A/N: This story begins shortly after the disturbing events of Scherzo, with both Charley and the Doctor feeling a bit raw and worn out by all they've been through so far. The quotations in italics are transcribed from the show and do not belong to me. :-) Happy reading!

xo, OA

In·ter·mez·zo noun. (plural: in·ter·mez·zi)

: a short part of a musical work (such as an opera) that connects major sections of the work
: a short, light entr'acte
: a movement coming between the major sections of an extended musical work (as an opera)

Everything had gone horribly wrong. The Ice Warriors had her friends. Panic threatened to overcome her but no. She had to remain calm. She had to think! She could come up with a plan...

Charley awoke with a strangled scream, shaking at how vivid the dream had been. She gasped when she saw the Doctor crouching beside her in the dim light of the shallow cave. They had taken cover there to rest and regroup, to try to get their bearings in this strange universe where they knew nothing and no one, stranded without the comfort and safety of the TARDIS.

Upon leaving that horrible glass tube they had met a seemingly invisible creature who called himself Kro'ka, who had given Charley the creeps, though he seemed obliging enough. Upon explaining to him that they were searching for their missing vessel, he had smiled (at least it had sounded like a smile) and ushered them through a strange sort of portal, suggesting that this arid, hot "zone," as he called it, might be a good place for them to begin their search.

Things had been slightly tense between the Doctor and Charley since the incident with the music creature, which must have been several days before. It was hard to tell exactly how many, with the strange environment (the sun never quite seemed to fully go down on this planet) and the Doctor's time sense stripped away. There was a slight undercurrent of uneasiness between them that left them a little on edge, and to compensate, they had found themselves treating each other with a sort of distant politeness rather than their typical, easy warmth. It was part of the healing process, Charley supposed. She hated it.

"You were shouting in your sleep," the Doctor said hesitantly, presumably to explain his nearness.

"Sorry," she replied, blushing in embarrassment. "I hope I didn't wake you."

"You were calling for Jamie," he continued, moving a bit closer and looking at her the way he did a particularly fascinating new plant. "Do you know anyone named Jamie? Have you ever?"

She blinked at his questions, some of the details of her dream coming back to her.

"No. No, I suppose I don't. But... In the dream I did. He seemed so real, and so extremely important to me. I was frightened for him, and the girl as well. Her name was..."

"Zoe? Or perhaps Victoria." He sounded like he was miles away.

"Yes! Victoria! That's it. But... How did you know that?"

He sighed heavily, the weariness evident in his light eyes. She knew his answer before he spoke.

"They're your dreams," she whispered softly, suddenly feeling weary herself.

"Got it in one," he confirmed. His hand reached towards her hesitantly, as though to comfort her, but he pulled back and put it quickly in his pocket when he realized what he was doing.

She sighed.

They were back to being two organisms, thank goodness, but it seemed like the split had not been as clean as they would have liked. She had bits and pieces of his memories and his emotions rattling around in her head, popping up every so often to confuse her and alarm him.

"Charley," he whispered. "I'm afraid for you. Some of my memories- they aren't the sort of thing I want you to endure. If you would let me see your mind, I might be able to help..."

She knew about his mental powers, but recent events had left her far too raw to handle that level of intimacy.

"No," she whispered

"What?"

"No. I'll be all right."

"Charley, don't be silly. You're not sleeping. You can't just keep-"

"I said no!" she shouted, backing away from him slightly and pulling her knees up to her chest. Then, more quietly, she told him, "I'll deal with the nightmares. I'll get over them myself. But no, I will not have you poking around in my mind. It was bad enough feeling what you felt when we were fused together- all of those ugly emotions, your anger and fear and your death wish. To have you read my thoughts after all that mocking and tearing me down for my feelings the way you did... I just don't need that inside my head. I may just be a stupid, inferior, human, and I may be unfortunately in love with an alien man who can barely stand to look at me half the time - who in fact, told me outright that he never wanted to see me again, and we might be trapped together in a completely foreign, utterly terrifying universe... but i am managing to keep myself together, just barely. And now that we are two people again, my private thoughts are no one's but my own."

A dozen emotions crossed his face as he took in her words. None of them were happy. The memory of his cruel words hung in the air between them.

"You silly little girl. You think I want you here? If I'm going to die I want to die alone. It was, I thought, the last decision I would ever make. That I could ever make. That it was my right to make. Charley, after all these years I should have been allowed that at least. That small final dignity. But here you are. You betrayed that. Even that has been taken from me."

And later...

"Interesting that it picks the moments at which we are at our most emotional... That embarrassing bit when you told me you loved me, for example..."

"I've been horrible to you," he said softly.

