𝔏𝔬𝔫𝔡𝔬𝔫, 𝔈𝔫𝔤𝔩𝔞𝔫𝔡, 𝔈𝔞𝔯𝔱𝔥
𝔒𝔠𝔱𝔬𝔟𝔢𝔯 1985
Weddings were not something that EJ could say he was completely accustomed to. He had only ever been to one in his life, which was his eldest sisters, that he couldn't remember because he was only a few months old. So, technically, weddings meant nothing to him at all.
Although, as long as the Doctor took him back to the right part in his life, EJ was set up to be one of the best men at Soren and Taylor's civil partnership, which they were turning into an unofficial wedding. It was something that he was genuinely excited for, not only for his friends, but for everyone around them to experience something so positive.
EJ pushed that aside as they made their way into a room which wasn't much different to a classic registrar's office. It was slightly larger which allowed their friends to join whoever was there for their special day. Everything was white and cream, which was nice, but boring.
They were quiet as they snuck into the back of the room, relatively unnoticed. Their seats were along the second back row, and EJ had somehow found himself wedged in between Rose and the Doctor. She was tense, and she had every reason to be. It wasn't just a random wedding they were sneaking into, but the wedding of Jackie Prentice and Pete Tyler.
In the once or twice that EJ had the absolute pleasure of Jackie's company, he had realised what sort of person she was. Driven. Hardworking. Protective. All very useful skills, especially as a mother, but it was odd seeing her on her wedding day.
She was beautiful. Her dress was long, and slim, very fitting of her. She had a perm too, tied up with a flower at the band. EJ thought that it was stunning, and she was too.
The man opposite her, who in two short years would be referred to as her late husband, wore a green suit. His red hair was thinning. He didn't seem to be half the match for Jackie and EJ had imagined, but she seemed happy all the same. The best way for a relationship to start was outside of the orthodox shallow view of finding the most attractive person and looking for something more. It was what Jackie had done, almost certainly.
The officiate, dressed in black and white, stood between them as they held hands. Both seemed nervous. Was this what happened at weddings? So far, EJ was bored.
"I, Peter Alan Tyler, take you, Jacqueline Andrea Suzette Prentice."
It wasn't a hard task, particularly. The officiate had spoken exactly what Pete was supposed to recite, clearly. And, since this was the woman he was supposed to be spending the rest of his life with, he perhaps should have done some homework.
"I, Peter Alan Tyler, take you, Jacqueline Susanne... Suzette... Anita?" Scrambling for help, Pete looked to the officiate who was lost in the situation.
Jackie did look slightly crestfallen at it all, though her slight frown was nothing by comparison to before, but she didn't allow it to bother her too much. That being said, it seemed that Rose was angry enough for the both of them.
"Oh, just carry on." She remarked when there was an expectant look her way. "If it's good enough for Lady Di..."
The Doctor grinned at her cheek, which mirrored on EJ's face as Rose commented beneath her breath. "I thought he'd be taller."
"Why?" Asked the boy, and she just shrugged in response.
They stayed until they shared their first kiss as man and wife, but didn't stick around long enough to be noticed. It wasn't exactly like they were wearing the appropriate clothes, either. Baggy denim jeans were a choice that EJ both regretted and owned at the same time.
So, they returned back to the Tardis with the slight hope that they might be able to move on. But Rose had other ideas. She was so wound up around the whole situation that she couldn't stop talking. He'd never known anyone to go on like this, other than himself, of course.
"Mum said he died close to home." Was one of her many points. Sad as it was, EJ just pulled a face. He didn't care about family as much as Rose seemed to. He had every reason. "And that there was no one there with him. They don't know who did it."
The Doctor nudged him to try and get him more interested. "Sorry." He hissed back.
"Cos it was a hit and run driver, you know. And he was dead when the ambulance arrived." She gulped, finally looking up as she dragged her feet. "But... I want to be that someone. So he doesn't die alone."
"November the 7th?" The Doctor reiterated.
She nodded, affirming. "1987."
It took only a moment for the engines to start whirring again, taking them to the place that Rose had specified. EJ couldn't say he was looking forwards to any of it at all. There was an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach.
When they stepped outside this time, something felt different. Perhaps it was the right blue sky that none of them had particularly been expecting. It was a perfectly normal day, and that's as the odd thing. Someone was going to die, and yet, life was going on as it did every other day.
It was cold, however. Despite its brightness, it was cold. EJ shivered beneath his thin shirt. He never dressed for the right sort of weather. This was just another example of his odd style.
As the Doctor locked the door, Rose sighed, with wide eyes. "That's so weird. The day my father died." She paused, despondently. "I thought it would be all sort of grim and stormy. It's just an ordinary day."
"The past is another country." The Doctor replied, airily. "1987 is just the Isle of Wight."
