Fic: Circles (Prompt Fill #7)
Apr. 19th, 2012 01:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thisbluespiritAnother prompt ficlet (or actual fic, I suppose, flimsy as it is).
From![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
belantana: Nat and Tilly are stuck in a closet (up to you whether this is before or after they're married!) I assumed from this that at least some mild Nat/Tillyness was required… (Nat and Tilly being my 1980s UNIT OCs from a scarily epic series of Doctor Who fanfics I did a while back. There aren't any particular spoilers here, but I'm not sure it would make sense to anyone who hasn't read at least one of those. Sorry.)
Title: Circles
Author:lost_spook
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 1261
Characters/Pairings: Nat Webber, Tilly Holmes, Sergeant Kennedy (1980s UNIT Ocs).
Notes/Warnings: None.
Summary: It’s just another day at UNIT HQ. There’s an alien visitor and Nat and Tilly find themselves locked in the cupboard – over and over again.
***
“Now what?” Nat murmured in Tilly’s ear.
Tilly shifted position; he could feel the movement of her skirts against him, even before she gripped his arm. There wasn’t much space in the store cupboard. “Knock on the door.”
“Seriously,” he said, keeping his tone low. Why they were now shut in the cupboard in the lab was a very good question, and the best answer he had as yet was that it was merely another day at UNIT HQ. A man who had looked mostly human but with a distinct bluish tone to his skin had turned up and ordered them in there at gunpoint, and then locked them in. More than that, Nat couldn’t say without further evidence. “Any ideas?”
“No, I mean it, Nat. I heard the Sergeant.”
“But that’s impossible,” said Nat. “There hasn’t been time -” He stopped on hearing Kennedy’s voice from the lab, evidently wondering where the two of them had got to since he left. “How -? Tilly?”
Tilly rapped on the inside of the door as loudly as she could manage.
Sergeant Kennedy pulled it open, temporarily blinding them with the light. “What are you two doing? I don’t know, I leave the room for one minute and when I come back you’ve locked yourselves in the cupboard?”
“As it turns out, yes,” said Nat, emerging into the room, Tilly behind him. “Except we -”
*
“- didn’t lock ourselves in.”
Tilly stopped. “Oh.”
They were back inside the cupboard again. Nat blinked. “Okay, this is weird. More than usual.”
“Yes.” Tilly knocked on the door again, harder this time.
The Sergeant pulled it open, stared back at them and then raised his eyebrows. “What are you two doing -?”
*
“It’s something to do with time,” said Nat, as they found themselves shut in the dark again. He moved position, being between a broom handle and a box. “We didn’t get back in here – we never left. And I suppose that’s how our friend turned up out of nowhere, and got away before Kennedy came back.”
Tilly said nothing.
He turned his head, but it was impossible to read her expression at that angle, and in this gloom. “Don’t panic.”
“I’m not,” she said. “But Nat – why?”
“It did something,” he said, firmly. “Whoever or whatever it was that put us in here. It’s got nothing to do with you. If this sort of thing kept happening, maybe, but it doesn’t, does it?”
Tilly sighed. “So, how do we get out? We didn’t even have as long to try and explain to the Sergeant that time.”
“I don’t know,” said Nat, but he thought about it. The only thing he could think of was to try doing something different, something to disrupt or break the worryingly small circle of events they seemed to have become trapped within. “Knock again.”
She shrugged, and did as he asked.
Before anyone could open the door, Nat caught hold of her arm, and then he kissed her, taking her by surprise.
“What are you doing in -?” Kennedy halted midway through the sentence, and then said, wearily, “Never mind. Look, I leave you for one minute and -”
Tilly hurried out, past him. “Yes, yes,” she said. “So you keep saying!” Then she swung around with a glare for Nat.
“It was the only thing I could think of,” he said, before she could complain. “Anyway, Matilda, we are married after all, so even you -”
“That doesn’t mean we should kiss in the closet in the lab!”
“No,” agreed Nat, with a grin. “It does sound less reasonable when you put it that way. Anyway, quick, before it happens again. There must be something causing this – something that it left here, maybe. Kennedy, help us – look for anything that seems odd -”
“Odder than you two?” said the Sergeant.
Tilly looked along the bench, and then frowned. “But what exactly are we -?”
*
“- looking for?” She slumped back against the shelves.
Nat looked at her. “I thought we’d done it, then.”
“With a kiss?”
