The Adventure of a Lifetime
Human Nature
Doctor Who is copyright to the BBC. I own nothing except my OC
The Doctor raced into the TARDIS, Martha hot on his heels. "Get down!" the Doctor yelled and both he and Martha hit the deck as a green bolt of energy whizzed overhead. The Doctor slammed the door shut and raced over to the console. "Did they see you?" he asked Martha urgently.
"I don't know." she replied
"Did they see you?"
"I don't know, I was too busy running!"
"Martha, it's important... Did they see your face?"
"No, they couldn't have."
The Doctor then ran around the console and started working the controls. "Off we go!" he said and Martha joined him as they watched the time rotor intently. Suddenly, the monitor began to beep in warning. "Ahh, they're following us!" the Doctor groaned
"But how can they do that? You've got a time machine." Martha pointed out
"Stolen technology, they've got a Time Agent's Vortex Manipulator." the Doctor told her, "They can follow us wherever we go, right across the universe... they're never gonna stop." He ran a hand through his hair, racking his brains for a solution to their current predicament. "Unless... I'll have to do it." He turned to Martha and looked right into her eyes. "Martha, you trust me, don't you?"
"Of course I do." Martha replied
"Cos' it all depends on you." the Doctor said, reaching under the console for something.
"What does? What am I suppose to do?" Martha asked
The Doctor produced an ornate fob watch with Galifreyean symbols engraved in it. "Take this watch." he said, handing the watch to Martha, "Cos' my life depends on it. The watch, Martha, this watch is..."
~8~
John Smith jerked awake in his bed. He shook his head, dismissing the dream he'd just had and got out of bed. There was a knock at the door. "Come in." he called and Martha entered, wearing a 1910's maid's uniform and carrying a breakfast tray.
"Pardon me, Mr Smith." she said when she saw him in his pyjamas, "I can come back later."
"No, it's alright, it's alright." John waved her off, putting on his dressing gown, "Put it down." Martha complied, John watching her thoughtfully. "I was, um.. Sorry, sorry. Sometimes I have these extraordinary dreams."
"What about, sir?" Martha asked, opening the curtains.
"I dream I'm this... adventurer. This... daredevil, a madman. 'The Doctor', I'm called. And last night, I dreamt that you were there. As my... companion."
"A teacher and a housemaid, sir?" Martha asked rhetorically, "That's impossible."
"And I'm a man from another world." John continued
"That can't be true, because there's no such thing."
John went over to the mantle and picked up the fob watch with the Galifreyean symbols. "This thing. The watch, it was.." he murmured, considering it for a moment, then put it down again. "Yeah, it's funny how dreams slip away. But I do remember one thing, it all took place in the future. In the year of Our Lord 2008."
"I can prove that wrong for you, sir." Martha smiled, "Here's the morning paper." She picked a newspaper up off the tray and handed it to him. "It's Monday, November 10th 1913, and you're completely Human, sir. As Human as they come." she finished, with a slight undercurrent of disappointment in her voice.
John didn't notice it "Hmm, that's me." he said brightly, "Completely Human."
~8~
The Union Flag was raised to full mast as boys sang a hymn, ready to begin the day at Farringdon Boy's School. John watched as a group of boys marched smartly past, like a platoon of soldiers. "Morning, sir." one of them greeted as they passed him.
John made his way inside the building, ready to start his lessons for the day. By the stairs, he passed Mr Rocastle the headmaster, a stern, pompous ex-military man. "Headmaster." John greeted.
~8~
John was soon busy teaching a class about the Napoleonic wars. "Impediment. The French were all but spent, with only two battalions of the old guard remaining." he informed his pupils, "A final reserve force was charged with protecting Napoleon. By evening, the advance of the Allied troops had forced them to retreat."
~8~
Presently, Martha was scrubbing the floor in the main hallway with another maid, Jenny. Martha and the Doctor had been at the school for two months now. The Doctor had made himself Human and believed he was a school teacher named John Smith while Martha was his personal maid. The past two months had been unbearable for Martha. Jenny and the school matron were nice to her, but everyone else looked down their noses at her due to her skin colour. "Morning, sir." she greeted as John walked past on his way to his next class.
"Yes, quite." John nodded, before moving off upstairs.
"Head in the clouds, that one." Jenny commented, "Don't why you're so sweet on him."
"He's just kind to me, that's all." Martha replied, "Not everyone's that considerate, what with me being..." She gestured to herself.
