The Doctor's Son

3 - Terror of the Autons

Dorian walked Martha to the door of her family's semi-detached home and rather nervously hovered by the doorway. The lights were still on in the house and dulled voices could be heard from behind the door.

'Well, um, goodnight.' Dorian said, standing rather closer to Martha on the doorstep than he had intended.

'Goodnight,' she smiled.

Dorian always felt extremely uncomfortable in these faintly romantic situations. He was confident enough talking, but anything more intense and he was lost. It seemed that two hundred and forty years were still not enough for him to be confident on first dates. But he knew that Martha was expecting him to do something.

Dorian took a deep breath and swallowed, stepping forward and giving Martha a light kiss on the cheek, just as the front door opened behind her.

'Martha! There you- oh, um,' A young woman who looked a lot like Martha stood in the open doorway, eyes wide and mouth open. Dorian stepped back quickly.

'Tish!' Martha hissed, spinning around.

'Sorry!' Tish apologised, still staring at Dorian, 'Mum thought she saw someone at the door and told me to check it.'

Martha turned back to Dorian, 'I am so sorry about this. This is so embarrassing. Uh, I'll see you tomorrow?'

'Yeah, clinical skills right?' Dorian recovered, retreating down the front path. He didn't do well with families either.

'Martha!' Another woman's voice joined the conversation. 'Where are your manners? Why don't you invite this lovely man in?'

'No, no, it's okay,' Both Martha and Dorian insisted.

'I was just leaving,' Dorian told the woman, who he guessed was Martha's mother.

'Yeah, we've got a class early tomorrow morning,'

'Nonsense,' Martha's mother waved their excuses away, 'Come in, both of you, we're just in the living room.'

'Sorry,' Martha mouthed to Dorian as they both went in the house.

'It's okay,' Dorian reassured her, 'mothers usually like me,'

'I can see why,' smirked Martha's sister.

'Tish!'

'Okay, okay, I'm going!' Tish rolled her eyes and went into the living room. Dorian was ushered into the room after her by Martha's mother.

'I'm Francine, Martha's mother,' she said, by way of introduction.

'Dorian, Dorian Smith,' Dorian got the feeling he was being judged.

'What an unusual name.' Francine commented.

'It's French,' Dorian supplied.

'Dorian's a second year with me, Mum,' Martha told her mother when she joined them in the living room. 'No Leo tonight?'

'He's over Shonara's,' Tish explained. Dorian was shown a seat on the sofa by Francine.

'So Dorian,' Francine continued, ignoring Martha's attempt to change the subject. 'What aspect of medicine do you want to specialise in?'

Yet another hour later Dorian was released from questioning.

'I cannot apologise enough for that,' Martha sighed as she showed Dorian to the front door.

'It was about as interesting and awkward as a first date can get, but I'll get over it,'

'First date? So do you think there'll be a second, without the awkward family introduction?'