1They left the memorial, finally feeling like they were letting 1913 go. The Doctor hadn't felt ready to see any descendants of Joan Redfern. Time to move on, as it were.
Terra seemed to understand it from a different vein. She had wanted to let her past self go. A version that only the Doctor remembered had been made by Garfield Logan. He wanted to give this new Terra her best chance.
Martha went into the back to drop off her things. Terra came up to his side, just before he pulled the handbrake. Rebel ran off into the TARDIS, towards the garden. She put her hand over his, stopping him.
"I need a new dress." Terra told the Doctor.
"They have dresses in the closet." The Doctor dismissed.
Terra shook her head. She walked up to the Doctor, pulling his hands away from the console.
"Oi!" The Doctor scolded. "Let go!"
"No. I need to get fabric for a new dress." Terra explained. She walked over to the computer. She hesitated before touching the screen. "I don't know how to drive...I must do the one thing...I swore never again to say...betraying my oath to the forefathers before me."
The Doctor tilted his head, hopelessly confused at her remarks. He just went along with it. "What is it?"
"I need you to drive me there." Terra admitted, pushing the computer towards him.
The Doctor blinked. "That's all? Hold on...you swore to never ask again? You just asked twenty minutes ago!"
"I was young, and oh so foolish." Terra held her hand over her hearts. She pretended to swoon. "Woe is me, who would ask a man so bad at driving to guide me away-"
"I'm not that bad." The Doctor argued.
"AND HE'S DELUSIONAL!" Terra complained. She swooned into the pilot seat.
"Who is?" Martha asked, walking back in.
Terra let out a long dramatic swooning sigh. "The Doctor! He thinks he can drive, Martha! It's a tragedy!"
Martha gave the Doctor a quick look. "He seems fine." Martha dismissed.
"...you are too!" Terra complained. She swooned until she collapsed to the grating.
The Doctor rushed over to her side. Terra was fine, pouting for all a petulant child. Martha watched from the side, concerned for her friend but not trusting her medical knowledge for this Time Lady condition. "Terra, are you alright?"
"Orangey." She replied, her face scrunching up in confusion.
"...what?"
"Hold on...there's an orange fruit I'm trying to remember." Terra huffed.
"Peachy?" The Doctor suggested.
Terra beamed. She sat upright, keeping her wide Cheshire smile facing the Doctor. "Yes. Peachy. I'm peachy." She ran her hand down her hair. "Can I get a new dress?"
The Doctor stared at her for a beat. He decided to laugh. "You're not giving up, are you?"
She shook her head, orange hair brushing down over her shoulders.
He laughed out a sigh. "Then I guess we need to find a shop-"
"Hobby Lobby!" Terra requested.
"Do they sell dresses?"
"No. But they sell fabric! I wanna make it myself!" Terra cheered.
Martha gave Terra a once over. "Why not the one you're wearing?"
Terra gawked in betrayal. "This dress is purple. I can't be seen in purple." Terra gagged at the very thought.
==SFTH==
The TARDIS tended to take the personalities of her Time Lords into account when bringing them someplace new. She also did that when creating the closet.
But not even the TARDIS, in her infinite closet, had something to suit the tastes of Third Terra.
She brought the trio of time travelers to a special place. One that would have the materials suitable for Terra's choice of fashion.
The Doctor stepped out from the TARDIS first. Terra and Martha behind him. Rebel had been told to stay behind, as Terra heard dogs weren't allowed in Hobby Lobby. That and she didn't want her son accidentally eating anything.
"When I make war with Hobby Lobby, it will be on purpose."
Terra was skipping on her feet, beaming at the world with new eyes.
"Well we're on Earth." The Doctor stated. "2012. A Saturday." He looked around the parking lot they had parked in.
Terra walked past him. She took a deep breath. "April! Love April. You think it's raining somewhere? I can almost smell it. I like the smell of rain."
Martha shook her head at them, smiling. She barely understood the Time Lords on a good day. It had only been a few hours since this new Terra appeared, Martha understood less and less. The Doctor has explained regeneration- Terra had kept calling it 're-sorting'. Not exactly a message that explained anything.
She wanted to know what happened to her friend.
She wanted to know what death really meant for Time Lords.
Terra ran around the corner. She squealed, loudly jumping up and clapping.
"Hobby Lobby!" Terra cheered. She spread her arms out wide to it. "A great place for fabric! Or crafts. Or anything. I go there for all my craft needs- unless a Wal-mart is close by. Cause they got cheap paint. But it's always a mess so I always end up fixing it. Did you know that there are so many shades of blue? I knew that. And so many kinds of hot glue. Or beads. Or decorative stuff in walls I don't need but look cool."
The Doctor tapped Terra on the shoulder. She rushed towards him. The Doctor held up his hands. "Shouldn't we go inside?" The Doctor waved his arm towards the door.
Terra beamed...for three seconds. "Do you have money? I can't afford money right now."
The Doctor paused. He reached into his coat pocket. "I...can get money." He brought out the sonic.
"Good enough for me." Terra replied. She walked towards the store, humming to herself a song about 'putting one foot in front of the other'
Martha walked to the Doctor's side. The Time Lord seemed just as perplexed by the behavior from Terra. But unlike Martha, who watched it all with a confused frown, the Doctor watched Terra with a hope filled smile.
==SFTH==
They lost her immediately.
The store was a lot bigger than it looked. Aisles and aisles of shelves, full of knick knacks and art supplies for American Easter. Terra had vanished among the
"Doctor."
"Yes?"
"Are those her shoes?" Martha prompted.
The Doctor looked off. Sure enough, in one of the aisles was a lone shoe that had belonged to the last Terra. He walked to it, picking it up off the ground. "There's the other."
When he reached that shoe he could see the bright orange head of hair turning a corner.
"That way!" The Doctor instructed.
He and Martha chased after the Time Lady. In and out of aisles, Terra always one step ahead. They passed the fabric section of the store twice. It was like Terra was deliberately missing it. The Doctor and Martha accidentaly split up after that- going down so many other aisles that they themselves lost where they were.
Before long they met up again in front of the fabrics.
"Did she just-?" Martha began, panting. It had been a lot of running and calling out for the Doctor.
The Doctor let out a small huff. "Threw us off a trail? Yes." He turned towards the fabric section of the store. It was expansive itself- covering a good third of the store. "She must've gone in."
Martha groaned. "We've gotta find her, don't we?"
There was a loud crashing noise. As if, someone had pulled on something a little harder than necessary and taken down a whole lot of rolls of fabric.
"I think we found her." The Doctor cheered. He went off in the direction of the noise.
Martha followed behind. She kept her frustrated comments to herself.
How they found Terra was different than the loud crash had implied. She was sitting on a pile of fabric rolls, all various shades of medium to dark pink. She had fashioned them into a chair.
Get it.
Fashioned.
Cause they're clothes-
The Doctor walked up to her. Terra didn't acknowledge his approach.
"You left these on the floor." The Doctor held up the loafers.
Terra glanced at him. She looked at the loafers, then grimaced. "Put them in the Bag." She instructed, going back to the fabrics.
The Doctor did as instructed. Martha motioned to Terra's feet- now dressed in white socks.
"Don't you need shoes?" Martha prompted.
"I'll get to them." Terra replied, her tone distant.
"Wait, were you making the shoes too?" Martha asked, surprised. She wasn't gonna say anything about being hesitant about Terra doing that too.
"Oh...no I'll get my shoes from the closet. I'm not a heathen." Terra snorted. "Making my own shoes...you're funny, Martha. I'm not becoming a part of the neighborhood watch."
"...what?" Martha asked.
The Doctor made a curious face at Terra. "Not even I get that."
"Huh?" Terra glanced at him. "Here." She shut her eyes.
The Doctor flinched.
"Doctor?" Martha made to help him.
The Doctor held a hand up at her. His other hand rubbed on his head. "No, it's fine. I'm fine. She showed me what she meant." He gave his head a hard shake. "Wow! Gone for two months, and she's sending whole memories telepathically."
Terra gave him a proud smile, before going back to looking intensely at the shades of pink surrounding her.
He turned to Martha. "It's a in-joke from a comedian she watched, telling a story about how two neighborhood watchmen were cobblers in the day time." He turned to Terra. "We are basically nightwatchmen. Just for the universe."
