Bill grinned to herself as the Tardis landed with a solid thump. It was still a bit barmy to her, traveling round time and space in a box that always sounded like it had a bit of a head cold, but it was growing on her. That and he'd let her pull the lever for them to land. Her. Bill Potts. Operating a time machine. Brilliant.
Though kind of a let down now that she thought about it. She'd kind of thought she'd get to flip more switches or twirl the twirly thing or press buttons or whatever it was the Doctor did… which, to be honest, seemed to change a little each time.
"Good job, Miss Potts," the Doctor called from another room. "I'll just be a moment."
"Sure…" Bill said, flopping back to sit on the jump seat, then getting up again, hands in pockets, restless. How anyone could figure out how this thing worked was beyond her. "So where are we?" Bill asked, looking at the monitor, expecting to see something exciting. "…Other than a janitor's closet," she muttered, looking at the mop propped up in the corner.
"Nothing wrong with janitors," the Doctor said. "Sometimes I'm known as the great janitor of the universe!"
"Uh huh…" Bill said, not entirely doubting him. He was so weird. "But you're not going to tell me we did the whole time and space thing to visit a mop. 'Cos if that's what you wanted, we've got at least three of them in the caf'."
"How does Christmas Day, in London of the howling twenties sound?"
"Get out," Bill said with a laugh. "That's amazing!"
"Isn't it?" The Doctor said and there was a faint zip.
"I mean, when we left, it was March!"
"I- Yes of course it was March. Why is that the part that shocks you?"
"It's like we went round the whole year, and more or less stayed in the same place," Bill said, grinning hugely at the mop that was now a kind of Christmastime mop. Didn't make it look much better, but the great thing was, if it was Christmastime, it meant she didn't have to use it. "And I'm on break."
"Aren't you even going to ask about the howling twenties reference?"
"Oh, was I supposed to notice that? Thought you'd just got mixed up."
"I never get mixed up," he said and she decided not to comment . "But I'm talking about the 5020s. Earth's third golden age. And after I take part in a panto for the Queens, I'm going to take you to see the famous Daisy Golding."
"Okay, I have no idea who Daisy Golding is," Bill said, turning as she heard the Doctor come out.
One time, when she was an eleventh year, a boy trying to impress her told her about the blue screen of death. When a computer can't handle any more input, he' d said, it just shuts down. And looking at the Doctor now, in his silver heels and the matching silver flapper dress with the fringe just above his knobbly knees, overdone make up and blond wig - she was starting to understand that humans could blue screen, too. Especially since the sunglasses he still wore sent the two styles crashing into one another at top speed.
"But…" Bill said, because there was something beyond all that that was bugging her. "If we're in the 5020's, right, why are you dressed like the 1920s… ?" she added as he came down the stairs, wobbling a bit on the heels. "And what's with the wings?" She said, noting the small sparkly butterfly wings strapped to his back.
"Oh, blame the aesthetic of the phantomime. Now…" He typed something into the keyboard and swiveled the monitor towards her. On it was the picture of a gorgeous woman. Soft brown skin, full lips, bit of a gap in her teeth which made it adorable, curled black lashes over dark brown eyes and a golden flower in her straightened hair.
"Daisy Golding. Most famous Jazz/Hypno Fusion artist in the early 5020s. Greatest artist of her generation."
"And we're going to see her?" Bill said, grinning.
"On stage and in person," the Doctor replied with a grin. "Best part of time traveling when you're me is that you get more famous than anyone else. Which makes autographs a cinch."
"Wow." Then Bill laughed a little. She couldn't imagine it would be easy not to give an autograph to someone that was trying to look like some sort of faeire queen on a bender. And then a thought. "You're not trying to set me up, are you? 'Cos, as my tutor, that'd be a little creepy."
"Of course not!" the Doctor said, shutting off the monitor with a press of a button. "Now tell me…" he turned. "Are my seams straight?"
A few moments later and Bill was standing outside the janitor's closet in an empty corridor. Something seemed a bit odd about all of it- maybe because everything in this office building seemed pretty normal. Even a bit old fashioned. The Doctor locked the door to the Tardis and Bill blinked at the sudden familiar chirping sound.
"What was that?" Bill said.
"Temporal lock," the Doctor said, stepping out of the closet and, seeming to look for somewhere about his person to put the key. He finally dropped the key down the front of his dress only for it to slide through and hit the floor with a clink. They stared at it.
"Could you…?" The Doctor started.
"Yeah." Bill swept it up, faintly surprised at how warm it felt, and stuffed it in her pocket. "Why a temporal lock?" And then after a pause to think about it. "What's a temporal lock?"
"Humans have just started to mess around with time and if the Tardis gets stolen, well, we'll all be in trouble. So! That lock, prevents any time traveler from entering for about, oh, twenty-four hours or so."
"Okay but… it sounds like a car alarm…"
The Doctor gave her an exasperated look. He took her upper arms with both hands and leaned in and Bill tried not to laugh at the huge false eyelashes.
"Sometimes," he said. "The sounds of sufficiently advanced technology are no different from a car alarm. Now let's go!" He let her go and wobbled his way toward one of the windows. "There's a whole great world out there… to explore…"
Bill followed him and looked out the window herself. Frankly, she expected more flying cars, but definitely not old timey vehicles and a skyline that didn't look like any kind of London she'd ever known.
