TITLE: Things That Go Bump In The Wardrobe Room
AUTHOR: Talepiece
RATING: (What's the US equivalent of 15 certificate?)
PAIRING: Tegan/Nyssa
DISCLAIMER: I own them not. Please sue me not.
CONTINUITY: Continues directly from the end of Black Orchid, references Logopolis and Castrovalva.
They entered the Tardis, the Doctor with book in hand, Tegan carrying the box with their fancy-dress costumes. Adric threw the control that closed the door and the Doctor began to work the console. Soon they were off again, the console's centre humming as it lifted and fell in time with time itself.
'I'll go hang these things up in the wardrobe room,' Tegan said, hefting the box in illustration.
'I'll come too,' Nyssa added with a shy smile.
Adric opened his mouth to volunteer his help but the Doctor said, 'You stay here, Adric, let the girls have some time to themselves,' before the boy could speak.
Adric shrugged and turned back to the console. Tegan and Nyssa hurried out, sharing a suspicious glance as they went.
'You think he knows something?'
'I think he knows lots of things,' Nyssa said innocently.
Tegan stared at her over the top of the box. This whole thing was going to be very weird. Was already very weird. She stifled a sigh and headed down yet another corridor. They walked in silence for a while. The corridor seemed to stretch out with the silence. Or was it the other way around.
It had started the night after George Cranleigh had done the highdive without a pool. That poor man, all that pain and heartache for one flower. Even if it was one of the rarest and most beautiful Tegan had ever seen. But not as beautiful as Nyssa in the butterfly costume, a little voice supplied. Tegan felt herself blushing and remembered the fiery red she had gone after their first kiss.
Nyssa was still upset after her close encounter with George. Ann was in a worse state so Nyssa had tried to help the other girl but it had taken a toll on the normally stoic young woman. Later that night, there was a knock on the door to Tegan's room. She wasn't asleep, just lying there, staring at the ceiling, counting the cracks and trying not to think of Nyssa falling instead of the tortured George Cranleigh. The knock came again, a little firmer this time, but Tegan was already on her feet and pulling the bathrobe around her. She cinched the belt and then opened the door. Nyssa was just turning away. Tegan offered her a smile but it faded as a single tear tracked down Nyssa's cheek.
'Oh, come on you,' Tegan said, pulling Nyssa in with her and closing the door with her shoulder, 'You're a mess,' she added with a squeeze to Nyssa's shoulders.
Nyssa folded in to her side, allowing herself to be pulled to Tegan's bed and settled down under the sheets. Tegan hesitated a moment. There was something vaguely familiar about this; something that she'd been toying with in her dreams since that first time she'd seen the young woman. There on Logopolis, surrounded by old men, suddenly thrust in to the Doctor's orbit, trying to save the universe from the Master's plans - and all Tegan Jovanka could think was... well, something inappropriate at the time.
And it's no more appropriate now, Tegan told herself firmly. She looked down to find Nyssa watching her carefully. There was a flicker of understanding in her eyes that made Tegan's stomach flip. She tightened the robe's belt even more, hoping to pinch in the errant thoughts, then slipped in to the bed beside Nyssa.
The smaller form immediately moulded itself to Tegan's side and she had no choice but to wrap a protective arm around Nyssa's shoulders. They shook gently as the young woman struggled to keep a grip on her emotions. Tegan whispered nonsense in her ear, holding her tightly and rocking them both. Her heart broke and the errant thoughts faded away.
Until the next morning. She woke, bathrobe thrown open, head at a funny angle, body twisted to accommodate the small form that was curled up on top of her. Nyssa's head was tucked in to Tegan's chin. One hand was on her breast, the other lying delicately somewhere further south. What was a girl supposed to do at a time like that?
Tegan had opted for staying very, very still. She had considered not breathing but nature took its course. In more ways than one. That hand - the lower one - was starting to twitch. So was Tegan. It was only after a long sigh had escaped her lips that Tegan realised the truth. Nyssa was awake. Tegan felt the smile take shape against her skin, felt the body shift a little above her own, finally noticed that Nyssa'a heartrate was almost as high as her own.
'Nyssa,' Tegan said. She had wanted it to be a firm, warning tone but it just came out like begging.
'Shh' Nyssa said against Tegan's neck, 'Let me. Please.'
Tegan made to protest, tensed her back to sit them both up. And failed on both counts. Her body just wouldn't move. Well, not any more than the twitches and spasms that were beginning to overtake her. And then she was blinking herself back and Nyssa's hands were still, her body still curled up on top of Tegan.
'What... ' Tegan managed to splutter, 'Where did you... I mean... Don't laugh at me! Do you know what you just did?' The laughter grew stronger, shaking Tegan's body. 'Hey!' Tegan raised her head to look in to Nyssa's sparkling eyes, sparkling from mirth now and looking so much better than when they had when sparkling from tears the night before, 'I'm serious.'
Nyssa's laughter died and she sat up, staring down in to Tegan's angry face with rising concern. 'I'm so sorry,' she said, struggling to free herself from Tegan's body and the sheets wrapped around them both, 'I thought... Oh, Tegan, I'm sorry, I just. Maybe things are different for humans, maybe I... Oh, I'm so...'
