Hello guys, gals, and non-binary pals! It really has been too long hasn't it? Hope this was worth the wait!
Look for the notes at the end of the chapter
Love is not a mission. Love is an emotion. Emotions are not missions.
And that's why you're dead on the floor, and I put you there. Love is the only mission, idiot
A almost dead Cyberman and Bel - Doctor Who: Flux - Once, Upon Time
Leticia smiled confusedly. "Good to meet you, too. For the first time."
How is she here, how? Her mind echoed.
Astrid took a step back, her white cape swishing with her." I'm sorry, Leti, I thought because you looked unchanged that-" She smiled, not reaching her eyes. "This is what you meant."
"Yes, I guess I did, in the future, somehow." Leticia's voice went slightly higher pitch at that revelation. "That's good to know?"
"Can someone send up a medi-bed?" The Doctor redirected the conversation, his neck inching towards Fray. "One of your guests has had the pleasure of giving birth during one of the worst winters of the late 2010s. You need to take a look-see at your teleport bracelets and how much they can handle." He gestured at the bracelet that is still on Fray's hand's. "Or just lay off the Earth trips for a day or two."
Astrid smiled sheepishly in response. "Thank you so much Doctor, Leticia. I was ready to send down a scouting team in order to find them." Astrid typed something on her bracelet's touchscreen. In moments, a mobile cot appeared. Alongside it, came with a humanoid person covered in a white hospital-like getup, the white mask obscuring the rest of their face. "Tasin Fray, Tasin Versi, we will upgrade your suite accordingly to account for another guest," She looked at the baby. "And extra meal vouchers to go with your "Bronze Champions package."
The Doctor helped lay Fray on the med-bed. Versi walked up to Astrid.
"Excuse me Miss Peth, Is there a nursery on board I can take the little one to?"
Astrid glanced back at Leticia, noticeable, before returning her glance to Versi. "Of course there is dear, just follow the bed, and they will direct you shortly. I have to head up to the headship around Britain airspace in a couple of moments. I will meet with everyone in the medical room later in order to give you the new suite details, with options for different ships if need musts."
Versi nodded in response. "Thank you so much!"
"Well, of course! I always do what I can to ensure that everyone is well accommodated-" Astrid's voice echoed as the med-bed was rolled down a hallway. Leticia made to follow, but was stopped by the Doctor's voice.
"Well. Our work is done." He said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Leticia blinked in his direction. "We need to see if Versi and Fray are alright."
"Sure they're alright, they're being taken care of as we speak. Astrid seems to have it all covered." The Doctor turned back to the TARDIS. "Come on, Chicago awaits! I could find us another part of town that'll be less snowy and dam-"
"It's Astrid, isn't it?" 'Of course it had to be, what else would it be?' "She doesn't seem bad." In fact, it was quite heartwarming how much Astrid managed to make a life for herself, instead of just being stardust that's unable to talk for the rest of her existence.
The Doctor took a step towards Leticia. "Leti. It's the fact that she knows you. She's from our future. This isn't supposed to happen, crossing my future- my own timeline here. And time for you right now, it's malleable. Which can be so wonderful sometimes. People tend to remember places that they've thought they've been in, people that they might have shared a bed with once or a whole life together. Any more contact with her, you're setting your future up here. Is that what you want?" His voice was harsher than he intended it to be. He didn't want to understate the severity of what is going on.
Just seeing Astrid alive and breathing, just knowing what happens to her at the end of her story, brings hope to Leticia. The companion who almost was, before the Tenth Doctor brought her back as a ghost. What kind of life would that be for anyone? She deserves to have a life like this; better for her, and everyone who knows her.
"I just want to see Versi and Fray, and the kid." She side-stepped the question. "There's nothing wrong with doing a check up. A couple of minutes can't hurt anybody. And like Astrid said, she's going to be off the ship for a while anyway!"
The Doctor gave a stern finger. "Only for a couple of minutes."
Leticia scoffed. "Sure, Doctor Funpolice."
