The Dread of Tomorrow and Yesterday – Chapter 18
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Doctor Who, if I did, then I'd play video games with the Eleventh Doctor.
A/N: Here's another 10th Doctor episode! The Idiot's Lantern! Be aware, some of the things in this episode will change! And, just wanted to let all of you know, I have a Tumblr you can reach me on, where I've put up the cover for this story and a cover for the first chapter, In The Beginning. Every couple of days I'll try and put up a cover for each of the episodes, so go and check it out! OH, and if you wanted to ask me anything, about the story or Rhea or me or in general, go ahead, especially if you want to leave me a review, but are shy or can't be bothered on this site :)
Notes on Reviews:
Beulah2013: I'm glad you like the flirting and the innuendo between the two of them! Rhea loves flirting with the Doctor, any of them, really.
Tooclosefortety: Oh, honey, don't worry, starting a new school is always a terrifying thing, but it's a great chance to make new friends, so don't stress. If it makes you feel better, I start university in a couple of weeks and I don't know anyone who's doing the same course as me. I'm glad you liked the chapter and the interaction between Rhea and Donna and Rhea and the Doctor. Their relationship is getting a bit steamier as the story progresses ;)
YingWhiteyWolf: I'm glad you liked the ending, it was fun to write a slightly nervous ending. It was fun to write an embarrassed Doctor at the end, he didn't know what to do with her. I hope you do keep reviewing :) Honey, I'm so sorry to hear about your troubles, I had some problems a couple of years ago and fanfiction was very therapeutic. So, I totally understand, fanfiction really helped me out as well and I'm glad my story is helping. But, if you want to talk, my PM inbox is open all the time.
Italics – Rhea's thoughts/The Doctor's thoughts.
The Idiot's Lantern: The Golden Age
When Rhea finally woke up, her eyes snapped open and she breathed heavily, rising to her waist with a gasp. She looked around. Her room seemed the same. It hadn't changed, but there was no Doctor beside her like there had been when she had fallen asleep. He could have left. It wouldn't be the first time you went to bed with someone and woke up alone. The door slammed open, banging against the wall. The Doctor walked in, the same Doctor she had just been lying on a bed with, he even wore the same pinstripe suit, except his hair was all styled, slicked back in a teddy-boy quiff, like something out of Grease. She thought it was all manners of adorable and sexy at the same time. Rhea grimaced at her own thoughts. God, you and your stupid hormones.
"All right, Rhea?" The Doctor asked, rushing up to her, and helping her get off the bed, resting her body against his like a crutch, as she coped with her weak legs and sluggish body.
"My head hurts." Rhea heard herself moan the words out.
"I know, Rhea, I know." The Doctor said, soothingly, leading her over to the chair in her room. "This is the first time you've jumped without knowing." She sat down, heavily, her limp arms resting on the chair.
"We were sleeping…" Rhea murmured, confused.
"There was a flash of light coming from your room and the TARDIS told me that you'd arrived here." The Doctor explained.
"Oh. Okay." Rhea said, lamely, not really knowing what to say to that.
Her head lolled, falling onto the Doctor's shoulder. She snuggled into his neck, humming slightly. Stop it!
"Are you still feeling horrible?" The Doctor asked, worriedly.
"Just a bit." Rhea said, stretching her arms and legs, working out the kinks in her limbs.
She stood up and moved over to her desk, quickly opening her laptop. She made sure that the Doctor wasn't looking at the laptop before typing in 'Racnoss' after 'Platform One' and before 'Titanic', making sure that all of her entries were up to date. She stood up and pushed herself away from the table and the laptop suddenly, the Doctor following her motion, and grabbed his hand, tugging him out of the room.
"Why is your hair slicked back?" Rhea asked, with a frown, looking back at him on their way to the console room. "You look like John Travolta in Grease."
"We're going to go see Elvis." The Doctor told her, happily, pleased by her compliment.
"'We' as in you and me, or 'we' as in us and someone else." Rhea asked.
The Doctor frowned. "Rose is waiting for us in the console room." The Doctor said, slowly.
Rhea flinched slightly, knowing that the Doctor, and her, she guessed, were going to lose Rose very soon, if her last adventure said anything. However, she schooled her face into a blank expression, so she wouldn't give anything away to the Doctor.
They walked into the console room and sure enough, Rose was leaning against one of the railings, dressed in a jeans jacket, a pink dress with an empire waist that came to her knees, black stockings and hot pink heels, her hair done in a French twist, pretty as always. Rhea bounded up the ramp and hugged Rose quickly, who seemed surprised by the sudden show of affection, before going over to the console, resting her hands on the console behind her.
"Go see what the TARDIS has for you in the wardrobe. You'll start a mutiny out there, dressed like that." The Doctor ordered, motioning to the cleavage that showed through her strapless top.
I knew he was looking. Rhea huffed and walked back into the TARDIS, towards the wardrobe, just a tiny bit excited. It wasn't every day that she got to dress like it was the Fifties and actually visit the time period. When she ran into the wardrobe room, the TARDIS had already shoved a rack of period-correct dresses to the front so that she wouldn't have to go searching through the labyrinth to find something appropriate to wear. She pulled out a blue spaghetti strap top with polka-dots and a tight black stripey skirt that came to the middle of her thighs, not to mention a pair of black pumps. Appropriate but racy. Her favourite kind of clothes. Not to mention a fashion disaster in my own time.
She strutted back to the console room of the TARDIS and stopped when the Doctor and Rose came into her eyesight, patiently waiting for her. She leaned an elbow against the wall and jutted her hip to the opposite side, the corresponding hand falling to her waist. She eyed the Doctor with a wicked smile.
