Let's Talk about Men, by Matthew Clarke (my fan fiction)

Another story about Morgaine's perpetual imprisonment after Battlefield.

Madeleine Issigri is from the Troughton story, The Space Pirates



Ganymede Correctional Facility 2192

Morgaine turned to her cellmate, Madeleine. "Was there ever a man in your life?" she asked her.

"I had a couple of serious relationships. I was in love with a naval officer when I was in my twenties. He was nice, but a bit of an idiot. Then I fell for a lawyer when I was a bit older. He turned out to be a selfish bastard. I devoted so much of my life to building up the company that I never had much time for relationships. I dare say some of the men I met thought I was a selfish bitch."

Morgaine smiled. "Do you hope to find a husband after you have served your sentence?"

Madeleine looked thoughtful before answering. "I suppose it might be nice. Perhaps it's a bit late to become a mother, but not impossible. I'm really not altogether sure what to do when I'm free. I just hope any decent chaps won't be put off a woman who has done time in the clink."

"They would be fools if they were," said Morgaine.

"Have you ever been married?" asked Madeleine.

"No, but I have had many lovers in my life. I have won the hearts of kings, princes and many knights. I have also slept with the Lords of the Elder Folk that you would call fairies. I have even given my body up to demons and enjoyed their forbidden and terrible pleasures."

Madeleine shuddered. "I imagine making love to fairies might be nice, but I don't like the sound of sleeping with demons."

"They are not gentle lovers, though they can give pleasure of a kind," explained Morgaine. "None of the men I have loved can ever compare to my brother Arthur, by whom I bore my son Mordred."

"Sorry? You had a son with your brother?"

Morgaine raised an eyebrow, as if surprised by Madeleine's shock. "He was my half-brother. Arthur's mother was mortal, my mother was a fairy woman."

"No, that is still weird," insisted Madeleine.

"The ways of my world are not like yours," said Morgaine in protest.

"Just a bit too weird," said Madeleine. "I still think your the cutest girl in this place though."

Girls' Day Out, by Matthew Clarke (my fan fiction)

In Tears in Paradise, I brought Venussa from The Ark into the TARDIS crew with the Second Doctor, John and Gillian.

I think it is about time Gillian wore something other than that yellow turtleneck pullover!



The planet Isis, 2880

The Doctor and John had gone to the spaceport. John was a 14 year old boy and the Doctor was a boy at heart. Neither of them liked anything more than spending the day looking at spaceships.

Venussa and Gillian were free to spend the day shopping without two bored males dragging their feet behind them.

Isis Central Plaza was the largest shopping centre in the Earth Empire, a vast complex the size of a town, or perhaps even a small city. Its malls and terraces were linked by interior monorails. While one could buy almost anything at Isis Central Plaza, as with most shopping centre, it was really all about fashion, with every high street fashion retailer in the empire having at least one store in the plaza. The terraces were thronged with shoppers from across human space, with even a few non-humans browsing the stores.

It was warm weather outside, but deliciously cool inside the plaza. Gillian wore a purple top and leggings, with ballet pumps. Venussa wore a pink blouse and denim skirt, with flip flops. Neither of them were quite sure if their clothes were in fashion in this period, but that was usually the problem they had.

As Venussa browsed the stores, she was amazed at the variety in clothing. Until she travelled on the TARDIS, she had always worn the simple tunics and sandals of the Guardians. On the Ark, her people had obtained their clothing from dispenser machines. On Refusis, they had started making clothing by hand, but still kept to the same style as ever. Venussa bought a few things for herself, but mostly she did not care for the attire she saw in the shops.

In contrast to Venussa, Gillian had three shopping bags from different stores by mid-morning. Venussa was surprised that Gillian felt the need to buy so much clothing. The TARDIS wardrobe was so vast and new outfits mysteriously appeared on its racks occasionally. Perhaps her shopping spree was motivated by a desperate desire to live as a normal person and not a traveller in time and space.

Venussa loved Gillian like a sister, but she could not help but think of the girl as a spoilt child. She seemed very good at always getting her own way with her grandfather and lacked discipline. Venussa did not want to ruin her friendship with Gillian, but she definitely needed to talk to the Doctor about the teenage girl's attitude. Venussa's own upbringing had been harsh. Her childhood had been spent as a slave to the Monoids. With whole families crowded into the Security Kitchen to work, eat and sleep, children were given short shrift. She wondered if perhaps she should not begrudge Gillian her care-free childhood. The girl had certainly had to face plenty of danger from Trods, Kleptons, Quarks and Daleks.

