~~~~~
This nightly excursion had taken so long that the next morning had already arrived. It was still in the very early hours and the children had gotten exhausted from their ordeal, so they were put to bed and fell asleep immediately. Lynne had made tea to warm herself up. She was chilled to the bone by the cold winter air.
"Are you okay?" the Doctor asked her as he joined her in the living room.
"Yeah, I'm okay." she replied solumnly. "It has been a long eventful day, that's all."
"I am sorry." he said with deepest intent.
"About what?" Lynne asked gravely.
"About me. I have been selfish." the Doctor admitted.
Lynne didn't reply for a while, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. What she was about to say would give the course of her further life out of her hands. She was terrified, but felt she had no choice. She had to be fair. Then she spoke, "To be or not to be, Doctor. It is your decision to make and yours alone."
"Lynne, I-"
"I do not blame you for anything, Doctor. Despite of what I said in the wood. You have to clear your mind and decide what it is you really want." Lynne said and waited till the Doctor had left the room before she let a tear roll freely down her cheek. She hoped with all her heart, both of them, that he would make the right decision, but she could not help herself thinking he might choose to stay.
The Doctor had gone out to think about what Lynne had said. He had to be alone and order his thoughts.
All kinds of memories resurfaced from his chaotic mind. Memories from when he was just a child, playing with the little girl from next door on the red Gallifreyan grass. Memories from when he came to Earth for the first time and when he took his granddaughter to Earth. Memories from his first human passengers in his TARDIS, Susan's two teachers. Memories from all the companions he had traveled with, and some lost, through all those years. Memories of worlds saved from extinction, and others lost forever, like his own. The horror of the Time War and the destruction it caused. The horrific alien foe's that were most probably still out there somewhere. The Daleks, which managed to return again and again after he destroyed them over and again.
There had been good times too. He remembered the happy spirit of Jamie. Nyssa, Tegan, Adric, Romana, all of them. He remembered Ace and her optimistic but destructive nature. He remembered his chess games with Sarah-Jane and K-9. And his dance with Rose.
"Fries," he said to himself when having some chips in a little place near the Thames. "I used to eat fries with her. It will never be the same. I'll have to accept that and move on."
"Think about it, Doctor, what would she have said? What would any of them have said? They would want me to go on. Like I want them to have good lives and make the most of it. I should not linger here in grief, hidden away, while there are so many things to see, and do. So many things to set straight, so many others to help. They all took a chance when they decided to join me, but they gave everything they had. I should do no less.
I will not disappoint you. I will be again!" the Doctor said to himself as he had made his decision to be as he was before. To live his life fighting for good against evil with every fibre of his being.
His mind was made up and he returned home to Lynne. He rushed in and went upstairs, while he said, "I've made up my mind, Lynne."
Lynne still sat motionless on the couch with her teacup quivering in the hands, awaiting whether the future of humankind was safe or not. Because she knew that if the Doctor had decided to remain a history teacher in London, the planet would not last to see the 2012 Olympics.
But Lynne did not know that the Doctor had gone up to the attic and carefully brought the TARDIS back from her several years of sleep. He sat her down on a parking lot behind their back garden and took his time to let his decision sink in. It still felt empty, like something, or rather someone was missing, though it also felt good. The TARDIS had been his most trusty companion, their relation was almost as old as the Doctor was himself. He realised he should no longer try to look for a place where he belonged, for he belonged here. The TARDIS was his home. He put on his brown coat, went outside and took a good look at her. He stroked her blue wooden surface gently.
Then he locked the door and went back to the house. When he came in through the front door again, Lynne stood aghast. Tears were running down her face. The Doctor wondered what had happened.
"I heard the sound. The TARDIS, I heard her." she said, though the Doctor could not yet make out whether she was happy or sad. The noise had awoken the children as well, who came down the stairs cheering.
"Pack up your things kids. We're leaving." the Doctor said with a big smile. Lynne was indeed crying of happiness. They closed one blue wooden door behind them as they were about to open another.
The Doctor didn't care about any passer-by seeing them now, so he put the key in the lock and turned, but the door did not open. He stood amazed. What is this? He turned the key back and forth several times, but the police box did not grant him entry.
"Women" he sighed and he opened the little hatch in the left door. He stuck his head in the two-and-a-half square feet opening.
"It's me, the Doctor. Please let me in..." he said. Lynne and the children could barely hold their laughs at the somewhat peculiar sight. "Look, I am sorry I put you in the attic for so long, but I hadn't forgotten about you. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, I just needed some time to gather myself. Now, would you please let us in? We're going travelling, like we used to do. Just like old times, my girl."
The TARDIS forgave the Doctor for having her stuck in the dark dusty attic for those couple of years and unlocked the door with a loud clang.
"Alright, that's my girl." the Doctor said and he turned to Lynne. "Will you come with me this time?" he asked her.
"Yes, although UNIT will not be pleased with me leaving all of a sudden." Lynne said jestingly.
"UNIT?!" the Doctor exclaimed at this surprise.
"Yes, my new job is to arrange their logistics and we just got orders from Mr Saxon for a department wide operation in the Andes." Lynne explained. It explained why she had to work late all those evenings; UNIT is an around the clock military organisation, and why she seemed to know so much about the kidnapping; UNIT must have been monitoring it.
"That explains a lot indeed. Well, they'll just have to find someone else because you can't be in two places at the same time." he said and stepped inside.
"Actually..." Lynne teased.
"Just get in here." he laughed and Lynne entered the ship too, who's soft humming kindly welcomed them back.
"So, where shall we go?" the Doctor said as he skipped around the controls like...well, like only the Doctor can.
He chose a destination, probably at random and set the ships grinding engine in motion.
"What about the house?" Lynne asked him as she suddenly realised they had left in such a hurry.
"Oh, she will be fine." the Doctor said, "A few years later the house will be sold at auction to a blind lady who is very fond of angelic statues." But that is quite another story.
He's back! Time Lord and TARDIS are about to venture out into space and time again. He is still not sure where to go, but he does know he needs to pick up his old way of life again.
See you around, Doc!
Mirror, mirror was written and created by Becky Miller.
Doctor Who and related characters are property of the BBC. No infringement intended.
Also by the same writer:
The Daughter
The first book of the Becky Miller Doctor Who fan-fiction series. Rose, Mickey and the Doctor receive a strange numerical message. Is this code really a message and if so who sent it and why? All the answers to these questions are hidden until an unexpected visitor in the TARDIS begins to unveil her secrets one at a time, but in doing so jeopardises the lives of all involved.
Mirror Mirror
The second book in the Becky Miller DW series. Europe
isn't always the most exciting place in the universe, especially in the nineteen fifties, but when sightseeing with the Doctor something's always about to happen? When innocent people seemingly at random start disappearing around him, the Doctor must take action. Is he strong enough to face the one responsible? Will he ever be able to look at himself in the mirror?
Breakdown
The third book in the Becky Miller DW series. When the Doctor tries to take Lynne back home the TARDIS crashes into some space debris. This causes the ship to dramatically veer off course to a very chilly future where the Doctor, Rose and Mickey meet some new friends and old foes.
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