"Well, is this appropriate, time boy?" Rhea purred, her eyes smouldering.
The Doctor spun on his feet when he heard Rhea's voice, his jaw dropping when he saw what she had chosen to wear. He swallowed hard as he looked her curvy, yet slender form in that tight top and tight skirt.
"That skirt is a bit…tight, don't you think?" The Doctor said, hoarsely, his face flushing mildly and his voice a little high due to his nervousness, making sure that he wasn't looking her in the eye. Rhea definitely didn't miss his reaction to her clothing, delighted that she could have this effect on a centuries old Time Lord. It was definitely empowering but a voice screamed in the back of her head that he could have that same effect on her, which she consequently ignored. No chick flick moments, honey.
Rhea smiled, provocatively. "I know." Rhea whispered, leaning into him and dragging her fingers across his chest.
The Doctor choked slightly. "You know how to drive a motorcycle, don't you?" The Doctor asked, weakly, changing the subject quickly.
"Enough." Rhea shrugged, remembering a few lessons with her uncle and cousin, the first one that had ended with her bike crashing into a tree and her head hitting a jagged rock on the side of the road. Just one of the many scars on her body today.
He pulled her from the console, back into the TARDIS, ignoring her groan. He showed her to a room, filled with automobiles of all kinds. There was a yellow roadster, which the Doctor fondly called "Bessie", a Volkswagen Beetle, a 1959 Edsel wagon, a Harley Davidson Sportster that looked like a replica of her uncle's one in Mumbai, a Pontiac Firebird which Rhea stroked reverently before the Doctor dragged her away, and two late-50s mopeds that sat in the corner.
"When do I get to drive the Firebird?" Rhea whined as they climbed onto their respective mopeds.
"Another time, Rhea." The Doctor promised, humouring her, and put on his white helmet and big sunglasses, making Rhea laugh loudly at his getup.
"Helmet." The Doctor warned.
Rhea rolled her eyes. "I don't do helmets." Rhea said. "I spent entirely too long making myself look like Natalie Wood to screw up my hair now." She folded her arms and then touched her tight curls briefly.
The Doctor looked her over, fondly. "I think you look more like Grace Kelly, to be honest."
Rhea was touched by the comparison. "Really?" She said, smiling shyly.
"Yeah." The Doctor grinned.
Two pink, high heeled shoes stepped out onto the pavement, along with a big pink skirt with layers of tulle beneath. Rose, in full 50s regalia, brushed a strand of hair from her fringe out of her eyes as she walked out onto the street, looking around.
"I thought we'd be going for the Vegas era, you know- the white flares and the..." She growled, seductively. "Chest hair."
Rhea poked her head out the TARDIS door, looking at Rose with an incredulous look on his face.
"You're joking, right?" Rhea asked, her eyebrows furrowing. "You wanna see Elvis, you go to the late 50s! The time before burgers." Rhea said, grinning at the blonde girl, before disappearing back inside, trying to see why the Doctor was taking so long, wheeling the mopeds to the console room. "When they called him 'the Pelvis' and he still had a waist." Rhea cackled and Rose laughed in turn. "And anyway, the Elvis idea was the Doctor's. If I was going to the 1950s, I'd prefer going to see Frank Sinatra…or a musical! Like West Side Story or Guys and Dolls." Rhea said.
Rose looked back at the TARDIS. "They did that on The Simpsons once, didn't they?"
Rhea laughed from the inside of the TARDIS. "Yeah, they did. Or something like Paint Your Wagon. That's more of my kind of thing. I mean, I love rock, but I'm more of late 1960s and on kind of girl. I grew up with Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, REO Speedwagon, Bon Jovi, The Supremes, The Doors and all that playin' at home."
"I bet you were a total biker chick." Rose teased.
Rhea stuck her head out again. "Just a bit." Rhea said, sheepishly. "It's not my fault I have picky taste when it comes to rock music. The only Elvis song I listened to was 'Jailhouse Rock' and that's 'cause I had to sing it at karaoke at my cousin's bachelorette party. I even wore go-go boots. It was embarrassing." Rhea shuddered, remembering the photos.
Rhea watched as the Doctor pushed both the mopeds up the ramp and hurried over to take one of his hands. She slipped onto her moped and started the vehicle, feeling it thrum beneath her, and the two of them rode out of the TARDIS, engines roaring behind them. Rose laughed in amusement, clapping her hands excitedly when they skidded to a stop in front of her.
The Doctor turned his eyes around towards Rhea, who was next to him, leaning on the handles with a smile. "You goin' my way, baby?" The Doctor donned an acceptable Elvis impersonation, deep voice, American accent, expression and all, trying to coax Rhea into joining him, trying the word 'baby' out on his tongue and grinning. She had to be impressed by his attempt though.
Rhea rolled her eyes. "Ha ha, very funny, Andy Kaufman." Rhea said, sarcastically. There's just something about him calling me 'baby'. It makes me all tingly. Rhea sighed, exasperated, and narrowed her eyes at him. "You're cruisin' for a bruisin', baby." She said, wagging her finger and playing along, a reluctant smile coming to her lips.
"Hey, you speak the lingo!" The Doctor cried out, delighted, giving her a beaming smile.
Rhea shrugged. "Yeah, well, my mom and I used to watch Grease every Thanksgiving and 4th of July. John Travolta as a greaser really does it for me. Not to mention I had a massive crush on James Dean when I was younger." Rhea said, smiling when she saw the Doctor's disgruntled, jealous look. "But I like the whole Marlon Brando/James Dean thing you've got going on." Rhea said, eyeing him up and down, unashamedly, and giving him a secret smile. She leaned in. "In fact, it really gets me going." Rhea purred, biting her lower lip. She clucked her tongue.
