To everyone who had reviewed, followed, or favorited this story, thank you! It really feeds the part of me with crippling insecurity and a desperate need to be validated. I'm so glad that there are people out there who actually like this silly story of mine. So here's...
AKA In Which Distance is like Fog
Rey tugged on the Doctor's sleeve to pull him along as she led the way back to the TARDIS. He was still in a daze, too stunned to even think properly. Nefertiti chasing after him and calling out seductively didn't help. She managed to catch up before Rey could unlock the doors.
"You think I'd let you leave without me?" The Queen of Egypt pressed the Doctor up against the side of the TARDIS and rubbed her hands along his chest as she cooed. "After what we've just been through?"
Rey couldn't explain why, but the low-level hum of irritation she had been feeling flared up. Nefertiti was everything and more than all the history books about her, and Rey had a healthy amount of respect for her. She had been so excited to meet her until they actually met and she remembered that respecting someone wasn't equivalent to enjoying their presence.
"You have the Egyptian people to rule." It was bad taste to leave the country in its current derelict form, especially since it was Nefertiti's job to run it. "I'm sure they'll need a lot of reassurance following the weapon-bearing giant alien locust incident we just averted."
"Rather brilliantly, I might add," the Doctor squeaked in a high-pitched voice.
Nefertiti looked up at him through her lashes. Rey raised an eyebrow and gave him a look to stop him from talking.
A car horn blared out, causing all three of them jump. The Doctor easily switched places with Nefertiti, giving himself more room to step back and dig through his pockets for the psychic paper. "Sorry! That's me. Where is it…"
Rey rolled her eyes and pulled what he was looking for out of the back pocket of her jeans. He hadn't even noticed when she'd taken it two hours ago. "You set it to temporal newsfeed again," she noted with a frown. Thankfully, the overbearing noise cut off as soon as she flipped the paper open.
"Right, sorry, got a bit bored." He leaned over her shoulder to read the notice. "Oh, that's interesting!"
"What is," Nefertiti asked.
"Nothing! Not at… Ohh! We've never been there! Exciting!"
"Then let's stop reading about it and go." Rey jammed her key in the lock a little more viciously than intended and pushed the doors open. She pushed the Doctor inside and, before either of them could stop her, Nefertiti slipped in after them. With her chasing the Doctor around the console, Rey ended up having to do most of the piloting. Luckily, she was getting better at that.
She had Jack to thank for that.
They landed without a hitch at a nondescript military base in 2167. Indira, a high ranking officer there, was reluctant to share any information considering they had literally appeared out of thin air. The Doctor did his thing: talking a mile a minute, waving his hands everywhere, and generally making a mess of things. Just as they were to be thrown in a military prison, he remembered what other uses the psychic paper had and managed to convince them he could help.
With some lingering reluctance, Indira showed them the image of a large ship currently on a crash course towards Earth. If she could, Rey would have whistled when she saw the size of it. Ten million square kilometres—that was about the same size of Canada.
"Any signs of life?"
Indira pulled up the results on her screen. "We sent up a drone craft. It took these readings."
"Crikey Charlie! Look at that!"
"Are those…" Wide-eyed, Rey whipped around to face the Doctor. He nodded back excitedly, understanding her perfectly. "We have to take a look. We can bring…"
"Exactly, yes, he'd love to, I'm sure."
"And the Ponds," she insisted.
"Yes, mustn't forget the Ponds. Haven't seen them in ages."
Her lips twitched downward, excitement dampened by that knowledge. She had already figured out that this was later in their tenure as companions. The Ponds didn't stick around as much now compared to their beginning. Even still, they had been suspiciously absent for a while.
In typical fashion, the Doctor gave her no clues about what was actually going on. She gleamed just enough to know that something was wrong, and she had a feeling it was because of more than just potential spoilers. That didn't comfort her—quite the opposite in fact.
The later in his timeline she jumped, the more often the Doctor was on his own. It was worrisome. A man like him shouldn't be alone too much or often. It brought his head to some dark places.
"Can you communicate with this craft," Nefertiti asked. Just after they landed, the Doctor had pulled her aside and they had a brief, private chat. Rey had no idea or interest in what they talked about, but the flirting had stopped after it. Nefertiti had even apologized, though why Rey had no idea. Sure, she'd been irritated, but that was her problem, not Nefertiti's.
"No. No response on any channel in any recognized language. If it comes within 10000 kilometres of Earth, we send up missiles."
The Doctor let out a heavy sigh. "Oh, Indira, I liked you before you said missiles. How long 'till the ship gets that close?"
"Six hours, nineteen minutes."
"So we should get a move on, then," Rey decided.
"Leave it with us," the Doctor said before steering himself and Rey back to the TARDIS. "Neffy! We're going to need help."
