The Age Of Reason a Doctor Who/Buffy crossover

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Title: The Age Of Reason
Disclamer:I have no rights whatsoever on anything Joss & co came up with first. or for that matter Russell T Davies
Setting: Season 3 of Doctor Who, lets say season 5 of Buffy.
Warning: There are spoilers for Season 3 of Doctor Who.

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The little bell that was set over the door of the Magic Box tinkled merrily, announcing the arrival of the latest new customer. Anya looked up from her work on the accounts book and saw a funny little man dressed in a dishevelled brown suit stood motionless in the doorway, his long over coat swept back by his hands which were thrust deep into his trouser pockets. He stayed there for a second, a thoughtful look on his face, the morning sun framing his overly dramatic pose, and then he stepped decisively over the threshold and into the shop, making his way quickly over to the shelves.

"Hi and welcome to the Magic Box," said Anya with a bright smile and long practiced cheerfulness "if there is anyway I can help you to spend your money today, please don't hesitate to ask"

"Thanks," the man answered distractedly, rummaging through a box of loose amulets "but I'm not entirely sure I know what it is I'm looking for. I'll know when I see it though - A-ha gotcha."

He turned triumphantly holding aloft a green gemstone set in silver, dangling from a thinly wrought chain.

"Ha! This is it! Perfect, exactly what I need!" he wandered over to the counter and leant towards Anya Conspiratorially "Sarcossian vortex manipulator" he explained "just the thingymabob to stop an interstellar invasion," he grinned disarmingly "how much?"

Anya could only stare at him, for once her love of money taking second place to her complete bemusement at this strange performance. "Well, actually it's an ancient Minoan Charmstone, supposed to bring the wearer good luck in all ventures," she offered uncertainly. She rallied a little, switching back into shopkeeper mode "and it's $12.55 plus tax."

The Strange man examined the stone again, bringing it up to his eye and turning it this way and that, letting the light catch its many surfaces. "Charmstone is it? Hmm? Well, I'm fairly sure it'll do for what I've got in mind anyway" he said tossing it in the air casually and catching it again. "After all one man's vortex manipulator is another man's charmstone. As someone once said ?any sufficiently advanced technology?"

"?is indistinguishable from magic'," finished Giles from the doorway to the back room "Arthur. C. Clarke unless I miss my guess. Hello again Doctor."

"Well I nev? Rupert Giles! The Rupert Giles! It is, isn't it? It's Ripper himself!" The Doctor turned back to Anya and nudged her conspiratorially "You could have told me! Me and Rupert here go waayy back don't we Rup? Course we do. How long must it be now?"

"About twenty five years for me: although I would think perhaps a little less for you, Doctor." Giles said pacing steadily up to the counter and placing his mug of tea on its polished surface.

"Well? yes, a little less. Alright if I'm honest a lot less, but who's counting, eh?" He flashed the bemused Anya another bright smile "Well,Well, Rupert Giles. So what brings a man like you to a place like this then?

Anya gave a sudden loud cough and glared at Giles, her expression more than making up for her lack of words.

"Ah yes, sorry where are my manners" Giles apologised "This is Anya a colleague and? friend of mine. Anya this is the Doctor"

"Doctor what?"

"Pardon"

"Doctor what? He must be Doctor something; people don't just go around being called Doctor" she treated the Doctor to a bright smile "that would be stupid."

"Yes, Anya that was, once again, absolutely in no way the kind of remark that could possibly upset our guest" Giles said pinching the bridge of his nose resignedly. "I'm terribly sorry Doctor."

"Oh, don't give it a thought" the doctor replied "she's got just the kind of direct charm I like in a woman" He looked once more at Anya a thoughtful expression clouding his sunny countenance " and old eyes as well; really, really old eyes." He held her gaze for a few seconds before tearing himself away with a small gasp. Anyway much as I'd love to stay and chat" He glanced again at Anya "I must run; got a sort of end of the world thing to sort out, you know how it is. How much again for the, err? charm?"

"If it will help then it's yours" said Giles, giving Anya a look that silenced her protest before it could begin "after all I owe you quite enough as it is."

The doctor grinned happily at both Giles and Anya "one of this worlds true gentlemen, just like I've always said. Thanks Rup' see you around. Next time we'll have a drink and a proper catch up eh?" and so saying he turned smartly on his heel and left.

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"Well it's about bloody time!" Martha almost shouted as the doctor closed the TARDIS's door behind him "Ten minutes you said, ten minutes and don't worry, I'll be straight back." She walked right up to him, forcing him back against the railing by the door "I've been sat here like a lemon; worried sick about you" she said "and why did I have to stay behind anyway. I never stay behind!" She realised the Doctor was leaning away from her, almost bent double over the metal bar and backed off a little. "It's not fair. You said this was California; I've always wanted to see California."

"Sorry" the Doctor said straightening up "I met and old friend, some one who helped me stop an apocalypse thing a while ago and got sort of chatting. Look I tell you what once we've got the armada diverted back to its home world we'll pop back for a sight seeing trip, alright?"

"I suppose." Said Martha a little sulkily "Anyway, did you manage to find whatever it was you were looking for?"

The Doctor extended his arm allowing the chain to drop from his hand and the green stone to swing back and forth like a hypnotist's pendulum. "Tah-dah. One Sarcossian vortex manipulator," He strode over to the control panel and started to turn dials and press buttons "or a Minoan luck charm, if you believe the girl in the magic shop,"

"Magic shop? You actually got it from an actual magic shop?" Martha said frowning "That's weird. How can anyone still believe in all that stuff?"

"Probably because it's all true" the Doctor replied absently, still absorbed in his work at the TARDIS's controls.

"You what?"

"What?" The doctor replied "You remember the witches when we visited with Shakespeare don't you?"

"Well, yeah but that was centuries ago and, I mean, well they were aliens."

The Doctor stopped, his hand hovering over the panel and gave her a curious look. "The theory still holds though. The right harmonics, the right amount of belief in the right place and just about anything can happen." He pulled a thoughtful face. "Funny isn't it? We've travelled from one end of the universe to the other, visited long dead civilisations and the distant future of the whole human race but there are still some things that you're not willing to accept.

"Yeah, but that's science" Martha replied with an uncertain glance "I'm a doctor, or at least I'm going to be. I might not understand your science but at least I know that's what it is, I know there's an explanation. Magic, well that's always meant either cheap tricks or meaningless mumbo-jumbo to me. Something that just? isn't real.

"Oh Martha: Martha, Martha, Martha. I know you're a child of the age of reason but surely the wonders I've shown you have taught you more than that. Just stop and think about it for one moment. A far away look crept into his ancient eyes "There are thousand of solar systems out there, Millions of planets, countless niches for life to fill, endless ways for it to develop. And that's just this dimension." A strange note of emotion entered his voice. "Who knows how many different dimensions there might be, how many different realities. Even the Timelords never got to the bottom of that one. Everywhere we turn we find new ways of thinking, every discovery unlocks new doors. So who, when it comes to it, can say what really is real, what might just be possible?"

Martha looked down, apparently closely examining the grilled floor of the time machine, her face feeling hot. "Yeah well if you're gonna put it like that?"

The Doctor snapped out of his reveries and gave her that grin that always reminded her of an excited schoolboy "Oh c'mon gloomy-chops cheer up. That's what makes the whole thing so exciting. You never know, not ever, what might be waiting round the next corner, where the next journey will take you. Speaking of which?" He placed his hand on the switch that would launch the TARDIS back into the maelstrom of time and space and gave her an expectant look "shall we?"