A/N: Oh my, my first multi-chaptered fic. It's kind of exciting. Before we begin- This takes place basically right after "The Big Bang" for our Doctor Who friends, and after the most recent Psych season finale for the SBPD folks ('though the time doesn't feature quite as heavily for them); the rating is what it is for later chapters, and this has not been beta-read, so if I missed any typos, just lemme know. C:
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
The Doctor danced around the TARDIS console, pulling levels and pushing buttons with his usual manic energy, quickly jarring the ship to life. "So, Ponds, still set on going to Rio for the honeymoon?" he asked, a huge, crazy grin plastered across his face.
"Of course!" Amy shouted over the creaks and bangs of the engines warming up. "You still owe us from last time!" as the ship lurched, she grabbed onto Rory's arm for support. Her new husband blushed happily at the small gesture.
With confirmation as to where they were headed, the Doctor renewed his frenzy of button mashing and lever pulling, even going so far as to stretch out a foot to grab a particularly troublesome lever out of his arms' reach. Finally, he gave pause and gestured towards a big lever with a red handle. "If the bride and groom would have the honor?" the Doctor grinned.
Smiling excitedly, Amy and Rory both took hold of the big red lever and pulled together.
The TARDIS lurched and shook as it made its way through time and space towards the intended destination. Eventually, with an audible 'thud', the ancient ship made her landing. All ready for some tropical relaxation with her boys, before they zoomed off to the corners of the universe for adventures requiring lots and lots of running, Amy leaped for the TARDIS' doors and threw them open with a shove. Then she stopped dead.
"Doctor…"
Recognizing the annoyance in his companion's voice, the Doctor wondered just how far off course they had flown. Again. Warily moving towards Amy and the open doors, he hoped that wherever they were, it wasn't bad enough to bring the full force of Mrs. Amelia Williams's wrath upon him. A cricket bat to the face was not something he planned on experiencing again anytime soon, thank you very much.
Peeking around the irate redhead, the Doctor was greeted with the scene of a small, moderately busy beach city. 'There's a beach… could be Rio, right?' he thought tentatively. But upon focusing his gaze a little closer to his ship, his hopes were dashed by a large sign.
'Welcome to Santa Barbara!'
Panicking, the Doctor began to do what he did best- ramble on as fast as he could in hopes that his stream of consciousness could distract whatever was focusing its anger on him. "Well! Okay, it's not Rio, but there's a beach, and I'm pretty sure this town is in California, which is lovey and kind of tropical this time of year, well, at least in the southern bit of the state, so the beaches should be great, really, and look, little shops-!" Amy put a finger up to his lips, stopping the torrent of words.
"Fine." She grumbled, probably realizing there were hundreds of much worse places they could have landed. "As long as there are no lizard people this time around." At that, she grabbed Rory by the collar and dragged him out into the afternoon sunlight.
Relieved that Amy hadn't fought too hard over their sudden change of plans, the Doctor began to follow. Looking back into his beloved ship, a tiny frown creased his brow. Usually, when they landed somewhere unexpected, it was because the TARDIS had picked up on something that meant he was needed. Ninety-nine point nine percent of the time, this led to Bad Things, and he'd rather not ruin his friends' honeymoon.
Although, sometimes he did wonder…
"Do you have something against Rio, my dear?" the Doctor asked with a smile as he turned to exit the ship.
The TARDIS' engines made a wheezing noise, and in the back of his mind, the Doctor knew she was laughing.
A/N: Whooo, introduction finished! The rest of the players, and the beginnings of the plot, will be introduced in chapter 2. Hope you like it so far.
