December 25th, 2012
Caroline sighed and then smiled as she popped the final plate into the dishwasher.
It had been a long, long day. But a wonderful, beautiful day. It had been the best Christmas she had experienced in a long time, and she wasn’t really ready for it to be over.
Three months ago, she and Danny had gathered up enough of their savings and had rented a little house in a quiet little close in the west part of Thornsby.
Danny had gotten a job with an advertising company in Yarathorpe, and Caroline had quit her job at Hypersave to become a full-time stay-at-home Mum.
Being a mum to four-month old William wasn’t her only job, however. She had taken to writing children’s books about a mysterious alien known as Professor Time, who travelled around in his mysterious red telephone box. Well, she thought, she couldn’t exactly use the true details for fear of someone at UNIT or Torchwood stopping them from being published.
Now she was just waiting for the first story, “Professor Time and the Battle Dogs”, to come back from the publishers. All in all, things had taken a turn for the better in her life. She was enjoying life.
Steve bustled into the kitchen, already pulling his coat on and wrapping his scarf around his neck.
“Oh, are you going?” said Caroline, closing up the dishwasher.
“Got to,” smiled Steve. “Mum and Dad are gonna be waiting for me. It took me forever to convince them to let me miss their Christmas dinner.”
Caroline smiled. Somewhere, deep down, there were still feelings for this man, but they had faded now. He was still little Will’s father, and she’d always love him because of that, but the two of them were moving on. Had moved on.
“I’ve kissed Will good night,” said Steve, a hint of sadness in his voice.
“You know you can come over whenever you want,” said Caroline, smiling warmly at him.
“Caroline,” said Steve, his brown eyes and smile making her remember the first time they met, “I still haven’t gotten over you. It’s going to take some time. You and I…well, we went through a lot in such a short space of time.”
“I know,” said Caroline. “I wish it was different.”
“But it’s okay,” smiled Steve. “Our main priority is to make sure William has the best life he can have, and you and Danny - and me - can give that to him.”
Caroline smiled and then gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, smiling again. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas,” said Caroline, as she watched him make his way out of the kitchen, say his goodbyes to her guests and then head out into the snow beyond.
She made her way back to the living room. Sat around the table, laughing and joking, each with a different beverage were the oddest collection of people you could meet.
On the surface they looked normal enough, but each one had a story to tell.
There was Danny, a lager in hand, now wearing a pair of glasses, who had just finished telling a joke. Then there was Margot and Ben, the two survivors from the Ancestors. They had gotten a flat in the Victoria Mills complex and had gotten part-time jobs, via Caroline, at Hypersave. They weren’t intending on staying there forever, of course, just earning enough to get them back on their feet.
And then there was Catherine and Tony Parker, Caroline’s adopted parents. Tony had recovered from his heart attack and was doing well, and little William had been the one to bring the family back together. There were still underlying regrets between Caroline and her parents, but they had gotten over the worst. They were building bridges finally.
And finally there was Thomas and Rebecca - Caroline’s real parents. They had opted to stay in Thornsby, firstly to assist Caroline in her powers, and secondly to be friends to Ben and Margot, as well as Lilly and Father Ainslie and the rest of the people who had been deposited in this time. Tom and Rebecca had set up a home for the refugee’s, and were helping them to reintegrate back into the world.
Caroline pulled up a chair and sat down.
“So,” said Tom, taking a sip of brandy, “I see Steve’s left.”
“Tom,” said Rebecca, her eyes flashing him a warning.
Caroline smiled. She never knew what to call her real parents. Initially she had wanted to call them Mum and Dad, and had tried it, but the two of them looked younger than her. So she had opted to call them their actual names.
“Tom,” said Caroline, “he is William’s father, but it’s difficult for him. You’ve gotta understand.”
“Hmm,” said Tom, a cheeky smile on his face, “I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.”
“You listen to your father,” said Tony, breaking into a big belly laugh.
“God,” said Tom, “I remember when you looked as young as us,” he said to Tony.