"Uhm," she said, hazarding a guess. "Not…5020?"
"1950," he said, tapping the side of his fingers against his lips as he stared out.
"Annnd not London," she said, more certain this time.
"Los Angeles."
"I see…" Bill nodded, looking down on the road once more. It seemed fairly busy for this time of night whatever time of night it was.
Then the reality of it hit her.
"Right so, we're stuck here, with no chance of getting back in the Tardis for twenty-four hours."
"Yep."
"With me looking like," and she made an open palmed gesture to her own face. "And you stuck looking like the fairy queen."
"Technically it's godmother…"
"In America."
"Right."
"In 1950."
"Got it in one."
"We're going to die," Bill said, hands in her back pockets as she stared out, half expecting search lights and dogs to appear at any moment.
"Oh, come on, Miss Potts. Don't be so prejudiced." He gestured at the view. "Have you ever considered we might not die? Have you ever considered we might come across something amazing? Have you ever considered something wonderful might happen?"
"Have you considered, America? 1950?" She gestured at the window herself. "I may not have A levels in history but even I know this is a really bad time to be us in…"
There was a silence. Somewhere in the distance a police car went by and Bill shivered.
"Have you considered," said the Doctor after a moment. "That we can't go back and if we don't go forward, we're going to be sitting in an abandoned office building for twenty-four hours with no internet and nothing to do?" He seemed to consider. "I could always see if the employee lounge has Monopoly."
Bill thought about it. On one hand, going out there seemed pretty dangerous. On the other she really didn't want to spend the next few hours hunched over a Monopoly game while whatever was out there passed them by. And… maybe it would be alright.
"If we die, I'm going to kill you."
"Fair enough."
This wasn't so bad, Bill thought as they strode along the pavement. At least they'd landed in the right season and the decorations were pretty to look at. She tried not to let the old fashioned look put her off entirely- It all just reminded her too much of old people, too stuck in their ways with narrow opinions and set ideas that were okay to have because it was the common thought 'back in their day'. Their day wasn't today, Bill had always wanted to say but never had because what would be the point?
Also, maybe because it was Christmas or maybe because they stuck to the shadows as much as they could, some people they passed on the pavement didn't stare at them. Of course some people also crossed to the other side of the pavement, but Bill would prefer to be avoided over the alternative.
"See?" said the Doctor. "So far so good-!" His last word ended in a yelp as he tripped over an uneven section of payment for the thousandth time and went staggering forward. Bill caught his arm before he could face plant into the pavement and sighed heavily.
"Doctor you're going to break your neck," she said. "Probably. Can't you take your shoes off?"
"And ruin my stockings?" he said. "These are two hundred year old Venusian silk. Not easy to get, you know, even for me."
"Two hundred year old Venusian silk," Bill said, giving him a look. "As in: from Venus the planet?"
"Well I don't mean Venus the casino." He frowned and raised his eyebrows. "But that place isn't bad either if you don't mind skipping out on a mountain of debt for the rest of your considerable life."
Bill watched his face. He pushed his sunglasses up and watched her back. She screwed her mouth to one side and then shook her head.
"Sometimes I think you just like to make stuff up," she said, resuming to walk but keeping close by his side.
"What makes you say that?"
"I mean, Venus is full of gases and that. You can't live there and you definitely can't get silk from there."
"Buut?" the Doctor said and Bill had a feeling this was supposed to be a Learning Moment, so she thought. Well obviously he couldn't mean Venus. At least not Venus now or even Venus two hundred years ago, probably.
"But you have a time machine… So…you can go into the past." Maybe not the two hundred years ago past but- was Venus ever able to be lived on?
"And…?"
"And the future…" Bill scratched the side of her nose, attention briefly grabbed by a man in a super bulky Darth Vadery outfit that disappeared into a shop just ahead. But even if he could go into the future, how would that make Venus and more able to live on unless… "Climate change?" No wait! She snapped her fingers. "Terra-whatever! Like those little robots!"
"Exactly! Except in this case, two hundred years ago."
"Okay but that doesn't make sense cos…"
She trailed off as they rounded the corner. This place must be where the nightlife was. Bars and clubs dotted either side of the road, with people and noise drifting out of them. But the people were important. Mostly men in stuffy 1950's suits and some women too but she had suddenly found herself facing a sea of brown. Everywhere she looked, people like her. Not that there weren't any brown people in Bristol- but her foster mother had worked hard to keep her away from that sort. Not that Bill had ever really understood why, except for the vague feeling she was not enough of anything her foster mother had wanted.
But this… this was… nice.
"See?" The Doctor said softly. "Expect the unexpected."
"Yeah…" Bill said, feeling warmth go through her. It was hard to say whether the Doctor had planned this or not but she gave him the benefit of the doubt- and before things could get too sappy, said: "But you definitely don't fit in."
"Well I stand out everywhere. It's the good looks. Can't hide them."
"Nnooot sure that's what it is," Bill said. The Doctor seemed not to have heard her, instead clapping his hands together and rubbing them.
"Alright. Where should we go first. We could hop around looking for something interesting or follow the sound of someone screaming for help."
"I don't hear anyone screaming for help," Bill said, wondering just how good his hearing was if he was picking up screaming she wasn't.
"No, not yet. But you never know, do you?"