Help meant the Ponds of course, but also another friend they'd made a while back. Well, a while back for Rey, and just recently for the Doctor. Riddell was camped out in front of a fire in the middle of the African plains in 1902. He was staring fondly if not a little forlornly up at the starry night sky when the Doctor and Rey plopped down.
"More stew," the Doctor asked.
Riddle startled, hand reaching for one of the guns he always kept nearby before he realized who they were. "Where have you two been?! Seven months! You were popping out for some liquorice! I had two very disappointed dancers on my hands! Not that I couldn't manage."
"Seven months," the Doctor asked, distracted. "Really? Could've sworn I set us for a week later, not seven months…"
"Doctor," she reminded him gently.
"No, right, thanks Rey. Riddle, listen, we've found… well, something."
"No," Riddle protested, setting his food down so he could gesture and really drive the point home. "No, no, no, no, no. I shan't fall for that again." He picked up the bowl and was about to take another bite when he paused. The internal debate he was having ended when he dropped the spoon back in the stew. "What is it?"
"We have no idea," she told him. "Do you want to find out?"
Asking Riddle was perfunctory seeing as he'd already made up his mind. He didn't even bother to finish eating, instead standing immediately and demanding they set out at once.
"Not just yet. We have one more stop to make to pick up the Ponds."
"Very quick," the Doctor assured him, taking the controls. "Just a fly-by. We'll pick them up and be on our way."
He didn't even bother to properly land the TARDIS, materializing around where the sensors placed Amy and Rory just long enough to basically scoop them inside. Apparently, they'd been in the middle of some home repairs. Each held steady one side of a ladder while another man, older and resembling Rory a little, held a light bulb up above his head.
The Doctor greeted them without turning around. "Hello. You weren't busy, were you? Well, even if you were, it wasn't as interesting as this probably is. Didn't want you to miss it. Now, just a quick hop." The TARDIS shuddered as they landed. "Everybody grab a torch!"
Amy rolled her eyes at the Doctor's turned back, and Rory wrung his hands, but they both abandoned the ladder and complied. Rey gave Amy and Rory her best attempt at an apologetic look. They seemed to both brighten and dim a little at the sight of her, if that was even possible.
The stranger dropped the light bulb, and it shattered on the floor.
The Doctor took Rey's gloved hand, leading her out to the mysterious ship. She tried to get him to notice they had brought along someone extra, but he was far too excited with exploring to listen. If she didn't know any better, she would say he was purposely paying the Ponds the least amount of attention he could. But that was crazy.
Wasn't it?
He shone his torch at a spider web as the others exited more slowly. "Spiders. Don't normally get spiders in space."
"There was that one ship with the giant carnivorous ones that looked like black widows. Remember? They wanted to suck our innards out."
"Right, right." He looked sheepishly back at her. The Persimmon Archipelago on Cline had been what he was aiming for. Of course, that wasn't where they ended up, though that time it hadn't actually been the Doctor's fault, and they had managed to get out reasonably fast.
"What that…?"
"Don't move!" He whipped around and marched over to the stranger. "D'you really think I'm that stupid I wouldn't notice? How did you get aboard? Tramsmat? Who sent you?"
"Doctor… that's my dad," Rory explained awkwardly. He looked at Rey, possibly in a plea for help.
"Well, frankly that's outrageous." The Doctor turned to Rory, shining the light in his eyes. "You think you can bring your dad along without asking? I'm not a taxi service, you know!"
"You materialized the TARDIS around them," Rey reminded him.
He deflated a little. "Oh, well, that's fine then, my mistake. Hello, Brian, how are you?" He took Brian's hand and shook it pleasantly. "Nice to meet you. Have you met Rey?" She shook her head at the same time he answered in the affirmative. "Yeah, that tends to happen. Welcome, welcome! This is the gang. I've got a gang—yes! Come on then, everyone!"
He pulled her with him down the hall.
Rey slapped his arm. Their hands stayed connected, however. It felt nice. And a little weird since she'd never held someone's hand and thought it felt nice before. "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing's wrong? Come on, giant spaceship, impossible life readings, let's explore!"
"You've been acting off ever since I got here." He had been jumpy, more attentive and protective to the point that it bordered on paranoia. And then he'd been more manic as if to try and cover up his mood swings. If she thought about it, the brunt of the mania hadn't started until she told him she'd come from Cardiff. Ever since she mentioned the Margaret affair and the god awful headache the heart of the TARDIS had given her, he'd gone into full overdrive.
"You're starting to worry me, Doctor. What is it that has you so scared?"
She went easily into the hug he pulled her in. Even though she didn't feel much like hugging at the moment, he needed it, and she was worried. His hold on her was tight, like he was afraid she might disappear if his grip wasn't strong enough. He mumbled something in her hair that she couldn't quite make out. It felt like an apology, but for what she had no idea.