Tegan reached out and grabbed at Nyssa's shoulders, halting her movements before she could stumble out of the bed. 'Wait!' Tegan said. She shifted in the bed, embarrassingly aware of the scent that clung to her body and the sheets. She studied Nyssa's face carefully. Boy, Tegan Jovanka, you can really mess this stuff up. OK. She could do this, Tegan told herself firmly. Whatever the hell 'this' was.
Tegan took a deep breath. 'Things probably are different for humans than trakens, especially in this period,' Tegan tilted her head to indicate the room in general, 'but I'm still me.'
'And are you different?' The words were stilted, guarded. Nyssa's fears ran plainly across her features. 'Do you know what we just did?'
'Well, parts of me certainly do,' Tegan barked out a filthy laugh.
'Actually, we're surprisingly similar - biologically speaking,' Nyssa said before she could stop herself. Her eyes dropped, embarrassed again but not sure why.
She had wanted to touch Tegan from the first moment they met. Though the timing wasn't great, given the whole end-of-the-universe thing. And the fact that they just couldn't shake off Adric until he managed to get himself caught by the Master. There had been that night at Castrovalva, watching Tegan sleep, trying to work up the courage to slip in beside her. Failing. Then all sorts of things had happened and somehow she just kept failing to find the right time or enough courage or the right words. Then, last night all her defences had been down; she simply needed to be held and there was no-one else she wanted to hold her. Waking up that morning, feeling Tegan's sleeping body beneath her own - what else was she to do? Her hands had moved of their own accord, her mind promising that they would be stilled as soon as Tegan began to wake. A promise not kept. It was just too tempting, too exciting. She needed it too much. And so had Tegan, a happy little voice in Nyssa's mind supplied.
'Nyssa?' Tegan said, watching her face intently.
Nyssa blushed again. She didn't know what to do or say; she'd taken advantage of her best friend in the worst possible way. Best possible way, that voice spoke again. And now she had to take responsibility for her actions, even if it meant loosing Tegan.
She was so intent on her spiralling thoughts that she didn't notice Tegan's movements. Only really knew what was happening when Tegan's lips were pressed against her own. They stayed there until Nyssa caught up with what was going on. And she kissed Tegan back with a mixture of passion and relief.
When they finally parted, Tegan was blushing just as much as Nyssa. They sucked in deep breaths, grinning like fools, shifting on the bed to curl in to each other again.
'You know, there are some differences,' Tegan said, teasing, 'Humans generally start with the kissing and move on to the other stuff.'
'Tegan? Tegan?' Nyssa's voice hardened and Tegan came back to herself. They had made it to the wardrobe room, filled as it was with clothes from five doctors and who knew how many companions. Tegan found that thought a bit creepy but she decided not to dwell on it. Instead, she watched Nyssa's face light up as it always did when the young woman walked in to the room.
'Sorry,' Tegan grinned, 'miles away.'
'Thinking about...' Nyssa let the sentence trail off in to a saucy smile.
'About Ann, yes,' Tegan said, skipping out of Nyssa's reach as her hand struck out to swat at Tegan's side. She hurried down the stairs to the lower level of the room and deposited the box on a table. 'You really did look beautiful in this dress,' Tegan said, holding up the butterfly gown, 'Not quite as nice as Ann...' she added in an undertone.
'Just you be careful,' Nyssa said, 'I know all your vulnerable spots.
'Know them, you discovered most of them.'
Nyssa joined her on the lower level and tucked herself against Tegan's side. She reached out and took the gown from Tegan's hands, studying it. She hadn't really wanted Ann to give them their gowns; though there was a great deal to be happy about for their stay at Cranleigh Hall, there were some awful memories too. But the good definitely outweighed the bad, Nyssa decided. Besides she did love the way Tegan's eyes lit up when she held the dress against her body. And Tegan had worn her gown very well too.
'I'll put this on, if you'll try yours on as well,' Nyssa said.
Tegan glanced around them as if someone might be watching. Given the size of the room and all the hiding places it afforded, you couldn't be too careful. There were just the two of them, though, and the gowns were lovely. And Nyssa's did expose significantly more skin than all that velvet.
'You're on,' she nodded.
The Tardis lurched dangerously. Nyssa bowled in to Tegan, her arms trapped behind her, caught in the jacket she was trying to remove. Tegan steadied them both against the table, one hand on Nyssa's waist, one clinging on to the table's edge. The Tardis lurched the other way and they tumbled to the floor.
'If he's letting Adric drive again, I'll kill them both,' Tegan said.
Nyssa struggled to right herself, sitting up and pulling on her jacket before saying anything, 'That felt like the Tardis got caught in something.'
'What, like a giant time net?'
'Like a time eddy or something,' Nyssa flashed a glare at Tegan as they both steadied themselves. The table shook a little with another faint lurch but they remained upright. Waiting until things seemed to have calmed down, Nyssa added, 'Let's go and find out.'
Tegan picked the gowns up from the floor and laid them on the table before following her up to the entrance. She glanced back down at the table and muttered, 'I might just kill them both anyway,' before slamming the door shut behind her.