Who: Leonard McCoy and Tara Smith (Tardis) (with brief appearance by the Tenth Doctor!) What: Tardis’ powers have manifested themselves in the future. She’s having trouble adjusting. When: Mid-day - January 22, 2013. Tara is coming from sometime closer to the summer months. Where: McCoy’s house Rating: PG (add a 13 for Hilary’s language) Status: Complete
Tara was absolutely, positively, amazingly fucking confused.
Where the fuck was she?
One moment, Tara Smith was getting and eating ice cream with John. The next, she had heard this weird wheezing noise that sounded a bit... familiar. She had found herself with absolutely no idea where she was. It was just starting to get warm in her time, but it seemed she’d been transported somewhere experiencing the cold of winter. Well, as cold as winter could be in California.
Still with her ice cream cone in hand, she’d just stumbled out of the ice cream parlour when, Poof! The world had melted right in front of her, and this... place had appeared around her. She had paused mid-lick of her bubblegum cone and was currently taking in the living room that surrounded her. She frowned the biggest frown that had probably ever crossed her face, brow furrowing in confusion.
“John?” she called out into the house. He’d been the last person she’d seen or spoken to before the world had melted, so of course she called for him first. “Where are you?!” Was he playing a trick on her?
McCoy was in the kitchen, which had an open doorway to the living room. His place was posh, nice, befitting a man who worked as a surgeon. And not just any surgeon, but head of surgery. Without any more student loans to pay off, he was doing really well. His daughter's bedroom door was closed, but the door to his bedroom was open.
McCoy was just making lunch before finishing his shift at the hospital. He jumped, a little startled, at the sight of the woman appearing in his living room. Then again, stranger things had happened. Transporters and the like.
"Hello." He said, raising an eyebrow. He had a sandwich in his hand, and a confused (though slightly amused) expression on his face.
“Oh!” She exclaimed, surprised by McCoy. She’d been so wrapped up in the thought of where am I? that she hadn’t noticed him standing right in front of her. “Oh! I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there.” She paused, looking around. “Do you... Am I... I don’t know... How I got here or where I am. Who are you?” She was having difficulty deciding what to ask first.
She hadn’t quite come to the realization that she was in that man’s home until she’d finished that last question. She looked at her ice cream cone as if it was rather silly to be holding it right then and there.
“Sorry, sorry, let me start over. I was just somewhere else... And now I’m here.” And she probably sounded quite crazy. “Could you, um... Could you tell me where I am?”
Either this was a woman who could appear in random places, or she was mentally ill. McCoy couldn't really be sure which. He set the plate down, and moved into the living room. He was still wearing his white, doctor's coat.
"Sounds like you teleported." He said, sounding rather calm for someone who'd just had an intruder pop into his home. "Either that or sleep walked." He folded his arms across his chest. "My name is Leonard McCoy. I'm a doctor.”
Tara might be a bit crazy, but certainly not mentally ill. We think. “But how could I have teleported,” she wondered aloud, crossing an arm over her chest while she still held her ice cream. She ate a little bit of it while she thought. Bubblegum ice cream was her favourite, after all -- no need to let it go to waste, even in a time of crisis and panic.
“Oh! A doctor. I know a Doctor,” she told him with a wide smile. “Though he’s not really a medical doctor... Anyway, I’m Tara Smith. And it may sound a bit crazy but I was just out with my friend getting ice cream and... Well, now I’m here.” She looked at her ice cream, considering it for a moment and ending her ramble.
“And my ice cream hasn’t melted... So it must have been instant. I couldn’t have been kidnapped or sleep walked...” She really could be quite smart when she paid attention. “But... How...” She looked up at McCoy as if he might have an answer.
McCoy was wondering if her doctor friend was a psychiatrist. She sounded almost like she needed one. He gave a little nod. “Well, it must have been instantaneous, then.” That was so familiar. People appearing and disappearing out of thin air. Like from his dreams.
“You haven’t been on a space ship lately, have you?” He asked, suddenly. It was a strange question, but he was starting to become a strange guy.
Tara considered his question, brows lifted as she thought back. “Nope, no spaceships,” she thought out loud with a shake of her head. This really was a mystery. Maybe it had to do with her dreams. The fact that she had taken the space ship question so lightly might have suggested to McCoy that she was a bit strange as well.
