#Abbygale Holmes | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

sundry-whovengerslocked · 5 years ago

Text

WVL - Chapter One - Maple Sugar

((A/N: the dashes --- indicate a change in time or perspective. Also this first chapter is reaaaallly long, the story was split up how it seemed it should naturally))

BZZZ BZZZ BZZZ

Abby groaned, flipping over in the bed that she shared with her best friend, Sam. Well, they weren't exactly best friends, more like sisters. She reached over to grab her vibrating phone, and turned off the alarm. It was time for her to go to her first job, a part-time journalist for the Boston Globe. It wasn't that big of a status, but it paid well.

So Abby got up and put on her red-brown glasses, being careful not to wake Sam. Throwing her long brown hair up in a ponytail, she dressed into some dark jeans, a green long-sleeved shirt, and lastly a pair of over-sized black converse she had gotten from charity. They were men's size, but as long as she tied them up tight enough, they were fine. Plus, they were cute.

Abby then walked into the kitchen, grabbed some eggs from the fridge, and began to make an omelette for Sam and herself. She had practically forced vegetarianism upon her, because it was healthier and generally cheaper, so really the only protein they got were eggs, nuts, and beans.

A little while after cooking and eating, she left, putting on her expensive white petticoat she had left from her mother's belongings. She also grabbed her father's old camera, her purse, her press badge, and her notebook on her way out.

-------------------------------------

Sam awoke to the smell of cooked eggs, and pulled her tired body out of bed. She slid her feet into her fuzzy tan slippers, and rubbed her arms to keep warm. It was chilly this morning, with Autumn creeping in. Upon the table in their tiny kitchen, was an omelet, still warm, resting on a small white plate. Sam licked her lips, knowing Abby had made it for her before she left. How sweet.

Getting a fork out of the drawer under the microwave, Sam also poured herself a glass of orange juice. She sat down at her normal spot, facing the window that overlooked the city. As she dined on the meatless breakfast that her best friend made, she thought over what she needed to do today. Shopping was the main priority. They needed more fruit.

As much as Sam did love all the healthy alternatives she'd converted to, she did occasionally miss having meat. Not enough to turn back though, veggie burgers were good too.

Finished with her food, Sam dabbed her face with a napkin, and stood to rinse her dish.

Next step was changing her clothes: a large red sweater with black leggings. Her hair cut off at the shoulders, just barely brushing the shirt. She'd straightened it the night before, and brushed through it this morning. Lastly, she drew a thin layer of eye liner in her top lid, and some mascara on her lashes. It seemed as though her little freckled face lit up when she looked at herself in the mirror, ready for the day.

------------------------------------

Abby on the other hand, she wasn't wearing any makeup.

She was walking towards her office building, taking some shortcuts along alleyways she knew, since they didn't have a car. It also wasn't that much use to get a cab, too much money and not that far away. So walking to work was a great way to get exercise.

Only a few things were on Abby's mind as she hiked along, mainly wondering about the universe. Ever since the events in New York a few years ago, there was no denying aliens existed, no matter how hard the government tried to cover it up. The same went for what had been happening in London the last decade. Her whole life Abby believed in other worlds, even just for the sake of believing. But for now, everything was quiet. Most decided to just forget about it, just be wary, but Abby didn't want to do that.

So she was thinking about other life, about the impossible universe, when she suddenly smacked face-first into something. Letting out a groan, she took a step back and rubbed her nose. "Why do I always do that?" she muttered to herself.

She always had her head in the clouds, and was usually clumsy. But not this clumsy. She had run into a big blue box, about the size of a telephone booth you see in England, but without the glass; it was solid and wooden. How Abby missed it, she didn't know.

But she became curious, and began to inspect it. At the top, it said POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX in big letters. She saw two windows at the top and wooden panels running down it.

But before Abby could walk around the box and look at it further, she suddenly heard a very faint noise behind her; a pebble skittering across the ground. She froze, and thought back. Abby had thought she had felt a presence behind her while she was walking, but wasn't paying attention because of her daydreaming. It was then she realized: someone had been following her.

