Clearing The Air (The Lodger)
Alec POV:
"WELL THIS COULD BE GOING BETTER!" I shouted, hanging on to the console for dear life as the TARDIS spun out of control. We had only just landed on some random earth street, the Doctor stepping out to have a look around when the TARDIS doors suddenly slammed shut behind him, throwing him to the ground as the old box dematerialised.
Amy and I were now hanging onto the console as the TARDIS got stuck in a materialisation process, trying to get back to her pilot but just not being able to land fully before being forced to fly away again. I was thankful that Yoshi managed to get into his room before this started, otherwise he would be going insane with terror.
I got fed up with this, and set the TARDIS to hang above the area the Doctor was, making sure we wouldn't land so we didn't get stuck, but was overhead so we could provide support if it's needed. The TARDIS hummed and settled, locked in the current space, if not the current time.
I sighed and looked over to Amy, seeing her holding her head and swaying, she must have whacked it slightly in the struggle. I walked over to her and looked at her head, there was no blood and no swelling so she would probably be fine. I went back to the console and started to set up a call to the Doctor, knowing he would panic if he couldn't talk to us.
"Ugh I feel like a drummer decided my head makes an awesome drum kit." Amy moaned, managing to open her eyes and walk to where I was so I was reassured that she was probably okay, I knew the Doctor would be upset if Amy got badly hurt the first time he left us alone.
"No drummer, just a jammed materialisation, so we won't be able to go with the Doctor on this one. I saw it was Earth, around the 21st century, so he should be fine unless he does something too … Doctory."
I managed to connect to the Doctor, and he answered almost instantly.
"ALEC, AMY ARE YOU TWO OKAY?" The Doctor shouted. I immediately lowered the volume, both Amy and I wincing and rubbing our ears at the sheer volume that the speakers produced.
"We are fine Doctor, the TARDIS got locked into a loop, so I had to take her out of it before something blew up, we are above where you are now but we can't come and get you, you are on your own until you either sort it or get out of that area." I said, already knowing that he would prefer to get into the middle of things than leaving something potentially dangerous close to some form of civilization.
"Do you know what happened to us Doctor? Do you know where you are?" Amy questioned rapidly, looking very worried compared to me, she must be either new or her and the Doctor hadn't split up much.
"I'm on Earth, 2010s by the feel of it, doesn't seem to be very dangerous but I'm sure that could change. I don't know what happened but I'm sure I can deal with it." He said rather confidently. I already know that he's had experience in being dropped in bad situations.
"Well Doctor, is there anything I or Amy can do to help you? Or are we stuck just listening in until you've saved the planet again." I muttered, wanting to hang out with my brother more, I didn't like leaving him alone when I swore to protect him.
"Actually, I found a note written by Amy, telling me of a house for rent, which must be close to the disturbance so I'll check that out and call back when I'm settled there alright?" I could tell the Doctor also didn't like leaving me and Amy as we were still pretty awkward around each other. She was just so annoying to me and I'm sure I seemed too arrogant to her. Well at least this should let us clear the air between us.
"We will be fine Doctor, cross my hearts. If you get in danger let us know so we can figure out a way to help." I disconnected the call to see Amy sitting down watching me. We both stared at each other before her stomach growled, jerking us out of our contest. She shook her head slightly and wandered in the direction of the kitchens. I stayed looking at the console, ready to answer when the Doctor rings again.
Amy POV:
Amy pulled ham and cheese out of the fridge, ready to make herself a sandwich as she thought of the newest member of the TARDIS. She was happy for the Doctor that he wasn't the last of his kind anymore and that he had at least some of his family back, she just didn't like how stand-offish Alec was compared to the kindness and happiness of her brother.
Alec seemed to look down on Amy without even realising that she was, as if Amy was a barely intelligent monkey, not as good as the Doctor deserves in his friend. Amy remembered that the Doctor told her that Alec had trouble seeing humans as, well, sentient. Apparently Alec truly didn't realise that she was being a bitch, she just thought she was being frank and upfront.
Amy wondered if this time alone with the mad Time Lady would be a blessing or a curse, on one hand they could sort out their differences and make it less awkward on the TARDIS, on the other hand it could make them more annoyed at each other than ever and would force the Doctor to pick between them.