“Oh! I know!” she exclaimed, reaching into her pocket for her cell phone. She loaded up John’s number and dialed it, putting the phone to her ear. Rrrrring, rrrrring. -- “Hello?” John answered on the first ring -- his phone having been on the table next to his laptop. He hadn’t even looked to see who it was on the screen. -- “John! Doctor! John Smith!” She was so relieved to hear his voice. “Where are you?” she asked quickly, not thinking she’d stepped backward a few months in any way. “I’m so sorry I disappeared, I don’t know what happened. I was just in the ice cream shop, and now I’m here in this man’s home. Do you know what happened?” If he could get anything out of that rambling, he sure as fuck probably wouldn’t understand it. -- John literally laughed into his phone, having not been able to get a word in edge-wise. “What?” he asked, “Slow down. Doctor who? I’m not a doctor. Who is this?” Probably this girl had picked his number up on accident -- although he wasn’t sure where, considering he was not in the phone book. Not yet anyway. -- “You’re -- but,” she backpedaled a bit, not sure how to react to that. But he was the Doctor! They were... Well, they were something. Very good friends, anyway. “John, it’s Tara. Why don’t you remember?”
She really started to panic, then. He would have at least recognized her voice, or where they’d been just five minutes ago. -- “Tara?” He asked, sounding genuinely perplexed -- and then it was clear that he was pulling his phone away from his ear a little, his voice vaguely muffled. “Tara-- are you pranking-- hey! What are you doing with that DVD player! It’s not MINE.” And then the phone hung up -- presumably “The Doctor” had bigger problems to deal with. -- Indeed, perhaps this Doctor in this timeline had bigger problems. But Tara (currently visiting this timeline) was just about to scream in panic. She heard the click of John’s phone and her face sunk immediately. Checking to be sure she’d dialed the correct number -- you never knew what could happen around Orange County with all of the supernatural beings running about -- she felt her knees begin to shake.
Though imposing quite a bit on McCoy’s space, she just wasn’t confident in her ability to stand right then. She stumbled over to his sofa and fell back onto it, elbows on her knees as she hunched over.
“What is happening...” she breathed, shaking her head. She didn’t even want her stupid ice cream anymore. And bubblegum ice cream was her absolute favourite.
“Whoa whoa.” McCoy said, moving quickly to her side. He’d watched in confusion and partial amusement as she was on the phone, but then when the click came and her face fell so dramatically, he could see her knees wobble. He reached forward and took the ice cream from her hands, setting it on the table. “Are you all right?” He asked, now expressing concern. The last thing he wanted was some strange and possibly delusional girl fainting in his apartment.
“I don’t get it,” she was shaking her head. She’d hardly even noticed McCoy taking the cone from her and setting it down. “It sounded like he was talking to someone else, and then he hung up on me. I didn’t hear a voice, but... Someone was there.”
Tara let out a big sigh, not about to cry in front of a complete stranger. Was John with someone else? Her heart hurt just thinking about it. “I’m all right,” she nodded once she was able to speak without her voice breaking. Emotions are hard, man. “I just don’t understand what’s happening. I’ve been having all of these crazy dreams, and all of a sudden this happens...”
She turned her head, looking up to McCoy. “I probably sound a bit crazy, don’t I?” she had to smile at that realization. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be burdening you with this. I can go.” she made the move to stand.
Crazy dreams. McCoy nodded, he'd been having them, too. "No," he said, showing his oft-hidden softer side. He felt really bad for the poor girl. She looked so confused. "I've been having some crazy dreams, too. It's all right." He settled back a little on the sofa, giving her room to sit.
"You don't need to leave, he added, reaching forward and touching her arm. "You've just been through an ordeal. Can I get you a glass of water?" He added, now feeling like an inconsiderate surprise host. "Sit for a spell," he added, then bounced up himself to go into the kitchen. "Or some juice or a soda..." He pulled the juice from the fridge and popped the top. He sniffed it, then winced, and shoved it back into the fridge. "Or a soda..."
Tara sniffled a little bit as she settled back down onto the couch. McCoy really was being so nice to her, she really was appreciative. After all, she didn’t really have anywhere to go now, did she? John seemed to be somewhere with someone else, and she didn’t even know how she’d get home, anyway...
“Water is fine, thank you,” she told him, attempting a smile. It probably looked a bit forced. “I’m Tara, by the way. Tara Smith.” Waving slightly, she took a moment to look around. “You have a lovely home. Sorry for intruding.”
McCoy nodded, moving to the sink to fill a couple of glasses with water from the Brita Filter attached to the faucet. “Water, coming right up.” He said, then turned to come back into the living room, grabbing his sandwich on the way. He didn’t have too much time to spare before heading back to the hospital.
“Here.” He said, holding out the glass. “Are you hungry?” He added, then thought better of it. She’d just been eating ice cream. She most likely wasn’t hungry.
