How to get away with murder Chapter 1- Something old, something new... Something running away and something blue
“You see… You must be lying… Because my monitor said you were born in 1999” The Doctor said, turning the screen to him “December 31st of the year 1999 in New Jersey to be exact” He stepped up, closer to the boy, looking him up and down “Why are you lying to me”
(...)
“The question is… How did a baby travel 2000 years into the future?”
Every ounce of my body aches with the dull recollection of the fact I lost you. And everything makes me remember I will have to go on, missing you or not, liking you or not. That is the hardest thing to have ever happened to me. And I have seen a lot.
That morning, Gerard woke up with the metallic taste in his mouth and the burn in the pit of his stomach. His vision was blurred and his muscles ached. Everything right now was aching, specially his heart.
We used to do these things we called the death date. We would go to railroads and sit close enough to the trains to have our coffee spilled but not enough to be killed. It had been my idea when we first started. She used to say I had this kinky thing for death that always got her hot.
It did get her hot though…
So a day before she had picked the place. She got us a bottle of whiskey and coffee. She knew exactly how I liked my coffee… Strong, with sugar and a shot of whiskey.
I still remember every single time she made me a drink in the morning before school. I’d park my car outside her house and get out to greet her at the door. We liked to pretend we were married and she’d give me my coffee and my lunch. Then she’d drive, because she never liked it when I drank and drove.
Where was I? Oh, yes, she chose that train line. We set up our bedspread on the floor and grabbed our snacks, put on some music and just watched the trees and the rocks and the insects and the birds. It was peaceful.
I didn’t even see her looking at her watch.
I got a cigarette and laid back. I was drunk then. I’m almost always drunk. She got on top of me then, trying to get my attention. “Baby. Baby come with me for a walk, c’mon” She said before stealing my cigarette.
She was wearing that gorgeous red plaid skirt and a tank top, even though it was probably around 50 degrees. “I wish you would come with me”
She was asking if I wanted to die with her.
I don’t remember hearing the train approaching… I was watching her dance around, jumping from rock to rock, letting out the smoke with a smile on her red lips. Red lipstick. It never stained anything I wore.
She blew me a kiss and stopped by the big rock “Oh. Gerard? Don’t forget I smoke reds” And that’s when I heard the train. And that’s when she jumped. And that’s when I screamed.
Gerard closed his eyes at the breakfast table. His mother was standing right across from him. She didn’t dare look at her son but he didn’t blame her. He was a coward and too slow to pick on what had happened. How could she not blame him for that.
It was Lindsey.
“You do know that her funeral is today right? So try not to ruin it for everyone and go sober” Donna said in a rasp tone, pushing her coffee mug to the center of the table before getting up and getting her purse “Sober”
Gerard ran a hand through his dark hair, almost as if he was trying to shake the haze away from his mind. A glass of whiskey wouldn’t hurt. It was cold. It was just to warm him up.
He grabbed the leftover coffee and went upstairs to his room, getting a bottle from under the loose floorboard in his closet and filling the rest of the mug with his desk, watching the way the torn to hell cover of his journal contrasted against the light wood.
Everything reminded him of her. The cigarette he was lighting, the stickers on his journal’s cover, the color of his desk, plaid, punk, red, wine… Even the weather.
It feels like she lied to me all along. It feels like all she ever did came down to this moment here…
She took a piece of me with her.
I haven’t been to school. I have barely said a word and fuck all of this if you think any of this was worth it.
Fuck you.
He pushed back from his desk, taking a long drag off his cigarette and then a drink off the mug. He knew it was no use sulking in this bedroom. No use writing down how he felt anymore.
She wouldn’t come and open his curtains, rolling her eyes. She wouldn’t ask to read what he wrote just to get some insight of why he was feeling down this week. She would never do those things again. He would never drink good coffee again.
Or kiss those lips.
He clenched his fist, smashing the cigarette in his hands and letting the remains drop to the floor. The grip of the hand holding the mug was so tight he thought it would break and the glass would puncture the soft skin of his palm and the coffee and whiskey would start an infection.