"That only ever happens around you," she said, hands in her pockets. Or at least, she never heard any screams for help before meeting him.
"Does it?" he said.
"Well well well," said a deep voice drunk behind them and Bill's heart sank. Here it came. They turned, the Doctor tripping a little over his own two feet. Bill wasn't sure what to make of it. He was a big guy, dark and good looking if you were into guys. Clearly a little sloshed. He weaved slightly and leered in a brilliant white grin.
"Hey, Dolly," he said. "Wanna go shake it in the station? Daddy's got the bread if you got the time."
Bill wondered if it would make it better or worse to tell him she was only into girls.
"Listen, Daddy-o," the Doctor said and Bill covered her face with both hands. Oh God.
"Please…" she said but again he didn't seem to hear her.
"This it is not shaking anywhere near you, regardless of the dough you have. You dig?"
The man threw back his head and laughed. "I dig, I dig."
She breathed out a sigh of relief, glad that it was finally over and they could-
The man leaned in, planting his hand on the wall on the other side of the Doctor.
"What'll it take then, sugar?"
The Doctor grinned.
"What've you got?"
Bill threw up her hands. "I'm walking away now," she said and did so. It wasn't that she cared that the Doctor was flirting with a drunk bloke. It wasn't that the Doctor was in drag. It was just the fact that the Doctor was flirting in drag with a drunk bloke from the 1950s that was all a little hard to take in. Also it was a lot like watching a grandfather flirt and though old people in love were cute and all there were several things she just didn't want to think about.
She didn't plan to go far, but the sound of jazz filtering out of a nearby club drew her attention. She went closer, stepping out of the way as a man left , catching her foot in the door and staring at the woman singing on stage. Short and curvy, with long straightened hair and full lips with a little cute gap in her teeth.
It was…!
But then she started to sing…
"Have yourself a merry little Christmas~ Let your heart feel light~"
Her voice was beautiful, like honey. Warmth filled her from her head to her feet and she found herself leaning against the open doorway. Wanting to float in. Be under those eyes. Taste her lips but not because that would stop her beautiful voice. All of a sudden, those dark eyes fell on her and a smile seemed to play on the woman's mouth as she sang.
"Have yourself a merry little Christmas~ Make the yuletide gay~ " And she winked. Actually winked! Right at her. Bill nearly jumped out of her skin, feeling her face heat. She would have walked right into that room then, and up on that stage, when suddenly a man filled the doorway.
"Pay or get out," he grumbled and shut the door in her face before she could even fumble money from her pocket. Probably for the best, she thought ruefully. She doubted they'd accept anything but dollars here. At least now that the door was closed, her head felt clearer, like she'd been doused in cold water. Bill shook her head to clear it, then, curious, pressed her ear to the door, listening to the song end.
There was a round of applause, a quiet thank you and then someone said:
"More of Daisy Golding in just a few minutes, folks, but before that…"
So it was Daisy Golding! Bill thought, stepping back from the door a bit and staring. Had the Doctor gotten the time right after all? No… no definitely not… But what did it mean?
"Doc-" she started, then realized he wasn't there. A glance over her shoulder and she saw he was still being chatted up by that drunk bloke. Forget beautiful girls made of water, and tiny robots and monsters under the Thames- this was probably the weirdest experience she'd had so far.
"Doctor," she said, approaching him and hoping not to overhear anything she'd never be able to not think about again. Fortunately, it seemed she'd grabbed his attention right away. "Sorry to interrupt this… whatever. But can I talk to you about something?"
"Of course," he said.
"Aw, you gotta go so soon?" the drunk bloke said.
"Duty calls," the Doctor said with a bow, and then had to readjust his wig. "It's been a pleasure, Mr. Leeds."
"What was that about?" said Bill when they'd gone a fair distance. The drunk bloke remained on the corner, watching them and, was it her or did he actually look sad about the whole thing?
"Oh, just having a nice chat," the Doctor said. "What up?"
"First of all, no," Bill said, raising her eyebrows at the slang that she really didn't want to hear coming from him.
"Right."
"Second of all… er… how old would you say Daisy Golding is?"
"Good question…" he rubbed his chin. "I don't remember exactly but she can't be more than forty or fifty."
Yeah. Dumb thing to ask him really. There was nothing forty or fifty about that picture he'd shown her, nor the woman on the stage. Still… it was something Bill could work with.
"Not, like… four or fifty hundred… right? Cos I swear I just saw her in there." She gestured at the club. "And they called her name. Daisy Golding…"
"That's not right…" the Doctor grinned. "Let's go have a look shall we?"
"Okay," Bill said. "But they want money to get in."
"Don't worry, we'll sneak in. No one will notice."
"Doctor, no offense, but you look like Marilyn Monroe on testosterone. I think someone's gonna notice."
"Then you sneak in and I'll get caught in… But we should move." He leaned in closer, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Look around, Miss Potts. Have you noticed…?"
"Noticed what?" Bill said in the same tone and looked around. Other than more of those weird bulky Vaders going into clubs and things, there was nothing unusual but the drunk bloke watching them from the corner still. But he seemed alright so…
"The um… the Vaders are a bit weird, yeah," she said, hedging her bets. "Thought it was some kind of panto or costume party or something."
