A Spare Bed at the Chestertons
Characters: Ian/Barbara, Ten, Martha
Rating: G
Spoilers: Blink
Beta: none *sheepish*
Word Count: 941
Ian Chesterton stood in the doorway, his mouth open. He stared at the two remarkable strangers on his doorstep. One was a very young man with dark unruly hair, a brown heavy coat and a manic smile. The other was a young lady in a red leather coat, blue jeans and a skin colour that would cause a problem if Ian’s neighbour saw her. If Ian didn’t know better he would have guessed that she wasn’t native to that year. It was what the young man had said that made Ian stop and stare.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“I said,” repeated the young man with exaggerated patience, “I seem to have lost my TARDIS, Chesterton, can we bunk up here for the night?”
According to Ian, there was only one other person on Earth that knew that word, and she was in the kitchen making tea. There was the Doctor, but he could be anywhere in the universe, and the person standing in front of him certainly wasn’t him.
Ian opened his mouth to question the stranger, when the young man pushed himself into the flat. “I don’t really have a lot of time, Chesterton, and I’m going to need your help.”
The young lady followed him in and quickly found a seat on the settee. “So, what’s your plan Doctor? You said the first step was to find Ian Chesterton. Now we have, what next?”
Ian stared at the young lady, making herself comfortable, and then drew his eyes back up to the young man who was carefully examining the contents of the little room with polite, if detached, curiosity. “Well, I’m going to need to put something together to help me find temporal distortions.” With a flourish, the young man claiming to be the Doctor spun to face the young lady. “And I have this.” Reaching into an inner pocket, he pulled out a purple folder. “Remember this?”
“That was just a few weeks ago.”
“Right.” The Doctor sat next to her. “Let’s see what Sally Sparrow can tell us about the Weeping Angels.”
“Wait, wait, wait!” Ian considered himself a patient man. After putting up with the Doctor for so long, he had to be. But this was going beyond generosity. Here were two complete strangers making themselves comfortable in his sitting room! He stared at the man closely.
The man claiming to be the Doctor stared back, impatiently. “What’s wrong?”
Ian opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. “Doctor?”
“Yes?” The Doctor paused. “Ah. Yes, well, sorry.” He scratched the back of his head. “I know it doesn’t look like me, but it is. This is Martha, by the way,” he said pointing at the lady next to him.
She raised a hand and wiggled her fingers. “Hi!”
Ian stared at the two people, still uncertain. Without taking his eyes from them, he called over his shoulder, “Barbara?”
The Doctor jumped to his feet. “Barbara’s here? Of course, you married her, didn’t you!” He wrapped his arms around Ian in a tight, but friendly, hug. “Oh, that’s brilliant!”
Ian let out a small “Oof” as the Doctor patted him in congratulations. “Barbara?” he called out again, this time sounding slightly more concerned.
“What is it, Ian?” she said, entering the room.
“Barbara!” The Doctor left a dazed Ian to bound across the room and embrace a very surprised Mrs. Chesterton.
“Ian?” she said, over the Doctor’s shoulder.
“It’s the Doctor,” Ian said, a little uncertain.
“No it’s not,” she replied, casually. “He looks nothing like this.”
The Doctor stood back from Barbara, and smiled, embarrassed. “I am, you know.”
Barbara stared at the young man, then at the young lady reading through some papers. She looked up briefly. “Sorry about him; he can be a bit much. But he is the Doctor. I’m Martha.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Barbara said, turning her attention back to the Doctor. “Prove it.”
“I would be glad to, but I’ve lost my TARDIS. It’s about 40 years in the future, and we’re stuck here.”
“Why come to us?” asked Ian, who was slowly getting used to the Doctor looking so different.
“Well, there were any number of people I could have called on, but to do so would mean crossing my own timeline, and I can’t afford to do that. I knew calling on you would be safe.” He looked thoughtful. “I supposed I could have found Ben and Polly, but they were so young.”
“Doctor?” asked Barbara.
“We’ve established that,” he said, before taking the papers from Martha and dropping down next to her on the sofa.
Barbara cast a nervous glance at Ian who tried to reassure her with a smile. “How long will you be staying, Doctor?” he asked.
The Doctor didn’t look up from his reading. “I’ve no idea. But according to this, Martha, you’re going to have to get a job.”
“What?!” Martha began to read over the neatly typed pages of script. Finally she looked up at Barbara. “I don’t suppose you know of a little shop where I could work?”
The Doctor looked up at Ian. “I’m afraid we’re going to be here for a while.”
Ian nodded and looked at his wife. Barbara took a deep breath. “All right,” she said, “I’ll see what I can do.” She began to move off in the direction of the kitchen. “Tea, Doctor?”
“Please!” he called after her.
Ian watched the Doctor read over the pages. His brow began to furrow. Finally he looked up at his old companion. “I don’t suppose you know where I could get some video equipment?”