"A Londoner?" Jenny laughed
"Exactly! Good old London town!" Martha grinned
Just then, two senior boys, Jeremy Baines and Thomas Hutchinson, walked by. "Uh, now then, you two. You're not paid to have fun, are you?" Baines said snobbishly, "Put a little backbone into it."
"Yes sir, sorry sir." Jenny said sheepishly and went back to work.
"You there, what's your name again?" Hutchinson asked Martha
"Martha, sir. Martha Jones."
"Tell me then, Jones. With hands like those, how can you tell when something's clean?" Hutchinson said and he and Baines laughed cruelly at their joke.
Smack!
A feminine hand appeared out of nowhere and gave Hutchinson a good clip round the ear. "I say!" he protested as he spun round, only to see the school matron, Iris Pangbourne, standing behind him with her hands on her hips and a stern expression on her face. "Oh, hello, Matron. I didn't see you there." Hutchinson blustered
"Clearly." Iris said dryly, "Now, I know you boys think you're God's gift to the world but just because you think you are, it doesn't mean you actually are, and it doesn't give you the right to forget your manners and talk down to other people. Now apologise to Miss Jones right now."
"Oh, Matron..." Hutchinson began to protest
"Hutchinson, I am giving you a choice." Iris told him, "Either you apologise or I tell Mr Smith what you just said to his maid. I'm sure he'll something to say to you."
Hutchinson knew that he would face severe punishment if John found out so he had no choice but to swallow his pride. "I apologise for my remarks, Miss Jones." he said begrudgingly.
"That's better." Iris nodded, "Now don't let me catch you saying such vile remarks again."
"Yes, ma'am." Hutchinson grunted and he and Baines went sulkily away.
Iris turned to Martha. "There you go, Martha. I don't think they'll be troubling you again." she said
"Yeah, thanks, Matron." Martha nodded
"Don't mention it." Iris smiled, "You two coming down the pub tonight?"
"We'll be there." Jenny grinned
"Good. See you both tonight." Iris nodded and went on her way upstairs.
~8~
John was just leaving his office with a pile of books when Iris came up behind him. "Morning, Mr Smith." she greeted
"Oh, there we go." John jumped, dropping a book.
"Oh, sorry, Mr Smith. Let me help you." Iris offered
"No, no, I've got it." John insisted, "Let me just... no. How to retrieve. Ah, could you take these?" He handed Iris the stack of books and bent down to pick up the book he'd dropped. "No harm done. So, um, how was Jenkins?"
"He's fine." Iris replied, "Just a cold, nothing serious. I think he's homesick more than anything."
"Oh, we can't have that." John said
"He received a letter from home this morning, so he's in better sprits now." Iris replied, "Um, what do you want done with these books?"
"Oh, sorry." John blustered, realising that he'd forgotten Iris was still holding them, "Just let me..." He rather awkwardly reached forward to take them off her.
"Tell you what, why don't we take half each?" Iris suggested
"Ah, brilliant idea. Brilliant." John agreed, taking half of the books, "Perfect division of labour."
"Teamwork." Iris smiled, "So, is there anywhere in particular we're taking these?"
"Yes, um, this way." John said, nodding down the hallway. Ever the gentlemen, he let Iris lead on. "I always say, Matron, give the boys a good head of steam, they'll soon wear themselves out."
"I hope you don't mind, but I'd rather you called me Nurse Pangbourne when it's just you and me." Iris said, "Matron makes me feel, well, old."
"Ah, sorry, Nurse Pangbourne." John nodded as they started to head downstairs, "If you forgive me for asking, but how old are you?"
"I turned 22 last month." Iris replied, "In fact, although I've only known you all of two months, I'd prefer it if you called me 'Iris'."
"Iris?"
"That's my name." she nodded
"Ah, pretty name." John observed. In fact, he thought that Iris was rather pretty herself, with her porcelain complexion, ocean blue eyes, long auburn hair and hourglass figure.
"And your first name's John, isn't it?" Iris asked him
"Yes, yes it is."
They paused by a bulletin board halfway down the stairs. "Have you seen this, John?" Iris asked, gesturing to a flyer, "It's the annual dance at the village hall tomorrow night. It's nothing formal, just a nice bit of fun so I'm told. Do you think you'll go?"
John stammered for a moment, unsure how to answer. "I haven't thought about it." he blustered
"I haven't been to a dance in ages." Iris said, "Not since I was in school."
"Well, I should imagine that you would be..." John babbled, trying to think of what to say, "Um... I mean, I'm sure if you're up for... I mean... that is... I probably won't, but even if I did then I couldn't... um, I mean I wouldn't want to..."
