This story is set not very long after the 8th Doctor movie starring Paul McGann. The theme is a very dark one, involving allegations of child abuse (among other things). However, there will be no actual descriptions and the allegations will of course be false. (I like to make sure my warnings are pretty well covered.) The 'bad guy' in this was the only character that actually made me hide behind the sofa as a child watching the series. I kid you not.
The story for this has been rattling about in my head for years, so I thought I'd make a start on it, to commemorate in my own little way 40 years of the Doctor entertaining us.
Not beta'd as of yet. Once it's finished I'll take it down and tidy it up. I'm hoping to get some feed back along the way in the hopes of making this a better story.
The Maran Code
There was a bite in the still night air, but it wasn't unpleasant. In fact, it went rather well with the time of year. There was only five days left until Christmas day, and while all the children in the village were starting to believe the big day would never come, all the parents where wishing that it was well and truly over with.
One such parent was tucking their ten-year-old child up into bed.
"Oh, come on Nessa, tomorrow is your last day of school," Tegan tried not to say it with a sigh but she couldn't help it. As much as she loved her daughter, the latest chapter of her book was proving to be a nightmare, and the thought of spending it trying to calm her unruly daughter in her pre-Christmas excitement phase, was just too much for her at the moment. Especially with the way her publisher was on her back at the moment.
"I'm just not tired mum." Vanessa looked at her mother, trying not to worry her. "I'm sorry."
Tegan looked at her daughter and couldn't help the smile. "How about I tell you a story then, hmm? What'd you say?"
Nessa returned the smile with enthusiasm. "Can you tell me one about the Doctor again?"
Tegan ruffled her daughter's hair before toeing off her shoes and pulling back the blankets, climbing in next to her daughter before switching out the light. Above their heads, a hundred or more stars stuck to the ceiling glowed with a soft, gentle light.
"Ok, but as it's bedtime, it's not going to be a scary one, ok?"
Vanessa nodded enthusiastically, snuggled into her pillow a bit more comfortably and prepared herself to be entertained by one of her mother's wonderful tales.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
After San Francisco, and after such a rotten regeneration, the Doctor had felt his home away from home calling to him.
To be honest, he still didn't feel 'quite right' as it where. Like the body he was in now didn't quite fit.
He stared at himself in a rather ornate (and somewhat tacky, but you couldn't tell Louie anything, especially when it came to subtlety and taste) full-length mirror.
As regenerations went, it wasn't that bad. Although his body did seem to prefer a younger look. Galifrayens normally preferred to age gracefully. Yet he always did seem to flout convention.
He turned, looking at himself side on. He'd lost a little weight. And gained a little height. He shook his head, watching his curls bounce softly. "You need a trim."
All in all, the body wasn't as bad as it could have been. Especially considering how he'd come about it.
Which was probably why he felt a little out of sorts in it. It looked and felt fine, but it had come about due to his rather closer than usual call with death.
He shrugged it off, noticing that the TARDIS had finally come to a halt.
He wondered over to the console, casting his eyes back at his image in the mirror, before bumping into the hard frame of the console. "Ouch." He cast his eyes at the TARDIS at large. "Did you move the console when I wasn't looking?"
The subtle change in the hum the ship made wouldn't have been heard by anyone else. Not even another Galifreyan.
"Hmm, duly noted. I seem to be a little more vain this time round. I'll have to watch out for that." He looked down at readout, flicking a switch to confirm his readings. "England. Perfect. Just what the Doctor ordered."
On his way out the door, the Doctor grabbed some local currency. This was going to be a holiday, and as such, he was going to say in a hotel and get his haircut. And more importantly, he was going to relax and have no adventures what so ever.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It was cold as he walked through the quaint little village of Royston. A dull grey sky couldn't seem to hold back just how lovely this place actually was.
Catching sight of the village square, the Doctor made his way over, intent on inspecting the war memorial when the sound of a bell rang out.
Curious, he stood beside the monument of the Unknown Soldier, watching as the small school across the way suddenly was buzzing with life.
Children streamed from its doors. A few of the houses around the square now had parents standing on doorsteps, watching their children make their way home.
The Doctor smiled, watching the children screaming and yelling, playing and making plans to meet up later.
A little girl, no more than ten waved goodbye to her friends at the school gate and was walking towards him.