“Cheeky!” said Cath, slapping Tom on the arm.
Everybody laughed.
Only Margot looked a bit glum. “I remember one Christmas,” she said, a sad smile playing on her face, “must have been, ooh, back in 1963, Jayne came back to the crypt with our Christmas dinner - sandwiches.”
Ben nodded, smiling at the memory.
“We never had a lot back then. We were always trying to keep an eye on the Apparites. We never had time to make money and go out there and have a good time.”
“Work, work, work,” said Ben. “Even when I was being a vicar I never got paid for it!”
“The point,” said Margot, sipping on her mineral water, “is that even back in those days, even when it was a nightmare and we were working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Jayne still made sure we had some sort of Christmas.”
Tom and Rebecca smiled.
“She always looked after us,” said Ben.
“To Jayne,” said Caroline, raising her recently made cup of tea.
“To Jayne!” chorused the group, each raising their glasses.
Some time passed. Caroline checked on the sleeping William and, when everyone was gathered around the tree, unwrapping their presents, she made her way back to the kitchen.
It was then that she spotted the man in the garden. Standing amongst the snow, watching from the fence at the back. He wore a long, black coat, blue shirt with a black tie, and a yellow smiley-face badge pinned to his lapel. It was the Doctor.
She took a quick look back at the living room, made sure nobody was watching, and then quickly unlocked the back door.
She slowly walked up the garden path, her feet crunching in the snow. Shivering, she stood in front of the Doctor.
He was leaning on an ornate walking stick and had a black scarf tied around him.
He smiled sadly. “Proper snow this time?”
Caroline nodded. “None of your alien stuff. This is the real deal.”
He smiled.
She flung her arms around him. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.” She broke away from him. “What happened? Are you okay?”
The Doctor smiled again. “I just wanted to come and see you one last time.”
“One last time?” Caroline frowned. “You mean…?”
The Doctor nodded slowly. “It’s pretty much the end now.”
Caroline put her hand to her mouth, her eyes flooding with tears.
“Don’t be sad, Caroline,” he said, taking her hands. “I’ve lived my life to the full. I’ve been travelling again.”
“On your own?”
“No,” he said. “I met a young woman - a teacher actually. Alice her name is. She’s from a little in your future.”
“And she understands what’s happening to you?”
He nodded. “She knows.”
“Is she having a good time?” said Caroline.
“She’s having the trip of a lifetime,” said the Doctor. “She’s just in the pub down the road now. Said I’d be back soon.”
“And there really is no way-?”
He cut her off. “I met someone who said they had found a way to save me,” said the Doctor, a dark look playing across his face.
“Then do it,” said Caroline.
“No,” said the Doctor, shaking his head. “The cost would be too high. I’m not willing to go that far to save myself.”
Caroline sighed. “You’re a stubborn git, you know?”
He smiled. “I know.” He nodded towards the house. “Having a party, are we?”
“Kind of. I got the rest of them round for dinner. Everyone’s getting on well. Margot and Ben have a flat and jobs, Tom and Rebecca are caring for the refugee’s. Steve’s - well - Steve’s just Steve. Mum and Dad have made up with me.”
“And you?”
“I’m good. William’s healthy.”
“Any problems with your powers?”
“Had a little accident a couple of months back,” she said sheepishly. “Burnt the shed down. But Tom and Rebecca are helping me. I’ll have it under control soon.”
The Doctor smiled. “Good.” He looked at her curiously. “You know, if you ever got those powers under control, I might be able to take you back to William. William Fieldgate, that is. We never really did find out what happened to him. As long as you were safe with your powers, you could have a life with him. It wouldn’t disrupt the web of time-”
“No,” said Caroline quickly.
“No?”
“No,” she said again. “I’ve thought long and hard about William, and I’ve spent a long time trying to get over him. I’m in a happy place now. William was a wonderful thing that happened to me, but it was just one moment in my life. Something I would never want to spoil. I loved him - still love him - and he loves me.”
