Lost In Time: Chapter 5 (October)

October, 1901


Caroline, William, Hazel and Mr and Mrs Fieldgate were all gathered in the drawing room of their huge house. Caroline looked across to William. His black eye was only just starting to fade.

He looked at her and smiled weakly. “How’s Jim’s broken arm?”

“Not bad,” she said. “He’s still complaining about the sling though.”

William nodded. “Does he-?”

“Still come into the pub? Yes he does.”

“And does he-?”

“Still threaten to break your arm in return? Yes he does.”

“Ah,” said William, looking away and nodding glumly.

“But don’t worry,” grinned Caroline, “I’ll protect you.”

“I don’t need protecting,” said William, looking a little daft and uncomfortable. “I just want what’s best for you.”

“It’s very sweet,” said Caroline, patting his arm, “but I think I’m old enough to look after myself and make the right decisions.”

William smiled at her, but still looked concerned. He was about to speak again when his father cleared his throat and the room fell silent.

“Thank you all for coming today, especially you, Miss Parker.” He smiled at Caroline, his dark eyes twinkling. “You may wonder what this is all about. A little over four months ago you came into our lives, and in that time we have become very fond of you.”

Caroline blushed slightly. It was true that over the past few months she had been treat as nothing less than a family member. They were a kind family and they never questioned why she was here. She recalled an encounter with Agatha - Mrs Fieldgate - in the lounge a few months ago. Agatha had told her that she was able to tell a good person when she saw them and Caroline was certainly a good person. She knew she had her reasons for being there, but it was her business, and when she felt she was ready to tell somebody about it, then one of them - if not all of them - would be there for her.

This cheered Caroline. It made her feel warm and wanted and, scarily, she was beginning to feel as though she was settling into this lifestyle. The job at the pub, the luxurious lifestyle at the Fieldgate house. And then there was William. He was an incredibly sweet man, a few years older than her, but he made her feel like a real lady. Something she hadn’t felt for a long time. Coming from 2012 with all it’s modern ways of looking at things, it was very rare that she would feel like a ‘proper lady’. And she knew he clearly liked her. But she wasn’t ready to make any rash decisions yet. She hadn’t yet given up hope of the Doctor and Danny coming to find her and she didn’t want to break his heart if that ever happened.

And she also thought of what was to come - in 13 years would come the Great War and William, she felt sure, would be called up to the conflict. She couldn’t go through that sort of heartache. What was the point in starting something that would sure to end in disaster?

It was Mrs Fieldgate’s turn to clear her throat and she held up a piece of paper which had a sketch of a warehouse on the bank of the river.

“Is that West Dock Road?” asked William.

“It is indeed, William,” said the thin, grey-haired lady. “Your father and I purchased it this morning.”

“What for?” scoffed William. “It’s just a warehouse.”

“If you’ll kindly give your mother a moment, she may be able to tell you,” scolded his father.

Caroline felt a little sorry for William, who sunk into his chair looking uncomfortable.

“It has come to myself and Arthur’s attention of the problems surrounding this town. There are little children living on the streets without parents or a home to go to. In short they are dying. Their young lives are being cut short.”

Arthur leaned forward. “We got where we where today through being shrewd in business. But it doesn’t seem right to hoard all of this wealth whilst there are those in need.”

Agatha nodded, her head turned to her husband.

“So,” continued Arthur, “we have purchased this warehouse and intend to turn it into a riverside orphanage.”

“An orphanage?” piped up William again.

“That’s correct. And we would like you and Miss Parker here to run it.”

Caroline looked at the two older people sat across the drawing room from her. These two were the real deal. Rich, wealthy business people who wanted to put back into the community.

“But what about my job at the factory?”

“You can still continue with that, but I want two people I can trust to run this home. This town needs this orphanage. It’s children need it.”

Caroline simply continued to stare at the two of them. They made her smile. They made her belong here. And for just a moment she forgot all about the Doctor and Danny.



October, 1987


Not much had happened to further the Doctor’s plan of getting back to 1901 in the weeks that had gone by, and so Danny had taken to doing some investigating himself.

He hadn’t found out much about what had burnt Riverside Orphanage down, other than that the fire had started from somewhere deep inside the building. There had been no evidence of gas leaks or something being set alight. The building had simply burst into flames.

So Danny now found himself in the town hall, sifting through the records, hoping to find a little more information.

He had been led down there by a young woman with glasses and bushy hair. She had shown him the records room which consisted on rows and rows and rows (and rows!) of filing cabinets.

“What exactly are you looking for?” asked the woman.

“Sorry, what was your name?” asked Danny.

“Christie. How is that relevant?”

“I just like to be on first name terms,” smiled Danny, telling her the honest truth.

“And you are?”

“Danny. Danny Lennon. No relation to John.”

Danny grinned. Christie didn’t.

“So what are you looking for?” she asked, walking into the records room, her hands behind her back and her eyes flitting over all of the filing cabinets.

“I’m looking for information about Riverside Orphanage.”

Christie frowned, remembering something. “Did that used to be on Baxtergate - formally West Dock Road - where the monument is now?”

“That’s right,” said Danny, hopefully. “Do you know about it.”

Christie turned to face him. “Only what I’ve learnt from local history. That there was a fire there and the place burnt down, killing a few of the kids, bless their souls.”

“Is there any information on it in here? Who ran the place? Who worked there.”

“Oh, it’ll all be here,” said Christie, spinning around and surveying the room. “But it’ll take you a long time to go through it all and even then you might not find what you’re looking for.”

“I have to try though,” said Danny, distantly.

“You have to try? Why is it so important?”

Danny was about to say and then stopped himself. “You’d never believe me.”

And so Danny spent the next three hours searching through the files and sifting through information until he finally found what he was looking for. A file on Riverside Orphanage. Built into a disused warehouse in the early part of 1901, it was owned by Arthur and Agatha Fieldgate, who ran a very profitable family business.

The manager was their son, William Fieldgate, and…and his wife Caroline Fieldgate (nee Parker).

Danny grabbed the pieces of the document, shuffled them back into the file, tucked it into his jacket and then hastily made for the exit, bustling past the reception and a startled Christie on his way.