The Doctor flushed, straightening his tie and running his hand across his hair, smoothing it down, and turned back to Rose, who was watching them flirt with the look of someone who had been watching this happen between them for a long time. "You goin' my way, doll." The Doctor mock-growled in the same Elvis voice he had used with Rhea.
Rose slipped on her own pair of big sunglasses, hot pink to match her outfit. "Is there any other way to go, daddy-o?" Rose said, putting on a pretty good American accent." She walked towards the Doctor's moped, laughing. "Straight from the fridge, man!"
Rhea laughed loudly, throwing her head back. The Doctor was briefly distracted by the sight of her exposed neck. "Oh, that was awesome, Blondie!" She smirked at the Doctor. "So much better than yours."
"Oh, shut up." The Doctor muttered. He tossed a pink version of his helmet to Rose, who caught it and put it on.
"Yeah well... me, mum, Cliff Richard movies every Bank Holiday Monday." Rose told Rhea. She sat behind the Doctor on the moped, side-saddle, wrapping the layers of his dress around her.
The Doctor grimaced. "Ah, Cliff! I knew your mother'd be a Cliff fan."
Rhea reached over and smacked him over the back of his head. "Don't insult her mother. That's a place you never go." She warned.
The three of them drove off down the street.
"Where are we off to?" Rose asked them over the noise of both moped's engines.
"Ed Sullivan TV Studios, Elvis did 'Hound Dog' on one of the shows, there were loads of complaints. Bit of luck, we'll just catch it." The Doctor said, keeping his eyes on the road.
"And that'll be TV studios in, what, New York?" Rose asked, sticking her head over his shoulder and looking around.
"That's the one!" The Doctor said, happily.
A red London double-decker bus drove past the end of the street, forcing the Doctor and Rhea to stop their mopeds. Rhea could see a red post box and a string of Union flags joining houses that were across the street from each other together. The Doctor looked mildly upset but Rose just laughed it off.
"Digging that New York vibe." Rose giggled.
"Well... this COULD still be New York, I mean this looks very New York to me... sort of... Londony New York, mind.." The Doctor tried, rather lamely.
"Honey, I've been to New York, and this ain't New York." Rhea said, looking over at the Doctor. "This is what I mean, you absolutely suck at driving." Rhea said to the Doctor, with a mock-exasperated glare. His only reply was a cheeky wink and a kiss to her hair, which made her roll her eyes, fondly.
"What are the flags for?" Rose asked, with a frown.
Rhea frowned as well. "Good point, Blondie," She levelled a knowing grin at the Doctor. "Let's go find out." She encouraged.
They started up the mopeds again and zoomed off down the street, Rhea whooping and laughing in joy as the wind caught in her hair, throwing it behind her. The Doctor looked at her, briefly, smiling to himself. She looks so beautiful when she laughs.
A man threw open the doors to his van, which had 'Magpies Marvellous Tellies' written across the front of it, and two errand boys took out a television and carried it out into a house, the house owner looking on.
"There you go, sir, all wired up for the great occasion." The man said, with a pleased grin.
The Doctor, Rhea and Rose walked past and heard him, stopping.
"The great occasion? What d'you mean?" The Doctor asked the man.
"Where have you been living, out in the Colonies? Coronation, of course." The man said with a bemused smile.
"What Coronation's that, then?" The Doctor asked, confused.
Rhea rolled her eyes.
"What d'you mean? THE Coronation." The man repeated as if the Doctor were dense.
The Doctor still looked blank and turned to Rhea for help, their joined hands swinging between them.
Silly man. "The Queen's." Rhea said, slowly, rolled her eyes and smacked him on the arm for good measure. "Queen Elizabeth!"
The Doctor looked as if something had finally clicked in his head. "Oh! Oh, is this 1953?" The Doctor asked, with a beaming grin, delight obvious in his voice.
The man looked like he was talking to a lunatic. "Last time I looked. Time for a lovely bit of pomp and circumstance, what we do best."
Rose looked at the chimneys at the tops of all the houses around them. "Look at all the TV aerials... looks like everyone's got one. That's weird, my nan said tellies were so rare they all had to pile into one house." Rose told Rhea.
Rhea frowned. "It wasn't like that in the States. My uncle said that every house had a TV by the end of the decade." Rhea looked around, suspiciously.
"Not round here, loves. Magpie's Marvellous Tellies, only five quid a box." The man said, proudly, which made Rhea's eyes snap to him.
Rhea looked back to see that Doctor, who had wandered a short way around the street, thinking. He suddenly cut back into the conversation.
"Oh but this is a brilliant year!" The Doctor crowed, practically gushing. "Classic! Technicolour, Everest climbed, everything off the ration," He started walking around with deliberate steps. Then, he put on a typical English accent, holding his arms out. "The Nation throwing off the shadows of war and looking forward to a happier, brighter future!"
Rose and Rhea laughed loudly, the latter stepping into the Doctor's arms, who wrapped his arms around her waist.
Suddenly, a woman's shouts were heard.
"Someone help me, please! Ted!" A woman screamed.
Rhea, the Doctor, and Rose over to the direction of the screams, where a man with a blanket thrown over his head was being bundled into a black police car by two black-suited men. The Doctor, Rhea and Rose raced over.
"Leave him alone, it's my husband!" The same woman from before screamed from the threshold of her home.
"What's going on?" The Doctor and Rhea asked, slightly panting, when they came over to where the action was happening.
The blanketed man was pushed into the back seat as a teenage boy ran out of his own house.
