that certain blue blanket

by julia bebop

Jo is in for a family reunion from her five aunts. it may be quiet at UNIT HQ. to keep her mind from melting down from all of her nosy aunts, Jo decided to knit a blanket for the Doctor. While the Doctor had to play referee between the aunts, Jo and the Brig.

That certain blue blanket

By Julia MacGergor

In the control room of the space ship called the Tardis, The Doctor Twelve was kneeling in front of an ancient streamer trunk. He had finally got to open after a five minute search in his coat pocket for bis sonic screwdriver. His blue-green eyes were deep in thought. He popped the lid with a grunt followed by a swift breath through his nose. He knew he had been looking for something for least a couple of minutes.

In the vast control room, there was a rather large Victorian sofa which sat off to the side. It was a temporary bed for Clara. She had caught a mild head cold from being exposed to a sick child as the two were at local village fate. The Doctor and Clara were hoping to be at the famous marking of the rock and roll in its infancy. It was warm day, but one small, sick child had effected one other even its was a girl from another time. The Doctor wanted to show Clara the world's best all time band started off from such humble beginnings. She had a great time with the Doctor and the future group, the Beatles. After getting back, Clara and the Doctor when to the Tardis still humming songs.

The next morning, the Doctor felt wonderful and filled with hope. He knew Clara had picked a small and quiet room to rest up in the Tardis, while he tinkered with the control panel. After a quick bite for breakfast, the Doctor realized Clara did not showed up in the control room. He went looking for her in the vastness of the Tardis. After he found her being in the room she had slept in.

Looking rough, Clara managed to get out of bed. She was still wearing the sweats she had on before getting into bed. She trudged to the control room with a mute Doctor. He noticed how sick Clara was. He tried to think of a quick remedy for her in the stores for a head cold.

Clara was now tucked up on the sofa with a mug of hot medicine. The Doctor knew she needed to a touch of home, warmth and hope. There was a special blanket that came to mind. It was years ago, in the Doctor's third incarnation, Jo Grant, the young, slightly goofy, but willing to learn companion. She knew sometime to draw back to the transnational role of being a woman in the late sixties. Yet, she did knew when to step in and scream from the roof tops that she was more than just a blond dolly bird. She and the Doctor were visited by Jo's five aunts at UNIT's offices in London. It in late happened in late summer when Jo had the sneak attack from her family. Her family had a reunion in London for a week or two in the middle of summer.

"Ah...there it is!" the Doctor said after he letting his hands of a minute or two of running around in the trunk. He lifted a soft blanket in the same shade of blue as the Tardis. He smiled at Jo's handiwork. She gave him the blanket at Christmas time so many years ago. It held up very well after being used many times.

Clara, slightly in a fog sighed,"What?"

"This," the Doctor had tucked the blanket under his arm. He tuned in the direction of the sofa. "It's a blanket...someone had stitched years ago. I knew a brave, stubborn and at times, a silly woman who grew in wisdom and trepidation."

Clara sat up a little to catch in her sites, the Doctor walking over to the sofa with the blanket. She hunkered down on the sofa. "Who was she?"

Now, the Doctor stood in front of the sofa as he began to unfold the blanket. "Her name was Jo...Jo Grant. It's been a while I thought of her. I was bound on earth for while. I was a bad boy in the eyes of the other time lords back Gallifrey."

Clara was surprised to hear that Doctor was a bad boy. He always worked for the good in the world. To be bad, the Doctor...impossible.

"It was inference with a planet which humans were programmed for war. This war planet had a nasty air of a wheel grinding away. I had to put a stop to it. With some help from Jamie and Zoe, we had ended the war with a snag for me. I was on trial and relocated back on earth. I had to readjust to everything including a new face. I met and became good friends with the Brigadier Lethbridge Bridgette-Stewart and UNIT, a short brush with a Doctor Liz Shaw and then, Jo Grant."