He eventually got back to the White Hart and ran upstairs to the Doctor’s room where he found him with the remains of the escape pod strewn all over the bed, the bed sheets black with oil and some kind of translucent, blue fluid dripping all over the place

“Ah, welcome back, Danny. How do you like it?”

Danny stood there, mouth partly open, ready to say something.

“I think I’m finally getting somewhere. If I can get the power cells of this thing working, I might just be able to transmit a message back to Caroline.”

“Doctor, I don’t know if we can go back to Caroline,” said Danny, worriedly.

“What do you mean?” The Doctor looked up from his collection of screwdrivers.

“I found out some more information,” he replied, pulling the file from under his jacket and handing it to the Doctor.

“I told you not to go searching. It could effect what we do.”

“Just read it,” snapped Danny.

The Doctor dropped what he was doing and quickly looked through the various documents. He sat there reading quietly for what seemed like an age. And then he simply sat there in silence.

“Doctor?” said Danny.

“Oh, Danny,” said the Doctor, an air of trepidation in his voice, “it seems Caroline has gotten herself involved in more ways than one.”

“I know,” said Danny, pointing to the file. “She went and got married!”

“Not just that,” said the Doctor, carefully putting the documents back into the file. “You didn’t read past the bit with her marrying, did you?”

“What do you mean?” frowned Danny.

“It seems that Caroline also had a child.”

“What?!” spluttered Danny, sitting down on the bed, unsure of whether to feel shocked, heartbroken, confused or all three.

“She had a child called Sarah. Sarah married and then had a son called Danny.”

Danny’s eyes were wide and he could have sworn he had made a very audible ‘gulp’ sound.

The Doctor spotted Danny’s fear. “Oh, no, no, no,” he said, waving his hand dismissively. You’re getting your dates and years messed up. This Danny was born in 1928.”

Danny felt himself sink into the bed, relieved.

The Doctor continued. “When Sarah married, her married name was Chapman. Their son was called Danny Chapman…who then went on to have a child of his own - Lisa Chapman.”

“Who?” asked Danny, his brain not working correctly.

“Think, Danny, think!”

“Lisa!” spluttered Danny.

“The very Lisa who is downstairs, right now, serving pints of Carling Black Label to men with mullets and ponytails.”

“So…”

“So,” said the Doctor, putting the file on the bedside cabinet, “if we don’t rescue Caroline, history will play out as we have discovered. There will be a fire, the children will die, and eventually Lisa will be born - Caroline’s Great Granddaughter.”

“And if we do go and rescue her…?” Danny already knew the answer.

“Then the timeline is put right, there is never a fire at the orphanage - but Lisa is never born. This version of 1987 will cease to exist.”

Lost In Time: Chapter 4 (September)

September, 1901


It had been a particularly boring afternoon at the Black Swan when the door burst open and a rabble of dockers came flooding in, followed by a skinny lad in a flat cap, braces and a grey jacket. This was Jim, and Caroline had seen him in here a few times before. He’d go away to sea for a while and then come back, always in a good mood and ready to entertain people.

An old couple were sat by the door and Jim pulled up a stool and sat next to them. “You two should get married,” he said in his chirpy, cockney accent.

“I beg your pardon?” said the old man. “We are married.”

“Yeah,” laughed Jim, “then how come you look like you’re ready to throw in the towel?”

“How dare you!” spluttered the old man as the entire pub burst out laughing,

Jim got up and sidled over to the bar, leaning on it.

“You’ve gotta be careful, Jim,” said Caroline, as she began pouring pints for all the other lads.

“And how’s my favourite princess today?”

“Princess? I don’t think so,” scoffed Caroline. “I work in a pub.”

“The finest pub in Thornsby though,” he grinned. “Even finer now you’re working here.”

Caroline smiled. She did like Jim. He made her smile. She liked Will as well, but Jim was just cheeky and appealed to her flirtatious side. A side she hadn’t made much use of since way back before she met Steve.

“You ought to come out with me one night. My treat,” he said, taking off his cap and trying to neaten his ruffled hair.

“You need a bath first,” said Caroline, noticing the smell of fish on him.

Jim smiled. “You get used to it, sweetheart,” he said. “Seriously though, we should go for a drink.”

“We can have a drink now,” said Caroline.

“Nah, it’s not the same,” said Jim, sitting himself down. “You work here. We should go to the Hart.”

“The Hart?”

“The White Hart down Bethlehem. They do a good ale and sell decent grub as well.”

Caroline smiled at him. She‘d frequented the White Hart with Danny a few times in their day. “Maybe one day.”

Jim shook his head. “It’d be my honour to take you for a drink.”

Caroline blushed. “Thank you, Jim, but I’m a little preoccupied.”

“Oh, with the toff?”

“He’s not a toff,” said Caroline. “It’s just an honest, decent man. He’s lovely.”

“And I’m not?”

“I didn’t say that,” said Caroline. “He’s just…nice. And I’m not after seeing anyone anyway. I’m waiting.”

“For your alien friends?” asked Jim.

“What?” said Caroline, feeling things around her go out of focus.

“That’s what they say about you, love. That you’re from another planet. That you’re the Girl From The Moon and you’re waiting for the Man in the Moon to come and rescue you.”

Caroline raised her eyebrows. “Really?”

“Really. You fell from the moon in a queer metal box.”

Caroline frowned, remembering the wreckage of the filing cabinet-cum-escape pod that had been left near the Central Market. She knew it had been damaged beyond repair, but she still didn’t like the idea of it being left out there.

The door to the Swan opened again and this time William walked in.

Jim turned to look at him and then turned back to Caroline. “Your boyfriends here.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” said Caroline in a whispered voice.

“A pint of Big Flats, please, Caroline,” said William as he approached the bar.

Jim looked him up and down. “How’s it going, mate?”

“It’s going fine,” said William, looking a little nervous standing next to the docker.

“Hard day at work?”

“It was difficult, yes.”

“Hard time sitting there dealing with all those problems?”

William worked in the textile business and worked in an office. He was manager of one of the factories, and so his job was a little more upmarket than what Jim did.

“Yes,” said William, “we almost lost an entire batch order today.”

“Ooooh,” said Jim, joined by a chorus of ‘ooohs’ from his fellow dockers. “We almost lost a person. Waves are whipping up out there. He almost went in, didn’t you Norm?”