Rating: G
Spoilers: Blink
Beta: none *sheepish*
Word Count: 941
Ian Chesterton stood in the doorway, his mouth open. He stared at the two remarkable strangers on his doorstep. One was a very young man with dark unruly hair, a brown heavy coat and a manic smile. The other was a young lady in a red leather coat, blue jeans and a skin colour that would cause a problem if Ian’s neighbour saw her. If Ian didn’t know better he would have guessed that she wasn’t native to that year. It was what the young man had said that made Ian stop and stare.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“I said,” repeated the young man with exaggerated patience, “I seem to have lost my TARDIS, Chesterton, can we bunk up here for the night?”
According to Ian, there was only one other person on Earth that knew that word, and she was in the kitchen making tea. There was the Doctor, but he could be anywhere in the universe, and the person standing in front of him certainly wasn’t him.
Ian opened his mouth to question the stranger, when the young man pushed himself into the flat. “I don’t really have a lot of time, Chesterton, and I’m going to need your help.”
The young lady followed him in and quickly found a seat on the settee. “So, what’s your plan Doctor? You said the first step was to find Ian Chesterton. Now we have, what next?”
Ian stared at the young lady, making herself comfortable, and then drew his eyes back up to the young man who was carefully examining the contents of the little room with polite, if detached, curiosity. “Well, I’m going to need to put something together to help me find temporal distortions.” With a flourish, the young man claiming to be the Doctor spun to face the young lady. “And I have this.” Reaching into an inner pocket, he pulled out a purple folder. “Remember this?”
“That was just a few weeks ago.”
“Right.” The Doctor sat next to her. “Let’s see what Sally Sparrow can tell us about the Weeping Angels.”
“Wait, wait, wait!” Ian considered himself a patient man. After putting up with the Doctor for so long, he had to be. But this was going beyond generosity. Here were two complete strangers making themselves comfortable in his sitting room! He stared at the man closely.
The man claiming to be the Doctor stared back, impatiently. “What’s wrong?”
Ian opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. “Doctor?”
“Yes?” The Doctor paused. “Ah. Yes, well, sorry.” He scratched the back of his head. “I know it doesn’t look like me, but it is. This is Martha, by the way,” he said pointing at the lady next to him.
She raised a hand and wiggled her fingers. “Hi!”
Ian stared at the two people, still uncertain. Without taking his eyes from them, he called over his shoulder, “Barbara?”
The Doctor jumped to his feet. “Barbara’s here? Of course, you married her, didn’t you!” He wrapped his arms around Ian in a tight, but friendly, hug. “Oh, that’s brilliant!”
Ian let out a small “Oof” as the Doctor patted him in congratulations. “Barbara?” he called out again, this time sounding slightly more concerned.
“What is it, Ian?” she said, entering the room.
“Barbara!” The Doctor left a dazed Ian to bound across the room and embrace a very surprised Mrs. Chesterton.
“Ian?” she said, over the Doctor’s shoulder.
“It’s the Doctor,” Ian said, a little uncertain.
“No it’s not,” she replied, casually. “He looks nothing like this.”
The Doctor stood back from Barbara, and smiled, embarrassed. “I am, you know.”
Barbara stared at the young man, then at the young lady reading through some papers. She looked up briefly. “Sorry about him; he can be a bit much. But he is the Doctor. I’m Martha.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Barbara said, turning her attention back to the Doctor. “Prove it.”
“I would be glad to, but I’ve lost my TARDIS. It’s about 40 years in the future, and we’re stuck here.”
“Why come to us?” asked Ian, who was slowly getting used to the Doctor looking so different.
“Well, there were any number of people I could have called on, but to do so would mean crossing my own timeline, and I can’t afford to do that. I knew calling on you would be safe.” He looked thoughtful. “I supposed I could have found Ben and Polly, but they were so young.”
“Doctor?” asked Barbara.
“We’ve established that,” he said, before taking the papers from Martha and dropping down next to her on the sofa.
Barbara cast a nervous glance at Ian who tried to reassure her with a smile. “How long will you be staying, Doctor?” he asked.
The Doctor didn’t look up from his reading. “I’ve no idea. But according to this, Martha, you’re going to have to get a job.”
“What?!” Martha began to read over the neatly typed pages of script. Finally she looked up at Barbara. “I don’t suppose you know of a little shop where I could work?”
The Doctor looked up at Ian. “I’m afraid we’re going to be here for a while.”
Ian nodded and looked at his wife. Barbara took a deep breath. “All right,” she said, “I’ll see what I can do.” She began to move off in the direction of the kitchen. “Tea, Doctor?”
“Please!” he called after her.
Ian watched the Doctor read over the pages. His brow began to furrow. Finally he looked up at his old companion. “I don’t suppose you know where I could get some video equipment?”