Professor Keller, chapter 8
Jun. 25th, 2015 07:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
scripsiTitle: Professor Keller
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: R
Genre: Angst/Horror
Length: Multi-chapter; 9/10
Characters: The Master(Delgado), original characters
Warnings: For this chapter; none.
Summary: Alison and Peter Grey are living a charmed life, young, wealthy and in love. Until they meet a professor Keller and they find themselves trapped in a nightmare. Set between Terror of the Autons and The Mind of Evil.
AN: There will be some brief violence in this story, but mostly this is about psychological terror. Though there are both het and slash within the story, neither will be explicit. It will, however, nudging at dubious consent, but not explicit and not violent. As it seems right now, it will also take place off-stage. As the events of this story may be triggering, each chapter will have warnings accordingly.
Second to last chapter! This is the longest fic I have written in a long time, I'm a but surprised that I have managed something longer than four parts!
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
There wasn’t much else to do for Alison than to stay with Janice and her family. She would probably have done so anyway, it was a comfort to stay with people who loved you. She played with the children and helped Janice around the house and tried not to worry her sister. And, finally, she could grieve over Peter, for which she was grateful, but it was also hard. There was a constant, gnawing misery even when she didn’t think about him, interspersed with bouts of crying that made her feel like her heart was trying to burst.
The only thing that seemed to ease her a little was walking. Long, long walks without aim because it was the constant motion, not the nature around here that brought a little comfort. She thought a lot about Peter and how much she missed him, but as much as she tried not to, she also thought about Professor Keller. Alison couldn’t help wonder why he had done such awful things to her and Peter, but the truth was that she didn’t understand him and couldn’t imagine what motivated him. She found herself reaching for words like crazy and insane, but they didn’t feel quite right. He was so strange, so alien he was beyond her scope of imagination. The burn mark healed into a pink and glossy scar, looking for all the world exactly what it was, or would if she ever showed herself in a bathing suit again. Whenever Alison undressed she touched it, knowing that the Professor had enjoyed hurting her, but she couldn’t even begin to understand why.
It didn’t help that Janice had made up her own mind about the Professor’s intentions. Alison supposed she couldn’t blame her sister, the man she had met had been caring and supportive, but it still upset her deeply.
“You could do worse, you know,” Janice said. “He’s older than you, but very attractive, isn’t he? And he has been very attentive, and so polite, I’m sure he is just waiting for you to come around. You’ll need someone to take care of you, someone stable.”
“I need no one to take care of me!” Alison could hear the hysteria in her voice, but she couldn’t quench it. “And Professor Keller least of all. And if you don’t stop talking about it, I’ll go home right now.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t meant to upset you, I know it’s too soon after Peter and you can take care of yourself. It’s just that I worry so about you. Please stay! I’m your big sister, at least I can be allowed to take care of you a little?”
And Alison forgave her, but Janice’s words made her think of the Professor even more. She had never really wondered why the Professor had wanted her in the first place. He wasn’t in love with her, she had always known that. The little she had thought of it had been the assumption it was because she was young and beautiful and he had seen her as a conquest. And later, when she had realised it wasn’t quite that, she had had other things to occupy her mind. Whatever Janice said, Alison was sure he wouldn’t want to marry her. If he wanted her money he would be able to make her give it to him anyway.
To distract herself, Alison tried to think of what she wanted. To be left in peace from the Professor for certain, but if he wouldn’t let her go, then she didn’t know how to achieve it. Slowly she realised that she didn’t think he ever would, the only way it could end was with her death. The thought ought to frighten her, but she felt curiously indifferent. There was nothing left of the life she had wanted because that one had always had Peter in it. It was too cruel, he had been a good man who had wanted to make a difference. She was the shallow one, satisfied with her life as it was with few cares. All she had ever wanted was to be with Peter and eventually have children, but he had wanted more from life. It was so very wrong that this wish to help had led him to Professor Keller and ultimately killed him.