When she finally pulled away from him, the pained expression on his face made her heart ache. Hcould she ask about whatever it was that was bothering him when he looked like that?
"Okay," she said, agreeing to shelve the talk for later. "Okay. Huge spaceship, impossible life signs, and a giant clock ticking over our heads. We have the Ponds, an Egyptian queen, and a reformed game hunter—let's explore."
He smiled at her, recognizing what she doing for his sake. It wasn't quite as bright as his normal smile, but it was a lot better than how he looked a minute ago.
A loud thud echoed as the ship started shaking. Rory and Brian, who had stepped away while the son tried to explain to his father what was going on, rushed to rejoin the group. Judging from the looks on both their faces, the talk hadn't gone so well.
In particular, Brian kept shooting Rey these undecipherable looks. Rory must have gotten to the jumping timetracks part of her "quirk." It always seemed to rub people the wrong way a little.
"Alright, where are we, and what is that noise," Amy asked. "And hello! Ten months! Rey I can understand, but you?"
"Orbiting Earth—well, I say orbiting, more like pre-crashing on a spaceship—don't know, and hello, Pond." The Doctor moved to hug Amy.
She neatly sidestepped him and asked Rey for a hug first. She shot a smug look over Amy shoulder and accepted the embrace. Amy must've missed them more than she was letting on—her hold was tight.
"Ten months, time flies. Never really understood that phrase. This is Neffy, this is Riddell, they're with us."
"With you? They're with you? Are they the new us? Is that why we haven't seen you two?"
"No one could replace you and Rory," Rey assured her.
The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Exactly, they're just people, they're not Ponds! I thought we might need a gang, not really had a gang before, it's new."
Rey cringed at the grinding screech of metal on metal. It made her teeth ache and her ears want to detach from her body. They quickly identified the source of the sound: a nearby lift slowing the car as it reached its destination.
"That's unexpected," she commented as her eyes tracked the carriage.
"What is it," Amy asked her.
She shrugged. "No idea."
Two creatures roared as they came charging out the lift doors.
"Run!"
Not heeding his own advice, the Doctor stayed where he was and watched the animals with an amazed grin.
Rey stayed by his side, similarly stunned. "Dinosaurs," she breathed, ignoring Amy as she called out to them.
"I know!"
"Dinosaurs," she repeated in a louder voice. "On a spaceship. We're on a spaceship pre-crashing towards Earth, and there are actual dinosaurs here."
The ankylosaurs let out another roar. Realizing they were going to be roadkill soon if they didn't move, she grabbed the Doctor's arm and pulled him along. They tore down the corridor, quickly catching up to the others. Riddell was at the back with Amy, covering them with his gun. At the front, Nefertiti led them around the corner to an alcove too narrow for the large beasts to fit through. The Doctor slid in last, using his larger body to shield Rey as they just barely made it through in time.
He raised a finger to his lips. They all listened in tense silence as the ankylosaurs stomped after them. Riddell slid a large knife out from its sheath. His game hunting instincts had kicked in. "I could take one of them, short blow, up to the throat."
"Or you could not," Rey said with a frown. "It's good that you're prepared, but let's not re-extinct the dinosaurs we just found. In space."
"We need to preserve them," the Doctor agreed in a stern whisper.
"And who's going to preserve us?"
Amy shushed them. The ankylosaurs knocked loose pieces of the walls as they trampled through. They continued past the hiding group and down the corridor. Slowly, the Doctor leaned back, checking if the coast was clear before he stepped back fully to let them out.
"Okay, so, how," Rory asked. "And whose ship?"
"There's so much to discover. Think how much wiser we'll be by the end of this," the Doctor said, not wanting to admit he didn't know.
"Sorry. Sorry. Are you saying dinosaurs are flying a spaceship," Brian asked.
"Brian, please! That would be ridiculous. They're probably just passengers."
"You should also know that there are missiles aimed at us," Rey added. They all deserved to be equally informed of the potential danger they were in.
"Missiles?!"
Both Rory and the Doctor quickly shushed Brian, not wanting to draw the ankylosaurs back.
"I didn't want to worry them," the Doctor protested. "Besides, six hours is a lifetime… Not literally a lifetime, that's what we're trying to avoid. And we're all really clever! Let's see what we can find out. Come on."
Three turns and four corridors later, the Doctor finally spotted a room with some computers in it. The machines were nearly buried in vines, spider webs, and dust, but still in working condition. He wiped the screen, made a face, and wiped his hand clean on Brian's clothes.
Rey shivered. Even with her gloves on, she was hesitant to touch anything. The grime looked like it would never wash away.
"How many dinosaurs do you think are on here," Amy asked.
