Author's Note: This is something that I have been writing for my friend - she's mad about the 10th Doctor. I was just hoping to get some feedback before I gave it to her. It's not yet completed, but I'm working on that. All reviews/criticism would be extremely appreciated. Thank you for your time!
Oh, and I don't own Doctor Who, or any of it's characters, etc.
"Now, concentrate Holls, I'm giving you the main key, but I've also hidden a couple of spares about – you know, just in case." He had said.
Holly had nodded. He had continued. "I've configured the Tardis to return to this point at exactly noon on Sunday, so you won't have to worry about trying to find me again."
Holly had opened her mouth to ask a question, but the Doctor had pretended he hadn't noticed. "In the meantime, she's all yours. She'll take you anywhere. You're getting pretty good with the controls – especially the unnecessary thwacking of unimportant dials and things – and Jack's always here if you need a hand. And remember–" he had said jovially, putting an arm around her shoulders, "stop frowning and listen–" Holly had desperately flattened the concerned creases between her eyebrows, "–relax. And have fun! You will be absolutely, one thousand MILLION per cent, fan-TAS-tically, fine." He'd flashed her a toothy grin, and any questions she had once had gave up trying to be asked and sighed dreamily.
That had been just over half an hour ago. Holly had been sat in the console room, staring at the glass cylinder of the Tardis, since the Doctor had donned his fluorescent, heart-shaped sunglasses and bid them all adieu.
Gone for the weekend. Holly sighed. She had never thought she'd see the day. Irritatingly, she missed him already.
And then…the episode earlier that day. Something had happened that made her feel more confused than ever about the relationship between Doctor and current companion.
She'd been busy cleaning and tidying. Actually, she had given up trying to tidy the mess left by the present occupants of the flying police box, and had sat down to sing to the Tardis. It was something she found herself doing occasionally, when no one was around.
She had been startled by the Doctor's presence. He seemed to know instinctively when she was singing to the ship, and had a knack for sneaking in to listen unnoticed. As soon as she saw him she had leapt from the comfy stool and feigned dusting the numerous and haphazard controls, continuing her interrupted song on by humming.
The next thing she knew the Doctor had appeared wordlessly at her side. She had looked up at him, shocked into silence; he had been so near, and her stomach had given a jolt because she had had the distinct impression that he was going to kiss her.
Instead, he placed a slender finger on her lips and whispered, "You have a spectacular voice. I love to hear you sing." He had given her a small, gorgeous smile and Holly had instantly melted. She hoped against hope that he couldn't hear the thundering of her heart on her ribcage.
He'd stared into her eyes for an achingly long moment, then turned and strode away towards the kitchen.
"Tea?" he had called over her shoulder.
"Ermm, yes," Holly had replied in a high, strained voice, followed by a quiet, wistful sigh.
So that was what had led to her strange, reclusive mood this Thursday evening. She wasn't sure what to make of the Tardis when it was devoid of its alien owner, and she was even less sure how to process the incident that morning with said alien. All she could infer from his comment was that the Doctor disliked humming and hummers. Typical of Holly to miss the compliment.
Interrupting her reverie, Jack's head poked around the door that led to the living quarters. Holly pretended not to notice him; he was wearing a knowing smile.
"Somebody looks like a sulky puppy," he drawled, his voice dripping mirth.
Holly scrunched her face into a horrendous pout and directed it his way. He laughed.
"Sorry, a verysulky pup." He corrected. Holly relaxed her face and returned to gazing up at the ceiling, arms folded, but Jack was unwilling to give up without a fight. "Come ooon, Holly! The plan for this evening is a film night with wine, chocolate and popcorn, and then in the morning we can decide what to do over the weekend while Daddy's away."
Holly tried not to look interested in his proposition.
"You know you want to!" He wheedled. She didn't take much convincing.
"Fine," Holly grumbled as she got up from her comfy stool, her smile betraying her dull tone, "I'm sure one film and one glass of something alcoholic won't hurt."
Knowing full well that the evening certainly wouldn't end after only one of everything, Jack grinned mischievously.