That thought followed her throughout the day and haunted her by night and Alison realised that if she wanted anything, she wanted to know what really had happened to Peter. She knew she was right in thinking the Professor was behind it, but she needed to hear him say it. She knew what would happen otherwise, he would once again ensnare her with doubts as soon as she met him again. Here, far away from him it was easy to keep her head clear, but in his presence he would be able to spin her head and make her doubt herself. It felt it would be the ultimate betrayal if she was made to believe that her husband had willfully ended his life on his own accord. And even if she would be able to shake it off, the Professor would make her believe what he wanted, over and over again.
The Professor was away for a long time, months passed, but eventually there was a letter from him. Neat, precise handwriting that informed Alison of his return. Nothing more and Alison felt it was just to let her know that he could yank the chain whenever he felt for it, and she would have to obey. But he was back and when the first panic had settled an idea formed.. She thought it over, turning it around in her mind and found that it transformed into a plan. Not a good plan, it was entirely possible she wouldn’t survive it, but then she doubted that there was anything that could be a good plan.
So Alison told Janice she needed to go to London and managed to evade having her sister go with her. She hugged her sister very hard when she left, doubting she would see her again. It was, she knew, not very fair to Janice, but whatever she did, she was sure it wouldn’t end well. If not now, it would, sooner or later.
She knew where the Professor lived, once or twice she and Peter had been invited in for a drink. He lived in a modern apartment, beautifully furnitured but totally lacking in personality; Alison had thought it strange, one would have thought that a charismatic person like the Professor would have a home that reflected his character.
Alison paused outside his door. He might not even be at home, she hadn’t thought about that on her way there, she had been too preoccupied with holding on to her courage. Now she couldn’t hold back her alarm and for a moment or two she had to lean against the wall for fear her legs wouldn’t support her. Then she took a deep breath, she had come too far to back down, and knocked.
The Professor was home and though he must be surprised by her visit, he didn’t show it.
“Why Alison, what a pleasant surprise. Please, come inside.”
He showed her in, leading her to the living room which looked as sterile as the last time she had been there. He looked the same as well and Alison's terror mingled with an unwanted sense of relief. Somehow she couldn’t help thinking that if she just allowed him to counsel her, then everything would be just fine.
“Please sit down.”
But Alison remained standing. It might amuse him to play the host, but she knew he must mislike her showing up like this and she would rather have it out before she lost her nerve completely.
“I need to know what happened to Peter. I know you killed him, even if I can’t prove it. I need to hear you admit to it.”
“You have already had my answer, my dear.”
“You lied to me. Do you really think that I wouldn’t get to know you a little after all this time. I know what you can do and I know you lie. And I’m so tired, I can’t stand this anymore!”
The Professor watched her thoughtfully for a moment.
“Yes, I can see that,” he said eventually. He sat down in an armchair and motioned to her to sit down as well and this time Alison obeyed him.
“You want to open a door which can never be closed again. I could tell you everything you want and more, but there is no turning back.Still, I’m not without mercy, and you have been very diverting, so I will give you a chance. Humans have such an extraordinary capacity of forgetting, make use of that and forget me and I will leave you alone. Go away, meet another man who can provide you with your peculiar notion of a proper lifestyle. I can even give your mind a nudge to make it easier.”
It was an unexpected gift if gift it was. More lies, perhaps or truth, for once. But even if Alison could believe him, it was still too late. “I can’t. Please, tell me.”
“You understand what it means? If I do, you will never walk out of here again.”
“Yes, I understand. I don’t care anymore.”
He watched her with his peculiar eyes and Alison felt he could see inside her mind, sorting through her feelings as easily as if he had flipped through the pages of a book.
“Very well. You shall have your answers though you will undoubtedly wish you had chosen otherwise in the end.”
“I just want to know. Did you kill Peter?”
“Yes, Alison, I did.”
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: R
Genre: Angst/Horror
Length: Multi-chapter; 9/10
Characters: The Master(Delgado), original characters
Warnings: For this chapter; none.
Summary: Alison and Peter Grey are living a charmed life, young, wealthy and in love. Until they meet a professor Keller and they find themselves trapped in a nightmare. Set between Terror of the Autons and The Mind of Evil.