By the middle of the day, Venussa and Gillian were in need of a well earned lunch and they retired to one of the many cafes in the plaza. Venussa found it difficult to identify a lot of the dishes on the menu, but she tucked into a plate of synthetic meat, vegetables and some sort of grain. According to Gillian, the grain was called couscous.

Over the meal, they talked about a number of things, Refusis, Earth, Cybermen and Gillian's encounter with the Pied Piper. Venussa asked a question she had been meaning to ask for a while.

"I don't understand how your grandfather could have become so different to how he was when I first met him. I know he is the same man, because he remembers me perfectly and travels in the same blue box, but he seems like a completely different person."

Gilian smiled. It was just as difficult for her to get used to her grandfather becoming a different person. She had not actually been there when the change took place. Nevertheless, she very much liked the new Doctor's calmer temper and more easy-going attitude.

"Perhaps you have gathered that my grandfather is not human. He is a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. He likes to be mysterious, so he probably wouldn't tell you that himself," explained Gillian.

Venussa had indeed suspected that the mysterious traveller was something other than human.

"Time Lords change," continued Gillian. "When they get very old, like grandfather, or if they are seriously hurt, their bodies regenerate and take on a new form."

"Can they choose the new form?" asked Venussa.

"Generally not," replied Gillian. "Though I have heard some of the younger Time Lords are getting better at regeneration and can make choices about when and how they change."

Venussa could not help wondering about Gillian herself.

"So will you change one day, Gillian?"

"I will, and to be honest, I'm terrified of it. It's like I am going to die and be reborn as somebody else," she replied with a shudder.

"That does sound scary," said Venussa.

"Grandfather has talked to me about it, to help me prepare, but it is still going to happen whether I like it or not. Perhaps if I went to study on Gallifrey, I might be able to learn to control it like some of the young Time Lords have managed to do."

"It must still be exciting to change. I mean all of us grow up and get old anyway, so even if you weren't a Time Lord you would change. On the Ark, my people got too used to everything being the same," mused Venussa.

"I suppose so," said Gillian. "Perhaps when I regenerate, I might be black. I quite like the idea of being like an African princess. Or perhaps I will end up being a redhead like my brother."

"Your brother has lovely red hair," said Venussa. There was still another question she wanted to ask.

"Do Time Lords get married?"

"It's hard to explain about that," replied Gillian. "Time Lord things are always complicated. I was born on Earth, so I'm not really an expert. Grandfather got married a long time ago. He would hate me telling you that. He hates people knowing about his past. Most Time Lords don't marry. I have no idea whether I will ever get married."

"Being married is so wonderful, Gillian. It's beautiful belonging to somebody else and having somebody else belong to you. It can be hard though. Dassuk and I had some painful times together and losing him was even more painful," said Venussa. She had no idea whether somebody as alien as Gillian could relate to this. Outwardly, Gillian seemed so human, yet inside she had to be utterly different. Venussa could not begin to imagine what kind of a life the teenager had before her.

Somehow the conversation moved on to lighter topics; clothes, space travel and the wonders of Fairyland. The two young women decided to go to the Central Plaza's enormous cinema. The day was theirs to enjoy.

Blasting Monsters, by Matthew Clarke (my fan fiction)

Venussa gets to do her Ripley turn!

I introduced Venussa(played by Eileen Helsby) from The Ark into the TARDIS with the Second Doctor, John and Gillian in Tears in Paradise. The Molgs are my creation.


Venussa made her way warily through the dimly lit tunnels of the Molg hiveship. Occasionally she would have to shoot down the Molgs that barred her way. The blaster was heavy in her hands. It was an ugly and brutal weapon, but she was glad that the Doctor had provided her with it.

The Doctor had gone to the nerve centre of the hive ship in order to put it out of action. He had entrusted Venussa with the task of rescuing John and Gillian from the Molgs before it was too late. 'What a responsibility,' she thought to herself.

Venussa's arms and legs had become covered in slime. Some of it was from the tunnel walls, and some of it was from the Molgs she had blasted. She wore only a sleeveless top and denim shorts, with sandals on her feet. The Doctor had suggested she might do better to wear more substantial clothing, but she had grown up wearing the minimalist tunics of the Guardian women. Just a week ago, the Doctor had taken her to some period in Earth's past where he had made her wear some horribly restrictive clothing. She had never imagined that her ancestors could have worn so many layers! She had noticed John seemed less uncomfortable around her when she was dressed like that. Poor boy. If only he knew what it was like living in the Security Kitchen, with both men and women doing their business with just a curtain to keep up a pretence of privacy. He would have learned not to blush in the Security Kitchen!