He leant forward, towards her. “There’s no need to sound so revolted by the idea, thank you, Matilda. By changing something – breaking the loop, that’s all.”
“Well, try something else next time,” said Tilly. “It isn’t right, not in front of the Sergeant. And I hit my head on a bracket.”
Nat pulled a face at her that was wasted in the darkness. “I’m sorry, then. But the point is how do we get out of this?”
“Nat, is it us?” she asked, suddenly.
He turned. “I thought I said just now -”
“No, I mean, is whatever it is on us somehow – not in the lab? Because it’s only us going round and round, isn’t it? The Sergeant doesn’t know he’s asked the same thing over and over, but we do. And I can’t – I don’t think I can remember what it did any more.”
Nat stopped. What had happened after the person or alien, whatever it had been, was very unclear for him, too. She had a point. He frowned, and slid his hands into both front pockets of his lab coat, and then looked at her. “Tilly. I think I’ve got something, but I can’t see -”
“Knock on the door, then,” she said.
He leant towards her instead. “We still need to do something to disrupt the cycle – we’ll need the extra time again.”
*
Sergeant Kennedy turned towards the sound of the knocking, and paused on identifying the store cupboard as the source, unlikely as that seemed. He moved over cautiously, and pulled the door open. As soon as he did, UNIT’s scientific advisor and his assistant leapt out and yelled at him.
“What the -?” He stared. “What? Have you two lost it? I don’t know, I leave the room for one minute… And I’m armed; I could bloody well have shot you -”
They failed to answer him, or seem to register he had spoken, Nat pulling out a clear globe from his pocket, and both of them closing in together, examining it. Tilly then took it from him, and placed it carefully on the floor. Then she glanced up at Nat.
“I don’t know,” he said, in answer to her unspoken question. “We’d better have a proper look at it.”
“I am still here,” said the Sergeant, “but don’t worry. Ignore me. Fine.” He followed along the general gist somewhat belatedly and became wary. “Look, what is that? Do I need to tell the Colonel?”
Tilly chewed her lip in response, then looked down again, and stamped on it as hard as she could.
*
There was a small explosion, and a bright flare of light. Nat grabbed at Tilly instinctively, blinking as it faded, leaving behind only the fragments of the globe on the floor. “That,” he said in her ear, “wasn’t very scientific! Tilly!”
“There wasn’t time,” she said, not looking at him, but pressing into his hold, not moving away. “What would have happened if we’d ended up in the cupboard then, with it outside?”
Nat closed his eyes. “I don’t know, but even so... You could have killed yourself! You could have killed us all!”
Kennedy coughed behind them. “Either of you want to explain?”
“Yes, sorry,” said Nat, vaguely, turning. “Er. There was an alien. I suppose you’d better get people out looking for him – it – whatever.”
Kennedy paused. “Next time,” he said, “either I’m not leaving the room, or I’m not coming back in again.”
***
From
belantana: Nat and Tilly are stuck in a closet (up to you whether this is before or after they're married!) I assumed from this that at least some mild Nat/Tillyness was required… (Nat and Tilly being my 1980s UNIT OCs from a scarily epic series of Doctor Who fanfics I did a while back. There aren't any particular spoilers here, but I'm not sure it would make sense to anyone who hasn't read at least one of those. Sorry.)Title: Circles
Author:
lost_spookRating: All ages
Word Count: 1261
Characters/Pairings: Nat Webber, Tilly Holmes, Sergeant Kennedy (1980s UNIT Ocs).
Notes/Warnings: None.
Summary: It’s just another day at UNIT HQ. There’s an alien visitor and Nat and Tilly find themselves locked in the cupboard – over and over again.
***
“Now what?” Nat murmured in Tilly’s ear.
Tilly shifted position; he could feel the movement of her skirts against him, even before she gripped his arm. There wasn’t much space in the store cupboard. “Knock on the door.”
“Seriously,” he said, keeping his tone low. Why they were now shut in the cupboard in the lab was a very good question, and the best answer he had as yet was that it was merely another day at UNIT HQ. A man who had looked mostly human but with a distinct bluish tone to his skin had turned up and ordered them in there at gunpoint, and then locked them in. More than that, Nat couldn’t say without further evidence. “Any ideas?”
“No, I mean it, Nat. I heard the Sergeant.”
“But that’s impossible,” said Nat. “There hasn’t been time -” He stopped on hearing Kennedy’s voice from the lab, evidently wondering where the two of them had got to since he left. “How -? Tilly?”