AN: There will be some brief violence in this story, but mostly this is about psychological terror. Though there are both het and slash within the story, neither will be explicit. It will, however, nudging at dubious consent, but not explicit and not violent. As it seems right now, it will also take place off-stage. As the events of this story may be triggering, each chapter will have warnings accordingly.
Second to last chapter! This is the longest fic I have written in a long time, I'm a but surprised that I have managed something longer than four parts!
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
There wasn’t much else to do for Alison than to stay with Janice and her family. She would probably have done so anyway, it was a comfort to stay with people who loved you. She played with the children and helped Janice around the house and tried not to worry her sister. And, finally, she could grieve over Peter, for which she was grateful, but it was also hard. There was a constant, gnawing misery even when she didn’t think about him, interspersed with bouts of crying that made her feel like her heart was trying to burst.
The only thing that seemed to ease her a little was walking. Long, long walks without aim because it was the constant motion, not the nature around here that brought a little comfort. She thought a lot about Peter and how much she missed him, but as much as she tried not to, she also thought about Professor Keller. Alison couldn’t help wonder why he had done such awful things to her and Peter, but the truth was that she didn’t understand him and couldn’t imagine what motivated him. She found herself reaching for words like crazy and insane, but they didn’t feel quite right. He was so strange, so alien he was beyond her scope of imagination. The burn mark healed into a pink and glossy scar, looking for all the world exactly what it was, or would if she ever showed herself in a bathing suit again. Whenever Alison undressed she touched it, knowing that the Professor had enjoyed hurting her, but she couldn’t even begin to understand why.
It didn’t help that Janice had made up her own mind about the Professor’s intentions. Alison supposed she couldn’t blame her sister, the man she had met had been caring and supportive, but it still upset her deeply.
“You could do worse, you know,” Janice said. “He’s older than you, but very attractive, isn’t he? And he has been very attentive, and so polite, I’m sure he is just waiting for you to come around. You’ll need someone to take care of you, someone stable.”
“I need no one to take care of me!” Alison could hear the hysteria in her voice, but she couldn’t quench it. “And Professor Keller least of all. And if you don’t stop talking about it, I’ll go home right now.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t meant to upset you, I know it’s too soon after Peter and you can take care of yourself. It’s just that I worry so about you. Please stay! I’m your big sister, at least I can be allowed to take care of you a little?”
And Alison forgave her, but Janice’s words made her think of the Professor even more. She had never really wondered why the Professor had wanted her in the first place. He wasn’t in love with her, she had always known that. The little she had thought of it had been the assumption it was because she was young and beautiful and he had seen her as a conquest. And later, when she had realised it wasn’t quite that, she had had other things to occupy her mind. Whatever Janice said, Alison was sure he wouldn’t want to marry her. If he wanted her money he would be able to make her give it to him anyway.
To distract herself, Alison tried to think of what she wanted. To be left in peace from the Professor for certain, but if he wouldn’t let her go, then she didn’t know how to achieve it. Slowly she realised that she didn’t think he ever would, the only way it could end was with her death. The thought ought to frighten her, but she felt curiously indifferent. There was nothing left of the life she had wanted because that one had always had Peter in it. It was too cruel, he had been a good man who had wanted to make a difference. She was the shallow one, satisfied with her life as it was with few cares. All she had ever wanted was to be with Peter and eventually have children, but he had wanted more from life. It was so very wrong that this wish to help had led him to Professor Keller and ultimately killed him.
That thought followed her throughout the day and haunted her by night and Alison realised that if she wanted anything, she wanted to know what really had happened to Peter. She knew she was right in thinking the Professor was behind it, but she needed to hear him say it. She knew what would happen otherwise, he would once again ensnare her with doubts as soon as she met him again. Here, far away from him it was easy to keep her head clear, but in his presence he would be able to spin her head and make her doubt herself. It felt it would be the ultimate betrayal if she was made to believe that her husband had willfully ended his life on his own accord. And even if she would be able to shake it off, the Professor would make her believe what he wanted, over and over again.