Forget the slime. She had a job to do. She had to get to John and Gillian fast. She had seen the gruesome remains of beings that had been harvested by the Molgs.

She had known John and Gillian for barely a month, but already they felt like a little brother and sister. John felt shy and awkward with her, but she knew he liked her. Gillian had become an affectionate sister to her. Gillian had spent so long in the company of her brother and grandfather that it was a great relief to talk to have female company in the TARDIS. The thought that the pair of them were in danger was unbearable.

Venussa knew about monsters. She had spent the first twenty years of her life as a slave to the brutal Monoids. However, there had always been a half-heartedness to the Monoids' tyranny. When the shooting started, they turned out not to have much stomach for violence and they gave in. These Molgs were an altogether more terrifying and vile adversary.

She came to a junction in the tunnel. She checked the device that was leading her to John and Gillian's biotraces. Just as she returned the device to her belt, a Molg jumped from the ceiling, shoving her toward the wall with its spider-like limbs. It moved its octopus-like head towards her, tentacles reaching for her face. Her blaster had been sent crashing to the floor. Grabbing the knife at her belt, she slammed it with all her might into one of the creature's eyes. Gurgling, it fell back. Seizing her chance, Venussa grabbed the blaster and fired. An explosion of slime told her she was not going to be wearing this outfit again.

She gunned down several more Molgs that approached her from the tunnel. She was surprised by how few they were; the Doctor must have been keeping them busy with his sabotage efforts. She kept here strange wailing noises. Was it some kind of alarm?

Finally, the bleep of her scanner became louder. She had reached her quarry. In a small chamber, she found John and Gillian, unconscious and bound with slimy webbing. She checked their biosigns with her scanner. They were alive.

She gave Gillian a kiss on the forehead and freed her with her knife. She did the same for John. The two teenagers struggled to rise to their feet. "Are we still on the hive ship?" mumbled John as he woke.

"Yes, we are," snapped Venussa. "We need to get out of here and back to the TARDIS. Try to walk on your own, but if you can't, lean on me."

John and Gillian were a little unsteady on their feet, but they managed to walk unaided.

The Doctor suddenly appeared. "Well done, Venussa, I knew I could rely on you," he said.

"How did the sabotage go, Doctor?" Venussa asked.

"Splendidly. I've sent their biomass-processor into overdrive. Eventually, it will become unstable and cause the hiveship to break down. The Molgs will mostly be occupied with trying to sort it out. If they succeed in repairing it, I very much doubt the ship will be fit for carrying out any invasions. It's time to go, Venussa," he explained.

The Doctor had triumphed over the monsters once again and Venussa had been a part of it. It had been terrifying, but it felt right. The Doctor had saved her people, now she was helping him to save others. In all her time as a slave, as a childless and frustrated wife and as a grieving widow, she had never imagined a career shooting down monsters and fighting them with knives. What a strange new path she had engaged on with her wonderful new family.

Isobel and the Rani, by Matthew Clarke (my fan fiction)

This story answers the question of how the Rani knew about Mel in Time and the Rani.

Isobel Watkins appeared in The Invasion. My story Celebrity Yacht Party introduces this middle-aged version of Isobel Watkins.


St. Tropez, 2003

The Rani did not care much for going to Earth. It always meant disguising herself in local costume and adopting the primitive cultural norms of the many cultures on the wretched planet. However, she needed information badly and this was the place to go.

The Doctor had made so many visits to Earth that he had become and irregular but not unfamiliar presence to its inhabitants. In the twentieth century had emerged the peculiar phenomena of Doctor-watchers, individuals who took an obsessive interest in the person of the mysterious Doctor. Few of them had any accurate information and most of them had the most improbable theories as to the Doctor's identity. Nevertheless, the individual that the Rani was consulting had an advantage over the other Doctor-watchers- she had actually met the Doctor. Isobel Watkins was one of the many humans who had been tangled up in one of the Doctor's tiresome little adventures. Over the years she had maintained contact with the Doctor and had met every one of his incarnations. Whether the Doctor was happy about it or not, she was actually working on the first ever biography of the Time Lord. TARDISes were programmed to avoid out of sequence encounters between Time Lords and so the Rani could be sure that her TARDIS had brought her to a period in which the Doctor's current incarnation had visited most recently. All she needed to do was to charm this human woman into helping her.