"Oi, what are you doing?!" He shouted, running up to them himself.
One of the suited men addressed the Doctor, ignoring Rhea, who narrowed her eyes at the man.
"Police business, now get out of the way, sir!" The man growled.
Rose turned to the teenager. "Who did they take, do you know him?"
"Must be Mr Gallagher..." The teenager said.
The car drove off, everyone helpless to stop it, leaving Mrs Gallagher in despair. A woman came out of the teenager's house.
"It's happening all over the place. They're turning into monsters..." The teenager told Rhea, the Doctor and Rose.
An older man, probably in his forties or fifties, slightly large, wearing a suit and tie and war medals on his chest, stormed out of that same house.
"Tommy! Not one word!" He shouted at the teenager before he was able to say anything more to the man and the two women.
Rhea and the Doctor shared a look and then stared at the man.
"Get inside now!" The man hissed at Tommy.
"Sorry, I'd better do as he says..." Tommy said, looking apologetic, to Rhea, the Doctor and Rose.
Mrs Gallagher was still sobbing in the doorway of her house, but the Doctor put his sunglasses on again, and ran over to his moped, motioning for Rhea to do the same, and kicked it into life, Rhea following him.
"All aboard." The Doctor said, after Rose had gotten on behind him.
The man watched the three drove off.
The black car hurtled around a corner.
"Operation Market Stall, go, go, go!" The dark suited man, who had spoken to the Doctor, ordered.
Tall, corrugated metal gates opened at the end of the street and allowed the black car to slip through, closing behind it almost immediately. Immediately, a wooden market barrow is wheeled in front of the gates and two men started sweeping the floor, as if they had always been there. The Doctor, Rhea and Rose came around the corner on their mopeds and stopped short of the market stall, staring at the gates with annoyance.
"Lost 'em! How'd they get away from us?" The Doctor asked, bemused.
"Surprised they didn't turn back and arrest you for reckless driving, have you actually PASSED your test?!" Rose asked the Doctor.
Rhea snorted. "Have you seen the way he drives the TARDIS? There's your answer to that question." Rhea looked around, eyeing the market stall with suspicion. "I wonder if it's like in those spy movies. Hidden passage way and all that." Rhea said, gesturing to the gates.
The Doctor didn't pay any attention to their criticism of his moped driving. "Men in black? Vanishing police cars? This is Churchill's England, not Stalin's Russia!" The Doctor said, incredulously.
"Baby, you've obviously not been to McCarthy's America in the 1950s. It's the Red Scare, honey, this is happening all over my country." Rhea paused. "Monsters, that kid said…" Rhea said, thoughtfully. The Doctor and Rose turned to her. "Maybe we should go and talk to the neighbours."
The Doctor nodded. "That's what I like about you. The domestic approach." The Doctor said, smiling.
Rhea pursed her lips. "I will punch you in the face, no questions asked."
The Doctor grinned, kicking the moped back to life, and sped off back the way they had come.
By the time they had finished to speaking to everyone who lived on the same street as the Gallaghers, the sun had set and the stars had come out. They walked down the footpath, the Doctor holding Rhea's hand on one side and Rose's in the other hand. Rhea rested her head on the Doctor's shoulder as they walked up to the last house they had to visit.
"Let's hope we get something out of this kid. He looked a little suss today afternoon." Rhea commented, remembering Tommy's father's angry and nervous face as he stopped his son from saying anything further to them.
Rose looked over at Rhea. "How can you tell?" Rose asked, confused.
Rhea laughed, lightly. "Honey, I made a damn good living being able to tell these things about people."
When they approached the porch of the last house, Rhea reached over and rung the doorbell. The door opened after a minute by the same angry man who had yanked his son away from them earlier that day.
"Hi!" The Doctor, Rhea and Rose, drawled out in an adorable chorus, wearing identical cheesy grins.
The man regarded the three of them suspiciously, as Tommy lurked in the background.
"Who are you, then?" The man asked, rudely.
"Let's see then, judging by the look of you, family man, nice house, decent wage, fought in the war, therefore," The Doctor muttered to the two women. "I represent Queen and country!" He held up the black wallet containing the psychic paper with a flourish.
"Good job, Sherlock Holmes." Rhea muttered to the Doctor.
The Doctor smiled quickly and then turned his attention back to the man. "Just doing a little check of Her Majesty's forthcoming subjects for the great day. Don't mind if I come in? Nah, didn't think you did, thank you!" The Doctor said, quickly. He barged past the man, without allowing him time to protest, and Rhea and Rose followed suit, all of them going into the living room.
"Not bad, very nice! Very well kept! I'd like to congratulate you, Mrs...?" The Doctor trailed off.
"Connolly." The woman said, timidly.
"Now then Rita, I can handle this." The man said, with a quelling look towards his wife, which made Rhea and Rose bristle. "This gentleman's a proper representative!" The man said, proudly, rocking back on his feet.
The Doctor gave Rita, who looked terrified, a wink. Rhea joined the Doctor, who wrapped an arm around her waist, while Rose perched herself on the arm of the couch, her skirts floating about her.
"Don't mind the wife, she rattles on a bit." The man hastily said to the Doctor.
Rhea narrowed her eyes at the man, but the Doctor simply gave him a cool look. "Well, maybe she should rattle on a bit more."
Rhea hid her pleased smile. That's my alien boy. Tommy and Mr. Connolly looked shocked, the latter had obviously never been addressed like that before. However, the Doctor didn't look fazed at all, and simply continued.
"I'm not convinced you're doing your patriotic duty." The Doctor glanced briefly at the flags around the room, waiting to be put up. "Nice flags. Why are they not flying?"
There was a nervous pause. "There we are Rita, I told you, get them up, Queen and country!" Mr. Connolly ordered his wife.
The Doctor looked sceptical and Rhea just looked angry. The Doctor began to move towards Eddie, pulling Rhea along with him by a hand.
"I'm sorry-" Rita began.
"Get it done! Do it now." Mr. Connolly barked.
"Hold on a minute-" The Doctor interrupted.
However, Mr. Connolly didn't listen. "Hold on a minute. You've got hands, Mr Connolly. Two big hands!" The Doctor remarked and then narrowed his eyes. "Why is that your wife's job?"
Mr. Connolly frowned, confused. "It's housework, innit?"
"And that's a woman's job?" Rhea asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Course it is!" Mr. Connolly scoffed, sneering at her, as if it were below his status to address her.
Rhea just managed to stop herself from punching the man in the face. "Mr Connolly, what gender is the Queen?" Rhea asked him, a smile on her face, but her teeth clenched tightly together to anyone who was looking.
"She's a female." Mr. Connolly answered, growing increasingly defensive.
Rhea smiled widely. Thank you for falling into my trap, you sexist bastard. I am going to have so much fun with this. "And are you suggesting the Queen does the housework?" Rhea purred, cocking her head, loving the flustered and defeated look that appeared on the man's face. She turned to face the Doctor, giving him a sultry wink with her eyes when she saw the proud smile on his face.
It was rather amusing for the Doctor to watch this older man being humbled by his Rhea. His strong, beautiful, intelligent, independent, absolutely brilliant Rhea. That's my girl. He thought proudly, his arms folding across his chest. She never needed him to protect her, always able to hold her own against anything. Not that he didn't want to protect her, he would go to the ends of the universe to protect her…but she just didn't need it. She wouldn't be his Rhea if she needed him to protect her all the time.
A small smile grew on Tommy's face as he watched the couple win the confrontation, as Mr. Connolly inevitably gave into Rhea's logic after a moment of hesitation, furious at himself for falling into a woman's trap. Rhea looked over at the couch. Even Rita seemed a little heartened by her husband's humiliation.
"No! Not at all!" Mr. Connolly blustered.
The Doctor handed the man a string of flags, giving him an expectant look.
"Then get busy." The Doctor ordered, quietly.
"Right, yes sir." Mr. Connolly set about hanging the flags, feigning enthusiasm, but neither the Doctor, Rhea, Tommy or Rose were fooled.
"You'll be proud of us, sir! We'll have Union Jacks left, right and centre!" Mr Connolly exclaimed from the wall.
Rose suddenly stood up, hands on her hips, as the Doctor and Rhea slowly paced back across the room. "'Scuse me, Mr Connolly, hang on a minute! Union Jacks?" Rose clarified, with a secretive smile on her face.
Mr Connolly pause in his work to look at her. "Yes, that's right, isn't it?"
"That's the Union Flag. It's the Union Jack only when it's flown at sea." Rose corrected him.
Tommy's smile grew into a grin as Mr Connolly tried to humble himself.
"Oh... oh, I'm sorry, I do apologise!" Mr Connolly said, flustered.
Rose smiled wide. "Well, don't get it wrong again, there's a good man." Her tone grew stronger and more determined. "Now get to it!"
Mr Connolly hastily got back to work, and Rose gave Rhea, who gave her a proud grin, a coy smile. The Doctor looked slightly bewildered at the change in Rose himself, the two women giving him 'proud of themselves' looks. Rose and the Doctor both sat on the sofa, while Rhea sat on the armrest next to the Doctor and Rita, making themselves comfortable and grinning.
"Right then! Nice and comfy, at Her Majesty's leisure!" The Doctor exclaimed. He turned to Rose. "Union Flag?" He asked, quietly.
"Mum went out with a sailor." Rose explained.
The Doctor chuckled quietly. "Oohohohoo! I bet she did!" His voice grew louder, speaking to the room as a whole again. "Anyway, I'm the Doctor, this is Rhea and this is Rose, and you are?" He looked at Tommy, who seemed surprised to be noticed.
"Tommy." Tommy answered.
The Doctor and Rose shifted aside, making a space for Tommy to sit in between them. Rhea rested the side of her torso against the Doctor, leaning into him just a bit, as she made herself comfortable.
"Well, sit yourself down, Tommy." The Doctor said. He motioned to the other chair, on the other side of Rhea, gesturing for Rita to sit down too. They all looked at the television.
"Have a look at this. I love telly, don't you?" The Doctor said.
"Yeah, I think it's brilliant!" Tommy said, with a smile.
The Doctor grinned. "Good man!"
They watched the programme, something about fossils, silently for a few moments before the Doctor turned around to check on Mr Connolly, who was still hanging the flags.
"Keep working Mr C!" He turned to Rita, dropping the cheerful act and speaking quietly, so that Mr Connolly couldn't hear them. "Now, why don't you tell us what's wrong?"
"Did you say you were a doctor?" Rita asked him, hopefully.
"We both are." Rhea whispered, pointing at herself and the Doctor.
"Can you help her?" Rita asked, helplessly, looking between the two. "Oh please, can you help her?"
Mr Connolly seemed to have heard the last part of the conversation and interrupted then.
"Now then Rita, I don't think the gentleman needs to know..."
"No, the gentleman does!" The Doctor cut in.
Rita began to cry and Rhea shifted on the armrest so that she could address the hysterical woman.
"Tell us what's wrong, and we can help." Rhea said, soothingly, squeezing the woman's hands comfortingly.
