Okay, so, here it goes! My first one-shot featuring the Tenth Doctor, Alix, and Jack. I warn everyone now that these are going to be a lot less serious than my first fic. I will eventually write a short multi-chapter fic again, but I thought for the time I'd try one shots. I hope it's to your liking. Please don't forget to review!
This is dedicated to DarkAngelPearl who reviewed all four chapters of 'Of Time and Blue Boxes' and deserves several gold stars and cuddly hugs from the Doctor.
It's not entirely necessary to read 'Of Time and Blue Boxes' to understand this story, but you may want to anyway. hint, hintAnyway, on to the story!
Passion Dance
The rich, red silk of the skirt glided out onto the dance floor after its wearer. Her feet padded lightly on the hard wood. She'd worn these shoes especially for this occasion. Not too much of a heel; perfect for dancing. In the middle of the floor, Alix Edwards slipped her elegant, gloved hand into the outstretched palm of one Captain Jack Harkness. How he had talked her into doing this, she couldn't forget. Somehow, Jack had discovered her secret obsession with dancing, and led her in a well-practiced waltz around the TARDIS' console one afternoon. The Doctor had to address some diplomacy issues on the planet of Slynth. Would she be so kind as to be his dance partner at the ball they were to attend? With sweet words and that charming smile, Alix would have done anything for him.
She returned her thoughts to the moment. Glancing at Jack, he gave her an enthusiastic smile, turning her, slightly, to the crowd that had gathered all around. She bowed, following Jack's motion. Somewhere in one of the corners of the room, the Doctor rolled his eyes heavenward. Trust these two to make such a spectacle out of all of this. After the applause had died away, Jack pressed her tightly to him, waiting for the music to echo all around; then, it would start.
"You look beautiful," he whispered, his breath tickling her ear.
"Thank the TARDIS and her massive wardrobe." Alix smiled, slightly embarrassed. She'd never had a man dote on her as much as Jack did. She supposed it was because she wasn't exactly "his" yet, and he was determined to do anything in order to fix that. Softly trailing his hands down the curls that fell to the side of her face, he smiled.
"Are you ready?" Alix nodded her head, anxiously. Suddenly, the low tone of a violin filled the hall. Jack waited until the beat picked up to lead her into the first move. They'd practiced this at least a hundred times over. It was a few simple steps at first, nothing too complicated. Alix warned him going into this that she'd mostly studied ballroom dancing and swing, and had almost no experience with the tango. Surprisingly, Jack was somewhat of an expert at it. (Later, she rethought this, thinking it wasn't too surprising.) The first few times they'd practiced together, he'd led her smoothly through the moves making a point to show her that anyone could do this if they only had the right partner. The Doctor had watched them, helping where he could. Rarely, Jack got frustrated, and the Doctor would step in, leading Alix through the move. With the two of them working with her, she'd learned this particular form in a week. It made her feel strangely accomplished and excited at the same time.
Alix became suddenly aware of Jack leading her to the side, twisting her out. Mentally, she chastised herself for becoming so distracted. She couldn't put herself on autopilot now. They were getting to the more involved part of the dance. She came back to him in two easy steps, letting her body fall as he dipped her low. He brought her back up with as much fluidity, and led her to the opposite side of the floor. Alix's eyes caught the Doctors. He was smiling, watching the both of them with great interest. This was encouraging to her. At least she knew she didn't look like a fool quite yet.
Jack spun her three times around. She ended up with her back against his chest. They rested for a moment as the music broke just before its great climax. He stepped slightly to the side, and she allowed her body to fall back against his outstretched arm. Immediately she was pulled forward again, and they met face-to-face. Jack smiled, and Alix returned the gesture. Adrenaline rushed through her, and somehow it didn't seem to matter anymore that it was only going to get harder from here. Raising their arms above their heads, they allowed only one of their hands to clasp the other's. They twisted away from one another, ending up back to back. Walking sideways for three measured steps, Alix twisted away and Jack met her.
