It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Go Fish

 It was a rare quiet week at UNIT which is what led to Brigadier General Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge Stewart and The Doctor playing go fish in the Doctor's lab.

"Got any fours Doctor?"

"Go fish. Any threes? How's Kate?"

"She's fine, go fish. Kings?"

"Damn. Queens?"

"There you go. The Master seems curiously inactive at the moment. Sevens?"

"Go fish. I told you he was extending our little Christmas armistice. Got any aces?"

"Go fish. How can you be sure he isn't using this little truce of yours to hatch some major offensive? Twos?"

"Because he called me Theta. Fours?"

"What exactly does that prove? Any Jacks?"

"Go fish. He's never dishonoured our system before. Fives?"

"Go fish. That you know of. Sixes?"

"No, I would know. Fives?"

"I know your relationship could keep an army of psychologists busy for about a century but how can you be sure? You can't exactly take him at his word. Eights?"

"Go fish. But I can, it's a Time Lord thing. Jacks?"

"He isn't exactly known for being a model Time Lord. Got a five?"

"He isn't, not generally, but he is a good husband. Sixes?"

"Husband? What are you on about now Doctor?"

"We were married on Galefrey, for nearly three hundred years before we left, still are technically. Got any sixes?"

"Yes, sorry. You and The Master have been married for, what? Four hundred years? Nines?"

"Go fish. Would be more like five hundred years now, for me at least. It's hard to keep track when you both travel separately in time. Tens?

"Go fish. You've been married to your arch enemy for five hundred years? Fives?"

"Best enemy, not arch enemy. Nines?"

"What happened? Kings?"

"Go fish. We had a daughter and she was beautiful, perfect, absolutely brilliant. We were so happy. But she couldn't regenerate. She only had a human lifespan. We watched our own daughter die of old age. The Master couldn't handle it, neither of us could. I took our granddaughter and ran in one direction and he ran in the other. Jacks?"

"Go fish. Doctor, I had no Idea. Fours?"

They continued like this until the end of the game.

"Another round?" Said The Doctor."

"We may as well." The Brigadier replied.

Just then Richard came in. he had been looking for The Brigadier for some time.

"There you are Brigadier," he said, "I wondered where you'd got to."

"Problem Sergeant?"

"No, not at all. Jo's knitting. Benton and Yates are conspicuously absent. About half the men have a bridge circle going in the mess. Most of the other half aren't playing poker in the barracks. And there's a group plotting something in a corner somewhere."

"I didn't know Jo could knit." The Doctor said.

"She can't."

"At least tell me they're not gambling with money."

"It's primarily duty rosters. I'll sort it when they're done."

"Thank you Sergeant. Join us?"

"What are you playing?"

"Go fish, unless you have another suggestion."

"Bulldust?"

"What?"

"It's also called cheat."