He soniced the equipment on. "Oh, well done, whoever you are. Looking for the engines." Registering his request, the computer automatically did a search and pulled up the relevant information. "Thank you, computer. Look at that, different sections have different engines, but these look like the primary clusters." He pointed. Rey leaned over his shoulder to get a better look. "Where are we now, computer? We need to get down to these engines…" he touched the screen, she blinked, and suddenly they were standing on a beach.
It was overcast.
"…and find out how…"
"What," Rory exclaimed.
"We're outside. We're on a beach," Brian stated in amazement.
"Teleport! Oh, I hate teleports. Must have activated on my voice."
"Ah, yes, well, thank you Arthur C Clarke," Brian shot back angrily. "Teleport, obviously, I mean, we're on a spaceship, with dinosaurs, why wouldn't there be a teleport? In fact, why don't we just teleport now?!"
"He's not taking this well," Rey noted as he stormed off.
Rory sighed. She patted him on the back consolingly, and he offered her a weak but genuine smile back. One of the many things Rey liked about Rory was how subtle he was. Rory was patient and unfailing. He didn't need long speeches and grand gestures. Amy was rather physical when it came to conveying her affections, and to be honest, sometimes it was a little too much for Rey. But with Rory, she could just as easily convey what she meant through a look or simple gesture.
He also made an effort to make himself as nonthreatening as possible. And he hadn't taken offense when he'd noticed he made her feel uncomfortable. Rory had just wordlessly taken a step back until she could breathe easily. More and more she found herself relaxing around him, ignoring the little voice at the back of her head repeating nurse, danger, run. He was just so different from all the other medical professionals she'd encountered, sans the Doctor who was in a league of his own, that she could forget her aversion.
"He hates traveling," Rory explained. "Makes him anxious. He only goes to the paper shop and golf."
"What did you bring him for," the Doctor asked.
Rory glared incredulously.
"He didn't," Rey reminded him.
"Why can't you just phone ahead, like any normal person," Rory asked. "Rey popping by is one thing, but you…"
Brian wandered back towards them. "Can somebody tell me where we are, now?"
The Doctor stuck his tongue out and tasted the air. "Well, it's not Earth. Doesn't taste right. Too metallic."
A huge bird flew by overhead, calling out as it did. "Is that a kestrel?"
"One should hope," Rey said evenly, "but probably not."
Rory bent down and placed his hand flat on the sand like he was feeling for something. "The beach is humming."
"Is it?" The Doctor copied him. "Oh, yes! Right, well, don't just stand there, you two, dig! Rey and I are going to look at rocks. Love a rock." He marched off, but not before taking the time to carefully link arms with her.
"Dig with what," Rory called after their retreating forms. Brian pulled a collapsible trowel from his pocket and began digging. "Did you just have that on you?"
"Of course! What sort of man doesn't carry a trowel," he asked like the answer was obvious. For a man who didn't like traveling, Brian was awfully prepared. And Rory, though he may complain, was excellent at putting people at ease. "Put it on your Christmas list."
Rory squatted and started helping. "Dad, I'm 31. I don't have a Christmas list anymore."
"I do!" The Doctor's free arm shot up.
"Is that," Rey began, then thought better of it and snapped her jaw shut.
He paused and looked at her curiously. She didn't meet his gaze, busy rebuking herself. Her and her big mouth. She had gotten too comfortable and carried away, and hadn't thought before she spoke.
"You can ask me anything, Rey. Any me." His lips twisted into a wistful smile.
"It's dumb…"
"Hey, hey. Nothing from you could ever be dumb. Besides, look at me: I say silly things all the time!"
She huffed and had to concede the point.
"Ask me, Rey. Anything. I won't lie to you."
"But you never say the whole truth either," she said before she could top herself. "I can't either. Spoilers, right?"
Sometimes, it felt like she and the Doctor were forever on uneven footing. Either she knew more or he did; there was never a point where they were equals. Looking at him was like looking through a fog. She could make out shapes, even discern objects, but the details were always hidden.
It was how they operated—the Doctor and Rey in the realm of half-truths.
"Are people supposed to have Christmas lists," she blurted out before she could talk herself out of it. Because yes, she and the Doctor weren't equals, but that didn't mean they couldn't hope to be in the future. And all plans required action, or else they'd just stay plans.
"I know what Christmas is, though I don't really understand the gift-giving aspect of it. But, why do people make lists? What do they put on it? Is it normal to make them?"
Christmas had always been a strange affair at the hospital. Her room would remain as grey as it always was, but the staff would put up decorations in the halls and nurse's stations. Rey wasn't allowed to linger much, but she could enjoy them when she passed through for her treatment sessions. Even Dr. Usher would given in and have something that would throw off the design of his otherwise dull office.