There was no need to worry; by the time they found the makeshift room, Astrid was nowhere to be found. The room was cream yellow, except for the medical bed where Fray is resting, and the rest of the small family. "Hello Tasin family!" Leti moved over near the small cot where the baby was. "Have you found a name for the little one?"
"We were just about to." Fray looked down at the baby. "We agreed it had to be a strong name for the boy. Given everything we went through, he can be inspired to do the same later in life."
The Doctor perked up then. "What's his name then?"
Fray and Versi said in unison. "Snowflake."
Leticia paused for a second. "Well, you're right, it's a strong name." They are not going to be on Earth any longer, they have a right to name their kid whatever they want. And the kid has a right to revise that when they are older. "A valid name."
"Have you thought about coming back on the Peth cruises in the next decade?" The Doctor asked.
"Oh! We haven't even thought about that Doctor! Snowflake's transition into adulthood will be spectacular!" Versi said proudly.
The Doctor smiled tightly. "Glad I put the idea out there. Just, uh, make sure he understands some of the Earth's history before heading down the teleports. Don't want to cause too much of a culture clash."
Leticia looked at the lavish Christmas decorations that were on display in the bathroom. The twinkling lights slowly blinked red and green into existence. There was a holographic Christmas Tree on display as well. Despite this being an alien ship she was on, it fascinated her about accommodating it to humans. "She really went all out."
"I shouldn't take all the credit, dear." Leticia jumped slightly and found Astrid by the door. Still in her get up. "I delegate, head of the company and all that."
"Hello again." She waved her still air-drying hands. "Didn't expect to see you, again."
"Same here. I thought that, when it comes to the Doctor, there's so much to do. Places to see, galaxies to explore. You just can't find the time."
Leti laughed nervously. "Whatever happened to me, that's in a future that hasn't come to pass yet."
"I had a feeling when the Doctor showed up without Rose."
That made her do a double take. "Tread lightly, since we haven't gotten back to her yet."
"My apologies, it's just," She moved closer to her, her smile more bittersweet.. "It's been so long. And there's so much I have to say to you."
Leticia went to the dryer, which looked like a shower nozzle, to dry her hands. "Like I said, tread carefully. There's so much about time that I can understand in practice." She pointedly looked away from her as she said this.
"It just seems like fate, you know. It's been ages since I've seen you. And the one time I've decided to travel by the Earth this year! Well, to me, it feels like it!"
Leticia smiled, a funny old quote coming to mind from an old TV show. "Don't mistake coincidence for fate."
"In any case, I'm glad to see you, to see what you were like when you were younger." Leticia looked up at Astrid. "Pictures don't compare to the real thing you know."
And she thought she was going to play the River Song in this situation. "I'd say so."
Astrid gives her a secret smile. "I should let you be. You and the Doctor eh?" She nudged Leti in the elbow for good measure. "You'll see me soon!" With a mischievous smile, she left.
Leticia stared at the floor for a good while. If she was in a more fanciful mood, she would liken Astrid to her ghost of Christmas Past. If only because of how much she had heard of Kylie Minogue's music.
The Doctor looked on at the young baby from the crib. Someone decently prepared it well for a nursery on a ship. He looked at her fondly with pride. It has been years since he has seen a child so young. If only…
Leticia leaned on the back of the TARDIS seat. The control room is silent, save for the hums of the TARDIS, and the Doctor moving about.
How would this all work now? Rose is with Ten, somehow. Is Martha still a companion? Would Donna be? What about everyone else? River and Mels? Am I in over my head?
She looked over to the Doctor. There was so much he was going to miss out on, and so will Leti.
Time can be rewritten.
She had been inside her home for so long, with her family, for years, all because she wanted to do what was right. If she stayed, she could do so much to help people, herself.
Time can be rewritten.
I can change time. I could do that now, I have that power.
Leticia walked over to the Doctor, standing a foot away from him.
"What's on your mind?" The Doctor kept looking at the screen.
"Everything, in all honesty." Leticia laughed mirthlessly. "I can't stay with you, Doctor."