"The stairs." Iris said suddenly
"What about the stairs?" John asked
"They're right behind you." Iris warned. While John had been babbling, he'd been unknowingly walking backwards towards the stairs.
John turned to see, lost his balance and tumbled down the stairs. Iris could only grimace, the she rushed down to help him.
~8~
Iris had soon helped John back to his room and was tending to his sore head. John was grunting and grumbling dreadfully. "You know, I get boys making less fuss than you're making." Iris commented
"Because it hurts." John moaned
Just then, Martha burst in. "Is he alright?" she asked worriedly
"Martha, how many times do I have to tell you? Knock before entering." John reprimanded
"Leave her alone, she's just worried about you." Iris countered
"But is he alright?" Martha persisted then looked at John. "They said you fell down the stairs, sir."
"No, it's just a tumble, that's all." John waved her off
"Have you checked for concussion?" Martha asked Iris, her medical background instinctively kicking in.
"First thing I did." Iris reassured her, "He's going to be alright."
"Thank you, Matron." Martha nodded, "I'll just tidy up." She moved to the desk and began tidying it up.
"I was just telling Nurse Pangbourne... Matron, um, about my dreams." John said, moving to the settee, "They are quite remarkable tales." He turned to Iris. "I keep imagining that I'm someone else, and that I'm hiding."
"Oh, really? Hiding in what way?" Iris asked in interest
"They're almost every night." John replied, "This is going to sound silly..." he laughed
"Oh, don't shy." Iris smiled, "There's nothing wrong with a bit of silly."
"I dream, quite often, that I have two hearts." John told her
"Well, I can soon settle that." Iris smiled, pulling her stethoscope out of her bag and placing it on John's chest. "My diagnosis, just one heart, singular."
Martha looked disappointed but neither John or Iris noticed this and they both shared a laugh at the thought of someone having two hearts. "I have written down some of these dreams in the form of fiction." John continued, "Um, not that it would be of any interest."
"Oh, I'd be very interested." Iris reassured him
"Well... I've never shown it to anyone before." John said, going to his desk and retrieving a leather-bound journal which he handed to Iris.
"'Journal of Impossible Things.'" Iris read the handwritten title on the first page. She then turned the pages to see writing and sketched of various things. One showed a very sophisticated control console of some kind while another showed a small cylindrical device with a light on the end. "Very creative." Iris remarked, then she noticed sketches of all sorts of strange creatures. One depicted a child wearing a strange mask, while another depicted an object that resembled a dustbin. "Fascinating creatures." Iris observed
"Mmm, it's become quite a hobby." John remarked
Iris flipped to the next page where she saw sketches of a squat toad-like creature, shop window dummies and a figure in 18th century French dress wearing a mask, then she noticed a sketch of a young woman. "And an eye for the ladies." Iris remarked good-naturedly.
"Oh, no, no, she's just an invention." John said, "This character, Rose, I call her, Rose. Seems to disappear later on."
On the next page, Iris saw a sketch of Martha, only she was wearing strange clothes. "Oh, there's you, Martha." Iris observed, then she saw sketched of figures in metal armour and a police public call box.
"Ah, that's the box, the blue box. It's always there." John explained, "Like a... like a magic carpet, this funny little box that transports me to far away places."
"Like a vehicle?" Iris queried
"Mmm." John confirmed, then Iris turned the page to see faces of various men including John's. "I sometimes think how magical life would be if things like this were true." John said wistfully.
"Me too." Iris agreed
"It's just a dream." John shrugged and they continued to look through the journal.
~8~
Presently, the bell rang denoting next classes and Iris left John to resume her duties. She was halfway down the corridor when Martha came running up behind her. "Ma'am, that book..." Martha began
"I'll look after it, Martha, don't worry." Iris assured her, "Mr Smith said I could read it."
"But it's silly, that's all." Martha persisted, "Just stories."
"I like stories." Iris countered lightly then became serious. "Who is he, Martha?"
"I'm sorry?"
"He seems like he's left kettle on. Like... he knows he has something important that he needs to tend to but can't remember what."
Martha laughed nervously. "That's just him."
"You came with him, didn't you?" Iris asked, "He found you this job at the school, correct?"
"I used to work for the family, he just sort of inherited me." Martha replied
"Hmm, well, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, Martha, but you need to be careful." Iris told her, "I've noticed how familiar you are with him and although I don't see any problem with that, other people here may not be so understanding. There's a lot of bigotry here at this school, as you saw with Hutchinson this morning and I don't want anything bad to happen to you."
