CHARLOTTE ::: DW¹

xlii. john and the doctor

"Right," he said, quickly kissing her, initially taking her by surprise before she kissed him back. He pulls away, saying, "Have to get ready for the day." As she stays on the bed, flipping through the news, he goes into the closet to change.

Coming out in his typical grey suit, teacher's gown, and holding the mortarboard cap. Going to the mirror over the fireplace, he put on the cap, and adjusted it properly as he asks Charlotte, "What are you doing today? Without the library?"

"Oh, I don't know yet," she says, lowering the paper to look at him through the mirror. "Maybe I'll apply to a few places. The library owners are having me for lunch."

John nods. "I heard the school was looking for a new librarian," he said, causing her to lower the paper in intrigue. "The last one was fired."

Charlotte hums in thought. "Maybe, no promises."

Soon after he left for his first class, Charlotte seriously considered what she was doing. First, she lied to him about her name. Second, she lost her job, which gave her something to do every day. Third, she felt terrible for ignoring Martha since they came here. Finally, she was seriously considering applying to jobs for fun, because she honestly had nothing better to do that day, and because she didn't know how much longer they had here before they were met with the Family of Blood and before he remembered (and, possibly, forgets these weeks).

Once putting herself together, Charlotte walked out of his room and down the halls of the Boys' School as if she was supposed to be there. Not one student questioned her when she walked past, and when she saw Martha, not even she picked up her head from where she was dusting off photographs.

---

Charlotte was in the principal's office for the interview when the English teacher came in, alerting him John fell down the stairs. Cringing at the thought, she quickly asked if they could postpone the interview, as she knew him well. Once allowing it, she left the office and followed the path to his room, where the nurse, Joan, cleans a cut on the back of his head.

"Is he alright?" she asked the nurse calmly, having seen him in similar situations before. Surprised she got there so soon after the fall, he looked up to her questionably. "I was at the interview," she tells him. "Someone came in to tell the Headmaster. It was postponed."

"He'll be fine," Joan says. "Where do I know you?"

Charlotte glances at the back of his head. "I'm not sure, I worked at the library in town."

"Oh," drawled out Joan. "I saw you walking down the halls today."

Her eyes widened, but John replied, "I told her, but she already had an idea after seeing you."

Seeing the nurse so nonchalant about that, despite what would've gone on between the two of them in an alternate timeline, definitely eased Charlotte, as she sent a small smile to Joan. "I'm... Mary Thomas," she greeted her, close to saying her real name.

"Joan," she says, continuing to clean his cut, causing him to groan from the stinging. "Stop it. I get boys causing less fuss than this."

He scrunched his nose. "Because it hurts!"

Watching as the scar was cleaned, Charlotte put a hand on his shoulder. "You'll be fine if that means anything."

The door opens again for a frantic Martha, concerned more than anything. "Is he alright?"

"Excuse me, Martha," started Joan, pausing the cleaning. "It's hardly good form to enter a master's study without knocking."

Martha, annoyed, turned around, knocking on the door, before returning. "But is he alright?" she looks back down to the Doctor, still wincing from the pain. "They said you fell down the stairs, sir."