The Rani's heavily shoulder-padded tunic and tight trousers were never going to look right in this particular era and so she had instead opted for a red dress. It had to be expensive-looking; the moorings of St. Tropez was the haunt of rich humans who delighted in nothing but flaunting their good fortune. These humans seemed to love money as much as her own people loved power.

When she arrived at Isobel's private yacht, the Rani was met by a member of the crew who instructed her to remove her shoes before coming on board. The Rani slipped out of her stiletto sandals and padded across the gang plank in her large bare feet. She was thankful that in this regeneration she was tall enough to manage without the added lift of her heels. Humans were so precious about their worldly goods. She cared little for the state of her own TARDIS, provided it was functional and sterile.

On the deck she was met by a middle-aged woman with fair hair. She had a healthy tan from enjoying more sun than the average human on this continent. She wore a white dress and like the Rani, was barefoot.

The Rani knew she was expected. She had contacted Isobel via the Internet and had prepared a cover story. "Isobel, I'm Melody Lakeland. I'm delighted to meet you. It was very gracious of you to invite me here," said the Rani.

"The pleasure is all mine, Melody," Isobel replied. "It really is dolly to meet somebody who knows the Doctor well." The Rani was quite unable to place Isobel's nasal accent. Still, she was hardly the expert on human accents.

The Rani handed to Isobel the suitcase she had been carrying. "A present for you," she said. "The robes the Doctor wore when he was at the Prydonian academy." Of course they were no such thing. They were in fact the robes the Rani herself had worn at the academy. How was Isobel to know that the robes had been worn by a cute little girl in pigtails and not a snotty-nosed fair-haired boy? The Rani was rather glad to be rid of the robes; she had no sentiment or nostalgia for her school days.

Isobel seemed overjoyed by the gift. "Oh, that is so dolly! How can I ever thank you. To think these are clothes worn by the Doctor in his childhood. I am being a terrible hostess. You must sit down and have a glass of wine."

The two women sat down to share a bottle of wine. The Rani hated socialising, and she was starting to hate this sentimental fool of a human, but she knew this was necessary to her mission.

"So tell me, Melody," enquired Isobel. "How did you come to know the Doctor so well?"

"It's hard to explain," replied the Rani. "You could say it's a timey wimey thing. I keep bumping into him at different stages of his life. I meet his later incarnations first then I am working my way down. Eventually I will become the Doctor's wife, but this has not actually happened yet. Timey wimey, as I said."

"You become Mrs. Doctor!" exclaimed Isobel. "That is so dolly! How lucky for you! When did the two of you get hitched?"

"It has not actually happened yet. It is part of his timestream, however. You could say we have a non-linear relationship," explained the Rani.

Isobel seemed completely baffled by this, but she was clearly quite excited about it all. This was entirely the Rani's intention. She felt quite pleased with herself for duping Isobel into believing this absurd story. 'Timey wimey non-linear relationship' indeed!

The Rani moved on to the subject of Isobel's biographical research. "Tell me about the book you are writing, Isobel."

"Yes, my biography of the Doctor. I have met all of the Doctor's incarnations- so far, I think. I have spent time with all of them. I have photos, I have interviewed some of the main people he knew on Earth. It is going to be a quite fantastic read. Some of the UNIT stuff was difficult to research, with it being a top secret security organisation. But I had a lot of help on that front from my dolly husband, Dmitri. He used to be a KGB agent, you know," said Isobel.

"I mentioned to you that I was interested in finding out a bit more about the Doctor's current incarnation. The loud one who wears that awful coat. You have met him, I trust?" asked the Rani.

"Yes, I have met him alright. I find him rather dolly. He seems to enjoy attention more than the last one, and I am only too happy to oblige. He seemed quite delighted when I told him about the biography project."

The Rani smiled at this. "I have not met this Doctor yet. I have met all the others. The thing is that I always have to tread carefully when it comes to his fellow travellers. I don't want to make them jealous. I have to keep them on side. It would really help if I could find out as much as possible about who he is travelling with currently."

"Of course. You mentioned to me that this is what you wanted and after you gave me those robes, how could I refuse? I have had several holidays with this Doctor and I spent almost a week with him and his dolly assistant Mel in Paris. I took so many photographs and videos. You can have copies."

Once the material was in the Rani's hands, she wasted little more time. After offering Isobel some pleasantries, she made a quick get-away from the boat and grabbed her shoes.

When she had returned to her TARDIS, the Rani pored over the materials. Contrary to her lies to Isobel, she could only ever meet the Doctor in linear succession. It was the built into the very nature of the Time Lord's travel machines. The last companion to come to Earth would be the one the Doctor was currently with. This Mel creature. The Rani noted her hair, her features and the clothes she wore.

