stay calm. it will be okay. you have my word. Episode Nine: The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon

This is episode nine! To start reading from the beginning, check out Pilot : The Season Two Ending We Deserved

Story Summary

Turn off “The Reality War” at 40:15 and start here instead. This is the story of what happened after—the story where the Doctor, Bel, and their extraordinary daughter Poppy get to live the life they deserve.

It’s about finding family across time and space. It’s the Doctor and Bel co-parenting like the besties they are, Poppy growing up splitting her time between 21st-century London and the far-future of the Preservation Alliance, and a Sanctuary Moon fanclub that spans across the universe. It’s Rogue getting the ending he deserves, Jenny finding her fathers, Murderbot reluctantly acquiring more humans, and a universe where love, in all its forms, is the most powerful weapon we have.

This is a fusion-fix-it full of gratuitous wish fulfillment, because sometimes the best way to heal is to rewrite the story. 💕💕

Episode Summary:

Ayda Mensah has safely returned home to her friends, but Murderbot is still poised to find threats around every corner, and deeply suspicious of the Doctor and his family.

Notes:

Thanks so much to everyone who has left comments and kudos, and special thanks to Fire_Phoenix2305 and tinysugacube for tolerating me blowing up the group chat on a daily basis as I come up with ideas for this fic, and to Marvin for his seal of approval! 

Those of you who have been reading for a while may have noticed that I made some adjustments to the tags and the summary of this fic. This is because as I started writing it and adjusting more of the outline beyond just “fixing that awful finale and including Murderbot shenanigans” I realized that the OG summary wasn’t really accurate to the fic and so I made some updates. In other news, I’m sorry this update took so long… flufftober and polyship week took over my writing brain for a while but I am BACK baby. And you know what? I’m also going to claim this fic for the polyship week alt 4 canon polycule because not only has the Doctor been canonically married to several people but also Dr. Mensah has two marital partners so like. Hell yeah I’m claiming it. 

On an additional note for this chapter specifically; while writing this section I was unsure of how to refer to Murderbot in the third person, other than simply using it pronouns for it. I ultimately decided that, since Ayda refers to Murderbot as “SecUnit” within Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory, which is from her perspective, I will refer to it using that designation when I am writing from her perspective or from the POV of someone who does not know that’s its name. When writing from Murderbot’s perspective, I will refer to it as Murderbot. I know that most of the Murderbot stories are told in first person, however I’m hesitant to change the narrative voice completely within one chapter, so I am keeping it close third, even in the sections from Murderbot’s POV.

This is also the chapter where we get more into the Doctor/Belinda side of things more than just the Doctor & Belinda side of things. In my head canon Belinda is demiromantic and sex-positive asexual. She and the Doctor are married in this fic and they do love each other, but the degree to which the relationship is a romantic vs platonic one isn’t something I think even they are sure of. A lot of it comes from the influence of their status as married and in love in the wish world, as well as the co-parenting bond they have formed. Neither of them cares overly much whether the other has other relationships because they are comfortable in the one that they have with each other. 💙💙

Episode Nine: The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon

“Ayda!” Belinda grinned, opening the door to her dwelling and pulling the older woman into a hug. “Oh it’s so good to see you, we were so worried!”

“I am fine, Belinda. It is good to see you as well.” Ayda Mensah squeezed Belinda tightly before pulling away. “And goodness, is this Poppy? You’ve grown nearly as much as my own Amena!” Part of Ayda ached at that—at knowing how much she was missing out on the childhoods of her own children and their friends

Poppy threw her arms around Ayda for her own hug. “I’m glad to see you home safe, Auntie.”

“And I’m glad to be home my dear,” Ayda smiled warmly. “Is your father around?”

“Not at present,” Belinda told her, lips pursed.

“Ah, out on his travels again, I take it?” Ayda asked. Despite being planetary leader, it was not as though she knew everything about everyone, and she still did not know quite what it was that John did for a living.

“If you want to call it that,” Belinda hummed. Not sure how to respond—so much about the Smiths was hard to respond to at times—Ayda simply smiled in response.

Poppy, meanwhile, had looked past Ayda to see SecUnit, who was only a few steps away. “Are you the SecUnit who saved everyone?” She asked it curiously. Part of Ayda felt tense, but SecUnit, while awkward, had never been one to cause conflict, only to resolve it, albeit with… interesting, and dangerous, methods.

It gave a small, sharp, nod, and while its expression was blank, Ayda could tell that it was distressed at being perceived. “This is SecUnit. It has been invaluable to us, and is currently a refugee in the preservation system. It has also tasked itself with my protection.”