As the Doctor began to tell the story on how the blanket came about, he carefully draped the beloved blanket over Clara. "I remember it was a very warm day in the end of May!" he began to say, tucking the blanket around Clara's feet to make them comfortable.

In an UNIT lab, a youngish, ruddy faced, man with white hair was mixing two chemicals for a diagnosis in why the tap water tasted so salty. He was the time traveler named as the Doctor. He sat at the table, wearing a white lab coat. Sitting on a stool, the Doctor took a test tube from a holder which sat near his notebook. A battery of test tubes, beakers and other lab equipment were neatly surrounding a large spiral note book and a pen.

People were showing up in the UNIT HQ sickbay. The UNIT HQ was miles away from any coastal area, yet the personae were getting sick from over salted over. In some cases, the privates were grumbling the tap water tasted like sea water. The Doctor was just starting his investigation from the HQ water taps. He sat at his lab table with bottles or jars of various shapes, sizes and volumes of just plain tap water. He had been busy for a week.

The door opened slowly as a small wooden box poked into the room which was held by a young blond woman. The box and young woman entered the room. She was wearing a short sleeved blue button shirt and a neat pair of dress pants. She sighed as she walked over to the table before deposing the box with a slight clink of glass. The Doctor looked up from his work to see the young woman with surprised look,"Take care Jo...I need that box and the glass wear inside."

Jo was lost in thought. She had received in the mail a post card from her mother telling her to be on the alert for her five aunts. They surprised her at college dorm while she was finishing up her finals before she graduated from school. She was somewhat amused and mortified for weeks. That experience was so long ago, but for the now the aunts decided to visit Jo at UNIT. She looked at the Doctor "Sorry. I have got some bad news."

"Oh?" the Doctor said as he glanced up at Jo. He took note of Jo's irritated face. He knew she loved her family, but there was a limit. "What is going on with your family...why are you so troubled?" he gently questioned her with a raised eyebrow.

Jo spotted a second stool near ther Doctor. She walked over to the stool and sat down,"I'm going to have a family reunion coming soon. Usually it's fun, but I have a bad feeling about this time. I need to keep busy. There are questions about my job here in UNIT!" she said with concerned glance.

"I think the Brigadier will let you have a day off, is that what's troubling you?" the Doctor said as he took what Jo was disguising about.

She could tell the Doctor was trying to help her to sort her feeling out. Placing an arm on the table,"My family is very close, yet this job is like another part of my family. My mum and dad understand what parts I can tell. They never asked me on what I was doing in UNIT. Yet..."

It was a cue to the Doctor realized Jo was trialing off in her search for the right words. "Your aunts are a little bit on the nosy side?" he asked as he and Jo heard a gaggle of voices closing in on them. It was so intense Jo did not have time to get off of the stool. There now standing were five older women in the door way with an amused Mike Yates in toe.

One of the older women began to wave her left hand in front of her. With a mix of the Cockney and the posh, the older woman said,"Hello...Josephine...how are you doing?"

On blanching, Jo glanced at the gaggle of women. She and the Doctor watched as Mike turned to beat a hasty retreat. She had to think which one was which. The first one who was waving slowly appeared to be plump with a round face. Her large eyes and nose did have the slightly pink tint of some makeup. Her rather pinkish hair peeked out of a teal mushroom feathered cap. Her matching plain dress had long sleeves. Then, Jo realized who the first woman as she said,"Hello, Aunt Margie..."

The second woman was rather tall, with short blond hair and icy blue-green eyes. She was dressed in a blue peasant blouse and matching long skirt. She was thin, with a prefect face of chiseled features were nearly flawless. She maybe a knock out in the looks, but she had the voice of the East-end of London. She said,"'ere...don't for get me..."

Jo smiled weakly as she said, shifting her gaze a third woman was a slight built with curly brown hair which was just long enough it barely covered her shoulders. Her high cheek and wide eyes were another striking feature. Her plain brown button down dress was homemade. She spoke with a soft tone of voice,"Hello, Josephine."

