Doctor Who_ Timeless Part 34

But it didn't, and the two of them walked off again, arm in arm.

Stacy looked a mess, her face bruised, lips cracked and swollen. She seemed quietly pleased to see them, and her ribs were apparently only badly bruised. She was being let out later that day, and so received an invite to Anji's little soiree.

'I don't know about a "new beginning" party,' said Stacy. 'It seems I had my new beginning some little time ago. And I'm not so sure I'm ready to celebrate it just yet.'

'Everyone would love to see you,' Anji told her. 'And the Doctor could... Well, he could tell you everything. Everything you wanted to know.'

'What happened to Basalt?' asked Guy.

'They took him to a different hospital,' murmured Stacy. 'I whacked him so hard they don't know if he's going to wake up again.'

'Well, then,' said Guy darkly. 'New beginning for him too.'

Stacy sniffed. 'It's like he knows. He knows that if he wakes up he'll go to jail, he'll be locked up for life. This way... he's still in control.'

No one said anything for a while.

'I don't know if I do, now. Want to talk to the Doctor, I mean.' Stacy used her fingers to make quote marks: '"The Whole Truth."'

'After all you've done, all you've been through to find it,' Anji said softly, 'don't you think maybe you should '

'Leave it, OK?' Stacy scowled at her. 'I'm not like Guy. Not about to flick on my happy switch and thank G.o.d I'm alive. Because I've completely screwed up. From now on, every single day, I'm going to have to drag around the carca.s.s of the old me, the different me, wherever I go.'

Anji looked away, nodded some token understanding. Guy said nothing, apparently absorbed in trying to arrange the tulips in a cracked vase. Their bright heads bobbed about cheerfully on the ends of their long stalks.

Maybe Anji should just b.u.t.t out of the woman's grief and leave her to it.

But she was tired of just disappearing after the wrongs were righted, leaving others to clear up and cope while she jaunted off to explore somewhere new. Guy had plans, big plans. And so did she.

'Come tonight,' she said. 'Bring a bottle. Bring your carca.s.s along, too.'

Stacy looked at her sharply, and this time Anji held her gaze. Stacy got bored first, and turned her head to the window. To the serene rain tapping lightly on the gla.s.s. To the flowers, ineptly arranged in the grubby vase, but happy-looking nonetheless.

'One more thing,' Guy said, once they'd said their goodbyes to Stacy. Anji could see a trace of worry clouding his face. 'There's someone else I have to visit.'

Anji realised he was leading her to the paediatrics unit. A bright mural depicting colours of the world united in happiness and health streamed across one wall, right into the ward.

'The bed's empty,' Guy announced. Then he approached the tired-looking ward sister, a big-boned woman in her twenties growing out a s.h.a.ggy perm.

'Excuse me, I'm looking for Pete Webber?'

'They let him go, love,' the nurse told him. 'Miracle recovery. Sent everyone round the twist, it did. His mum went through the roof.'

'Oh?' asked Anji innocently.

'She was making a real fuss about it... Went crazy. Talking about suing the hospital and all sorts. You'd think she'd be thrilled!' She looked at Guy and shrugged. 'Some people are just never happy are they. That why you left her, was it?'

'Eh?'

The nurse looked knowingly between Anji and Guy like they were a couple. 'Well, you're the father, aren't you. Must be.'

Guy looked anxiously at Anji. 'Must I?'

'He's your little Mini-Me!' she chuckled. 'You're the spitting image of him, aren't you?'

Guy smiled weakly. 'I guess I am now.'

He turned on his heel and Anji helped steer him in a straight line back down the corridor.

'You tried to help, and you did help,' Anji consoled him. 'Sort of.'

'Liz'll kill me,' he moaned.

'How will she ever know it was something you did? And anyway, it's better than him being scarred for life. Just.'

Guy pulled a face. 'Thanks.' He shivered. 'Can we get out of here, now? I think I've had enough of hospitals for the rest of my life.'

They got back to find the flat transformed. It was festooned with balloons and ribbons, and a home-made banner stretched above the curtains that said 'Saluting Survivors' in bright childish letters.

'Oh no,' said Guy in a stage whisper, pointing to the kitchen with exaggerated worry. 'The Doctor's. .h.i.tting the bottle!'

Anji went through and saw him. He was sat hunched over the kitchen table with what appeared to be a half of lager shandy.

'Isn't it a little early?' Anji enquired, mock stern. 'Doctor, I don't want this party getting out of hand.'

He looked up at her and smiled faintly.

She sat down beside him. 'Everything didn't quite go according to plan, did it?'

'I think perhaps it went according to somebody's plan,' he said, sipping his shandy and getting foam on his nose. 'I must find out whose.'

'And what was in the crystals,' she added. 'No change yet in anything, is there? Maybe they don't work. Or maybe they were destroyed, outside of their dwarf star carry-case.'

He didn't look convinced. 'I think the capsule was designed simply to protect the diamond sentience while gestation was in '

Guy's voice floated in from outside, singing 'La-la-la-la-la. I can't hear you...'

Anji placed her hand on the Doctor's wrist. 'Can the wraiths help you?'

The Doctor mused on this, then shook his head. 'I rather think they've ceased to be. They put all their powers into preventing the catastrophe. But with Jamais about... It wasn't enough.'

'The book, then,' she suggested brightly. She wished she didn't feel so guilty at walking out on him before this was truly over.

