Upton Park

"Come on, Weiss!"

"Yang, we are not here just to go shopping!"

"We can do the Tower tomorrow, so come on!"

Weiss rolled her eyes. The sisters had already dragged her over to Earls Court, spending an hour running around like children in front of the blue police box. The heiress, having no interest in photographs of herself standing before a movie prop, had been designated their official photographer, which inevitably meant being badgered by Yang into 'just one more shot.' This, of course, was after they had already dragged her to King's Cross to hold onto a baggage cart stuck halfway in a wall. Now they stood in front of a bright blue storefront, named with the big bold letters of a legendary sci-fi show with a steadily growing number of American converts. Shoppers darted in and out, mindful parents with children in-hand and tourists positively drooling at the sight of the attached museum.

"Weiss," Ruby said softly, tugging on her sleeve until Weiss looked over at the girl. In a quiet voice, made soft by awe and wonder, she whispered, "They have Daleks."

Where Yang's exuberance and determination had failed, Ruby's puppy eyes succeeded. Gritting her teeth and resigning herself to another hour of fannish cooing, Weiss waved them on, a part of her regretting that she had ever introduced them to the damn show.

With the first half of the eleventh doctor's newest season fast approaching, she had tried – again – to drag herself back into the show. It wasn't that she minded Matt Smith exactly, just that she remembered the original and while the dreamboat era was nice, it wasn't the Doctor Who she remembered. Unfortunately, Yang and Ruby had walked in on her latest attempt to work through the adventures of Matt Smith and company. After watching a bow-tied fez-wearing maniac nearly blow up the sun, they had promptly insisted that she jump back to the first Eccleston episode.

Several days of an almost non-stop marathon later, the two had become avid fans of the British show, with Torchwood (which Weiss had never gotten around to) and the Sarah Jane Adventures (which she had never been interested in) already added to their Netflix cue. When they realized that there was a host of Who-related landmarks in London, Weiss had found a disturbing number of side-trips added to their itinerary.

The heiress, for the most part, tolerated their enthusiasm with only the occasional bout of aggrieved sighing. Letting them lead the charge into the shop, she settled herself back among the bookshelves, thumbing through the stacked biographies of various cast members. The sisters darted from section to section, admiring action figures and debating the merits of costumes. There were post cards and posters, and novels filled with stories never filmed.

Engrossed in a dissection of the casting process, Weiss made sure to look up occasionally, just in case someone – probably Yang – had managing to create some new disaster. The third time she checked, she found Ruby, alone in the plush aisle, holding a bright red robot in front of her face.

"YOU WOULD MAKE A GOOD DAAAALEK," the plushie chirped, drawing out the last syllable as it praised Ruby's non-existent ruthlessness. Eyes bright and hopeful, she checked the tag, her face falling at the price. Even from across the store, Weiss could see the gears whirring in Ruby's head, running through monetary conversions and calculating how much of a dent in her travel budget the toy would be. Drooping, Ruby finally placed the Dalek back on the counter, mourning the loss of the adorable little killing machine. Already perking up again, she joined Yang by the light-up screwdrivers.

It took Weiss a few seconds to make up her mind, weighing to various benefits with the all-too-certain constant annoyance she would have to endure. Then again, there really isn't a choice, she thought, remembering how Ruby's face had lit up at the sight of the omnicidal monster. Weiss waited until the two girls were engrossed in their souvenirs, bit her cheek, heaved an inward sigh, and marched over to the register.

The sisters emerged from the shop an hour later, each sporting brand-new sonic screwdrivers – Tennant's silver-and-blue for Ruby, Smith's gold-and-green for Yang. Weiss trailed behind them, a small bag hanging from her wrist, nose buried in a Troughton biography and trying desperately to ignore the constant whirring and buzzing. With a sudden cry of "Flake!", Yang was gone, bolting off to the ice cream stand and leaving the other two to trail along behind her.

"Hey, Weiss?"

Halfway through a sentence, the heiress popped her head up, blinking owlishly as her eyes readjusted.

Ruby smiled, leaning her head down to rest on Weiss' shoulder. "Thanks for putting up with us. I know you were bored."

"No, I-" Weiss paused. She was going to have to do it eventually. If she did it now ... Might as well get the suffering over sooner rather than later. Mind made up, she carefully marked the page she was on, and slid the book back into her bag. "Close your eyes."

Checking to make sure her girlfriend wasn't peeking, Weiss pulled the cherry-red plush from her bag and shoved it into Ruby's hands, steeling herself before pushing the little button beneath the eye-stalk.

"EXTERMINATE!"

Ruby's eyes shot open, staring down at the soft little toy. Her jaw worked soundlessly, gaze darting up to look at Weiss, unvoiced thanks beaming out of those pale grey eyes. Toy still gripped in her hands, she wrapped her arms around the slightly taller girl, burying her face in Weiss' shoulder as she tried to crush her ribs in thanks. The Dalek ended up squished against her back, still chirping its murderous little threats.

"Thank you thank you tha-"

"EXTERMINATE!"

"-ank you thank you thank you!"

"Don't make me regret this," Weiss huffed, pulling Ruby off her once the hug had gone a little too long for her liking. "Off. You're making a scene."

"Aww," a distinctly American voice drawled. Yang had returned, three soft-serve cones with Flake bars jammed into them balanced in her hands. "I knew you had a heart."

"Shut it, Yang."

"EXTERMINATE!"

"What did I just say?"

Writer's Note: The team (Blake is in the next chapter) are visiting London in 2011, the year before the London Olympics and - for some reason - the year that a bunch of very wonderful actors were on-stage. All the locations mentioned are real places, if colored somewhat by time and memory.