Jo nervously nodded,"Aunt Fiona, Aunt Amelia."

A fourth woman was dressed in a sensible pant suit of a no nonsense green. Having a tight bun for her salt and pepper hair made the woman a force to be dealt with. Her face was hard around the eyes and nose, but the mouth could break out in a smile,"At least you are working in something stable!"

Jo was now trying to find a hole to crawl into,"Hi, Aunt Genevieve."

A fifth woman was rounded in body and face. She could pass as a school secretary with her navy dress suit and matching tam o'shanter. Her large eyes were a match for her long nose and narrow mouth. She smiled at Jo, "She has a good head on her shoulders, Genevieve!"

Jo wanted crawl into a hole in the floor, if she could find one, "Hello Aunt Lanvia!"

While the aunts were shooting questions at Jo, the Doctor wanted to help Jo in his own way. He knew he was not gong get a foot in. he noticed Jo's face. She felt small as the aunts moved to get a better look at her. The Doctor had to jump in before Jo had a melt down. He placed two fingers up to his lips. On placing the fingers in his mouth, the Doctor let out an ear piercing shriek.

Jo and her aunts stood at attention. She wanted to either thank the Doctor or slap him the face. She glanced at her aunts. They had stopped talking to see the Doctor's cool demeanor grow in exasperation. With a flourish the Doctor uttered,"Why are you, ladies here and why do you know my assistant."

Slowly swallowing hard, Jo said weakly,"Doctor...these are my aunts!'

Instantly, the Doctor had to get some sort of order. First he called for attention which surprised Jo. He did have the right for a quiet place to work in. With the room filling up with a gaggle of aunts, the Doctor had to grab the upper hand. He asked Jo, "Can you tell your aunts, this is a research lab and not a church hall."

Aunt Amelia who was quick witted like Jo, raised her right hand and spoke in a rather shy voice,"I'm sorry...Doctor..."

The Doctor always quick with an answer,""Doctor John Smith."

Aunt Amelia nodded,"Doctor John Smith!"

"Yes..." the Doctor began to calm down a little,"...go on!"

"We need to see Jo, but we just wanted to know she's OK," Aunt Amelia said as she dropped her hand..

"And you got past the Brigadier?' Jo asked, trying to piece together on what could happen if her aunts could bypass all administration of this UNIT branch.

"No...we had to promise the Brigadier we wouldn't stay long!" Aunt Amelia said with a weak smile.

The Doctor shot Jo a glance of sour amusement. He knew the Brigadier had a few points of explanation he needed to be addressing.

Jo sighed as she said,"Look...I'm fine. You can tell we, I want to say myself and the Doctor are busy...so why don't you go to the commissary to have a cup of tea. I'm sure you would like to have a rest after your long trip. OK?"

The oldest aunt was Aunt Lavina who gave Jo a raised eyebrow. She said in slow and methodical tone of voice,"We will in a minute. We can see that Josephine is looked after by someone who is..." She gave the Doctor a quick up and down glance,"...competent!"

The Doctor wanted to take Aunt Lavina a couple of pegs, but he restrained himself. He said,"Do what Miss Grant asks. We have a great deal of work to do." He slowly began to soft his look in eyes. He knew he was going to lose in a war of nerve, so he began to use the diplomatic approach.

All five Aunts knew they were beat when the Doctor, after all he was Jo's boss.

The Doctor had watched as all five aunts told Jo they would see her later in a local cafe. When it was quiet, Jo began to apologize to the Doctor to the point where the Doctor was getting a headache. She was handed a small task of filing some paper work to keep her mind clear. She did what she was instructed to do. She wondered why her aunts showed up at the UNIT HQ. The Doctor observed Jo as she try to do her filing. Jo would stop to think before catching herself in the mind wondering. He knew there was a thought which rolled around in Jo's mind. He wanted say to ask Jo if there was something troubling her.

