alternatehistory.com

David Burton was in the bar, nursing a pint when he looked up.

Ian Levine stood there.

“Hello David,” Levine said.

“Hulloo,” Burton replied. “I figured you’d be up there with the rest of them.”

Levine took a seat, uninvited.

“I’m done with Millennium,” he said, “I can’t be bothered to get dragged back into that mess. The first two series were enough. Millennium’s finished anyway, the project belongs to them. All that mattes to me is that you send your cheques on time.”

“So you’re heading out?”

Levine shrugged.

“There’s a few people here I might look up, some music business maybe. Maybe I’ll take a holiday.”

There was an awkward silence.

“Thanks for coming, then,” Burton said. “I was sure you were going to bugger me.”

Levine nodded.

“I thought about it,” he said. “Particularly when I talked it over with Terry. I was brought in to make sure you were out. I definitely thought about it. There would have been a certain satisfaction to it.”

“Did you?”

Levine shrugged.

“I meant what I said. And I’ll be blunt, I’m the only reason you’re the Doctor right now.”

“So why?” Burton asked. “Guilt.”

Levine looked down at the floor.

“No,” he said, “I don’t think so. I’ll admit that the last series we were on together, that was me at my worst. I was going through a bad spell, and I did things that were excessive. I made mistakes and I burned bridges. I’ll take responsibility for that.”

“But,” Levine continued. “Guilt? Over you? No. You were a bad choice, the worst choice, that was clear for the first series and the second, and I think we should have gotten rid of you. Or I should have walked. I acted badly, but I was in the right.”

“That’s flattering,” Burton said.

Levine shrugged.

“So why?” Burton asked. “You could have done me in the neck, given it to Nigel or Hugh, either one of them.”

Levine leaned back in his chair thoughtfully.

“You’ve stuck with it,” Levine said finally. “I may not have liked the way you played it, but you pulled your weight and tried your best, I’ll give you that. For better or worse, you stuck with it after the rest of us walked away, and you put the work in. They wouldn’t be up there now, if not for you, and it’s pretty shabby treatment to try to show you the door. I know what it’s like to be treated like that.”

“Us underdogs have to stick together,” Burton laughed.

“You’re on your own,” Levine said. “Good luck with them. Don’t trust Nation though, not as far as you can throw him. Don’t trust any of them, they’ll throw you under a bus as soon as look at you. That’s my advice.”

“I think I’ve figured that out,” Burton said dryly.

“Frankly,” Levine said, “I think you’ll fail. I won’t say I hope that you will, I’m past that. But I think you will. But whether you succeed or fail, you deserve to have the chance. That’s all.”

Burton laughed out loud.

“You’ve mellowed out, Ian.”

Ian’s lips quirked.

“I suppose so.”

Burton stuck his hand out. After a moment’s hesitation, Levine took it.

“See you around,” Burton said.

“I hope not,” Levine actually smiled. “But good luck.”