From down the bar, Norm nodded.

“I’m very sorry to hear that,” said William, taking a sip from his pint.

“It’s tough out there, I’m sure,” said Caroline, trying to turn this into a conversation, instead of a wind-up from Jim.

“You ought to come out with us one day, Wills,” said Jim. “Get to see a bit of the real world. The hard side of business.”

William turned and looked at him, yet still kept his smile. “Just because what I do isn’t dangerous, it doesn’t mean it’s not ‘the real world’.”

“It’s not every day you put your life on the line though, is it?” asked Jim, turning and facing William.

“Okay. Enough,” said Caroline. “The both of you do a hell of a lot for this town. That’s all that matters.”

William smiled, but Jim continued to look at him. He looked like he was about to “chin” him.

“You ever been out to sea before, Wills?” he asked.

Caroline rolled her eyes.

“I took a trip to France when I was a young boy,” he said.

“So, nowhere near death, then?”

“I think I’ll leave now,” said William, taking another sip of his pint and walking towards the door.

“She doesn’t deserve you,” said Jim.

“Hey!” snapped Caroline.

“I beg your pardon?” asked William, stopping, but with his back still to Jim, Caroline and the bar.

“She’ll never go with you. She’s waiting for the Man in the Moon.”

“Caroline is a lady,” said William, calmly, but with a hint of annoyance in his voice, still with his back turned. “She doesn’t just ‘go’ with anyone.”

“That’s enough, boys,” said Caroline, realising she wasn’t getting through to anyone.

“Yeah. Time to leave, Will,” said Jim.

William turned around, his face stern and his eyes fixed on Jim. “Now look here…”

“Calm down, mate,” said Jim. “You might break a finger nail.”

And that was that. Caroline can’t remember who threw the first punch, but neither of them won. They both ended up sitting at the bar with cuts and bruises nursing sore heads.

Caroline spent the rest of the afternoon tending to cuts and bruises and trying her very best to talk the local constabulary out of arresting the both of them.

As the sun began to set and Caroline had watched William get taken to the hospital to fix his broken arm, she had stood by the window looking out at the world passing by her. Despite the fact that she was lost, she was starting to feel somehow at home.



September, 1987


The last few weeks had gone well. Now that they knew exactly where Caroline was, said the Doctor, they would be able to pinpoint her and go and collect her. But all of this was academic anyway as they had no way to actually travel back and find her. The Doctor said that that was one of the problems he was still trying to overcome as he worked on his mysterious device back at the pub.

Danny was pleased that the summer was coming to an end. August had been a particularly hot month and he was pleased for the cooler weather that September had brought. He hadn’t spent much time venturing into the town centre for fear of bumping into his parents or his younger self. As fascinating as it would have been, he knew that the urge to tell them what was going to happen to Adrian would be too much. So he had restricted himself to the shops in the town centre and the pub.

Today, however, he had been getting one of his regular headaches caused by the Apparite inside him. Until now it had been pretty dormant. Probably because the TARDIS wasn’t around to amplify it’s affects. But now he just needed some fresh air.

He made his way past the Barge pub and along the main road. He was confused for a moment because in his day a bridge had been built over the river to gain access to the other side, effectively cutting off the Barge’s part of the water, but right now the road just continued around the Barge and down another street. This was completely crazy to him. It was like being in a weird, twisted version of your home town. He’d seen the changes in old pictures, but never remembered them himself. Maybe in a hazy, memory from far back in his mind. He wondered how Caroline was dealing with the even-greater changes back in 1901.

He laughed and turned the corner to where the old bus station was. And stopped dead. On the side of the river where there should have been a warehouse (formally a children’s home - later converted into a nightclub) there stood a large, garden-like space and a grey, stone monument. He immediately knew that this was impossible because the building that should have been there was still there in 2012. But this familiar building that he had always past in his life was no where to be seen. It had been erased from history.

He crossed the arching bridge over the river towards the monument. It looked a little dirty and it had suffered from the effects of acid rain over the years, but he could just make out what it said.




“TO ALL OF THE CHILDREN WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT FIRE OF 1903. MAY THEY REST IN THE ARMS OF OUR FATHER FOREVER”




Daniel frowned. This wasn’t right. He knew that years ago this place was, at some point an orphanage, but it had never burnt down. And 1903...Caroline was stuck in 1901. Perhaps this was significant. Either way, he had to tell the Doctor.




Once he got back to the pub he found the Doctor on his hands and knees, hammering a nail into a blue, wooden pallet that had been put down at the back of the White Hart, near the Pool tables.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Harry says he could do with a stage up here.” He said, pulling at the pallet and smiling at his handiwork. “He can’t afford to buy one, so I said I’d put one up.”

“Pallets?” said Danny, eyebrows raised.

“Yes. Pallets. Put a couple of them together and cover them with some form of wood or covering and then you’ve got yourself a mini stage.”

Danny nodded. “Proper little DIY man, aren’t you?”

“I dabble,” smiled the Doctor, putting his coat back on and crossing over to the bar.

“Doctor, there’s something I need to tell you,” said Danny, following him.

“Oh?”

“I was out walking around the back of the shopping centre, near the river and I saw this monument to some children killed in 1903.”

“Oh dear,” said the Doctor. “Such a sad thing.”

“Well, this is the thing. The building that was there is still there in 2012. Except it’s gone now. Burnt down.”

“So someone has messed with time,” said the Doctor, darkly. “I knew something was wrong when we arrived here. I could taste it in the air. I still can.”

“Could it have anything to do with Caroline? She’s in 1901. Two years before this fire.”

The Doctor sank on the stool. “It could well have something to do with her. We desperately need to get back to her. Her life could be in danger.”

“Then what do we do?”

“Nothing until we can locate the TARDIS.”

Lost In Time: Chapter 3 (August)

August, 1901


In the month that past, Caroline had finally gotten herself a job. She had decided that, although she was still waiting for the Doctor to rescue her, she might as well try and ‘fit in’ with the 1901 lifestyle. There was no point in her staying up in the Fieldgate’s spare bedroom for the rest of eternity.

And people would start talking.

