Disclaimer: I own nothing. Send money to the BBC.
Author's Note: This is an alternate ending for Resurrection of the Daleks.
"Don't go--not like this!"
"I'm sorry, I must!"
Tegan turned to flee and stumbled over a body. Her misstep and recoil of horror dropped her to hands and knees. The Doctor was beside her an instant later. He helped her to her feet. She was trembling and white-faced. He didn't say anything, only put his arm around her and led her gently back to the TARDIS. She didn't protest.
Turlough held the TARDIS door for them. The Doctor quickly programmed some coordinates then set the TARDIS in motion. "Tegan, I'm taking you to your grandfather," he informed them. Tegan nodded gratefully, her distress visibly easing.
When they materialized, the Doctor led Tegan back out. The wind was cold but fresh, and the sun was shining. It was the same day, the same time, mid-afternoon. After the protracted horror of the warehouse, it was startling to realize that only a couple of hours had passed. Tegan still hadn't said a word, but when the sunshine fell on them she stopped and turned her face up with closed eyes. The Doctor stood next to her, his hand on her back. It took him a moment to realize she was shivering, not trembling; the wintry wind had little affect on his Gallifreyan physiology. Though London had been bare, there was still snow on the ground here.
The door of the cottage opened, Verney called out, "Tegan, girl, come in before you catch your death!" The Doctor gently urged Tegan forward, after a couple of steps she seemed to fully realize where she was and went to her grandfather. He hugged her then bustled her inside, calling over his shoulder, "Come along, then, don't keep the door open." The Doctor hesitated a moment before following them in.
Verney sat Tegan down in a chair by a window, and then wrapped a quilt around her shoulders. He started fixing tea. The Doctor leaned against a doorjamb and studied the wan face of his companion. She looked exhausted, her dark eyes shadowed; she even seemed somehow smaller. Missing was the forceful presence she usually generated. "What is that bandage for?"
The Doctor answered, "Tegan took a blow to the head, there was a small cut. She might be concussed. So far I haven't noticed any definite symptoms." He came forward and squatted by Tegan's chair. "Let me see your eyes, Tegan." She turned her listless gaze to him. The pupils looked normal. He asked her about other symptoms.
"Just sore and tired and headachy."
"And you've scraped your knee," the Doctor noticed. "Mr. Verney, if you would be so kind as to let me have some of that hot water in a basin, and a clean towel, I will take care of that." He did not count himself lucky that Verney wasn't of a talkative disposition. From the critical glint in the old man's eyes, he had a feeling that Verney was saving up his words for greater effect.
Verney brought Tegan a cup of milky tea while the Doctor was cleaning grit and some small traces of blood from her knees. Tegan's nose wrinkled. The Doctor knew by now that Tegan did not like her tea that way and he felt a private glow of amusement at the wordless exchange between grandfather and granddaughter that ended with Tegan meekly sipping her tea. A little color came back into her cheeks.
Turlough came in carrying Tegan's big furry coat. "I thought Tegan might want this," he said. Turlough had also taken the time to change into warmer clothes. "Hello, Mr. Verney."
Verney grunted and looked Turlough up and down. "Going to hunt up young David?"
"Thought I might give him a bit of a surprise. I'll be off then, if you don't need me, Doctor?" Turlough spoke to the Doctor but looked at Tegan. She was smiling.
"No, I don't think so. Thank you, Turlough." The Doctor took charge of Tegan's coat and hung it up beside Verney's near the door. "We'll expect you when we see you."
Andrew Verney waited until the door closed behind Turlough to give a soft chuckle. He brought the rest of the tea things to the table where Tegan was sitting. The Doctor turned to him with a politely raised eyebrow and Verney explained, "David has a very pretty sister, Alison." He laughed again, and Tegan joined him.
"Turlough falls on his feet like a cat," the Doctor said lightly.
"Come have tea, Doctor. I'm not going to bite."
'Yet', the Doctor thought, seemed to follow that denial. He took a seat.
Verney was saying to Tegan, "Finish that and have another cup. You look better already, which is more than you deserve after seeing fit to run around half-dressed this time of year."
