He's Back, And...
This Time Round:
Chang Lee stifled a yawn.
"Ready for bed?" Sandra asked.
"Like you wouldn't _believe_..." Lee said.
Sandra stifled a grin. It wasn't likely that anything was going to come up this
late at night, but still, it never hurt to be careful...
The clock ticked over to midnight.
And the Watcher, the pale faceless figure who heralded the approach of a new
Doctor, stood before them.
As the stunned bartenders stared, the Watcher's features began to fill in.
Tall. That was the first impression they had of him. Tall and lean.
Then indistinct features started to come into focus - brown hair, cut close to
the head, dark eyes, a long, beaky nose.
He wore a frock coat with a paisley waistcoat, an open-collared shirt, a cravat,
a pair of tan trousers, and a pair of battered boots - the Eighth Doctor's
costume, but tailored to fit the new arrival.
As his features finally settled into place, he momentarily staggered, before
drawing himself upright once more.
He glanced down at his clothes, and brushed his sleeves off. "Hm. We'll have to
see what we can do about that..."
Then he looked up.
He had attractive eyes, Sandra thought in a state of mild hysteria.
"Hello there. I'm the Doctor." He rolled it around on his tongue. "The Ninth
Doctor...? Mm. Maybe.
"But I _am_ the Doctor."
"Wh... Wh..." Sandra stammered.
The Doctor frowned, and looked around himself as if searching for somebody. "No
Rose yet... well, there wouldn't be, would there? She hasn't been cast yet."
Lee was _staring_ at him, wide-eyed.
"Who...?" Sandra finally managed to get out.
"Yes." the Doctor replied. "But that's not what you mean, is it? You mean 'who
am I?'. Who's playing me?"
Sandra managed a nod.
"Christopher Eccleston." the Doctor said. "Born 16th February 1964, in Salford,
Lancashire. Major roles include 'The Second Coming', '28 Days Later', 'Jude',
'Elizabeth' and 'Gone In 60 Seconds'."
"You're... the Doctor?" Lee managed to say.
"The new Doctor." the Doctor affirmed. "The /next/ Doctor."
"Oh my Gods..." Sandra whispered. "Oh my _Gods_!"
Chang Lee's eyes widened in shock. "The guys! I've gotta tell the guys!"
"Allie!" Sandra gasped. "I've got to tell Allie!"
The Doctor waved off-handedly. "Go ahead. No-one's stopping you."
He looked around at the pub as the two bartenders scrabbled to get to a phone,
(Sandra having momentarily forgotten she could teleport in her surprise), and
smiled to himself.
_This_ ought to be interesting...
---
Look Who's Talking:
Izzy yawned as she made her way to the front door. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming..."
She fiddled with the locks, and finally managed to get them open.
"Miss S?" the shadowy figure standing outside said.
"Yeah?" Izzy said. "What is it?"
"Here." the shadowy figure said, holding out a carrying cot.
Izzy blinked, and looked at the figure again. "Who _are_ you? Who's the kid?"
"The new baby Doctor." the shadowy figure said.
"Say _what?_" Izzy gawped.
The shadowy figure winced. "Not so loud. You'll wake him."
"The new baby Doctor?" Izzy repeated. "How do I know this's for real?"
"My ring." the shadowy figure said, holding out one hand.
The ring glinted in the moonlight.
"...Don Davies?" Izzy whispered.
The shadowy figure might have smiled, or he might not; Izzy couldn't tell. "Yes.
Will you take him?"
"Uh..." In a daze, Izzy accepted the cot, fumbling her grip on it until it was
steady in her hands.
"Thank you." the shadowy figure said. "I look forward to meeting you again."
There was just a _hint_ of humour in his voice as he added, "Hopefully under
better circumstances."
Then he was gone, disappeared into the shadows.
Izzy stared after him, then down at the basket she held in her hands.
The baby Doctor gurgled happily in his sleep.
"...Oh boy." Izzy whispered to herself.
---
Newman Primary School:
"You're the new Doctor?" Chloe asked the little boy.
"Chris Doctor." the boy replied.
"Chloe." Chloe said. "Chloe Kapoor.
"Do you want to meet my friends?"
Chris smiled. "I think I'd like that."
Chloe beamed. "Come on!"
---
H. G. Wells Memorial High School:
"All right..." Mr Maxil said from the podium at the front of the audience hall.
"I'm sure most of you have heard by now regarding the casting of the new
Doctor."
The students nodded in unison.
"Now, this news will not - and _should_ not - have an effect on day to day
proceedings around the school."
There was a mass 'Awww....' from the assembled student body.
"However," Maxil went on, "I appreciate that this _will_ be a major topic of
discussion in the days to come.
"That said, as of now, all discussion regarding the new Doctor will be limited
to lunch and break times for the foreseeable future.
"Is that clear?"
"...Yes, Mr Maxil." the students mumbled.
"Thank you." Maxil said. "Now, moving on... I'd like to introduce our latest
student."
A boy walked onto the stage in the standard boys' uniform of H. G. Wells.
The students _gawped_.
Maxil basked in the silence for a few moments, relishing it, before pressing on.
"This is Christopher Doctor, the youngest Doctor brother. He will be in Paul
Doctor's year group for the time being."
The students erupted.
In the end, it took a combined silence spell from Magnus, Varne, Tara and Gaia
before they could even begin getting the crowd under control.
---
Dunvworpin Retirement Village:
"What do we do?!" the Manager screeched. "What do we _do?_ We haven't even
_finished_ building the new wing yet - and even if we _had_, we couldn't put him
in it! Do you know how it _looks_, having one resident in the whole bloody
wing?"
"Um..." the Matron stammered. "Um... how about... how about... we put him in
'Neverland' for the time being, um, with Mr Eight and the others? They could
take him in..."
The Manager raised a finger, before slowly lowering it again. "Yes... Yes,
_that_ ought to do. At least until we get the next group in."
"Oh, good!" the Matron said, an expression of relief on her face. "I'll just go
and tell him then, shall I?"
"You do that." the Manager said.
The Matron opened the office door to leave, then paused, uncertain. "Um... is it
Mr Next or Mr Nine?"
"Um..."
The Manager hesitated.
He could dimly sense this might be a problem...
---
The End
And Beginning
---
Summary: The new Doctor for 2005 has been announced - and the shockwaves ripple
across the Outside settings...
Disclaimer: 'Doctor Who', the Doctor, Maxil and Chloe are the BBC's.
Chang Lee is the BBC/Universal's.
Izzy is Marvel's.
Tara is Mutant Enemy's.
This Time Round was created by Tyler Dion.
Gaia and H. G. Wells Memorial High are Paul Gadzikowski's.
Magnus and Varne are Ken Young's.
Dunvworpin, the Manager, and the Matron are Daibhid Ceannaideach's.
Sandra, Look Who's Talking, and Newman Primary are mine.
Don Davies belongs only to himself; this is my take on the way he appears
Outside.
---
Copyright 2004 Imran Inayat