"I really wanna know what goes on inside your head sometimes." EJ marvelled, slightly sarcastically. "Like, it is absolutely mental some of the stuff you come out with."
"You need to shut up." He shook his head, amused.
"Yeah." He agreed. "Maybe. But I won't."
Noticing just how quiet Rose was being, the Doctor turned to her, and frowned. "You sure about this?"
Sharply, she responded. "Yeah."
Their walk was not a long one, but it felt that way. EJ had taken ahold of Rose's hand and was swinging it back and forth. There was a song playing in the back of his mind that his steps matched along to. He couldn't remember it's name.
The place where Pete Tyler was going to die was not an especially nice one. Perhaps he deserved better, or perhaps he didn't. EJ didn't know him, or anything about him. He wasn't able to make the judgement. However, he did believe that it was an awful place for anyone to die in.
It wasn't a main road, more of a side road, not too far from a set of corner shops. Around the corner were posters and political protest leaflets about Maggie Thatcher, among other topical issues. It was all real, and yet, something so alien. He'd probably walked this street, but it looked different. It didn't make any sense.
It was just a street, and that was worse. An average place for an average man to die in. EJ couldn't help but feel a little sick on the inside.
"This is it... Jordan Road." Rose gasped slightly. "He was late..." She sounded like it was hard to breathe. "He'd been to get a wedding present, the vase. Mum always said, that stupid vase."
A forest green car swerved around the corner. It was a proper clunker. A good old car. It was the sort of thing that EJ's brothers used to marvel over. He didn't ever like cars as much as they did, but he could appreciate a good one. This was definitely a good one.
"He got out of the car." She narrated, though it hadn't started yet. "And crossed the road... Oh God. This is it."
The Doctor took her other hand, and squeezed it tight. Rose needed support now more than ever. EJ held her a little tighter too. A little closer. He would've liked that in one of his times of need. God knew, if there was such a thing, that he could have done with something like that.
They watched with sad and curious eyes as Pete parked against the curb before getting out. He could feel Rose tense, and slightly, he felt himself do the same. A porcelain vase was in his hands, as he turned to lock his car.
And whilst he wasn't looking, a dull sort of golden car flew around the corner. It didn't stop as the man in the drivers seat braced himself, but went straight through Pete. He was knocked to the ground.
Rose couldn't watch. She hid her head behind the Doctor's shoulder in the opposite direction to brace herself for the inevitable. EJ couldn't look away, though. He wanted to see... he needed to.
When people say that it all happens so fast, it sounds like complete and utter bullshit. But now EJ understood. It did happen insanely fast,
The vase smashed against the tarmac. Shards of it flew around creating a disjointed mosaic. Rose was right. The car didn't stay. It just kept going until it was gone, leaving Pete lying on his back, mildly twitching. He didn't have long.
"Go to him. Quick." The Doctor whispered to her, softly.
EJ loosened his grip on her hand allowing her the freedom to move. "It's your only chance, Rose."
For a moment she stayed still, just staring at her dying father and his unmoving form. Then, she ran, and the boys were quick to follow her. She keeled over behind the corner for a moment and sobbed into the palms of her hand, but only for a moment. She recovers remarkably quickly, just to hear the unmistakable sound of an ambulance's sirens.
"It's too late now." Rose sniffled, wiping the space beneath her eyes. "By the time the ambulance got there he was dead."
"I'm sorry." EJ wrapped an arm around her. He didn't know if he meant it.
"He can't die on his own." She insisted. "Can I try again?"
Though EJ didn't know it yet, there were strict laws to time and space that had to be obeyed. It was something the Doctor believed in and prioritised over everything else. Despite this, he still took them back to the Tardis with determination. He took them back to the same street corner, where they were forced to hide away in the shadows. Another version of themselves was already there. It was the most trippy experience of EJ life yet.
If they stepped in the wrong place and attracted the attention of the past version of themselves then it would ruin everything. The Thompson boy vowed he wouldn't say. Even if his hair was flat at the back, and the tattoo just below his ear wasn't showing.
"Right, that's the first us." The Doctor gestured to their bodies from behind. "It's a very bad idea, two sets of us being here at the same time."
"Then, why are we here?" EJ hissed in response, frustrated. "It's not a good idea. You just said so yourself."
He instructed. "Just be careful they don't see us, wait till she runs off and he follows, then go to your Dad."
So they watched it happen all over again with a slightly obscured view. Pete's green car parked up by the curb. EJ still felt sick. This wasn't making it any better.
Rose shuddered, looking away. "I can't do this."
"You don't have to do anything you don't want to." The Doctor told her, warmly. "But this is the last time we can be here."
The problems only came around when Pete stepped out of the car with the vase in his hands. And before they knew it, before the second car even came around the corner, Rose had ran from their grasp and into the open air.