'That book would tell us nothing. Even if it could be retrieved from Erasmus's ship.'

'Well then... Do you think Sabbath got away?' she asked desperately.

The Doctor nodded slowly. 'Jamais lifted everyone away from the cataclysm. Shielded by Erasmus's TARDIS, the Jonah Jonah would have no trouble escaping. Once Sabbath's had a good poke round, no doubt.' would have no trouble escaping. Once Sabbath's had a good poke round, no doubt.'

Anji nodded, sombrely. Jamais had let go of Erasmus's old time ship in the darkness of the early universe; 'His own Asphodel,' Chloe had whispered. A tomb that would endure, timeless. One by one, the stars would light up around it like memorial candles.

And with Jamais too old and enfeebled now to go leaping through time and s.p.a.ce to new places, Chloe was grounded. For ever.

'Where is Chloe, by the way?' she asked.

'She went out with Jamais after she made that banner. She didn't say where she was going.' He looked at her strangely. 'You shouldn't worry about her. She'll find her way back.'

Anji shrugged like it was nothing. 'Speaking of coming back... Sabbath's bound to turn up again soon, isn't he? He's going to be mightily fed up.' She warmed to a sudden idea. 'And he'll be after Kalic.u.m's lot too. Maybe you should put the boot on the other foot, let him do the chasing round trying to find out the truth about those crystals and how to sort it. Then step in when he's done all the work.'

He raised his gla.s.s. 'Tempting,' he said with a smile. 'But I think I'll take a more pro-active role just the same. Chloe told me she possessed one of Sabbath's diamonds. Kept it in a locket given to her by a Russian princess.'

'She did? Where is it now?'

'Lost, apparently. Somewhere outside that warehouse before they put her in the net. We'll have to look for that,' said the Doctor thoughtfully, taking another swig. 'Once the party's over.'

Anji nodded.

Abruptly, the Doctor beamed at her fondly. 'What shall I do without you?'

She smiled back, felt tears p.r.i.c.kle the backs of her eyes. 'Cause the usual chaos, I expect.'

'Come on, you two,' called Guy. 'Liven up. I'll put some music on.'

The moment he pressed play on an old Chemical Brothers CD, there came a knock at the door.

'Oh no! The neighbours are complaining about the noise already!' Anji cried with mock drama.

But her smile slipped when she saw it was Stacy at the door, both hands clutched round a bottle of red.

Stacy shrugged. 'I didn't want to come. But that carca.s.s of mine thought it sounded kinda interesting.'

Anji nodded, and self-consciously welcomed her inside.

It wasn't a bad party, all told, though there were more than a few tears spilled. Fitz was good value, demonstrating the hilarious dance moves he reckoned had won a hundred hearts in the 1960s. Stacy was studiedly sociable, and Guy was still br.i.m.m.i.n.g over with his plans for the future.

But Chloe and Jamais didn't come back.

At least that saved some awkward explanations. Yeah, she could just imagine Stacy's face: 'Meet the people who made your nightmare possible!' Anji shuddered, reminded herself this was her New Beginning party. No more dwelling on the old stuff, the dead stuff.

Fine words. But she couldn't help feeling worried for Chloe, responsible even. She drifted off into the kitchen, poured herself another gla.s.s of wine. Was it just because the girl had called her 'Mum'? Had that pressed some freaky b.u.t.tons in her she hadn't known existed?

A minute or so later, Guy followed her into the kitchen.

'Hey,' he said. 'What kind of a party is this? No one's snogging in the coat room.'

She made an effort. 'Is that an invitation?'

He grinned. 'I knew you were cla.s.sy.'

They stood looking at each other for a few moments.

'I...' He cleared his throat nervously. 'I thought maybe you might want to help me eat those pizzas and go travelling and '

' and pay back your mother?'

He grinned. 'Of course.'

'Well, maybe we should wait and see.'

'You think?'

She blushed to see the disappointment in his eyes.

'Only... Only I don't want to wait...'

'I know, Guy. It's just, I've done so much much travelling. I want to stay home for a while.' travelling. I want to stay home for a while.'

'I get it,' he said, moving closer. 'And you've eaten a lot of pizza too, right?'

'The world will still be around by the time I'm ready to go looking. I know it.' She didn't have to try too hard to force a smile. 'The Doctor's going to win.'

Guy leaned in and impulsively kissed her. It wasn't a great kiss they b.u.mped noses, and Anji tried to lick her lips first and ended up swiping his chin with her tongue. But it was enough to make her realise there were possibilities ahead of her, and time enough to take them on board.

'We can still be friends, right?' he said quietly.

'We can still be friends,' she agreed. 'Take care of yourself. And look me up if you're pa.s.sing through.'

'Oh, I will.' He kissed her again, on the cheek this time. 'Well, I guess be getting off. Say goodbye to everyone.'

The door closed behind him. Anji stood alone in the kitchen for a minute or so, taking deep breaths and looking out over London from her kitchen window. When the door opened again, she half hoped Guy had come back to say one more goodbye. But it was Trix's reflection in the window pane. She was done up in her glitzy evening dress and high heels again, effortlessly glam.

Anji turned to face her, arms folded.

'Here,' said Trix. She held out a plain white envelope.

'What's this?' Anji looked at the envelope suspiciously. 'Luncheon vouchers?'

'Look, Anji... I'm not good at saying thanks. But, you know...'

Anji accepted it. 'What is it?'