Jo looked the Doctor before blurting out, "I'm sorry Doctor!"

With a surprised look on the Doctor's face, he had to think on what was Jo's mind. He looked up from his work. He and Jo were sitting at a large table. The Doctor had been working on a complected machine which in appearance as an embattled box of wires. He placed a pair of tongs he had been using on the table. Then he gave Jo a quizzical look. "For what?"

"My aunts showing up here...i was just as surprised as you were. I was not trying to give you a hard time today. I think I completely forgot the family reunion. I know if I just tell them when I see them I am very busy and..."

The Doctor began to understand what Jo was talking about. He said,"I am a bit surprised about seeing your aunts. I thought you kept your actives in UNIT a secret."

"They knew about my job as an assistant," she said carefully, her mind was trying to work out how her aunts figured where she was. "Yes, they are clever on finding out where I am at."

The Doctor wanted to know if Jo had spilled the beans about UNIT. She shook her head before telling the Doctor she had to keep job a secret. The Doctor was going to trust Jo even if she was going stretched in her honesty and her privacy.

Jo was dropped off to her flat by the Doctor. She hoped to take a quick look in her mail box to see if she received a note from at least one of her aunts. When she was placing her flat key in the lock, the phone in the front room began to rang. She quickly unlocked the door to let herself in. on reaching the phone table with the phone, Jo nearly collided with the table. Her left hand shot out in order to keep herself from falling. She quickly shot a glance at the floor to see what was cause of her fall. It was a pen which must have rolled off the table and landed near the table.

Fumbling for the receiver, Jo called out,"Hello...hello?"

A female voice called out,"Hello...Josephine...hello?"

Jo recognized who was on the other side of the line. She said,"Is this Aunt Amelia!"

The female voice called out for a second time,"Hello...is Josephine there!"

Jo managed to place the receiver up to her ear and said slowly,"Aunt Amelia...it's me...Jo!"

"Jo...Jo who?" questioned the voice.

Feeling like she could scream, Jo said as best she could remain calm,"It's me...Josephine, Aunt Amelia. You need to listen to me. I'm fine Why did you call!"

There was a minute or two of someone mumbling before Aunt Amelia said,"Oh, Josephine. Are you free tomorrow morning to have breakfast with the rest of us."

Jo had work to do with the Doctor. He had a feeling about the Cybermen or Daleks were on the prowl, but where. He had checked on the TARDIS recording computer. Not even a blip met him as he stayed behind at the UNIT HQ. She wanted to help the Doctor in stopping the evil from taking over the planet. She did not want to either disappoint the Doctor in her help or having breakfast with gaggle of aunts. There had to be a compromise. Knowing there was time to think for one whole night, Jo told her aunt Amelia on the spur of the minute to come to her flat for a cup of tea and a chat. Jo knew if she applied at least one of her aunts that she had finally grown up. Then, she would have won one little victory. She had think for a minute.

If by fate the Doctor happened to stop at her flat for second time. He knew Jo had ran aground with her family. He had hear Jo out. He wanted to be open for good worker relations. He had got out of Bessie. He walked up to Jo's flat. He could hear Jo talking over the phone. He would if Jo was talking to one of her her aunts about the minor details of her job in UNIT. It was her view point in paperwork. She was careful not to give out too much. The Doctor went up to the front door and knocked.

Jo heard a knock on the door. She told her aunt she was going to see the rest of her aunts in the morning. After she hung up the phone, she told the visitor to hold on for just a minute. She realized she had been sprawled over the phone table. Slowly, she pulled herself off from the table as she began to straighten out her clothes. She walked over to the front door to open on the Doctor standing in the doorway. "Hello, Doctor...you forgot something?"she asked, with a puzzling look on her face.

"No..." he began. He knew there was careful words to say. "I need to say I'm sorry."