"I do feel better, thanks, grandfather."
"Have another cup then go put on something warmer. I've still got some of your clothes from the last time you came for Christmas. You should still fit in 'em, you don't look like you've put on an ounce."
The Doctor sensed some criticism being pointed his way. He sipped his tea. They all did so, quietly, with the silence of a conversation being put off. Tegan finished her second cup then excused herself from the table, still bundled in the quilt.
Verney waited for her to get out of the room then looked at the Doctor with the kind of expectation that reminded the Time Lord why it was a good idea to avoid his companions' families. The Doctor took another sip of tea and then set his cup down. He said hoarsely, "We saw a great deal of ugliness today. Many people died. Tegan was deeply affected." She wants to leave me. The unspoken words cut him the deepest.
"Sounds like you've been in a war."
"Not far off it, I'm afraid. I'm sure that her injury made it more difficult but Tegan was very brave, as she always is." The Doctor sipped his tea again. The heat of the cup reminded him of Tegan's hand in his. A handshake for good-bye, and she would have run off alone into the cold London streets, and he might have never known what became of her. "I thought it was best to bring her here, to you."
"To leave her here?"
The Doctor looked sharply at Tegan's grandfather. "Only if she wishes it." Old brown eyes held young blue ones, but that youth was an illusion. Is there something about physiological age that lends innate authority? I am centuries older than this human. I do not have to answer to him. It was Verney who looked away first and the Doctor felt first satisfied then slightly ashamed. It was not the thing at all to use the authority of a Time Lord even in so slight a fashion on his companion's grandfather. Of course Andrew Verney wanted to know his granddaughter's interests were protected. The Doctor felt tempted to speak more, but he restrained the words. It was Tegan who deserved to hear them.
He heard Tegan's footsteps and turned to watch her walk back in, intending to scan her for any symptoms of concussion that might show her brain tissue was swelling from injury. How he'd be able to tell with her wearing those dratted high heels he wasn't sure. Her walk wasn't exactly steady at the best of times. The high-heeled shoes were still on, but Tegan had changed everything else. She was wearing a red woolly jumper and very tight fitting blue jeans. Her walk... she kept her balance well.
"I was going to have more tea," she joked, "But then I put these jeans on."
"How old were you when you last wore those?" her grandfather asked disapprovingly.
"Nineteen. They were this tight then, too. It was the style. I must have been mad," Tegan laughed and sat down again. She seemed pleased with herself for reasons not obvious to the Doctor.
"Are you tired, Tegan? Sleepy?"
"Bone tired, but not really sleepy."
"When you go to sleep I will need to wake you every couple of hours to check you for symptoms of concussion. You lost consciousness when you were struck and that is reason for concern, even if you aren't showing any symptoms now."
Verney agreed, "I'll make you an egg for dinner, then you should go lie down, Tegan."
The Doctor stood up. "I have to go take care of some matters, Tegan. I have to contact UNIT. I'll be back later to check on you." He smiled wistfully at Verney. "Sorry to drop trouble on your doorstep, but I can see it was the right choice for Tegan after all."
"Indeed it was, and no need for apologies about that." There was a challenge in Andrew Verney's eyes, which the Doctor was not sure how to interpret. It would have to be dealt with later. He went out to the TARDIS.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-
When the Doctor returned, Turlough was playing backgammon with Andrew Verney.
"Welcome back, Turlough. How was your friend?"
"Very well, Doctor. I stayed for supper. I've only just now returned." Turlough made a move in the game.
"Tegan is getting ready for bed, Doctor. She said she was drowsy after supper."
"I'll go check on her," the Doctor said. He got to the bottom of the stairs and looked up to see Tegan standing at the top of them. She was wearing a faded pink flannel nightgown long enough to brush the tops of her bare feet so that she looked like a poor relation out of a 19th century novel. "Don't come down, Tegan, I'll come up to you," he said smiling, and went easily up the stairs two at a time. He stopped two steps from the top, at a good level to look into her eyes. Tegan stared back at him with a slightly startled expression that made it easy for him to examine her pupils. He detected no abnormality.
