Wow, two long-ish chapters in a row! Woo hoo! :)
In this chapter, Hero will be faced with an uncomfortable question, and later she will dance around her own feelings for the Doctor. How will he respond? Well, if his reaction to Amy in "Flesh and Stone" is any indication, not so well...
Oh dear... ;)
"Wait... what just happened..." I stammered, looking carefully at the now-flesh-and-blood alien in front of me. He was still stretching out his arms as though he'd been standing there as a statue for a very long time indeed.
"Hello," the young man said brightly, "Goodness it's been a while! Thank you for helping me, I was just beginning to wonder if I'd ever get off that rock pile."
"Um, sorry," the Doctor said, carefully removing his sonic screwdriver from his tweed jacket and doing a quick scan, "but what exactly is a..." He consulted the sonic's results, "...what is a Thadian pescoform doing in a garden of statues? Exactly?"
"The Garden of Truth, you mean," the Thadian pescoform replied, looking confused, "It was my destiny that you should come along, exploring, and reveal the truth about who I should become. You really have no idea what this means to me... All those years, frozen, thinking and thinking and hoping..."
"Ahhhhh," the Doctor murmured, and I looked at him quizzically, "I see, this place," He gestured broadly, "is full of... something... which transforms a person, any person, into a stone statue... Until the right moment. Interesting..."
I still felt completely lost, "Wait, so you came here, or something, walked into this garden, and you just turned into a statue?" I admit there was a bit of panic in my voice.
"I was seeking the truth!" the alien cried, his long noble face shining with emotion, "No other person could give me the answer for my life's quest, so I took the advice of the monks, came to this sacred place, and... was transformed. Being made of stone taught me patience, peace, solemnity..." I raised my eyebrows a bit.
"Now now, be nice..." whispered the Doctor, and I reluctantly changed my face of disbelief into a broad smile. "He's a Thadian, of the scaled line, and I know for a fact that your family prides itself on each of their sons having a life quest, yes?" The alien nodded. "There, you see? He's fulfilled his destiny, and now he can go look for things or... something..." The green-scaled alien grinned.
"Well!" I said, a bit louder than I'd planned, "how, er, lovely! Perhaps we should all leave this place" I nudged the Doctor, "and go back to the village! You know, show the monks that you're fine, and... not made of rock..."
"You are wise," the alien agreed, and quite suddenly he turned and strode off towards the stone staircase. His legs were much longer than either the Doctor's or mine, so we had to trot to keep up. "My name is Clos, by the way," the Thadian called, his back muscles rippling as he ascended the stairs.
"Erm... Hello..." I replied weakly, still a bit shocked at the sight of a perfectly healthy person who a few moments ago was still and gray.
Glancing over at the Doctor, I was a bit surprised to see how serious he looked.
"Doctor, is there something wrong? Do you think he might be dangerous?"
The Doctor looked at me, a bit surprised, as though he had no idea I'd been looking at him. "No, not at all," he replied, smiling, "the universe never fails to surprise, as always..." I had a strange feeling that his smile was a bit less than genuine, but wasn't able to consider my theory more as the doctor quickened his steps and led us along after Clos.
"I wonder whether my parents are still living," Clos said, looking like what he was saying was perfectly normal. The Doctor and I were seated across a small fire pit from the alien, trying to learn more about that one special part of the forest planet. "They would be pleased to learn of my success," the alien continued, "Oh, I'm sorry, our success, you've been so very helpful..." He beamed at us, then hastily began eating the bowl of soup I'd gotten for him. So many years as a statue sure did make a person hungry... and chatty.
"So tell me, Clos," the doctor began, "what happens now? Do you get a ship and go off into the stars, seeking adventure? Knowledge?"
"No, not at first," Clos replied, wiping his mouth politely, "You see, according to the laws of my people, I must find a companion upon whom I can fully rely, my travel partner through life."
"You mean... a spouse," the Doctor murmured, and I glanced at him quickly; his tone was light and casual, but I sensed something deeper, buried underneath the polite words.
"A valma," Clos agreed, smiling, "a lady who will pledge herself to me and I to her, and she must be special." He continued to chatter on about this lovely lady companion, but for a moment I turned m attention to the Doctor; his face was grave, his eyes stormy and sad despite the apparent calm in the rest of his lanky body. Then, as he watched the young alien talk happily about his perfect mate, a little sad smile crossed his lips and he let out a long, silent sigh. I looked away, biting my lip. Seeing the Doctor obviously trying to hide some unhappy thought made me kind of sad.