In front of her audio-visual monitor, the Rani imitated the energetic power-walk of Mel. In front of her mirror, she practiced the beaming grin. Again and again she attempted to master the high-pitched nasal voice. Even alone in her TARDIS, it felt humiliating, but nobody could master time and space without tears.

Morgaine takes a Shower, by Matthew Clarke (my fan fiction)

You can't do a 'Girls in prison' series without a shower scene; it's pretty much obligatory. I think this is pretty inoffensive. Read whatever subtext you like into it.

Madeleine Issigri is of course from The Space Pirates.


Ganymede Correctional Facility, 2191

Twelve inmates stood naked in the sonic shower, their skin prickling and shuddering as the dirt on their bodies formed into fine dust and fell off. They were all human females. There were a few non-human inmates in the prison, Draconians, Alpha Centauri (being hermaphrodites, Alpha Centauri could be found in both male and female prisons), Kleptons and Earth Reptiles (calling them Silurians, Eocenes, or Sea Devils was the height of political incorrectness), but they showered separately from the other inmates.

Morgaine glanced at her cellmate Madeleine. Madeleine always seemed uncomfortable standing naked with the other women in the prison. She was an attractive woman, but she had allowed herself to get flabby during her incarceration. She had also lived a life of privilege before her arrest. Communal showers were something she found hard to get used to. 'She should have thought about that before she fell in with pirates,' thought Morgaine to herself. In her opinion, Madeleine should count herself lucky. In the Thirteen Worlds she had ruled, friends of pirates were always executed. Having to shower with other women and wear a yellow prison uniform seemed a rather light punishment. Morgaine liked her cellmate and counted her as a friend, but she looked down on her as one lacking in nobility. Madeleine was a merchant and a merchant's daughter. As a warrior and a queen, Morgaine had an instinctive distaste for merchants.

Morgaine had no discomfort at being naked in front of the other prison women. It rather reminded her of bathing in the crystal clear lakes of her world with her handmaidens. The penalty was death for any man who dared to behold Morgaine and her maidens washing. Morgaine missed her handmaidens. They were so pretty; chosen from the fairest girls of all her Thirteen Worlds. She shared her bedchamber with all of them. Naturally, being Battle Queen of the S'rax, she always won at pillow fights.

Morgaine liked to flaunt her body before the other inmates. She spent a lot of time in the prison gym keeping it in shape. Her form was strong and muscular, but she had an impressive bust that would make any supermodel envious.

She regretted being a little short. This was especially an inconvenience in prison, where flip flops were the only footwear permitted. Her armoured boots had always helped to give her a boost. Nevertheless, she had always made up for her lack of height by the magnificence of her presence. Her sheer confidence seemed to add a kind of magical glamour, No doubt it owed a lot to the blood of the Elder Folk that flowed through her veins. All of the other prisoners admired and feared her. She might no longer be Battle Queen of the S'rax and Dominator of Thirteen Worlds, but in this joint she was top bitch and every other inmate knew it well.

The sonic shower stopped and the inmates moved, shivering, towards where they had left their yellow prison pyjamas.

"Morgaine, stop prancing around and get your clothes on. I want you back in your cell in two minutes!" shouted a voice. It was the short guard with the long dark hair. The one that seemed to have it in for her.

"Whatever you say, miss," Morgaine snapped in reply. This petty mortal woman could shout at her all she liked. One day she would be old and shrivelled, but she would ever be Ageless and Deathless Morgaine.

Tears in Paradise, by Matthew Clarke (my fan fiction)

I like the idea of the TARDIS crew being a family, an idea that was strong in the Hartnell era. The TV Comic's John and Gillian offers this, but I feel that they could benefit from a motherly or big sister figure like Barbara. This is my attempt to provide that.

I think Venussa (played by Eileen Helsby) from The Ark would have made a brilliant companion. So I have reintroduced her here. I think she fits brilliantly with the 60s kitsch of the TV Comic.


A woman rushed through the forests at the edges of the colony. The hills were dotted with ancient buildings that had once been inhabited by the people of Refusis before they had lost their physical form.

The woman wore a long tunic made of strips of material. It concealed very little of her body. On her feet she wore sandals. The woman wept again.

This happened so often. Sometimes it became too much for her. Sometimes she became overwhelmed by the joy and happiness of the colony. The humans were happy, free from oppression and watching their families grow. The Refusians were happy in sharing their world and watching its new inhabitants delight in paradise. Even the Monoids were happy, learning to be content and gaining the respect of the humans. Surrounded by so much joy, it seemed almost like rebellion on her part to be miserable. Yet she was.

