Who: TARDIS and Tenth Doctor When: Present day for The Doctor, Tara is coming from further down the line. During the day while Gwen/real time Tara are at work. Where: John and Gwen’s apartment. What: The Doctor finally finds out his best friend is also his TARDIS. Rating: G. Seriously, probably the cutest most innocent thing either of us have ever written. Status: Complete
Tara was really getting sick of this whole time and space travel thing. Sure, it was an interesting perk to get alongside the memories. But did it always have to happen by accident? She was getting tired of being unable to travel when she wanted to. Yes it was exciting and new and usually fun to go somewhere else for a bit, but she just wanted to control it.
Was that so much to ask?
Apparently so, since she’d just shifted from her current timeline and into this new one. Wasn’t this breaking the rules? Crossing into her own timeline? She’d have to consult the Time Lord and TARDIS rulebook later.
As she dissolved then materialized in John and Gwen’s apartment (a bright golden light filling the room, with a wheezing sound she knew all too well now), Tara just put her hands on her hips and made a face. Okay, at least she hadn’t ended up anywhere unfamiliar this time. But when was she?
What Tara probably hadn’t noticed straight off, was that she’d literally appeared right in front of The Doct-- John Smith. He’d been sitting on his couch, laptop exactly where the title of the item says it goes, working on some writing. And then with with some amazing light show and a noise he knew now too, there she was.
He couldn’t even say anything. Because suddenly the wheels that had been turning in his head on this topic for a good long while now were snapping into place. He. Was. Delighted.
Tara hadn’t been facing John when she’d first appeared. She looked around, facing his and Gwen’s television, before turning and finally seeing John. Well, this was awkward. Would he freak out? He hadn’t freaked out about this before. But what day was it?
God, timey wimey is really confusing, even for a TARDIS.
“Oh! Hi!” she chimed, though she was a bit worried. Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. Had he just seen that all? Was she breaking any rules? Was he still just John? Or was he the Doctor now? Oh gosh, she didn’t know what to do. She didn’t think she was doing anything wrong. But she wanted to be safe rather than sorry. “Um, sorry! What day is it?”
He was The Doctor enough. Still John -- but as every day came and went, he felt a little more like that name wasn’t possibly right.
“Hello,” he said, tilting his head to the side a little too cheerfully for a man who had just witnessed his best friend time-teleporting. “It’s the fourth of March. When do you think it should be?” He had a terrible urge to pull out his Sonic Screwdriver and find out himself. Except, apparently, that was kind of rude.
Since when had her tenth Doctor not been rude? Well, he wasn’t always rude. “Oh, good. March. March fourth! Very good.” She kept saying that as if it meant something. But March fourth was long before she’d tried to remember everyday. She didn’t quite know everything yet. A TARDIS has to grow, of course.
“I don’t think I’m allowed to tell you that. But you’re not surprised I’m here! Good, so you’ve remembered. Do I know?” She didn’t mean herself, well, okay she did mean herself. But not in the way that most people would think she’d meant it. The Doctor would know. “No, I don’t think so. Not yet. You were always the clever one.” She was smiling now, possibly grinning.
Setting his laptop aside, he stood, as if circling her was any less rude than Screwdriving. Hey, a man had to sate his curiosity, after all. And if a man did, a newly remembering Time Lord really had to.
“I remember,” he said, voice faint. He hadn’t really spoken of it much. Not yet. But he knew with a strange certainty that that was him -- and even though he’d continue with his books and his John Smith, he just wasn’t quite anymore.
“I don’t think you know,” he said -- and yes, he did know exactly what she was talking about. Because... well. He’d been thinking it for a while now. “Not yet.”
Suddenly, his look of curiosity dropped and he grinned, bright, wide, so happy. “Give us a hug then,” he prompted.
Tara had just stood as John circled around her. No, not rude. She never thought he was rude to her. Well, maybe once or twice, but it really wasn’t his fault. It was his nature. Just like hers was to be just a bit of a mystery. Which is why she didn’t mind him circling around her -- it really was The Doctor and his TARDIS, standing in the same room. Though she had known for a while now, he was just discovering the mystery surrounding his best friend.
John. The Doctor. Her Doctor. Giggling brightly, as she does, she launched herself into his arms and gave him a great big squeeze. “Oh good! I thought I’d messed everything up! But I suppose I always end up where I’m supposed to, don’t I? Always where I need to be.” She wasn’t letting go of him just yet.
Oh, she had so many questions about when she’d ended up. But she couldn’t spoil it for him, not yet. She wanted him to be as surprised as she’d been.