"... and her hair was like gold," Clos was saying, "But, Doctor, I have a question for you, and I hope you don't mind..." The Doctor looked up, arranging his features to look polite. "How old are you?" Clos asked, as if this was the normal way one got to know someone new. Well, perhaps it was.
The Doctor smiled kindly, though his eyes remained sad. "I'm nine hundred and twelve," he replied, "though I admit it's difficult to keep up with these things, I never seem to do anything in the right order..."
"Ah," Clos murmured, nodding solemnly, "I see that you are a venerable elder or great wisdom."
"Well, I don't know about all that," the doctor chuckled.
"And you?" Clos added, turning towards me, "your face is also young, like the elder's, are you also well-aged?"
I laughed, though kindly. "No, I'm only eighty-seven or so, just a wee babe..." I smiled wide, realizing that for once it didn't feel strange to admit how old I really was. Perhaps I was adjusting to being a Time Lord.
The green-scaled alien's eyes grew wide as he regarded me, and he said, seriously, "Then we are nearly the same age, how fortunate..."
"Yeah, that's pretty cool," I replied, still smiling, "It's a good age to be!"
"I think I'll have a word with one of the monks," the Doctor said suddenly, and though his tone was calm I looked at him sharply.
"You alright?"
"Yeah," he said, smiling mildly down at me as he rose to his feet, "You and Clos keep visiting, I'll only be a few minutes." Then without a backward glance he strode away, hands stuffed into his tweed pockets. I stared after him for a moment, feeling a bit confused.
"So, do you travel in the stars?" Clos asked, and I looked back at him and nodded.
"It's pretty great," I explained, "The Doctor, he shows me all of these different worlds and times, I learn something new every minute. We're... the same species, he and I..."
"Are you his mate?" Clos asked bluntly, and for the first time since I'd met him, his boyish face grew serious.
"What? No, no..." I felt flustered as my face grew hot. Certainly, I'd dreamed about it, but in the current state of things, my feelings were all confused and jumbled and honestly... I had no idea how to deal with them. I waved my hands in the air, "No, I mean, we're partners, and we're also great friends, but right now no... I'm not his mate."
I was going to add more, about how close I felt to the Doctor, and how we trusted each other, and how in all the universe there was only the two of us Time Lords left, but Clos quickly chimed in.
"I'm glad to hear that you are not mated to him," he said, very seriously, "because I have a proposition of my own."
I flushed, suddenly realizing what this eager young man was about to do.
"Clos, I..."
"No, please, hear me out, Lady Hero... I have noticed you, your brilliant mind and your soft skin which is the same color as golden sand and your skilled eyes. I need a mate." He stood up, laying a hand across his chest. I stood to, blushing furiously, trying to find a place in his dialogue to speak up but finding none. "I will be lonely on my life quest," Clos continued, "and I need a companion who can travel the stars with me, who will be there my whole life. Will you consider the position?"
"Are... Are you asking me to marry you?" I squeaked, alarmed, "Clos, I... You're great and everything..."
"We're nearly the same age," he cut in, frowning slightly like what I was trying to say was confusing, "We'd be able to grow old together, we'd have our whole lives to explore the universe together."
"But I don't know you, Clos," I protested, "I've only just met you! According to my customs, that isn't acceptable grounds for marriage! Believe me! I can't come away with you or anything, okay? I'm happy being with my friend, the Doctor. He's ancient, and broken, and so so caring, and I can't imagine my life without him. I just can't. Please..." I looked into the alien's eyes, and they were hurt. Whatever rules governed his culture, I was obviously breaking them, but I didn't care about any sort of Prime Directive any more, "Please, don't ask me."
There was a very awkward pause in which I held my breath.
"Very well," Clos replied at length, "I shall wait the appropriate amount of time to ask you again." He turned and walked away from our fire pit before I could say anything else, leaving me feeling very confused.
I don't think I'll ever be as good as the Doctor in dealing with different alien races... Too crazy!
I went into our little stone house, settling myself down on one of the reed bed mats and mulling the day's activities over in my mind. The Doctor had not yet returned, and I was beginning to feel a bit anxious when suddenly he lifted the curtain and walked into the room.