With the holidays came a dip in everyone's mood for the week before, then an uptick in the days leading up. The hospital was all but deserted for the days before, of, and after Christmas. She knew from her books about Christmas dinner and presents and even Santa Clause, but she could never fully connect to it the way the authors intended.
For Rey, Christmas was just a day she spent on her own.
As soon as the words left her mouth, she thought it would have been better to have not said a thing. The Doctor got this awful look on his face, full of sadness and pain and anger too. It was gut wrenching just to see, and she had been the one to give it to him.
Then, as soon as it had appeared, the expression disappeared off his face. It was gone so fast, she could almost believe she imagined it.
He beamed at her and explained without a hint of condescension. People gave gifts at Christmas so they could make the people they cared about happy. It was another way of saying "thank you for being in my life." Christmas lists were so that the giver could ensure their gift was something the receiver wanted. "And yes, it's totally normal to make them, but not everyone does."
She nodded in understanding. When he put his mind to it, the Doctor could be a pretty good teacher.
It didn't take Rory and Brian much longer to hit something beneath the beach. The sand was barely a foot deep—just enough to form a buffer layer. Brian tapped the metal with his knuckles. "There's a floor under this beach!"
Rey knelt to examine the rocks closer. "Is that…?"
"Yup," the Doctor said proudly.
"How clever. Metal floor, screens in the rocks—it's very fuel efficient."
"It was just a short-range teleport," he explained to the others. "We're still on the ship."
Brian shook his head. "No. We're outside, on a beach." Rory, having learned better by now, tried to convince him otherwise. All it earned him was a "Don't be ridiculous," and a stern look.
"Well, it is quite ridiculous. Also, like Rey said, very clever. That's why the system teleported us here—I wanted the engines." The Doctor turned and stretched his arms out to gesture to the whole room. "This is the engine room! Hydro generators."
"I have literally no idea what he's saying."
"A spaceship powered by waves," Rory explained simply.
The Doctor helped her to her feet, hands lingering unnecessarily to make sure she kept her balance on the uneven footing. "Fabulously impossible! Oh, think of the things we could learn from this ship if we manage to stop it being blown to pieces."
"Plus not dying," Rory added.
"Also a good thing," Rey agreed. "And crossing a number of species off the extinction list."
Rory grinned at her.
"Bad news is—can't shut the wave systems down in time. Takes… takes way too long."
"If these are the engines, there must be a control room," Rory reasoned.
"Exactly! That's what we need to find." He beckoned Rory and his father over to whisper the next part. "Now, what do we do about the things that aren't kestrels?"
The birds continued to screech as they flew closer. Also, they weren't birds at all, or rather, they were birds, the just were also… "Oh, my Lord. Are those pterodactyls," Brian asked.
"Yes. On any other occasion, I'd be thrilled. Exposed on a beach, less than thrilled. We should be going." The Doctor grabbed her hand with one of his, and Rory, who in turn grabbed hold of his father, with the other. They ran along the beach only to be met with a cliff face standing in their way.
"Where," Brian asked.
"Definitely away from them," Rey answered, eyes scanning for any way out.
"That's the plan," Rory shouted.
"That's the plan," the Doctor confirmed. "Amendments welcome! Move away from the pterodactyls!"
"I think they've noticed," Rey warned.
"Amended plan—run!"
"Can't we just teleport or something," Rory asked through huffed breaths. They on sand was twice as difficult as running on normal ground was.
"No, local teleport's burned out on arrival."
"There." Rey pointed. "There's an opening in the cliffs."
They had just about reached the mouth of the cave when a pterodactyl dived and nipped Rory's shoulder. He gasped and stumbled, but kept managed to stay on his feet until they were safely covered. Once inside, he stopped and leaned heavily against the wall.
"Are you alright," Brian asked worriedly.
"Yes, I'm fine." He looked to the Doctor and Rey. "What do we do now? There's no way back out there."
Which only left them with the option of moving further into the cave. The Doctor led the way, keeping a steady grip on Rey's hand. They didn't get far when a loud thudding began echoing off the stone walls.
"We're trapped," Brian exclaimed.
"Yes, thanks for spelling it out," the Doctor said dryly.
"Doctor, whatever's down there is coming this way," Rory said.
"Spelling it out is hereditary," he complained to Rey. "Wonderful!"
"That sound's getting nearer!" Following Brian's warning, they backed up until there was nowhere left to go.
As it turned out, the sound came from two large robots making their way towards them. They had likely been painted a bright yellow at one point, but the color had faded, chipped off, rusted with time. Even stranger than their ragtag appearance were the words they utter when they found the group.
"We're very cross with you!"