"You seem to be in a good mood, Doctor."
"Yes, my contact at UNIT was very cooperative and matters are well in hand. I hear you were drowsy after dinner, young lady?"
Tegan suppressed a yawn. "Yes, and I still am. I was about to go to bed."
"Good, you can show me where your room is. I need to wake you every two hours, remember?"
"Must you, Doctor? I feel like I could sleep a week," Tegan complained, obviously hoping to get out of it.
"I must. By rights I should have taken you to hospital instead of here." He escorted Tegan to the little bedroom that must have seen generations of Verney children to sleep. The bed was hardly big enough even for a short woman like Tegan.
"I think I can handle it from here, Doctor. Unless you were going to fluff my pillow, tuck me in, and sing me a lullaby?"
He chuckled. "I can if you like."
She turned and stared at him. The Doctor smiled innocently. "I think I'll pass, Doctor, thank you all the same."
"Just as you like, Tegan. Sleep well, I'll see you in two hours." The Doctor went out.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Turlough had gone back to his room in the TARDIS after the game of backgammon. The Doctor sat by the fire with Andrew Verney. The old man had made hot chocolate, a gesture much appreciated by the Doctor. The Time Lord didn't need a clock to tell him it was time to go wake Tegan. He rose from his chair.
"Do you want her to stay with you?"
The Doctor stopped in his tracks. He looked at the fire, not at the man. "I would miss her company. She's been with me a long time now."
"A long time for you, or for her?"
"I met her just before I began a… a new phase of my life. It seems a significant amount of time to me, no matter how a clock would measure it."
"I can't tell either of you what to do, Doctor. I just can't help wondering what my granddaughter is doing in your life. Sounds like you need a soldier more than you need an ex air hostess."
The Doctor turned to face Andrew Verney. "I don't look for fights, Mr. Verney. I value Tegan's bravery less for its physical aspect and more for the moral. I have a feeling she takes after you in that. Excuse me, I had better go up." He climbed the stairs and went quietly into Tegan's room, leaving the door open. He'd have to wake her, but there was no need to be brutal about it. He pressed two fingers on a certain spot on Tegan's neck. She shivered under the touch and squirmed away, opening her eyes.
"Wha--? Oh, Doctor."
He dropped to one knee and slid his arm behind her shoulders, urging her to sit up. "There's a girl," he coaxed, "I only need a few minutes then you can sleep again."
Tegan sat up, swaying a little and blinking at him owlishly, her mouth held in a pout. "'m so tired," she muttered.
"I know you are. You've had a dreadful day, but it's behind you now," the Doctor said soothingly. He cupped her chin and gently nudged her to turn her head for him so he could check her eyes.
"I don't think it's been two hours. I couldn't get to sleep for the longest time. When I closed my eyes I kept seeing Professor Laird being shot. She sent me away to get help and I failed her. I never even found out her first name." He could feel her chin quiver and it was no surprise to feel a hot tear dripping onto his fingers. The Doctor got out his handkerchief and dabbed at Tegan's face.
"UNIT is taking care of it all down in London, Tegan. They'll do all that can be done now. Does that give you any comfort?"
"A little."
"You can go back to sleep now. Do you think you can?"
"Nothing's going to keep my eyes open for long, the way I feel," Tegan said grimly.
The Doctor stood up, plumped Tegan's pillow, and eased her down again, pulling the covers up under her chin. As he hoped, it made her smile.
"What have you got by the way of lullabies, then?"
"I confess I'm lacking in knowledge of lullabies. However, I dare say I could contrive something."
"Not on my account. Goodnight, Doctor."
"For two hours, at least."
-0-0-0-0-0-0-
The next time he came in, Tegan was sleeping so peacefully that he hesitated to awake her. She was lying on her side facing the door with her eyes so tightly closed that the lashes curled on her cheeks and her hands rested loosely folded together on the pillow. The Doctor listened to the slow steady rhythm of her breaths and found it restful. He was obliged to play villain and slipped his cool fingertips into the warm crevice of the duvet tented over her shoulder. As she stirred, he thought that the chill of his touch must contribute to her waking as much as the pressure on the nerve cluster.