"Uhh...Doc Brown, they do it at night." Terra countered. She held up a fabric roll, comparing it to her hair.
The Doctor conceded that.
Martha did not. "That's just what they're called."
Terra hummed. "Does this pink look better? Or this one?" Terra held up two small rolls of fabric to the Doctor.
He stared at the shades of pink. Martha particularly didn't think either were good, she had never been a fan of pink. Granted she wasn't good with fashion designing. Maybe this Terra knew something about it. "The darker pink."
Terra beamed. "I knew it. The contessa pink was nice but I don't want it big- that's weird. It won't go with my hair ya know? But Razzmatazz pink was a lot nicer looking on my delicate sensibilities. I'll need a lot. I never thought about how many dresses I'll need to make! Definitely a lot, or maybe I could Jim-Kirk it by cloning my dress. The TARDIS can do that. Or find me a place where I can do that. Or I can build it. Do you think they sell stuff like that at Hobby Lobby?"
The Doctor thought it over. "It might. You know it better than me."
"I do." Terra nodded, still beaming. "I'll get more of Razzmatazz pink!" She raced off down the aisle. Or she would have, if Terra hadn't immediately fallen over her fashioned chair of fabric rolls onto the floor. "I'll clean it up."
Martha was in no hurry to chase her again.
"You said she would calm down." Martha pointed out. The Doctor turned to her. "After the regeneration fades in, you said she'd calm down."
"She's settled, I think." The Doctor admitted. "Some regenerations never settle. This could be what she's like now."
Martha glanced at Terra. The Time Lady was putting a dark pink cloth back on the shelf, only for it to fall back onto her. She slipped to the ground, giggling all the way. Martha gave the Doctor a look.
The Doctor stood by what he said. "Yeah. She'll be brilliant."
"Has she done this before?" Martha asked.
"Just once." The Doctor recalled. He still remembered the look on Terra's face when she explained it to him.
"Was she like this then? I can't imagine Terra ever being like that." Martha asked.
"You never saw her at a party." The Doctor grinned. He remembered Terra's birthday- how she'd behaved when she was drunk. She had laughed and joked so much with Jack and Carl. "Though...I don't know if she was like this. She regenerated away from me. First time she'd ever done it, she said."
Martha stared at him for a moment. "She died alone then too?"
The Doctor looked over towards Terra. She was looking at different shades of blue. She was still wrapped in pink but she could move now. "No. She said people were with her. The first faces she saw. Never talks about them- she thinks they died so she could escape."
Martha expression filled with the pain of loss. "Escape? From what?"
The Doctor knew. He had put it together- with all Terra had tried to hide. Garfield Logan was clearly involved. He'd scared Terra, hurt those first people she'd seen. Now she's walking around with no idea who hurt them. She thinks she did it- got them killed.
"She never said." He lied.
Martha suspected he wasn't telling the full truth. She opened her mouth to question it.
Terra appeared again, suddenly in Martha's face. "Which blue?" Terra held up two swatches to Martha.
Martha startled. She calmed down at seeing Terra, still confused. "How did you get there so fast?"
"Sorry I have quiet feet. It comes in handy for thieves, another reason I'm not a nightwatchmen." Terra supplied. "Which blue?" She repeated.
Martha thought the blues in front of her were the same. "I...don't know?"
Terra dramatically turned ninety degrees to the Doctor. "Which blue?"
"No TARDIS blues?" The Doctor pouted.
Terra shook her head, face blank. "Not for the skirt."
"Wait blue for the skirt? I thought it was a dress."
"It is, but this is for the skirt part of the dress."
"I thought the dress was pink." The Doctor countered.
"Why would it be just one color?" Terra questioned, confused. "Which blue?"
The Doctor for a moment. He pointed at one. "Here."
"French Blue? Really- French Blue?"
"Fine! The other one!"
"French Sky Blue...good choice." Terra nodded, praising. She tossed the other blue over her shoulder. "Why did I do that. I'm the one that has to clean it up." She went back to pick up the thrown cloth.
The Doctor leaned towards Martha. Martha was giving him a look. The Doctor scratched the back of his head. "She...might just be like this."
