasn't even talking to the man. If anything, it was just questions after questions between them. Hardly what she'd consider conversation. She took a sip of her coffee and was slightly impressed. Her iced coffee had hints of cinnamon and vanilla; it was rather nice with the smoky blend. She'd have to try and recreate it in her spare time.
"So, what got you into art?" The man asked as he held onto his coffee.
"I enjoy it, that's all," She answered, "it was either that or show business, but I don't think I'd survive Hollywood if I tried."
"It's not all glamorous," He stated, and she quietly agreed with him, "have you noticed anything weird on campus?"
"Well, there's been a really big dog at night, but I think that's someone's service animal," She answered as she frowned in thought, "at least one in training…mind you it could also be one of the on-campus professors' dog."
"Meaning you haven't noticed anything," The man stated, and she gave him a blank look at that.
"Rude…" She informed him before sighing, "are you one of the journalist students working for the campus paper?"
"You've caught me," He said as he pulled out something from his coat pocket.
It was a blank piece of paper encased in a leather wallet. She looked at it and then at him and then back to the paper, her brows raising in disbelief. Was she missing something? His smile made her think that she was.
"Wow, it's a blank piece of paper," She stated before sighing, "look, I'll tell you what I saw and then I'm never speaking of it again, all right Mr. big ears?"
"Big ears?" He muttered with a frown as she gave him a dirty look, "Right, tell away."
"It was the middle of the night and I was coming out of the library," She started to explain to him, "and it was odd, but I swear that I saw a big creature lumbering up the mountain towards the observatory…it was strange looking and extremely pale…it reminded me of a large walking stick."
The man let that sink in and she picked up her coffee and took a sip. Judy could see the gears turning in his head as he thought about her story. If she had been exhausted after reading book after book for a paper, then he was none the wiser. Judy finished off her coffee and silently lamented the loss of caffeine but decided that one cup was probably more than enough for the whole day. It wasn't like she had work that day. She turned her attention back to the man as he put his blank piece of paper away in his coat pocket. She let out a strange sound as he polished off his coffee and gave her a strange grin before heading off.
"Men are such strange creatures," She muttered to herself before getting up and throwing away their trash.
Judy headed out of the café and groaned as her phone buzzed. She was getting a text, and when she read it, she rolled her eyes. She hated owning someone, so she always told them that they would get one favour out of them. Someone was calling on her for a favour and she wasn't ready for it. She hiked her bag up on her shoulder and briskly made her way to the theatre building. Of course, the one person to call her up on a favour would be the one person from high school who had been in choir with her. She chewed on the inside of her cheek in thought before yawning. She entered the cool building and headed towards a pair of big red doors.
"There she is, the one and only Judy," Her classmate from high school greeted with a beaming smile, "I knew you'd show up if I called in that favour."
"You only get one," Judy reminded her, "this better be a good reason."
"It is, I needed someone to fill in for a video on old Hollywood musical productions," The other woman stated as she put a hand on Judy's arm and led her towards the stage, "and who better to have as a stand in then someone who shares a name with a legend?"
"If we're to get technical I don't share her birth name with her," Judy grumbled as her bag was removed and placed on a nearby chair, "what piece of her's do you want me to do?"
"Get Happy, you know that one?" She asked and Judy let out a quiet sigh before nodding, "Good, do you remember the steps to the dance?"
"Yes, I remember the steps," Judy stated, "you got a hat I can use?"
The other woman grinned at that and a black fedora was tossed to the auburn-haired woman. She plopped the hat on top her curls and quickly jumped onto the stage. The bright lights didn't bother her as they were turned on and she took her place behind a few of the male backup dancers. How her old classmate had been able to get so many people to help her through her final project she'd never know. She looked down at her shoes and gently tapped them against the wood floor and heard the familiar sound of tap shoes. Her greatest secret, and possibly the only reason she couldn't sneak up on people. She wore tap shoes like sneakers, they were oddly comfortable. She took in a deep breath and listened as the music started up and she did what she always did. Perform.
