A/N: Alex's outfit for this chapter can be found on my Tumblr, under the name 'darksideofparis'.
"Hey, Alex?"
Alex glanced up from the stove at Amy. She was attempting to make scrambled eggs, but so far, it wasn't going very well. Alex jumped back as the stove hissed, nearly throwing grease on her white t-shirt, paired with a denim vest, jeans, tan leather boots, and hoop earrings.
"Yeah, Ames?" Alex asked, cautiously reaching to grab the pan handle again. Beside her, the Doctor looked up from his food to eye her warily. Alex had the feeling he lived in constant fear of her burning down the TARDIS whenever she tried to cook.
"What do you want for your birthday?" Amy asked. She was perched on one of the kitchen's industrial style tables, swinging her legs. Rory was seated on a stool beside her. "It's coming up in a few days, isn't it?"
Alex paused for a moment, trying to think about this. Time was really hard to keep track of in the TARDIS. She knew her physical body was aging, but she wasn't sure by how much. She estimated that she and Amy had traveled in the TARDIS for about a month, and it had been about two weeks since Amy and Rory's wedding.
"I guess so," she answered. "I don't really know though. Time is pretty hard to keep track of in here."
The Doctor dug his sonic screwdriver out of his jacket. "Ally, turn and face me," he instructed. Alex turned around, looking at him skeptically as he ran the sonic over her. A second later, he lowered the sonic and lifted it up to read the results. "You are aging, Ally," he announced. "According to the sonic, your body clock is set to turn twenty-one in approximately five days, seventeen hours, and five minutes."
"So, it is coming up," Amy smiled, glad to know that she was right.
Alex hummed in agreement and turned back to the stove. "So it is," she murmured.
Behind her, the Doctor frowned. She didn't sound very excited.
"Come on, Alex," Rory pleaded. He stood and went over to Amy, wrapping an arm around her waist. "You must want something for your birthday."
"I don't need anything," Alex said as she poked at a runny egg. The stove hissed again, and she jumped back.
"Alex, we're not taking 'nothing' for an answer," Amy told her. She crossed her arms and kept her eyes level with Alex, hoping to intimidate her.
Alex raised an eyebrow at her friend's attempts to intimidate her. "Okay, fine. I would like a new diary. Mine is completely filled up."
"Thank you," Amy smiled.
Alex smiled a little, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. She turned back to the stove, jumping back again as the pan sizzled. "August 31st, I'll be 21," she laughed wryly. "I can legally drink in the U.S."
The Doctor, Amy, and Rory watched Alex critically. They were all a little concerned on why Alex, normally a very eager and chipper person, didn't seem very excited about her birthday. It was so weird and unlike her and frankly, it was a little disturbing.
Shortly after breakfast, the Doctor made an excuse about having to make some repairs on the TARDIS. While Alex went off to explore the TARDIS, the Doctor, Amy, and Rory gathered in the control room.
"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Rory questioned. He watched as the Doctor raced around the console, feeding in the coordinates for Bristol, Kentucky, August 31st, 1996.
Amy nodded alongside him. Though she had been initially ready to figure out why Alex didn't like her birthday so much, she was starting to have second thoughts. Were they intruding too much on Alex's private life? Alex didn't like talking about her life with Carla, and it had to be for good reason. "It does seem a little invasive," she admitted.
The Doctor looked up at them. "Okay," he said reluctantly, throwing a lever and putting the TARDIS to a stop. He leaned against the console, observing the couple's guilty looks. "How did Alex celebrate her birthday before?" he asked.
"She didn't seem to care about it," Amy told him. "In fact, I only learned when her birthday was after I took a message from one of her friends in Kentucky wishing her a happy birthday."
"She never told you when it was?"
Rory shook his head. "No. We asked her about it, but she said it wasn't a big deal."
"We did get her a present and cake," Amy recalled, "and she liked it and thanked us. Now that I think about it, she seemed surprised that we cared. It was like she wasn't used to it."
The Doctor thought about this. He had seen that Alex's friends in Bristol cared for her very much, and they surely would have done something. But as little kids, you really couldn't do much, especially when your friend's grandmother was a completely horrible person. Maybe Alex had grown used to horrible birthday celebrations in those early years and even lavish teen celebrations couldn't quite cure her of it.