They were close now. She could feel his breath on her face, and had the most uncontrollable urge to kiss him. She'd felt this many times before, but it was almost overpowering now. Alix resisted, barely, concentrating instead as Jack led her into a simple front and back box step. The music was swelling, now, nearing its end. They were going to have to pull out all the stops. Jack pulled her arms above his head before letting her go. She fell almost to the floor before he caught her around the waist, her hand outstretched. Alix leaned forward, slightly, before Jack grabbed her hand. Raising her leg, she could see how the ruby-like jewels on the shoes glimmered in the dim light. She rested her leg on his arm, letting him stroke it, subtly, then making her twist away from him again. They ended up an arms length away, circling each other. Nerves slightly on edge, Alix took her last steps forward, and Jack met her. They twisted out, and then met again. The music finally died away as Alix leaned backward, guided by Jack as he dipped forward, himself.
Breathlessly, they waited for applause in the now silent room. Jack pulled Alix up, suddenly. Noticing the angry looks on the crowds' faces, she glanced at him, bewildered.
"How dare you come here and fill our royal court with your filth!" One of the strange mustard-skinned aliens spoke up. It was angry, even offended. Alix's gaze wandered over to the Doctor. His eyebrows met, the expression on his face one of thought. Suddenly, his eyes were alight with alarm. Jack could see it too. The Doctor stumbled forward, running towards the pair before one of the beings could intercept him. He stood in front of them, arms outstretched.
"Now, wait. I'm sorry! This was all my fault and I will take full responsibility. No need to blame these two. They had no way of knowing." The Doctor laughed, almost nervously. Alix was puzzled. What had they done?
"They have performed the action; the ritual! They must suffer, and so will you, Doctor! We have picked you for your successes and understanding, and this is how you repay us? You will be sentenced!" Angry shouts erupted from the massive crowd. Alix felt the Doctor's hand slip into hers, and she gripped Jack's tightly. They were off and running again.
Outside of the palace, the night was cool and breezy. A tangy scent filled the air that Alix couldn't quite identify. She took it in with every breath, concentrating on the TARDIS parked at the end of the gardens. As the Doctor pulled her along, she reflected on how her shoes had turned out to be good for much more than dancing. Alix wondered, briefly, if the TARDIS had given them to her as a choice on purpose, knowing that they'd probably find themselves running for their lives again. Clever thing.
The police box was just a few feet away when she felt herself suddenly falling. Her skirt caught beneath her, making her end up on the gravel. Feeling the warm blood trickle down her chin, she knew she had scraped it up. Hands reached down to pick her up, and they were running again. The shouts were getting closer now. Alix looked down, noticing that there was now a big rip along the bottom of the dress. Oh well, what was she going to use it for again, anyway? Nearly colliding with the Doctor as he opened the TARDIS door, she stopped, and was immediately shoved inside. Jack and Alix ended up on the floor next to each other as the Doctor worked, frantically, to open the vortex. The TARDIS shook, then hummed monotonously. They were safe.
Alix let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Rolling onto her back, she breathed easier. It had been too close this time. Her stupid skirt! She sat up, reaching to tear the rest of it off, Jack stopped her.
"Leave it. I like it." He traced his free hand over her face, resting his fingers just inches away from her chin. "Are you okay?"
Alix shook her head, quickly.
"Yep, fine, fine. It was great except for that whole offending the planet's royalty thing. Why did they react like that?" She turned toward the Doctor who was now clutching a basic first aid kit he kept next to the console.
"Here, let me," Jack offered, taking the kit from the Doctor. Shrugging, he went to press a few buttons on the brightly lit panels. Jack guided Alix to the small group of chairs that were placed in front of the computer screens.
"Well, if you must know, the Slynth are a very sensitive race. They never used to be that way until they were invaded by a race called the Dipuc a couple thousand years ago. I haven't been there since then; forgot what it did to them. You see, the Dipuc changed the rules of the planet to be expression in action, not by word. Your little tango dance there was an expression of what you thought of their people and their planet."
"So, wouldn't that be a good thing?" Jack asked, dabbing antiseptic on to Alix's cut. She hissed, backing away, slightly. "Sorry, sorry."
