Fic: Lipstick (Three, Jo, rated G)
Coming out of lurk mode bearing a tad of Jo fic -
This is one part of a little series of vignettes I've been working on in which each Doctor has to deal with a malfunction and jury-rig a repair - I thought you folks here might enjoy the bit for Three and Jo.
"We've got him," the Doctor said as he rapidly set the coordinates to intercept the Master's getaway. The console rose and fell and…. stayed fallen. The lights within it flickered. "Oh good grief…" he said. "Not now!"
Jo looked at it with concern. "Does this mean he's getting away after all?"
"Not if I can help it!"
She stepped back as he performed a sort of frenetic ballet around the console, smacking buttons, turning dials and whacking at levers. Nothing happened.
He dove onto the floor, pulling open the console base and stuffing an arm into the mess of wires up to his elbow. "Ha," he said and shifted to stuff his arm in even further, "I think I've found the problem. Or one of them anyway."
"Can you fix it?"
He didn't reply. Frowning with concentration he scrounged around in the console innards and then gave something a yank. The remaining lights in the center went dark.
"The lights stopped," Jo put in, not sure if it was helpful news or not.
"Yes, and this is why." He held up a small metal tube thing that appeared to be nearly corroded away on one side. Pulling a small torch from his pocket, he squirreled around on his back and shoved his head into the slot where his arm had been.
"Ihdl need anobber, oh somfin juslike…" he muffled out from the console.
"What?"
He pulled his head out, and she grinned down at him. "I can't understand you when your head is in a bucket."
"She's far more than a bucket!" the Doctor said loyally, slapping the side of the console's base. "She's a state-of-the-art piece of advanced technology."
"That doesn't run. Now, what was it you were saying?"
He gave her an irritated look and started to slide back under then slid back out again. "Jo! I've got it! Have you any lipstick with you?"
She blinked at him. "Um, I think so. It's in my purse."
"Get it!"
"All right," she said, fetching her bag, "but I really don't think it's your colour." She fished it out and handed it over to him with a grin.
"Cheeky girl," he said.
"Yes, thank you. What are you going to do with it?"
He pulled the lid off and began twisting it to lift the lipstick up. "Well, I'm afraid I've got to empty it out."
"It's almost new!" she protested.
"Sorry, Jo. I'll have the Brigadier replace it for you."
"Oh, I'm sure he'll just love that! Here sir, would you mind buying my assistant some new lipstick, it seems we've used it all up. No thanks, I'll get it myself."
He popped the soft tube of colour out and handed it up to her. "Here you go."
"Thank you, I guess," she said, looking at it critically. "You know, there isn't as much in one of those as you'd think there would be, is there?"
He didn't hear her, his head and arm already back under the console, empty tube in hand.
"Oh! The lights are back on!" she called.
He wrestled his way back out again. "Yes, and after I adjust the coordinates…" he climbed back to his feet. "We'll be after the Master."
"Will it go now?"
He moved some knobs and levers. Nothing happened. He gave it a hard kick. There was a wheezing noise and the column began to rise and fall.
"You kicked it?"
"Of course, this is a very delicate piece of machinery," he said, embarrassed, "But, well, yes. Sometimes."
She propped herself up with her elbows on the console. "When I kick the vending machine in the canteen it drops a bag of crisps. What did you get?"
"Another chance at setting things right, I suppose," he said. "Look, there he is."
--
This is one part of a little series of vignettes I've been working on in which each Doctor has to deal with a malfunction and jury-rig a repair - I thought you folks here might enjoy the bit for Three and Jo.
"We've got him," the Doctor said as he rapidly set the coordinates to intercept the Master's getaway. The console rose and fell and…. stayed fallen. The lights within it flickered. "Oh good grief…" he said. "Not now!"
Jo looked at it with concern. "Does this mean he's getting away after all?"
"Not if I can help it!"
She stepped back as he performed a sort of frenetic ballet around the console, smacking buttons, turning dials and whacking at levers. Nothing happened.
He dove onto the floor, pulling open the console base and stuffing an arm into the mess of wires up to his elbow. "Ha," he said and shifted to stuff his arm in even further, "I think I've found the problem. Or one of them anyway."
"Can you fix it?"
He didn't reply. Frowning with concentration he scrounged around in the console innards and then gave something a yank. The remaining lights in the center went dark.
"The lights stopped," Jo put in, not sure if it was helpful news or not.
"Yes, and this is why." He held up a small metal tube thing that appeared to be nearly corroded away on one side. Pulling a small torch from his pocket, he squirreled around on his back and shoved his head into the slot where his arm had been.
"Ihdl need anobber, oh somfin juslike…" he muffled out from the console.
"What?"
He pulled his head out, and she grinned down at him. "I can't understand you when your head is in a bucket."
"She's far more than a bucket!" the Doctor said loyally, slapping the side of the console's base. "She's a state-of-the-art piece of advanced technology."
"That doesn't run. Now, what was it you were saying?"
He gave her an irritated look and started to slide back under then slid back out again. "Jo! I've got it! Have you any lipstick with you?"
She blinked at him. "Um, I think so. It's in my purse."
"Get it!"
"All right," she said, fetching her bag, "but I really don't think it's your colour." She fished it out and handed it over to him with a grin.
"Cheeky girl," he said.
"Yes, thank you. What are you going to do with it?"
He pulled the lid off and began twisting it to lift the lipstick up. "Well, I'm afraid I've got to empty it out."
"It's almost new!" she protested.
"Sorry, Jo. I'll have the Brigadier replace it for you."
"Oh, I'm sure he'll just love that! Here sir, would you mind buying my assistant some new lipstick, it seems we've used it all up. No thanks, I'll get it myself."
He popped the soft tube of colour out and handed it up to her. "Here you go."
"Thank you, I guess," she said, looking at it critically. "You know, there isn't as much in one of those as you'd think there would be, is there?"
He didn't hear her, his head and arm already back under the console, empty tube in hand.
"Oh! The lights are back on!" she called.
He wrestled his way back out again. "Yes, and after I adjust the coordinates…" he climbed back to his feet. "We'll be after the Master."
"Will it go now?"
He moved some knobs and levers. Nothing happened. He gave it a hard kick. There was a wheezing noise and the column began to rise and fall.
"You kicked it?"
"Of course, this is a very delicate piece of machinery," he said, embarrassed, "But, well, yes. Sometimes."
She propped herself up with her elbows on the console. "When I kick the vending machine in the canteen it drops a bag of crisps. What did you get?"
"Another chance at setting things right, I suppose," he said. "Look, there he is."
--