The robots didn't explain a thing, they just rounded the four of them all up and led them away from the engines, back towards the rest of the ship. The entire time they kept shouting scolding remarks like, "You're going straight on the naughty step!"
"What's the escape plan," Brian whispered. He kept his lips still to make it look like he wasn't talking, but it mostly just made him harder to understand.
"Why do we want to escape," the Doctor asked.
"They have us hostage."
"They're taking us somewhere," Rory explained. "We might learn from it."
"Oh, you see?" The Doctor pinched his cheek condescendingly. "So clever. I missed you, Rory!"
He swatted the hand away.
"What if they kill us," Brian asked.
"They wouldn't need to take us somewhere if they were going to kill us," Rey pointed out.
"Exactly." The Doctor tapped one of the robots on its chest piece. "You're not going to kill us, are you Rusty?"
"Who are you calling Rusty," the other robot demanded.
"Have you looked in a mirror lately," she asked.
"You try being on this ship for two millennia, see how your paintwork does!"
"Don't listen to 'em," Rusty advised. "They're just being mean cos we captured them."
The robots continued to bicker, oblivious to their surroundings. Brian turned and let out a loud gasp. Rory looked to see what the big deal was and let out a similar sound, drawing Rey's attention. A few feet away, a triceratops dawdled around.
"Herbivore," she reassured them. "Try not to panic Brian, it won't hurt you."
"Beautiful." The Doctor bent over as the dinosaur slowly approached.
"Shall I shoot it," Rusty asked.
"We're not supposed to shoot the creatures, stupid," not-Rusty yelled.
"Stop calling me stupid!"
The triceratops roared. "'Rargh' yourself," the Doctor shot back cheerfully. "Hello, cutie-pie. Who's a lovely Tricey then, eh?"
It wandered close enough that they could pet it. Rey pulled off her glove and stroked her hand along Tricey's snout nervously at first, then with more confidence when he didn't react badly. The feeling of the ridges against her skin was actually quite nice.
Her jaw ached, and it took a moment for her to realize that it was because she was smiling. It probably looked as awkward and out of place on her face as all her other attempts at emoting. Nevertheless, the Doctor beamed when he saw it.
Tricey turned his head and sniffed Brian right at crotch level. "What do I do? What do I do?! What's it doing?"
"Would you happen to have any vegetable matter in your trousers," she asked.
"Only my balls."
Rory covered his eyes with a hand. Conversely, the Doctor's eyes widened to a comical size. "I'm sorry?"
"Golf balls," Brian elaborated. He pulled two out from his pocket. "Grassy residue."
"What're you carrying those around for," Rory asked.
Tricey licked Brian's face with his massive tongue. A trail of slimy saliva stuck to the man's skin. Rey took a step back and replaced her glove while the Doctor cooed.
Brian himself didn't hold back at physically and verbally conveying his disgust. "Get away from me!"
"You could try throwing one of the balls," she suggested.
"Really? Is this what you want," he asked Tricey. Suddenly, he wasn't so much deathly afraid as stiffly amused, like Tricey was an overgrown puppy. "Is it?"
He threw the golf ball and Tricey took off after it.
The Doctor beamed at Rey and patted Brian on the back before turning back to the robots. "Right! Take us to your leader."
"Really?"
"Too good to resist."
They were escorted through a few more corridors until they came upon another ship, much smaller than the one they were currently on. A heavy metal gate barred the entrance. The Doctor leaned forward so he could talk to whoever was on the other side. "Love what you've done with the place down here."
"Let him in. Open the gate." The voice sounded like it belonged to an old man. One in a lot of pain if Rey was interpreting the stress factors in his tone properly. She was always better at picking out those kinds of things.
Not-Rusty pressed a button. Rusty made to pull her back when she followed the Doctor through the now open space, but the vicious glare the Doctor sent it had it rearing back with its hands up defensively. The gate snapped shut the second they were on the other side of it, cutting them off from the other half of their group.
"It's fine. It's fine," the Doctor assured Rory when he made to object.
"He's not interested in you," Rusty said rudely.
"Look, you need to learn some manners," Rory told it.
"No, you need to learn some manners," it shot back. They argued back and forth a few times, sounding more like a couple of children than a grown man and a robot.
Inside the other spaceship, Rey and the Doctor walked directly to the modified infirmary. The sight of the medical instruments automatically sent her hackles up. Just like the computers from the first ship, the equipment was covered with cobwebs. An old man was nested in a bed at the centre of the.
"Fantasia in F Minor for four hands," the Doctor noted. Piano music played softly in the background, a stark contrast to their current predicament.
"You know it," the man noted.
"Know it? Say hello to hands three and four! Schubert kept tickling me to try and put me off so he could impress Rey. Franz the Hands. Oh, that takes me back. Well, this is… cozy."