Tegan turned her cheek against his hand, nuzzling it. The Doctor felt a surge of affection for his sometimes difficult companion. He patted her cheek lightly, calling, "Tegan, wake up."
The girl opened her eyes and stared past him. At first he thought that there was something wrong with her eyes and then realized that there was almost too little light for his eyesight, let alone a human's. Since he needed more to examine her, he stepped out and turned on a light in the hall. Turning back he saw that Tegan had sat up with a hand in front of her eyes. She gradually became more awake as he coaxed her to cooperate with the examination.
"What's the verdict, Doc?"
"All the evidence is not yet in."
Tegan scowled and yawned at the same time, stretching her arms over her head. "Really? I feel almost drugged."
"It's only a consequence of having been woken up at this part of your sleep cycle."
Tegan put her hand down and missed the edge of the mattress. The Doctor caught her before she fell out of the bed, his arms around her upper body while she lay rather limply across his chest. He expected her to immediately and awkwardly struggle back upright, but she yawned into his hair and let her head drop heavily onto his shoulder. While the Doctor was trying to figure out how to lift her without dragging her the rest of the way out of bed, she muttered, "Your coat... it smells like snow."
"I've been outside. The moon has almost set and this is an exceptionally clear night for England. I could see Mutter's Spiral--or perhaps its better to call it the Milky Way, seen from this galactic position." He had carried the cold in with him and Tegan's body was like a furnace in comparison, a soft warm armful.
"Sounds heavenly."
The Doctor thought that she hadn't meant it punningly. She was too sleepy for that. "Yes, it was," he said with the merest hint of a chuckle in his voice.
"Mmmm. Rumbly," she said approvingly and draped her arm around his neck.
It was rather pleasant to have Tegan in such a friendly and trusting mood. The Doctor wondered if she would remember this in the morning and be mortified. "Rumbly?"
"Y'r voice," she slurred and started to go entirely limp.
"Not that I grudge you the shoulder, Tegan, but I can't kneel here all night," he reminded her. She didn't respond and he realized she'd fallen back asleep. The Doctor sighed. He slid an arm down her body and lifted her entirely, relieved to find that she didn't wake at all while he manhandled her back into bed and tucked her under the covers.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Two hours later he came back to find the neat bed all disordered, with the duvet on the floor and Tegan buried down in the pillows. The Doctor had to almost literally dig her out. Tegan managed to glare at him without actually opening her eyes. She fumbled at the buttons on the pink flannel nightgown and undid the top two. The Doctor fingered the material; it felt very old and soft. "Did this belong to your mother?"
"Grandmother," yawned Tegan. "I wore it because it's warm but right now I'm too bloody hot."
"Have you been tossing and turning?"
Her eyes opened so she could favor him with a baleful look, as her ordinary glare was not sufficient to express her feelings. "Yes, and now I'm all hot and cranky." The Doctor couldn't help it, he laughed. Tegan's death stare lost its potency and after a moment she joined with a chuckle of her own. "Don't make me laugh. My head hurts. I feel rotten."
The Doctor checked for the various signs of concussion, and was relieved not to see anything new. "That's not surprising, unfortunately. It was a serious blow. I'd rather you not take any pain medication yet, Tegan, but perhaps I can help you another way." He raised his hands to her head and started gently massaging her temples.
Tegan closed her eyes. "Your hands do feel blessedly cool, like a nurse in hospital."
"You've been crying." Tegan was silent, but he didn't need an acknowledgement. There were traces of blotchiness left on her face and her eyelids were puffy. He started to ask her why, but held back. She looked so weary and vulnerable, slumped in the shapeless, faded old nightdress.
