The Doctor addressed the remaining Sycorax. "By the ancient rites of combat, I forbid you to scavenge here for the rest of time. And when go you back to the stars and tell others of this planet, when you tell them of its riches, its people, its potential. When you talk of the Earth, then make sure that you tell them this. It is defended."
The Doctor, Rose, Harriet, Mickey, the translator dude, and Nora returned to the TARDIS. The Doctor took control of the console. Nora watched him work. The trip was silent saved for the TARDIS's wheezing. Eventually, the TARDIS stopped shaking and they all ran out, Nora the last one to leave the blue box.
"Where are we?" Rose asked.
Mickey looked around before replying, "We're just off Bloxom Road. We're just 'round the corner, we did it!"
"Wait a minute, wait a minute," the Doctor hissed, holding up a finger. They all looked up to the sky. The spaceship was in plain view and then, it started to fly away. Nora knew she should've felt a sense of relief, but unease still plagued her.
Mickey whooped. "Go on, my son! Oh, yeah!"
"Yeah!" Rose cheered. "Don't come back!" She danced around with Mickey, who screamed, "It is defended!" They were so happy. Nora just kept her eyes on the spaceship. She'd relax when it left the atmosphere. She was so focused that she didn't pay any attention to the Doctor's conversation with Harriet, or to Rose's mom Jackie showing up. She didn't even flinch when five green beams pierced the sky and fired out into space, destroying the Sycorax ship.
"What is that?" Rose questioned, her face falling. "What's happening?"
"That was murder," the Doctor growled, stalking up to Harriet.
Harriet stood her ground. "That was defense. It's adapted from alien technology. A ship that fell to Earth ten years ago."
"But they were leaving!" the Doctor snapped.
"Were they?" Nora argued, stepping in between the Doctor and Harriet. "As soon as you turned your back, their leader jumped up to skewer you and he probably would've if I hadn't pushed you out of the way. He gave you his word too. Why should theirs mean anything to us?"
The Doctor gaped at her. "How could you say that?"
"Despite what you may believe, you don't know me," she said with a humorless chuckle.
"You said yourself, Doctor," Harriet spoke up, "they'd go back to the stars and tell others about the Earth. I'm sorry, Doctor, but you're not here all the time. You come and go. It happened today. Mister Llewellyn and the Major, they were murdered. They died right in front of me while you were sleeping. In which case we have to defend ourselves." Nora laid a comforting hand on Harriet's shoulder. She was lucky in the sense that she'd never seen anyone die. She couldn't imagine how powerless it must've made Harriet feel.
The Doctor shook his head. "Britain's Golden Age."
"It comes with a price," Harriet sighed.
The Doctor was livid. "I gave them the wrong warning. I should've told them to run as fast as they can, run and hide because the monsters are coming. The human race."
"I gave them that warning and they laughed in my face," Nora fired back. "I told them to run while they still could. They didn't heed my warning and it bit them in the ass. They didn't listen to me about how awful humans can be."
"Those are the people I represent," Harriet said. "I did it on their behalf."
"Then I should've stopped you," the Doctor lamented.
Harriet glowered. "What does that make you, Doctor? Another alien threat?"
"Don't challenge me, Harriet Jones, because I'm a completely new man," the Doctor threatened. "I could bring down your Government with a single word."
"Don't threaten her," Nora warned, grabbing at his sleeve.
He ripped her hand off him and shot her a withering look. "Not now. I'll deal with you later."
She laughed and bit her lip flirtily. "Promise?"
"You're the most remarkable man I've ever met, but I don't think you're quite capable of that," Harriet said in response to the Doctor's threat. Nora growled and stormed off, back towards her car. She couldn't watch this. She couldn't watch the Doctor ruin Harriet's life because they disagreed.
He's going to ask questions, Nora.
I know, Nora replied. I don't trust him with the truth. Not yet.
Neither do I. He's too volatile. Too new.
Nora tried to brainstorm lies for when he questioned her. She was running through her answers for the third time when she noticed the TARDIS rematerializing by the stairs of the building. She set her jaw and stalked up to the doors. As soon as they opened, she hurled herself at the Doctor, bitching, "If that's how you're gonna treat everyone you disagree with, we're gonna have a rough time."
"Who are you?" Rose inquired. "Where did you get those scars? How did you-"
"Nu-uh, me first," Nora cut in. "How do you know me?"
The Doctor looked sorrowful. "We met once. I guess I got the wrong impression of you."
"Fuck you!" Nora shouted, shoving him. "Fuck you for what you did to Harriet! The moment you turned your back the leader tried to stab you in the back and you really believed they would leave and keep their word?"
"You can't base your judgment of an entire species off the actions of one member," the Doctor retorted.
She jabbed her finger into his chest. "You don't get to tell me what I can or can't do. You don't know shit about me." She ripped her jacket off, putting her scars on full display, and tied it around her waist. "You wanna know how I got these scars? I got most of these from dear old Dad. He beat the shit out of my mom and I. He, uh, he used to do this thing whenever my mom fought back where he would grab me and he'd press a cigarette to my skin until she gave in."
For a moment, she was silent as she stared at one particular burn mark on her arm from the time she swore to her mom up and down that it didn't really hurt that bad, please don't give in. She cleared her throat and continued. "And you know what, Doc? My dad, he used to swear that he'd stop - stop drinking, stop beating us, etc. - and every time, every fucking time, he broke that promise. So excuse me if I'm a bit cynical."
"Nora-"
"I'm not done!" she spat. "Fuck you for berating Harriet. She was just doing what she thought was best. And isn't that life? Just doing what we think is best? And sometimes we're wrong and sometimes we're right and sometimes it's that gray area where it's neither wrong nor right, but no matter what you just keep doing your best. Harriet saw people murdered in front of her, she saw what those Sycorax could do, and she made the decision she thought was best."