“I can find out what happened to him. You never did let me finish reading that bit of info on him.”
Caroline considered for a moment. This was her last chance to really find out. “No,” she said. “As long as he was happy, that’s all I needed to know.”
The Doctor pulled out a tablet from his coat pocket, checked the info on it and then smiled. “He was happy. It says it here in black and white. He led a happy, healthy life.”
She smiled. “I’m glad.”
“And how’s Danny Boy?”
“He’s good. You know, we’re kind of together. Well, as together as two best mates can be. I love him. He loves me. But it’s complicated. I think we’re always going to be together.”
“Marriage?” queried the Doctor.
“God, no!” said Caroline. “It’s just not like that with him and I. I guess you could call us…soul mates. God, that sounds cheesy.”
The Doctor laughed. “Take care of him,” said the Doctor. He suddenly clutched at his chest.
Caroline stepped forward to help him, but he motioned for her to stay back.
“Doctor…”
“I’ll be fine,” he said. “I’ve gotta go pick up Alice from the pub. I need to take her home.”
She flung her arms around him again, hugging him tightly. “Thank you again.”
Just then Danny stepped out of the house. He looked at the Doctor and Caroline in shock.
“Hello there,” smiled the Doctor.
Danny gave a slight wave back at him, not really knowing what to think.
“Right,” said the Doctor, opening the back gate. “I’m off.” He smiled at Caroline. “Have a wonderful life, Miss Parker. And Merry Christmas.”
“Get help. Save yourself,” said Caroline, one last desperate attempt to save her friend. And then she smiled. “Merry Christmas.”
And she watched as he stepped into the dark alleyway behind the house, and slowly closed the gate.
“What was that all about?” said Danny, joining her at her side.
“He just came to say goodbye,” she said, sadly.
Danny put his arm around her. “Come on. Let’s go finish Christmas. There’s a bottle of Bailey’s with my name on it.”
THE END
Caroline sighed and then smiled as she popped the final plate into the dishwasher.
It had been a long, long day. But a wonderful, beautiful day. It had been the best Christmas she had experienced in a long time, and she wasn’t really ready for it to be over.
Three months ago, she and Danny had gathered up enough of their savings and had rented a little house in a quiet little close in the west part of Thornsby.
Danny had gotten a job with an advertising company in Yarathorpe, and Caroline had quit her job at Hypersave to become a full-time stay-at-home Mum.
Being a mum to four-month old William wasn’t her only job, however. She had taken to writing children’s books about a mysterious alien known as Professor Time, who travelled around in his mysterious red telephone box. Well, she thought, she couldn’t exactly use the true details for fear of someone at UNIT or Torchwood stopping them from being published.
Now she was just waiting for the first story, “Professor Time and the Battle Dogs”, to come back from the publishers. All in all, things had taken a turn for the better in her life. She was enjoying life.
Steve bustled into the kitchen, already pulling his coat on and wrapping his scarf around his neck.
“Oh, are you going?” said Caroline, closing up the dishwasher.
“Got to,” smiled Steve. “Mum and Dad are gonna be waiting for me. It took me forever to convince them to let me miss their Christmas dinner.”
Caroline smiled. Somewhere, deep down, there were still feelings for this man, but they had faded now. He was still little Will’s father, and she’d always love him because of that, but the two of them were moving on. Had moved on.
“I’ve kissed Will good night,” said Steve, a hint of sadness in his voice.
“You know you can come over whenever you want,” said Caroline, smiling warmly at him.
“Caroline,” said Steve, his brown eyes and smile making her remember the first time they met, “I still haven’t gotten over you. It’s going to take some time. You and I…well, we went through a lot in such a short space of time.”
“I know,” said Caroline. “I wish it was different.”
“But it’s okay,” smiled Steve. “Our main priority is to make sure William has the best life he can have, and you and Danny - and me - can give that to him.”
Caroline smiled and then gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, smiling again. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas,” said Caroline, as she watched him make his way out of the kitchen, say his goodbyes to her guests and then head out into the snow beyond.