He stepped on the small fire starting on the carpet and finished his drink, sitting down at the foot of his bed, hands manically rubbing his face.
So he ran away.
Three days into the woods and he came face to face with a blue box. Too out of place but at the same time not. There was a light on it and it said police, so he figured it could have been something someone left there during some war or something.
It was starting to rain anyway, so he went for the door, sighing as he saw it was locked. Of course it was. It always was.
“Hello” He heard a voice coming from behind him and a man with white hair walked up to the door, opening it with a key “What are you doing”
“Why are you Scottish” Was the first thing that came to Gerard’s mouth “Forget it. Is this yours? I could use a place to hide from the rain”
“What rain?” The man asked, looking around and just then noticing they were both starting to get wet “Oh yes, this rain. Here” He said, taking an umbrella from inside his jacket and handing it to Gerard “You are welcome. Now bye”
The man quickly disappeared inside the box and Gerard rolled his eyes, finding a tree to stand under and opening the umbrella. He just sat there then, watching the box with curiosity, or maybe he was just bored.
A few minutes later the man peeked his head out of the door, he was furrowing his brows and looking Gerard up and down “Boy, what year is this?”
“4016” He said as if it was obvious. It was obvious, and weird that that man didn’t know. Maybe he was old and forgot.
He man sighed, stepping out of the box and in the rain, tasting the water “Oh yes… What a beautiful winter this will be. You should go home boy”
“I’m sort of in the process of moving…” He said, scratching the back of his neck “Wait what do you mean this winter will be beautiful?”
“Isn’t it funny, I’m in the process of moving all the time” He smiled, walking over to him and looking into Gerard’s eyes “I’m The Doctor, nice to meet you”
“Gerard” He said simply, feeling slightly worried now. His basic instincts telling him to run.
“I’m bored. Would you like to come with me? I have a vacancy” He smiled, making Gerard quickly stand up and look at the box then the man, his eyes huge.
“No, thanks!” He said quickly, taking a few steps back “I-I should get going now… Have fun in your… Hum… Box”
The Doctor looked back at the TARDIS then the boy and gasped, shaking his head “Oh no! This is not what it looks like! You see I’m a time traveler and I’m usually accompanied by someone, normally British, but now I have no one travelling with me and humans are essential for time travel! They take the boredom out of it! You seem to be in search of an adventure!”
Gerard had stopped then, just watching the man speak. He was insane probably and Gerard was probably going to get killed by an old man calling himself Doctor and claiming to be a time traveler, in the woods, with a blue box and no one would ever find his body. This was such a great week.
“Err… Doctor… I’m fine but thanks for the invitation…” He said, closing the umbrella and holding it out to the man “I really have to get going”
“Please stay” The Doctor sighed in defeat, the slight sparkle of joy he had in his eyes fading away at the boy’s words “It’s raining. You can come inside for some tea maybe. You’ll love it inside”
“I don’t think we both fit comfortably inside…” He said, glancing at the box again. Maybe this was just a homeless dude who lived in a box in the woods and talked to run away teenagers. He could be nice or a murderer. Maybe he actually had tea. But Gerard was wet and starting to get worried about getting sick and die in the middle of the woods, or worse, wave his books melt because of the rain.
“Trust me. It’s bigger on the inside” He said, stepping through the door “C’mon boy”
Gerard took in a deep breath and stepped closer to the box slowly, peaking inside before walking in. Of course, as he saw the control room instead of wood, he passed out.
“Finally you are waking up!” He heard a voice calling out from somewhere.
Gerard sat up quickly, surprised as he looked around the room he was in. It had not been a dream it seemed “Oh my… What the fuck!?” He gasped, standing up and looking around, running over to where the Doctor was.