------------------------------------

Sam took a left turn on the road down to the local market, hearing a plane soar overhead from the Logan Airport a few miles away. She'd always been so fascinated with planes and runways, ever since she was young.

Suddenly, a crash in the building beside her pulled her from the gaze she had placed on that plane. SMASH! SMASH! Whatever was in there, it was making a lot of noise.

Sam's instincts kicked in, and she immediately found herself taking step after step into this large brick building.

The banging continued as she entered, making it relatively easy to find the source of it.

The scream of a man sounded down the hall, causing Sam to jerk her head towards it.

She followed the crashing that slowly turned into rough taps, making her way into a rectangular office-like room. No, not an office, some sort of science lab.

Sam stepped over the broken pieces of glass, making no noise at all. She saw a blue liquid spilled onto the floor, and came over to examine it. The sizzle made her think she probably shouldn't touch it.

But then, there it was: the sound of someone breathing heavily. She turned to see a body. A man's body dressed in a torn white lab coat, blood on his hands and arms. Thank God, he wasn't dead. Sam wouldn't have known what to do. Even now, she was a little unsure.

Crazy thing was, she could have sworn she had seen this man before. Maybe he was one of Abby's old friends? His brown hair and tanned skin just looked so familiar.

------------------------------------

Abby was panicking. She had no idea what this person was going to do to her. What they wanted with her.

That was, until she saw his face.

He wore a hat, a dark hoodie, ripped jeans, and old sneakers breaking at the seams. He didn't wear a mask or anything, no, just a scowl. He was just a common thief.

Abby looked into his eyes, and saw his story. She knew that sadness: he had to be an orphan. Grubby and dirty: homeless. Skinny: had to steal for food.

Poor guy, she thought, immediately feeling his emotions. He looked angry and intimidating, but in reality he was so, so frightened.

A pistol was in his hand, but it was shaking.

Once Abby had turned around and saw him, he had pointed the gun at her. At first she put up her hands, but once she took him in she put them down.

He sneered at this; "Don't move! Give me your valuables!" He'd done this quite a few times before, she could tell, but he didn't like it one bit.

Then, Abby suddenly reached for her camera. Alarmed, the man cocked his gun, and shouted; "I said DON'T MOVE!" However, Abby just ignored him and snapped a picture of the thief.

"Now," she said, "this can go one of two ways. One; you can take all of my stuff, and I won't put up a fight. Well, everything other than my necklace." She put her hand to her chest for a minute, wrapping her fingers around her intricate key pendant, then continued talking. "It means a lot to me, and I doubt it's worth much. But you seem like the kind of person to respect sentiment, so we probably won't have to worry about that. Anyways, like I was saying, you can take my things without a fight, but I'll have to turn that picture I just took of you in to the police."

The man gave her a quizzical look.

"Oh, and it's uploaded to the Cloud, so..." she smirked, pointing up at the sky.

She took a deep breath next, tugging on her white coat as she looked at him. "Or, we can settle this a different way."

The man simply stared.

------------------------------------

It seemed as though Sam had waited hours for this man to wake up, but when he finally did, it wasn't what she expected. He didn't see her at first, he just opened his eyes and took a few calming breaths. Sam took a step closer. "Are you alright?" she asked.

The man jumped to his feet rather impressively, all the colour leaving his face. "Stay away." He mumbled. "Stay away from me. I don't want to hurt you." This sounded like more of a request than a warning. She stepped closer. "Please." He cried out, backing away.

Sam continued inching closer until she could touch him. Her hands placed themselves on top of his shoulders and a comforting look appeared on her face. "I'm not going anywhere." She assured him, having to tilt her head back a bit to look up at him. "Are you alright?" she repeated her previous question.

He looked down at the broken glass on the floor, biting his lip. "How long have you been here?" Now he was asking the questions.

Sam thought for a second, shrugging. It had felt like she was waiting forever. "Maybe fifteen, twenty minutes?" She guessed.

"What's your name?" The man asked just before Sam did.

"Sam Watson." She beamed, removing her hands from his shoulders and sticking out one for him to shake.

He managed a smile, then said; "I'm Bruce Banner."