I would not trust anyone else with your protection, you mean, SecUnit told her in the feed. Also, I know how much you paid for me. Ayda ignored this as she and SecUnit accepted the offer to enter the Smiths’ abode. It was on the edge of the Mensah’s compound, an area that had been fairly undeveloped until the Smiths had moved in. Their home was small on the outside, but always seemed much bigger within. Ayda had given up on making sense of it.

Belinda went to make tea as Poppy led them to the common area. Ayda had been there before of course, many times, but this was the first time that SecUnit had visited directly.

“I’ve never met a SecUnit before. Is that your name?” Poppy asked curiously.

“My name is private,” SecUnit said automatically. “You can call me SecUnit.”

“Okay,” Poppy smiled. “I suppose you don’t eat, then?”

“I have no need.” Please make her stop talking to me. It added in a direct message to Ayda’s feed. Before she could open her mouth to try and divert Poppy’s attention elsewhere, however, she had already begun speaking once more.

“Mum and dad say I can’t go to the Corporation Rim because it’s dangerous, but I’m allowed to watch shows, and they have a lot more there than here. What’s your favorite show?”

“Poppy, stop bothering the SecUnit,” Belinda scolded as she brought in the tea.

“Sorry, you don’t have to answer me,” Poppy bit her lip as she accepted the cup her mother had just handed her. “I just get excited meeting new people.”

“Most don’t consider me a person,” SecUnit said stiffly. “And it’s The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon.”

“Oh!” Poppy gasped in delight. “But that’s my favorite show! Have you seen the episode about—” Poppy quickly stopped talking, and tilted her head to the side, obviously listening to something in the feed, likely from Belinda, who Ayda could tell was sub vocalizing. “Sorry SecUnit. I’ll stop bothering you now.”

It nodded at her sharply before standing up from where it had been tentatively sitting on the couch and saying “I need to go check the perimeter.”

Are you okay here? It asked her through the feed.

I’ll be fine. She replied. As it left Belinda looked at her curiously. “Don’t worry, it just needs to do this sometimes, check for security threats. It won’t intrude on your privacy.” Don’t intrude on their privacy, please. She added to it through the feed.

Ayda was soon distracted by the task of catching up on everything she had missed with Belinda and Poppy that she could not help but be surprised when SecUnit spoke to her over the feed again. Dr. Mensah, this dwelling is… wrong.

What do you mean, wrong?

The perimeter. It makes no sense. My drones and I have mapped the schematics of the dwelling. It is… bigger on the inside.

But how is that possible I—

Dr. Mensah something is happening. I need you to stay inside while I investigate.

SecUnit, what is going on? Ayda’s sudden drop from the verbal conversation, and the way she had just sat up in alarm did not go unnoticed by Belinda and Poppy.

“Ayda, is everything okay?” Belinda asked, touching her hand in concern.

“SecUnit noticed something, a potential threat, but it hasn’t told me what is going on.”

“Oh no,” Poppy stood up in quickly. “Mum, can you hear that? He doesn’t know—”

“Well, let’s hope he doesn’t do anything stupid,” Belinda sighed. “You know how he gets about guns.”

“Wait, what is happening?” Ayda asked. She was a smart woman, but was nevertheless having trouble following the conversation.

“Papa just got home. Let’s go make sure your friend doesn’t kill him by accident.”

—

“Oh hello,” the Doctor said brightly as he stepped out of the TARDIS to see an unknown person glaring at him with a slightly murderous look on its face.

“Who are you, why are you here, and how are you here?” The person asked in a flat tone.

“Dr. John Smith, this is my yard, and via this blue box. Any further questions? Or would you let me pass by to say hello to my family, who I have not seen for quite some time.”

“Papa!” Poppy shouted with a grin before running into his arms. He caught her of course, and felt warmed that despite the fact that she was now more or less sixteen and full of all the angst and need for rebellion that such an age entailed, she could not help but be excited to see him.

“Pops!” He twirled her around in a circle, squeezing her tightly before setting her down.

“And what kind of time do you call this?” Bel asked, hands on her hips, and the Doctor did an elaborate bow before picking her up and twirling her around as well, pressing a friendly kiss to her lips, though there was no heat to it. They weren’t a couple in the traditional sense, but they were raising Poppy together, and they loved each other as friends if nothing else. He could understand why the wish world had placed them together.

“I am sorry for the delay, but I stopped to pick up a few friends,” the Doctor grinned before knocking on the TARDIS door and shouting “Oi, you lot, get out here.”