==SFTH==
Somewhere in all of this, Terra had acquired a cart. She had it piled with supplies. The fabrics, obviously, that she had meticulously poured over. For an hour. It had been mind numbing. This store, for all the crafty supplies, was quite dull when just standing around after somebody.
Beside the fabrics, Terra had added a lot of other things. Multiple spools of thread, knitting needles, straps of what looked like something elastic, hit glue sticks, pink and blue sparkles, and so much more paint than Martha considered useful for a dress. Martha hoped she wouldn't be asked to carry all that to the TARDIS.
They were in line to purchase everything. Terra was explaining the last color she'd grabbed for the dress- white. Not any other color under the rainbow, literally just the color white. Apparently there were different kinds of it for cloth.
"This White was called Native Alien." Terra revealed. She giggled, a deep giggle from her chest. "I had to grab it! Lucky me it's a close shade to the Razzmatazz pink. Or at least they look nice together."
"Yes, yes." The Doctor answered vaguely. "They do." He had no idea. He just didn't want her to go off explaining the similarities that he still wouldn't be able to see.
She tucked it back into the cart. She paused. "And this one I'm actually proud to find-" She pulled out a long string of blue fabric.
"That's TARDIS Blue!" The Doctor realized with glee.
"003D66B." Terra answered robotically. No, really robotically. Complete with robot whine. "Or- 003865. I settled for the first one."
"What's that for?" The Doctor asked. He was picturing her using it for a belt on the dress, or perhaps stripes on sleeves?
"Meh." Terra waved her hand. "The butterfly waits to leave the cocoon before he shows his wings. Do you have the money that I couldn't afford?"
The Doctor paused.
"There's an ATM outside to the right of the door." Terra informed.
"You're the best." The Doctor reached a hand up to ruffle her hair before running for his life.
Terra glared his way, leaning down on the back of the cart. "Jokes on him...I know where he sleeps."
"Really?" Martha wondered. Not that she imagined the Doctor sleeping. No- that, that would be weird. She was just remembering sleeping too close to him, in that inn. She was putting it out of her mind. Really she was. She could only hope it's what she needed to do.
Terra blinked, still glaring. "No. But the TARDIS does, and she likes me best." She smiled brightly and innocently at Martha, that if Martha almost forgot the context of Terra's implied threat against the Doctor.
"Next!"
"Dang it- we have no money. This is my worst nightmare." Terra whispered.
==SFTH==
Terra had carried everything herself. She stuffed it all into her Bag, much to the confusion of the teller.
She had run off the moment they were back on the TARDIS. The Doctor invited Martha to get used to the settings again, of being on board the TARDIS. He was going to set her out to idle flight for a night.
Martha's curiosity got to her the next morning. No sight of Terra, not even in the kitchen to eat. The Doctor himself was surprised, saying that she would be wanting to figure out her new tastebuds before long.
So Martha searched for Terra. The TARDIS was leading Martha along. All Martha had with her was a plate of food that the Doctor had made from the TARDIS. Apparently they had a vending machine that spat out fully cooked meals, instead of that tedious process of cooking yourself. Never let it be said that Time Lords weren't pompous.
As she walked, Martha heard music coming from the direction she was walking. She followed the music- something peppy and upbeat. The door opened when Martha checked it.
Terra was indeed inside, singing aloud to the song playing from her fancy phone. Rebel was hopping around the mannequin Terra was keeping her dress. He was keeping from biting any of the cloth, to Martha's surprise. Terra herself was dressed for bed- a faint pink tank top, along with heart patterned pajama shorts. Her hair was pulled back in two pigtails. The mannequin was wearing the skirt Terra was sowing.
She turned to Martha, carefully twisting about the needle in her mouth. She paused her music before taking out the needle. Rebel whined at the loss. "It's okay, my boy, I'll need your bark for Wolfie's barks."
Rebel barked.
"Exactly." Terra praised. "How goes it?"
Martha pointed to the stereo. The music was still pounding at her head. "Why."
"Barbie musical slays. Next question." Terra answered automatically.
"Have you been here all night?"
"That depends. When did night start?" Terra asked.
"Eight hours ago."
"Only eight?" Terra noted. She hummed. "I'm impressed."