"Professor Laird… she tried to help me get away. I meant to get help. Out in the street two policemen started following me. I could tell that they weren't actual policemen, just more replicants. Those cold, stony expressions…" Tegan shuddered and opened her eyes again, horror-shadowed and her voice tautened with remembered, helpless rage. "I ran from them. It felt like miles, but I only got as far as the docks. I tried to get down to the shore level and I knew they were right behind me. I saw a man, upriver. He was down on the shore with one of those metal detectors. I called out to him. Then I saw the policemen above me, with weapons. I thought they were going to shoot me, but they shot him instead. He hadn't heard or seen me—they only did it to show me that they'd kill me if I kept running. So I let them take me." The words spilled out with hardly a breath between, until Tegan was hoarse. At the end her head bowed and she started weeping.
The Doctor didn't think twice: he moved to sit on the edge of the bed and gathered her into his arms and held her tightly with his cheek against her head. How could he find words to comfort Tegan when he felt the same anger? "Very little good happened yesterday, Tegan. We survived it. I wish I could have helped more people, but whether it's selfish or not I'm glad you and Turlough came through it." He stroked her hair.
Tegan clutched at his coat and said moistly to his shoulder, "I hated the idea of you going off to deliberately kill Davros. I know he was evil, but all the time I kept seeing you turning into one of them. I couldn't bear that, not you." She looked up at the last.
"I couldn't do it, Tegan. I stood in front of him and with a weapon in my hands and thought of the millions of deaths he's caused… and still I couldn't bring myself to do it. Even though I hated him as much as I've ever hated anyone. Maybe I might have still done it, if the choice hadn't been taken away."
He couldn't look at her. Tegan stroked his cheek, her husky voice spoke gently to him, "For the first time, I'm glad I failed to stick a knife in the Master. And I'm glad you didn't kill Davros. Maybe it would even have been the right thing to do. But it wouldn't have been you. You save people."
"I try." The Doctor covered her hand with his, clasped it gently then brought her fingers to his lips in a courtly gesture of tribute. "I meant to comfort you and instead you've made me feel better. Thank you, Tegan."
"You've sat up with me all night. There have been times when I thought you couldn't see how I was hurting and now you've shown me that's not true."
"I don't always take the time I should, with my friends, to see that sort of thing, Tegan. Still, though I may be careless I am not indifferent. I have companions because I want them to enjoy the wonders of time and space with me."
"Mortal danger and the end of the world are thrown in for free?"
"No extra charge," the Doctor said wryly. She smiled at him. Brave heart, Tegan. "Don't go back to sleep yet—I know you're exhausted, but let me show you something." He looked down into her tear-streaked face and returned her a sudden wide grin for the smile.
"You're mad, but so am I," she chuckled.
The Doctor laughed softly, mindful of the quiet house and stood up swinging Tegan off his lap and onto her feet. She paused a moment, standing there close to him with her hands on his chest, then smiled and quickly turned away. "So where are we going?"
"No questions—trust me, Tegan?"
"Madness," she murmured, but did not otherwise complain as he wrapped her in the duvet, led her downstairs, put Andrew Verney's Wellingtons on her feet and took her out into the winter night. It was about 2 am. He kept his arm around her shoulders as they crunched through the snow, Tegan struggling a little in the oversized boots. His own tracks from earlier preceded them to the crest of a small hill. It was quite dark out, the moon having set. The sky was perfectly clear and the stars shone like jewels. If there were wars being fought in the darkness between them, their celestial brilliance was not dimmed. On Earth below, a few golden lights, snowy rooftops, and traces of chimney smoke marked the village of Little Hodcombe. It was as peaceful as a scene on a Christmas card.
"Does this count as a wonder of time and space, Doctor?" His arm still lay around Tegan's shoulders and she leaned into him.
"Close enough."
"Do you know what day it is?"
"It's mid-February, the 14th."
He felt Tegan's shoulders quiver in a silent laugh, she blew out a plume of visible breath.
"Have I missed something?" he inquired a little dryly.
"It's Valentine's Day, Doctor. Most girls get flowers and chocolate. You got me peace on Earth." She reached up and patted his hand on her shoulder. "Trust you to do the unexpected."
The Doctor laughed. "I do try." Peace on Earth? He could use some of that himself. "Happy Valentine's Day, Tegan."
Near the door of Andrew Verney's cottage, drifted snow piled up against its side, the TARDIS slumbered.
FIN