Six years ago, she had shared in that joy. When her people were freed from the slavery of the Monoids, it seemed like a dream. To be free, to be able to live on a new world and to enjoy its fruits. She had married Dassuk not long after. Six years later, she had watched them bury him.

So many young families with children delighting in a new world and she was left alone, a widow with no children. They had shown such kindness to her. Her relatives, other humans, even the Refusians and the Monoids had offered sympathy and condolence. But she was the one who had to go through it. All the sympathy in the world could not take away the fact that she was alone in an empty house.

She needed to be alone. She needed to be away from people singing and dancing, from endless feasting, from handsome husbands with their young wives and from happy children. Just seeing them made her grief the more painful.

Refusis was a warm planet, but the forest was refreshingly cool in the evening. She heard the sound of insects and flying creatures in their nests. She had no fear; there were no dangerous creatures on Refusis. Then she heard a noise that she had heard before. A noise that awakened a memory six years old.

A wheezing, groaning sound. She watched in amazement as it appeared before her, that strange blue box that she had seen six years ago.

The strangers had returned! After freeing her people from slavery, they had come back again. She realised this should not be a surprise; even before their last visit, the mysterious Doctor had come to her people centuries before.

Forgetting her sorrow, she watched the box with anticipation. Expecting to see a small white-haired old man come out of it, she was shocked to see a man about ten years younger with dark-hair step out. He was followed by a dark-haired girl aged about fifteen, clearly a different girl to the one he was with last time and a boy with curly red hair and freckles who looked about a year younger. This was clearly not the same group of strangers she had met six years ago.

"Ah, I've met you before," said the man. "Venissa? Venatta? Venalia?"

"Venussa," she corrected. How had he known her name. "I'm afraid I don't recognise you, sir. Though I have seen a machine like this before."

"I've changed my appearance since we last met. It's something I do. I must introduce my grandchildren, John and Gillian." The two children smiled at her and she smiled back.

"You are the Doctor, then? I am so glad to see you once again!" exclaimed Venussa.

"It is nice to be back on Refusis again. These forests are quite lovely. How have things been since I was last here?" the Doctor asked.

"Life is so peaceful here. The Refusians have made us so welcome. They built many houses for us, but we have also built many of our own. The Monoids no longer resent us and are becoming our friends again. This is a good place," Venussa explained.

"It's always nice to see a job well done," said the Doctor. "Venussa, would you care to show us around?"

Venussa happily lead them back to the settlement. For the moment, she had forgotten her sadness and was glad to be among friends again. She introduced the Doctor and his companions to her fellow colonists. The visitors were welcomed into the seemingly endless festivities of Refusis, joining in the songs and dances, eating the tasty produce of the fertile soil and telling of their travels since their last visit.

While his grandchildren danced with the colonists, the Doctor approached Venussa. He spoke to her softly. "Venussa, I know you were upset before our arrival. I could tell from your face. You told me about how things were on Refusis, but how is it for you?" he asked her.

Venussa wept. She could not help herself. The Doctor passed her a spotted handkerchief.

"Oh Doctor, things have been so wonderful here for our people, but my life has been such a disappointment. Not long after you left I married Dassuk. We were so happy. We were going to have a family. Yet we never had children. I became pregnant three years ago, but it was just a miscarriage. It was such a painful time for both of us. It was so hard watching women younger than me having baby after baby! Then Dassuk died just two months ago in a machine accident. I don't know how I can live through this!" she said, her heart aching with every word.

The Doctor gently laid a hand on the woman's shoulder and she fell into his arms sobbing. It was so sad for him to see the young woman he had known such a long time ago destroyed by grief. She had been so intelligent, so bright and so energetic. Slavery and tyranny under the Monoids had not crushed her indomitable spirit, yet here she was in paradise sobbing. So often the Doctor had left leaving happy people, freed from oppression and full of hope for the future. So rarely did he visit them again to see how their lives had changed. How many men and women had he helped only to sink into lives of personal tragedy?

The Doctor remembered Victoria, grieving after the death of her father. He remembered the words of comfort he had offered her. This time he decided it was best to say nothing at all.

"What am I going to do now, Doctor? I don't think things can ever be the same for me?" Venussa asked.

"Venussa, I want you to come with us. Come and travel with us. See other worlds. You will always have the memory of your husband, but you can gain other memories. See the most beautiful worlds, meet strange creatures," said the Doctor.

"You would let me do that, like Steve and that young woman Dodo did?" she asked, amazed at the thought.