------------------------------------

Meanwhile Abby had befriended the robber. "Who are you?" He had asked. "Holmes," she answered. "Abbygale Alexis Holmes."

At this he furrowed his eyebrows, he didn't have any electronics but still managed to get to the library computer once in a while, and could swear he had heard this name somewhere before.

"Thomas Brekenridge," he responded. Abby smiled at this, she didn't expect him to tell her his name, but she did have a very trusting face, after all.

It was then that Abby remembered the gun. "Could you maybe put the gun down?" She asked. "They make me very uncomfortable," she swallowed, pushing down a flashback.

Thomas nodded, unloading the gun and throwing it down on the ground.

That was when he looked up and finally noticed the police box. "What's that?" he asked. Remembering what she was doing before he showed up, she let her camera hang around her neck once again and turned back to the wooden structure. "I don't know," she said.

That was when the man stepped out from behind the box.

------------------------------------

Sam tightened her jacket around herself. She had started helping Bruce clean up the mess all around the lab. White rubber gloves covered her hands to protect her from touching potentially dangerous chemicals.

Bruce had gone to get himself some bandages and some clean clothes, and hadn't been back for a while. Sam shot her head up when she heard someone calling for him. This obviously female voice was hollering his name not too far down the hallway.

Sam pulled off the gloves and desperately tried to hide, squeezing herself into a storage closet in the back of the room. Inside it, she nearly screamed at the plastic skeleton that fell on top of her. CRASH! It fell to the ground, along with a mop and a box of trash bags.

"Shit." Sam muttered to herself quietly, trying to pick it up.

"Bruce?" The voice was now very close. Whoever it was, they were in the room. "Where are you, big guy?"

From what Sam could see through the gap of the door, this woman was tall and slim, with short red hair. Very red hair ...and Sam thought her own hair was red. The woman wore an all black bodysuit, black combat boots and a black leather jacket. The lack of colour brought out her white skin and plump, pink lips.

"I'm here!" Bruce's voice sounded from down the hall, relieving Sam immensely.

"Natasha, hey." He tried sounding casual, but looked around the room at the same time, searching for his new acquaintance.

"What happened?" This so called Natasha asked.

"What? Um, nothing." He bent down to look under the lab table, then seemed to have spotted something. Sam's bracelet. It must have fallen off when she was removing the gloves. She grabbed at her wrist, disappointed to find it bare.

Natasha walked over to him as he picked up the green and blue twist design bracelet off the floor. "So you didn't have another attack?" she asked.

Attack? Sam was confused, watching the two of them intently through the gap. Bruce got up, wiping off his pants. "Oh, um. Yeah, I did. But it was nothing," he assured her, still occasionally peeking in certain places.

"It's never nothing, Bruce. Why didn't you call someone?" Natasha was obviously concerned.

"Because somebody already came." He picked up Sam's gloves.

"Where are they now?"

Bruce straightened out the gloves in his hands. "That's what I'd like to know."

------------------------------------

The Doctor was very confused.

He had been in the TARDIS, parked, but before he and Clara could leave, a girl bumped into it. He was about to go out, check that the TARDIS was okay, when he heard shouting. He turned on the monitor to see a man with a gun pointing at the girl, and seemed to be threatening her. "Doctor what's happening?" Clara asked, coming beside the Time Lord to look at the monitor with him. She could tell he wasn't just concerned about the time machine anymore.

The girl held up her camera now, taking a very clear picture of the man in front of her. The Doctor's eyes widened as he saw her talking calmly. He continued to watch, and suddenly she was pointing at the clouds.

For a moment the Doctor just watched this spectacle, but as soon as the man dropped the gun he bolted out the door, Clara following him. "Hey! What's going on?" He stepped out of his time machine, sonic screwdriver in hand, as Clara popped her head out beside him.

Abby didn't know what to think of a man dressed in a velvet jacket with owl-like eyebrows coming out of a large blue police box.

"Are you alright?" the Doctor asked her, beaming a green light on her head with his sonic.

Abby backed away from him, curious as to why a grown man was probing her hair. "Just fine, thanks." She wiped her hands on her jeans. "Who are you?"