So, she had started venturing out around the town, constantly being surprised at how things would change by 2012. It was the same town, but different. So much prettier and nicer with it’s quaint little houses, cobbled streets and large, spired buildings. And the churches as well. She’d never seen so many churches.

One morning she’d accompanied William and his parents to St. Daniel’s in Flottergate and noted, with some amusement, but mostly disgust, that in 2012 the site of the church was now a Greggs sandwich shop and was situated in an indoor shopping centre.

And William’s parents had been very understanding. She had lied to them to some extent. She couldn’t have told them the truth, despite the fact that she always wanted to tell William the truth. She had become known around the town as ‘the girl who had had an accident’ or ‘the girl from nowhere‘. No one knew what the accident was or where she had come from, but Caroline liked it that way. It meant that people were willing to help her and give her some leeway in the things she didn’t understand.

And now she was working as well. She had been offered a job at one of the factories owned by William’s father, but she had declined and had gotten herself a job at the Black Swan Inn on the corner of Flottergate (flattened with a Thomas Cook’s built on top by 2012). William had been concerned at her choice, but Caroline had told him she wanted to remain grounded.

One particular night she was working there, William had ventured inside. She had been surprised by his appearance as he hadn’t been the sort of person to visit pubs in the town centre, opting for the men’s clubs instead.

“Evening, sir,” said Caroline, wiping down the bar and giving him a little grin.

William sat on the stool opposite the bar and smiled. “Evening, miss.”

“What can I get for you, Will?” she asked.

“A pint of Big Flats ale please,” he smiled. “Let’s see your pulling power.”

Caroline chuckled to herself. “I’m a dab hand now. I did do a bit of bar work back in 2006, you know?”

“Eh?” William looked confused, as he unfolded his paper from his blazer pocket.

“I mean…1906.”

William looked even more confused.

“1896,” Caroline attempted for the third time.

“You’re a strange, lass, aren’t you?” he said, opening the paper.

Caroline tilted her head and popped the glass on the side. “That’s me,” she said with a smile. “Anything exciting in the paper?”

William frowned. “Not really. Some man think’s he’s invented a device that can suck up dirt from the floor. Powered by electric as well,” said William, raising his eyebrows.

“It’ll never catch on,” said Caroline, shaking her head and wrinkling her nose.

William took a sip from his pint and then put the paper down. He leaned on the bar and looked at Caroline. “Father is still miffed about you turning down his offer of a job.”

Caroline nodded as she arranged a few clean glasses behind the bar. “I know, but you know my reasoning. I like to be with the people. I like to keep my ear to the ground.”

“In case you hear of your friends coming back?”

“Exactly,” said Caroline. “It’s been two months now, but I’m not giving up. Not yet. Anything from the landlord at the Red Lion?”

“No, I’m afraid not,” said William, taking another sip. “Maybe one day you’ll tell me why you’re waiting for them and who they are. But I know not to pressure you.”

Caroline looked a little sad. “Maybe.” She trusted William. He was a kind and understanding man, but time machines and aliens would be too much for him. She didn’t want to blow his world apart, so for now she’d just have to continue to be vague.



August, 1987


Danny leaned on the bar and looked sleepily at Lisa. She looked back at him and smiled.

“You’re drunk, Danny boy,” she said, with a grin.

“I’m not drunk. I don’t get drunk. Always ready for action,” he said, slurring his words.

“You are definitely drunk,” said the Doctor, coming over to the two of them. “An orange juice, please.”

Lisa winked at Danny and then poured an orange juice for the Doctor.

“Still don’t fancy the karaoke, Doc?” asked Danny, nodding towards the man with the mullet who had just finished a particularly bad rendition of ‘Please Release Me’.

“Young man, if I want to sing, I’ll make sure I do it in style.”

“Get out of it,” laughed Danny. “You can’t sing!”

“I’ll have you know I did backing vocals on ‘Hey Jude’.”

“By the Beatles?” asked Lisa, her ears pricking up.

“No. ‘Hey Jude’ by the Backstreet Boys. Of course I mean The Beatles!”

“Who’s the Backstreet Boys?” asked Lisa.

“Then get up there and sing,” said Danny, ignoring Lisa’s question.

“I’ve got work to do,” said the Doctor, taking his glass and returning to a table in the far corner.

Danny sighed. In the time he had been here he had started to settle down. He didn’t want to give up hope of finding Caroline. He didn’t want to leave her lost in time, but he was starting to worry less and less. If they were trapped in 1987 then he should try and make the most of it. He considered heading over to his parents house and pre-warning his brother about his disappearance in sixteen years, but the time-bending ramifications of that were too difficult for him to get his head around. And he was sure the Doctor wouldn’t approve. So he had steered well clear and stuck to the town centre and the pub.

The other day he had ventured into the shopping precinct and marvelled at the differences. He was old enough to remember the old open-air precinct. In 1993 it had been converted into an all-indoor affair, but right now, in 1987, it was all open to the elements.

Danny blew out a stream of cool air from his mouth, causing his fringe to ruffled slightly. He had let his hair grow slightly and had started wearing more 1980’s-style clothes. Not because he liked the fashion or even the look, but because he actually needed more clothes.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when Lisa tapped on his shoulder.

“What?” asked Danny, drunkenly.

“I need you to pop down to the cellar and change the barrel.”

“I’m not working tonight,” said Danny.

“Tough,” said Lisa, with a smile. “Go change that barrel, boy.”

Danny groaned. “What’s it worth?”

“Maybe one on the house if you’re lucky,” she said.

“Okay, okay,” he said, making his way down into the cellar.

He had been down here before, but today Harry had been tidying a few things away and a number of cardboard boxes had been left out. He changed the barrel and was about to leave when something caught his eye. It was an old photograph in a frame, jutting out of one of the boxes.

He crossed over to it and took it out of the box. It was an old photograph of a pub. Not the White Hart, however. There were two people on it. A man on a stool and a woman, pulling a pint behind the bar. And the woman was familiar. In fact the woman was someone he knew very well.

The picture was dated August 1901, The Black Swan Inn.

The woman was Caroline.

Danny put a hand to his mouth in shock and surprise and then sprinted up the steps and into the bar area.

“Steady!” said Lisa as he skidded around the bar and made his way towards the Doctor’s table.