Holly woke up in the Doctor's bed. Bleary-eyed and fuzzy-brained, she rolled over to inspect the luminescent clock on the nightstand. The red digits swam in her vision. Six fifteen. Far too early. Another six hours were left for her to sleep at least.
Later, she padded barefoot downstairs and into the kitchen, silently thanking the Tardis for its consistently warm floors. Munching on some rapidly cooling toast she had found on the counter, Holly pushed open the door to the console room and shuffled inside.
Jack was stood with his back to her, a plate in one hand, a long stick of toast-crust in the other. He was gesturing up at the glass cylinder in the centre of the console with the piece of crust, mouth full of toast, talking to another man. Holly entered the room in the middle of Jack's sentence.
"...so the energy to distort time, space, and reality is harnessed by the vortex manipulator and utilised by the column of Galifrean glass in the centre. Nothing like it in your Space Corp." He finished his sentence, swallowed his toast, and turned to regard Holly.
He was wearing clothes that she couldn't remember ever seeing him wear before. He wore a plain white t-shirt and jeans. He somehow looked younger, a lot younger, and trimmer.
As his eyes fell on her he flashed his two rows of perfect teeth in a most handsome smile, and Holly could see why her best friend had fancied the pants off him. "Sleep well?" he mocked.
"Like a drunken baby," she admitted, grinning back then taking another bite of toast. She turned to look the other man up and down. "Who the hell is this?"
"Jeez, how much did you drink?" Jack half turned himself to look as well. "This is some stray I saw floating about in the atmosphere. He had such an exquisite posterior – definitely a dancer – I couldn't help myself. I just had to pick him up." Holly was dazzled by his teeth again as he turned back to her.
The man behind Jack squeaked. His face was long, and he sported satellite-sized ears, and glasses. He wore a dark woollen jumper and jeans, and looked a little bit apprehensive, like a spooked rabbit.
"Hey!" Holly jibed, poking Jack as she passed him on her way to sit on her stool, "You better not be checking out other people. I'll tell her you know!" She plonked herself down. "And she won't be happy, not one bit."
Jack laughed then shoved the remainder of the crust into his mouth. "Ade Shmade." He joked. "She'd probably want to join in."
Holly gaped, then swatted at him, laughing. "How rude! She'd flay you alive, Jack, and you know it, because she's got you wrapped around her little-"
"No more talk of partners!" Jack commanded. "This is the weekend we've been planning for ages! Let's not talk of those mundane, everyday things in our lives that we have come here for a few days to avoid." His mischievous smirk lit his face.
A small voice piped up, sounding forgotten and forlorn, "You really don't remember who I am?"
Jack snorted.
"Of course I know who you are, Alonso." Said Holly, shaking her head, "Bless you! I was only joking, hun."
Alonso hurried to explain himself. "I thought you might be, but I wasn't sure, I mean we only met yesterday and-"
"Who could forget the lovely Alonso and his perfect backside!"
"Jack!"
"Okay, okay, spoil sport."
"So, um, what's the plan for today?" Asked Alonso, tentatively.
Jack rounded on him ecstatically, "Oh, the usual; we travel time and space, pick a where and a when, be awed and amazed for ten minutes or so, discover an evil plot for destruction, foil it, then leave, having saved the day yet again. Oh, and do an awful lot of running in the process."
"I see," Alonso squeaked.
"That's right, isn't it, Holly?" Jack grinned her way.
Holly shrugged, "Shower," was all she said.
"That's it?"
A single nod. "Shower."
"But then we're gonna travel time and space, do some running, and save a planet?"
Holly cracked a smile, "Oh, yeah."
"Awesome!" Shedding some anxiety, Alonso grinned.
Jack closed the gap between them and put an arm around his shoulders. "You are gonna be so glad you agreed to spend the weekend with Team Tardis."
As Holly left the room, Jack turned to Alonso.
"Well, old chum, looks like we have about an hour to kill. I think it's about the right time to–"
But what exactly it had been the right time for Alonso never found out, for at that precise moment the door that Holly had left ajar slammed shut with some force and a considerable noise.