He tugged at the opening of his jacket, and Clara smirked at his classic gesture. "I'm the Doctor."

------------------------------------

Sam couldn't fathom the amount of dust she was inhaling in that closet. It mustn't have been opened in ages. She felt a tickle in her throat and bit down hard on her lip, trying to hold back a cough. It wasn't working.

Bruce was still talking with Natasha, clutching the bracelet in his hand. Sam prayed that they both would leave, for the sake of her respiratory system, but mostly because she didn't want to look like an idiot, falling out of the closet. Now it really wasn't working.

She clutched the shelf behind her, trying to silently clear her throat. No luck. She hacked out a cough, then quickly slapped a hand over her mouth.

Bruce's gaze fell upon the closet, and Natasha had a confused expression. "What was that?" she wondered cautiously, stepping toward the door Sam hid behind. She whipped it open, revealing a blushing red young girl, hand over her mouth, and a skeleton leaning on her. "Bruce," Natasha was clearly worried as she said this. "What have you done?"

------------------------------------

Abby could tell this "Doctor" was confused as she began untying her shoes. "Doctor who?" she asked.

"Doctor Disco!" he grinned to himself, receiving a weak jab in the ribs, courtesy of his companion. "And this is Clara," he added, baffled with what Abby was doing. "Who are you?" he asked.

At this point the black converse were off, and Abby was handing them to her new friend. Thomas looked at her in confusion. "Try them on," Abby said. "They should fit." At this, his expression became grateful, and he put the sneakers on. They were a bit snug, but still fit nicely enough.

"Abbygale Holmes," she said to the Doctor. "You can call me Abby. This is my friend, Thomas. We're pleased to meet you, Doctor. Right Thomas?" She turned her head to the man, and he nodded slowly, paying more attention to the feeling of new shoes again.

"Friend!?" the Doctor exclaimed, alarmed at this. "He just held you at gunpoint!" He raised his voice a bit; he was obviously in distress.

Abby simply said; "Yes, he did, and I forgive him. Although I've no idea how you knew that."

The Doctor stared at her, his bushy eyebrows furrowed together, and even Clara looked upset. Abby then shimmied around the two, walking around the box and stopping at the front. Frowning a bit in thought, her face suddenly dropped and she looked at the time on her phone. "Um, well, nice to meet you folks and all, but I'm late for work!" And just like that, Abby wearing only socks on her feet, ran off.

The Doctor and Clara looked at each other in complete and utter confusion, then raced after Abby, leaving Thomas to admire his new shoes.

------------------------------------

Bruce's face turned white as he stared at Sam, who still by the way, was in the closet. Natasha was helping her out of it, rubbing her back as if comforting her. This confused Sam, she hadn't been hurt, but Natasha was acting as if she had. As if Bruce had hurt her. "I'm fine, I'm fine." Sam protested.

"You aren't hurt anywhere?" Natasha wondered, looking up and down Sam's form.

"No." She glanced at Bruce, then down at her bracelet in his hand. "Nobody hurt me. I saw someone who needed help, and I helped. Simple as that."

Sam moved past Natasha and over to Bruce, who then handed her what she wanted. She looked at him for a second and fixed the fabric over his shoulders, smiling kindly up at him. "Until we meet again, Mr. Banner." She said awkwardly, turning around.

"Yes. Sure." Bruce stumbled over his words, shocked that she was taking everything so well.

Sam looked at Natasha quickly before exiting the room, waving at her as she stepped into the hallway.

---------------------------------------------

Abby was running, running so fast. She had always been quick, but had terrible endurance. It was thanks to this that the Doctor and Clara were able to catch up to her, but by then she was already inside the Boston Globe office building.

As Abby reached the security guards, she flashed them a smile, oblivious of the two time travelers behind her. "Wait!" one of the guards said to them.

"Oh, come on!" The Doctor whined, flipping his physic paper to them. The guard nodded with a bewildered look on his face, and at this the Doctor charged in. "Americans," he muttered under his breath, Clara chuckling at this.

However, once they got inside, the mysterious girl was out of sight.

