Her Return (Doctor Who Fanfiction)

Chapter 2

     Andrea continued to watch as the Doctor stared intently at the young looking man. The man rolled his eyes exasperatedly and began to glare at the Doctor. "Maybe it would help if I turned off the perception filter." He hit his side where the button must have been hidden and the image flickered.

    The once green-eyed brown-haired young man, became a silver-skinned woman in an equally silver dress. The Doctor's eyes seemed to widen at the sight, but then quickly returned to normal. "I don't believe I know you." She shook her head in frustration. "I believe you were to be executed for opening the seal of the Megara without authorization." She rose an amused eyebrow.

    That's when realization wiped across his face in a matter of altoseconds. "Cessair of Diplos." He realized.

     "Ah, finally. It took you long enough to recognize me." She laughed.

He shook his head disbelievingly, whilst shaking his hands. "No, no. If I remember, you were to be imprisoned right now. You stole the Great Seal of Diplos and was to be tried for murder. Permanent imprisonment, am I right?"

     She nodded "You seem to be able to retain a memory. Yes, I am supposed to be a stone. Thanks to you." The Doctor looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to explain how she managed to escape a prison in which she was turned to stone. "Oh." She laughed. "You think I would tell you how I escaped? That's not happening." Cessair hissed. The Doctor rolled his eyes.

     "Yes, yes. Of course. Now what I want to do is find out who your working with." Cessair gave him a seemingly genuine confused look. "Come on, Doctor. Since when have you ever known me to work with others?" The Doctor's glare grew colder.

     "I'm in a bad mood, so don't play dumb with me. I have readings of three alien lifeforms on this planet, and I don't want to deal with this right now. So when I say tell me, I mean it!" Andrea looked to the Doctor, slightly shocked that he would have such an outburst. When she was with him he never did such things. He was always diplomatic and level-headed.

     Cessair laughed. "I promise you, Doctor. I'm not working with anyone. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a project to complete." She began to walk away, but the Doctor grabbed her arm forcefully. "Don't play games with me. Don't you ever think you are capable of that. Would this promise be the same as when you promised you were truly Vivian Fay?"

     She shook her head with an amused smirk. "Doctor. Whatever made you think that I am lying? I don't work with anyone, especially not after last time." She shook herself from his vice-like grip and continued walking. Andrea moved forward, and attempted to be diplomatic instead.

     "Cessair of Diplos, this is a level five planet. By the laws of the Shadow Proclamation it would be in your best interests to leave this planet immediately." Cessair rolled her eyes. "What do you think I've been trying to do? I can't stand it here anymore. Humans are ever so dull, and I'd like to get to civilization. If you'll excuse me." She walked into the room again, and the Doctor turned to Andrea.

     "Who are you? 2160? humans haven't made it into interstellar space yet, so you can't be from Earth. Which means you are an alien. Alright, so that's one more alien left to find." He began to ramble to himself, before stopping. "What is your real name? I'm most certain that I've met you before, but never an Andrea." Andrea smiled knowingly. "That's alright, G-Doctor."

     She had began to speak the word that would give her identity away, but managed to stop herself; hopefully before the Doctor could hear. He shook his head, but before he could say anymore, a flashing emanated from the room Cessair had walked into. 

     Both the Doctor and Andrea jumped into action. The Doctor jumped over the counter and Andrea, being the sensible person she is, barged through the door not two feet away. Once they were behind the counter, they moved into the room where Cessair had been.

    Inside, there was a machine. It was one both the Doctor and Susan recognized as a rudimentary teleport, a technology that wouldnt be around for humans for another century or so. There was a blue glow emanating from it, with Cessair inside.  The Doctor ran over to the machine to stop the process, but before he could reach it, she was gone.

     "I was so close!" The Doctor yelled to himself. Andrea moved forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. It was a gesture that the Doctor almost immediately shrugged away from. He turned and saw her mildly hurt expression. He wasn't in a good mood, but he felt an instinctive need to apologize.

     "Sorry, I'm just not a touchy-feely person these days." He smiled the kindest that he could with his current face. In an afterthought he added under his breath, "Especially not after what I've just lost." He didn't expect her to hear him, but she had and she moved forward and gave him a huge hug.

     She held him in a vice-like grip. One she could feel him tense under, but she didn't care. She was never going to let go of him again. She wasn't going to let him leave, not again.

     Very soon, he relaxed into her hold just a bit. It was like he recognized the feeling of her, but could not place it for the life of him. She then pulled away with a sad look. "Now that she's gone your going to leave again, aren't you?" She spoke barely above a whisper, the glimmer of tears threatening in her eyes. He shook his head with a smile.

     "No, not yet. First, I need to check for the all clear, and then I'd like to know who you are Andrea." He began to walk out of the room, leaving her to follow. She most certainly did. They walked quietly back towards his precious blue box. She smiled at the box, and the TARDIS  hummed appreciatively.

     She walked forward and placed a hand on her side panels. "So, Doctor. Shall we enter?" She pointed her thumb at the box and the Doctor opened the doors with a snap of his fingers. "We shall." That was all that he said before walking in, heading towards the screen.

     Andrea walked in, her eyes wide. "So... you redecorated?" She wasn't sure what else to say to the new interior. "Yeah, apparently. Do you like it?" He was still trying to narrow down who she was exactly. She stared at the interior. She was definitely impressed. "Yes. Yeah, I do." She smiled at him, while he stared at her. He was desperate to know how he knew her.

     He turned back to the scanner. It was down to two life forms, other than him. One was on the TARDIS, obviously her, and the other had moved from the park to a house nearby. "So, Andrea!" The Doctor finally exclaimed. "I told Cessair that I had readings of three alien life forms. What I didn't tell her was that she registered at the shop and two of them registered at the park nearby. You were obviously one, so do you know the other?" Andrea smiled, before she realized something.

     "Yeah, I know him. He's my son. I have to go. He can be quite the reckless adult." She sprinted out of the door and left the Doctor to follow. He stood slightly shell shocked. She looked maybe thirty, at the oldest. Her son could only be, what? Fifteen? She obviously had a longer lifespan than humans. He sprinted quickly after her. He wasn't sure who she was yet, but he wanted to find out.

     He met her at the door to a house. She opened the door and led him inside. She held out an arm, holding the Doctor back from coming in any further. "I'd like to make my son... presentable before you meet him." She then walked away, deep into the house.

     The Doctor stood there for about five minutes, before Andrea and her son walked back in. The boy looked about twenty. He had brown hair and blue eyes. He almost reminded the Doctor of his eighth incarnation. "Hello, sir." The boy held out his hand, while his mother left her hands over his shoulders lightly holding him.

     The Doctor took it. "Hello, I'm the Doctor. What's your name?" He figured the boy wouldn't be able to figure it out. "Alex." Was what he answered. The Doctor narrowed his eyes recognition of the name. He looked from Andrea to Alex, and then back to Andrea. "Alex." The Doctor breathed inaudibly. "Would that be Alex Campbell?" The Doctor wondered with a raised eyebrow. Alex hung his head slightly, in a silent apology to his mother.

     She only smiled. "Hello, Grandfather."