Soul's Shadow (Doctor Who - SI)

Part XI (VII)

After much pondering I decided it would be best if those two Time Lords would finally get along. That certainly had to dissolve a whole bunch of problems. And even though I had no clue about those things, I decided it might be fun to play matchmaker for a while - preferably in a way they wouldn't notice. So, when we found together in the control room to celebrate the silly mockery of what would be Christmas, I tried to stay out of the way. I told myself I was okay with being a side character, with standing aside whilst others occupied the centre.

We had brought a large table into the room, where everyone could find a place. And when the Master brought in a serving cart with deliciously looking and smelling items, I was sure we all would get poisoned. This was too good to be true. Not only that, but he made a real show of placing every pot and plate to create a little piece of art in itself, a satisfied and also challenging smirk plastered on his face the whole time.

"Tell me, you could have fabricated this!"

A choir of admiring oh's and ah's went through the children, who were finally allowed to take place on the long table. Only the Master's presence probably kept them from digging into the food right there and then.

The Doctor stood there, mouth agape and almost drooling. "Nooo, that would have been impossib- is that a felertchi tart?"

"It is." The smirk could not have been prouder.

I sat between a bunch of children, the Time Lords opposite to me. The Master let a last, content look wander over his work, then finally allowed us with an inviting gesture to suit ourselves.

"Now I'm really surprised," I said between mouth-fulls. "I didn't think you could actually cook so well. Did you know, Doctor?"

The Time Lord looked up from his plate, tossing a quick glance at the children next to him, who were also digging into the food as if they had been starving, enjoying it so much that they didn't even have time to misbehave. Then he shook his head and smiled widely.

"Nope. Well, yes. Sort of. But they were different times."

"Cesrevorun, sixth day of the quadron moon," said the Master, reminiscing about the occurrence. "I tried to poison the meal of your little group."

"Yes... but aside from that, the meal was amazing! I always thought it was a waste of talent."

"The cooking or the failed poisoning?"

The Doctor gave him a look that made the question obsolete and I couldn't help but to beg them to tell the entire story.

"Maybe later. Too busy eating," said the Doctor, munching happily. "Enjoy it, Lucy. That's a rare treat. Almost like being a child again, huh?"

I lowered my cutlery and stared at the food, trying to fight the surge of bad emotions that rushed through my guts all of a sudden.

"Do children get this all the time where you're from?" asked a small girl next to me.

I smiled sadly. "Not all of them. It's a... custom on my planet, in my time. But... doesn't matter."

"Did you celebrate it differently?" asked the Doctor.

I shook my head. "We didn't celebrate at all. Not after I turned four... or was it five? My parents converted to a different... religion. Not one of the official ones. A niche thing..."

"Oh. Did they celebrate something else, then?"

"No... from then on there was... nothing. No Christmas, no birthdays, nothing else either." I poked a potato with my fork, glanced up at the Doctor's surprised face. "Doesn't matter."