The Doctor was busy working on yet another circuit and Danny sat down in front of him.

“Don’t freak out,” said Danny.

“What?” asked the Doctor, slightly irritated.

“Just, don’t panic,” said Danny.

“You haven’t put my name down for karaoke have you?” asked the Doctor.

“No, no. It’s this.” Danny placed the picture on the table and the Doctor leaned in for a closer look. “Do you see who it is?”

The Doctor looked intently at the photograph and then back at Danny. It was definitely her. She’d styled her hair differently and it was piled high into a bun, but it was certainly Caroline. And then he broke out into a huge, huge grin.

“What’s there to smile about?”

“We know where she is, Danny. We know where she is. We can get her back!”

Lost In Time: Chapter 2 (July)

July, 1901


Caroline yawned, stretched, pulled the soft duvet over her head and turned onto her side. She was just dreaming of being at her 15th birthday party, when her and Danny had first gotten together, and she felt happy. It had been the first time she had thought of him in that way for a long time. It was a warm and happy memory and she was content to stay there, but then there came a knocking on the door and she was brought straight back to reality.

The reality of the matter was that she had already been in 1901 for a month and so far she hadn’t heard from the Doctor or Danny…and to her amazement, she really missed the both of them. That Doctor included.

After meeting William, she had been taken through the town in a horse-drawn carriage. Something she had never, ever done before, but here she was, taking a genuine trip on one. And it had been a pretty bumpy ride. The new tram system was only just being installed in the town and most people still had to rely on the horses to get them around.

She had sat in silence, gazing out of the window, amazed at the difference in the town. Victoria Street was a completely different affair. She had tried to pinpoint the location where the main road would be built. She couldn’t. All she saw were buildings and churches and warehouses that were no longer there in her day.

They finally passed the riverhead where, in her day, the Barge pub had been docked. The riverhead was still there, but it was open to small barges and boats delivering all manner of materials and food. A large warehouse dominated the skyline next to the water, instead of the row of bars that were there in her day. They passed through Victoria Street, into Bethlehem Street and past the Corn Exchange building. She’d seen pictures of this. An amazing, towered building with a market area at the side, surrounded by quaint little buildings selling tea and coffee and fruit and veg. In her day it had been demolished and a huge monstrosity of a building built in the early 1970’s had emerged in its place.

The carriage crossed over the railway, down Wellowgate and towards Bargate until it pulled up outside a large, ivy-covered house with a huge tree towering over the front wall.

Caroline was helped out of the carriage by William.

“I’m afraid my parents are out of the country,” he said, “But they’ll be back in a few weeks. My father is a business man. Work’s in the iron industry and he always takes mother with him on his trips. They’re inseparable”

“That’s…very interesting,” said Caroline, still unable to take all of this in, let alone get to know this perfectly handsome gentleman’s parents.

They had entered the building and the maid, Hazel, had helped her clean up, and they had found her an appropriate dress, more fitting to a lady of the time. It belonged to William’s mother, and he assured her that she wouldn’t mind.

Somehow, when Caroline put the dress on, she felt like something had already changed in her life. She felt like she had suddenly become a part of that time.

And so she had stayed there for the last few weeks. Waiting for the Doctor and Danny.

The knock on the door came again and Caroline sat herself up, making herself ready for the same routine she had gone through for the past few weeks.

“Come in,” she said, trying to sound as cheerful as possible.

The door opened and Hazel, the maid, came bustling in. “Sorry to wake you, miss.”

Caroline smiled. She had said that every single morning and every single morning it hadn’t bothered her. “That’s okay, Hazel,” she said. “You don’t have to do any of this, you know?”

“Any of what, miss?” asked Hazel.

“Bring me tea and toast,” said Caroline, indicating the trolley and the tray which contained a teapot, a plate with two slices of toast on it and a small jar of jam.

“Nonsense,” said Hazel, hardly believing the young woman could think such a thing. “It’s my job.” Hazel suddenly had another thought. “And it’s my privilege,” she added quickly. “And besides,” she continued, “today’s a very special day.”

“Of course,” said Caroline, suddenly feeling tense and nervous. Today was the day that Arthur and Agatha Fieldgate - William’s parents - were returning from their business trip to India.

Later that morning Caroline found herself downstairs in the drawing room, sat awkwardly in a long, white dress with William by her side. The two of them looked at each other, smiled nervously and then looked away.

“This is insane,” said Caroline after a while.

“Insane?” queried William.

“Yes. Madness. Insanity,” said Caroline, getting up and crossing to the large, bay window that overlooked the Bargate road.

“Do you not wish to meet my parents?” asked William, innocently.

Caroline smiled and closed her eyes. “Of course I do, Will,” she said, realising that she really didn’t, “but what exactly am I to you?”

“I don’t quite understand.”

“No. That’s the problem. You don’t quite understand me at all.”

“Then tell me,” said William, getting up and crossing over to her. “Tell me why you are so determined to wait for these friends who don’t appear to be coming.”

Caroline turned and looked at him. He was a handsome man, and he was very, very charming to her, and she felt awful. She felt awful because she hadn’t really made an effort to get to know him and she certainly hadn’t let him in on her world, let alone tell him that she was a time travelling supermarket checkout girl from 2012.

And now this…this was awkward. She felt as though he was introducing her to his parents almost as a girlfriend, but not a girlfriend.

“I like you,” she said.

Caroline could see William’s eyes light up a little.

“But we don’t really know each other,” she added quickly.

“Then I’d like for us to get to know each other better,” said William. “And, forgive me for saying this, Caroline, but if your friends really cared that much about you, they’d be here by now. Perhaps it’s time for you to forget about them and get on with your life.”

Caroline frowned and felt hurt. She was about to tell this stuck up git to ‘do one’, but then she thought better of it. He didn’t mean anything bad by it. And it was true; the Doctor and Danny hadn’t come for her.

But she still wasn’t willing to give up on them. Not just yet.



July, 1987


Danny walked into the pub and spotted the Doctor sitting over in the snug, a normal screwdriver in hand and a circuit board in another. He was idly noodling away at a component on the circuit and didn’t even spot him come in with a load of bread.