She made her way back to the living room. Sat around the table, laughing and joking, each with a different beverage were the oddest collection of people you could meet.
On the surface they looked normal enough, but each one had a story to tell.
There was Danny, a lager in hand, now wearing a pair of glasses, who had just finished telling a joke. Then there was Margot and Ben, the two survivors from the Ancestors. They had gotten a flat in the Victoria Mills complex and had gotten part-time jobs, via Caroline, at Hypersave. They weren’t intending on staying there forever, of course, just earning enough to get them back on their feet.
And then there was Catherine and Tony Parker, Caroline’s adopted parents. Tony had recovered from his heart attack and was doing well, and little William had been the one to bring the family back together. There were still underlying regrets between Caroline and her parents, but they had gotten over the worst. They were building bridges finally.
And finally there was Thomas and Rebecca - Caroline’s real parents. They had opted to stay in Thornsby, firstly to assist Caroline in her powers, and secondly to be friends to Ben and Margot, as well as Lilly and Father Ainslie and the rest of the people who had been deposited in this time. Tom and Rebecca had set up a home for the refugee’s, and were helping them to reintegrate back into the world.
Caroline pulled up a chair and sat down.
“So,” said Tom, taking a sip of brandy, “I see Steve’s left.”
“Tom,” said Rebecca, her eyes flashing him a warning.
Caroline smiled. She never knew what to call her real parents. Initially she had wanted to call them Mum and Dad, and had tried it, but the two of them looked younger than her. So she had opted to call them their actual names.
“Tom,” said Caroline, “he is William’s father, but it’s difficult for him. You’ve gotta understand.”
“Hmm,” said Tom, a cheeky smile on his face, “I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.”
“You listen to your father,” said Tony, breaking into a big belly laugh.
“God,” said Tom, “I remember when you looked as young as us,” he said to Tony.
“Cheeky!” said Cath, slapping Tom on the arm.
Everybody laughed.
Only Margot looked a bit glum. “I remember one Christmas,” she said, a sad smile playing on her face, “must have been, ooh, back in 1963, Jayne came back to the crypt with our Christmas dinner - sandwiches.”
Ben nodded, smiling at the memory.
“We never had a lot back then. We were always trying to keep an eye on the Apparites. We never had time to make money and go out there and have a good time.”
“Work, work, work,” said Ben. “Even when I was being a vicar I never got paid for it!”
“The point,” said Margot, sipping on her mineral water, “is that even back in those days, even when it was a nightmare and we were working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Jayne still made sure we had some sort of Christmas.”
Tom and Rebecca smiled.
“She always looked after us,” said Ben.
“To Jayne,” said Caroline, raising her recently made cup of tea.
“To Jayne!” chorused the group, each raising their glasses.
Some time passed. Caroline checked on the sleeping William and, when everyone was gathered around the tree, unwrapping their presents, she made her way back to the kitchen.
It was then that she spotted the man in the garden. Standing amongst the snow, watching from the fence at the back. He wore a long, black coat, blue shirt with a black tie, and a yellow smiley-face badge pinned to his lapel. It was the Doctor.
She took a quick look back at the living room, made sure nobody was watching, and then quickly unlocked the back door.
She slowly walked up the garden path, her feet crunching in the snow. Shivering, she stood in front of the Doctor.
He was leaning on an ornate walking stick and had a black scarf tied around him.
He smiled sadly. “Proper snow this time?”
Caroline nodded. “None of your alien stuff. This is the real deal.”
He smiled.
She flung her arms around him. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.” She broke away from him. “What happened? Are you okay?”
The Doctor smiled again. “I just wanted to come and see you one last time.”
“One last time?” Caroline frowned. “You mean…?”
The Doctor nodded slowly. “It’s pretty much the end now.”
Caroline put her hand to her mouth, her eyes flooding with tears.
“Don’t be sad, Caroline,” he said, taking her hands. “I’ve lived my life to the full. I’ve been travelling again.”