“It’s nice to meet you, Tara,” He added, sitting back down on the sofa. “I know it wasn’t your fault.”
Tara mumbled her Thanks when McCoy handed her the glass of water. She felt a bit sick to her stomach, like she was worried or nervous or she’d eaten too much sugar (a regular occurrence, she knew the feeling well).
“No, I’m fine, thank you,” she replied when he asked that she was hungry. Her stomach was turning too much to feel any hunger. Still slumped over a bit with her elbows on her knees, she watched McCoy sit back down.
“Thank you for being so nice,” she blurted out, genuinely smiling at McCoy. He really was being so sweet to this crazy lady who had just showed up in his home. Turning away so she wouldn’t feel rude just watching him eat, she sighed (though she was still smiling). “What sorts of dreams have you been having?” she asked, remembering he’d mentioned having dreams as well.
“You’re welcome.” McCoy said, softly. He spoke between bites, trying not to be rude and eat with his mouth full. But he did need to feed himself so he could get back to work. He had shit to do. He always had shit to do. “I’ve been dreaming that I’m Chief Medical Officer on a space ship.” He said, giving a little smirk. This was the point where normal people would have told him he was crazy. But she’d been dreaming, too... and she appeared in his living room. She definitely wasn’t normal.
“Crazy dreams, indeed,” she smiled at him. They weren’t quite as crazy as hers, though. He didn’t dream that he actually was a ship. “Chief Medical Officer on a spaceship, though. That’s pretty grand. My dreams have been...” she drifted off, trying to find the right word. “Really weird. I’ve dreamt that I am a... It’s kind of like artificial intelligence, like I’m observing events from afar. But, I never see myself. I’m always the observer.”
She smiled sadly then, thinking of John and the Doctor. “That man I spoke to on the phone, he’s always in my dreams. I think I observe mostly through him... Like he’s sharing a mind with me. His face changes but his mind never does, though.” Take that for weird, Leonard. “At least you know who you are in your dreams. Mine’s all... wibbly wobbly.”
“Artificial intelligence?” McCoy asked, eyebrows raised. “You’re... a machine?” He asked. That was one he hadn’t heard before. “Watching... like a movie?” He added, then took another bite of his sandwich.
He chuckled through his bite, then swallowed. “Wibbly Wobbly?”
“I... Don’t really know, but I think so,” she told him when he asked if she was a machine. “But I’m not just a machine. I have a heart, and a soul, but I don’t have a body. I watch them journey through time and space through their eyes.”
She grinned again, because she knew she was starting to sound like that extra brand of crazy that her parents warned her not to show. “Yes, wibbly wobbly, timey wimey. Very scientific.”
Shrugging, Tara took a drink of her water. “John has a few theories. Not sure what’s the truth. Suppose I’ll just have to wait and see more, yeah?”
It sounded absolutely bizarre. But then again, he was a medical officer on a spaceship, and worked with aliens who had green blood. So... who was he to judge? Besides, it was kind of interesting, even in how bizarre it was.
“I see.” He said, about this ‘wibbly wobbly’ business. He was going to have to tell Joanna about it. “John, that’s the man you called? Maybe we should take you to him? Do you know where he lives?” He asked, then stood from the sofa to take his dishes back into the kitchen.
“Yes, John is... my closest friend,” she told him, not quite sure how to define their friendship. “Friends for hundreds of years, if my dreams are saying anything.” She considered going to John’s when McCoy asked, though she thought it might be a bad idea. He was obviously with someone else. That would be awkward. She didn’t answer straight away, simply watched McCoy make his way to the kitchen.
After he had reached the kitchen, Tara had decided going to John’s would not be a good idea just yet. Maybe she’d just go home. She opened her mouth to answer him when a familiar feeling rose up in her stomach. Oh god, it felt the same as when she’d been in the ice cream shop. She’d thought it was a stomach ache from the sugary bubblegum ice cream. If McCoy had been looking, he’d have seen Tara become surrounded with a bright golden light (Reference). Streams of light snaked out of her, as if grasping for where she was going in the time vortex.
And then she was gone. Leaving nothing but the bum mark she’d left in his couch. Wherever she’d gone to, it would be a mystery to McCoy. And probably to Tara, too.
“Hundreds of years?” McCoy asked from the kitchen. He was putting the dishes in the dishwasher when a bright light shined around the room, against the wall. He stood up quickly, and stared at the strange shadow on the wall. It was gone, though. He turned around to look into the living room, and found that Tara was gone, too.