He watched the Doctor intently as he went behind the bar and put the bread in the kitchen at the back. He then got a cloth from underneath the bar and started wiping down the wet rings that had been left from pint glasses being put down on top of the bar.

“Oi!” he said.

The Doctor didn’t look up.

“Is that the TARDIS?” he said, a little louder. Feigning a hopeful tone in his voice.

The Doctor looked up. “I beg your pardon?”

“Just checking you’re still with us,” said Danny, folding the cloth up and putting a few fresh beer

mats out.

“Yes, I’m still with you,” said the Doctor quietly, returning to his screwdriver and circuit board.

Danny went around to the front of the bar and then leaned back on it, watching the Doctor closely.

“Any luck?” he asked. He knew the question was pointless.

“I’d have more luck if we played the National Lottery,” said the Doctor.

Danny made the sound of the ‘wrong answer’ sound effect from Family Fortunes. “The National Lottery isn’t around in 1987. And it’s Lotto in my day.”

“I know, I know,” said the Doctor, irritably.

“So we’re no closer to finding out if the TARDIS is still out there?”

“No.”

Danny sighed. Since they’d arrived in 1987 they hadn’t really done much. They had spent night after night in the pub. The Doctor had worked on various circuits and pieces of equipment whilst Danny had drank beer and gotten to know the regulars. Finally he had given up on drinking, fearing he’d rot himself away with the stuff, and had offered to help behind the bar, only for the landlord - Harry Hall - to give him a job. He wasn’t the only one working behind the bar, though, and in the past three weeks he had befriended a young woman with curly blonde hair called Lisa. In that time they had become pretty good friends.

To Danny’s delight, Lisa walked into the pub.

“Bloody hell,” said Danny, “is it that time already?”

“Sure is,” said Lisa, grinning at Danny. “Time flies.”

“Definitely does,” said Danny. “Just me and you on tonight though.”

“What about Harry?” asked Lisa, looking a little frustrated.

“His wife’s been taken ill,” said Danny.

“It’ll be her headaches again,” said Lisa. “Poor love.”

Lisa went behind the bar and poured herself a glass of water. She leaned on the bar and smiled at Danny.

“How’s our friend over there?” She nodded towards the Doctor.

Danny sighed. “Working. As usual.”

Lisa shook her head. “He needs to lighten up.”

“Try telling him that. I know he doesn’t want to be here. I don’t want to be here either-”

“Cheers, babe,” said Lisa, faking that she was hurt.

“You know what I mean,” said Danny, turning to her and resting on his elbows. “We need to find our friend.”

“The mysterious Caroline,” said Lisa.

“She might be hurt.”

“Where can she have been for a whole month and not have gotten medical help?”

Danny smiled, opened his mouth and then closed it again. It’d be so easy to tell Lisa. So easy to explain where he’d come from. But it’d be a nightmare trying to convince her that he wasn’t mad.

“You’re right,” said Danny. “But we still need to find her.”

Lisa took a sip from her water and then nodded to the Doctor. “Is he any good at singing?”

“What?” frowned Danny.

“This weekend we’re starting up a karaoke night,” said Lisa. “Maybe we can get him up there. Put a bit of life into him.”

Danny laughed. “Maybe.” But he doubted the Doctor had anything on his mind, other than finding the TARDIS and rescuing Caroline.

The Doctor scratched the top of his head, coughed and then stuck his tongue out again, frowning. He took a gulp of luke-warm water that had been sat there for the past few hours, cleared his throat and continue to work on the circuit.

Danny simply stood and watched him. It wasn’t like him to not talk and explain what he was doing. He had never seen him be so quiet and engrossed in his work. And that frightened Danny. It frightened him a lot.

Lost In Time: Chapter 1 (June)

June, 1901


Caroline opened her eyes.

She could smell smoke. And it was warm. It was a warm summers evening. She felt around her, waiting for her eyes to adjust. She was lying on what felt like stone cobbles. They felt damp, almost as if there had been a summer shower.

Her eyes started to clear and when she eventually gained focus of her surroundings she realised she was at the base of a large, stone, clock tower. Two metal arms with what looked like lamps extended from either side. The roof was pointed and at the base of the tower was a wooden door. Just below the clock face was a sign which read ‘CENTRAL MARKET’.

To her right was a pub called “The Red Lion.”

She got up and her head was spinning. Next to her was the wrecked remains of the TARDIS escape pod which she crossed over to. She picked through the debris, hoping the find something that would give her a clue as to where she was, because this certainly wasn’t Thornsby.

And then she noticed a newspaper lying in the gutter near the pub. The deep, black letters pronounced that it was “The Thornsby Evening Telegraph”.

Caroline looked at the newspaper and then quickly looked up. This didn’t look anything like Thornsby. The clock tower stood in the centre of a cobbled road and was surrounded by buildings. A little way from the tower was a road which crossed another and towards a bridge. Something about this place was familiar…but slightly off.

“What the hell?” said Caroline as she made her way along the cobbles, past the tower and towards the bridge.

She crossed over the road which bisected the one she was on and on the corner was a building which also looked strangely familiar. In fact she was very familiar with that particular building.

The side of it read “Palace Theatre”. Except that it wasn’t exactly how she remembered it. She knew it as the Carphone Warehouse building with a Domino’s Pizza outlet stuck at the back. But here it was much bigger and larger than she knew it. A huge, grand theatre with a large, pointed roof and a bell high up in a tower. That part of the building definitely wasn’t how she knew it. That was meant to be a car park. At least that’s how she remembered it.

She put a hand to her forehead and then turned and ran back to the newspaper in the gutter.

She knelt down and read the date: June 1st 1901.

“Oh my God,” she said to herself. “Thornsby, but 1901. Thanks, Doctor,” she finished sarcastically.

“Miss?” came a warm, well-spoken voice from behind her.

She turned and standing next to the clock tower was a tall, young man in a black suit, shirt, tie and his neat hair plastered down.

“Oh, hi,” said Caroline, a little unsure of how to react. This was her first time going back in time. Really back in time. And to her home town as well.

“I beg your pardon?” he said. He smiled, his thin face showing off boyish good looks and his hazel-coloured eyes glinting in the evening sunlight. “Are you okay, miss?”