Amy wasn't so arrogant to assume that the Doctor would pick his companion over his recently found little sister, so she was hoping to make friends with the woman and know where each other stood.
She decided to try and make peace between the two and made another sandwich for Alec, hoping the food would make her happy. 'And besides.' She thought, walking back to the console room, 'maybe she can tell stories of the Doctor and his other Companions.'
Alec heard Amy coming back in while she was messing with the console, trying to see if she could find a way to help her brother, but unless he fixed the problem in that area, they were stuck.
Alec turned her head to see Amy carrying two sandwiches, one in each hand on their own separate plates. She raised an eyebrow when she silently offered her one, before shrugging and taking it. She looked through the sandwich, before nodding and taking a bite.
Just because Alec loved animals didn't mean she was a vegetarian or anything, instead she believed in only killing an animal if every part is used. Killing for sport is a major no no for her and poachers were probably the biggest type of humans she had ever killed.
She nodded her thanks to Amy, chewing while going back to the monitor. The closest Alec could land was 50 miles away, no good, she would have to just stick to the sidelines.
Alec could see Amy psyching herself up for something, before she suddenly blurted out. "What was the Doctor like as a kid?"
Alec looked over, she was obviously hoping for an answer, yet expecting her to just wave her away. Alec had not been treating her the best and Amy wanted to bury the hatchet. Alec nodded, deciding to try and be kinder to the ginger companion.
"He's older than me by a decent bit, 300 years older actually. He'd already been travelling for around 60 or 70 years before I was born, but he headed straight back the instant he heard about me. The Doctor actually stopped travelling for a bit and stayed with me until I headed to the Academy when I was 8."
Alec was happy, reminiscing about her childhood before the Schism. It was peaceful, she didn't have to deal with the madness of her thoughts, she actually cared about her friends.
"My first word was actually Brother in Gallifreyan, both the first and the second time I learnt it. He could be the most honourable man in the universe, terrifying his enemies, but to me he was always my older brother, the one who made sure I was alright and checked that I wasn't being bullied by anyone."
Alec was feeling better as she talked about her childhood to someone apart from her brother, almost cleansed in a way. She hadn't talked to many people about it, preferring her animals over other people, even her own.
"Why did you have to learn Gallifreyan twice?" Amy asked, getting curious about Alec's life. She had travelled with the Doctor for a couple of months and he had very rarely spoken about his past, seeming to prefer throwing himself into adventures and trouble to try and run away from it all.
She sighed and checked the monitor one last time, psyching herself up for this conversation. She wasn't truly bothered by the opinions of humans, couldn't care less actually. But this was one of the Doctor's pets, ('Companions!' Alec told herself sternly, she knew the Doctor didn't like it when she called his friends pets.) So she was important to him.
"There's this … thing, a transition that Gallifreyans have to do before being able to become a Time Lord. We are taken at the age of 8, and put in front of the Untempered Schism. It's like a rip into the Time Vortex, it's kinda like this place where Time and Space first met, I don't know, time was never my best subject back then."
Alec sighed, remembering that day it all went wrong. She had been excited all day, hearing about the Schism from her whole family. Her family were mostly those who Ran, with the occasional Inspired. Alec had suspected she would be Inspired, as she was always running into trouble, her brother always there to try and help her out of it.
Instead, she had been placed in front of the Schism, and screamed.
She had felt it practically dissolving her brain, rewiring her thoughts and forcing everything that could ever be known about any type of animal possible. She had only barely managed to keep her memories, a trick of the Doctor's that he had taught her being to allow the pain to overwhelm her so she would be forced into a healing coma, stopping the constant bombardment of the Schism and allowing her brain to relax and attempt to heal.
It had taken two weeks before she could wake up, and her only thoughts were to get home, to get to her brother. She had collapsed into his arms, trying to talk but only being able to repeat random words like a parrot at best, or squeak like a mouse at worse.
Thankfully the Doctor had learnt a fair few animal languages, and had managed to first keep her in one animal language, the barking of a dog, and then translate that into Gallifreyan. She still had to mentally translate her thoughts into Gallifreyan before being able to speak, or into the language of the Tritovores, who were a species of humanoid flies, so that the TARDIS translator circuits could translate for her to other people.