"What's a bit weird is that Star Wars won't come out for another ten plus years. No, they are as much out of time as we are and perhaps Miss Golding is…"
"Is she in trouble?" Bill asked, watching one of the Vader things with wide eyes. Whatever they were, it seemed like they could pack a hell of a punch.
"I don't know. Can you try to get to her?"
Bill nodded. She would definitely try.
"Once you find her, stay put," the Doctor said. "The more out of sight you are, the better."
She nodded again. That was easier said than done. There was always something out there that needed doing, it seemed, when he said things like that. But it was weird, cos, looking up at him in his ridiculous dress and ridiculous wig and ridiculous makeup; she somehow trusted him completely.
"Doctor…" she murmured.
"Shh I'll be alright, Bill."
"…Right, yeah I figured. Only your uh…right…" she gestured to her own chest. "… is slipping."
"What?" He clicked his tongue. "Ruddy things." He shifted the…whatever it was back into its proper place and pushed the sunglasses up to cover his eyes. "Let's do this."
The plan seemed straightforward and simple. Maybe a little too straightforward and simple. What it boiled down to was he was going to burst in and talk very fast at everyone until he somehow got his way. Bill wasn't entirely sure how it was going to work. Also whenever she looked over her shoulder she thought she saw those Vader things looming, though that could just be she was already half afraid of them.
The Doctor leaned against the door to the club. Counted down from three on his fingers, and then burst in, flinging the door wide.
"Alright, everyone stop what they're doing!" he bellowed into the club, over the music of the band which faltered and stopped. "I have something important that each and every one of you needs to know!"
Silence. Now everyone was looking at them. How this was going to let her sneak in without being seen was beyond her.
"Well?" he said, stepping into the club. "Isn't anyone going to ask? What about you? Big man by the door. What's your name?"
"Louis."
"Louis! Great name that. I knew a Louis. At least three of them in fact. You should have seen the house of the last one. Would have made you lose your head. Did about the same for him."
"Look, you kook," said the doorman. "You can't just come in here and—"
"Oh, yes. Look about that… One moment…" and he began to lift the hem of his skirt. Bill put a hand over her face and tried not to melt into the pavement out of sheer second hand embarrassment. Just how was he planning to distract them? She felt a surge of odd relief when she saw him pull an ID wallet out of a lacy black and white garter and show it to him.
"Forgive me ,I'm a little short on pockets," he said, grinning as a wave of a laugh went through the room. "Here you go. " He flipped open the wallet. "I am the entertainment for this evening. Sorry I was a little late. Hard to shake the boys off with a bum like this." Another laugh. Was this… was this comedy? How was it going to help her sneak in if everyone was looking at the door?
"I…" The man took the ID wallet and squinted at it. "Looks signed and sealed to me. But why would the owner want-"
"Oh!" the Doctor took half a step back, as if surprised, pointing at him. "Yes! Good question! Very good question! After all, this is the Alabam! -Though oddly slightly renovated- Some of the greatest musicians have played here! Ella Fitzgerald… ah…" he put a hand to his heart. "Louis Armstrong, eh, Louis!" He winked and fingergunned at the doorman. "Fats Walter, Jelly Roll Morton, Nat King Cole. And here I am," he gestured to himself: "Skinny white man in a dress. Doesn't quite roll off the tongue."
Laughter and this time Bill found herself smiling too a little bit. If there wasn't danger in the air, she'd probably want to laugh too.
"Right! Excuse me-" he plucked the ID wallet from the doorman's fingers and stuffed it into his garter, then began to walk backwards to the stage, the eyes of everyone following him. "So the question comes in three fold. Why am I in a dress. Why am I wearing sunglasses, and-" He walked up to the stage, standing in front of it. "What kind of entertainment am I going to provide you fine people on this Christmas day."
Bill bit the inside of her lip, peering around the corner at the doorman. He seemed transfixed by the Doctor but she could see the faint light from the street sliding over his dark face and if he checked to look then that might be a problem. Nodding to herself, she ducked in, hiding herself in the shadows. He seemed to glance her way but the Doctor said:
"Louis! Brilliant man. What do you think? Why am I in a dress?"
The doorman grunted and then smirked, folding his arms.
"Not allowed to say in polite company," he said, grinning as more laughter followed this. Even the Doctor laughed.
"You might be right. In this case, however it comes from an a very old British tradition- which starts by getting yourself about nine sheets to the wind and deciding that, yes, you can indeed pull off silk and beads." A beat. "Though when you're that sloshed you're lucky if you remember the silk." Another rolling laugh that even the doorman got into, his deep bass rolling underneath. Bill smiled faintly, felt a little ache and let it fade as she moved further in. There were a couple of white people looking bemused in one of the corners, but for the most part there were all brown faces in this dim room, under the soft glow of Christmas lights wreathed in green.
She was tempted to sit with them. Just to be.
A flicker from the stage caught her attention and she caught sight of Daisy Golding watching from the side, mostly hidden by the curtains. Once again she seemed to look straight at Bill before disappearing back into the dark. Right. That was more important right now.
"As for the sunglasses," the Doctor said as Bill searched around for a way to get back there. "Why would I wear them? The answer is, have you seen me? " He was on stage now and turned a leg to the audience. "On a bright day I could blind a mole at thirty paces."