"Yes, ma'am, thank you." Martha nodded, glad that Iris understood and accepted her as a person unlike the majority of people at the school.
"Don't mention it." Iris smiled and the two women went their separate ways.
~8~
That evening, Iris was heading for the pub where she'd planned to meet Martha and Jenny for a drink. As she was taking a shortcut across a field, she suddenly saw a bright green light appear a few metres above her in the sky and hover. Then, a green beam shone down on her for a few seconds before going out, leaving the young matron staring in disbelief at what she'd just seen. As she turned to look the way she'd come, she saw the green beam light up again and start to drift across the countryside before going out again. Spooked by it all, Iris turned and ran, not stopping until she reached the pub where Martha and Jenny were waiting.
"Matron, are you alright?" Martha asked, seeing how spooked Iris looked.
"I just saw something." Iris panted, "In the woods just now, this... light..."
At that moment, John came out of the pub. "Anything wrong, ladies?" he asked, "Far too cold to be standing around in the dark, don't you..."
"There it is again!" Iris interrupted, pointing to the sky where the green light flew overhead, "Look!"
"Oh, that's beautiful." Jenny breathed
"All gone." John said, "Commonly known as a meteorite. It's just rocks falling to the ground, that's all."
"I saw it coming down in the woods." Iris commented
"No, no, no, they always look close." John reassured her, "But actually they're miles off. Nothing left but a cinder. Now, I should escort you back to the school." He turned to Martha and Jenny. "Ladies?"
"No, we're fine thanks." Martha waved him off, staring at the sky.
"Then I shall bid you goodnight." John nodded, putting his hat on.
"See you both tomorrow." Iris called to her friends and she and John headed off back towards the school.
"Are you alright?" John asked once they were out of earshot of the others.
"Yes, I'm fine." Iris replied, "That light gave me a start that's all. I was reading your journal before leaving and I guess it made me jumpy."
"Well, everything's fine." John smiled, "There's nothing here that can harm us."
~8~
Next day, John was in his study when there was a knock at the door. He answered the door to find Timothy Latimer, a quiet, shy, but secretly brilliant boy, waiting outside. "You told me to come and collect that book, sir." Latimer said
"Good lad, yes, yes." John said, "The Definitive Account of Mafeking by Aitchison Price. Now, where did I put it?" He began rifling through the books on his desk. "And I wanted a little word. Your marks aren't quite good enough."
"I'm top ten in my class, sir."
"Now, be honest, Timothy." John said, "You should be the very top. You're a clever boy, you seem to be hiding it. Where is that book?" he grumbled, finding no sign of it on the desk. "And I know why." he continued, moving to his anteroom to check the bookcases, "Keeping your head low avoids the mockery of your classmates. But no man should hide himself, don't you think?"
"Yes, sir." Latimer replied from the other room.
"If you're clever, be proud of it, use it!" John encouraged. He rifled through several shelves then found the book he was looking for. "Fascinating details about the siege." he said as he returned to Latimer, "Really quite fascinating. Are you alright?" he asked, noticing that Latimer seemed rattled about something.
"Yes, sir. Fine, sir." Latimer replied hastily
"Right then, good." John nodded, giving him the book, "And remember, use that brain of yours." Latimer seemed to freeze over for a moment. "You're really not yourself, old chap." John frowned, "Anything bothering you?"
"No, sir, Thank you, sir." Latimer shook himself out of his daze and left the room.
~8~
Later that morning, John was teaching a class on the use of machine guns. Hutchinson was currently manning the gun while Latimer was in charge of ammunition. "Concentrate." John ordered.
Iris stepped out onto the school patio to watch. She felt rather sick at the sight. Although she found that John was a breath of fresh air compared to the other teachers at the school, it seemed that he still held their misguided belief in teaching the boys on how to kill.
"Hutchinson, excellent work." John praised as Hutchinson successfully hit his target.
Just then, Mr Rocastle came up. "Cease fire." he ordered
"Good day to you, headmaster." John greeted
"Your crew's on fine form today, Mr Smith." Mr Rocastle praised
"Excuse me, headmaster, we could do a lot better." Hutchinson spoke up, "Latimer's being deliberately shoddy."
"I'm trying my best." Latimer protested
"You need to be better than the best." Mr Rocastle told him, "Those targets are tribesmen, from the dark continent."