His hand holding hers was a steady anchor as they walked around so he could examine the readouts. She gripped back tightly, hating the way she could be so easily unsettled but unable to bring herself to let go. At least it wasn't an actual hospital. She didn't know what she would do if she found herself in one.
"It's fate you came," the man said.
"Is it? I'm the Doctor."
"Yes, I know. I'm Solomon."
A blue light scanned them; the Doctor first, then Rey. The computer beeped, registering the information fed into it.
"What was that," she asked.
"System malfunction," Solomon lied. "Ignore it."
"What happened you," the Doctor no-so-considerately asked.
"I was attacked. Three raptors. They cornered me. The robots rescued me, but it was nearly too late."
"Ah, yes. The robots, they're… unusual." To put it lightly.
"I got them cheap," Solomon explained. "From a concession on Illyria 7. The robots did as best they could with my legs, but… you can help me so much more."
The Doctor turned to her with a questioning look. She nodded to the machines hooked up to Solomon. "Oh, a 'doctor' doctor! I see." He looked at her again, apologetic at the association, but she shrugged. There was no helping the assumption, and he did have some medical training.
With more reluctance than she would have liked, she let him go so he could work. He breathed on his hands before lifting the blankets and bandages covering Solomon's legs. It didn't escape her notice that he purposely positioned himself at an angle to block her view of what was sure to be a gruesome sight. She rolled her eyes at that; like a little gore was going to traumatize her any further. "Let's have a look."
"They chewed through part of the bone in my legs." No wonder Solomon sounded so stressed. That must have been excruciating.
"Yes, very nasty."
"But you can repair them."
The Doctor studied Solomon's face carefully. "If you tell me how you came by so many dinosaurs."
Solomon didn't even take a moment to consider it. "Injure the older one," he commanded like he was ordering lunch.
Rey rushed back to the gate. The metal bit into her palms as she banged against it. "Don't!"
Ignoring her, Rusty shot Brian in the arm without a hint of hesitation. He fell to the ground with a groan of pain.
Rory instantly was at his father's side. "Dad! Dad… It's alright, Dad, it's okay, it's okay."
"Rory?"
"We're fine, Rey," he said tensely. "Go back and help the Doctor."
He was glaring down at Solomon when she returned. She nodded at him, letting him know that Brian wasn't too badly hurt. The fact that he had been hurt at all, however, made her furious.
"I don't respond well to violence, Solomon," he said coldly, standing protectively in front of her.
"And I don't like questions, Doctor. You boarded without my permission. Now, fix me or the next bolt will be fatal."
"Do it," Rey told him. She had a few choice words for Solomon, but with Rory and Brian in danger, she didn't want to risk trying anything. He was exactly the type of small-minded ignoramus that would take a life just to make a point. Plus, she didn't like the way he eyed her, like she was a piece of meat he was appraising. They couldn't get away from him quickly enough.
The Doctor gathered the surgical tools he needed silently and with a hard expression on his face. Completely disregarding the heavy and somber moon, or maybe he was just too chuffed at getting his way, Solomon got chatty. His every remark and question was directed at the Doctor. While Rey was annoyed at such an obvious attempt to make her feel undermined and excluded, she was honestly glad she didn't have to deal with Solomon's attention. His leers alone made her feel like she needed a shower. She hoped the Doctor worked fast. As if picking up on her thoughts, his hands sped up.
"How did you get aboard, Doctor?"
"Oh, I never talk about myself with a gun pointed at me. Let's talk about you. Your cozy little craft embedded in a vast, old ship."
"Very observant."
"I'm a Sagittarius. Probably."
The story came out in bits and pieces, filled with half-lies and little truths. Solomon claimed he was transporting the larger ship to the Roxborne Peninsula. Rey knew from experience that underneath the veneer of a commerce colony, the area was filled with scavenged goods. And the so-called merchandise ended up being living beings nearly as often as it was stolen.
Which led to the Doctor realizing what the light from earlier was. An Identify-and-Value Scan that matched up against a database that ranked every known thing across time and space on a monetary basis. It fit Solomon to a T, but it left Rey with more questions about herself and the Doctor. According to the IV system, they were both worthless because neither of them existed.
"That's me. Worthless," the Doctor said with a small smile. That was when she realized he was purposely keeping her out of the conversation too. She tried to tell herself the sinking feeling in her stomach wasn't disappointment, but it was hard when it seemed like they were working towards opposite ends. The more she tried to close the gap, the further back he pulled. She felt the fog thickening, obscuring her view of him even more.
"Unlike these creatures you have on board. Very valuable… given they're extinct." Whatever he was holding whirred and Solomon groaned. "Done, sit up," the Doctor commanded. "Very slowly."
Rory came up to the gate as the Doctor helped Solomon up. He held a phone out through the gaps. "Rey? It's Amy."