Martha shook her head. "That's not good. You need sleep-"
"I need to not be naked in the morning." Terra countered. "I thought you'd appreciate that...I mean not that I'm putting on clothes just for you, I'm doing it for others too. Not that I'm excluding you from that just-...that sounded better in my head. Not that I'm not proud of my body, I just think people want me in clothes. Also not great, also sounded better in my head."
Tea. Martha needed tea. Being in 1913 for two months had severely limited the quality of tea Martha had been drinking for two months. She needed proper tea.
"I'm proud of who I'm gonna be-" Terra paused. "Be...be...who I'm gonna be when I come back home to you." She shook her head rapidly. She clapped her hands to the side of her head. She didn't look distressed, in fact she looked giddy. "Ooh! New feature!"
"Feature?"
"I get earworms more often." Terra explained. "This is exciting. I love earworms." She reached for her phone, typing in commands. It played I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles). "Studies show it helps to get rid of an earworm by 'finishing' the song. Or that's an old wives tale that actually works. I'm willing to Science it out."
Martha had enough of that for a morning.
She walked back out the way she came.
Terra's singing followed her.
==SFTH==
"Why are the mannequins not coming to life?!" Terra ranted, sticking her head from around the corner. The Doctor and Martha jumped in surprise. This Terra really was a sneaker. "Not having live mannequins...what the fuck is wrong with you?" Shaking her head, Terra ducked back down the hall.
"Autons!" The Doctor reminded her.
Terra's steps paused. "Right."
"How's the dress going?" The Doctor asked. He pushed buttons on the console, twisting them about this way and that. "Not that I'm rushing, it's just something came up that I want to look at."
"Oh it's done!" Terra cheered. She leapt back out. Rebel was underfoot, running around her legs. Terra smoothly avoided stepping on his toes. "Tada!"
It was...a dress. They couldn't argue that. The bodice was dark pink, with a scooped neck. The sleeves were wrist length, and off-white. The skirt was the blue she'd picked, down in a knee-length A-line skirt. The waistline was sown together to make them look like a proper dress. Her knee high moto boots-for whatever reason that neither the Doctor or Martha could fathom- were the same dark pink.
For accessories she had a golden watch on her wrist, nearly hidden by her sleeves. She had on her necklace, partially hidden beneath a familiar shaded blue bowtie.
Even Rebel himself was given an upgrade. His collar was bright blue, covered in pink sparkles and sown own double hearts.
Terra stretched out her arms, twirling around. It let the skirt flow up, just enough to show that it could. She came back with a giddy eager smile on her face.
"Well? What do you think?" Terra prompted. "Can I say yes to the dress?"
"A bowtie?" The Doctor countered.
Terra paused. Her face went a purposeful blank. "Why not? I thought about adding a top hat too! Would that have been too much? Nah, I should add a top hat anyway!"
Rebel barked in agreement.
"Or...you could not." The Doctor scratched the back of his head.
Terra stared at him for a long beat. "You're right. Top hats are for special occasions." Terra nodded. "But what do you think?"
The Doctor thought long and hard about it. He thought about how to respond in a way that wouldn't set her off. Then, he threw it out the window because basically all Terra did was make fun of his clothes so it's time to get some payback. "Bowties are a bit silly."
"I'll change your mind." Terra waved off. She grinned, knowing something the Doctor did not. "Oh I'll change it."
"Good luck." The Doctor challenged. "Can we get going now, or did you want another costume change?"
Terra thought it over. "Where've we landed?"
"West Dremlins." The Doctor answered. He tapped on the computer screen, showing off a grassy field. "The TARDIS is insisting something is wrong with it."
Terra paused in her steps. She tapped her boot on the floor. Rebel bumped his nose against her arm. Terra reached down to scratch his head. "Huh...I'll grab the folder."
"The what?" Martha asked.
"The Sparrow folder." Terra replied. She pulled up her Bag. "It'll come in handy later."
==SFTH==
AN: Alright here it is! A side-story for the Fallen Star Series. Basically all of these are stories that I thought were too out of place to belong in the main series, or too out of sync. There will be a lot of one-shots overtime. If it comes up, I'll write it here!
Here is Terra making her dress! It's about as great as you can imagine. If you wanna see it, it's on my tumblr authora97writingupdates.