Jo was surprised when she heard the Doctor apologizing. She blinked as her head jerked in a sign of being totally flabbergasted. She asked trying to figure out what was on the Doctor's mind,"Come again?"

"I want to apologize. I was really surprised to see your aunts. Can I come in?" the Doctor asked with a plea of hope in easing tension if any. "I had my mind set on fixing the control panel of the TARDIS. Then, the water at UNIT HQ testing. I was very much surprise to see your aunts showing up at the base like that!"

"You were surprised?" she asked with a small smile. She knew there was no real family connected to the Doctor to speak of the time. She never even thought to ask. "I come from a rather large family. My aunts...you want to come in?"

"Yes..." the Doctor followed Jo as the two entered the living room. A sofa and a set of two over stuffed chairs the main focus of the room. The sofa was sitting at a wall near the entrance way to the kitchen. The two chairs stood on the opposite end of the room. They were done in a soft green with no overly done in the simple lines. A small TV set stood off to one side. The Doctor walked over to a chair. He sat down with Jo taking the sofa to face the Doctor. "I know about your mother and father, but your aunts where they fit in."

"My mother had five sisters. It seems like they are still watching over me. They are very tight knit. I hope to see the reason they showed up tomorrow morning. I promise," jo sighed. She knew how special the Doctor was. "You shouldn't be surprised to see my family really cares for me, although I'm independent person."

The Doctor sat back to listen about Jo's family. Then, he asked,"Would you like to have a couple of days to have for a visit!"

Jo knew there was work to be done when she thought. Finally, she came to conclusion,"I just want to have a morning to have breakfast with my aunts!"

"O.K. What else?" the Doctor nodded. He was going to be kind for Jo"s sake. "I don't want to stand in your way!"

"Nothing really, but be kind to my aunts. My Aunt Amelia can be prickly!" Jo sighed. She knew her Aunt Amelia had a slight semblance to the Brigadier in personalty.

"Oh...yes! I have noticed!" the Doctor sighed, raising an eyebrow. He told Jo that he would be on his best behavior. He needed Jo's help with a new computer program to track down any new alien space that could pose as a threat if provoked into a hostile force. The Master had not crossed paths with the Doctor, yet there was a warning feeling in which the Doctor could not pin down in the back of his mind. He knew the Master was clever and dangerous. "You need a life line for a possible attack from your aunts in finding out about your job?" then, he smiled gently.

"Maybe...i always with some, I needed to be more firm with my aunts. I have grown up with my own mind and way of getting through my life. I had thought my aunts were convinced about me being no longer a child," Jo sighed. Then, she rested her right hand resting on an arm rest.

"They are..." the doctor asked, trying to figure out how to help Jo.

"At times difficult, but I think I can win the ones who are quiet, but firm. I can point out them out to you, tomorrow!" Jo remarked with a feeling she and the Doctor were thinking the same thing. Jo was a grown up.

After the Doctor left Jo for the night, Jo did a few chores to clear her mind before heading off to bed. She took a bath as a radio in her bedroom played BCC radio 4. She heard the forecast for the next day's weather. It was going to rainy for the afternoon, but warm throughout the day. She hope the weather was not going to be a factor. She climbed into bed after she putting on a long, green sleeping shirt. Once her head hit the pillow, she was asleep and dreamed about her aunts and the Doctor having a tuck in at a local restaurant.

The next morning, Jo was jarred awake by the phone in the hallway. She felt a little perturbed as she got out of bed to walk to the hallway. She picked up the phone and yawned,"Hello?"

Beginning to ran a hand through her blond hair, Jo heard a quiet voice,"Hello...Josephine?"

"Hmm?" Jo breathed, letting her mind drift in a half foggy sleep.

"It's me...Amelia," the voice sounding gentle. "I wanted to call you before you left for the tea shop!"

"Oh?" Jo's mind was starting to snap into place. "Why?"

