Thorn Bush (Doctor Who Story)

Chapter 44: Idiot's Lantern

New York, 1951 AD/CE

Kathy tries to blink the sleep away as she looks around the room in confusion, trying to work out where the beeping is coming from. A small groan of annoyance comes from her side and she looks down to see five-year-old Anthony Pond still snuggled up next to her as well as a book open on her lap.

Oh yes, she remembers now. Rory and Amy had wanted a night out with just the two of them as Kathy's in New York visiting so Kathy's babysitting their son for them. Anthony had insisted it was childish to be read a bedtime story in bed so Kathy had offered the compromise of sitting on the settee instead.

She gently eases herself away from the boy, placing him horizontally on the settee while she investigates the noise. It's a call coming through on her scanner. The machine's still going and is multi-purpose now, especially with the help of River dropping off different parts so that Kathy can update it and provide maintenance.

"Hello?"

"Kathy?" It's Vastra. She lets out a quiet sob and Kathy knows what this is, she's been waiting for it. Jenny's not been well for a while and getting older to do it must be— "She's gone."

Kathy's hearts shatter at her words. Of the original Paternoster Gang, Jenny, Kathy and Vastra were the only ones left after Stax's passing and now it's only Kathy and Vastra and while the Silurian has a longer life span than humans, she too will one day go.

Kathy looks over her shoulder to see little Anthony sleeping still. To think that he will be gone from her life in a flash too. At least with his parents, after they're gone, she'll still see younger versions of them but for how long will that be? The same with all the other companions of the Doctor.

The Doctor was right. Immortality isn't living forever, it's everyone else dying.

——

London, 1953 AD/CE

Rose Tyler in her pink poodle skirt and Jean jacket thanks the woman with the pushchair and heads back down the road she had just come up. Thank god it is the beginning of summer, and not raining otherwise she'd be soaked by now.

She and the Doctor were heading for 1950s New York but instead ended up in London. It wasn't long before they realised something was going wrong but in the midst of it all, he'd run off, taking the moped to give chase to the police car from the Connolly's house before she could stop him. Rose was left behind in the Connolly house with the panicking Tommy and Rita on the grandmother's kidnapping. While Eddie seemed rather pleased and relieved by the police finally taking the Gran away.

She'd decided to do her own investigation after she spotted a weird sort of red electricity coming out of the telly in the Connolly's lounge and going up the Ariel before disappearing. She couldn't help but wonder if the company that provided, Magpie's Electrics, has something to do with taking people's faces. Rose thinks both Kathy and the Doctor would be rather proud of her for doing her own deducing.

Rose turns the corner and sees the sign for the television shop she was heading for when a voice speaks up behind her, "'Magpie's Electricals'."

Rose spins round to see Kathy who's dressed in a dark red skirt, similar to Rose's, but with black polka dots on it. Her shirt is also dark red with short sleeves with a string of pearls and matching earrings and her hair is curled and put up in an elegant bun with a black, netted, hat on top of her head. She also has red lipstick, black high heels, black lace gloves, and black stockings.

Her friend looks away from the shop's sign and grins at the blonde before continuing, "AKA, the man who seemed determined that everyone have one of his TV's, even if it meant taking a massive loss."