“I’m fine,” lied Caroline. She really wasn’t. She wanted to go back to the TARDIS.

“Is that some kind of costume?” asked the man, moving a little closer to her and eyeing up her dress. “For a summer party perhaps?”

“It’s my dress,” said Caroline, looking down at herself and realising that this may be a little too racy for the early 20th century.

“It’s a little…short,” he said, blushing slightly.

Caroline gave a slight smile. “All the rage where I come from.”

He extended his hand. “William Fieldgate.”

Caroline hesitated and then took his hand. “Caroline Parker.”

“A pleasure to meet you, miss.“ William looked her up and down again. “So, it’s all the rage where you’re from, is it?” he asked.

“Eyes front, boy,” smiled Caroline. “And yes, it’s all the rage. And somewhere I need to get back to.”

“Are you taking a train?”

“No,” said Caroline. Then she stopped herself. “Actually, yes. I’m waiting for my friends to arrive first though.”

William noticed the wreckage of the small escape pod nearby. “What on God’s green Earth is that?” he asked.

“No idea,” said Caroline, realising she shouldn’t allow him to get involved. She took his arm and guided him away.

“Miss Parker, when will your friends be arriving?” he asked, noticing the cut on the side of her head.

“I….I don’t know,” she said, honestly unsure of when they were going to arrive. She didn’t even know if they were still alive. The last thing she remembered was falling off the sofa. She assumed that the Doctor and Danny had gotten her into the escape pod, but there were no signs of the two of them. Or Matthew for that matter.

“Then you must come with me.”

“What?”

“That wound must be seen to? You’ve clearly had some kind of accident. Do you have lodgings?”

“No,” said Caroline. “But I’m sure they’ll be here soon. My friends.”

William smiled. “We’ll leave a message with the Lion’s landlord. When your friends arrive he can direct them to my home.”

“I don’t know about this,” said Caroline, looking back tentatively at the escape pod. Something was telling her not to get involved in this.

“Please. You need to get that cut looked at. My mother is trained in nursing. She can clean it up.”

Caroline looked back at William. He really was quite dashing. She smiled. “Okay, but then I’m coming straight back here. I need to make sure I meet my friends.”



June, 1987


“June 1st, 1987,” said the Doctor, putting the newspaper back into the bin.

“But it’s definitely Thornsby?” asked Danny.

“It’s definitely Thornsby,” said the Doctor.

“Thought I recognised the hideous, 1980’s style buildings,” he said, pointing towards the brick monstrosity which housed a Presto supermarket, next to St James’ Church.

“Yes, I’m afraid the mid 20th century didn’t have the eye for architecture in the way that previous eras had.”

“You’re telling me!” exclaimed Danny.

The Doctor looked up at the building next to him. It’s white, painted walls reflecting the sun back off them.

“The White Hart!” said Danny with glee. “This place is still around in mine and Caroline’s day.”

“Do they have rooms?” asked the Doctor.

“Rooms? What do you mean? It’s a pub.”

“Rooms for people to stay at. To sleep in.”

“I think so,” said Danny slowly. He frowned. “Why?”

“Because we need somewhere to stay while I try and work us out of this mess.”

“Surely we can just get straight back in the escape pod and try again,” suggested Danny hopefully. “I don’t fancy being stuck in the 1980’s.”

“The escape pod has burnt out,” said the Doctor, leading Danny back around the pub and to the archway leading to a passage behind the building where the grey cabinet stood, silent.

“We need to get to Caroline. We have no idea where she is.”

“She may even be in this time,” said the Doctor, hopefully. “But we’ve got no way of finding out. Not yet anyway.”

Danny scratched the back of his neck and looked down the passageway. “Is there really no way to get the TARDIS back?”

“We don’t even know if the TARDIS is still there,” said the Doctor solemnly. “Hopefully it’s adrift in the vortex, but it could just as easily have been destroyed.”

Danny shook his head. “So we need somewhere to stay?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Until I can work out of a way to locate Caroline and try and get her back.”

“Brilliant!” exclaimed Danny, but it wasn’t an exclamation of joy.




They made their way through the old, wooden door of the White Hart pub and emerged into a large, horse shoe shaped area with a bar opposite the front door and various cubicles and sectioned off areas lining the walls. All along the walls were pictures of the pub and the town over the years and the whole place looked as if it needed a good modernisation doing to it.

As they made their way towards the bar, the wooden floorboards creaked under their footsteps.

Standing behind the bar, cleaning a glass was a man in his late 40’s. He had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth and had a bushy moustache. He was going bald, but the back of his hair was still long and hung over his shirt collar.

“What can I get you two fella’s?”

“Two rooms, please,” said the Doctor, rummaging in his pockets for some change.

“Rooms? Blimey! No one’s rented rooms out for a bit.”

Danny, meanwhile, was busy gazing around the pub.

“Everything alright, son?” asked the landlord.

“Yeah.” He got closer to the Doctor. “This place is a restaurant now. I mean…not now, but when I come from.”

The landlord overheard and frowned. “You sure you’re alright, lad?”

“It’s just…amazing!” said Danny, continuing to gaze around him.

“Time travel,” smiled the Doctor, and rolling his eyes at the landlord.

The landlord cleared his throat, took a drag on his cigarette and put two keys on the bar. “Room’s 6 and 7. It’s five quid a night - pretty cheap, if you ask me - and breakfast is served at 8am. Or when I get up.”

He laughed.

The Doctor laughed as well.

“How long will you be staying?”

“I’ve no idea,” said the Doctor, taking the keys from the top of the bar. “Hopefully not too long. We need to get out of here as soon as possible.”

“Many a person has said that about Thornsby,” laughed the landlord.

But the Doctor was serious. Something about this place didn’t feel right. Something felt slightly…askew.

Lost In Time: Prologue

Extract from the diary of Father Henry Ainslie, December 3rd 1594


“I don’t know where to begin. I don’t even know HOW to begin. It was only last night that it happened and I am lost for words. The first thing I noticed was the light coming from the crypt. It seemed to flood the entire chamber. And emerging from that very same room, and indeed the light within, was a young lady. A lady unlike any I had seen before. She wore her reddish-blonde hair down, draping over her shoulders and down her back. And she wore garments this old man’s eyes had never seen. I felt sure she had been sent from the Heavens to take this old soul away.