"Rose! No!"
"Rose!"
She ran past the older versions of themselves, and they watched. But EJ and the Doctor just stood in place as Pete froze in front of the second car, ready to be hit once again. Yet, he didn't die, and he didn't drop the case with a crash. Rose pushed him out of the way, landing on top of him as he took a breath he was never supposed to take.
The older versions of themselves disappeared as there was nothing to spur on the events which brought them to this moment any more. They'd ruined their own timeline because Rose wanted to save her father.
The Doctor's face was like stone. It was hard and coarse. EJ could feel his heart physically stop, and the emptiness of his insides as he waited for it to start up again. It felt like everything was going wrong, but she didn't care at all.
They just stood and watched as the two of them interacted like nothing was wrong and it was infuriating. It wasn't as if they could hear what they were saying. So, when Pete and Rose looked over to them, they saw the pure disgust and anger plastered across the Doctor's face, but worse than that they saw an emotionless EJ who had nothing but fury in his eyes.
Though they didn't want to, they went with Rose back to her flat, which technically wasn't her flat at this point in time. He took the vase that should've broken but didn't down on the table, as he shifted around the space.
"Right, there we go." Pete began. "Sorry about the mess. If you want a cup of tea, kitchens down there, milks in the fridge. Well, it would be, wouldn't it? Mind you, there's always the windowsill outside.
He nodded, and Rose seemed infatuated with every word that came out of his mouth. It didn't make sense. He wasn't a remotely interesting person. He was about as interesting as a plain brick wall.
"If someone invented a windowsill with special compartments- you know, one for milk, one for yoghurt, you could make a lot of money out of that, sell it to students and things. I should write that down. Anyway, excuse me a minute, gotta go and change."
As he left, they felt more comfortable moving around the space, without being restricted. The living room and the kitchen all seemed to be one huge space with the walls painted a shade of pinky-purple. It was hideous, but it didn't stop Rose's infatuation with it all.
"All the stuff Mum kept." She grinned. "His stuff. She kept it all packed away in boxes. She used to show me when she'd had a bit too much to drink."
The Doctor stood there uncomfortably with his arms crossed as EJ swayed back and forth on his feet. "Really?" He asked, sarcastically. "Your mother doesn't strike me as someone who drinks at all."
His comment was rude, and passing, so Rose ignored it in favour of the trophy behind her. "Here it is... on display. Where it should be. Third prize at the bowling. First two got to go to Didcot." She sounded so impressed, it was sickening. "Health drinks! Tonics, Mum used to call them. He made his money selling this Vitex stuff. He had all sorts of jobs, he was so clever. Solar power! Mum said he was gonna do this- now he can!"
When she looked back to them both, she realised that they really didn't care as much as she did. She had invested interest in this, and to them, this was only problematic.
"Look," She sighed in the attempt to rectify some of the visible damage. "I'll tell him you're not my boyfriend."
"Me?" EJ grimaced at the thought. "He thought I was your boyfriend?"
"Yeah." Rose agreed. "Why?"
"No." He shook his head violently. "Never. No offence, Rose, but you're not my type."
"I kinda got it, yeah." She agreed, matching his sarcasm fully. It made his guilt lessen that little bit more.
"When we met, I said travel with me in space. You said no." The Doctor interrupted. "Then I said time machine."
"It wasn't some big plan." Rose said, obviously startled. "I just saw it happen and thought I can stop it."
He just tutted. "I did it again! I picked another stupid ape. I should've known. It's not about showing you the universe. It never is. It's about the universe doing something for you."
"So it's okay when you go to other times and you save people's lives, but not when it's me saving my dad?"
"I know what I'm doing." The Doctor gritted his teeth. "You don't. Two sets of us being there made that a vulnerable point."
Her counter was pathetic by comparison. "But he's alive."
"My entire planet died- my whole family." He spat, his words becoming hoarser. "Do you think it never occurred to me to go back and save them?"
"But it's not like I've changed history." EJ scoffed and quickly she realised her mistake. "Not much. I mean, he's never gonna be a world leader. He's not gonna start World War Three or anything."
Almost tentatively, the Doctor stepped towards her in hope that she might listen. "Rose, there's a man alive in the world who wasn't alive before. An ordinary man. That's the most important thing in creation. The whole world's different because he's alive."
"Would you rather him dead?"
The Thompson boy shook his head. "Don't be silly."
"I'm not saying that."
"No, I get it." Rose spoke with a quiet confidence now, a bitter realisation. "For once, you're not the most important man in my life."
"Let's see how you get on without me." The Doctor's aggressiveness was not something EJ was accustomed to, and he hoped that it wouldn't last long. "Give me the key. The Tardis key. If I'm so insignificant, give it me back!"