"First of all. We are going to be at the tea shop at nine-thirty!" Aunt Amelia said. "Once some of us have a first cup of tea, maybe we can ask a few questions about you...we haven't seen you for while."

Jo was thinking about her family. She had to go to school and then some sort of training. She had basically disappeared with a word or two to her immediate family about her training. Finally she was on own her. "I can only spare a few minutes..." she began to speak.

Then, her aunt Amelia interrupted,"What about your friend, the Doctor?"

"The Doctor will come...i had asked him yesterday," Jo said. She thought of her latest adventure with some blue-green creature that appeared in shape

"You have...?" Amelia asked, realizing Jo was thinking ahead. "You thought he was going to be willing to chatting with a bunch of little old ladies!"

"Aunt Amelia...the Doctor might be more than you barged for! He had dealt with things that are a great deal tougher than aunt Margie," Jo teased. She knew her aunt Margie was a tough woman who saw a whole which was shaped into a different path than the one she had left during the second world war. Aunt Margie was a child during the out break of war. Growing up fast, Margie became a land girl and after the armistice was married to a map maker from Kent. Jo remembered the stories of Aunt Margie and shaped some of her ethics on Aunt Margie.

"The Doctor is your boss?"

"Yea..." Jo said before looking at a wall clock in hallway. She realized she was going to be late for work. "Look...I need to get to work, right now. So, I will see you and the others about an hour from now!"

the two said their farewells before Jo hang up the phone. If she had to make it to work, she had to hit the ground running.

+++ Jo did not have much of a breakfast. She was lucky to have a cup of tea and a peanut butter sandwich as she made her bed. Gracefully, she did not spill a crumb or a drop. A rush job of getting dressed and her daily face cleansing.

As she began to brush her teeth, an old fashion horn bleeped form the outside. Jo zipped her teeth brush, glanced at herself for a second. She knew her hair was a bit of a mess, so she found a hat on the back of the bathroom door. Jamming it on her head, Jo was somewhat ready for the day.

When Jo came to the door, the Doctor was surprised at Jo's outfit. It was a plain blue dress with a white knitted hat. He had rode up in Bessie. His dark brown opera cape with a tan ruffled shirt had fluttered slightly in the cool morning breeze. He said as Jo climbed into the passenger's seat of Bessie,"Good morning Jo. Love the new outfit!"

Jo did not have time to even look carefully at her dress. It was at least clean, but not really her. It was too plain for her normal. The Doctor wondered what was going on with Jo. She looked like she was in bit of a fog. "Thanks..." Jo sighed, knowing that she needed to lay her plans out very carefully.

He started up Bessie as he asked why Jo appeared to be nervous. It was like he could sense Jo was on pins and needles. She began to talk about Bessie while the Doctor just listened He was going to let Jo spill have feelings until she got around to what was on her mind.

It was still early in the morning for Jo and the Doctor to be taking a break. They had been working since a quarter seven in the morning. It was nearly when Jo and the Doctor heard Mike knocking on the lab door. Mike had a note for Jo from her aunt Lavina. After Mike delivered the note, Jo had to ask for a break even if to keep her mind focused. The Doctor sat in front of his workstation, coping notes about the possible new circuits for the TARDIS. Jo was taking notes about the mother board. She was learning something new from the Doctor. She had to point out to her aunts she was growing in her role as an assistant. She thought this day was prefect start. Jo sat on the opposite end of the at the workstation. She looked up from the notebook she had been using. The Doctor was looking through the use of a jeweler's eyepiece to look at rather small silver box which glowed.

"Doctor?" Jo asked, putting her pencil down.

The Doctor placed the box on the workstation. Then, taking the jeweler's eyepiece out from his right eye, the Doctor asked,"Yes, Jo...you wanted something?"

"I would like to take a break...we have been working with your TARDIS. I need to talk to you...we need to have a cup of tea," Jo sounded pensive. She was careful in her thinking.

