| Characters: Anne MacBeth, The Doctor
Link to IJ: thread #75440.4605616 |
 Anne had managed to duck back to her TARDIS by sheer dumb luck, ready to give the Doctor a good stern tongue-lashing...only to find him gone. She was furious, but calmed herself by getting gussied up for that party she'd heard about. There'd been a dress, left over from a girl long gone, and other things, so she'd had a time of it, pretending to be Curdie and had left a terse, irritated note for the Doctor, before she'd left.
She swept in now, in black and white, flowers in her hair. She would wait for him here. She told him to come and find her as they needed to talk. She hoped he'd at least be wearing shoes this time! |
 The Doctor had noticed the poster in the lobby, and had taken the time to find a nice buttoned shirt in one of the shops, and a new pair of jeans. The sandles on his feet were an after-thought.
He paused as he stepped into the ballroom, scanning the guests for the Master - his Master, in particular - and froze when he saw Anne. This... was not good. He plastered on his most charming smile, and walked over, resting his hands lightly on her shoulders. "You look stunning, Lady Anne," he said quietly, putting all the admiration he could into his tone. He really didn't want slapped. |
| "Thank you, Doctor," she said, with a smile of pure pleasure, "I was going to give you the edge of my hand, but under the circumstances, I think I can save that. I only have one question: where the devil have you been?"
She realized that she wasn't as angry as she thought, she was actually relieved he was alive. Or maybe her relief stemmed from the fact that he had shoes this time. |
| "Here." The Doctor shrugged, stepping around her, and taking her hand. "Would you care to dance, Lady Anne?" |
| Oh, that man! "I'd be delighted," she said, "How did we end up here? I thought we were going to Charon."
She was going to forgive him. She always did, no matter what caper he pulled. She allowed him to lead her to the dance floor and smiled a bit wider at a song she recognized. |
| "The last set of coordinates I set was for Cardiff." The Doctor frowned. "Have I introduced you to Jack Harkness yet?" |
| "You've mentioned him," said Anne, "But then you got distracted because the TARDIS was having a tantrum. She does that often, doesn't she?" |
| "Off and on." The Doctor shrugged one shoulder. "We're from different points in our timelines. Charon was a month or so ago. Maybe a bit more." He grinned. "You'll enjoy it." |
| "I trust you, Doctor," Anne nodded, "But, I can't help but wonder how you do it. You find danger no matter where you go, yet I've never once seen you ready to give up. Especially after you...well...after that nasty shock you gave me." |
| "When I regenerated?" The Doctor chuckled. "One of these days I'll remember to warn a companion about that possibility." |
| "A wise plan," Anne giggled with him, "If only because the next companion might not have dainty little girl hands!" She softened. "I'm just glad you're not hurt. When I couldn't find you, I was worried you'd gotten into a scrape you couldn't get out of. You can't keep kicking the angel of death in the shins. Or can you?" She stopped herself and used a few words no well-bred lady would having her vocabulary. "I'm sorry, Doctor, but this whole place has me off-guard and my shields are wobbly, at best. I think someone's wristwatch is trying to flirt with me." |
| "Probably Jack's." The Doctor grinned, guiding Anne towards one of the tables. "It's been around him more than long enough to pick up some of his habits." |
| "Then this Jack fellow is a bit of a hotspur?" Anne lifted her eyebrow. "I consider myself warned. I don't carry a good stout parasol for nothing! Still, if he's a friend of yours, my virtue is surely safe." This was more of a question than anything, but most of the Doctor's friends were sure to be civil people.
On the other hand, the dress she'd borrowed had once been worn by a predecessor known for pyrotechnics. "Is Jack any relation of Ace?" |
| "Not that I'm aware of." The Doctor pulled out a chair for Anne, waiting for her to sit down. "Jack flirts with everyone, but he won't do more than that unless the other person wants it to go further." |
| "Nice to know men aren't terribly different, no matter where you go." Anne took a seat, smoothing her skirts self-consciously. "There are gentlemen and there are rogues. A former companion of yours, this Jack?" |
| "Something like that." The Doctor wasn't about to tell her that he'd planned on leaving her and Diana both in Cardiff while he took Jack with him to find the Master before he did something... spectacularly attention-catching. "He's a bit more than just a companion, though." He shrugged, pushing Anne's chair in a little. "Would you like me to bring you something to drink?" |
| "Thank you, Doctor. Something soft, please, I started my drinking a bit earlier than usual. Or late. Who knows?" She shrugged helplessly. |
| "No one, in this place. It's even throwing off my time sense." The Doctor grinned, scooping up her hand to land a light kiss on her knuckles. "I shall return shortly with your drink, m'lady." |
| And now, Anne remembered why she always forgave him. No matter where (or when) they went, he managed to be dashing and charming without being cocky or patronizing. She didn't know what he was up to, and he MUST have been up to something, but she knew that she would be angry and would say things she didn't mean, then she'd be "over it" as Diana said it.
Yet, it wasn't charm, or she wouldn't have been so unnerved by Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones had left her feeling like a greensick girl at her first cotillion. The Doctor...Was different. |
| The Doctor fetched himself a brandy, and a rum-and-coke for Anne, looking around at the various people as he made his way to the bar and back. Variations on many people he'd met - or been - but so far, no sign of "his" Master. He wasn't sure if he should be worried or relieved by that.
"Your drink, Lady Anne." He smiled at her as he held out the glass. |
| "Thank you." Anne felt her cheeks flush a bit. "I just remembered, I met a gentleman today, wondered if you'd heard of him--well, one of him--Ianto Jones." Inwardly, she took a club to her own head. Idiot girl! What if Ianto was another name for the Master? |
| "Diana's grandfather?" The Doctor settled into the chair across from Anne. "He worked for Torchwood, for Jack, in the early twenty-first century. Liked dressing in suits." He shrugged. "One of Jack's lovers. Why do you ask?" |
| Anne choked on her drink a bit. She took another sip to try and ease her throat. "Grandfather? Does--I mean, have they met?" She wouldn't have pegged Mr. Jones as being fond of men, but then she'd never been a good judge of that. |
| "Diana and Ianto? Once. I landed the TARDIS in the early twenty-first century instead of the late twenty-first century while we were fueling up the TARDIS. Nothing catastophic happened." The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you all right, Anne? You look a little surprised." |
| "It's just dizzying, that's all," Anne said, "He was very curious. He asked after you, seemed interested in the Lingua. I was a touch giddy, I should have thought before I said anything." |
| The Doctor shrugged. "As far as I know, Ianto is perfectly decent, if a little odd. Jack wouldn't have recruited him for Torchwood, much less have been as close to monogamous as he gets while Ianto was alive. At least, as he tells it. Never really had a chance to ask Ianto, didn't really meet him." |
| "He was very interested in you. He knew quite a bit about you. I only mention it because the last person who knew so much about you and was so charming, turned out to be someone who was out to see you dead." Anne gave him a concerned look. "I'm only worried I'll tell the wrong person and get you killed. For good." |
| Incomplete - last update 22Mar 0140, by ladyannemacbeth
Last three posts |