It's February now, January came and went, adventures to be had, Hammond always mad about something Theodore did or didn't do, Odette's busied with working on the next season of the show, and Lila's unable to keep her eyes open, because it's cold in the library. Something about the cold air's just drawing her energy, like rain, and Bill helped by keeping her filled with caffeine.
"Man, what is it about the cold that just makes me want to hide under the sheets and conk out?" Lila yawned as Bill comforted her.
As she patted Lila's shoulder, Bill replied that it's just one of nature's mystery. Like how rain's the first white noise used by their ancestors, allowing them to lull themselves to sleep.
Shaking her head, Lila remarked, "Don't seem to work for Hammond, man couldn't relax until he got the report from the top brass."
Shrugging, Bill responds that Hammond's more machine than man, at least she thinks, partly because he can't possibly want to work the way he does without something going on.
Lila happened to know the answer after hearing it from Al.
Hammond spent his early years on Gallifrey shortly before their parents moved to Earth. Something about Gallifrey just sucked the fun out of everything, because during the short time he spent on Gallifrey, he became another cog. Always sucked the fun out of everything, at least from Theodore's experiences with his older brother in their childhood.
Their mom hoped Hammond leveled out and became similarly like Theodore, but he never did, Hamon suggested that he got his nature from his grandfather. He was known for similar behavior and it'd seem that it levels out in generations.
Hammond becomes the serious one, Theodore becomes the goofy one, Odette becomes the normal one.
Meanwhile, the only thing Lila and her brothers held to their names' that they're the least destructive kids on the block they used to live on, that's something, but mostly because having an active navy engineer for a dad helped keep the destruction to a minimal.
Until Billy and Ethan launched a handmade rocket into their neighbor's windmill one summer.
Thankfully, their dad and the neighbor wasn't home, so they hid the evidence of the misfortune accident the best they're capable of at the time, using glue and will to fix the windmill.
Six years and nobody noticed, don't think they ever did long after Lila and her family moved from the house to across the country to another base.
How they managed to shoot off the rocket without anyone noticing, a riddle for the ages, but the fact they didn't get into trouble for the broken windmill's enough for them.
Since, the siblings never spoke of it, not even when they argued with each other, just because there's some things they take seriously. A code of silence's one of them.
"Another mystery for the ages, does that man do anything fun when he's not working?" Lila wondered about her boss. Since she's known him, he never takes breaks unless legally required, and that's a stretch. Man's always busy with something and it's amazing how he hasn't lost a step working as much as he does, if not for his family, who knows where he'd be, then.
Shrugging, Bill replied that it's possible that Hammond survives on the energy he gets from antagonizing Theodore.
One never knows when it comes to Hammond.
The two began working, with Bill answering phone calls while Lila worked checking books in and out clockwork. Overhead, the staff worked putting things back from the carts they pushed and it continues for a while until about time for lunch.
Theodore's stuck in a meeting with Hammond and the other top brass members of the library and Bill's picking up her nephew from school.
Just Lila as she pondered what to have for lunch.
Didn't feel like going out in the cold air unless it's going home, but didn't feel like going down to the staff room.
Peculiar situation, indeed, and Lila couldn't stand behind the desk during her lunch if she wanted, Hammond would've boxed her ears for risking them a fine, so she departed from her duties and went into the staff room where she took up a book.
Don't know what to have for lunch, maybe she'll just grab something along the way home, not like she's doing anything in particular.
Friday, roughly 30 something degrees outside and going to get chilly later, weekend ahead, more the same, maybe some spicy hot chocolate and a hearty sandwich.
Should hold her until she's swept up in another adventure, Al promised her that he'll do better when notifying them of an adventure that needs their presence, but it's iffy since he's limited.
Theodore asked him for help repairing key components one day and what does the machine say to him?
"You'll have to take me back. They're the only ones with the required parts and the know-how," Al tells the dismayed Theodore.
He tried to come up with ways around it, but Al reminded him he was better when Theodore's dad took him. Now, he's worn, kinda lost integrity over the decades he's been active, Frankenstein'ing parts and power's not cutting it.