"She murdered them!" the Doctor crowed, talking with his hands.
Nora scowled. "You've never done anything bad for the greater good?" His face fell. She smiled sardonically. "That's what I thought. We all just do what we think is best. Just because you don't agree with Harriet's version of what was best doesn't mean you have the right to ruin her life. Tell me, Doc. Is that the kind of man you are? The kind of man who thinks he decides what's right and what's wrong?"
"No second chances," the Doctor said. "I'm that kind of man."
She laughed. "That's really funny, Doc because that's the exact kind of woman I am." She was right in his face. She could feel his hot breath fanning her skin. She took a step back and let out a deep sigh. "Well, if you're not one for second chances, then I guess I should get going."
Nora, no! He's the only one who can help us!
She just shook her head in disappointment and walked out of the TARDIS. It was cold, but she didn't bother to put her jacket back on. She was almost to her car when Rose called out behind her, "Where are you going?"
Nora whipped around. "Back to my hotel and then back home, I guess."
"Not on my watch," Jackie exclaimed. "You can't spend Christmas alone!" Nora shrugged. She wasn't really alone, per se. She hadn't been alone since she was seven.
"Come to dinner," Jackie urged. "I'm making a turkey."
Nora tilted her head. "I doubt the Doc will want me there."
"Screw the Doctor, it's my flat!" Jackie retorted. "It's against my motherly instinct to let ya spend Christmas alone. Now come on, I'm gonna need help in the kitchen."
Two hours later, the sky had darkened and the Christmas feast was ready. Nora had been a big help in the kitchen. Growing up in an abusive household, she often had to cook for herself, so she'd gotten pretty good at it at a young age. While everything cooked, she'd run back to her hotel room and gotten changed into her nicest clothes at Jackie's insistence ("You can't wear a shirt with - blimey, is that blood? You can't wear a shirt with blood on it to Christmas dinner!")
Her outfit wasn't much - just a sleek black slip dress that ended a little above her ankles. She usually only donned this dress for "special" occasions. She referred to it as her 'I get what I want' look. She still wore her combat boots because she hadn't shoved heels in her bag when she was packing for her trip to London. She'd pulled her leather jacket back on. Mickey had told her with a slight blush that she looked good. She thought it best not to reply with the fact that she always looked good - it was a blessing she'd inherited from her mother.
Mickey carved the turkey. She and Jackie set everything else on the table and everyone helped themselves. The Doctor had yet to make a reappearance. Nora considered herself lucky for that. She didn't really want to face him after she blew up like that. She ate like a starved child, which she guessed she technically was. Nora had a higher metabolism than most humans and required more food, but she rarely ate. She didn't have the money to spend on food. Well, she would if she used her inheritance, but she liked to pretend that money didn't exist.
They were maybe halfway through dinner when the Doctor walked into the flat. He'd changed his clothes as well. He wore a brown pinstripe suit now under a long brown coat. It was annoying how good he looked. He was smiling until he spotted her.
"I thought you left," he said, standing awkwardly by the door to Rose's bedroom.
"Jackie wouldn't let me spend Christmas alone," Nora replied icily. "Why? You got a problem with me being here?"
"No," he scoffed. He took the seat next to Rose and across from Nora. "Not at all." And to Nora's surprise, he was being honest.
Dinner continued on. Eventually, Rose pulled out the crackers. Nora had never seen one before, just read about them in Harry Potter. She eyed the one Mickey had handed her like it was a used syringe chock full of HPV.
"Oh, that's yours," the Doctor said, gesturing to a pink cracker.
Rose shook her head. "It's pink! Mum, it should be yours." The TV caught her gaze. They'd left the news on to see if there were any developments regarding the whole alien mess. "Look, it's Harriet Jones."
Nora cringed as she listened to the reporters attacking Harriet over whether or not she's fit for office. So that's what the Doctor had gone with. She picked at her cuticles until Jackie insisted they all go outside. Ash fell from the sky. Bits of the ship streaked across the sky. The sight might've been beautiful in a different context. Nora picked bits of ash out of her hair and leaned on the TARDIS.
"This is a brand new planet Earth," the Doctor was saying. "No denying the existence of aliens now. Everyone saw it. Everything's new."
"And what about you?" asked Rose, appearing a bit shy. "What are you going to do next?"
"Well, back to the TARDIS," the Doctor replied with a nonchalant shrug. "Same old life."
"On your own?" she pressed.
The Doctor's eyes widened. "Why, don't you want to come?"
"Well, yeah," Rose said, grinning. Her eyes sparkled. Nora rolled her eyes.
"Do you, though?"
"Yeah!"
Nora rolled her eyes again. Do we really have to travel with them?
Yes. It's necessary if we're to get what we want.
The Doctor and Rose were still talking. Mickey spoke up and Jackie joined in. Nora stopped paying attention to their words. This domestic shit was boring. She and the Doctor had made a silent agreement during dinner. They needed to talk, and Nora wanted to get it over with.
"And it's going to be fantastic," the Doctor finished. He seemed to be one for rambling. That was going to get annoying very quickly. He turned to her. "You planning on joining us?"
Nora tilted her head. "Let's have that talk first, lover."
He choked on her words. "Lover?"
"Yeah," she affirmed, smirking as she pulled open the TARDIS door. "I know I look good in this dress, but geez, if you're gonna stare at my tits, at least try to be subtle at it."
She didn't get a chance to see his face turn red before she slipped inside the blue police box.
*
i'm trying so hard to make all the gifs for each chapter look the same aesthetic-wise but it's not easy fam
posting earlier than i was going to as a celebration that i'm going to hvff this weekend and i'm gonna meet tala ashe from legends of tomorrow!!!