"Hello?"
"Rey! Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine," she assured Amy quickly. "We all are." She eyed Brian's injured arm. Rory had taken care of it marvelously. He was still a little shaken up, but otherwise he was alright. "What's going on?"
"This is an ark, built by Silurians," Amy said. Rey had no idea what a Silurian was, but she didn't want Amy to stop to explain. "They were looking for another planet."
"Where are they now," Rey asked. Crew aside, there was the size of the ship to consider. And in any case, if it was built out of hope for continued survival, there should have been passengers on it.
"None on board. I mean, thousands of stasis pods—all empty."
Realization hit her like a cold wave. "We'll see you soon, Amy." She ended the call without another word and handed the mobile back to Rory. "Wait for it," she warned him in a whisper. He nodded grimly at her, and she pretended not to notice the way his fingers shook a little when they grazed her hand as he reached back for the phone.
Back in the infirmary, Solomon was leaning heavily on a cane, but he was finally standing. "The pain in my legs. It's gone. I can move them. Thank you, Doctor."
The Doctor ignored him. He noticed the instant Rey's mood changed and was by her side in a flash. "What's wrong?"
"He killed the crew."
"Kill is such an ugly word. We ejected them. The robots woke them from cyro-sleep a handful at a time and we jettisoned them from the airlocks. We must have left a trail of dust and bone."
The Doctor shut his eyes and shook his head in anger and sorrow. Rey kept her eyes open, but she was shaking with disgust and fury. The two held hands, each trying to hold the other back from doing something they'd regret. Solomon would deserve it, but they refused to stoop to his level.
"Piracy and then genocide," Rey summed up.
"Very emotive words, Miss Rey, for someone who seems to harbor so few emotions herself."
"I never claimed to have none. And what you have done is deplorable."
"The lizards wouldn't negotiate. I made them a generous offer," he said lightly.
"The creatures aboard this ship aren't things that you can just steal or trade."
"I feel like you're judging me."
Well, that was probably because she was. A lot.
The Doctor's hand moved to her other shoulder, rubbing soothing circles to calm her. She startled at the action but let it pass. With every full cycle, she felt a little of her anger cool until the murderous rage faded into something more manageable.
"You said Roxborn Peninsula, so why are you heading to Earth? You're on the wrong course. Oh." He realized the answer to his own question. "You don't know how. Ha! Brilliant. You couldn't change the pre-programmed course. Without instructions, the ship defaulted, returned home. Oh, dear. The crew outwitted you, even after you'd massacred them. So now you're a prisoner on the ship that you hijacked."
"Not now you're here," Solomon reasoned. "You're going to help me to where I want to go, Doctor."
"Little bit of news, Solomon. You're being targeted by missiles. Get off this ship… while you still can." He led Rey out of the room, using the sonic to open the gate.
"You think I believe that," Solomon called after them. "You just want them for yourself. You won't profit from me, Doctor."
Rey paused in the junction before the gate could close. She didn't miss the flash of white light, but ignored it in favor of telling Solomon off. It was probably just another scan. "Don't presume to judge him by your nonexistent standards. The Doctor is a million times the person you could ever hope to be. And you? Pathetic."
She aimed the sonic, still in the Doctor's hand, and slammed the gate shut behind them. "Rory and Brian, please get up, we're leaving." She turned to the robots. "He asked to see you two."
The men followed quickly as Rey stormed off. It wasn't until she spotted Tricey in one of the corridors that she paused to let the others catch up. Struck by an idea, the Doctor ran to the triceratops, ushering her along.
"What're we doing," Brian asked as he and Rory chased after them.
"Just do exactly as I do," the Doctor instructed.
Rory protested, but it was too late.
"Geronimo!" The Doctor ran up a pile of stacked crates, then jumped off and landed on Tricey's back. He waved back for Rey to follow.
She exchanged a look with Rory and Brian before crooking a brow and taking off in a sprint for the crates. The Williamses climbed on a little more gingerly.
"Go, Tricey," the Doctor shouted. "Run like the wind!" Tricey called out but stayed in place. The robots, having realized they had been tricked, were catching up to them now. With lasers. "How do you start a triceratops?"
"There they are," Rusty observed.
"I know," not-Rusty called out. "I saw them before you."
Brian pulled out another golf ball from his pocket. "Tricey, fetch!"
He threw the ball forward and Tricey leapt after it like a dog after a Frisbee. The sudden start had Rey nearly falling off. It was rather like how she imagined riding a bull would feel like. If the bull was about three times as big, had ridges on its back, and crossed a dozen metres in a single leap.
The Doctor, adrenaline junkie he was, was having the time of his life, exclaiming as Tricey tore down the hall. "Come on, