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fandomweekly2024-09-29 02:53 am
[#235] People-watching (Doctor Who)
Title: People-watching
Fandom: Doctor Who (1963)
Rating/Warnings: G / None
Bonus: No
Word Count: 1000
Summary: A few months after leaving UNIT, Liz Shaw meets the Doctor again.
Notes: One scene from a longer collaborative thing that probably won't see the light of Dreamwidth/AO3, that I've wrangled to somewhat stand on its own. (I also interpreted the prompt pretty loosely.)
Liz tucked her chin deeper into her scarf and curled her hands together.
The weather was still what she might charitably call brisk—too brisk, really, for an outdoor pint—but the sun was just beginning to have a bit of warmth to it, and after days cooped up in dark, poorly-ventilated offices, all three of them had been desperate to get outside.
Hen and Brian were pointing out odd-looking strangers in the street, criticising their personal fashion choices, and making deductions about them based on their appearances. Cambridge was not lacking in eccentrics, so they had been at it for some time.
Liz was mostly keeping quiet. It was a bit of a mean-spirited pastime, and if she was honest, her stint with UNIT had offered her a perspective which made this sort of complacent arrogance towards one's fellow man feel a little... well, wasteful, perhaps. But it was a form of entertainment they'd all engaged in since they were barely more than freshers, and thus a time-honoured bit of mundanity. She felt reluctant to profane it.
"How about those two?" said Brian, pointing up the street with a grin. "Do you reckon the stage magicians' convention is in town?"
Instinctively, Liz turned to look. Her gaze alighted on the familiar sight of a very tall man in incongruously narrow dress trousers, a smoking jacket, and an opera cape. Her mouth dropped open. "But that's the Doctor! What on earth is he doing here?"
The Doctor was accompanied by a shorter fellow she didn't know, who looked about the Doctor's own age and was apparently dressed in some sort of Eastern formalwear. They were evidently debating something, their hands moving as they conferred, and as she watched, the Doctor touched the other man on the arm and pointed in the direction of the University buildings.
"He's a doctor?" Brian looked skeptical. "Doctor what? What's he doctor of?"
"Practically everything." Liz smiled, though she was only sharing the joke with herself. "And really, we just called him 'Doctor'. It's Smith, though, I think."
"Is that really his name? Is he one of your government men?" Hen widened her eyes dramatically, and Liz made sure to roll hers.
"It really wasn't like that, you know. In fact, it was pretty uneventful. And anyway, the Doctor's a scientist. Not a 'G-man'." She raised a hand and waved to the Doctor and his friend, who had evidently spotted her by now at any rate, and were making their way over, weaving at a sedate pace through throngs of undergraduates.
"Who's the other fellow?" asked Brian in an undertone, making no attempt not to stare. "Don't tell me he's a scientist too. Illusionist, more like. The great Mendoza!"
Hen snorted, but Liz pursed her lips not to laugh. "I really have no idea; I've never met him. But if he's a friend of the Doctor's, he's probably got more degrees than you do."
To be honest, she wasn't sure the man was affiliated with an institution on Earth at all. He had that same manner about him that the Doctor got sometimes—like he didn't belong here, and was rather looking forward to moving on. It wasn't just the clothes: his eyes took in Cambridge as though he half expected someone on an upper storey to empty their chamber pot into the street.
They were close enough by now that Liz could make out fragments of conversation. "—think we're wasting time, Doctor," the stranger was saying. The Doctor's reply was too quiet to make out, but it made the stranger roll his eyes skyward. Perhaps out of some instinct towards discretion, Liz got up from her seat to meet them halfway.
"Liz!" The Doctor beamed, his smile creasing his craggy face. He gathered her briefly close in a hug that surprised her a little, then held her at arm's length, studying her. "My word, it's good to see you. How have you been?"
"Oh, fine, Doctor, fine." She lowered her voice. "Are you here on UNIT business?"
To her surprise, the Doctor instantly looked a little sheepish. "Actually, no. I'm... a free agent, these days. I was, that is, we were actually rather hoping to talk to you." He indicated his companion. "The—Professor here is just visiting, saying hello to some old colleagues. I thought we might drop in on you, if you've got a moment to spare. I could use a bit of help."
"Of course. Though I don't know how much help I can be." She extended a hand to the newcomer. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor...?"
"Vasilyev." The man smiled, shaking her hand firmly. He was attractive, in an oddly Faustian sort of way. "The pleasure is entirely mine, Doctor Shaw. I've heard much about you."
"You're Russian?" she asked, surprised. She supposed she could just about believe it. His English was perfect—almost too perfect, like he'd practised it listening to the Queen. But... ah. Judging by the way the Doctor's mouth twitched, the truth did lie a bit further afield, after all.
The alleged professor gave her another charming smile and withdrew his hand, demurring gently, "I'm a defector, my dear. I have no country."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Liz said automatically, though she felt certain—more certain by the minute—that no real nerve had been touched. Next to them, the Doctor glanced around. He was shifting on his feet, all but twitching to be gone.
"Just one moment." Darting back to her table and mentally resigning herself to being questioned about Russian spies for the foreseeable, Liz made her excuses as quickly as she could.
"Do you know," she teased, glancing up at the Doctor as they walked down Market Hill, "my friend thought you were illusionists."
Somewhat to her amusement, the mouth of the Doctor's friend tightened perceptibly.
"Really?" said the Doctor archly. "Whatever gave them that idea?"
Liz considered for a moment. She bit back her smile with an effort. "I really couldn't say."
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Two is the only one I've never seen.
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Tbh that's nice, then you still have some Classic left for later!
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Yes, Four is still very popular. He's my favourite Classic Doctor, so maybe I'm biased.
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