Laughter. A man nearby was laughing so hard he seemed to have trouble staying in his chair. And just beyond him Bill saw a door, almost lost it in the shadows but for the dark green bulk of a wreath. She went up to it and slowly opened it, just enough for her to squeeze out before moving to shut it just as quietly.
"I used to live on the coast but they kept trying to use me as a light house," the Doctor was saying. "Not a bad job but I kept getting dizzy and then on foggy days all the fresh ships just keep honking at you."
More laughing and Bill smiled to herself and shook her head. She was in a dark corridor now. A few doors on one side. She hadn't really done theater in school and never really been to one otherwise, let alone back here, so she wasn't quite sure what to look for. She paced until she thought she was far enough from where the stage ended and tried the door, sure it would be locked, but it opened under her hand.
There was another hallway here. Most of it was dark but, down at the end of the hall on the right, a door was open and warm light spilling out. After a moment, 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' rolled out deep and rich like from a radio or something. Taking a deep breath, and hoping it was the right one, Bill went to the end of the hall, hesitating against the wall just beside the door.
"Come in," a honey warm voice said and Bill, relaxed only a little, turned to stand in the doorway. Daisy Golding sat at a vanity. She looked just as good as ever, but older. Not middle aged or anything but definitely not as young as the picture. Maybe it was the wrong person? But then again, Bill thought as she noted the ball of softly shifting colors floating near the ceiling, maybe not.
"What is that?" Bill said, pointing.
"A sangeet, of course," the woman said. "Just like you can buy anywhere in the Tower."
"The Tower?" Bill said, then remembering where this woman was supposed to be from. "You don't mean-" she grinned. "You don't mean London Tower?"
"Well the district underneath it yes," Daisy Golding said, seeming puzzled. But then her voice smoothed over and the honey was back in it. "Anyway, come in and have a drink." She gestured to two small glasses of amber colored liquid sitting on the vanity. "I've been waiting for you."
"For me?" Sure Daisy Golding was a little old for her now, but that didn't stop the thrill of excitement going through her. That was the first time she'd heard that from someone so gorgeous.
"Mmhm." She patted the stool across from her. "Sit down. Have a drink."
Bill sat, hand reaching for the glass before she even thought about it. She wrinkled her nose. Did she really want one though?
"Nah, not much of a drinker."
"Come on, don't be so stiff," Daisy Golding said, looking in her eyes, fingers brushing over her knee making her toes curl. "Have a drink."
Bill found her hand moving again. That was weird. She stopped herself with her fingers round the glass.
"But I don't want a drink," she said. Then remembered. "Hypno!"
"Shh," Daisy Golding said, hand warm on her knee then. "Have a drink."
"No… no it's hypno. You're trying to hypnotize me. Right?" She grinned, kind of excited about it really. "Never been hypnotized before."
Daisy Golding made an irritated noise, snapping her fingers and catching the ball as it fell. She put it on the table a bit harder than she should have and glowered at Bill.
"Alright, so what is it you want from me? Why are you here?"
"Nothing," Bill said. "Oh, except, you're in trouble."
Daisy Golding clenched her hand in her lap, her eyes blazing.
"Is that a threat?"
"What? No! No…." Bill said, holding up her hands. "Not from me… from these… big blokes in Darth Vader armor…I think…" Because the Doctor had never said for sure they were dangerous to her. For all Bill knew, they could be friends. Or maybe not as Daisy Golding was staring at her like she had no idea what Bill was even talking about. Bill wished she had more to go on than that. That was the problem traveling with the Doctor, he explained a lot except when she really needed information she somehow didn't have it.
"I…dunno…" Bill said, trying to remember anything else that he'd noticed that might clue the woman in. "They…it was weird Darth Vader armor. Really big helmets" She put her hands out on either side of her head then narrowed them in. "Kind of thin bodies. They were…wandering around looking in clubs and things. Maybe… looking for you?"
"Oh…" The anger and confusion faded from the woman's face, replaced with a deep sadness. She opened the drawer of her vanity and pulled out a small silver frame, setting it on her knees, looking at it. It seemed like she wanted a moment so Bill kept quiet, eyes down so the woman wouldn't think she was staring at her. Instead, she watched Daisy Golding stroke the black velvet back of the frame with her thumb. Whoever was in that photo must mean a lot…
"I suppose…" Daisy Golding sniffed, wiped at the bottom of her eyes. "They'll start to get agressive if the don't find what they're looking for…"
"I s'ppose, yeah," said Bill because that seemed to be how it went. "Who are they?"
"Judoon, of course," said Daisy Golding, looking puzzled. "I mean, they must be after what I've stolen…"
"Right, Judoon." Another name she'd have to ask the Doctor about later. And then: "What did you steal."
"Wh-" Daisy Golding frowned and picked up one of the drinks, looking at the amber liquid critically before she raised her eyebrows at Bill. "You didn't drink this while I wasn't looking did you? "
"Uh no…?"
"Well what do you think I could have stolen?"
"No idea," Bill said, trying to grin, stuffing her hands in her pockets. The warmth of the Tardis key pressed against her finger. Oh, hang on. "No wait…" Because if Daisy Golding wasn't centuries old and definitely wasn't supposed to be here- and looked younger in the picture than she did now. "Some sort of time thing, right?"