"That's exactly the problem, sir. They only have spears." Latimer pointed out
"Oh dear me, Latimer takes it upon himself to make us realise how wrong we all are." Mr Rocastle said haughtily, "I hope, Latimer, that one day you may have a just and proper war in which to prove yourself. Resume firing." he ordered and Hutchinson began firing again.
Suddenly, the gun stopped. "Stoppage. Immediate action." Hutchinson ordered Latimer, but Latimer didn't move. He was staring into space, completely shell-shocked at something. "Didn't I tell you, sir? The stupid boy's useless." Hutchinson sneered, "Permission to give Latimer a beating, sir?" he asked Mr Rocastle
"It's your class, Mr Smith." Mr Roscastle said to John
"Permission granted." John nodded
"Right, come with me, you little oik." Hutchinson growled and dragged the terrified Latimer away, most of the other boys accompanying them.
John then noticed that Baines was sniffing the air "Anything the matter, Baines?" he asked him.
"I thought... No, sir. Nothing, sir." Baines said and walked away
"As you were, Mr Smith." Mr Rocastle said, and went off back towards the school.
"Pemberton, Smyth, Wicks, take post." John ordered, and the boys took up positions. John then noticed Iris and walked over to her. "Ah, Nurse Pangbourne." he greeted cheerfully.
"Um, I'll give you your journal back next time I see you." Iris said stiffly
"No, no, no, you don't have to." John said, noticing a troubled expression on Iris' usually sunny features.
"If you'll excuse me, Mr Smith, I have to rescue Latimer." Iris said curtly and walked off, leaving John feeling a tad ashamed that he'd obviously incurred her disapproval.
~8~
That afternoon, John had no classes so he decided to head into the nearby village where he found Iris, who was running some errands. "Are you alright, Nurse Pangbourne?" John asked her, "You seemed a trifle bothered this morning."
"I found myself disappointed in you." Iris explained, "You authorised a beating even though you know nothing good ever comes from violence."
"I had no choice." John defended, "The headmaster would've questioned me if I'd refused Hutchinson permission."
"The headmaster is a fool." Iris replied, "I can't tell you how many times I've had to stop myself from telling him what he can do with his precious guns. There is nothing just and proper about war at all. My father served in the Army and he didn't think there was anything just and proper about killing. It seems to me that Latimer is the only person in this school to talk sense."
"How is he, anyway?" John asked
"He's fine." Iris replied, "I got there just in time."
"Good." John nodded, "Um, if you forgive me for asking, how did someone so young become matron?"
"Circumstances." Iris replied, "I came to the school two years ago as assistant nurse. Joan Redfern was matron then. Last April, she decided to visit America with her husband, sailing on the Titanic. They both survived the sinking, I'm relieved to say, but Nurse Redfern decided to retire after that experience and spend more time with her husband, hence I was promoted and here I am. I have to confess, there are times when I question my place here. When I decided to become a nurse, I did it because I wanted to help people, yet I find myself watching boys learning how to kill."
"Don't you think the discipline is good for them?" John asked
"Of course I think discipline is important." Iris replied, "But does it have to be military discipline? I mean, if there's another war, I don't think the boys will find it so amusing then."
"Well... Great Britain's at peace, long may it reign." John shrugged
"I read in your journal about next year, 1914."
"That was just a dream." John reassured her
"But all those images... of mud, trenches and barbed wire." Iris shivered, "You wrote of a dark shadow falling across the entire world."
"Well, then we can be thankful it's not true." John said, "I'll admit mankind doesn't need warfare and bloodshed to prove itself. Everyday life can provide honour and valour and... let's hope that from now on this, this country can... can find it's heroes in smaller places..." He became distracted as he noticed two things. First was a woman with a pram coming round the corner by a nearby shop. Second was two men lifting a piano to the upper floor of the shop. John saw that the rope on the piano was straining and about to break. The two men were trying their absolute best to hold it but the woman was walking obliviously towards the danger. "In the most..." John tailed off, seeing a boy playing with a cricket ball nearby. "Ordinary of..." He saw that the rope was on it's last strands, ready to break any second. "Of deeds." John finished, snatching the cricket ball from the boy. He threw it at a bundle of spare scaffolding pipes which hit a plank and catapulted a brick into the air. The brick hit a milk churn and knocked it over right in the woman's path, causing her to stop just as the rope gave way and the piano came crashing down, right where the woman would've walked had she not been stopped. "Lucky..." John murmured, surprised at himself for his own actions.
"That was not luck, that was amazing!" Iris breathed in admiration.
John plucked up courage. "Iris Pangbourne, might I invite you to the dance evening?" he offered, "As my guest?"