"No, actually it wouldn't." The Doctor's gritted his teeth, exaggerating the gesture. Scratching a finger along his cheek, he continued, "When the Dipuc came, the thinking processes of the Slynth had to be changed, rewritten, in order to incorporate the new rules. They were all brainwashed, in a sense. Everything got a little crossed."
"What do you mean by crossed?" Alix could almost guess where he was going with this, but wanted to hear his answer.
"I mean that they interpret things as being opposite. Say you wanted to say hello to them and make it meaningful, you wouldn't just say hello because that's not an action. In our customs, you could give them a handshake, but to them, a handshake means the opposite. It's a sign of rejection."
"So, what does the tango mean?" Jack asked, absently. He gently smoothed a band aid over Alix's chin. "All done."
The Doctor smiled.
"Well, roughly, it means that they are an inferior race that is totally sterile and can't put out with their women." Alix's eyes widened and she broke out, laughing.
"I could certainly see how someone would be offended by that," Jack offered, steadying Alix when she nearly ended up on the floor. "So much for diplomacy."
"It has taken me a very long time to learn this in my travels, but you're bound to offend someone on the way that you're not meant to. Oh well, I guess we won't be going back there again." The Doctor shrugged, making a few adjustments on the control panel. "Both of you were wonderful, though. I wanted to shout "Bravo!" before I realized something was wrong. Perhaps I should take us somewhere that you could really put that to use."
Alix stopped laughing, then, her face taking on a serious expression.
"Never again. Only once in a lifetime will you ever get me to do something like that. I was coerced in the first place, and my skirt almost got us killed!"
"Well, I like the skirt, and the shoes, and the hair," Jack spoke up. She remembered, suddenly, the overpowering urge to kiss him in the middle of their dance. She had to turn away; her face was getting hot. She didn't want Jack to see the scarlet blush that was now creeping over her face. The Doctor saw, though. He saw everything. He gave her a knowing smile. Alix knew he'd never betray her to Jack even if she never told him herself. The Doctor gave her a small tilt of the head, indicating Jack was waiting for some kind of response. Taking a deep breath, she turned to him, smiling.
"Thanks." She averted her eyes, walking around the panel. "I did have some fun, though. I didn't know I could dance like that." Jack met her, coming the opposite way.
"That's because you had me." He smiled, cocky. Alix let out a scoff, knowing exactly how she could bate him.
"Oi, yeah right! I'm sure I could do just as good with the Doctor! You want to give it a go?" She nudged the Doctor, thereby earning a curious look. She gave him a wink that Jack couldn't see.
"Of course!" He smiled, suddenly enthused. "How could I say no?" He led her to an open space to the side of the panel. Jack suspected he was being teased, but couldn't ignore it any longer. He really wanted to come clean with Alix. Get it all out in the open; seal it with a kiss. It wouldn't be too hard, knowing her. He could see it in her eyes during the dance. He'd almost had her.
Jack walked over to the two, quickly. If he was going to do it now, he had to take her by surprise. The Doctor wouldn't stop him. They'd had chats about this. The Doctor welcomed it, and Jack received the whole "If you do anything to hurt her I'll…" speech. As soon as the Doctor saw him coming, he stepped aside, letting Jack take his place.
"Well, I'm sure he couldn't do this!" With that, he kissed her long and passionately. Alix made no attempts to pull away. She accepted the kiss, letting his tongue explore her mouth. He deepened the kiss, sending waves of desire through her. It lasted for what seemed like eternity before they both broke away, gasping for breath. Alix beamed and Jack let his hands rest on her cheeks, his thumb stroking her face, lightly.
"Bravo!" The Doctor clapped, breaking into a silly grin. "It's about time." They looked at him, laughing. Letting each other go, they stood beside the Doctor, one of them on each side, studying the monitor.
"Where to next?" Jack wondered, looking at the Doctor.
"Well, I was thinking the planet Odidrep. I need to do some repairs on the TARDIS; somewhere inconspicuous. The whole planet is a massive beach. Minimal questions; mostly people relaxing. I wouldn't need your help. You could go explore." He gave each of them a pointed look, winking at Alix in particular. She mouthed him a thanks before turning to Jack and giving him a light smile. They'd definitely make this rare chance at a vacation one to remember.