“No one ever said those exact words before… Funny” He shrugged, sipping his tea “So Gerard… What were you doing in the middle of the woods in 4016 and not home where you should be”
“Sorry… I ran away…” He started, looking around the room, never directly at the Doctor “I… I know I should be home but… I just couldn’t stand my mother”
The Doctor frowned, standing up and getting his sonic glasses “You can cut the acting boy… I know who you are”
He turned to face the Doctor, frowning at his sunglasses “Really man, this shit is like… Ancient. Before the sun broke”
The Doctor took his glasses off, frowning at them then at the boy standing in front of him. This wasn’t possible at all. Something wasn’t matching here.
“How can you be seventeen in 4016 when you were older in the past…”
Gerard raised an eyebrow, watching the Doctor deep in thought “I was born in 3999” He said, chuckling “You see… That was seventeen years ago”
“Yes! But you were older 2000 years ago!” He exclaimed, running up a set of stairs and looking through some books.
Gerard took a sit by the console, watching the white haired man, the Doctor walk around and mumble to himself something again and again. Odd man.
“If you are a time traveler, maybe you got me mistaken for someone…-“
“Never. You see I could be mistaken but the sonic glasses never would. I don’t have a lot of American friends either”
He opened a book where the picture of a man with bright red hair standing next to three other man stood. He seemed happy and an awful lot like the boy playing in the spinning chair by the console at the moment.
“Do you have a nickname?” The Doctor asked, closing the book.
Gerard shook his head “Gee. That’s it”
“Something is wrong…” The Doctor shook his head, disappearing from Gerard’s view before popping back on it a few seconds later “Because you are not supposed to be here… Or maybe you weren’t supposed to be there…”
“Man… You are making absolutely no sense right now, you know that right?”
“When is your birthday?” The Doctor asked, flipping some switches on the control panel.
“I have two. April 9th, 4000 is when I was adopted and December 31st 3999” He chuckled “I’m technically sixteen though, but I like to count my age from the time I was conceived, not born, so I am seventeen”
“You see… You must be lying… Because my monitor said you were born in 1999” The Doctor said, turning the screen to him “December 31st of the year 1999 in New Jersey to be exact” He stepped up, closer to the boy, looking him up and down “Why are you lying to me”
“W-w-what? I’m not” He said, wheeling himself back a bit “Your computer must have me confused with someone”
Status, deceased.
The Doctor glanced back at the screen then Gerard. It said the baby was dead indeed. On the night he was born he went missing so after a few years people just assumed he was dead somewhere.
Of course “You were never found because you were in the future!” The Doctor chuckled, shaking his head “Clever baby! But how?” He turned to Gerard, tilting his head to the side “How did a baby a few hours old time travel”
“I should get going…” Gerard said casually, getting up slowly and going to where his backpack was “Nice talking to you, man”
“Wait! You can’t go! Aren’t you even a little bit curious?” The Doctor sighed, running over to the boy “Did you ever feel different? Were you sick a lot as a kid? Did you have any weird memorabilia with you when you were adopted?”
Gerard stopped, turning around to face the man standing a few feet above him, grinning “You did get sick a lot didn’t you?”
“All the time… The doctors said it was like I was missing years of immunology… They said I had a disease that made my defenses’ genetic memory weak or something… I had to take a shitton of vaccines”
“And there was a little blanket with you wasn’t it? Your mother used to say it was a relic? Really old? Probably something your biological mother wanted you to have as it was maybe a family object or something? Something no one but you liked the smell?”
The boy frowned, slowly making his way up the stairs again “Where are you trying to go…”
“You got sick a lot because you didn’t have 2000 years of immunological system passed through you through generations… Because you were born 2000 years before the time you were raised…” The Doctor said, smirking as the boy stood right next to him “The question is… How did a baby travel 2000 years into the future?”
There's a man who's never going to let us down, and not even an army can get in the way. And wherever they take you, my love, however scared you are, I promise you, you will never be alone. Because this man is your father.
He has a name, but the people of our world know him better
As Party Poison
An AU of @clashing-plaids danger who AU in which Clara and Party Poison's child is stolen and the Doctor amasses the killjoys and other allies to get them back.
But there is a surprise in store and the tale isn’t over yet...
I’m gonna write this... maybe... hopefully. I’ve even worked out who the kid is!