"Yes, you absolutely may!" Iris beamed, "It would be my honour, John Smith."
~8~
Presently, John and Iris were walking past a field with a scarecrow. "I think it's all becoming perfectly clear now." Iris said, "This 'Doctor' is the man you'd love to be, performing amazing feats with cricket balls."
"Well, I discovered a talent, that's certainly true." John shrugged
"And this Doctor's certainly quite the ladies' man." Iris said teasingly
"The devil!" John laughed
"He has girls in every fireplace." Iris continued
"Now there I have to protest." John smiled, "That's hardly me!"
"Oh, I dunno. You've asked me to the dance, you've got Martha as your personal servant." Iris continued good-naturedly.
"What do you think of Martha?" John asked her
"I think she's lovely." Iris replied, "She's not afraid to speak her mind and she cares about others. I wish there were more people like her."
John's eye was suddenly caught by something. "That scarecrow's all skewed." he frowned and went over to put the scarecrow right.
"An artistic eye as always." Iris observed, "Tell me, John, where did you learn to draw?"
"Galifrey." John replied absentmindedly then frowned, wondering why he'd said that.
"Where's that? Ireland?" Iris asked
"Yes, it must be, yes." John mumbled, a little unsure.
"Do you have any Irish ancestry?" Iris asked
"Not that I'm aware of." John replied, "My father Sydney was a watchmaker from Nottingham and my mother Verity was... um... well, she was a nurse, actually."
"Oh, there's a turn-up for the books." Iris smiled
"Well, my work is done. What do you think?" John asked, gesturing to the scarecrow.
"A masterpiece." Iris replied
"All sorts of skills today!" John laughed and they both resumed their journey. "Talking of parents, what about yours?" John asked Iris, "You said he served in the Army?"
"Yes, he served in the Royal Berkshire Regiment during the second Boer War." Iris replied, "Private Oliver Pangbourne. He fought at Spion Kop. When I was growing up, he told me about his experiences. They were what inspired me to become a nurse."
"And your mother?" John asked
"Her name's Katherine. She's a char lady for one of the big houses in Reading." Iris replied
"Ah, well, I think they should be proud of you." John complimented, "They have a wonderful daughter."
"Oh, stop it!" Iris laughed as they reached the road and headed off back towards the school.
~8~
Later that day, John had persuaded Iris to let him sketch her in his journal. "May I see it now?" Iris asked when John had finished. John sat beside her on the settee and showed her the sketch. "Goodness." Iris breathed, looking at the attractive young woman in the sketch, "Is that me? Can't be. Are you sure that's not me?" she laughed, pointing to a sketch of a hulking creature on the opposite page.
"Most definitely this page, I think." John reassured her, pointing to his sketch as her.
"Can't be." Iris persisted, "She's too beautiful to be me."
"You are beautiful, Iris." John told her earnestly, fondly brushing a stray strand of her hair behind her ear, "That's how I see you." He slowly leaned in towards her, she returned the movement, and they kissed briefly. "I've never, um..." John began when they broke apart, but ran out of words and chose to kiss Iris again, a long and loving kiss this time which she reciprocated. Suddenly, the door flew open and Martha appeared, causing John and Iris to quickly break apart. "Martha, what have I told you about entering unannounced?" John said irritably, annoyed at the interruption.
"John..." Iris scolded, but Martha had already scurried back out of the door and closed it behind her. Iris quickly got to her feet and headed after her but Martha had already disappeared down the corridor. "If you'll excuse me, John." she said to John, "I think I'd better get back to work. I'll see you tonight." And she left the room and headed off back towards the infirmary, butterflies in her stomach. This had been her first kiss and it was an amazing experience.
~8~
That evening, John was getting ready for the dance. He'd decided to wear a grey tweed suit and bowtie. "Robert De Niro's waiting, talking Italian." he sang to himself as he buttoned up his jacket and gave his reflection in the mirror the once over. "Robert De who?" he muttered as he realised what he'd been singing. He'd never heard of anyone called Robert De Niro, yet alone heard a song about someone with that name. "Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight." he sang again as he straightened his bowtie and smoothed out his hair. "No, maybe not." he muttered, wandering where he'd heard a song like that before. Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Come." John answered.