Both being typical military men they immediately tensed into defensive positions; Alonso dropping into a half-crouch, and Jack wheeling to face the door, a gun appearing in his hands, apparently from thin air.
There was utter silence for a few seconds during which neither man moved. Alonso felt suddenly uncomfortably embarrassed at the seemingly unnecessary display of caution. Jack, however, was still tense, and kept his firearm trained on the door as he spoke.
"Holly?"
Stillness, until: they were startled by a thunderous fanfare of trumpets, bringing their attention to the Tardis' console and the column of glass Jack had commented on earlier. Shafts of light beamed out suddenly, creating haphazard patterns that pulsed and shifted across the walls. The sound ceased as abruptly as it had begun, and the silence left by its' absence irritated the ears with an incessant ringing.
A tiny, tinny muttering issued from hidden speakers.
"...but then again, what would the elemaphlotsits have to drink? Oh sod it, surely they can last a day without flangaflanga juice? This is important."
The voice sounded very familiar to Alonso, but he was sure that he, Jack and Holly had left that person on some moon in a backward galaxy the previous day. He was shocked when a split-second later a grainy three-dimensional image of the Doctor appeared before them. To his left, Jack visibly relaxed, putting the safety catch on his gun and wandering a few paces closer to the image. Alonso followed.
"Oh right, yes." The Doctor was saying, "Finally this stupid Roocarn technology works."
The entire visage jarred shockingly, wibbling, bending, and twisting out of shape, until Alonso felt positively sea-sick. The fuzzy humanoid outline turned to the console and poked a few buttons; the words of a mumbled curse lost behind a high-pitched blare of feedback. The Tardis jolted and the hologram disappeared completely. Alonso shifted his weight after almost losing his footing and risked a glance at Jack. He could just about make out his face as the lights began to flicker on and off – a tolerant patience bestowed to precious few kept his features stony and his eyes fixed on the console.
At long last, normality was restored, and the hologramatic-representation of the Doctor turned to them and gazed into the general area in which they stood, his eyes focusing on what would have been a camera lens during the recording.
He cracked a smile and with a clap brought his hands together and rubbed them.
"So, boys. You're probably wondering what this is about." He began in his usual jovial, impish way, "Holly's fine, by the way; this delicate little sequence – painstakingly pieced together by moi – can only be activated by Holly exiting through the inner door and leaving you two squidgy pink bodies alone in here. Actually, it was quite ingenious of me. I began by..." he paused, checked himself, and continued, "...but I'm sure Jack is too impatient to listen to details he deems irrelevant."
Jack raised an eyebrow, and when he spoke it was in a flat tone of dry sarcasm. "Perceptive as ever, Doctor." With steel-grey eyes he regarded the patiently waiting hologram and murmured, "Wonder what this is actually about..."
"Anyway," said the Doctor, "I needed to get you two alone because there are some conditions to you having free reign of the Tardis. Firstly, Alonso; please keep some sort of control over this pair. Jack is impulsive and decisive and Holly can sometimes find herself tied up in his mess because she thought it would be fun."
Alonso gulped. Controlling Jack was surely like attempting to reign in a thundercloud.
The Doctor was speaking again. "From experience I know this feat is nigh on impossible, but I'd appreciate you having a go at keeping the Tardis in one piece. And Jack; I hate to sound like an irksome parent. I know you have a lad's weekend planned, but please be responsible. That's my only gripe."
Jack turned to Alonso. "I think we were pretty tame last, don't you, Alonso?"
Before the young recruit could answer, a good-humoured snort came from near the console. "I don't call prancing around with Holly's bra on your head warbling the Gangatruch national anthem out of tune 'tame', Harkness."
Alonso's mouth dropped open, "How did he...?" The hologram hadn't even glanced their way; it continued to stare straight ahead. How could the Doctor have possibly known what had happened last night, and even when to leave a gap for Jack's comment whilst recording the message! Jack on the other hand, shrugged his shoulders and pulled a face – indicating he could see the Doctor's point – as though they were having an actual face-to-face conversation.