Rita's sobs just grew louder, and she shook her head, helplessly. Rose moved from the couch over to the other side of Rita and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders, and the Doctor watched with a concerned frown, him and Rhea looking at each other.
"I'm sorry, come on, come on..." Rose whispered.
"Hold on a minute! Queen and country's one thing, but this is my house!" Mr Connolly shouted. He looked down at the flags in his hands, chucking them down. Rhea watched as the Doctor propped his head on his forearm and balled fist, the latter giving her the impression that he was barely restraining himself, despite the fact that his face gave nothing away. "What the, what the hell am I doing? Now you listen here, Doctor! You may have fancy qualifications, but what goes on under my roof is my business!" Mr Connolly roared at the seated man.
"All the people are being bundled into-" The Doctor started, scathingly.
"I am talking!" Mr Connolly shouted.
The Doctor stood, the last shred of his patience gone, raising his voice even louder than Mr Connolly's and literally spitting in his face as he used his impressive height to loom over the man. "And I'm not listening! Now you, Mr Connolly, are staring into a deep, dark pit of trouble if you don't let us help." The Doctor hissed.
Mr Connolly was clearly shaken. It was obvious that he was, to himself and to others around him, the alpha male, and to have someone like the Doctor humiliate him like that, definitely frightened him. Tommy and Rita looked scared themselves, surprised by the friendly man's sudden rage. Rhea gave both of them a reassuring look and stood up herself, reaching out and taking the Doctor's hand.
"So I'm ordering you, sir, to tell us what's going on!" The Doctor roared.
Mr Connolly tried to think of something to say, but was halted by the sound of something banging on the floor from upstairs. His eyes, the Doctor's eyes, and Rhea's eyes rolled upwards, while Tommy looked around nervously and Rita sighed and shook her head.
"She won't stop." Mr Connolly whispered, with a degree of fear.
The banging continued, louder this time.
Tommy found the confidence to start explaining in a slightly shaky voice, and the Doctor and Rhea turned to listen to him. As he spoke, Rita looked upset and embarrassed and Mr Connolly, guiltily, tried to regain some composure.
"We started hearing stories, all round the place. People who've... changed. Families keeping it secret 'cause they were scared. The police started finding out. We don't know how, no one does. They just... turn up, come to the door and take 'em. Any time of the day or night." Tommy explained, hurriedly.
"Show us." The Doctor and Rhea told him, exactly at the same time.
It was dark in the bedroom that Tommy opened, only blackness could be seen. A creaking sound of the door opening was heard, with Tommy peeking around it, cautiously.
"Gran? It's Tommy." Tommy murmured. He opened the door wider, allowed the Doctor and others behind to see inside the darkened room.
"'S all right Gran, I've brought help." Tommy said, soothingly.
His grandmother was standing by the window, a silhouette moving towards them, an eerie figure in the dark. Tommy stepped a little further inside the room. He turned on the light and her face, well, lack of face, was revealed to everyone. All the features on her face, her eyes, her nose, her mouth, had all disappeared and looked smoothed over, just the skin left behind. Rose gulped, Rhea tensed and the Doctor simply stared with a furrowed brow.
The Doctor peered at the blank face. Rhea and Rose stood near him, Tommy and Rita were close together behind the Doctor, and Mr Connolly remained completely outside the room, donning a grim expression.
"Her face is completely gone." The Doctor murmured, with an air of fascination.
He scanned her face with his sonic screwdriver and Rose still looked uneasy. Rhea reached behind the Doctor and gripped her hand, offering the girl some comfort.
"Scarcely an electrical impulse left. Almost complete neural shutdown, she's ticking over, like her brain has been... wiped clean." The Doctor mused to himself, putting the sonic screwdriver away, but still continued to examine her face.
"What're we gonna do, Doctor? We can't even feed her!" Tommy asked, helplessly.
They were interrupted by the crash of the policemen entering the house, everyone's attention turning to the door.
"We've got company…" Rhea said, in a sing-song voice.
"It's them, they've come for her!" Rita cried, terrified.
Rhea frowned when she saw Mr Connolly's face. He's the only one pleased by this. Why, though? Rhea's eyes dawned with realisation. Because he's the one that that ratted them out. Figures.
"What was she doing before this happened? Where was she?" The Doctor asked Tommy and Rita, hurriedly.
Rita hesitated as the policemen clambered up the staircase.
"Tell me, quickly, think!"
"I can't think! She doesn't leave the house! She was just-" Tommy was cut off by the entrance of a big, burly man and some supporting officers. The Doctor tried to buy some time.
"Hold on a minute! There are three important, brilliant, and complicated reasons why you should listen to me. One-"
Much to Rose's horror, the burly man punched the Doctor in the face, hard, sending him to the floor, unconscious.
"Doctor!" Rose shouted, slapping the Doctor's cheeks in an attempt to wake him up.
When the man's fist swung for a second time, Rhea's training kicked in. She used her right arm to block his forearm, shoving it away from her, and slammed the heel of her left palm into his nose from underneath, pushing his head back forcefully, breaking his nose immediately. She used her right arm, which was still blocking the man's hand, to lock around his elbow and turned to the side, twisting his arm painfully and giving her all the power, a feeling that increased the adrenaline rushing through her, her face twisting into a cold smile. She lifted her own elbow slightly and pushed down with her left hand, the one gripping the man's head, making the man lose his balance and fall to the floor with a thud. She kicked him in the side of his head with her heels for good measure, sending him into blackness.