------------------------------------

It didn't take long for Bruce to realize that he didn't want Sam to go. He was curious about her, why she hadn't been scared of him. His curiosity lead him to run after her. She was in the midst of throwing her hair back into a tiny ponytail when Bruce finally saw her again. They both stood awkwardly in the veggie section of the nearby market: the only market within walking distance from Sam's apartment.

"Hello again." Sam spoke in a low register for a reason she wasn't quite sure of.

"Yes, I followed you." Bruce said suddenly.

"I noticed." She nonchalantly placed a head of lettuce into her shopping basket. They both stayed quiet for an uncomfortably long time as Sam made her way down the rows of vegetables. Bruce stayed at a safe distance, but still moved along with her, not saying a word. "So, um ...are we just gonna stand in awkward silence, or are you gonna tell me why you're following me?" Sam piped up a moment later.

"Because I'm curious." Bruce stepped in front of her.

She moved aside and continued walking. "Curious about what, exactly?"

"You."

Sam jerked her head and looked at him, wondering why someone would be interested in her. Why someone would follow her around just to say they were curious.

"You're not scared of me." Bruce urged a bit.

"I have no reason to be." She furrowed her eyebrows as she said this. "You're not scary. You're ..." She paused. "Cute."

Bruce's cheeks turned pink and he tried to hide the fact that he was blushing.

"But look, I've gotta be going." Sam placed a pack of yoghurt into the basket; the last thing she needed to buy, then nudged Bruce on the arm, beginning to walk away.

"Where can I find you?" Bruce wondered, his cheeks still rather colourful.

"Just about anywhere." Sam winked, and then she was off.

------------------------------------

Abby trotted into the office after getting some shoes from the lost and found, sliding into her chair and turning her computer on. "You're running late," a voice said.

It was Josie, Abby's editor. Abby and Josie had a bit of a love-hate relationship, so she wasn't surprised when her boss came up to her desk with a smirk on her face.

"Yeah, I got held up." She actually meant "held up" as in with a gun, but Josie obviously didn't understand that.

"With what? Oh, never mind. You got a good crack today, there was a break-in at the Aberforth bank today, but nothing was taken and everyone that had been there are unconscious at the hospital."

Abby had chuckled slightly at the irony of the not-robbery, but then her eyes widened in surprise at the details of the witnesses. Josie glanced towards her office, then back at Abby.

"You should get going, see if you can interview some people that were nearby. This could be a good break for you, the only reason you got it is 'cause everyone else is busy." Abby grinned at this, then dashed out the door.

---------------------------------------------

"Who was that girl?" Clara asked.

"Abbygale Holmes, apparently," the Doctor answered.

They had left the building once she disappeared, and now were walking around aimlessly.

"You know what? Let's split up," Clara finally offered.

"What? No!" The Doctor said. He was worried about her; they were in a strange city and who knows what kind of people lived there.

"Why not? We can take more distance that way and find whatever it is we're looking for. The TARDIS obviously brought us here for a reason."

The Doctor scowled a bit as he thought it over. Maybe she was right, it would make this aimless searching faster. "Fine," he harrumphed, crossing his arms. Clara smiled, and the Doctor then pointed his finger at her. "But be careful," he warned. "The only reason I'm saying yes is because I don't see any immediate danger other than that gunman back there." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder in the direction they had come.

Clara started to walk away, but he wasn't done lecturing her. "Make sure to keep track of where you're going, so you don't get lost. And keep your phone on you! We'll meet back at the TARDIS in an hour," he added.

Then he started to cross the street grumbling; "At least you aren't wandering off without my permission."

------------------------------------

Sam was making her way back to the apartment rather quickly, step after step, she seemed to pick up speed. She was making a left around the block, right next to the building she had first met Bruce in when she slammed into someone accidentally.

She stumbled back, but a hand grabbed her arm, balancing her before she could fall. "Sorry, sorry." Sam said instinctively, looking into the eyes of the girl standing in front of her. They were chocolate coloured, matching her hair, a leather jacket covered her shoulders and a red and black dress cut off at her knees.

"That's alright, love." The girl's British accent intrigued Sam, making her want this person to say more.

