Doctor Who_ Placebo Effect Part 32

'Follow me.'

She followed him, as requested, and before long found herself back in the kitchen. Galley. Whatever.

Still sitting on top of the microwave was the stuffed Meep toy. For a moment she considered chucking it out of the door, but it reminded her of poor brave Gar. And Consort Ethelredd and Counsellor De'Ath, their cynical exteriors hiding warm hearts. And a bittersweet pang for Kyle, and how much he never understood how wrong toys like this could be.

'You can stay. Until my conscience p.r.i.c.ks my sentimentality,' she muttered to the toy. 'But don't tell anyone I said so, OK?'

Unsurprisingly, the toy did not reply.

The Doctor then tapped her on the shoulder.

'Care to explain how there is a planet hovering in my kitchen?'

She laughed and pressed the door switch on the microwave. Immediately it sprang open, and the hologram flew out. Then the image of Earth pixelated and exploded, the TARDIS absorbing every holographic particle. 'Whoops.

Sorry,' Sam said. 'Still, if you rewired this time machine of your now and again...'

"The TARDIS, as well you know, has self-repairing circuits.'

'Anyone told her that, then?'

There was a notable rise in the pitch of the TARDIS hum. The Doctor c.o.c.ked his head for a moment, as if listening.

'I see... Oh, all right, I am sorry.' He glanced over to Sam. 'You two are ganging up on me, you know. I won't stand for it.' He turned away in mock annoyance and headed back to the console room.

Sam waited a few minutes, then sauntered after him.

As she entered, her attention was caught by the holographic Earth once again back where it belonged, spread across the ceiling.

'A... little bird tells me you Ve been thinking about going home, Sam.

Seeing your parents.' The Doctor didn't look at her, just kept staring up at Earth.

Sam shot a filthy look, the most evil one she could muster, at the TARDIS console, then walked up behind the Doctor and rested her chin on his shoulder, standing on tiptoe to do so. 'For "little bird" read "stool pigeon".

And, yeah, I have been thinking about it. Just a quick h.e.l.lo and an explanation, face to face. But not to stay.'

The Doctor eased himself away and then turned. And smiled. That toothy grin, those grey-blue-green eyes... a thousand-odd-year-old acting like a toddler, wanting his own way again.

'But,' Sam said firmly - perhaps to herself as much as the Doctor - 'not yet.

I'm going to write them another postcard tonight and maybe we could drop it off soon. But I'm still not quite ready for Sh.o.r.editch, rain, grime and the Jubilee line extension at the moment. Maybe we could go back for the Millennium and see them then?'

'London. Midnight. 1999. Yes, I think we could manage that. London will be very safe that night, I've made sure of that. A few times, come to think of it.'

The Doctor turned off the hologram of Earth. 'Kolpasha, then?'

'Do they do good vegetarian dishes there?'

'Naturally. Why do you think I recommended it to Stacy and Ssard?'

Sam stroked the TARDIS console. The last couple of years had been...

interesting, there was no getting away from that. But right now, this was, well, home. 'And that is where my heart is,' she murmured.

'What's that?'

'Oh, nothing. Just thinking aloud.' Sam tapped into the TARDIS databank.

'Kolpasha. Fas.h.i.+on capital of the Federation,' she read. 'Well... better find something suitable to wear!'

Smiling, she headed off to her room, and within a few seconds, she could hear the usual wheezing and groaning noises reverberating through the walls as the TARDIS faded away from Micawber's World.

Kyle Dale sat on his bed, staring at the object he had found propped up against his door.

He traced the outline with his finger, letting a tear drop from his cheek on to it.

He reread the simple message that accompanied it, on a tiny sc.r.a.p of paper, written, by hand, in cla.s.sical script. A beautiful work of art in itself.

Never forget her.

'As if, Doctor.' Kyle kissed the object and placed it beside his bible.

It was a gra.s.s sculpture of Samantha Jones.

Well, it was a kind of immortality.

Watch out for Doctor Who on Video!

The following exciting adventures are currently available from BBC

Worldwide:

THE LEISURE HIVE starring Tom Baker THE AWAKENING/FRONTIOS starring Peter Davison THE WAR MACHINES starring William Hartnell THE HAPPINESS PATROL starring Sylvester McCoy THE E-s.p.a.cE TRILOGY starring Tom Baker TIMELASH starring Colin Baker BATTLEFIELD starring Sylvester McCoy THE MIND OF EVIL. starring Jon Pertwee HORROR OF FANG ROCK starring Tom Baker Coming soon...

PLANET OF FIRE starring Peter Davison THE ARK starring William Hartnell THE ICE WARRIORS starring Patrick Troughton