She looked back, not ruffled at all, immaculate as always, her focus turned towards the Doctor, and the need rushed through her to make sure he was safe at all costs. She fell to her knees beside him, on the other side of Rose, who looked at her with amazement and admiration and just a little bit of terror. She looked around, seeing no more officers, but no more grandmother and no more Tommy or Rita also. She realised that during that pathetic excuse for a fight the other officers must have taken Tommy's grandmother and the other two must have rushed after them.
"What did you do to him?" Rose asked, blinking quite quickly as she observed the man that Rhea had just rendered unconscious.
Rhea rubbed the back of her neck. "Um, it was…Krav Maga." Rhea said, quickly, not wanting to get into details. She was about to shake the Doctor awake when he suddenly sat up as if nothing had happened.
"Ah, hell of a right hook! Have to watch out for that!" The Doctor said, shaking his head.
Rhea snorted. "Why? You get popped in the mouth often?" Rhea asked, sarcastically.
The Doctor looked over and saw that the man who had punched him was now lying on his side, unconscious with a bloody smear under his nose after Rhea had broken it, as well as the cut on his cheek when Rhea's heel had scraped against it as she kicked him.
"What did you do?" The Doctor asked her.
Rhea shrugged. "He hit you. I hit him. Quid pro quo." She said, defensively
The Doctor growled a little. "You shouldn't have done that." Then he paused, relenting a bit. The Doctor leaned down and pressed a hard kiss to her forehead before belting down the stairs, rushing after the officers and Tommy's grandmother.
He was too late though, arriving just as the car drove off, with Mr Connolly still blocking the doorway, preventing him from getting through.
"Don't fight it, back inside!" Mr Connolly shouted at his family.
The Doctor pushed past him and ran to his moped, as Rhea and Rose came down the stairs as quickly as they could, Rhea in her tight skirt and Rose in her dainty shoes, not completely used to running around in high heels. Mr Connolly was restraining his wife and son.
"Rhea, Rose, come on!" The Doctor shouted from outside.
"Get back inside!" Mr Connolly shouted at his family.
Rhea and Rose paused at the entrance of the Connolly's living room, noticing the red, buzzing tendrils of electricity coming out of the television.
"But Dad, they took her!" They heard Tommy's voice shout.
"Go back inside, don't fight it..."
The Doctor urgently called out for both Rhea and Rose as he fastened his helmet and started up the moped. "Rhea, Rose, we're gonna lose them again!" He shouted.
Rhea was torn between running to the Doctor and examining the television set. She turned to Rose, who hadn't moved from her side, just waiting for her.
"You go on, go with the Doctor." She looked back at the television. "I'm just going to take a look at the TV."
Rose frowned, looking at her. "Are you sure? I can stay with you." Rose said, worriedly.
Rhea gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine, Rose. Remember? I took out the guy upstairs in thirty seconds flat." She looked back at the television, seeing that the tendrils were disappearing back into the TV set, prompting her to move closer.
"No, I'm staying with you." Rose said, stubbornly.
The Doctor, on his moped, gave up waiting for Rhea and rode off on his scooter, in pursuit of the black car.
Rhea, meanwhile, began fumbling with the television set, with Rose observing from behind her, turning it around so that she could see where the red electricity, which was still buzzing around the aerial, was coming from. She noticed a large label on the back, which read 'Magpie Electricals', frowning suspiciously. Tommy, Rita and Mr Connolly came back into the living room.
"How did they find her? Who told 'em?" Tommy asked his father.
Mr Connolly was about to reply to Tommy when he noticed Rhea and Rose still in his living room. "You! Get the hell out of my house!" He shouted.
Rhea rolled her eyes and got up. "We're going, we're done! Nice to meet you Tommy, Mrs Connolly." She smiled when the woman gave her a nod and turned to the red-faced man next to her. "And as for you, you sexist bastard, I hope you choke and die." Rhea said, utterly serious before grinning, grabbing Rose's hand and then racing out of the house before he could reply.
The black police car swerved around a bend and straight through the same wooden doors of the warehouse that the Doctor, Rhea and Rose had reached earlier. The Doctor arrived, some way behind on their much slower vehicle, only to see that the car had disappeared in what appeared to be a dead end. The doors were closed and there were only the same two workmen, apparently clearing away some rubbish from the stall and sweeping the streets. The Doctor stopped and swiftly worked out what they had done, both now and earlier.
"Oh, very good! Very good!" The Doctor said, appreciatively.
He walked around the warehouse, looking for a way to get inside. He eventually found a small gate on the side and broke in with his sonic screwdriver. Inside, he observed two policemen locking up some more cage-like gates and saw that they contained several dozen people. He opened those gates too with his screwdriver and saw that those several dozen people in the enclosure had no faces as well. They could only clench and unclench their fists in an eerie, almost mechanical manner, and shuffle towards the Doctor. Suddenly, a bright light flared from behind him and the Doctor spun on his feet and squinted into the light, seeing the two policemen who had locked up the cages earlier, standing in front of the headlamps of their car.
"Stay where you are!" A man ordered.
Rhea and Rose entered Magpie's shop, where the owner was currently adjusting a TV set on his counter. He looked up nervously when he heard them come in.
"Oh, I, I'm sorry, I'm afraid you're too late. I was just about to lock the door." Magpie stuttered.
Rose shut the door behind her and the two stayed anyway.
"Yes, well, I want to buy a television." Rhea said, clasping her hands behind her back.
"Come back tomorrow. Please." Magpie pleaded.
Rose raised an eyebrow. "You'll be closed, won't ya?"
"What?" Magpie asked, genuinely confused.
"For the big day?" Rhea tried. "The coronation…"
Realisation dawned in Magpie's eyes. "Yes, yes, of course. The big day." He tried to make the two leave as they walked over to him. "I'm sure you'll find somewhere to watch it. Please go."