"Alright then, I will!" She shouted in response as she fumbled through her pockets, slamming it in the palm of his hand. "You've got what you wanted, so that's goodbye then."
It seemed that turning on his heels triggered some sort of fury in Rose as she followed him into the hallway, leaving EJ at the doorframe, watching. "You don't scare me. I know how sad you are! You'll be back in a minute! Or will you hang around outside the Tardis waiting for me." He just kept walking until he was out the door. "And I'll make you wait a long time!"
It hadn't felt like EJ's place to say anything as Rose and the Doctor fought, but there was quite clearly a divide he had to pick the side of. And, honestly, it was the easiest choice of his life. If he wanted a chance of going home, of staying alive, then there was only one person that could help him.
"You didn't have to be so fucking mean." He whispered to Rose as he followed the Doctor out, pushing past her.
Maybe he felt bad for leaving her there, but it was her choice. She was nineteen. She had to take care of herself, because they couldn't do it for her. EJ had other things to worry about.
As he raced out of the flat and down the stairs, he let his eyes scan the surroundings for the Doctor, in the hope that he hadn't magically gone too far. It was just his luck that he'd managed to get half way down the street.
"Doctor!" He called out, and the man turned back. "Doctor!" When he caught up, it wasn't as awkward as he was expecting. "Are you okay?" Seemed to be the obvious question.
"Me?" He seemed offended. "Fine. Completely fine."
"Okay." EJ nodded, and left it. They didn't need to talk about it if he didn't want to. "Should I... uh... take the ape thing seriously?"
"What?"
"Do you think I'm a stupid ape?" He didn't want to know if it was bad. "Actually, just ignore that. It... it doesn't matter."
"No." The Doctor replied. "You haven't done anything wrong."
The blonde boy chuckled to himself. "Yet."
With a matching smile, he grinned. "Yet."
"I, uh, I actually wanted to thank you." EJ shrugged as they stepped along on their way back, closing in on their destination.
The Doctor didn't see the reason why, and looked skeptically at the boy. "What for?"
"You're the first person I've ever told about my son who hasn't judged me for it. Everyone thinks I'm a bad Dad because I don't live with him." He could feel his throat drying a little. It was because he cared so much. "And, I guess, it just makes me feel normal."
"Oh, your welcome." He beamed back.
It was one of the best things about the Doctor, his bluntness. EJ could tell that he cared. He cared more than most people did, but he never pushed, and he never made EJ feel like he was unwanted. It was like he was magic in some way.
"You know, I was a Dad." The Doctor said, out of the blue.
EJ didn't make too much of a fuss, he didn't feel like it was right. "Really?"
"A long time ago." It didn't sound like he was willing to say more; losing his entire race must have been rushing, but to lose his family must have been even worse. "A very long time ago."
"You know, there's a weird sort of irony in it all."
"How?"
"Rose is willing to do anything to save her Dad..." EJ couldn't help but laugh to himself, however inappropriate it was. "And I would have done absolutely anything to make sure that my Dad died sooner."
The Doctor shared a knowing glance. Without them saying a word, he now knew more than ninety percent of the world about his afflictions. "Was he that bad?"
EJ smiled, because if he didn't, all he would do was cry. "The worst."
It didn't take very long after that to find the Tardis again. The Doctor seemed to have some sort of built-in compass in his mind, otherwise they would've been extremely lost. The Thompson boy had no sense of direction at all. He found himself in the wrong places all of the time.
For a moment or two, he wondered what they would do next. Perhaps the Doctor would take him back home to see Josh for a short while before their journey continued. Maybe he would just rid himself of all companions and keep him there forever.
The birds were humming loudly, interrupting an otherwise peaceful experience. A chill whistled through the air. EJ shivered.
"Do you feel that?" He queried, but the Doctor just shrugged.
"Feel what?"
However, his thoughts never made it that far. Whether it was luck or not, EJ was unsure, because the next thing he knew, the Doctor had opened up the Tardis to find absolutely nothing. There were no expansive spaces with towering beams for support and decoration. There wasn't even a centre console.
It was a regular police box. The sort that they used permanently in the 1960's. Something had happened, and now, it was of no use to them.
He flung himself inside, panicked, feeling every one of the walls as his arms stretched out. The Doctor's eyes were wide, almost manic. It was frightening to see him in such a way.
"Shit." EJ gulped. "We need to find Rose."
So, they ran. He wasn't necessarily a good runner, but they had to. They had to find Rose, otherwise it could all be too late. It would all be for nothing, and they would be stuck in the 80's with no way out.
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Disclaimer!!!
I do not own Doctor Who, it's characters and original storylines. The only things I do own are my own characters, my addition to the series and my own storylines. Any similarities to real life are purely coincidental.