He looked back at Leticia, concerned before looking back at the screen. "Okay." He knew this would happen, at least she could get out before everything was taken from her.
"I need to stay grounded for a while, you know. Seeing Astrid, you being right about timelines and everything, and just seeing how much there is to this world-I can't even think about my grandpa without crying, you know. I'm fightin' to keep my mind on everything else except him." Her voice started to break. "This isn't for forever. I just need a place to rest for a while. Clear my head. I just want to rest. I just need rest."
Rose moved her leg slightly, arching her back. Her lashes fluttered when she heard the noise. The TARDIS.
In a second, she was on her feet, grabbing her pants and trousers. In less than 5 minutes, she made it down from the grimy steps of the building to the TARDIS quickly fixed up her hair, as it was tossed in the wind. She opened the door, and was met with Leticia's face.
Rose staggered backwards a bit. The young woman looked a hell of a lot different from when she last saw her; a bright blue with pink striped shirt. Light blue jeans. Bright colors that reminded Rose of her mum's old photos when she was in her 20s. Leticia even had some colour in her cheeks, healthier.
She waved her hands lightly, somewhat off put by the closeness. "Hey there."
Rose blinked, instantly touching the back of Leticia's head. "You're all better?"
"Better is a relative term, but yeah." She smiled. She moved aside to let her inside.
Rose walked down the grate walkway to the Doctor. "I didn't know you were able to heal that quick. Quite the miracle worker."
"Takes a while, me. Don't trust time, I don't." The Doctor looked around at the computer. "Say Rose, do you think that you can show Leticia a bit around the Powell Estate, show her the ins and outs?"
Rose looked at the Doctor, mildly confused. Fair, she had lived in the Estate for most of her life (aside from an unfortunate time in her life with Jimmy Stone), but it was just where she lived, what was there to see? "And what'll you be doing, Mister?"
"I still have to clean up the Slitheens' mess with that spaceship of theirs. Can't forget about that! Go on, wander off then! Bye for now!" He waved Rose off with both of his hands.
Rose gently scoffed. "We'll be back before dark then! We'll just leave you to do your tinkering." Rose smiled at Leticia at the door, nudging her, "Right, time to give you the grand tour of London town!"
Leticia picked at the chips basket she was sharing with Rose at a chippy a few streets down from the Powell Estate. Peckham is a bit different from Mexico, but it was still crowded. The hangout they ended up in was filled with high school students in plaid skirts and slacks. The more things change, the more things still stay the same.
It could be because there is no stressful life-or death situation, but there was something different about Rose. A bright glow that hadn't been there before. In fairness, Leticia wasn't the same person when she first met her. But it has only been, what, a few hours from Rose's perspective?
Ghost of Christmas Present, she thought idly.
While it had been a year for Rose earth-wise, even though it had only really been a few days since she had started to travel with the Doctor, most of her London knowledge was up-to-date. Thanks to the know-how of Mickey Smith, and his group of friends, Sally, Mook and Patrice, which Rose spent a bit telling her about. Her eyebrows rose at the fact that Sally actually transitioned into Sally, and from what Rose was telling her, she still is the same as she had been.
Rose snorted a bit. "It's kinda funny, me and Mickey were talking about his band, they're going to still play as Bad Wolf, to each their own, I 'pouse. But they were looking at maybe having someone on as an assistant for their gigs."
Leticia stroked her chin in an exaggerated manner. "Is it as a paid assistant?"
"Sally's footing the bill, so most likely, yeah."
Leticia grinned. "I can look into it. Might as well, you know, since it's not like there's a Scrooge McDuck uncle somewhere for me."
Rose placed her tongue between her lips. "There is the Doctor, you know."
"I know, but I can't just call up his phone all the time. What if you end up on the planet of the hats somewhere, being attacked by hat monsters?"
"Thank you for the vivid nightmare." Rose grabbed five chips in response.
"I need to at least be more independent than before. If being a roadie is the way to do it, then so be it!"
Rose smiled in a wistful way. "But there's so much out there, Leti! Different races and planets out there! You saw that during your recovery! Why do you want to just stay here?"
"I'll see them when I'll see them." She shrugged her shoulders in response. "Just need some time for myself, that's all. Besides, this is London! This might be your backyard, but this is all new ground for me." She gestured at the London Tube, which both of them agreed to go on after the food. "There's so much to explore here."
"Alright then," She finished the rest of the chips, and wiped the grease from her fingers. "I'll let Mickey know, so you're not all here by your lonesome, yeah? And Gabe too, when he isn't too busy with the job."
That gave her pause. "Gabe?"
"Oh, my bad!" Rose fished out her upgraded flip phone. It took her a couple of minutes but found the picture she was looking for. "Here you go," She handed her the phone. "He's my brother."
A picture of Rose, shortly before she must have left with the Doctor, given she had an orange sweater with her hair up in a messy ponytail. And a tall man, with hair as long as Rose's, dressed up in a white dress button-up shirt and a blue flat cap. They looked like twins. They are twins.
"He'll be able to help you the best. Trust me. Cross my heart."
The rest of the afternoon went by fast: Rose wanted to head back sooner to see her mom about dinner. It seems like Gabe will not be joining them, given his time split between his job as a cabbie, and his job as a legal night-time secretary. Leticia took in all of London she could see, how much it looks so different.
By the time they made their way back, the TARDIS was still there, which is a relief. It would be kinda crummy that the Doctor wouldn't live up to his words. This time. Rose just brought her up to the flat, where her mum was talking her head off on the phone. Jackie waved at Rose, then jerked her head at the phone, talking to someone named Bernice. Leticia sat down on the couch.
Leticia looked out of place in the Tyler Household, given she was the only American of the bunch. Then again, it wasn't like she didn't know them. She did, but probably not in the way that they would like from her. She kept looking at everything, knowing that the home that she was used to seeing for the two seasons was real. And she was standing inside it. Just even more unrealness from her life, seeing this apartment.
Before she knew it, she felt her arm move. Rose was pulling her arm up. "Looks like the Doctor is ready."
Why didn't he call her?
Oh right, she left her stuff back on the TARDIS.
She pressed her hand to her heart.
Rose closed the door behind her, as per their agreement. The Doctor walked back to Leticia, who was standing still by the column. She wanted to not look at the Doctor, instead her focus was on the gentle rising and falling of the TARDIS column.
She wanted to look away for as long as she could.
The Doctor cleared his throat. "It took some finagling, but you have some amount of savings tied under your real name. I added that with your bills, so you should be fine for a while. You will not be in need of want." He lightly joked. "The place is lightly furnanced with a couple of essentials. It's the one right next to Rose's." Meaning the building next to Rose's old flat. "Everything else, I expect you'll get on your own." Leticia nodded in response, still not looking at him. "I'll check in now again,'' he sniffed. "Even with the stench of domestic around here, it's the least I can do."
"Why aren't you fighting for me?" Leticia looked at his general direction. "I thought you would want me to stay, would want to convince me." Trying to seduce her back on the ship with the moons of Cindakalista or the plasma storm from the Horsehead Nebula.
"You'll come back someday, I know so." He said matter of factly.
Leticia raised her eyebrows. "You know so?"
"I've seen you out there, Leti, Course, you'll be back." He walked a little bit closer to her. "Part time or full time." He smiled again. And wags a finger at her. "Promise to not interfere with events you know about?"
Leti smiles knowingly. "Cross my heart."
Leti was surprised at a few things; while the Doctor didn't want to attend the dinner that Jackie made in part as a thanks, she was invited, along with Mickey. He said while it was too domestic for him, Rose could just go to dinner and get ready to leave soon afterwards, so at least she had some time with her family.
Did he really change that quick? Sure. He's not passing meat at the table, but he's less… of a hardheaded Time Lord. Or he just has better reading-the-room comprehension.
He's missing out on some good Shepherd's Pie.
"...So you ended up walking up the mountainside, back to yours, just because of that phone?!" Rose was in shock, as she was bundling up some socks to take in her duffle.
"Trust me, when I tell you, remember phone numbers, because you never know when you have to give your phone to your mom for an entrance exam."
Rose smiled in disbelief. "I want to see one of those phones now."
"General advice, jump about 10 years, they'll be everywhere." Leticia snorted. It felt easy, this. Her and Rose. Maybe there can be room on the TARDIS for two. "No one is without." She might be overthinking this, but it would have been nice.
But Rose has her own path to go on. And Leticia already managed to screw up the time when she has to leave. If Astrid's words are true.
That Rose stays, and that Leticia stays.
Time can be rewritten.
Rose shook her head. "The future isn't far off, then."
"Nah, it'll be like seconds." Leticia smiled.
They kept walking all the way down. Jackie was already downstairs, talking with Gabe, who decided on taking a break from his secretary work to see Rose off. Mickey was also down there as well.
There was the Doctor, looking no worse for wear, talking to Mickey.
Oh here it comes, the whole bit between The Doctor and Mickey about him not going on the trip. It was fine hearing it in passing, even though she cringed on how much the Doctor kept needling Mickey without Rose saying something to him about it.
"Oh there you two are, thought you would be missing your own going away party." Jackie teased them. "Ears over there already missed the dinner."
"I didn't miss, I just didn't want to sit through the dinner." The Doctor said.
Jackie held up a take out container. "Shepherd's Pie, didn't want it to go to waste. It's a thank you."
The Doctor gingerly took it. "Thank you."
"You can't go wrong with Mum's cooking, take it as is." Gabe interjected.
Leticia looked at Rose, and gave her a hug. "Take care of yourself okay?"
"Same to you." Rose pulled away, and walked up to Mickey. "Still a no?"
Mickey shook his head.
Rose smiled sadly. "It was nice while it lasted."
"You'll always pop back around, and I'll be ready to save the world from here."
Rose slightly shook her head. "I'll hold you to that." Rose hugged him, before walking towards the Doctor, who kept his eyes steady on Leticia. Waiting for something.
Leticia already said her goodbyes. And it wasn't like she wasn't really going to see him again.
"Did you take the whole closet?"
"Last time I went with you, it was the spur of a moment." She threw her duffle bag at him. "Now I'm signing up for the ride. You're stuck with me!"
"Rose, do that thing again with the mobile!" Jackie shouted at her.
With the flick of a wrist, she called her mum's mobile, awaiting a response. Jackie's mobile started to chime. The Doctor pulled out his sonic and pointed at the two mobile devices.
"That should fix up the bad reception issue."
"You call my daughter phoning me two days before Henrik's exploding bad reception?"
"At least you're not going to worry about having that little issue again."
Jackie looked back at Rose. "Promise to get back as soon as you can."
Rose's smile was a little shaky. All of this happened because the Doctor fudged the wrong date. When would it be the next time she would see them? "I promise."
Jackie pointed her finger at the Doctor. "And you? You better do what you can to keep her safe, or you'll get more on the upside of your head!"
The Doctor winced, recalling the harsh slap from a few days ago. "Yes, Ma'am."
"I'll see you all!" Rose waved her arms in a goodbye, before heading off in the ship. The Doctor, in contract, stiffly waved as he still had Rose's duffle, before heading in the TARDIS.
Leticia kept looking until the TARDIS completely disappeared in the familiar wheezing groaning noise she had heard so often, but not as up close.
Leticia looked up at the sky from the top of the building. Mickey showed her where to walk up after picking her stuff up from Jackie's place, her own bags that felt too small for her, before he headed back to his flat. She knew what was waiting for her. She fingered the new keys that are her very own.
It was something she wanted for years. So very much.
And here she was.
"I changed so much stuff," She said to the air.
"It needed a little redecoration, didn't it though?" A familiar Scottish voice said in response.
Ghost of Christmas Future.
She turned back to see the Doctor, her Doctor. The very last Doctor who just found his wife after so long.
"Doctor! Why are you here?"
"Had to pop over in London for a couple of sweets. I have quite an appetite, and there's nothing like late 2000s London sweets that hits the spot."
Leticia looked at his hair. It was getting so much curlier. She wanted to reach out and feel it. "But why are you here?" She looked down at the street below. "You could have ended up meeting yourself again."
And there it was. Two seconds with Eyebrows and she gave everything away.
The Doctor waved the thought away. "I was very occupied that night, even so much as for contact. I picked a very good night."
Leticia just looked at him. "But why are you here now?"
The lanky Doctor moved closer to her. "I wanted to see you, Leticia. There's nothing wrong with seeing an old friend." He paused before he continued on. "Especially seeing as you know a lot about me and my life than anyone else in the entire universe."
She felt her body shaking. "How?"
"Spoilers," He smiled ruefully. "I can't give anything away. But when you'll know, you'll know."
"You can't just say you know and say nothing else." Before she could blink, he walked up to her and enveloped her in a hug.
He held her for what seemed like an eternity. "It's hard to explain, Leti. You're living the slow path, and it'll catch up to you before you know it."
He said so much with saying so little.
She never goes home.
The Doctor pulled away from Leticia, still holding her in his arms. "Now, there's a little surprise for you downstairs, Big Ears spent quite a few days in the flat."
Leticia frowned. "I thought he didn't moved the TARDIS."
The Doctor laughed. "There's so much that looks like one thing, but is another." He tapped her shoulder. "Now off your pop, enjoy your first night as an adult."
"Gonna get more jelly babies before hitting the road?"
The Doctor pointed a finger at her. "Not a bad idea. I'll be seeing you, Leti."
Leticia took one last look at her Doctor. "And you'll be seeing me."
Leticia dropped the duffle on the floor. The first thing she was greeted with was her old self by the shoe rack. When she was 15, she was in front of the Christmas tree, with her mom and her grandpa. She put away her shoes and walked on her smelly socks around the new apartment.
A picture of her at her 15th birthday, dressed up in a pink dress, with her mother dancing with her.
A picture of her and her grandpa, when she was so little she came up to her grandpa's knee. It was them at Christmastime. He had so many presents for her.
All of the pictures she saw were in H.D quality, something that was near impossible to get from her tiny phone, given how small it is. The frames were a nice touch, they were the blue of her old home. She stopped at the bed, a queen sized bed, a luxury she only had the chance to sleep on when her mom still made enough money to buy a bed like that for herself.
She dropped her bags on the floor.
Leticia pulled out one of her phones.
All of those pictures.
All of them were on the S.D card.
With most of the extra copies she made of the Doctor Who stuff she had to download due to the unreliable bad internet were also on the S.D
In a file marked Doctor Who.
The Doctor kept looking at the screen. Rose had gone off to bed, tuckered out from the past 24 hours, for her. The TARDIS gave her such a colourful room, in hues of pink and yellow. She kept beaming at him.
He smiled back at the memory, but he had bigger things to focus on.
Everything he tried to do to open the file he found off of Leticia's phone failed. There was no password protecting the file, and it's a large file, given the amount of Gigabytes.
The Doctor looked up at the TARDIS. "You wouldn't happen to know what's on it, do you?"
The TARDIS beeped in response, almost mischievous.
"Oh aye?" The Doctor looked back at the screen.
"I'll leave it alone. For now."
He felt nothing but kindness out of Leticia. Understanding, guilt, grief. She is not a person to fear. He wanted to be kind. Give the girl the comforts that weren't back home. Now it lead to more questions.
So much to unpack there, right?!
This arc has be leading towards Leticia trying to outrun the fact that she is starting to change a lot of the show she loves. But it looks like some gears are in motion.
I was looking at so many endings for this arc. This doesn't mean it's over. Did you see that last scene?
Take care of yourselves, leave a review. If not for me, then someone else then.
Last Updated: July 2, 2020
Current Chapter: November 25, 2021