The man from earlier, Mr. big ears if Judy's nickname were to stick, came into the theatre upon hearing upbeat Jazz music playing. He couldn't find what had brought him to that university, but he was going to investigate until he did. He knew the song that was playing, and he was only slightly surprised to see Judy up on the stage. She might've been in the wrong career path, seeing as she was able to keep up her voice strength while dancing. A woman with a camera was grinning from ear to ear as she watched the performance. Judy ended it with a hat tilt while holding the final note.
"Oh, there's no way I'm going to fail this final!"
That exclamation from the other girl got an eyeroll out of Judy as she jumped off the stage and removed the hat. She grabbed her bag and slung it back over her shoulder. He hid as she walked past with a slight frown on her face. She was thinking deeply about something, he'd rather not startle her again. She had one hell of a left hook.
Judy was at a lost for what to do, she had no work, and she was still reeling from the performance she had given. She sighed and headed to the library, maybe she could read a few more of the photography books while calming down. She found it ironic that a few books turned into ten and that the day passed her by as she did so. She rubbed at her eyes and put the last book away before grabbing her things and slowly heading out of the library. It was nice not to walk out into blinding sun, though she was hopeful she wouldn't run into that strange walking stick like she did that one night. She fished her keys out of her pocket and kept them in between her fingers, it was too dark out for her to not be cautious.
Judy heard something rushing towards her and she turned to see that giant walking stick rushing right towards her. She broke out in a run and she cursed her love for tap shoes as the clicking of her heels followed each stride as she sprinted across the campus. The walking stick was persistent and was able to keep up with her. She wasn't even that slow of a runner, even in heels!
"Okay, stop chasing me please!" She called back to the creature, "I don't like this!"
It didn't seem to listen to her plea, and she was forced to jump over a concrete wall. Judy landed with ease and continued to run. The walking stick landed as well, its weight more than her's causing it to stumble due to its centre of gravity. She kept running until she was at the hill for the observatory. She felt as though she was being herded to the building, but she wasn't about to turn around and rush the creature. Judy didn't even know if it had teeth or was hostile. She was running due to adrenaline and an instinct to live. She grimaced as the walking stick slammed into the railing of the mountain as she made a sharp turn. She wasn't going to laugh at its misfortune, that would be tempting the universe. Judy didn't want to deal with the cosmic karma of doing such a thing.
Judy burst through the door of the observatory and slammed it shut behind her. She ran a hand through her hair and looked around for something to lock the door with. She grabbed a metal chair and placed the legs through the bars. It would keep out the creature for a short while. She grumbled under her breath and came to the mental conclusion that she should've gone home instead of staying at the library. She looked up at the large telescope that was pointed towards the night sky and walked around it. Well, if she had to choose a place to be where she was found dead an observatory wasn't the worst place to go.
"Morbid, Judy, morbid," She muttered to herself.
It was indeed morbid to think about. She wasn't even in her mid-twenties and she was already being faced with death. She supposed it was something that people never really truly thought about until it was upon them. She didn't even have a will. Judy wouldn't be leaving anything behind that wouldn't be sold, her mother would be slightly heartbroken. The woman never understood her hesitation at pursuing a career in the entertainment industry, but supported her in all her endeavours. Something stepped out of the shadows and she made a face.
"It would be you," The man from earlier stated.
"Believe it or not, I would rather it wasn't," She said before turning her attention to the doors as they slammed open, "oh no, go away."
"Oh, you are magnificent," The man stated, and she shot him a look of disbelief, "but what are you doing here? Chasing some random woman."
"Thanks, I'll try not to be insulted," Judy said with a sarcastic smile.
"A bit of hush please," He said, and she held her hands up in defeat.
Of course, she couldn't say anything against him. The man seemed to be one of those people that would continue his way while letting the insults roll off his back. She leaned against a nearby wall and crossed her arms across her chest and watched him work. If he wanted a hush, then she'd stay quiet. She was also curious as to what he was doing. Did he think that he could bargain with the alien creature? If he could she would be impressed.