"Hey," I murmured, and he smiled at me. "Find out anything interesting?"
"Hm, yes," he replied, taking a seat on the ground near me, "The monks were willing to tell me a bit more about the Truth Garden. Apparently, not everyone turns into a statue, like Clos, sometimes they just slip into a deep trance for a few hours and emerge enlightened."
"Doctor, about Clos..." He looked up at me, hearing the trepidation in my voice.
He frowned. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
I proceeded to tell him about how Clos had basically proposed to me, though I made it as short and simple of a story as possible. I also attempted to keep my voice as casual as possible, but I had a feeling that the Doctor would be able to see right through it.
"Interesting," he murmured, looking at me closely, "and what did you say? That must have been rather exciting, you a young woman getting your first proposal of marriage..."
"I said no, of course!" I cried, embarrassed, "Forget about it being my first, it was weird! I mean, I don't even know him!"
"It's important to remember, Hero, that every race and culture has its own norms. What Clos did wasn't breaching any laws that he's used to, and the fact that he agreed to give you time, even if you told him no, is a testament to his character."
I laughed a bit incredulously. "Well, if he tries to ask me again, I'm going to say no, I'm just fine where I am!"
The Doctor smiled, his boyish features lighting up as he did so. "Tell, me, Hero Smith, why are you happy where you are? Why are you happy... with me?"
I swallowed, unsure of what to say. All the thoughts of what I felt for the Doctor, of how it had felt when he'd plucked me out of my ordinary life and into a world of adventure, of how happy I'd been to save him from the DakTar's twisted ideas of justice, of how fast my hearts beat every time he looked into my eyes and smiled, all of these thoughts raced through my mind. I couldn't make myself say them, they were so personal and the Doctor, well... he'd probably say that they were childish.
"I..." I paused, trying to be careful, "I like traveling around in the TARDIS with you, you're such a good friend and... I trust you." There, that didn't sound too touchy-feely...
"You said, back at the hotel," the Doctor began, "that you'd never found anyone who was mature enough for you. Yes?"
I gulped again as memories of what I'd said that night and the following day while under the love-flower's power. I blushed. "Oh, um, yeah, I think I said something about 20-something human guys being immature and... not ready for any type of relationship."
"So... you haven't dated?" I couldn't believe the Doctor had just asked me that. His head was tilted to one side, his eyes playful.
"Wha... Of course I have!" I sounded like I was protesting a bit too much, but I didn't care, "I mean, it never got serious, most of the time I went out with them because I was being nice. But none of them were very special. And why are we talking about my not-so-awesome love life? Have you ever been in love, Doctor?"
Oh. God. I did not just ask him that... Oh wait, I did... damn it!
The Doctor looked at me for a moment, looking uncomfortable. "I, well, I've known some women..."
"And?"
"... Some of them were... nice..." Now it was his turn to swallow, and he unconsciously adjusted his red bow tie. "There may have been... one or two... who were more interesting than the others, I may have... liked them more, perhaps..." His thin face was flushed, and I very nearly laughed despite how weird this was talking about relationships with the Doctor.
"Okay, so, you may have fancied a couple of them, during the span of 900 years, been holding yourself back a bit, Doctor?" I was teasing him, and I smiled to make sure he knew that. He still looked unsure of himself, however. It seemed amazing to me that just a few moments before, when he'd been asking me the tough questions, he'd been cool and collected, but as soon as I started turning the tables on him and teasing him, he got all hot and flustered.
The Doctor flailed his hands a bit. "I didn't... lead them on, if that's what you're asking!" He tried to look indignant and failed because he was blushing too much. "Those women were great, they were brilliant, they were... cool... But it all comes down to much more than that, in the end..." Then he shut his mouth tight, like he'd said too much.
My hearts fluttered a bit at his words. I paused, unsure how to judge my own reaction. Suddenly I had a wild hope that he'd been waiting around for someone special, for someone like him, another Time Lord, and that he'd nearly given up hope but now had it again...
My wild fantasies were cut short, however, but the Doctor clearing his throat uncomfortably and getting to his feet. He straightened his jacket, looking anywhere but me.
"I'll just... go find some firewood, then," he stammered, and then he practically rushed from the small house, leaving the heavy curtain swinging behind him.