"The way I see it is that half of London has a television." Rhea began, innocently. "Especially since you're practically giving them away."
"I have my reasons." Magpie said, defensively.
Rhea smiled. "Experience and education has taught me that people always have reasons. The problem is that they're not always honourable." She cocked her head, staring at him intensely. "So, what are yours?"
Before he could answer her question, one of the television sets on display tuned itself, an image of the face of a middle aged woman appearing on the screen.
"Hungry! Hungry!" The face cried.
Rhea frowned and looked at the screen, suddenly.
"What's that?" Rose asked Magpie.
"It's just a television. One of these modern programmes. Now, I really do think you should leave! Right now!" Magpie ordered.
Rhea turned back to Magpie. "We're not going anywhere until you've told us what's going on here. Why are you selling these televisions so cheap?"
"It's my patriotic duty. Seems only right that as many folk as possible get to watch the coronation. We may be losing the Empire but we can still be proud! Twenty million people they reckon'll be watching! Imagine that!" Magpie exclaimed.
Rhea smiled widely, not convinced at all. Oh, sweetie, don't try and con me.
"And twenty million people can't be wrong, eh? So why don't you get yourself back home and get up, bright and early, for the big day?" Magpie encouraged, urgently.
Rose shook her head. "Nah, We're not leaving 'til we've seen everything."
"I need to close." Magpie protested.
Rhea decided to change her tactic and lowered her voice. "Mr Magpie, something is happening out there. Ordinary people are getting their face stolen and the only thing new in the house is a television set. One of your televisions. You want to tell me what's going on here?" Rhea asked, crossing her arms across her chest.
"I knew this would happen. I knew I'd be found out." Magpie sighed, giving up all pretence. He locked the door behind him and Rhea tensed, her fists clenching, ready to act at a moment's notice. She looked over at Rose, who looked uneasy.
"All right, then, it's just you and us..." Rose started, cautiously.
"Does that mean you're going to tell us what's going on?" Rhea asked, carefully. "What are you really getting out of this?"
Magpie raised an eyebrow. "For me? Perhaps some peace."
Rose frowned. "From what?"
"From her." Magpie glanced over at the middle-aged woman on the television screen and Rhea and Rose followed his gaze.
"That's just a woman on the telly, that's just a programme." Rose said, confused.
"Yeah, I wouldn't be too sure." Rhea said, slowly, gazing into the woman's eyes. Too lifelike. I've definitely seen it all. Talking television programs.
"What a pretty, clever little girl." The woman purred.
Rose just stared. "Oh, my god, is she talking to you?" Rose looked over at Rhea.
"Yes, I'm talking to you, little one." The woman replied.
"Great, it looks like someone's seen Taxi Driver one too many times." Rhea muttered under her breath.
The woman ignored Rhea. "Unseasonably chilly for the time of year, don't you think?" She asked, lightly.
"What are you?" Rhea growled.
"I'm the Wire. And I'm hungrrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyy...!" The woman cried, baring her teeth.
Pinkish purplish bolts of electricity shot out of the screen and aimed for Rose's face when Rhea shoved her away, taking her place and the electricity encompassed her entire face, sucking… Rose screamed when she saw Rhea's face start to get pulled inside the television set.
"Rose, get out of here, now!" Rhea shouted through the pain of her skin stretching uncomfortably. Okay, got to remember to never repeat this experience ever again. Getting your face sucked off fucking hurts!
"But I can't leave you!" Rose cried out. She was torn, she couldn't leave Rhea here, but she couldn't stay, otherwise she would be met by the same fate and no one would be able to warn the Doctor. Before she could make a decision, she felt something hard strike her head and all she knew was black.
Rhea was able to see Rose's prone body on the floor through the corner of her eye.
"Just think of that audience tomorrow, my dear..." Magpie said, sadly. Rhea groaned in response. "All sitting down to watch the coronation. Twenty million people. Things will never be the same again." He sounded close to tears. "I'm sorry. So sorry."
He averted his eyes as Rhea's face was sucked into the screen, while the woman groaned in pain.
"Goodnight, children. Everywhere." The Wire whispered, serenely, utterly and completely pleased with herself.
A/N: OH, MY GOD! RHEA'S FACE GOT SUCKED OFF! I hope you all liked this chapter. I do want to warn you, at least half of this chapter was written while I was in the hospital, as my grandmother had a colonoscopy, so I'm sorry if it isn't up to my usual standard. Anyways…Rhea jumped without much pain for the first time! Isn't that great! However, she did have a kind of hangover after the experience. And there was so much sexual tension in this chapter. The Doctor is definitely attracted to Rhea, and Rhea just loves teasing and flirting with him. And there was a lot of flirting in this chapter, wasn't there? And I know there were a few Grease references. It is set in the 1950s, so I kind of used it, but it was sweet how the Doctor thought Rhea looked like Grace Kelly, wasn't it?
I hope you liked the fight scene in this chapter, it was really fun to write. Krav Maga is an actual self-defense system developed for the Israeli military, and the move that Rhea used is an actual move used in Krav Maga. And The Idiot's Lantern…that's gotta be one of my favourite episodes, one of the few that I liked Rose the entire way through. And I changed things around a bit. I wanted to make Rhea the one who had her face stolen by The Wire because I thought it would be more interesting to explore the Doctor's feelings in that situation. How angry will he be when he finds out what happened to Rhea? But don't worry, Rose is fine, we'll see what happens to her in the next chapter. Next chapter will be Rhea-lite but it will have a lot of possessive and protective Doctor, I can't wait!
Anyways, Read and Review!
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