"I think it's called a vortex manipulator…" She pulled out something out of the drawer that looked like a wallet on a wristband, setting it on the vanity. She sighed. "I probably should't've knocked that poor cadet out after he showed me, but I thought he'd get in less trouble that way."
Bill stared at her and let out a breath. This woman was stronger than she looked to knock out one of the Vaders. Those things looked like they could knock a train off its tracks. Anyway, the solution seemed simple. Probably too simple but…
"Well…" Bill said. "Why not just return it? Say you're sorry?"
Daisy Golding shook her head, smiling sadly.
"I'll have to be taken back for trial. And once I'm back…." Her eyes glinted with wet again and she leaned back, pressing a hand under her nose and looking away as if she was trying to hide the emotion. "I became the most famous singer in the galactic cluster. Nine hundred and ninety-nine billion people knew my face and name. But no one knew me. Just what they thought-" She shook her head. "Have you ever been surrounded by people and felt completely alone?"
"Yeah," Bill said. "A lot…" And sometimes even in the same house. Just two people, her and Moira, and sometimes she felt she might as well be invisible. Unless of course she'd screwed up something or her foster mother wanted to talk about boys.
"I was tired of it," Daisy Golding said. "Thought I would go mad from it. My contract meant I couldn't even think of retiring for another fifty years but the thought of that-" She sniffed and thumbed a tear from her face before looking back at Bill, smiling with a sort of warm fondness- as if Bill was an old friend. "Then I remembered someone had told me to run free… and that it would be alright…"
"But… you're still a singer," Bill said, trying to understand. "People know your name."
"Here, I'm a singer under my own terms. Free to come and go as I like. Also …there's Sequoia." Daisy Golding turned the frame around so that Bill could see. It was a black and white picture of Daisy and another woman, tall and dark and proud, wearing a suit and a hat at an angle. They were holding hands in the photo, but even if they hadn't been, it was obvious they were together.
"We have a daughter too," Daisy said, leaning over to see herself. She smelled nice, Bill thought. Faintly of pine and something minty. "And a son. Quite a few nieces and nephews… All a little like us… Cast out from their lives. Their homes. Wanting to be free to be themselves, but in a place and time like this…" She narrowed her eyes, something sad and angry coming to her expression. "So difficult. More so than I ever imagined."
"You've got a … a vortex thing," Bill said. "You could leave." Only she didn't think Daisy would go alone. She didn't know how many that vortex thing would take at a time. Still, she couldn't leave her here in this place. The 1950s was bad enough, but from what little that Bill remembered it was going to get a lot worse before it got better. And even in 2017 it wasn't great. Not in Britain, definitely not here in the States.
"Even if I could leave," Daisy said, taking Bill's hand in both of her own. "Even if I could and take all my family with me. There are still others that need a safe place. Somewhere they can call home. Some people they can call a family. Maybe I can't change the minds of bigots and arseholes…" She smiled a little. "But if I can change just one person's life, that's enough for me."
Bill couldn't help but stare at her. She was such a small woman, but she seemed big as a star at that moment. Filled with warmth and light. How someone could just - do that. To give up that kind of thing for others…
There was a sudden crash and scattered screams. Bill jolted and Daisy winced, pulling back, her own hands shaking as she looked toward the wall with fear. They were here. Those Judoon or whatever. Bill knew right then and there that she wouldn't let Daisy get taken. Not from her home.
She snatched the vortex thing from the vanity, struggling to put it on. Daisy reached for her.
"What are you doing?"
"Pretending to be you," Bill said, hoping they fell for it. "A-and even if they don't, they'll want this thing back, yeah? So they'll have to catch me first." And hopefully the Doctor could help. No she was sure he could help. He always had before.
"It doesn't matter if they find out the truth," Daisy said, grabbing their hands. "You'll be imprisoned for aiding and abetting and they'll be back-"
"Yeah but.. Maybe not for a little while." There was another resounding crash and the whine of a microphone.
"But…"
"Just… just trust me. Even if it's only for a few days, maybe something wonderful will happen? Anyway you've got people to look after."
Daisy Golding pressed her lips together, then stepped back. Bill took it as agreement. She hurried to the door and then paused, remembering something else.
"Look, there's this bloke, kind of big and meaty looking, called Mr. Leeds…."
"I know of him…" Daisy said.
"Right, well, I think… he could use …someone to talk to…" Then, hoping she'd go through with it, gave her the thumbs up and raced out of the room. One of the doors just opposite said: 'stage' and Bill wrenched it open, clambering up onto the stage, trying to go faster than she could think about, and held up her arm which had the vortex thing on it.
"I'm Daisy Golding!" And then she stared. "And you're rhinos. Doctor. Why are they rhinos?"
"Aass I just got through saying," the Doctor said, putting an arm on her shoulders. "There is no Daisy Daisy Golding here."
"Well you're wrong, I'm Daisy Golding. With the vortex thing…" And-No, she couldn't. "But seriously, rhinos? Darth Vader rhinos?"
"Yes, rhinos," the Doctor said impatiently. "I'll explain it later. Anyway, I lied," he said turning back to the Judoon. "And so did she. I am Daisy Golding."
"He's lying," said a man by the half open door that Bill recognized as the Leeds bloke. "I am Daisy Golding."
"No, I am," said a tall dark woman, standing.