The door opened and Iris entered. John's eyes nearly popped out his head at the sight of her. She looked beautiful in a midnight blue velvet dress with satin lapels and cuffs, an off-white lace bodice and a midnight blue satin sash around her waist, while the skirt was of midnight blue satin with floral pattern embroidery at the hem. Her hair was worn half-up half-down, with the up part held in place by a jade butterfly comb while the down part cascaded down her back in fiery copper waves. Her shoes were royal blue suede pumps and she wore an off-white silk shawl with floral embroidery around her shoulders. "Is this acceptable?" she asked, doing a twirl to give John a full look.
"Perfect. You look wonderful." John smiled
A small blush appeared on Iris' cheeks. "I think you'd better warn me in advance, can you actually dance?" she asked
"Um, I'm not certain." John replied
"Oh, well, I guess this will be a learning curve for both of us." Iris smiled, "Is there anything you are certain about?"
"Yes." John replied, stepping closer to her, "Yes." And he kissed her tenderly and lovingly, Iris going along with it and reciprocating.
Suddenly, the door burst open and Martha flew in, looking as if she'd just been running for her life. "They've found us." she panted.
"Who have?" Iris questioned
"Martha, I've warned you..." John grumbled
"They've found us and I've seen them." Martha rambled frantically, "They look like people, like us, like normal. I'm sorry, but you've got to open the watch." She went over to the mantle to discover that the fob watch was nowhere to be seen. "Where is it? Oh, my God, where's it gone?" Martha fussed as she shuffled through things on the mantle, "Where's the watch?"
"What are you talking about?" John asked
"You had a watch, a fob watch. Right there." Martha told him, pointing to the empty spot where the watch had been.
"Did I?" John shrugged, "I don't remember."
"What's wrong, Martha?" Iris asked, puzzled at Martha's odd behaviour.
"We need it." Martha babbled, "Oh, my God, Doctor, we're hiding from aliens, and they've got Jenny and they've... possessed her or copied her or something and you've got to tell me, where's the watch?"
"Oh, I see." John said nonchalantly. "Cultural differences." he said quietly to Iris and picked up his journal. "It must be so confusing for you." he said to Martha in a patronising tone, "Martha, this is what we call a story."
"Oh, you complete..." Martha grumbled, realising that she was effectively talking to a brick wall. "This..." She waved a finger to indicate John. "...is not you. This is 1913."
"Good. This is 1913." John said casually, thinking he was right and Martha was just acting out.
"I am sorry, I'm really sorry but I've got to snap you out of this." Martha said and promptly slapped John across the face.
"Martha!" Iris gasped, shocked that Martha would lash out like that.
"Wake up!" Martha hollered at John, "You're coming back to the TARDIS with me!" And she grabbed his hands and tried to drag him along.
"How dare you!" John growled, yanking himself out of her grip, "I'm not going anywhere with an insane servant. Now get out!" And he forcefully shoved Martha out the door. "Nerve of it!" he grumbled, "You think I'm a fantasist, what about her?!" he said to Iris.
Iris snapped out of her shock. "She does have a point." she said, "There was a watch there yesterday, I'm sure of it. Anyway, let me have a look." She examined John's cheek. "Ah, good. Nothing broken. It'll just sting for a bit."
"Right then." John said, "Shall we?" He offered his arm and Iris took it.
~8~
John and Iris were soon arriving at the village hall. "Is everything alright?" John asked, noticing that Iris had been quiet on the way over from the school.
"I'm just worried about Martha." Iris replied, "She seemed such a lovely person. I wonder what would make her act like that. I know culture shock and that wasn't it."
"I'll talk to her in the morning." John reassured her, "Maybe she will have calmed down and we talk about it rationally. How's that?"
"Fine." Iris replied, giving him a smile.
"Spare a penny for the veterans of the Crimea, sir?" the doorman asked John, holding out a can.
"Yes, of course." John replied, reaching into his pocket, "There you are." He dropped two pennies into the can and he and Iris went inside.
People inside the hall were milling about, getting drinks from a beer keg, laughing and talking. "Ladies and gentlemen, please take your partners for a waltz." a man announced
John and Iris took their places and started to dance as the music started. "You can dance." Iris smiled
"Quite surprised myself." John laughed, only to accidentally bump into another couple. "Sorry." he called
"I guess we spoke too soon." Iris laughed.
~8~
Presently, John went to get some drinks while Iris sat down at one of the tables. The matron took a moment to survey the room. Most of the village had turned out to attend the dance. Her eyes fell on Latimer. She didn't know how he had gotten in as children were supposed to be accompanied by an adult but she decided to let it go as she felt that Latimer deserved to enjoy himself after the way Hutchinson treated him. Then she spotted another familiar face, Martha. "Martha, are you alright?" Iris asked, "I was worried about you."