It had been hell learning French back when she had first crash landed on Earth, but the Alec that had looked after her while she regenerated had kept at it, making Alec the Time Lord fluent in it. Amy had only been able to understand her because she was travelling in a TARDIS.
Now that she was back in a TARDIS, she could fall back on Tritovoran, and have Amy think it was in English. Alec knew that the Doctor still heard Tritovoran if he concentrated, but English was HARD!
Alec shook her head, getting rid of her past memories, and continued to explain.
"The Time Lords that are placed in front of it always have three different reactions. 1) They become Inspired by Time, being able to always come up with a different idea to others and usually going on to become artists and engineers. 2) They Run, afraid of Time's power, they usually become explorers or ambassadors to other races. And finally 3) They go Mad, unable to handle seeing Time in all its terrifying power and glory. These usually are the warriors, the protectors and fighters."
"I went Mad." Alec admitted, getting a gasp and sorrow filled eyes from Amy. "I'm still Mad, I literally cannot be cured of this, I will forever be different. My brain is just hardwired differently from anyone else's, my survival instincts are practically gone and my empathy is non-existent. I literally can only care for animals and the Doctor. I don't think the Doctor was even meant to be cared about, but I remembered him always looking after me before the Schism and I fought, by Time I fought to keep those memories, those emotions. I haven't told the Doctor this, but he is the only reason I haven't purposefully done something I know we both would have regretted. I will always be there for him and I will make sure he stays happy. So therefore, Amy, I'm sorry that I wasn't the best … behaved towards you. I'm aware that I wasn't treating you like a Companion of the Doctor deserves and I… apologise."
Alec nodded to a still shell shocked Amy, and turned back to the console, the sandwich lying forgotten next to her.
Amy POV:
Amy was shocked, still sat near the console as she stared at Alec. She really hadn't expected this, a whole life story of why Alec was the way she was. She would have to ask the Doctor his side of the story when he got back, until then she would eat her sandwich.
Amy decided then and there to try and be the first human friend Alec has. She didn't know if it was possible but something inside her was telling her this woman needed a good girl friend to talk to about things, so that Alec didn't just have the Doctor or her animals to hang out with. Amy nodded, firm in her new decision and goal.
"Hey Alec," Amy said, deciding she may as well start now in her quest to become Alec's friend, "while you eat and try to help the Doctor, do you want me to feed Yoshi?" Wasn't that a laugh when she found out that the Krafayis that had been terrorising 1890s France, was now named after an animated dinosaur.
Alec looked over at Amy and reluctantly nodded, obviously wanting to feed Yoshi herself, but just as obviously wanting to stay and try and rescue her brother.
"He eats just meat, I have a bucket of it in the fridge. Just knock on the door five times when you get to his room so he knows not to attack you, then pour the bucket out onto the bowl just inside the room." Alec told her, before starting on her sandwich.
Amy nodded, nervous but determined. She made her way to the kitchen, where there was indeed a big metal bucket of raw meat in the fridge. Amy wrinkled her nose and grabbed it, wandering the TARDIS to try and find Yoshi's room.
There was a growl in one of the rooms, signaling Yoshi. Amy took a last breath and firmly knocked on the door five times. She heard Yoshi stop growling and move away from the door.
Amy nervously opened the door, seeing Yoshi lying on the opposite side of the room on a large bed, his eyes focused on Amy. Amy nodded to Yoshi, feeling a bit foolish, then tipped the bucket over in the bowl next to the door. Yoshi eyed the meat intensely, prompting Amy to quickly leave the room and close the door, leaning against it as she heard Yoshi chow down.
"How did this become my life?" She whispered to herself. "I'm feeding an alien dinosaur in an alien spaceship that can travel through time and space… maybe I did need those psychiatrists." She muttered, before getting up and going back to the main control room, wanting to make sure she was ready in case the Doctor needed help.
Just a quick update so people don't think I've forgotten it. I'm also writing a new story with an OC in the His Dark Materials trilogy, if you haven't read them I highly recommend it.
I'm wanting ideas for what people think the dæmons name should be, send a PM or comment on this chapter what name you think it should be. it will be a male OC with a female dæmon.
Let me know what you want to see next as well and I'll try and update as soon as possible.
Join the discord if you wanna chat with other storytellers, links on my profile.