She was a pretty little thing. Long red hair hanging down to her waist, freckles dotted across her nose and a black smudge which the Doctor guessed to be paint, was streaked across her forehead.
She spotted him too, and with a curiosity she had inherited from her mother, she made her way straight over to him.
"Hello." said the Doctor, smiling her.
"You're not supposed to talk to me. You're a stranger."
The Doctor nodded. "Very wise advice. I won't talk to you any more." He pointed to the other side of the war memorial. "I'll just go stand over there then."
He walked until he was on the other side, and was reading the inscriptions when she peeked round the corner at him.
"I thought you weren't allowed to talk to strangers?" He said, trying to keep the amusment out of his voice.
The little girl blushed, but looked defiant. "I'm not silly you know. I'm not going anywhere with you. I'm waiting here for my mum and I can wait on this side if I want to."
The Doctor nodded again. "You can indeed."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Tegan was running late, which wasn't too bad considering she only lived a five-minute walk from the school.
Of course, Vanessa had always said she could walk home by herself, but Tegan thought she was a little too young for that. So a compromise had been made. She could cross the very small, hardly ever used road ~if~ she was careful to wait in front of the school for her mother to arrive there.
As Tegan passed through a wave of children she turned the corner, scanning the Square across from the school to see her daughter…
Who was talking to some strange man dressed like some kind of Victorian lay-about.
She stormed angrily across the road; preparing to give both her daughter and the man in question a piece of her mind.
"Vanessa! What do you think you're doing!"
She grabbed her daughter's hand, the sounds of an embarrassed "Mum!" coming from Vanessa.
Then she turned her face to the man in question, intent on seeing that he never talked to another child again.
Only to find him standing there, a rather huge grin on his face.
For a second she was too stunned at the cheek of him to say anything, and then she gave him another, more appraising look.
Weird clothes, goofy grin and kind eyes that she could never forget.
"Oh my God…"
"Hello Tegan." Without saying another word, the Doctor enveloped his past companion in a hug.
Still slightly stunned, her whole body shaking, Tegan wrapped her free arm around the other man's body, holding on to him tight. Finally she pulled away, and despite everything, despite the circumstances in which she'd seen him last, she couldn't help returning his grin with one of her own. "Hello Doctor."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
tbc
The story for this has been rattling about in my head for years, so I thought I'd make a start on it, to commemorate in my own little way 40 years of the Doctor entertaining us.
Not beta'd as of yet. Once it's finished I'll take it down and tidy it up. I'm hoping to get some feed back along the way in the hopes of making this a better story.
The Maran Code
There was a bite in the still night air, but it wasn't unpleasant. In fact, it went rather well with the time of year. There was only five days left until Christmas day, and while all the children in the village were starting to believe the big day would never come, all the parents where wishing that it was well and truly over with.
One such parent was tucking their ten-year-old child up into bed.
"Oh, come on Nessa, tomorrow is your last day of school," Tegan tried not to say it with a sigh but she couldn't help it. As much as she loved her daughter, the latest chapter of her book was proving to be a nightmare, and the thought of spending it trying to calm her unruly daughter in her pre-Christmas excitement phase, was just too much for her at the moment. Especially with the way her publisher was on her back at the moment.
"I'm just not tired mum." Vanessa looked at her mother, trying not to worry her. "I'm sorry."
Tegan looked at her daughter and couldn't help the smile. "How about I tell you a story then, hmm? What'd you say?"
Nessa returned the smile with enthusiasm. "Can you tell me one about the Doctor again?"
Tegan ruffled her daughter's hair before toeing off her shoes and pulling back the blankets, climbing in next to her daughter before switching out the light. Above their heads, a hundred or more stars stuck to the ceiling glowed with a soft, gentle light.
"Ok, but as it's bedtime, it's not going to be a scary one, ok?"
Vanessa nodded enthusiastically, snuggled into her pillow a bit more comfortably and prepared herself to be entertained by one of her mother's wonderful tales.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
After San Francisco, and after such a rotten regeneration, the Doctor had felt his home away from home calling to him.
To be honest, he still didn't feel 'quite right' as it where. Like the body he was in now didn't quite fit.