Suddenly, the TARDIS shifted to the side, throwing the occupants sideways and causing them to grab on to the nearest bolted down thing. "What the bloody hell did you do?!" Amy demanded as she clung to the railing.
"I didn't do anything!" the Doctor retorted. He ran around the console, staring bafflingly at the moving controls. "It's the TARDIS! She's flying of her own will!"
"Where is she taking us?" Rory wondered. He had been thrown to the floor in the sudden takeoff and was clinging to the underside of a chair as he tried not to slide all over the floor.
A moment later, as if in reply to the question, the TARDIS abruptly stilled. The trio looked around the room as they hesitantly released whatever they were hanging onto. They half-expected the time machine to move again, but nothing happened. The Doctor went over to the scanner. "We've landed," he announced.
"Where?" Rory asked as Amy helped him up off the floor.
"Exactly where we first intended. Bristol, Kentucky, August 31st, 1996." The Doctor looked up at the time rotor in thought. "I guess she wanted us to see whatever's here."
The Doctor stepped down from the platform and approached the main doors. Though he wouldn't admit it, he was also a bit reluctant to intrude on this obviously private part of Alex's past. She was so understanding with him when he divulged parts of his past that were painful, and even when he didn't. He hadn't heard one question from her about Susan since he learned she was reading his granddaughter's old book. She somehow knew it was a part of his life that still deeply hurt, and she was okay with not knowing all the details. She knew he would tell her when he was ready.
But now, he was poking around in her past, completely messing with the comfortable balance they had on truth-telling. It seemed like a total double standard. But wasn't it really necessary? How much did he know about Alex anyway? She probably knew more about him than he did her.
So, in a sense, he was doing the right thing here. But that still didn't stop him from feeling immensely guilty as he opened the door.
The TARDIS had parked in the shadows of a weeping willow near the end of the driveway at Alex's old house. It was mid-afternoon, the sun overhead shining brightly. The house wasn't as decrepit as it had been during the group's last visit to Bristol. The lawn was almost completely manicured and not a beer can could be seen anywhere in sight.
Amy poked her head out. She visibly started at the house. "God, can you get any tackier?" she murmured, staring at the brown brick on one side of the house and the white brick on the other.
Rory looked out as well. "Bloody hell," he muttered.
Right at that moment, the front door to the house banged open. A Mexican woman in her mid-fifties came out. She had short, wavy black hair and wore a white blouse, dark-wash jeans, and black cowboy boots. She was holding a cigarette in one hand and a beer bottle in the other. The woman squinted in the light, clearly having not left the house for a number of days. She turned to look at someone just beside her.
"Get outside!" she hollered, reaching behind her and pulling a little girl outside. The little girl had long, light brown hair and wore a neat white summer-dress, white socks, and matching Mary-Jane's. The Doctor felt his hearts pang. It was Alex, only seven years old.
Alex was roughly pushed out onto the porch. She stumbled, falling onto the wood. The Doctor watched, feeling sick, as Alex's face contorted into one of pain. Her bottom lip stuck out and quivered. "Grandma, I got a splinter!" she whined.
Carla narrowed her eyes and simply took a sip of beer. "Oh, who cares? It's just a damn piece of wood! Pick it out yourself!"
"Bitch," Amy growled, her eyes narrowed. Rory held her hand in an attempt to keep her from running out and causing a paradox by strangling Carla.
Alex hesitantly stood up, one of her legs stiff from the splinter. "Are we going somewhere today?" she asked eagerly in the child-like enthusiasm seven-year-olds were known for. "Are we? It's my birthday!" She bounced up and down in a fashion very similar to her older self.
"Guess it's not a new thing," Rory commented, observing this.
Carla didn't seem very concerned about this bit of news though. "So it is," she muttered. She took a drag of her cigarette and blew the smoke out, just barely missing Alex. As the young girl waved the smoke away, Carla took a last sip of beer and hurled the bottle out into the yard. The bottle hit the trunk of the weeping willow, missing the TARDIS by less than an inch.
The Doctor glowered at the woman. How had Alex lived with her?
"Go entertain yourself," Carla said now, waving her hand in the general direction of the yard.
"But my birthday!" Alex begged.
"Who cares?!" Carla snapped. The young girl jumped and ran to the other end of the porch. "What are you, God?! No one freaking cares, Alexandria, least of all me! Get used to it!" She then stormed into the house, slamming the door behind her. A moment later, the door locked.
Alex stared at the door for a moment. As if knowing she wouldn't be able to get back in, she hurried off the porch and ran down to the end of the driveway. She sat down on the concrete and picked up a pebble. A moment later, she turned and hurled it at the house, the stone hitting a window shutter. Carla, if she heard it, didn't respond.
The TARDIS hummed and the engines began grinding up. At the same time, a semi-truck passed by the house, horn blaring. The Doctor quickly shut the door and the TARDIS dematerialized, the seven-year-old Alex none the wiser to who had witnessed this so-called birthday.
"That was awful!" Amy cried as soon as the TARDIS took off. She looked almost on the verge of tears. "I-I, I don't want to see anything else!"
Rory went over and hugged her. "Don't worry, you don't have to," he assured her, giving the Doctor a pointed look behind her back.
The Doctor nodded. He didn't think he wanted to see something that cruel and heartless ever again either.
Amy pulled back, sniffling slightly. "We're giving Alex a great birthday," she declared. "I don't want her living like that ever again!" Amy rushed off, her heels clacking as she ran upstairs. Rory gave the Doctor a sad smile before following her.
The Doctor leaned back against the console wearily. God. That had been hell to see. He just wanted to run up there, grab Alex, and take her far away from that horrible woman. He didn't see how Alex had been able to live with that so-called grandmother that day, let alone for thirteen years.
Just as he thought this, the TARDIS landed again. He looked up at the time rotor suspiciously. "Where have you taken me this time?" he asked.
'You'll see,' the TARDIS responded.
The Doctor looked over at the doors warily. "What if I said I didn't want to go out there?"
'Then I wouldn't budge until you did go out there.'
The Doctor frowned and sighed. He knew she was telling the truth. Almost reluctantly, he pushed off the console and went down to the doors. He hesitated a moment before opening them.
They were in the same spot as before, only it was night now. A full moon hung overhead, and owls and nightingales sang all around the TARDIS. The mansion was now lit up with lights and an amount of time had obviously passed; beer cans were stacked up on the porch railing, a window shutter on the second floor had tilted to the side, and a few new trees had been added to the yard.
The front door banged open and out came Carla, now looking like she was in her sixties. That didn't seem to be stopping her from wearing a silver mini-skirt and five-inch heels though. She tottered down the steps, drinking out of a flask. "Bye-bye, dear!" she called out in a sardonic voice. "Don't wait up!"
The front door banged open and out came Alex. She looked like the twenty-year-old the Doctor knew, only slightly younger with not as defined features and highlight-less hair. The Doctor estimated this Alex was about fourteen or fifteen. She was wearing a white camisole, jeans, and sneakers, a red cardigan tied around her waist.
"Why would I?" Alex retorted. "Why should I care about a pill-popping drunk?!"
"Watch your mouth, young lady!" Carla snapped. "I am your grandmother!"
"That's a title, not a defense!"
"I am in charge of you, Alexandria Nicole, and I will not stand for—"
"You're in charge of me?!" Alex retorted. She laughed sarcastically. "Please! If anybody's been in charge of me, it's me! I've been taking care of myself since I was eight years old! All you've been good for is doctor visits and buying groceries!"
"I've taken care of you more than that!"
"Oh yeah?" Alex scoffed. "You've never gone to any of my school events, talked to me about my day, or even given me a birthday or Christmas gift!"
Carla rolled her eyes. "You're a drama queen!" she shouted, stomping over to her car. "You get that from your mother!"
"Do this whole town a favor and go to hell!" Alex screamed, before running back inside and slamming the door.
Carla ignored her, instead getting into her car and speeding off, nearly hitting the mailbox in her attempt to flee.
The Doctor shook his head. Alex had said growing up with Carla wasn't easy, but he had no idea it was this bad. He felt a strong desire to run into that house and comfort the young teen inside, but he knew he couldn't for so many reasons.
A minute later, the door reopened. Alex came back out. She was now clutching something in her hand. The Doctor squinted, able to make out a small cupcake, a candle, and a pack of matches. Alex headed down the porch and over to the weeping willow. The Doctor ducked back inside the TARDIS, but he needn't have worried; the TARDIS was perfectly concealed behind the tree and Alex would never be able to make it out in the dark.