"No, me, I'm Daisy Golding," said the bassist, adjusting his small wire frame glasses with a shaking hand. More and more stood up. It was weird but in a good way. Something warm and unsettling at the same time, all these people risking their lives for her. Bill knew though it was up to her to get their attention-even though the thought of getting captured by those things.
"Great just what we needed, a Spartacus revival," the Doctor muttered. "It's not going to work the Judoon are just…" And then he smacked the heel of his hand to his forehead and took her shoulder once more. "Oh. Ohhhh. Oh Bill you're brilliant. Is she still back there?"
"Yeah… but…"
"Wait right here."
And he dashed off behind the curtains. Bill stared. Then shook her head. The rhinos were looking around, annoyed as more and more people stood. One of them fired his weapon upward, making chunks of the ceiling rain down and people shrieked and ducked for cover.
"You are all accused of aiding and abetting-"
"But they're not," Bill said, raising her voice and showing off the vortex again, her own hand shaking. "I am. Please… Please just take me…yeah? I'm Daisy Golding, I swear." Because these guys taking any of Daisy's friends would be just as difficult. To…to lose anyone…
"That's not true…"
Bill's heart sunk as Daisy Golding's honey voice filled the air. She came to the stage, fluffy white hem of the snowflake dress sweeping the ground.
"Don't you believe a word of it," she said, spreading her hands, voice amplified and purring. The Doctor came up beside Bill then, pressing something in her hand. She turned it, opening her fingers a little and saw soft white ear plugs. He gave her a short nod and glanced up. She did, too, and saw the shimmering ball was hiding in the rafters now, out of sight.
Hypno?
But…
"There is no Daisy Golding here…" the woman said softly. "And there never has been…"
Oh… no… wait… that didn't sound…
The Doctor tapped her wrist and gave her a glower from under his eyebrows and she suddenly got it, putting the ear plugs in. She could still hear the woman speak but it was muted. Distant.
"It's Christmastime so let's stop this fighting and all calm down… Come on, fellas, ladies and gentlemen, close your eyes and just breathe with me…"
The Doctor took her hand then and they ran. Down the stage steps, through the door, out into the cool night and onto the pavement. The air cleared her head and she blinked. Wait, Daisy Golding had been back there. So why…
"Doctor, what-"
"Running for our lives right now. Questions later."
Bill pressed her lips shut and followed. They raced back the way they had come and she followed, even though she wasn't sure about it. If she remembered Daisy, those Judoon would too. The only thing that kept her from running back was the fact that she trusted the Doctor. She knew he wouldn't just abandon the woman. She knew he had a plan. Or… at least she hoped he did.
So she kept quiet until the Doctor let go of her hand and skidded to a stop in front of the janitor's closet, flinging it open.
"Hang on… Hang on we're not just leaving her are we?" Bill said.
"Yes, we are, but it'll be fine," he said, staring at the Tardis with a hand on his glasses.
"How will it be fine? That hypno thing doesn't last and once it wears off they're going to know…"
"I'll take care of it."
"And I thought you said we couldn't get into the Tardis for another twenty-four hours!"
He made a noise and turned toward her.
"Okay, I lied. Sort of. It's a very long and complicated answer which I didn't think was relevant at the time. Short version. I can get in, because I know how. But breaking a quantum lock of this nature will do this." He snapped his fingers. There was a speckle of light and something blew out, making her stagger a bit. Then the lights went out. Everywhere. Outside too.
"LA is going to have a problem for a couple of days," he said. "And we're going to have a problem in a couple of minutes- So," He held out his hand. "Key, please."
Bill reached into her pocket for the key, then closed her hand over it. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, 'cos she did more than almost anyone else she'd ever known but…
"… I mean… they were right there in the room with her, Doctor. How are we going to save her? If it's just cos of me… But she's not like me, Doctor. She's got people to look after. A place to belong…"
"Bill, she'll be fine," the Doctor said, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Listen, the Judoon aren't the brightest bulbs in the universe, so they have to depend on technology to track their prey. Usually they track by bio scanners, but Daisy Golding is just as much human as anyone else. However… she's got one thing here no one else has…" He tapped the vortex thing. "…and now, we have it."
"And they won't hurt her?" Bill said.
"They won't even be interested," the Doctor replied. Bill thought it over, then nodded and handed him the key.
Bill sat on the lip of the Tardis, legs dangling over the side as she watched the vortex thing spin slowly away into space, backlit by gorgeous red and green nebula. It was a surreal thing. She felt happy and sad all at once and a little tired, too. She heard the Doctor come up behind her and shifted to make room as he sat with her, handing her a cup of tea, the faint light glinting off his silver shoes and the beads in his dress. She was even starting to get used to it, that was the sad thing.
"Cheers," she murmured, sipping the warm tea that tasted slightly of mint. The taste of it made her toes curl a little. She swung her feet a little faster, and then gestured out at it: "So what's going to happen if the Judoon find it by itself?"
"Oh, I don't know. Return it probably. But the circuits are fried so no one is going to be able to tell when it came from."
"That's good…" She rested her head against the door frame, watching, the cup warm between her hands.
"She said she had a lot of people to take care of," she murmured after a while. "But it looked like people were taking care of her too."
"She was a good woman," the Doctor said. "Lived a long and plentiful life. Changed her name. Opened a halfway house for troubled youth… Became a huge supporter of the LGBT movement… Had a large loving community…"
"Her family," Bill said. The Doctor nodded.