“On your own?”
“No,” he said. “I met a young woman - a teacher actually. Alice her name is. She’s from a little in your future.”
“And she understands what’s happening to you?”
He nodded. “She knows.”
“Is she having a good time?” said Caroline.
“She’s having the trip of a lifetime,” said the Doctor. “She’s just in the pub down the road now. Said I’d be back soon.”
“And there really is no way-?”
He cut her off. “I met someone who said they had found a way to save me,” said the Doctor, a dark look playing across his face.
“Then do it,” said Caroline.
“No,” said the Doctor, shaking his head. “The cost would be too high. I’m not willing to go that far to save myself.”
Caroline sighed. “You’re a stubborn git, you know?”
He smiled. “I know.” He nodded towards the house. “Having a party, are we?”
“Kind of. I got the rest of them round for dinner. Everyone’s getting on well. Margot and Ben have a flat and jobs, Tom and Rebecca are caring for the refugee’s. Steve’s - well - Steve’s just Steve. Mum and Dad have made up with me.”
“And you?”
“I’m good. William’s healthy.”
“Any problems with your powers?”
“Had a little accident a couple of months back,” she said sheepishly. “Burnt the shed down. But Tom and Rebecca are helping me. I’ll have it under control soon.”
The Doctor smiled. “Good.” He looked at her curiously. “You know, if you ever got those powers under control, I might be able to take you back to William. William Fieldgate, that is. We never really did find out what happened to him. As long as you were safe with your powers, you could have a life with him. It wouldn’t disrupt the web of time-”
“No,” said Caroline quickly.
“No?”
“No,” she said again. “I’ve thought long and hard about William, and I’ve spent a long time trying to get over him. I’m in a happy place now. William was a wonderful thing that happened to me, but it was just one moment in my life. Something I would never want to spoil. I loved him - still love him - and he loves me.”
“I can find out what happened to him. You never did let me finish reading that bit of info on him.”
Caroline considered for a moment. This was her last chance to really find out. “No,” she said. “As long as he was happy, that’s all I needed to know.”
The Doctor pulled out a tablet from his coat pocket, checked the info on it and then smiled. “He was happy. It says it here in black and white. He led a happy, healthy life.”
She smiled. “I’m glad.”
“And how’s Danny Boy?”
“He’s good. You know, we’re kind of together. Well, as together as two best mates can be. I love him. He loves me. But it’s complicated. I think we’re always going to be together.”
“Marriage?” queried the Doctor.
“God, no!” said Caroline. “It’s just not like that with him and I. I guess you could call us…soul mates. God, that sounds cheesy.”
The Doctor laughed. “Take care of him,” said the Doctor. He suddenly clutched at his chest.
Caroline stepped forward to help him, but he motioned for her to stay back.
“Doctor…”
“I’ll be fine,” he said. “I’ve gotta go pick up Alice from the pub. I need to take her home.”
She flung her arms around him again, hugging him tightly. “Thank you again.”
Just then Danny stepped out of the house. He looked at the Doctor and Caroline in shock.
“Hello there,” smiled the Doctor.
Danny gave a slight wave back at him, not really knowing what to think.
“Right,” said the Doctor, opening the back gate. “I’m off.” He smiled at Caroline. “Have a wonderful life, Miss Parker. And Merry Christmas.”
“Get help. Save yourself,” said Caroline, one last desperate attempt to save her friend. And then she smiled. “Merry Christmas.”
And she watched as he stepped into the dark alleyway behind the house, and slowly closed the gate.
“What was that all about?” said Danny, joining her at her side.
“He just came to say goodbye,” she said, sadly.
Danny put his arm around her. “Come on. Let’s go finish Christmas. There’s a bottle of Bailey’s with my name on it.”
THE END
Doctor Who: Darkpaths, returns on January 4th 2014 with the first story in Series 3 - "Village of the Daleks". Keep checking back for more updates on the upcoming series.
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