"I uh... Um. It's. Thanks." She stumbled over her own words, suddenly hot in the face and losing grip on the shopping bags she held. Why was she acting like this?

"Are you alright?" The girl wondered, moving her head forward slightly so she could get a better look at Sam.

"Mmm." Sam's mouth muttered a sound that indicated she was fine. Of course, that's not what she wanted to say.

"I'm Clara Oswald." The girl said sweetly with a touch of boldness as well.

"S-S.." Sam cleared her throat, determined to pronounce her own name correctly. "Sam Watson."

Clara smiled, showing her gorgeous white teeth. Sam adored this for a reason she couldn't quite understand. In fact, she adored just about every single inch of Clara Oswald. Why was this? She didn't know.

"I'm uh. I should probably uh..." Sam pointed past Clara, trying hard to muster up another group of words.

"Get going?" She guessed, trying to help Sam along.

"Yeah, that."

Clara furrowed her eyebrows. Her perfectly neat eyebrows. "Why? I thought we was just getting acquainted."

That British voice sparked fire in Sam's heart and her entire body went hot, rather than just her face. "Well I mean I just need to..." She trailed off as their eyes met and Clara knew she'd been having some sort of effect on Sam. "put this stuff away." She finished her own sentence with relief, breaking the gaze that she and Clara shared.

"I'll tag along!" Clara insisted. "Lead the way, Miss Watson."

------------------------------------

As Abby made her way to the crime scene, she heard something soaring overhead, but she couldn't quite make out what it was. Couldn't have been a plane or a helicopter, no, this sounded different. She just couldn't put her finger on it.

That was when people in the crowd behind the police barrier started to gasp in excitement, pointing up into the sky. Abby looked up to see a flash of gold and red come crashing down to the ground, but then slow down and hover the rest of the way.

It was a suit, a suit made of metal. It was Iron Man.

To be honest, although she was acting unimpressed, Abby was secretly fangirling on the inside. Tony Stark was a brilliant man with a brilliant mind, and on top of that, he was a hero. She couldn't believe that he was standing right here in front of her, in his suit.

The crowd was gasping and cheering, as well as jumping and clapping.

Abby stepped forward towards the barrier, and started to reach for her camera to to snap a few pictures, when she remembered why she was there. The bank situation, all of the people in the hospital.

At this point Tony had already waved to the crowd, and was past the barrier talking to the police. Abby raised an eyebrow at this, and listened in.

"...so can I have a look?" Tony finished whatever he was saying. Abby's jaw dropped in surprise. Surely they weren't going to just let him in?

"Uh-um sure. I'll need an autograph though, my daughter loves you," the police officer responded, much to Abby's chagrin. The two men chuckled, and Abby sneered.

"Hold up, you can't just let him in like that!" Abby spoke up. "He has no authority, he doesn't even have a badge or anything!"

Tony and the cop turned to her, the Iron Man suit making a mechanical sound as it moved. Tony flipped up the mask to reveal his face and get a better look at Abby, the crowd very happy at this.

Ignoring the people around her and focusing on the hero, Abby was beginning to get quite peeved. She generally liked following rules, especially when she agreed with them, such as not letting the public into crime scenes.

"I like you, kid." Tony said. "Ya got moxie."

He looked at Abby's chest for a second, noticing her press badge and camera hanging around her neck.

"You've got a badge, why don't you come in with me. That okay Rob?" he asked the officer. Rob nodded with a smile, still starstruck.

This offer made the young reporter very conflicted.

On the one hand, she new rules were being broken, and she had always been disgusted with cheaters. On the other, this could get her really working on the case, nearly guaranteeing her a promotion. It took her a moment to decide, but Abby eventually -and reluctantly- swung her leg over the wooden barrier.

------------------------------------

Clara entered Sam's apartment, gazing at the paintings that were hung artistically on the walls as Sam set the groceries down on the kitchen table.

"I'm just gonna pop into the bathroom really quick and then we can chat it up, okay?" Sam was happy to have finally gotten a full coherent sentence out of her mouth though it wasn't really that clever.

"Okay, no rush." Clara smiled and leaned against the counter, her finger tapping her chin.