Tilly rapped on the inside of the door as loudly as she could manage.
Sergeant Kennedy pulled it open, temporarily blinding them with the light. “What are you two doing? I don’t know, I leave the room for one minute and when I come back you’ve locked yourselves in the cupboard?”
“As it turns out, yes,” said Nat, emerging into the room, Tilly behind him. “Except we -”
*
“- didn’t lock ourselves in.”
Tilly stopped. “Oh.”
They were back inside the cupboard again. Nat blinked. “Okay, this is weird. More than usual.”
“Yes.” Tilly knocked on the door again, harder this time.
The Sergeant pulled it open, stared back at them and then raised his eyebrows. “What are you two doing -?”
*
“It’s something to do with time,” said Nat, as they found themselves shut in the dark again. He moved position, being between a broom handle and a box. “We didn’t get back in here – we never left. And I suppose that’s how our friend turned up out of nowhere, and got away before Kennedy came back.”
Tilly said nothing.
He turned his head, but it was impossible to read her expression at that angle, and in this gloom. “Don’t panic.”
“I’m not,” she said. “But Nat – why?”
“It did something,” he said, firmly. “Whoever or whatever it was that put us in here. It’s got nothing to do with you. If this sort of thing kept happening, maybe, but it doesn’t, does it?”
Tilly sighed. “So, how do we get out? We didn’t even have as long to try and explain to the Sergeant that time.”
“I don’t know,” said Nat, but he thought about it. The only thing he could think of was to try doing something different, something to disrupt or break the worryingly small circle of events they seemed to have become trapped within. “Knock again.”
She shrugged, and did as he asked.
Before anyone could open the door, Nat caught hold of her arm, and then he kissed her, taking her by surprise.
“What are you doing in -?” Kennedy halted midway through the sentence, and then said, wearily, “Never mind. Look, I leave you for one minute and -”
Tilly hurried out, past him. “Yes, yes,” she said. “So you keep saying!” Then she swung around with a glare for Nat.
“It was the only thing I could think of,” he said, before she could complain. “Anyway, Matilda, we are married after all, so even you -”
“That doesn’t mean we should kiss in the closet in the lab!”
“No,” agreed Nat, with a grin. “It does sound less reasonable when you put it that way. Anyway, quick, before it happens again. There must be something causing this – something that it left here, maybe. Kennedy, help us – look for anything that seems odd -”
“Odder than you two?” said the Sergeant.
Tilly looked along the bench, and then frowned. “But what exactly are we -?”
*
“- looking for?” She slumped back against the shelves.
Nat looked at her. “I thought we’d done it, then.”
“With a kiss?”
He leant forward, towards her. “There’s no need to sound so revolted by the idea, thank you, Matilda. By changing something – breaking the loop, that’s all.”
“Well, try something else next time,” said Tilly. “It isn’t right, not in front of the Sergeant. And I hit my head on a bracket.”
Nat pulled a face at her that was wasted in the darkness. “I’m sorry, then. But the point is how do we get out of this?”
“Nat, is it us?” she asked, suddenly.
He turned. “I thought I said just now -”
“No, I mean, is whatever it is on us somehow – not in the lab? Because it’s only us going round and round, isn’t it? The Sergeant doesn’t know he’s asked the same thing over and over, but we do. And I can’t – I don’t think I can remember what it did any more.”
Nat stopped. What had happened after the person or alien, whatever it had been, was very unclear for him, too. She had a point. He frowned, and slid his hands into both front pockets of his lab coat, and then looked at her. “Tilly. I think I’ve got something, but I can’t see -”
“Knock on the door, then,” she said.
He leant towards her instead. “We still need to do something to disrupt the cycle – we’ll need the extra time again.”
*
Sergeant Kennedy turned towards the sound of the knocking, and paused on identifying the store cupboard as the source, unlikely as that seemed. He moved over cautiously, and pulled the door open. As soon as he did, UNIT’s scientific advisor and his assistant leapt out and yelled at him.
“What the -?” He stared. “What? Have you two lost it? I don’t know, I leave the room for one minute… And I’m armed; I could bloody well have shot you -”
They failed to answer him, or seem to register he had spoken, Nat pulling out a clear globe from his pocket, and both of them closing in together, examining it. Tilly then took it from him, and placed it carefully on the floor. Then she glanced up at Nat.
“I don’t know,” he said, in answer to her unspoken question. “We’d better have a proper look at it.”
“I am still here,” said the Sergeant, “but don’t worry. Ignore me. Fine.” He followed along the general gist somewhat belatedly and became wary. “Look, what is that? Do I need to tell the Colonel?”
Tilly chewed her lip in response, then looked down again, and stamped on it as hard as she could.
*
There was a small explosion, and a bright flare of light. Nat grabbed at Tilly instinctively, blinking as it faded, leaving behind only the fragments of the globe on the floor. “That,” he said in her ear, “wasn’t very scientific! Tilly!”
“There wasn’t time,” she said, not looking at him, but pressing into his hold, not moving away. “What would have happened if we’d ended up in the cupboard then, with it outside?”
Nat closed his eyes. “I don’t know, but even so... You could have killed yourself! You could have killed us all!”
Kennedy coughed behind them. “Either of you want to explain?”
“Yes, sorry,” said Nat, vaguely, turning. “Er. There was an alien. I suppose you’d better get people out looking for him – it – whatever.”
Kennedy paused. “Next time,” he said, “either I’m not leaving the room, or I’m not coming back in again.”
***
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no subject
Date: 2012-04-19 02:37 pm (UTC)You post this the very day (possibly the very hour) I come back to LJ?? YOU ARE PSYCHIC AREN'T YOU.
My dear I love this I love it! It's totally not what I imagined at all (I would've been delighted with just the first part, or indeed any of the parts), NOT ONLY are Nat and Tilly stuck in a closet but ALSO there are aliens and ALSO there is plot and ALSO Tilly saves the day and ALSO ALSO ALSO they kiss.
I didn't realise how much I missed these two until I met them again. And I don't know if this is just me being 3 weeks behind but wow have you ever got your fic writing powers back, I hope writing something this long and fabulous doesn't mean you have to do nothing for a week!
Thank youuuuu for writing my prompt!
no subject
Date: 2012-04-19 08:23 pm (UTC)I'm not psychic, I just have scary magic powers. I decided you would come back to LJ whenever I finally posted it, and YOU DID. (Or you are psychic, of course.) Sadly, I can't use them on purpose. But it worked when I decided Jury Service would be a way out of work, and also when I decided that 2011 would see the return of some missing DW episodes. I hope it wasn't inconvenient for you? ;-D
I typed it up a while ago, nearly 2 weeks, I think, and was doing pretty well, until I got carried away last week reading Crime and Punishment. (It was the Russians.)
And, since I had been thinking about Nat and Tilly still and doing some scribbling with them while I've been ill, I didn't think it had been that long since I'd written them, but I seem to have leapt on the prompt like a person who only at that moment realised she was hungry. :lol: Other people's characters are just not as satisfactory to write as your own. So, thank you.
Other things that have happened... Er. Not much. I think. But there was fic, yes. I have posted all that was written now, though.
And Special Branch - I will tell you about that sometime, not because I think you should watch it, but because 1969 SPIES. (I mean, it must count as research for Spooks-related things, right?)
I trust you are okay? It is nice to see you - and, clearly, one of us at least has perfect timing!! :-)
no subject
Date: 2012-04-22 03:39 am (UTC)Damn those Russians! Never to be trusted, especially in book form. Oh hey, I hope you had a nice Easter too! I somehow managed to eat absolutely no chocolate but I had a lovely time nevertheless.
I'm glad Nat and Tilly were fun to write again. And I'm sure this isn't the last of them either, yes? :D :D
no subject
Date: 2012-04-22 07:35 pm (UTC)No, hopefully there is still a bit more proper Nat and Tilly to come - I had half a chapter of the missing fic typed up before I was ill last Jan (and the whole thing is written out in rough, so it exists). Hopefully, I don't know.
Crime and Punishment was apparently a marvellous thing I did not know I needed in my life, for various reasons that would only make me sound like a crazy person to go into, but anyway.
no subject
Date: 2012-04-19 02:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-19 08:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-19 03:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-19 08:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-20 05:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-19 09:07 pm (UTC)...and Sgt Kennedy too, obviously! ;D
Very nice indeed - I always like the way you capture all of your OCs' voices very distinctively, especially Tilly's, or so it seems to me.
no subject
Date: 2012-04-20 05:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-20 09:37 pm (UTC)My only complaint is this was much too brief, of course - I love "groundhog day" type time loopy things, this was such fun.
no subject
Date: 2012-04-21 03:56 pm (UTC)