Fanfic Short Stories

Pride and Prejudice & Doctor Who: Universal Truths of Time Travel

Story description: Hoping to meet Jane Austen, the Doctor instead runs into Jane and Elizabeth Bennet. It seems she's in the midst of Pride & Prejudice, but things aren't quite right.

Universal Truths of Time Travel

It is a truth universally acknowledged that anniversaries can be a tricky matter for a time traveler. How do you count the days? Whose definition of a year do you use? Fortunately the TARDIS kept track of the important anniversaries, using a cycle that equated to roughly ten Earth years; anything more frequent was rather annoying to someone who lived as long as a Time Lord.

A flash of light accompanied by a soft "ding" alerted the Doctor. "Oh, already?" she asked. "Let's see the list, then." For this anniversary, the Doctor usually revisited locations she and her granddaughter had enjoyed visiting together.

Each destination had been crossed off, most of them multiple times, and none inspired her at the moment. "Maybe it's time to try something different. Show me Susan's wishlist of places we hadn't gone to yet." She read the first entry and nodded. "Regency England it is."

She entered the coordinates and retreated to the wardrobe to find something suitable to wear. And thus she missed a rather odd flickering of lights around the console.

Soon the TARDIS had materialized, and the Doctor was traversing a path toward a nearby town. Presumably that's where she'd find and meet Jane Austen.

Once in the town, she noticed several men in the scarlet coats of the military of the day, and several young women flirting with the officers. A matronly woman called out, "Girls! Girls! I've heard the most excellent news! The Blankshire isn't going to Brighton after all! They're staying, and they expect their ranks to double!"

"Oh, Mama!" exclaimed a teenager. "Even more officers to dance with!"

Two young women followed the girl and her mother toward a shop, but first they exchanged a troubled look.

"This is unfortunate news," said the darker-haired woman. "I'd hoped the removal of the regiment would help bring Lydia to her senses. Instead she will be chasing officers to the exclusion of all other activity."

"Perhaps she will grow bored of it," said the lighter-haired woman.

"Jane, you always think the best of people, but you know Lydia too well to doubt the truth. In a month's time she will become the most hardened flirt ever to grace the assemblies of Meryton." With that they entered the shop.

Was the lighter-haired woman Jane Austen? The Doctor had thought Blankshire and Meryton were names the author had invented, but these women were referring to them as real entities.

She glanced around, checking for recording devices. Was this a Pride and Prejudice film set? Or an immersive experience for fans on holiday?

A cat strolled over to her and meowed. "A ginger," said the Doctor. "My favorite. What can you tell me about this place?" Time Lords had an affinity for cats, whose nine lives made them the closest equivalent on Earth to a race who could regenerate. The Doctor scooped up the creature, knowing she'd be able to tell how many lives this one had left and even some vague impression of things the cat had seen as it passed from one life to the next.

The Doctor staggered under the sheer weight of the animal's memories. It had lived thousands of lives. No, millions. And it seemed to have an infinity remaining. And those lives... There were the Regency scenes she had expected, but also settings that seemed to span all of time and space. "How is this possible?"