beta read by Charina/gidget89, she's awesome.
Count the Cost
Part One
Imogen bounded down the stairs into the control room happily. She looked to the floor, and just as she'd expected, found the Doctor beneath the console in his odd little swing, goggles on, fiddling with wires and fixing the dear TARDIS. She ran down to join him and plopped herself on the bottom step with surprising grace.
"I thought we talked about you spending all night down here." She said nonchalantly,
The Doctor gave an odd shrug, "Yes, well, she needed… debugging. I had to reboot a room or two; redid the Library and the Gardens," He ran his sonic over a cord then discarded it, "And the Kitchen."
"I noticed." Imogen told him simply, "It took me two hours to find it this time. Then another half hour to find where you've hidden the pantry."
For the first time since he'd heard her footsteps down the long corridor upstairs, the Doctor looked up. He pulled the goggles from his eyes and gave her a sheepish look. "Sorry."
She brushed it off with a wave of her hand, "Oh I need the exercise," she joked lightly, "And you can always make it up to me today."
He grinned at her and jumped up, running the short steps to the console, "Right then Miss Imogen! Where to this time?"
Imogen laughed and followed him to the console, watching him excitedly run around it, pulling his sleeves down and shrugging on his tweed jacket. He straightened his bowtie with a smile and pulled the handbrake, "Oh I know just the place," he told her, "Just the place, I haven't been there in a very long time."
"Where's that then?"
He grinned at her, "Just wait and see."
He spun dials, typed in co-ordinates and danced around the console, slamming buttons and turning gears. They landed quickly and with a flick of the brake, the Doctor bounded off, grabbing Imogen by the hand and pulling her out into a field of green grass.
Imogen beamed, "Oh wow!" she ran across the soft grass and laughed, spinning like she used to as a child, her arms out stretched, her neck craned towards the sky, spinning and spinning until it became too much and she fell to the soft ground with a laugh. Her eyes closed at the bright sun and she took in a deep breath. It smelt like apples.
"Having fun?" asked a bemused voice as a shadow fell over her face,
Imogen opened her eyes to see the Doctor leaning over her with a grin, "Yes," she smiled, "Where are we?"
He plonked down to the ground next her and smiled out to the city in the far distance, "This is New Earth, the year five billion and fifty-six, the rise of the Post Bliss era."
"It's beautiful."
"I thought we might have a picnic." He smiled,
"Just after breakfast?" Imogen giggled, "I'm a bit full, actually."
His face fell sadly, "Oh,"
Imogen smiled kindly and squeezed his arm in reassurance, "We'll have a picnic lunch instead. For now, why don't we explore the city?"
A new beam pulled at his face, "A day trip to New New York! We'll buy everything for our picnic there, and I have a few friends we could visit."
Imogen stood up, her hand out to him; he took it and pulled himself up, the two of them setting off together, hand in hand. They made their way to New New York and wandered the streets, stopping in various stores and poking around. For lunch they picnicked in New Central Park, watching passers-by and discussing the New Humans and Bliss Virus from the Doctor's previous visits to the city. By the time they started their journey back to the TARDIS night was falling.
They walked hand in hand across the plane of apple-grass, laughing and running and dancing, enjoying each other's company. "Who in the world ever thought that classified as dancing?" Imogen asked through choked tears, she was doubled over, stumbling as she laughed,
The Doctor gaped at her, "Of course it's dancing!" he exclaimed, "Look at it, it's cool." And he demonstrated again, his knees bent together as his arms met above his head as he shimmied his whole body at once,
Imogen tripped and fell to the ground, "You need dancing lessons desperately,"
"I've had them, course I have,"
"Who from?" She asked, "A giraffe taking its first steps?"
He glared at her, "Just for that, I'm not helping you back up."
She laughed, her head falling back, something about the simplicity of their day, the smell of apples in the air, the cool breeze that whipped back her hair form her face; it made everything, this whole wonderful experience, just perfect. "I'm a big girl," she told the Doctor once she recovered, "I can get up by myself."
She pushed herself to her knees and stood, brushing the remnants of grass from her clothes, "I can teach you to dance,"
"I already-"
But Imogen had already taken his hands, holding his left in her right, and placing his right on her lower back, so that he held her close, their stomachs ghosting together. Her left hand rested on his arm and she smiled up at him. He looked at her oddly, at her hands, and down between them, then met her eyes.
"Now what?"
Imogen giggled, "Now we dance," she nudged his left foot with her right, "step back," she prompted, and they moved one step together, "Now this foot, step and rotate, left again; perfect. Start with the right this time, forwards. One, two three, left, two three, right, two three," she beamed at him, "You're doing it,"
"Of course I am," the Doctor retorted, "I must say, I'm used to leading, but doesn't mean I can't accommodate being led."
Imogen stared at him and changed their pattern, so he led. They moved together in perfect unison, she spun out at his lead, from his arm, then back and he dipped her before drawing her back to him and starting their three-step waltz once more. "I can't believe this," Imogen smiled, "You're the clumsiest person I know, you trip over your own feet more than a puppy that hasn't grown into its paws."
"I'm seventeen hundred and six, and you don't think I can waltz?"
Imogen just grinned at him, "Oh look, we're almost there," she pulled herself from his grip and pointed out to the blue ship waiting patiently for them,
"Well then," said the Doctor, "Off we trot,"
He took her hand and started to run, Imogen quickly following suit, they reached the TARDIS in a flash and the Doctor pulled out a key, unlocking her before pushing open the door, "Ladies first," Imogen stepped inside, closing her eyes and breathing in the homeliness of the wondrous ship,
"Home again, home again," smiled the Doctor as he stepped in after her, he closed the doors behind him and turned, almost walking directly into Imogen who stood frozen the spot, her eyes wide.
He looked up to the console and stared.
River Song smiled back at him, "And what sort of time do you call this?"
tbc