Alex sat down on the other side of the tree. The Doctor slowly opened the TARDIS door and stepped out, inching his way around the tree-trunk until he could just see Alex. She was sitting cross-legged on the ground, a vanilla cupcake with pink frosting sitting by her feet. He watched as she stuck a candle in it, then struck a match and lit it. She blew out the match and tossed it in the grass.
Alex picked up the cupcake, studying it. "So, this is it then," she said aloud. "My fourteenth birthday and all I get out of it is a cupcake in the grass." She snorted slightly, but the Doctor could hear the tears creeping into her voice.
"Yeah, I know that Lacey and Marigold and all the others care, but. . ." Alex trailed off and shuddered. "They're only doing it because they feel like they need to make up for me having a shitty childhood. Maybe Carla was right. Maybe no one cares."
I care, Ally! The Doctor thought. He wanted to scream it out right now so that Alex would know it. Was this really how she thought of herself? That she was so undeserving of love and care and affection? Maybe Alex isn't as strong as I thought, he mused. Maybe Carla did more damage to her than she realizes or is willing to admit.
He frowned at the idea. No. He was going to make sure Alex knew that he, Amy, Rory, and everyone else in her life cared about her.
Alex sniffled again. "Well, I care. That's all that matters." Alex looked up into the night sky. "So. . . Birthday wish. I can say it out loud. No one's around to hear it."
The Doctor bit his lip to keep from laughing. Not exactly, Ally.
"Okay. My wish this year . . . is for something incredible to happen. Something amazing and exciting and thrilling and crazy, but all so wonderful. Actually, I want something like that to happen at any point in the future. It doesn't have to be this year. I just want something incredibly amazing." With those words poured out into the universe, Alex blew out her candle.
The Doctor had to wait a few minutes before he could safely leave without disrupting the timelines. Alex ate her cupcake and then went back inside the house, the door locking behind her. As soon as the door shut, the Doctor ran back into the TARDIS.
He went up to the console and flicked a few switches, sending them off to a distant point in space. After seeing glimpses of Alex's life pre-Leadworth, he knew he had to do something wonderful for her birthday. He was going to show her that he cared about her and that he wanted her to always look forward to that wonderful day when she had been brought into this universe.
~Living the Life of Ally~
Two days later, Alex was lounging in a seat in the control room. Her nose was buried in a new book, Susan's copy of A Brief History of Montmaray now safely back in its place in the library. The Doctor was underneath the console, making some type of repairs which, based on the alien curse words flying out of his mouth at various intervals, were extremely difficult. Amy and Rory had grown bored and were playing hearts – at least, Rory was trying to teach Amy how to play, but she couldn't quite get it.
"No, Amy," Rory said exasperatedly for what seemed like the tenth time. "That's not right."
Amy groaned and reluctantly reshuffled the deck. "I think it's because we don't have three players," she suggested as she tried not to accuse her new husband of not teaching her right. She finished shuffling and looked down at the Doctor. She quickly dismissed the idea as the Time Lord loudly swore as a spark went off in his face, singeing the tip of his nose. She then looked over at Alex, whose nose was deeply buried in some thick paperback that she was already a quarter of the way through.
"Alex? Wanna play?" Amy called. Not getting a response, she frowned. "Alex?" she called a little louder.
"You have to yank the book out of her hand," the Doctor helpfully called up. "It's the only way to get her to listen to anything."
Amy nodded and quickly got up, heading over to Alex. Once she was right in front of her, she grabbed the book and yanked it up. "Alex!" she cried as she took the book.
Alex jumped and looked up, startled. "What?" she cried, reaching out for the book, only for Amy to step out of her reach. "I was reading!"
"No kidding. You've been absorbed in this." Amy turned the book over and examined at the cover. "It looks creepy. This statue on the front reminds me of a Weeping Angel."
"It's not," Alex said dryly, though she did also think that when she first found the book on a dark shelf in the TARDIS library. "It's a statue in a cemetery."
"Sounds even creepier," Amy remarked. She glanced down at the title. "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," she read aloud. She looked over at Alex. "Again, creepy!"
