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Twenty Second Century Girl	By : lmJillybean Category: 1 through F > Doctor Who Views: 3597 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Dr. Who, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
Twenty Second Century Girl
Author: Jillybean

�Why . . .� Jack said, with all the patience of a man who
knows he is clearly insane and is simply waiting for the world to catch up with
him and pack him off to the nearest institution, �are we here?�
Rose glanced
at him. She was leaning against a lamp
post, her hair flung up in a messy �do and her hands stuck in her pockets. She was chewing on her lip.
�I mean,�
Jack gestured vaguely at the little town.
�. . . why!� It was the only word that could sum up his
complete confusion.
�God
knows,� the Doctor said. He stood off of
the TARDIS, patting Jack on the shoulder.
�But Susan wanted it . . .�
Jack
grumbled something, probably about having every decent bar in the universe at
his fingertips and ending up in Canterbury.
�This is
where Chaucer told his stories,� Susan said.
She jogged along the street towards the three of them, looking
delighted.
�Yes, but
he told them in the middle ages,� Rose said.
�Uh . . .�
the Doctor stopped himself from giving the exact date and time period by
sticking his fist in his mouth.
�But this
is your time,� Susan said to Rose, taking her hands and gazing imploringly into
her eyes. �Don�t you want to see it?�
�Not
really,� Rose shrugged helplessly. �Why
should I?�
Susan
deflated slightly, staring around the sunny little village square with its
children playing on the grassy square. A
couple were having a picnic there, a tartan quilt laid out beneath them. Her eyes sparkled when she caught sight of
it. �We�re going to have a picnic,� she
turned to her companions, grinning.
�Let�s go to that shop.�
The three
followed the line of her imperiously pointed finger to the little corner shop.
�Why?� Jack
all but wailed.
�And then
we�re going to have a walk into the countryside and enjoy it.� Susan said,
folding her arms and setting her jaw in a gesture that smacked of Rose.
�You�re a
bad influence on her,� the Doctor began.
�And you
can�t ever say �no�,� Jack retorted.
�Come on then,� he brushed past them, taking Susan�s arm. �Let�s go.�
The Doctor
watched them go off, his eyebrow twitching as if it wanted to be raised in some
sarcastic comment.
Rose
stepped towards him, slipping her hand in his.
Grinning up at him, she leaned into his shoulder. �Do you think after this we can visit my
mother?�
�I might
have bloody known.�
�I want to
see her,� Rose giggled at the expression on his face. �Come on,� she neatly circled him, blocking
his way. �Please?�
�Fine,� he
sighed. �Who am I to show you the
universe when you have-� he glanced around.
�Canterbury.�
She
grinned, standing on tip toes and pursing her lips expectantly.
�Jack�s so
right about me,� he grumbled, kissing her lightly.
�You�re
whipped,� Rose agreed. �Now come
on. I want scotch eggs.�

They entered the corner shop hand in hand, surprised to find
it almost completely empty.
�You bought
the whole shop already?� the Doctor asked, clapping a hand on Jack�s shoulder.
�No,� Jack
grimaced. �The old guy was robbed. Some guy named . . . what was it?�
The doddery
old man standing behind the counter blushed, stammering slightly. �Nick Zakian.�
�How did he
rob you of a whole shop?� Rose asked, staring at the two packets of crisps
sitting on the stands.
The old man
chose not to reply.
�Well,� Susan
said, setting her shoulders in a firm line.
�We�ll make-do.� She began
scouring the shelves, buying all of the bloke�s latest shipment.
�Only take
card, I�m afraid,� the old man patted his till.
�I�ve got to wait for the insurance to come through before I can take
money.�
Susan
turned to her grandfather expectantly, smiling when he reluctantly handed over
a Visa. �Will this do?�
The old man
smiled. �That will be lovely.�

oOo

A brief walk along the country road led them to a footpath
winding alongside a little stream.
Susan�s choice of camp was a tree grove, and in the shade they sat on a
gingham rug, looking through the drinks.
�Dr
Pepper,� Jack tossed the Doctor the offending bottle. �You�re alien, maybe you like it.�
�Tastes
like soap,� the Doctor said, setting it aside.
�Coke with vanilla . . . oy.�
�Ooh,� Rose
lunged for it, unscrewing the cap and grinning at his horrified
expression. �Come on, it�s like drinking
ice cream floats.�
�But much,
much worse,� the Doctor pointed out. He glanced
at the sandwiches they had. �You know,
only we could choose the one place in the entire universe whose corner shop has
just been robbed to have a picnic in.�
Rose
giggled, lying back on the rug. �I kinda like it. It�s
. . . poetic or something.�
�Very
fitting,� Susan agreed. She nibbled on
the corner of her sandwich. �Hmm. But not very tasty.� She sighed and opted for a packet of crisps
instead. �You�d like Dante, Rose, ever
read it?�
�Rose
doesn�t read,� the Doctor said, poking her in the ribs.
�I do!�
Rose wriggled out of his reach, basking in the warmth of an English summer with
her tracksuit top and jeans on. �I just
don�t read everything you tell me to!�
�Marian
Keyes is a wonderful author.�
Rose
grunted.
�You read
depressing books like �The Lovely Bones�,� the Doctor grumbled. �Susan�s right. Dante�s your kind of thing.� Laughing, he glanced at Susan, waiting for
her to join in.
The young
woman was staring into the depths of her crisp packet, her bottom lip jutting
out in a half frown. �It�s all still
here,� she said with a big sigh.
The others
shared a look.
�Every part of it. Canterbury. Chaucer wrote about it and . . .� She
scrunched the crisp packets up, breaking the crisps into tiny shards as she did
so. �And it�s all still here. No Dalek
invasion. No . . .� she closed her eyes.
�No Time
War,� the Doctor said for her.
�Like
everything I learned growing up doesn�t matter.� Susan stood, brushing her
palms off on the thighs of her jeans.
Without an excuse, she hurried back up the lane.
�Wait,�
Rose caught the Doctor�s arm, scrabbling to her feet. �Let me.�
�Rose, she
needs her family,� the Doctor began.
�And no one
knows how to handle stranded Time Lords better than I do,� Rose pointed
out. �I�m the universe�s expert.�
�Why don�t
we all go?� Jack said, getting to his feet and gathering the corners of the
blanket. �That way when the Doctor gets
it completely wrong, and Rose pisses her off, I can be there to pick up the
pieces and convince the TARDIS that we�re all sober enough to be let back
inside.� He patted his companions�
shoulders. �Are we ready? Let�s go!�

oOo

Susan was half way back to the village, with the intent of
losing herself inside the TARDIS, when she came across the row of houses. A blonde woman was bent over the flowerbeds,
and for a moment Susan thought it was Rose.
�Can I
help?� the woman asked, noticing Susan�s stare.
�Uh . . .
your flowers,� Susan said blankly, waving at them. �Really nice.�
The blonde
woman laughed, brushing the dirt off her hands as she leaned back to survey her
work. �Not mine, I�m afraid. They�re Mrs
Smallwood�s.�
�Oh. I�m Susan.�
�Alison.� She smiled.
�Not seen you around here before.�
�I�m just
passing through.�
�Ah.� Alison grinned. �You like flowers?�
�I have a
huge garden back home,� Susan said. �I
really missed it while I was away.� Leaning against the gate, she stared into
the big, red poppies. �It�s not the same
now.�
�Run over?�
Alison asked.
�Sort of.� Susan
glanced at her hands.
�Why don�t
you come in and have a cuppa?� Alison stood.
�And in return you can help me weed.�

oOo

�Mrs Smallwood�s out looking for him,� Alison confided
quietly. Her brown eyes peered over the
top of the hedgegrow, as if she was worried the
doddery old woman would return and hear that Alison was speaking ill of the
famed Nick Zakian.
�She thinks he�s lost. Or worse. Went to the
police to file a missing persons.� Alison shook her head sadly. �I had no idea what to do at first . . . I
ended up just . . .� she shook her head, rubbing at her nose to hide whatever
words she had been about to say.
�Is that
the pub over there?� If Susan stood on her tip toes at the gate she could see
the local. �The one your husband owns?�
�I didn�t
think John would let me stay in the town,� Alison sighed, stirring her teaspoon
in the mug of brew. �But he seems . . .
okay . . . ish.�
Susan
turned back to her, accepting the mug of tea with a smile. �I don�t think he could really blame you.�
�Are you
kidding?� Alison said flatly. �I left
him for a guy he thought was his best mate, but who was actually robbing him
blind? You think he can�t blame me? I thought I was going to end up in a
ditch! I-� She stopped, tears sliding
down her cheeks.
�Oh I�m
sorry.� Setting her mug aside, Susan
went to put her arms around the woman.
�No.� Shaking the younger woman off, Alison lifted
her mug up, gripping it firmly between her hands, the knuckles going
white. �No, I�m sorry. I brought this on myself . . .�
�You took a
chance.� Susan shook her head, staring at the death grip Alison had on the
porcelain sides. �You risked
everything.�
�And lost.�
�You
tried. You . . . you didn�t just believe
what people told you to,� Susan shrugged helplessly. �You did so much more than anyone else here
did.�
Alison
sniffed, a mask slipping over her face as Mrs Smallwood hobbled down the
lane. �Jean!� she exalted, �I�m glad
you�re back. Any sign of him?�
�None at all.� Jean
Smallwood looked quite miffed, her scarlet hat sitting askew on her shrivelled
grey hat. �You know, my dear, I do
believe Nick Zakian has left us!�

oOo

Susan refused the offer of dinner, insisting that she had to
get back, sure the others would be looking for
her. She found the three in John�s
little pub, sipping pints.
�There you
are!� the Doctor exclaimed. �We were
worried!�
Rose nodded
vehemently, trying to steady her pint as she sipped at its frothy head.
�Want
something?� Jack asked, leaping to his feet.
Apparently he, like the other two, was oblivious to the odd cloud Susan
felt was following her. �Only these
British pints though, this bloke got robbed . . .�
�I
know.� Susan stirred herself, looking up
into his eyes. �I was talking to
Alison.�
�Oooh,� the Doctor and Rose cooed together, the childish,
high-pitched sing song grated against Susan.
�We were
just hearing about �that treacherous wench�,� the Doctor grinned. �Sounds like a poor wee soul.�
�No more
than the rest of us,� Susan found herself saying. �Because it doesn�t always work out, does
it?� she snapped.
�Susan?�
�Not like
you, Rose, oh no. Some of us take
chances with men and find that . . . that we�re insane and being carted off to
the asylum and that we�re drugged up and kept out the way and the day we�re
released someone appears and says they�re your granddad and everything�s not
right and . . .� She pushed at the leather jacket clad chest, balling her fists
and pummelling him. A hand on her
shoulder was flinched away from, the restraining words ignored.
�I know
nothing about you!� she shrieked, stumbling away from their dark little
booth. �Nothing!�
Neither
Jack nor Rose dared to speak when Susan fled the bar, leaving the three
companions staring after her.

oOo

�I asked around,� Rose said.
She approached the TARDIS, shivering as the air cooled down. �She�s staying with this Alison at Mrs
Smallwood�s, over there.� She swivelled
to point in the general direction of Jean�s house. �And she doesn�t want to see you,� Rose
added, lying a hand on the Doctor�s chest.
�She doesn�t want to see any of us and right now,� she glared at the two
of them, �I think that�s better.�
�She needs
her friends,� Jack said.
�She needs
a house and a roof over her head and normalness!�
�Normalcy,�
the Doctor correct absently. �And this is
normal for her! She grew up in a TARDIS,
for Christ�s sake!� All
the Doctor�s impotent rage quickly acquired a new target. �Who are you to tell me what�s good for my
granddaughter?�
�I have a
vague idea!� Rose yelled back, jabbing her finger into his chest. �She woke up one morning and the world
changed! Suddenly the aliens and the Dalek invasion and all of that . . . never happened.�
�Your tiny
little mind can�t even comprehend the Time War-�
�It
comprehends that she�s having trouble which is a hell of a lot more than you�re
managing!�
�Guys!� Jack exclaimed, trying to pry between them.
�And!� Rose struggled past the American to get another jibe
in, �I know that she�s scared! I understand
that!�
�She�s
faced off Daleks!�
�That never
existed!� Rose�s screech ripped at the back of her throat. �Don�t you see! They thought she was mad! She�s more human than you�ll ever be, more
normal than you�ll ever be and she�s bloody scared. What�s more!� Rose
seemed to grow as she yelled at them.
�We are staying here. We are
doing it the human way. We are going to
go to my mothers and give that girl a chance to recoup. Is. That. Clear?�
- 9
- 10
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Twenty Second Century Girl