"Again, why are you chasing this woman around?" The man asked the alien again and a loud series of shrieks and groans was his answer, "You wanted to study human life forms? Don't give me that."
The creature growled at that and the man raised his brows in disbelief before turning to her. Judy looked at him in confusion and she narrowed her eyes in slight disbelief. She didn't know why he was looking at her as though she was suddenly fascinating. He looked back to the creature and then back to her. It was as if he couldn't believe what he had heard.
"Have you met her, she can't hold a conversation to save her life," The man stated, and Judy let out a sound of indignation, he turned to her, "oh don't give me that, you yourself are aware of your inability to converse with people. You're worse than me."
"Are you always this rude?" She asked him, "And who are you anyway?"
"See, like I said can't hold a conversation to save her life," The man continued as he motioned to her with a hand.
The creature let out a high-pitched whine and the man frowned in response. Whatever he heard had bothered him greatly. He clasped his hands behind his back, and she watched his fingers twitch in thought. His eyes met hers and she oddly felt calm. Her shoulders slumped slightly, and she grew confused for a few seconds before putting her full attention on the two. She needed to keep an eye on the alien and the man who could talk to the alien. She wondered if that meant he was alien as well. It most likely did. Either that or she was making a huge leap in logic. That was normal for her.
"You can't take a human from her planet," The man stated, and she snapped back to the conversation unveiling before her, "especially one that doesn't understand you, that's against the shadow proclamation section P, paragraph three, subsection seven."
"Shadow proclamation?" She muttered under her breath, a confused expression on her face.
The creature growled and took a few steps closer to the man and Judy looked at him in worry. She stepped away from the wall and she didn't even have time to be surprised when he quickly moved and started to pull her by the hand. They were running away from the alien, all the way to an old police public call box. She didn't even question, she was at the point to where nothing was surprising her anymore. She entered the call box as he slammed the doors behind them. She sighed in relief but wondered how wood doors with glass windows were going to keep an angry alien out of the box.
"How the hell is wood and glass going to keep it out?" She questioned.
"The doors are strong enough to hold back the collective hordes of Genghis Khan," He answered, and she gave him an unamused expression.
"They're made of wood," She stressed, "with glass windows. I could throw a stone at one of the windows and break in."
"I wouldn't suggest doing it," He informed her in a serious tone.
Judy let out a loud sigh at that and shook her head before turning her attention to the rest of the box. She paused as she noticed that it was much larger on the inside, but could that be true. Maybe it was smaller on the inside? Distance and perspective were such a tricky thing. He moved towards a control panel that was right in the middle of the large room and she slowly followed behind him up the metal stairs and ducked under some hanging wires.
"It's smaller on the inside," Judy stated.
"I've never heard that one before," He said and she shrugged, "why do you think it's smaller on the inside?"
"Well, I don't know how it works but I'm digging up on some of my science fiction knowledge," She answered, "if it's a dimension stuffed inside a dimension wouldn't it technically be smaller than it's perceived depth? Perspective and dimension are tricky like that."
"Very well put," He complimented, and she gave him a slightly bashful nod, "but you aren't entirely right."
"And that's all right, I'm not meant to understand everything in this universe," She stated as she held onto the railing and looked at him, "you never did tell me who you were."
"I'm the Doctor," He answered.
"Doctor Whom?" She asked and he raised his brows.
"You are slowly becoming one of the strangest people I've met," He informed her, and she smiled at that, "its just the Doctor and this is the Tardis. T. A. R. D. I. S. time and relative dimension in space."
"Oh, she's lovely," Judy quietly complimented and he smiled as if he'd been complimented.
"Now, this Walker wants to bring you back to his planet," The Doctor informed her as he pressed a button and a tv screen switched on, showing them outside of the Tardis.
"What for?" Judy questioned as she stepped up next to him, "I'm nothing special."
"Oh, that little performance earlier would see you raking in the cash on other planets," He informed her and her brows raised in surprise, "a genuine entertainer, there hasn't been an old style entertainer in the universe in years."