Martha got to the point. "He's different from any other man you've ever met, right?"
"Yes."
"And sometimes he says these strange things, like people and places you've never heard of, yeah?" Martha continued, "But it's deeper than that. Sometimes when you look in the eyes, you know, you just know that there's something else in there. Something hidden. Right behind the eyes, something hidden away. In the dark."
"Martha, I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about." Iris said
"Yes, you do." Martha countered, "And I'm sorry, I really am, but the awful thing is it doesn't matter what you think. But you're nice and you're lucky. And I just want to say, I truly am very sorry for what I'm about to do."
Just then, John returned with the drinks. "Ah, Martha." he said sternly, "Perhaps now if you've calmed down, we can talk about..."
"D'you know what this is?" Martha interrupted, holding up the Doctor's sonic screwdriver, "Name it. Go on, name it."
"That's the magic wand from your journal." Iris realised, recognising the strange silver and blue cylindrical device as the same one she'd seen a sketch of.
John slowly took the sonic from Martha and turned it over in his hands, unable to believe that an item from his dreams was actually real. "You're not John Smith." Martha told him gently, "You're called the Doctor. That man in your journal, he's real. He's you."
But before John could answer, a portly man who John and Iris recognised as Mr Clark burst in carrying a strange-looking gun. He was followed by Baines, who had an arrogant smirk etched on his face. "You will be silent, all of you!" Clarke bellowed as Jenny came in, accompanied by what appeared to be walking scarecrows, exactly like the one John had fixed earlier that day.
"Mr Clarke! What's going on?" the announcer demanded. Mr Clarke responded by simply shooting the announcer with a green bolt of energy from his gun which completely vaporised him, causing panic and screaming from the terrified guests.
"No!" Iris breathed, horrified at what she'd just witnessed.
"Mr Smith, everything I just told you, just forget it!" Martha hollered to John, "Don't say anything."
"We asked for SILENCE!" Baines thundered, and the screams stopped. "Now then." Baines continued in a calm voice, "We have a few questions for Mr Smith."
"No, better than that." said a little girl with a red balloon, who Iris recognised as Lucy Cartwright, "The teacher, he's the Doctor. I heard 'em talking."
"You took Human form?" Baines questioned John
"Of course I'm Human. I was born Human!" John blustered, not understanding what was going on, "As were you, Baines. And Jenny, and you, Mr Clarke. What is going on? This is madness!"
"Oh, and a Human brain too." Baines commented, "Simple, thick and dull."
"But he's no good like this." Jenny said
"We need a Time Lord." Mr Clarke agreed
"Easily done." Baines smirked, pulling out a gun and aiming it at John, "Change back."
"I don't know what you're talking about." John protested
"Change back!" Baines demanded
"I literally do not know how..."
Jenny grabbed Martha and pointed a gun at her head. "She's your friend, isn't she?" Jenny grinned cruelly, "Doesn't this scare you enough to change back?"
"I don't you what you mean!" John insisted
"Wait a minute." Jenny pondered, "The maid told me about Smith and the matron... that women there!" She pointed at Iris.
"Then let's have you!" Clarke snarled, grabbing Iris and holding her hostage like Jenny did with Martha.
"Have you enjoyed it, Doctor?" Baines goaded John, "Being Human? Has it taught you wonderful things? Are you better, richer, wiser? Then let's see you answer this... which one of them do you want us to kill? Maid or Matron? Your friend, or your lover? Your choice!"
To be continued...
Author's notes. Ok, a new story to close out the year. This story stems from some chats I've been having with DarkSideofParis about what if the snooty and unlikable Joan Redfern was replaced by a much more amicable OC. She has the same idea and our chats have inspired me to have a crack at it myself. I made a reference to Redfern to explain her absence. Iris is a more progressive person than Redfern, she's aware of the failings of 1910's society, is more respectful to Martha and disagrees with the warmongering attitude of the school. In case anyone's wandering, I picture Iris as looking like Kate Winslet circa 1997. As a bit of trivia, the dress Iris wears to the dance is based on the flying dress from Titanic. I thought that dress suited Kate so well and I couldn't resist having Iris wear it. More trivia, Iris's first name is a nod to Kate's character from The Holiday, while her surname is a nod to the community of Pangbourne, which is located near Kate's hometown of Reading. Many thanks to Maethorial Artemis for beta-reading this chapter and making the cover image for me. So, I hope everyone's had a safe and fun Christmas and I hope you all will enjoy the new story. Goodbye for now.