Sam shut the bathroom door behind her and locked it, looking at herself in the mirror. She immediately began critiquing herself, pulling out her ponytail, moving her hair a few different ways, and making sure her makeup looked even. Then she washed her hands after popping a breath mint into her mouth. "Looking good, Sam." She muttered to herself. "Let's make a good first impression."

------------------------------------

All the while, Clara was standing in the kitchen, intrigued with the amount of photos hung on the fridge with magnets. She laughed at the one of Sam with ice cream on her nose while she sat with her arm around someone strangely familiar. Clara leaned forward to get a closer look, staring intently at the girl beside Sam.

"Abbygale Holmes," she whispered, taking the picture off the fridge delicately. Her free hand found its way to her back pocket where she then grabbed her cellphone. Unlocking the screen, she dialed the number that she knew would ring the TARDIS phone.

"Clara! Where are you?" The Doctor wondered on the other end.

"I'm downtown, in an apartment." Clara said quietly.

"Why are you whispering?" He mimicked her soft tone. "Are you in danger?"

"No, I've just ...I think I've found where Abbygale Holmes lives." She glanced back at the picture, then quickly stuck it back onto the fridge as she heard Sam open the bathroom door. "Yeah! Sure, mum! I love you too, bye!" Clara hung up and smiled again, resting her chin on her knuckles she leaned on the counter once again.

"What was that all about?" Sam asked, opening the fridge for a refreshment.

"Oh, just my mum." Clara bit her lip, hoping Sam didn't find her suspicious.

She pulled out a bottle of water from the fridge and offered it to Clara, who shook her head politely, but took a seat at the kitchen table. Sam sat across from her, still oddly attracted to her appearance.

Clara cleared her throat and put her elbows on the table. "So, do you live here with anyone else?"

Sam picked at her fingernails, a nasty habit of hers. "Yeah, Abby. My best friend." She looked up at Clara. "Why?"

"Just curious." She answered, sitting back in her chair. "What's it like?"

Sam furrowed her eyebrows. "What's what like?"

"Living with your best friend."

She chuckled a bit at this, folding her hands for no particular reason, then she grinned. "I haven't been happier."

------------------------------------

Abby was having mixed emotions. Sure, she was honored to be in the presence of such a genius, but she had had no idea that the great Tony Stark was so arrogant!

"So, Boston Globe?" Tony asked, breaking Abby out of her thoughts. She glanced down at her badge and nodded. "Big time reporter, so my question is, why haven't you started taking pictures of me yet?"

So he was self-centered too. "Because I didn't come here for you," she answered with a snort. "I came for all the people in the hospital. Now, the real question is, what is a superhero like you doing in Boston?"

They entered the bank now, and began to look around.

"Well, there was nothing to do and I heard this was suspected alien. The sedative found in the victims is unrecognizable so far," Tony said.

Abby raised an eyebrow, both curious and excited. She snapped a few pictures, and then walked around a bit, noticing a thin, dust-like film covering most of the surfaces in the room. She ran her right pointer and middle fingers along a table, then inspected them. "Could it be this stuff?" she asked, sniffing her fingers. It smelled suspiciously like... maple sugar? She licked it to test, and her tongue immediately went numb. "Uh, yeah, itsth thisth sthuff," she giggled, her speech impedimented.

Tony turned and laughed. "Did you seriously just taste it?" He went over to Abby.

"Ylup," she snickered. Her smile grew even more as she realized something. "My fingerthips are going tingly!"

Tony, growing a bit concerned, wiped the sweet-smelling dust off her fingers. Abby had a grateful look on her face as the feeling started to diminish, well from her fingers anyhow. Her tongue was still numb, and now that she had touched the roof of her mouth with it that was also beginning to lose feeling.

"Here," Tony said. He had grabbed a water bottle and handed it to her. "Rinse, don't swallow." Abby did as told but then didn't know where to spit, so she walked away to look for a bathroom.

------------------------------------

The Doctor wandered aimlessly through the city, searching for his companion. He'd left her five voicemails after she hung up on him, to none of which she replied. He tried keeping calm, reassuring himself that Clara was fine. There was a bit of commotion coming from a block over, where a horde of people stood in front of the Aberforth bank. He made his way over with curiosity, tugging the dark jacket around him tighter.