"Maybe they should watch an old Earth Classic if they need that entertainment," She groused before noticing something, "why take me to an observatory to kidnap me?"
"Atmosphere," The Doctor answered as he began to flip switches and pull levers.
Judy didn't get to push further for answers as she hit the console and gripped onto the edge of it. She winced slightly as the metal rapidly heated up as a strange whirring sound filled the air. She had no earthly idea what was going on, but the shaking of the room around her caused her to tighten her grip on the console. Eventually, in the span of five minutes, it ended and she took a singular deep breath before regaining her composure. It wasn't too difficult, but she'd be the first to admit that the trip had been rattling.
"Right, now I just need to set off the alarms on its ship and you can go back to having burgers and chips," The Doctor stated.
"Really loving the stereotyping," Judy commented, "really top tier comedy."
"I don't miss the American sarcasm," The Doctor stated, "you lot think you're so funny."
"We are, but that's besides the point," She stated, "it always like this for you? Defeating alien invaders?"
"Sums me up," He confirmed, "now I need you to hold this blue lever and don't let it go, if you're going to be stuck in here then make yourself useful."
Judy was about to say something when he headed out of the doors. She stood there with her hand clutching a bright blue lever, keeping it down. She looked up at the large cylinder that acted like a column in the middle of the room. It was odd, but she couldn't help but think the ship was alive. She brought her free hand up and gently placed it against the cylinder, it was warm to the touch. She almost drew her hand back but paused. For a second she thought she had felt a strange pulsing against the glass of the cylinder.
"You are magnificent," Judy breathed as she looked at the rest of the ship, gently pulling her hand back, "absolutely fantastic."
She looked down at the console as random buttons lit up in a strange pattern. She couldn't help but smile at the sight. The light died out as soon as the doors opened. The Doctor walked in with a self satisfied air about him. She didn't ask. It wasn't worth the attitude and headache she could possibly get.
"There you go, no more Walker," He stated and she raised her brows in surprise.
"Are you always so sufficient?" She questioned.
"Of course, the only way to do this is to be sufficient," He answered as he motioned for her to remove her hand from the lever.
The Tardis took off again as he pulled levers and pushed buttons once again. Judy looked up at the cylinder as the whirring filled the air. It was just as short of a ride as the first time. They stopped and he motioned for her to leave. She put her hands into her pockets and headed out of the door. He dropped her off in the parking lot. Of course he did. She fished her keys out of her pocket and turned her attention back to the Tardis. It was already leaving and she watched as it faded in and out of reality. Judy hesitated before getting into her car, feeling as though she had missed something special. It was such a strong feeling that it made her stomach churn. Why did the idea of the Doctor leaving bother her so much? She didn't even like him all that much. She'd never understand how her mind worked. It just got so jumbled up and confused by conflicting emotions, and song lyrics. Mainly song lyrics. She didn't know why, but it usually worked out in her favour.
"Why do I feel cheated?" She muttered to herself, "I shouldn't but I do."
Judy was annoyed at herself for thinking such things. She stopped at a red light and tapped her fingers to a beat only she could hear. She stopped when the light turned green and it was safe for her to go. Her home was dark, which wasn't unusual. The curtains were drawn in all the windows of the two story house. She sighed and got out of her car and shivered as the cold air brushed against her cheeks. Grabbing her items from the car she headed inside.
"She must've gone to sleep already," Judy muttered as she locked the door behind her and slipped off her shoes.
Judy walked through the house after placing her keys on a nearby table. She headed down the stairs into her room and flicked the lights on. It was just as she had left it, in complete disarray. Truthfully, she was a very messy person. She placed her bag next to the chair at her desk and plopped down with her journal out. She took out a second one and looked at the unknown lettering inside of it. A secret language, something she had created in elementary school. Circles with sharp jagged edges and letters shaped like scythe, even those that had crosses in them. She could read it, but she had yet to find anyone else that could. It was if it wouldn't connect for anyone else. She wrote down what happened to her, and drew the Walker before snapping the journal close and heading to her bed. She passed out the minutes her head hit the pillow.