The Professor was away for a long time, months passed, but eventually there was a letter from him. Neat, precise handwriting that informed Alison of his return. Nothing more and Alison felt it was just to let her know that he could yank the chain whenever he felt for it, and she would have to obey. But he was back and when the first panic had settled an idea formed.. She thought it over, turning it around in her mind and found that it transformed into a plan. Not a good plan, it was entirely possible she wouldn’t survive it, but then she doubted that there was anything that could be a good plan.
So Alison told Janice she needed to go to London and managed to evade having her sister go with her. She hugged her sister very hard when she left, doubting she would see her again. It was, she knew, not very fair to Janice, but whatever she did, she was sure it wouldn’t end well. If not now, it would, sooner or later.
She knew where the Professor lived, once or twice she and Peter had been invited in for a drink. He lived in a modern apartment, beautifully furnitured but totally lacking in personality; Alison had thought it strange, one would have thought that a charismatic person like the Professor would have a home that reflected his character.
Alison paused outside his door. He might not even be at home, she hadn’t thought about that on her way there, she had been too preoccupied with holding on to her courage. Now she couldn’t hold back her alarm and for a moment or two she had to lean against the wall for fear her legs wouldn’t support her. Then she took a deep breath, she had come too far to back down, and knocked.
The Professor was home and though he must be surprised by her visit, he didn’t show it.
“Why Alison, what a pleasant surprise. Please, come inside.”
He showed her in, leading her to the living room which looked as sterile as the last time she had been there. He looked the same as well and Alison's terror mingled with an unwanted sense of relief. Somehow she couldn’t help thinking that if she just allowed him to counsel her, then everything would be just fine.
“Please sit down.”
But Alison remained standing. It might amuse him to play the host, but she knew he must mislike her showing up like this and she would rather have it out before she lost her nerve completely.
“I need to know what happened to Peter. I know you killed him, even if I can’t prove it. I need to hear you admit to it.”
“You have already had my answer, my dear.”
“You lied to me. Do you really think that I wouldn’t get to know you a little after all this time. I know what you can do and I know you lie. And I’m so tired, I can’t stand this anymore!”
The Professor watched her thoughtfully for a moment.
“Yes, I can see that,” he said eventually. He sat down in an armchair and motioned to her to sit down as well and this time Alison obeyed him.
“You want to open a door which can never be closed again. I could tell you everything you want and more, but there is no turning back.Still, I’m not without mercy, and you have been very diverting, so I will give you a chance. Humans have such an extraordinary capacity of forgetting, make use of that and forget me and I will leave you alone. Go away, meet another man who can provide you with your peculiar notion of a proper lifestyle. I can even give your mind a nudge to make it easier.”
It was an unexpected gift if gift it was. More lies, perhaps or truth, for once. But even if Alison could believe him, it was still too late. “I can’t. Please, tell me.”
“You understand what it means? If I do, you will never walk out of here again.”
“Yes, I understand. I don’t care anymore.”
He watched her with his peculiar eyes and Alison felt he could see inside her mind, sorting through her feelings as easily as if he had flipped through the pages of a book.
“Very well. You shall have your answers though you will undoubtedly wish you had chosen otherwise in the end.”
“I just want to know. Did you kill Peter?”
“Yes, Alison, I did.”
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2015-06-28 07:37 pm (UTC)Typos I spotted:
"If he wanted her money he would be able to make her give them to him anyway.": give it
"evade having her sister to go with her.": having her sister go with her?
"she rather have it out before she lost her nerve completely.": she'd rather?
"But even if Allison could believe him": Alison
no subject
Date: 2015-06-29 05:16 am (UTC)But I have separation anxiety! I enjoy Writing this fic so much and now I'm almost at the end!
Thank you for the typo spotting!
no subject
Date: 2015-07-05 03:33 pm (UTC)Aw, I get that! It always feels so weird ♥
no subject
Date: 2015-07-05 06:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-07-08 07:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-07-09 05:07 am (UTC)