"You want to take a break?" he asked, he felt like Jo was leading up to a problem. He was willing to help Jo with her problem. "I can ask Mike for a couple of cups from the canteen."

she wanted to go to a local tea shop. She did tell her one aunt that she and the Doctor had to shop at in the early morning. "No...i was hoping to..." she began to say with a shy glance a clock which hung a wall. It was going on nearly nine in the morning. She remembered the note stating to be at a local tea shop for a family meeting and to bring the Doctor. "There is a local tea..."

The Doctor had to laugh,"You want to see you aunts...at the local tea shop. Is that what you were driving at?"

Jo sighed deeply as she forced a weak smile,"Yes. I can face Daleks, Ice Warriors and the Master...but my aunts are my bridge to cross. I have been working on few of them in this past year. I found to my astonishment a couple of my aunts had understood what kind of a job I do, but not in so much detail. I have still a rather large wall to scale about my independence."

"Do you need some help!" the Doctor reassured Jo. He could see jo growing red with frustration.

"Yes..." Jo breathed, looking at the Doctor. She felt like she need

"All right. Let me figure it out on who was giving you some much grief," the Doctor said. He knew Jo was still a child, but she was growing into a remarkable and independent woman.

it was nearly ten in the morning, the Doctor had pulled up in front of a local tea shop with Jo in tow. It was a sight when Bessie stopped on the street. Jo had a minute or two to call up her aunt Genevieve to say she and the Doctor where coming.

All five aunts showed first up at at the Valerian Inn. They waited in the tiny restaurant as the Doctor drove Jo over to the Valerian Inn. The aunts sitting in front of a large picture window as they waited for Jo. They heard Bessie pull up. The Doctor had given Jo a pep talk. She was nervous as the two traveled to Valerian Inn. She faced Daleks, the Scotchies and Autotons with all the bravery she could muster, but her aunts were human. It was not an easy feat to tackle alone, but she had the Doctor backing her up.

"Now Jo, you have been my assistant for a few months. You have shown me how strong and courageous you really are. I was surprised to see you handle problems most with the grace and guts of someone else which surprised me," the Doctor said, before checking Bessie's gauges after he had shut off the gas.

Jo knew the Doctor had different companions while he traveled. She had heard about the Doctor's granddaughter, Susan. She knew he never compare companions. Maybe he did not want to relive the past. He was still mysterious, but he did let in a little bits of his past. For now, the present had to be addressed with utmost care. The two climbed out of Bessie. Jo could feel dozens of eyes staring at her. The Doctor glanced at Jo and noticed Jo's face. "Jo, you can face them like if they were Daleks," he said soothing.

Jo's mind had a picture of her Aunts facing a troop of Daleks. She knew her aunts were tough, but the Daleks had no real connections with family or emotions which made her aunts different. A smile, all be faint, but it was a smile. She breathed deep, looking at her aunts before she and the Doctor walking over to the front door.

When the Doctor and Jo entered the tea shop, Aunt Amelia stood up from where she sat at. The rest of the aunts sat up to attention while Amalia walked over to Jo and the Doctor. She and Amelia exchanged the greetings before the three walked over a large round table. The Doctor glanced at the rather plain looking dinning room. Lace curtains which made the room as dairy as a lady's shawl. The future was just small tables and chairs dotted the room with one large table siting near a large picture window. The light blue wallpaper matched the tablecloths. It was like a doll's house.

Jo, Amelia and the Doctor went over to the large table. There was two empty chairs, one on either aunt Genevieve. Jo greeted her aunts with a board smile, despite being scared to death inside. She said,"Hello, girls. How is everyone today?"

All of her aunts looked at Jo, Aunt Genevieve said,"We are doing quite well, Josephine."

The Doctor asked,"Why did you ladies showed up here?"

"We had a family reunion, but Jo could not show up due to the idea she was busy," Aunt Fiona said.

