The TARDIS materialised in the grounds of an English country house. The Doctor stepped out first, followed by Donna and finally the Artist, the Time Lady having done her obligatory environment check. Her right hand was now healed, so was no longer bandaged up, but both she and the Doctor still had their scars from the progeneration machine on Messaline. Neither Time Lord wanted to cover their scar up, they wanted to remember Jenny.
"Ah, smell that air!" the Doctor said, taking a deep lungful of air, "Grass and lemonade... and a little bit of mint. A hint of mint. Must be the 1920's."
"1926." the Artist confirmed, having read the date on the TARDIS monitor.
"You can tell the year it is just by smelling?" Donna asked the Doctor.
"Well, yeah." he shrugged.
"Or maybe he saw that car coming up the drive." the Artist remarked flatly, pointing to a vintage car that was approaching the house.
At the wheel was a posh man. A butler and a footman came out to greet the driver. "The professor's baggage, Richard, step lively." the butler ordered the footman, who rushed off to comply while the driver got out of his car and approached the house. "Good afternoon, Professor Peach." the butler greeted him.
"Hello Greeves, old man." the professor answered, then he saw a blonde vicar in his early forties ride up on a bicycle. "Ah, Reverend." he greeted the vicar.
"Professor Peach, beautiful day." the vicar answered, dismounting his bike, "The Lord's in his heaven, all's right with the world."
"Reverend Golightly." Greeves greeted the vicar, "Lady Eddison requests you make yourselves comfortable in your rooms. Cocktails will be served on the lawn from half past four."
"You go on up, I have to check something in the library." Peach told Golightly.
"Oh?"
"Alone."
"This is supposed to be a party!" Golightly remarked, "All this work will be the death of you."
The time travellers had been watching all this from the bushes. Once the men had all gone inside the house, they came out of hiding. "Never mind Planet Zog, a party in the 1920's, that's more like it!" Donna grinned.
"Problem is, we haven't been invited." the Doctor remarked, "Oh wait, yes we have!" He grinned, pulling out his psychic paper. "Is that alright with you?" he asked the Artist seriously. She'd been putting on a brave face after Jenny's death, but he could tell she was still devastated as her eyes didn't have that sparkle they usually had.
"Might as well." the Time Lady shrugged, "I suppose a party'll do us all good." She was still mourning her daughter, but she knew she had to follow Donna's advice and keep on living. That was the best way to remember and honour Jenny.
"Well, if we're staying, then we'd better dress the part." Donna announced. "C'mon, that includes you." she told the Time Lady, and practically frog-marched her back to the TARDIS.
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Half-an-hour later, the Doctor was impatiently waiting for the two women. "C'mon, we'll be late for cocktails!" he moaned.
The door opened and Donna stepped out, dressed in a brown 1920's flapper dress with gold detailing and gold sandals. "What d'ya think?" she asked him, "Flapper or slapper?"
"Flapper." the Doctor reassured her, "You look lovely....Where's Artist?"
"She's just coming." Donna told him, and sure enough, the Artist stepped out a moment later.
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Halfway Out Of The Dark || The Doctor
FanfictionFollow the adventures of The Last Time Lady, The Artist, saved by the eccentric time-traveler known as The Doctor at the end of the time war, which sees their home plant of Gallifrey lost, as they travel through all of time and space in his unique c...