"Out of the way, gotta get through," he said, squeezing through the crowd, but he froze when he saw what was inside. His eyes widened as he stared at the metal red and gold suit in front of him. "Cyberman. Since when have they been using colour? And hot rod red? Bloody hell." He muttered to himself, looking at the backside of Tony Stark through the bank window. When Tony turned, however, the Doctor's heart beats slowed to a normal pace again as he realized there was no imposing threat.

"Hey, I need to get in." The Doctor said to a guard that held him up at the entrance.

"You are not permitted to enter." The man kept a firm hand on the Doctor's shoulder.

He cleared his throat and pulled his psychic paper from the inner pocket of his jacket. "I think you'll find here, that I absolutely am."

The man took a step back with a shocked expression. "Oh. Oh, I'm so sorry sir. Please! Go in!"

The Doctor chuckled softly and mumbled, "I love it when they do that." He stepped inside, and walked up the the man in metal.

"Sir, where did you get that?" The man's face seemed normal, he was certainly human, or at least not a cyberman.

The first thing Tony noticed about him was his strange coat. "Why are you wearing that?" he guffawed.

The Doctor looked very insulted. "What? I was trying to go for minimalist," he said grumpily, slightly upset as he straightened it around his torso. "But nevermind that, where the hell did you get that armour?" He pointed at Tony when he referred to the Iron Man suit.

Tony was quite shocked. "What do you mean where did I get this? I made this!"

The Doctor was about to respond when someone bumped into him. The officer distracted him, and for some reason his gaze was drawn to the floor.

Everywhere people had walked, you could see very faint footprints left behind. They were walking in a thin layer of some sort of dust.

The Doctor noticed that this thick powdery substance was covering nearly everything in the room. Well, everything that had been here before the cops got in. Curious that this might be something he should find out more about, the Doctor reached out his hand to a countertop.

------------------------------------

Abby stepped out of the bathroom, the water bottle in hand. Rinsing didn't help much. She used her wrist to wipe some wet off the corner of her lips, when she realized she was drooling a bit. Scrunching her face up in disgust, Abby turned the corner to see a familiar face, the strange man with the magician's jacket.

"What is he doing here?" she asked herself.

Just then the Doctor did what Abby did earlier, he dragged his fingers through the stuff and smelled it, then held it up to his mouth. Tony noticed what he was going to do just in time.

------------------------------------

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, old man," he warned him.

"Why not?" the Doctor asked him. He seemed a bit annoyed with the man, yet also concerned.

"'Cause that reporter girl just did it and her tongue went numb." Sure enough, the Doctor's fingers had started to lose feeling. Furrowing his eyebrows, he wiped them off on his pants, just in time it seemed.

"I don't know why she did that though, peculiar young woman. She seems to love the rules too." At this point Tony had taken a sample of the dust. "Anything yet Jarvis?"

"Not yet sir," a voice replied. The Doctor had no idea where it came from and wished to investigate this man further, but for now he had a strange feeling that he should consider this girl he mentioned.

"Where is she now?" the Doctor asked.

"Well, she went to the ladies' room to rinse out her mouth... should've been back by now."

------------------------------------

Abby had become overwhelmed, partly from the growing crowd of law enforcement. She didn't like being in crowds, as it made her claustrophobic. It was strange though, as when she was in a group of friends or alone in a small space she was fine. It was too many strangers that made her nervous. She had taken to calling it "coagulation anxiety."

That and seeing the Doctor again. She feared that he was following her for some reason, as it wouldn't have been the first time she knew someone with a stalker-ish vibe.

Even though this was what she was thinking logically, something else was telling her that it just wasn't time to see him yet. She needed someone else to help with the report anyhow, this wasn't exactly a one-woman job.

But for now, she headed back to the apartment, deciding to take a different alley than this morning.

((A/N: So that was the first chapter of many! You can find the WIP Master list here, with a link as well to the story on Wattpad. And don’t worry, John and Sherlock are going to show up in a few chapters. I hope you enjoyed!))

1 note · View note