Jo glanced at the Doctor who tried to come up any sort of excusable for Jo's absence for any family gatherings. There were very sensitive matters in which could land both Jo and himself in serious danger. "She was out of town with UNIT for a bit. We always busy with work," the Doctor said a smoothing, but matter a fact tone.

Jo was thinking the same thing,"You tell them, Doctor. I wanted to say what you telling them without hurting their feelings.:

The five aunts chattered among themselves for just a few minutes, before Aunt Genevieve said,"At least she has a steady job."

Jo had been grateful for Aunt Genevieve. She was Jo's favorite and quietly nudged Jo into at least finishing out school and look for a job. It did help when her uncle pulled some strings in her job at UNIT. "Yes, sometimes I find myself in over my head in my job, but all and all it is very memorable!" Jo said.

The Doctor added,"There is always move for improvement. Jo had shown her growth very early on. I could not have a better as."

there was a second round of murmurs from the brood of aunts. It was a watchdog committee looking over a plan as the Doctor and Jo fielded all sorts of questions.

"Jo, what are you plans for the future," Aunt Fiona asked with a concerned look.

""ere, you are awfully thin, Jo," aunt Maggie said with a surprised look at Jo. Jo's dressed had an effect of making Jo even thinner and smaller than she was.

Jo felt like her head was going to explode with all of the questions. She place a hand behind her head and started to drum the back her head. Her frustration level was growing. She had to speak up before she lost her mind. "I'm fine...I feel great...i got a real super job with wonderful friends and an astounding boss. I can believe you just won't let me grow up. I am twenty years old. If I lived in India or some island I would be married with kids! Is that what you want me to do. Uh..." Jo began to rant, her face turning into a shade of red.

Jo was becoming a little firebrand and the Doctor knew what was going on. Knowing Jo and her feelings on her job, the Doctor had to stop her before Jo placed her foot in her mouth. "Jo...Jo..." he began to say with no avail. He watched as Jo glared at her aunts. Then, she leapt up to tower of her aunts and the Doctor. He said as a hand was raised in a sympathetic maneuver. Then, he spoke up in a teacher like tone of voice,"Josephine Grant...would you please sit down!"

The Doctor glared at Jo for just a minute or two. He needed to keep Jo from drowning in her own anger. Jo felt like the Doctor was taking over the situation. She knew her aunts were pulling her chain quite a bit. It was like the Doctor had a feeling her aunts were going force her out of UNIT. It was like the last time her aunts were trying to run her life before she left school. Her parents had a hand in stopping the aunts before she left for her schooling before she headed to UNIT.

There was a minute of complete since as Jo swallowed hard. Then, she said in quiet voice,"O.K. Doctor!" she found herself sitting down in a slow drop to her chair. Her gaze at the Doctor's face could tell her that she needed to at least listen her aunts.

Then, the Doctor glanced at the aunts. They were stunned to see Jo finally putting her foot down. She did have her moments when she and the Doctor had their adventurers. Now, she was putting her foot down to tell her aunts that this was her life and no one is going to stop her on living it.

Finally, the Doctor said, trying to ease Jo's feelings,"Now, Jo take a deep breath!"

Jo slowly took a breath, letting her anger cool down. The doctor placed his hands, palms down in mid-air. She heard the Doctor to hold her breath for a minute.

"Now ladies...Jo has been my assistant for quite a while. She is very capable of working hard. When the time occurs, she is the very best people to work with. I don't know where you come up with the notion Jo is not capable of working outside of a home...is down right prehistorical!" at the end of statement the Doctor was still cool, but felt like he could take Jo to another safe part of time and leave her there.

Jo and her aunts glanced at each other, then to the Doctor. He did have a way of taking control of a situation. The Doctor slowly sat down with his gaze fixed on Jo. He said,"Now, are you wanting to ask any questions about Jo's work performance...then, ask!"