"You have," she snapped in blunt reply, then, seeing his pained expression, added, "But it will be okay, Doctor. I just need some time... Or, you know, whatever it is that people need when you're in a place without real time."

They sat in silence for a few moments.

"You know," the Doctor whispered after awhile, "I don't deserve your trust or forgiveness at all. And I'm not excusing myself. But I do hope you understand why I was so angry. I was half mad from the anti-time, and in pain, and I was more frightened than I've ever been. And there you were... in just as much danger as ever, even though I'd done everything I could to keep you away from harm. All I wanted was your safety, Charley. It hurt me - it still hurts me - that you wouldn't let me take comfort in that. I felt like I lost the universe for nothing."

"You lost the universe to save the universe," Charley reminded him. "Romana and Leela and everyone else you've ever cared for, and everyone you've never met. Isn't that enough?"

"I know. You're right. And yes, it should be enough. But all I can think of is everything you might have had - a life I could never give you even under the best of circumstances. A good, human life, like you deserve, with family and holidays and shopping and scones with cream and... and a real future. Not like this. It's just... I don't know how to do this, Charley. Not like a human does. I meant it when I told you I don't understand love the way you do."

"Ah, yes," she said dryly. "You did mention that before. But, Doctor, it's not like I'm exactly an expert on the subject, either." She rolled her eyes. "They didn't teach classes on emotions at school, you know... at least not in 1930. But people do manage to figure it out, all the same. I was willing to figure it out. I am willing to figure it out. And you're the only man I've ever wanted to-" she cut herself off, blushing furiously, refusing to give him the satisfaction of another heartfelt confession that he might later use to humiliate her, intentionally or not.

He sighed, obviously distressed over the pain he had caused her.

"It's more than that, Charley. Sometimes I think you forget how different we are. There's nothing even remotely comparable to human sexual relationships in all of Time Lord society. Children aren't born the way they are on Earth. Family units aren't even typically structured with a mother and father who raise children of their own. We live for so long, we can affect history so easily, that a detachment from others, especially offspring, is needed. Changing reality would be too tempting, otherwise, when things go unfavorably for loved ones. The ability for a Time Lord to remain calm and objective in highly charged situations is vital to keep reality intact." He paused and took a breath before going on.

"Not to mention that most Time Lords would never lower themselves to copulate like... well, as they perceive it... like animals. Children haven't been born that way on Gallifrey in eons, and the act of sex is, at best, considered unfashionably distasteful."

Charley blushed furiously at his frank discussion of sex. It was not something a well-bred, unmarried young lady would typically discuss so openly with anyone, let alone a man, in 1930. "Doctor," she murmured, "I'd never even considered-"

"Don't be silly, of course you have - and you should. That sort of intimacy is something you have every right to want and expect. It's normal for a human. The thing is, when you're near me Charley, I want it too. I want you - which, like love, is something I shouldn't even be able to feel for you at all. I should, by all accounts, find such things appalling. The fact that I don't, that instead I find myself wanting to embrace them... It... Well, it's frankly terrifying."

Charley found herself annoyed by his reluctant confession.

"Ah yes. You desire me 'against your will, against your reason, and even against your character.' That sentiment wasn't very nice when Jane Austen wrote it, and it's no more flattering now." She scowled at him.

"Point taken." He gave her an amused half smile, but then his face turned serious and thoughtful again.

After a long moment of silence, he asked her quietly, "Tell me this. What would you do, Charley, if you met someone and fell in love, to the point of desperation, to where you felt like you needed him like you needed to breathe... But you knew he would only live for one more year?"

"What?" It was hard to keep up with his mood swings.

"You're human. I'm not. Barring catastrophe, which I admit is actually quite likely, given our circumstances, I will almost certainly outlive you by centuries. What then? When you leave me, by choice or by force... what will I do?"

Her heart broke all over again as she looked deep into his lost, sad eyes. Like he needs to breathe...

"You'll go on," she said simply, softly. "And you'll remember how much I loved you." She took a breath to steady the tremor in her voice as she made a choice. "But I know if it were me, in your place, I'd rather have the memories of how it felt to love you and be with you, rather than a pile of what-if's and regrets because I was too frightened to act on my feelings. I couldn't bear to be so cowardly."

She knew he had heard the challenge in her words, and part of her wanted to backtrack and soften them. But she didn't. This might be the last time she ever had the chance to have this conversation, so she set her jaw and refused to look away, though her face was flushed and her heart was pounding.

He was quiet for a long moment, studying her face. When he finally spoke, his voice was soft and gentle.

"You know, for a young girl with a sheltered childhood, you certainly are wise, Miss Pollard."

"I am?" She hadn't been expecting that, of all things, to come out of his mouth.

"You are." He smiled at her.

"Well, good. Because for a centuries-old genius who has seen more of time and space than any one man could ever dream of, you certainly are an idiot."

He laughed then. A real, genuine Doctor laugh, and Charley felt a boulder had lifted from her chest. She laughed too, even as tears came to her eyes.

"Oh Charley," he sighed, pulling her into a tight embrace and burying his nose in her hair. "Never forget that. I really, truly am an idiot."

"I never will," she promised, returning his hug fiercely. "But, Doctor..." She spoke again, hesitantly, "What's different now? Before... you've always pushed me away."

He pulled back slightly to look her in the eye.

"I know, and I probably still should. This is madness. But... right now, you're not about to die. I'm not being possessed by a madman from a fairy tale who's made of anti-time. We aren't in that horrid glass tube, deprived of all of our senses, save hearing. And though it still aches almost constantly, I'm in considerably less anguish than I was when my time senses were first burned away. I do believe this is the first time we've ever spoken of our feelings when I've been anywhere close to my right mind. And my right mind is telling me that I am in pain. And I am afraid. And that it would be utterly stupid to hold you at arm's length when the damage is already done, when we're already too close, and when we have nothing in this world but each other."

He bent his forehead to touch hers.

"Charley, I lo-"

Charley tensed, mistrust coursing through her.

"Don't say it, Doctor." She couldn't bear to hear the words, because she didn't trust them. Not yet.

"Never do that again!" she had screamed at him. "NEVER SAY THOSE WORDS AGAIN. Not if you don't mean them. Do you understand?"

"Yes," he'd hissed.

"They're too precious to be squandered. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

The Doctor fell silent, remembering as well. He understood.

And that was that. They clung to each other, Charley with her face buried in the Doctor's neck and he with his nose in her hair, laughing and crying, until at last, emotionally and physically exhausted, they laid down and fell asleep in each other's arms.

When Charley awoke the Doctor was spooned against her back with his arm wrapped around her, holding her close. She lay very still for a moment, trying to memorize the feeling of his body against her, solid and strong, slightly cooler to the touch than a human. His nearness gave her a sharp pang in her heart, and another much lower in her belly. She never wanted to move.

I've just spent the night with a man, she thought to herself, Mama would be shocked and appalled.

She was amused at the fact that she felt naughty, even after all they had been through. She and the Doctor had endured so much together, recently- they had even evolved into one creature for a time. Surely one chaste, fully clothed night of sleep together was less scandalous than that.

He stirred when he realized she was awake, pulling her close to his chest. She realized he had likely been up for a long while.

"Good morning, Charley," He said affectionately, breathing in the scent of her neck and hair. His voice was low and raspy from sleep.

"Mmmm. Good morning, Doctor," she replied, tilting her head back to smile at him. As she did she arched her back, and tensed suddenly when she realized something hard and stiff was pressing against the curve of her hip. Inexperienced as she was. She knew what it must be. The fluttering feeling in her lower belly got stronger. Almost without realizing she was doing so, she arched her back farther, pressing back against his arousal, instinctively seeking to deepen the contact.

His breath hitched, startling her out of the moment.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" She whispered, suddenly embarrassed at her body's eager reaction, and started to roll away from him.

The Doctor looked confused as she hastily pulled away, relaxing his grip to give her space.

"Charley, why in the world are you apologizing? What's wrong?"

You're being ridiculous, she scolded herself. You've fought Daleks and Psionovores and worse. Pull yourself together. She took a deep breath and sat up.

"It's nothing," she assured him. "I just wasn't expecting... I mean, I thought you said Time Lords didn't want..." She trailed off, blushing. Proper young ladies did not speak of such things. Charley had read her share of books that her mother had forbidden, and she knew a least some of the correct words to use, but she had never, ever uttered them out loud.

When he figured out what she wasn't saying, he smiled and chuckled softly. He sat up as well and tenderly brushed her hair out of her face.

"If I recall, I only said it was inappropriate for me to want you. I never said I don't. Quite the opposite, actually. But I do sometimes forget that you were raised in such a very conservative era. Does the idea of sexual intimacy frighten you? I certainly didn't mean to offend or alarm you when I told you that. And I hope you know I would never harm you."

"No!" She replied hastily. "I'm not frightened. I just feel... Confused. And..." She trailed off, uncertain.

"Aroused?" He suggested gently.

She blushed and nodded.

The Doctor smiled.

"Charley, this isn't the first time you've felt such feelings, is it?"

"No," she confessed, "Of course not. But I've never... I've always been... alone. It's always just been... In my imagination. Sometimes when I'm reading or... ah... Daydreaming."