Hugging her tightly, John let out a laugh -- unreserved and tickled all at the same time. “Yes, I suppose you do, don’t you? But look at you!” He exclaimed, as if she just didn’t know how amazing and brilliant she really was. But he supposed she probably would if she was from the future. If future him had anything to do with it, anyway.
He squeezed her again before backing up a little. “My TARDIS,” he said, with such adoration if it had been anyone but them it might have been a bit overwhelming.
She couldn’t keep her smile from growing. It was quite surprising that he could always make her feel this way. As if she was the greatest thing that had stepped foot on Earth. Or whatever you’d call TARDIS feet. “In the flesh!” she confirmed with a nod.
Not wanting to interrupt him, Tara just stood and let him take it all in. “Type 40 TARDIS, reporting for duty!” She would have saluted, but that would have been a little ridiculous. She wasn’t a soldier or anything. She was a ship! Well, the heart of one, anyway.
“My very own best friend, just hiding under my nose,” he said, bemused. “When are you from?” He asked again, because spoilers were a thing that he couldn’t handle -- never could. He had to know. He was an impatient sort of Doctor in some regards. Gods, she was beautiful.
“Well I am shorter than you!” she pointed out. Because she would have always been right under his nose, wouldn’t she? For emphasis, she reached up and gave his nose a good poke, tongue poking out from between her teeth.
Considering his next question, Tara made a face. She couldn’t tell him that. Well, she wasn’t sure if she could. So she shook her head. “I’m not allowed. You know that. You told me that, Doctor.” That was probably the first time he’d ever heard her call him that. Even in his real life.
It had been the first time -- but it was such a natural name to him, that it nearly passed him by completely. He crossed his arms, looking somewhere between smug, happy and petulant. Really, it was a whole lot of emotion. Certainly, it couldn’t have been wrapped up in a taco shell.
“I had a bit of a feeling you’d say that,” he said trying not to pout. He ruffled her hair, amusedly, anyway. He had a lot of questions for her -- but he supposed she probably wouldn’t give him any real answers. So instead he rose an eyebrow. “Should we get some lunch?”
She certainly wasn’t going to give him any spoilers. It would ruin the whole fun of him finding out. Tara knew that John could be impatient, but she knew that he could wait. He’d waited this long, hadn’t he? The future would come quickly enough.
Even if he hated going about it on the slow path.
She giggled at the hair ruffle, lifting her hands to straighten it back out. “Lunch sounds perfect,” she said, hands dropping when she was happy enough with the state of the top of her head. “But I’m not quite... Well, reliable yet. I can’t choose when I travel, it just happens. I don’t know how much time I’ve got.”
That was a spoiler all on its own, really. Maybe not yet, but it would be for later on. John didn’t say so, though. Instead, he just bumped his shoulder against hers and moved toward the kitchen. “Sandwiches it is then,” he said. This was weird a little bit, but he couldn’t stop smiling. He did so love it when he was right about things.
Yes, she probably shouldn’t have said that. But really, it was more a spoiler for her, wasn’t it? And anyway, Tara was no good at keeping secrets. John hadn’t really warned her about that one. “Have you got ham and cheese?” Because that was her very favourite. She followed him toward the kitchen, before stopping and turning.
“I’m just gonna wash my hands,” she told him. And headed off toward the bathroom to do just that. Because you need clean hands to eat, right? Right.
The Doctor -- John-- er. Doctor John? -- only hummed out his accepting sort of response, and then he went to work in the kitchen, pulling out the deli meats and cheese and the weird rye bread that just seemed to be there even though he was sure he hadn’t bought it. Even with Future!Tara in the bathroom, he couldn’t help but be a little excited about being able to tell Present!Tara about his now confirmed suspicions. “Mayo? Tara?” He called it out. He could never remember things like who liked what condiments.
Sometimes the little things were hard. Like trying to wash your hands while your body was shifting in time and space. Her eyes opened with worry as she watched herself dissolve in the mirror. It was the first time she’d ever seen herself doing it. The bathroom filled with a bright golden light.
She didn’t want to go yet.
“Doctor!” she called out, sounding a bit panicked. But then she was gone. No sandwiches for Future!Tara. Well, maybe she’d go ahead and make one on her own.
And then there was John, standing in the hallway that adjoined to the bathroom, with two sandwiches in his hands, but only one person in his apartment. It was a bit off putting, even though she had warned him. He’d just thought -- well. That they’d have more time. “Oh,” he said, a little lost. He couldn’t be so terribly sad though, because he knew there would be a lot more in the future.
And anyway, he could wrap up this sandwich and give it to Tara if she came over tonight. Which she should have, because he had something wonderful to tell her.