"It's a strange thing, Venussa, but my ship has a habit of turning up near to people who end up travelling with me. It can't be a coincidence. It sometimes almost seems as if the ship comes to the people it wants on board," he said.

"After I first met you, I wondered sometimes what it might be like to travel with you to other worlds. If you had asked me to come six years ago, I would probably have said no. I was too happy. I wanted to make a new future with my people on Refusis. But now it seems like there is nothing for me here," Venussa said.

The Doctor smiled at her. "Even if you weren't quite so sad here, I might still have asked you to come with us. John and Gillian have had a lot of fun helping me fight monsters and save planets, but they are both growing up. It's not always easy between Gillian and myself. She is becoming a young woman. I think she could do with some female company for a change. She could do with a nice, sensible young woman like yourself to look up to. Even John could benefit from getting used to women being around a bit more."

"What happened to their parents?" asked Venussa.

The Doctor's face became grave. "They are dead. It was a terrible event," he said solmenly. It was clearly a subject the Doctor did not want to go into.

"I'm sorry to hear of the loss," said Venussa. Changing the subject she asked, "When are you going?"

"Tomorrow," replied the Doctor. "The leader of your colony has very kindly offered to put us up for the night. If you can be ready to go in the morning, that would be very helpful."

Venussa returned to her small house and began packing some possessions. Not only had she met old friends again, but she had a new chance to leave behind the sadness of the past and find a new future. She had been denied the chance of a family here, but she now she had a new family amongst these strangers. She could offer them the love and care that she would have given her own children. She felt that same joy that she had experienced when she had won her freedom from the Monoids. It was time to leave paradise.

Going somewhere, Dr. Who? by Matthew Clarke (my fan fiction)

More TV Comic era action!

"Of course we will help you to get back to Logopolis," said Gillian. "Won't we, Grandfather?"

"Yes, of course we will. I know you monks are up to some very important work there and I am sure your young friend will find it very educational. You will find that TARDIS will get you there in no time at all," replied Dr. Who. "And you won't have to worry about any Kroton company either. I know the importance of discretion."

"How can I ever thank you enough, Dr. Who," said the monk. "I will ensure you are well rewarded when we get back to Logopolis."

"We don't do it for money, we..." began John, before he was silenced by a dirty look from his grandfather.

"John, will you show the monk and his young friend to the TARDIS? Gillian and I will follow on in a minute," the Doctor said.

"May the prime numbers be with you, Doctor," the monk said, motioning the fair-haired young student to follow.

Dr. Who sat back and returned to his drink. Helping the Logopolitan was a smart idea. Although he was not quite sure exactly what the monks were up to on Logopolis, he knew the Time Lords were very keen to find out. Perhaps investigating Logopolis would help him get back into their good books. This could really save his neck.

The bar was a fascinating place; full of various creatures of all shapes and sizes. Perhaps it was not the healthiest place to be taking John and Gillian, but if they were old enough to fight monsters like Trods, they were old enough to go in bars. He watched the bizarre travellers of a dozen worlds enjoy their drinks. Gillian rose. up "Excuse me if I get myself another drink, Grandfather," she said.

"Of course, my dear. Nothing alcoholic mind you. We've got work to do," he replied.

After Gillian headed to the bar, Dr. Who noticed a Klepton looking at him. The creature was green-skinned, with a rubbery snout and large fish-like fins on the side of its head. It had a mean expression in its eyes. Here was trouble. The Doctor decided it was time to make himself scarce. He looked for the toilets and started to head in that direction.

"Going somewhere, Dr. Who?" asked the Klepton.

The Doctor returned to his seat. "I was just on my way to sort things out with your bosses. It is the Time Lords you are working for, isn't it? I'm just on my way to Gallifrey now."

"The time is over for that, Who. You had instructions to return to Gallifrey and you disobeyed them. You broke your agreement and it's time for the Time Lords to carry out sentence. They may only take your ship," sneered the Klepton.

"Over my dead body!" cried Dr. Who!

The Klepton gave a strange, watery laugh. "I doubt it. They will probably remove you from time and space. It will be as though you had never existed!"

The Doctor pulled out his ray gun and shot the Klepton "Die, hideous creature! Die!" he roared. The Klepton fell over the table; leaving a smoking green corpse.

Gillian had seen what happened. "You've killed him, Grandfather!"

Dr. Who approached his granddaughter and looked deep into her eyes.

He spoke to her softly. "Gillian, listen to me. You will remember what I say. The Klepton shot first. The Klepton shot first. Do you understand?"