"I think it's referring to voodoo," Alex told her, taking the book back.
Amy shrugged and settled in beside her. "What's it about?"
"Amy!" Rory called, nodding down to the card deck.
"I can't learn that, Rory," Amy said apologetically. "This looks much more interesting." She turned back to Alex expectantly, waiting for the answer to her question.
"It's a true-crime novel," Alex explained. "It's about the murder of a male prostitute in Savannah, Georgia and the ensuing four trials of his employer for his death. It also includes a bunch of other stuff like. . ." Alex trailed off and flipped to the back of the book to read the description. "A foul-mouthed drag queen, a man who could potentially poison the whole town, and other interesting characters."
There was silence as the other three TARDIS occupants processed this. Finally, Rory spoke up. "Sounds . . . interesting."
"When did I get that book?" the Doctor murmured.
"It's good!" Alex argued. She shook her head. She sometimes felt the Brits and alien she traveled with were way too sheltered. "It makes me want to go to Savannah more than I already want to."
This got the Doctor's attention. "Really?" he said. He took his goggles off and looked up at her through the glass floor.
Alex nodded eagerly. "Yeah, ever since I was a kid. Marigold used to tell me and Lacey about it. She went to boarding school there and all her stories were about shopping on River Street, going to society parties, and other glamorous stuff. It made me want to go there so bad, but I never got a chance." What Alex didn't tell them was that the first time she had ever left Bristol was when she moved to Vegas to go to Octavian. It was too strange, and she didn't like talking about the bad aspects of her Bristol life that much.
Alex returned to her book, Amy peeking over her shoulder at the written words, her eyes widening at certain parts. Rory eventually came over and also looked at the book. But underneath the console, the Doctor was planning. He knew exactly what he was going to do for Alex's birthday now and it was going to be the best one she ever had.
A/N: And here's the first part of 'Alex's Birthday'! This chapter revealed more about Alex's psyche. Just to recap, Alex isn't quite used to a fuss being made over her or people caring about her. Her friends in Bristol obviously care, but there's only so much they can do. We'll get more about Alex's birthdays in Bristol in the next chapter, which will reveal more about her psyche and view on her birthday. :)
Some notes on reviews. . .
SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister - It is pretty hilarious! I will be doing all the 'Night in the Doctor' mini-sodes from the Season 6 boxset. I'm excited for them since some of them contain a jealous Alex. :)
dream lighting - I can't say when they'll admit their feelings for each-other, sorry. It will happen though! :)
ElysiumPhoenix - Glad you liked my version of 'Space and Time'. Hope this adventure is just as well-received as 'Bristol, KY Stop'! :)
TheGirlWhoWaited - Thanks! Glad you liked the Susan bit. :)
Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass - Yeah, I couldn't flirt with myself either. That's just too . . . ew. There will be more fluff in this adventure! There has to be fluff in this! :) In answer to your question, Alex will not be 200 years older in 'The Impossible Astronaut'. Instead, she'll be with Amy, Rory, and River when they see the Doctor get 'killed'. }:)
SasuTenLuvr - Ooh, the SAT. I've heard it's pretty hard. Glad I only ever had to take the ACT. :) Demon's Run is crazy. A lot happens in it. That's all I can say without majorly spoiling it. :)
Ryan T. Morris - I love that part too. It's hilarious! :) Glad you liked the parts with Susan. :)
ShadowTeir - It was kinda sad, but I think the comedic elements made up for it. Ooh . . . if the Doctor wasn't hiding his feelings and there were two Alex's there . . . I think this story would go up to an M-rating. :)
SopherGopherroxursox - I will say that Alex isn't from a parallel universe and that the reason behind her fixed point status isn't really tied in with her identity. Good guesses though! :) Glad you liked the bit about Susan and her book. Hope you liked the chapter! :)
jesterlover - Too bad, but I'm pretty sure no one dances like Alex. :) I've been to weddings too and they were pretty boring. I'd have liked to have gone to Amy's wedding. It was much more exciting. :)
rycbar15 - Thanks! Hmm, without giving too much away, I will say their relationship takes a great big step in Season 6. Glad you liked the chapter! :)
Gwilwillith - I love the mini-sodes too. They're always so funny! Thanks! :)