Usually about you, a voice in her head whispered. She blushed deeper at the thought.

"Honestly," she told him, "I don't really know too much about... any of that. My mother told me about how children are conceived of course, when I... um... became a woman. But it wasn't as though she went into a lot of detail. And I've learned some things from reading... But I'm sure there's a lot of gaps, and tons of stuff where I'd be totally in the dark. I'm sorry."

He smiled again, taking her hands in his to stop her fidgeting. "You haven't done anything that merits an apology, Miss Pollard. Inexperience is nothing to be embarrassed about. Especially not when you were raised at a time when experience, especially for ladies, is considered such a stigma."

She nodded her acceptance of his words, grateful that he was being so kind in the face of her awkwardness.

He looked thoughtful for a moment, weighing something in his mind before he spoke again.

"Would you like to learn more?" He asked her simply.

Shocked, Charley stammered, "I... I mean..."

She felt giddy as she turned the thought over in her mind. The fluttering in her stomach had transformed into a pool of heat at the idea of him exploring her body, and at the thought of exploring his. She felt less embarrassed now, and more curious. Very curious.

"Yes," she said at last, breathless. "I think I would."

He sat still for a moment, holding her gaze, smiling as though he could see the gears turning in her head. Then he winked at her and brushed his lips lightly against her knuckles in a soft kiss before standing up abruptly.

He helped her to her feet with a mischievous glimmer in his eye that only yesterday she had feared she would never see again.

"Shall we venture out into this strange new world now, and try to find some food?" he asked her, squeezing her hands in his.

Charley, who found she was actually quite hungry, and also quite relieved to change subject and lighten the mood, nodded her head vigorously in agreement.

They put on their coats and shoes, stretched muscles sore from sleeping on the ground, and walked towards the mouth of the cave.

The Doctor stopped there suddenly and turned to look at her, unspeaking, until she tilted her head in a silent question. He gazed at her face contemplatively for a moment longer, before remarking, "You know, we might die today."

She rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air, exasperated. Good grief. Was he really doing this now, on the heels of such an open, vulnerable moment between them? The emotional roller coaster was making her ill.

"Ah yes," she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Of course. Death. What a lovely thought to share over breakfast. You're quite the ray of sunshine, aren't you?"

"I didn't mean it like that," he chuckled, walking towards her, close enough for her to reach out and touch. "I only meant we don't know what to expect." He stepped even closer. "And if something terrible does happen, Charley Pollard, if today is all we have," he bent close to her ear and whispered softly, "I think I would regret it forever, if I never did this properly."

And then, before she had time to wonder what he meant, he ran the tips of his fingers from her temple down along her jaw line, then tipped her chin up as he leaned down and brushed his lips softly against hers.

The spark between them was electric. Charley gasped involuntarily at the contact, and then sighed in pleasure as she felt his fingers in her hair, raking against her scalp as the other hand came up to firmly grip her hip. He pulled her towards him and caught her bottom lip between his teeth, nipping her skin. The sharp sensation made her heart race, and a fresh bolt of liquid heat shot through her, feeding her desire. She gave herself up with abandon to the shuddering sensations that washed over her, moaning as he deepened the kiss and dipped his tongue inside her mouth to brush hers. She could feel a hot wetness between her thighs, and an aching emptiness inside of her.

He kissed her with the same degree of all-consuming, singleminded passion that he normally devoted to saving planets and thwarting criminal masterminds- as though nothing in the world existed outside of the two of them. She felt like she was drowning.

Clinging to his lapels she surrendered herself to him, melting into his arms and reeling in the smell, feeling, and taste of him. The hand in her hair tightened slightly and the hand on her hip pulled her forward until she could feel the evidence of his desire pressing against her again. This time she wasn't embarrassed. This time she wanted more. She eagerly pressed her body against his, seeking to appease the steadily increasing ache inside of her, and when he growled against her mouth and pushed his hips back against her she thought she might die from wanting him.

Too soon he pulled back, brushing tiny ghost kisses along her jaw and down her neck and stroking his hands up and down her back.

"Fascinating," he breathed against her skin.

She took several ragged, gasping breaths before she opened her eyes to find him watching her with rapt attention. His lips were swollen and his eyes were dilated, so dark they looked black in the dim light. She had never seen anything so gorgeous.

"Thank you, Charley Pollard." He said her name like a prayer and bent his forehead to touch hers. "Thank you for your faith, and your strength. You are utterly amazing."

Charley found a lump forming in her throat at his words, and she closed her eyes and buried her face in his chest as she tried to regain her composure.

"Now," he said, after giving her a moment to catch her breath, "let's see about that food and water, why don't we?"