"Do you really think they'd let me fix you?" Theodore asked the machine if the Time Lords would've let him into their corners with the explicit intent on fixing the TARDIS.
Without Hamon keeping them at bay, the types that made snide comments wouldn't hold back their disdain for Theodore.
Since the conversation, Theodore's trying to come up with ways to explain himself to the Time Lords when he inevitably takes the TARDIS back to Gallifrey for the necessary repairs that it desperately needed.
Lila opted for him to tell it how it is, he's there to fix the TARDIS, they won't have to see him again once it's repaired, and if they don't like it, they can pitch in or else Lila's gonna give them a piece of her mind.
Well, Theodore appreciated her insight, but he reminded her that they wanted it cordial.
"Fine, but the moment they start something, I'm not holding back," Lila warned Theodore that she'll be on her best behavior when they go see Gallifrey, but if the haughty Time Lords start riling her up with comments, she won't hesitate giving them a taste of their own medicine.
Don't know when that day's going to be, but it's sooner than later, Al thinks he has a couple more adventures left before he just falls apart, and persistently reminded Theodore like a doomsday clock.
Should be a fun adventure.
Reading her book in silence, Lila sat quietly at the round table, and with her chestnut eyes buried in the book, she didn't register somebody coming into the staff room.
There's movement and she felt the vibrations of someone sitting down across from her, so she assumed it's one of her coworkers taking their lunch in the staff room.
Lila continued reading until she felt eyes on her, enough that she pulled down her book, and looked across to see David sitting in front of her.
There's a change in mood with him. Normally, he's ecstatic as a child on a sugar high, but he's gloomy, down, and frowning.
"What's eating you?" Lila asks him as she took notice of the change, growing concern with David, as he sat quietly in front of her.
Looking dejected, David pitifully replied, "I'm in love."
Putting a bookmark in between the pages and closing her book, Lila shifted in her spot as she looked at David. Confused, she inquired, "What's wrong with that?"
Heavily sighing, David answered with, "Nothing, nothing wrong with it, just... I don't know."
He looked unsure of himself and Lila talked him into telling her what's bothering him. Finally breaking down, David explained that while working on the show, he met somebody working on set.
They hit it off and David thought it's fine and dandy, until the part came when he met her father, and he outright hated David from the moment they met and very frosty with him since.
"I mean, it's natural for dads being protective over their kids, Dave," Lila tried helping David, but he elaborated that it's not only that. Something else. He can't explain it, but every lunch and dinner, there's always hidden disdain behind those eyes, and without saying a word, David could hear that the father not liking him one bit.
Blinking, Lila asked David, "Why would he not like you; you're maybe be a little crazy, but you're not like, bat crap crazy. I mean, you're a little eccentric, but again, I've seen plenty worse."
In her own ways, Lila tried to help David out, and he appreciated her trying, but he said that he doesn't know, but it's evident from gleaming the father's mind, he doesn't like David.
"Have you asked him directly why he doesn't like you?" Lila inquired if David tried forcing the father's hand, but David admitted that while he wanted to press the father for answers, he didn't want the rift between them growing, further, he had to consider Jenny.
Hearing David's plight, Lila asks why he came to her, and he said that he doesn't know anyone else to talk to, well, anyone else who wouldn't take it to the extremes.
Shale and Dom mean well, but they're a little too headstrong on things, and don't understand the complexities of human emotions.
The Samito, they don't understand it at all, either, if they can't eat it or control it with a remote, it's not much for them.
So, he turned towards the only people who came to mind, Lila and Theodore.
Figured, who else to help him but another Doctor?
Well, it's not every day Lila's helping a lovestruck Doctor with his woes, at least there's no chance of Daleks shooting at them or Cybermen trying to turn them into more Cybermen.
"I don't know, man, I'm no expert," Lila tells David that she doesn't think she'd be a good help for David with his problems.
Sheepishly, David asked if she had any experiences with disproving parents not liking her and Lila shrugs as she tells David her experiences.