He stared at himself in a rather ornate (and somewhat tacky, but you couldn't tell Louie anything, especially when it came to subtlety and taste) full-length mirror.
As regenerations went, it wasn't that bad. Although his body did seem to prefer a younger look. Galifrayens normally preferred to age gracefully. Yet he always did seem to flout convention.
He turned, looking at himself side on. He'd lost a little weight. And gained a little height. He shook his head, watching his curls bounce softly. "You need a trim."
All in all, the body wasn't as bad as it could have been. Especially considering how he'd come about it.
Which was probably why he felt a little out of sorts in it. It looked and felt fine, but it had come about due to his rather closer than usual call with death.
He shrugged it off, noticing that the TARDIS had finally come to a halt.
He wondered over to the console, casting his eyes back at his image in the mirror, before bumping into the hard frame of the console. "Ouch." He cast his eyes at the TARDIS at large. "Did you move the console when I wasn't looking?"
The subtle change in the hum the ship made wouldn't have been heard by anyone else. Not even another Galifreyan.
"Hmm, duly noted. I seem to be a little more vain this time round. I'll have to watch out for that." He looked down at readout, flicking a switch to confirm his readings. "England. Perfect. Just what the Doctor ordered."
On his way out the door, the Doctor grabbed some local currency. This was going to be a holiday, and as such, he was going to say in a hotel and get his haircut. And more importantly, he was going to relax and have no adventures what so ever.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It was cold as he walked through the quaint little village of Royston. A dull grey sky couldn't seem to hold back just how lovely this place actually was.
Catching sight of the village square, the Doctor made his way over, intent on inspecting the war memorial when the sound of a bell rang out.
Curious, he stood beside the monument of the Unknown Soldier, watching as the small school across the way suddenly was buzzing with life.
Children streamed from its doors. A few of the houses around the square now had parents standing on doorsteps, watching their children make their way home.
The Doctor smiled, watching the children screaming and yelling, playing and making plans to meet up later.
A little girl, no more than ten waved goodbye to her friends at the school gate and was walking towards him.
She was a pretty little thing. Long red hair hanging down to her waist, freckles dotted across her nose and a black smudge which the Doctor guessed to be paint, was streaked across her forehead.
She spotted him too, and with a curiosity she had inherited from her mother, she made her way straight over to him.
"Hello." said the Doctor, smiling her.
"You're not supposed to talk to me. You're a stranger."
The Doctor nodded. "Very wise advice. I won't talk to you any more." He pointed to the other side of the war memorial. "I'll just go stand over there then."
He walked until he was on the other side, and was reading the inscriptions when she peeked round the corner at him.
"I thought you weren't allowed to talk to strangers?" He said, trying to keep the amusment out of his voice.
The little girl blushed, but looked defiant. "I'm not silly you know. I'm not going anywhere with you. I'm waiting here for my mum and I can wait on this side if I want to."
The Doctor nodded again. "You can indeed."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Tegan was running late, which wasn't too bad considering she only lived a five-minute walk from the school.
Of course, Vanessa had always said she could walk home by herself, but Tegan thought she was a little too young for that. So a compromise had been made. She could cross the very small, hardly ever used road ~if~ she was careful to wait in front of the school for her mother to arrive there.
As Tegan passed through a wave of children she turned the corner, scanning the Square across from the school to see her daughter…
Who was talking to some strange man dressed like some kind of Victorian lay-about.
She stormed angrily across the road; preparing to give both her daughter and the man in question a piece of her mind.
"Vanessa! What do you think you're doing!"
She grabbed her daughter's hand, the sounds of an embarrassed "Mum!" coming from Vanessa.
Then she turned her face to the man in question, intent on seeing that he never talked to another child again.
Only to find him standing there, a rather huge grin on his face.
For a second she was too stunned at the cheek of him to say anything, and then she gave him another, more appraising look.
Weird clothes, goofy grin and kind eyes that she could never forget.
"Oh my God…"
"Hello Tegan." Without saying another word, the Doctor enveloped his past companion in a hug.
Still slightly stunned, her whole body shaking, Tegan wrapped her free arm around the other man's body, holding on to him tight. Finally she pulled away, and despite everything, despite the circumstances in which she'd seen him last, she couldn't help returning his grin with one of her own. "Hello Doctor."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
tbc