The sound of a small cough brought Alonso's attention back to the Doctor once more. "On a slightlymore serious note, I would like you to be careful while you enjoy yourselves tearing across the universe until Sunday. Bring back as many artifacts as you think I can stomach being forced to look at, but no plants – I don't trust harmless-looking foliage – and animals are welcome, but NOT in the console room and ONLY if you take responsibility for them." He stressed, showing that he couldn't be serious for long, "So, basically, have a fabulous time. As I have already mentioned to Holly; the Tardis has its' instructions about collecting me, so you won't even have to get out of bed Sunday morning. Right, I think that's almost everything said. Have a great weekend, boys! Look after Holly. I'd obviously appreciate it if she was still in one piece upon my return. Ah yes: I nearly forgot."
The Doctor's face suddenly did become serious and his image unconsciously leaned forward to add emphasis, "Should Holly happen to hum...well, she mustn't be allowed. Also, you shouldn't tell her of this conversation. But it is of the utmost importance that you must avoid letting Holly hum anything. Whistling, clicking, raspberry-blowing – fine – but no, absolutely no, humming."
He looked gravely into the middle distance of the Tardis' walls, "If she does hum, and there is nothing you can do to prevent it, then you must run. Get as far away as possible. One innocent little hum could spell a most grievous, diabolical catastrophe of magnificent proportions."
With a swiftness that made jumpy little Alonso stiffen, the Doctor's head swung round and his intense eyes bored unexpectedly into Jack's, who stared unflinchingly back – his blue-grey ones matching the steel in the opposing brown pair.
"Got that, Jack?" he whispered, barely audibly, "She. Must. Not. Hum."
Seconds stretched like hours in the hush of the stand-off, silent lightning crackling between the two men, then – as thought the sober moment of before had been nothing more than a cloud passing over the sun – the grainy features split into a large grin and Doctor's visage straightened, staring out at nothing once again.
"Happy travelling!" he chirped, and the image disintegrated.
If Alonso had ever seen the Old-Earth Disney version of the tale Alice In Wonderland, he would have understood the significance of the manic smile being the last thing to fade.
Another fanfare of trumpets blasted and jarred their eardrums, and then there was quiet. Finally, Alonso could face Jack and beseech him with his confused expression.
Jack merely raised an eyebrow. "The Doctor's a man for theatrics." He drawled in his American twang by way of explanation.
"What does he mean, about the humming?" said Alonso.
"No idea." Jack admitted. "How thrilling, and at the same time so menial."
"Should we tell her? It would be easier to prevent it from happening if she knew."
"You heard the man. We stay shtum. Now," said Jack, becoming genially business-like, as though nothing had happened, "I say we should head upstairs, get ready for the day's events and rendezvous here in ten minutes." Then he stalked off in the direction of the inner rooms.
"Remember – shtum!" he shouted over his shoulder as he slipped through the door.
Alonso shook his head, a baffled smile edging his lips. "All totally mad..."
In the upstairs bathroom, Holly emerged from the shower. Was that the sound of trumpets as she was towelling her hair dry? Surely not? Then again, anything was possible with the terrible twosome downstairs – 'while the cat's away...' she thought, ignoring her mixed feelings about said 'cat' and instead continuing to rub at her chocolate brown hair.
Ten minutes later she pushed open the door of the console room.
"Ready?" asked a grinning Jack.
"Definitely!" she squeaked, anticipating her first journey in the Tardis without the Doctor, and attempting to quell the butterflies in her stomach with her hand.
She looked from Jack to Alonso, who was perched on a stool and looked eager for an adventure. "Come on! Been waiting ages down here." He joked, animatedly.
Spurred on by the excitement of her partners in crime, she yanked, twirled and whacked the console and sent the needle of the TimeZone dial spinning. A few moments later, and after a lot of falling over, the three of them wrenched open the outer doors and stepped outside into a brilliant glare of sunlight.