She was followed by other people. They looked around at my church curiously and with interest. And then when they saw me…well, they didn’t know what to think. They were as speechless as I.

I had intended to continue this recounting of my tale, but the lady known as Jayne has asked me down into the crypt. Her and her friends have been sleeping there over night and they need my help. So, for now, I must go, but I will continue this strange tale later.
This was the final entry of Father Henry Ainslie. He disappeared later that week and was presumed dead.




Somewhere in the space/time vortex…


The TARDIS shook violently and Caroline was thrown from her bed and onto the floor, the magazine she was reading landing on her face. She threw the magazine off her, pulled on her shoes, threw her slippers into the corner and raced out of her room.

She followed the corridors towards the sound of the TARDIS engines in the distance. And then Danny emerged from his room, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

“What’s happening?” he asked, confused.

“You’ve got bed hair,” said Caroline, nodding at the young man’s hair, sticking up at odd angles.

“And you’ve got your pyjama’s on,” said Danny, noticing Caroline’s blue attire adorned with cartoon sheep.

“Bugger it!” said Caroline, racing back to her bedroom.

Once there she slipped into a short black dress with a belt and red tights and then raced back towards the console room.

Once she was there she found Danny laid back on the sofa still rubbing his eyes and yawning whilst the Doctor was hunched over the console, examining the controls.

He had promised a few days ago to take Caroline back to Thornsby. They had put Matthew Cole - a aspect of the Doctor from the future - into suspended animation and the Doctor had tried to return to the small coastal town, but once again they hadn’t succeeded. He had tried everything, short of pulling the TARDIS apart and skydiving down to the Earth.

Caroline had almost given up again. Almost. That was until now.

“What on Earth is going on, Doctor?” she asked, crossing over to the console.

“I’ve gotten the TARDIS into the upper atmosphere,” he beamed. “I had to jettison half of the rooms on board, but we’re getting there. I just need to push the engines a little more.”

“Is it worth the risk?” asked Danny sleepily.

“To get answers for Miss Parker? Of course it is!” said the Doctor, as if it should even be up for discussion.

“Okay, okay,” said Danny, stretching his arms high above him. “I was just checking.”

The engines were grinding louder than Caroline had ever heard them before and the time rotor that ran through the centre of the console was glowing white-hot. The glass around the glowing rods was cracked and smoke billowed from underneath the console.

“What if the TARDIS blows up?” asked Caroline, worriedly.

“It won’t blow up,” said the Doctor, skipping around to another load of controls on the far side of the console.

“You hope,” said Caroline underneath her breath. He sounded a little too confident for her liking.

She joined Danny on the sofa and he put an affectionate arm around her. “Got any popcorn for this show?” laughed Danny as they watched the Doctor dance around the controls.

“He’s trying,” said Caroline. “I just don’t understand why the TARDIS won’t take us back home.”

“I gave up trying to fathom this thing out,” he said, looking up at the ceiling, “ooh, around about the time we stepped on board.”

Suddenly the TARDIS jerked and Caroline and Danny were thrown off the sofa, Caroline hitting a metal railing near the console.

“Are you two okay?” asked the Doctor.

Danny coughed and spluttered. “She’s out cold!” he said, noticing Caroline on the floor with a cut on the side of her head.

An alarm was ringing in the distance. The sound of bells, and lights were blinking red. Smoke and steam were pouring from the console and the tube around the time rotor had fully shattered, exposing the white-hot rods within.

“Doctor?” said Danny, getting extremely concerned.

The Doctor, for a second, looked completely lost. It was as if he was thinking of something to do, but having no idea what.

“Doctor? What’s happening?”

The Doctor turned to Danny. “I’m afraid that the TARDIS engines have reached the critical point. Beyond the critical point actually. They’re going to blow up.”

“What?!” spluttered Danny. “Caz was right!”

“We need to get to the escape pods,” said the Doctor, running over to Caroline and hefting her to her feet.

“Not the escape pods again!” said Danny, remembering the problems they had finding them last time.

Danny helped the Doctor carry Caroline from the console room, through the corridors, and past the high-arched Cloister Room until they finally reached what resembled an office. Rows and rows of cubicles dotted the room, all of them unoccupied.

“Look for the ‘E’”, said the Doctor, sitting Caroline down on a chair.

“This place just gets more and more bizarre,” said Danny as they both went through cupboards, drawers and adjacent offices. The escape pod room hadn’t looked like this last time.

“Ah ha!” shouted the Doctor from the far end of the room.

Danny grabbed the chair Caroline was in and wheeled it over to where the Doctor stood beside a filing cabinet with a pink ‘E’ printed on the side.

“Get her inside,” said the Doctor.

“Will she be safe?” asked Danny, as they pulled open a side door on the cabinet..

The Doctor opened a panel on the side of the cabinet and programmed in some numbers. “I can control the pod from out here. With any luck the force of the escape pod will break through whatever barrier is keeping us from getting to Thornsby. It’ll shoot her straight towards the town in 2012.”

“Brilliant!” said Danny. “But what about us?”

“I need you to help me get Matthew out of the suspended animation booth.”

“But that mean’s leaving Caz on her own.”

“She’ll be fine,” smiled the Doctor. “We’ll get Matthew and then take another pod and follow her down.”

Then the Doctor pressed a green button and the escape pod dematerialised with the same sound the TARDIS engines made.

“Come on,” said the Doctor.

They were about to leave the room and head for the booths when the lights went out. The TARDIS began to shake and creak and then the whole room turned upside down. Danny and the Doctor were thrown against the far wall and collapsed in a heap on the floor.

“Get to the pod!” yelled the Doctor.

“But Matthew-”

“There’s no time!” he said, grabbing Danny and hauling him to his feet. “Forgive me, my friend,” he whispered, hoping that Matthew would.

They clambered into a second filing cabinet and a few seconds later it too dematerialised.




Both escape pods raced through the vortex towards Thornsby. But something was wrong. Although the two pods were on course for Thornsby, they weren’t heading for 2012. In fact both pods were heading for two completely different time zones.

And behind them, the TARDIS hung in the vortex, silent and dead. But still intact.