Gillian looked blankly at him. "Yes, the Klepton shot first," she replied.

Death to all Androgums!, by Matthew Clarke (fan fiction)

I have not yet seen any fan fiction featuring John and Gillian, so I had to write a piece myself. I also thought The Two Doctors fitted in well with the TV Comic ethos.

The remains of the Androgum colony was a smoking mess. Not a building was left standing and there was a lingering smell of charred flesh in the air. Some of the burned bodies of Androgums were visible. The Doctor's plan had worked perfectly. He had tricked the Ice Warriors into detonating their payload of thermotonic missiles, thus destroying themselves and their Androgum allies. It was the sort of sneaky plan that Dr. Who always enjoyed, especially when they involved big explosions. He skipped down the hill to view the carnage of the ruined Androgum settlement, his two grandchildren following.

'Brilliant, Grandfather,' cheered John. 'You wiped both factions off the face of this planet. Those Ice Warriors and Androgums won't be conquering any more planets in this part of the galaxy again.' Dr. Who gave a little chuckle and began to play 'London's Burning' on his brightly coloured recorder.

Gillian was not so cheerful. She felt quite disturbed by the carnage in the valley. 'I know this is the sort of thing we do to monsters and they were planning to conquer Zowleia, but was this really the only way, Grandfather? Those Androgums seemed so much like humans. Some of them almost seemed a little funny.'

The Doctor frowned. 'My dear Gillian, you were very lucky we managed to escape before you and your brother got eaten in their filthy ovens. They certainly would have done if the Ice Warriors had not been around to keep those pompous brutes in line. They will kill and eat any flesh they see and that goes for human flesh too.'

'But surely, Grandfather, there are humans who are cannibals. Can't they learn to be civilized?' said Gillian.

'I'm afraid my dear, that's simply not in their nature. It would be like trying to teach a leech not to suck blood or an Aardvark not to eat ants. It's not in their nature. It simply can't be done. They are vile beings. They live only to consume and unless they are kept in check, they will turn the whole cosmos into one big slaughterhouse.'

John chipped in 'From the way you talk about them, Grandfather, it sounds almost as though you hate the Androgums even more than you hate the Daleks.'

'It's not a matter of hate, John. It's matter of responsibility. We travel in time and space. That is a great privilege. We can have a lot of fun, but we have a job to do. This universe is a dark and scary place. In the dark corners, things have been bred that are terrible and twisted. These things are against everything we believe in. We have to fight those things. We have to destroy these monsters, even if that means destroying entire worlds if necessary.'

It was one of those moments, thought Gillian. Her grandfather had become a very different man since he had changed. He had none of the sternness or bad temper of his old self. Most of the time he acted like a mischievous clown, yet just once in a while, he would become serious and his eyes would gleam with a hidden anger. When he was in those moods, she found him rather scary, even more so than when his previous self had flown into a rage.

'It just seems so much easier to fight against Daleks and Trods,' said Gillian. 'You can tell they are monsters, but when they look so much like us, it is a lot harder.'

'You have to remember, Gillian, that all of us have the potential to become monsters. That is, when we stop caring about the things that matter. If all you ever think about is your stomach, you forget about your family, about the people around you and even your own health,' replied the Doctor. 'If you carry on like that, it can become too late and you forget about who you really are. As a race, the Androgums have become entangled with the love of killing and eating and they think of nothing else. There is no way of changing that. The problem is that so many don't realise that, mostly because they share something of the same faults. People know that Daleks live only to kill and destroy and nobody would think of keeping Daleks as servants. Yet on many worlds, the Androgums are used as servants. As long as that continues there is always the danger that these awful things will one day get the better of them.'

Gillian knew how deeply her grandfather cared about fighting monsters. She and her brother had shared in this struggle since their first encounter with the Kleptons. Now that he had changed into this strange, younger man he had become even more obsessed with destroying monsters. He had even, on occasions, taken to carrying around a ray gun. It scared her. It was as though her grandfather had decided to become an avenging angel, a bringer of darkness. The only thing she wanted now was to be away from these hellish ruins.

'Can we go now, Grandfather,' she pleaded. 'Can we go somewhere peaceful this time?'

'Yes, I suppose we should,' Dr. Who agreed. 'I think we all deserve a bit of an holiday. Perhaps we could go to the Eye of Orion. I think you'd like it there. I find it a bit dull myself, but we have probably had enough excitement recently. Some say it's the most tranquil place in the universe.' With that, he returned to playing 'London's Burning' and they all headed back to the TARDIS.