In the sparse dating Lila had before giving it up after considering it a hassle during her travels with her family, Lila didn't have much issue with disapproving parents. Guess when they realized that she couldn't continue relationships across the world, the parents of her previous boyfriends weren't bothered, probably thankful since Lila's self-admittedly a handful, and they don't want to deal with her.
"Not to mention, my last relationship didn't turn out well, so, I have that as a learning experience," Lila shrugs as she tells David of her previous failed relationship.
David asked what happened and Lila summed with, "He was a dirtbag with a crappy Dodge that he tried passing off as a Lamborghini and a Cowboys fan."
Long story short, last relationship Lila had before her family moved from Norfolk to a base in Britain sometime in 2000, didn't end on good terms.
His name was Brian and he was a cheating heart straight out of a terrible movie who couldn't lie out of a paper bag much less know what it's for. Couldn't keep a story straight and what a surprise he was in when he came to a restaurant for a date, only to find Lila and his other girlfriend waiting for him after finding out what the fool did behind their backs.
Ended with him humiliated in front of everyone and him stuck with the bill as Lila and the other girlfriend stormed out of restaurant.
Out of the whole experience, Lila's still friends with Kira, the other girlfriend, and last Lila heard's that Brian's latest attempts at love resulted in his jilted girlfriend setting fire to his 'Lamborghini.'
Can't say Lila didn't have thoughts of doing that, but she played by the book, and didn't want to deal with criminal charges for destruction of private property.
Hearing this story, David's surprised and Lila responded with, "Yeah, wasn't my brightest spot."
Lila's older and wiser, now, though she would've still liked to set fire to the Dodge and burn the Cowboys jersey.
"So, no disapproving parents?" David weakly asks and Lila shook her head.
Frowning, David asked about Theodore, and that's a blank spot for Lila, because she never asked the aloof giant anything personal like that. Just never came up, didn't have any reason to ask, and it wasn't her place to pry into his personal life outside the adventures and library.
"You're going to have to ask him, but he's in a meeting wanting to chew his arm off," Lila tells David that he needed to wait for Theodore as he's still in the meeting with Hammond and as much as this would've incentivize Theodore's departure, he couldn't.
Hammond's serious about his meetings.
Poor Theodore's about ready to chew his arms off to escape the confines.
Wearily, David asked how long's the meeting and checking her wristwatch, Lila replied that it shouldn't are long, twenty minutes left.
David winces at the wait, but Lila told him that Hammond mostly does it to mess with Theodore, as an older brother does with his little brother.
David's forced to wait for Theodore in the staff room with Lila as she casually read from her book. Bored, David began asking questions on the book, why Lila isn't eating, what she planned to do after work, and Lila nixed his idea of passing time by telling him that she heard that the audience for his show wanted creepier monsters.
"Creepier monsters, isn't what I'm showing enough?" David winced at this as Lila turned a page in her book.
Nodding, Lila told him that she heard people commenting while putting out books based on the show, that they wanted creepier monsters.
Guess an alien race that wants to convert you into a robot's not creepy enough.
"Tch, everybody's a critic. Don't they know it's a lot scarier when it's them personally to run for their lives?" David questioned the comments.
Different for viewers, but these episodes have basis on David's real adventures and they weren't picnics in a park.
"Yeah, but it's show biz, Dave, monsters make bank. Everyone knows that. You read any new entries?" Lila shrugs as she tells him that it's one of the unfortunate side effects of having a show.
Can't please everyone, but views translating into future sales of merchandise come with the terms.
Lila figured that David read up on the latest entries made, specifically about the run-in with the Plague Doctor.
Shifting in his spot, David admitted that he did, but he doesn't know if it's transferable to the big screen.
"Why is that, Dave, you got Daleks on the screen, why not a walking horror movie?" Lila asks David why he wasn't sure about the Plague Doctor.
First problem off the tip of his tongue's the morbidity of the Plague Doctor preying on only sick and lame animals or humans it finds. Not exactly friendly for TV ratings and while there's worse things in the evening news, the powerhouse that got the show up and running's less than thrilled at the prospect.