"You're a lot like that, too," she said, nudging his arm. "Helping people and all that. Even when it's hard."
"You too," he said, nudging her back.
"Nah… Didn't really do much at the end of it." Sure she'd tried, and was glad she didn't succeed really since, being a prisoner of big rhino people? Not really something she was looking forward to. Still, everything had been taken care of. So there was no use being even a little sad over it
"You'd be surprised," the Doctor said. "Sometimes it only takes a little to do something big."
"Yeah, maybe…" she said, even if she wasn't sure she entirely believed it. They watched in silence for a while. Bill finished her tea. Anyway, it was nice, she thought. Maybe she didn't have a whole crowd of people but when she was with the Doctor, it was hard to feel lonely.
"Well…" he said, after a while. "Ready to meet the Queens?"
Bill smiled.
"Yep."
5020 at last. Bill sat in the audience of a massive theater, watching Cinderella sit on a bench, sobbing brokenly into his thick reddish beard. Maybe because this place was 'retro' as the Doctor had said, but it didn't seem too much different than home. Except for maybe the bio scanners in places and the odd little robots that hovered around and quietly offered people refreshments when they thought they were thirsty. Soon, he'd promised, she'd see more. But honestly, Bill was pretty content. The Queens sat up in their box, looking fantastic and holding hands light against dark- and around her, the audience was better still. So many people and even a few aliens, she was sure. Definitely sure in the case of the one creature that seemed like an overenthusiastic sea urchin that pulsed quietly in excitement.
The lights dimmed a bit and Bill's grin widened at the familiar wheezing sound as the Tardis materialized on stage.
"Oh my!" said Cinderella and fell off the bench, stirring up a puff of glitter. There was a moment of too long silence and then the Doctor staggered out, carrying a bottle of what seemed to be cider. Bill found herself laughing with everyone else as he held up a hand and said:
"Yo."
"You're late!" Cinderella growled. The Doctor drew himself up.
"A Gary Fodmother is never late! Nor are they early! They arrive precisely when they mean to."
"And when's that then?"
The Doctor pretended to check a watch on his bare wrist. "Half past yesterday." Another laugh.
And then, after a moment, whispers from behind her. Excited whispers. People turning in their seat. Bill turned as well and saw what was undoubtedly Daisy Golding heading out a side door. She half stood, then sat again when she remembered it was a younger Daisy. She won't know you, the Doctor had explained patiently. Because she hasn't met you yet. So don't freak out.
Well, yeah, she'd figured out that much.
But… that didn't mean she couldn't go and see her anyway.
"Are you going to help or what?" said Cinderella as Bill got up to leave.
"First I'm going to need a pumpkin, a bottle of supernova whiskey, and six handsome young men."
"How's that going to help me get to the ball?"
"Who said it was for you?" the Doctor said and the door closed behind her on the wave of laughter that followed. The foyer outside was definitely not something from the twenty first century. A window made up almost the entire wall, and, outside it, Earth hung like a jewel. They were on Her Majesty's Coach, a satellite that cruised in an orbit around the planet, following one of the smaller moons they'd somehow got.
Daisy Golding was standing nearby, hands behind her as the ball floated near her head. Bill put her hands in her jacket pockets, trying to think of something to say to her. Something clever or bold or… even remember me? But the Doctor had told her saying cheeky things like that might only serve to make Daisy slightly paranoid. Still she wanted to say something.
"Uhhhm…. hello!" Well…it was something anyway. Daisy turned to look at her and wow, she was… had been? Is a looker. Bill felt floored all over again. She looked angry for a moment, and then just tired.
"It's very nice to meet you," she said. "Pleasure to meet a fan as always." She bowed her head graciously. "But I must be going…"
"No, please," she said as the woman started to turn. "I just wanted to say hi."
"Hello," Daisy Golding said and with another nod. "Goodbye. And please, don't follow me."
Aw, she didn't want her to go away mad! This was what the Doctor was probably warning her about. This feeling of behind left behind. But she also saw the slump of Daisy's shoulders, the way her fingers curled in as if she was trying to keep them from curling into a fist. She was still sad now. Lonely. Trapped.
Suddenly, Bill remembered something Daisy had told her and…wondered. She was from the future right now after all. And sort of from the past. Though when she'd been in the past it had been Daisy's future and…her own past and present? She shook her head, didn't matter. The words did, though.
"Just um… one day, fly free yeah?" she said. Daisy paused, turned, looked puzzled.
"Pardon?"
Bill grinned, hands in her pockets feeling warm.
"Fly free. And don't worry. It'll be alright."
"What will?" Daisy asked which had not been in the script but Bill thought she could wing it anyway. So she just shrugged.
"Whatever. Anything. Everything. You're gonna be just fine." And she wanted to tell her, what little she knew of what she had seen Daisy do, the people that cared about her, the people the Doctor said would care about her. But maybe that was too much.
"Who are you?" Daisy said. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, y'know, just someone," Bill said with a shrug, heading back for the door. Before she went in, though she smiled back out at the woman. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas…" Daisy echoed softly. Bill closed the door behind her and leaned on it, hugging her stomach and watching the Doctor wave wildly at a large radish that had appeared on stage. He had been right, of course, as he usually was. Something wonderful had happened... and she'd helped to do it.