The door popped open, and Rose stuck her head out. “You were the one who told us to wait,” she huffed, before stepping out. Closely behind her came Donna, the other Doctor, and Martha.

“Rosie!” Poppy shrieked, throwing herself into the other woman’s arms.

Doctor, Bel murmured in his feed. Don’t forget we have guests. Right. The unknown threatening person, and a known non-threatening (usually) person.

“Ayda!” The Doctor grinned, a bright smile on his face. “How have you been?”

Doctor there are things you need to know before you say anything stupid. Bel told him hurriedly. 

He frowned and looked at Bel curiously even as Ayda spoke. “I am as well as I can be, I suppose. Taking things one day at a time.”

“That’s… good? Sorry, I’m not very caught up on things, only just got back.”

“From where?” The unknown person asked. “I have been monitoring every ship and shuttle in and out of this sector and you and your friends are not marked as having traveled anywhere. They also lack feed IDs, and that box you came out of appeared out of nothing.”

“You are a deeply suspicious person, I can tell.” The Doctor nodded thoughtfully. “And who are you?”

“It has asked to be called SecUnit,” Bel rushed to explain. “It is, well, a SecUnit. The SecUnit who saved Ayda, and the whole PresAux team’s, lives.”

“What? They were in danger, how did I not—”

“You weren’t answering your phone,” Poppy interrupted him.

“Yeah, he does that,” Martha sighed, before turning to Ayda and SecUnit. “Hello, I’m Dr. Martha Jones, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Dr. Ayda Mensah, it’s good to meet you as well,” Ayda smiled. SecUnit said nothing, a blank expression on its face.

Well, blank was better than murderous, at least. The Doctor considered that a win.

—

Murderbot’s face was blank, but internally, it was in turmoil. There were too many new inputs, too much new information, too much that was improbable, impossible about this situation.

There was a tentative ping at his feed. The adolescent human, Poppy. Um, SecUnit. I’m sorry to bother you, but you seem like you are in distress. Is there something I can do to help? She was somehow managing to both speak with it in the feed while also having a conversation with her father. Was this a trick? Was she also a construct? He could not sense any augments in her, but a rudimentary surface body scan did show a binary vascular system for her as well as her father and one of the other humans who had come with them.

I am not in distress.

You are confused, then? You seek to understand us.

You don’t make sense. I cannot tell whether you are a threat.

We are not a threat to you, or to Ayda. She is a friend, so you are our friend. If you want to be.

I am a SecUnit, we do not have friends.

That is sad, and also a lie.

You don’t know me.

I don’t, but I want to. There was a lull in their conversation on the feed before Poppy spoke again. Have you seen episode 237 of Sanctuary Moon?

I have seen every episode of Sanctuary Moon. Murderbot responded automatically.

Good, so have I. You should watch it again, and then tell me what you think we are.

It was already watching, on high speed, scanning to try and determine what significance it could possibly have. This had been an odd episode, one of the ones that was particularly unrealistic for featuring friendly aliens who looked like humans. Murderbot’s thoughts stuttered to a halt. That couldn’t possibly… in only a few moments it reviewed everything it knew about the Smiths. Prior to accompanying Ayda here it had only done a preliminary examination of their records, but now it dug deeper into what it had access to. Aliens. They were aliens? Aliens who somehow managed to look human? ART would insist that more evidence was needed, and it would be right to do so, but something in Murderbot’s organic parts was sure—this was the answer.

SecUnit, are you alright? Mensah was nudging it in the feed, and it realized that it had been still for too long. The rest of the humans had gone back inside the dwelling, and it somehow had not noticed? The adolescent human(?) had managed to throw it off completely. 

I am fine, Dr. Mensah. It paused. I am not fine. But I do not wish to leave you here with unknowns.

That’s alright. She nodded, her hand briefly twitching like she wanted to reach for its hand but was restraining herself. I’m tired, and would like to go home anyway. A lie. But one that it appreciated. Mensah gave it a small smile. It followed closely behind her as she said her goodbyes before they walked back over to the part of the land where Mensah lived with her family. Everyone else was out doing other tasks, and so she decided to take a nap.

Murderbot, meanwhile, had a lot to think about as it decided to do another patrol around the perimeter.

End Notes:

Apologies again for the super late update, especially as I had promised to be more regular with this fic. As recompense, I promise to have the next chapter up by Friday—I’m determined to have this fic finished before the new year, and I think I just might be able to manage it, especially since I have another 3.5 chapters drafted and all the other chapters (as well as a short oneshot sequel, hence why this is now a series) outlined.