Second problem's the fact that viewers probably wouldn't understand the severity of having the Plague Doctor as a main threat. They'll think it won't apply to them since they're healthy and wouldn't feel frightened because it doesn't like rosemary or light.
Third problem's costuming since the Plague Doctor's not exactly easy to throw together a costume based on it and have fitted stilts for the actor without the actor tripping. Special effects came a long way since the dawn of using cardboard and thick rubber suits, but still costs a pretty coin, something he needed to consider with all things considering.
"Come on, you had an episode about a princess using her handmaidens to extend her eternal life, graphically I might add, and you showed her getting ugly really quick, also graphically," Lila poked a hole in David's reasonings on why he couldn't work in an episode based on the Plague Doctor.
The show already carried episodes that petrified the whole country, one episode about the Plague Doctor's not going to break the camel's back, especially if it's just a one-off monster-of-the-week episode.
David saw her point and added that the princess in the episode Lila described's different than authentic. He toned her down considerably so it wouldn't run afoul with censors and frankly, viewers lucked out what they watched compared to what David seen with the real deal.
"Two words, rotten pizza face, with anchovies, gone-off anchovies!" David winced as he recalled his unfortunate adventure with said princess.
He arrived at a castle, normal, David visited lots of castle.
It's exclusively manned by women, for the time period it was in, that's uncommon, and it quickly went down front here with said princess plotting to use him to further extend her eternal life.
Once he exposed her true form by throwing acid on her face and seeing her beautiful pale skin fall away to something he'd only described as rotten pizza with rotted anchovies, David destroyed her, and brought justice to the slain handmaidens.
"But you can't work in an episode about a mutant guy that looks like a plague doctor cosplay out of hell?" Lila questioned David's logic and he exhaled sharply before saying she has a point.
Don't know when he'll broach the idea, but he'll see what he can do with it, maybe have it as a special or something.
"If you ever come across them, hit us up with any details you find, it doesn't know much and I don't think anyone's really encountered them, so we've been flying blind, so-to-speak," Lila asked David's help in keeping up-to-date with what the Plague Doctor is and details about it.
The TARDIS didn't provide much details and it doesn't seem any Doctor encountered them.
Lila remained adamant it was a one-time encounter, since this one came from a rift and the mention of children from its mate, well, there's always chances they'll have another encounter with a different set.
Nodding, David agreed, mostly for his own preservation.
"Need caffeine," they heard a groan and someone coming through the doors. His icy blue eyes looking empty and soulless, like he'd gotten out of a time share assembly from hell, the aloof giant shuffled towards the coffee machine.
He prepared himself a cup of coffee before he shuffled towards the table and sat adjacent from Lila and David, his face frozen with boredom.
Lila talked to Theodore as he emptied the coffee mug like he came out of the Sahara, only went the caffeine reached his brain, did Theodore react.
"I hate him," Theodore vehemently said as he sat the empty cup on the table.
Shaking her head, Lila responded with, "Come on, man, you know you don't mean that. Have more coffee, get a scone in you, work it off after we're chased by the monster-of-the-week, maybe get some burgers on the way home."
It's easy to say it, but Theodore couldn't hate his older brother, much as he drives him mad, he's his brother, and brothers always antagonize each other. Despite what Theodore believes, Hammond loves him, and he loves him back.
"Why're you taking his side?" Theodore's taken aback by Lila's speech.
Groaning, Lila gently grabbed his nose as she bluntly told him, "He's our boss and he writes the checks. He also paid for my rent for a few months so I can risk my life with you. Regardless, my point stands. Now, if you're done, David needs our help."
She releases his nose afterwards.
Looking towards David, Theodore asked what he needed help with, and David told him his woes with Jenny and her father. He figured Theodore and Lila might've had thoughts on his problems.
"He also asked about your dating life, which myself am curious about, too," Lila raises a brow at Theodore as she told him that David asked for input. She already gave her answer and she's curious about Theodore's.
Theodore's face changed and he groaned, "I wish he dragged me to another meeting!"