"Doctor?" asked Turlough.
"Let's go…" said the Doctor sullenly, turning around to go back to the TARDIS. His hand gravitated to his coat pocket and his throat felt like it was about to swell closed as he felt the lump there.
"Don't you dare lover-boy!" said a vaguely feminine, slightly nasal, and very irritated voice coming from about ankle height. Turlough and the Doctor looked down to see a Unicorn PillowPet glaring up at them.
She was white, with a pale pink mane, hooves, and horn, and she had a hot pink obi sash tied in a bow behind her. She was crossing her hooves and looking cross.
"…Unicorn Plushie?" asked Turlough slowly. The ginger alien was still weirded out by the living toy.
"Darn straight."
"What are you doing here?" asked the Doctor. "And where's BloodLily?"
"Vacation," said Unicorn.
"And she left you behind?" asked Turlough.
"I stayed," said Unicorn, shuddering. "They went to Night Vale, and that's not exactly a prime vacation spot. I still have nightmares after when we saw Street Cleaning Day." She shook her head. "But she sent me an e-mail and gave me a message for the Doctor, at this exact moment in time."
"What is it?" asked the Doctor.
"She told me to tell you to, and I quote, 'get your Time Lord rear in gear and do it, 'cause otherwise you won't see her until she's about to die, and you won't be able to help her.'" The Doctor's face paled. "So what are you waiting for? Snap to it!"
The Doctor took off like a shot in the direction Tegan had left. Turlough stared after him, then turned to look at Unicorn Plushie.
"It'll be explained if you help me film this," said Unicorn. She held out her hands. "Come on. Up!" Turlough picked her up and awkwardly held her as she pulled a camera phone out of… somewhere and pointed forward. "Onward!"
—•—•—•—
Tegan picked her way through the street. All she needed to do was to find a pay phone, and then her grandfather could pick her up. It would be simple. She could live a normal life now. No more Doctor.
The thought made her wince, or maybe it was the bump on her head. She put her hand up to the spot and winced again.
"Tegan!"
Tegan whipped around to see the Doctor running after her. So he'd run after her after all. The thought made her happy, but it would make this harder. After all, she was only leaving on her own terms. Sooner or later, her feelings would come to light, and then he'd drop her off faster than she could say 'TARDIS'. So she crossed her arms and waited for him to catch up.
"What do you want?" she asked neutrally. He leaned over, putting his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. He finally peered up at her through his bangs.
"I'm- I'm glad I caught you- in time," he said, puffing. "I- wanted to-"
"I can't stay," Tegan said, cursing herself mentally for how cold she sounded. The Doctor straightened up, nervously fiddling with his celery.
"Oh. Well, um, why not?"
"Because, I'll have to leave soon, won't I?" Tegan kept her voice even. "It'll make it easier for both of us this way."
"No it won't," said the Doctor. "Not for me."
"Huh?" Tegan asked, her voice going up an octave or two.
"Well, erm…" said the Doctor, feeling his cheeks heat up. "What I'm trying to say is…" He took a deep breath and felt his stomachs contort and twist themselves into knots. He lowered himself onto one knee and fumbled in his pockets for the box. Finally, he brought it out and opened it, displaying the purple-tinted diamond on the white-gold band. His throat suddenly felt very dry.
"So…" he said nervously, "um… well, would you… marry… me?" The last word came out as a tentative squeak. It took all his willpower not to break eye-contact with Tegan, who looked surprised. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish, and under different circumstances, the Doctor might have found it funny. But he was more interested in her reaction.
"Um… I…" Tegan started. The Doctor prepared himself for her refusal, knowing that it was what he'd expected. "Yes."
"Huh?" he asked, not quite sure he'd heard her right.
"I said yes, you dummy," said Tegan, smiling. The Doctor's face lit up as he realized that she'd said 'yes'! She'd said 'yes!'
He jumped up and captured her in a big hug, laughing at his luck. Tegan wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning into the hug. She grinned, kissing him on the cheek. He pulled back, just enough so he could see her face, and studied it, as if trying to put every contour of it to memory. Finally, he leaned in and kissed her, a very nice kiss in Tegan's opinion.
Unicorn Plushie grinned from her's and Turlough's hiding spot.
"Fist bump?" she said, holding out her hoof. Turlough looked at her, then sighed. He gently knocked his fist against her own.
"I'll send you a copy if you'd like," said Unicorn.
"Oh…" said Turlough, rolling his eyes. "Why not?"
Bloody: This kept me up for an hour last night. Tegan had a stinky exit, which I attribute to the Beeb spring-cleaning for Sixie. Good one Unicorn!
Unicorn: Whatever. So, Bloody doesn't own anything recognizable. Bye.
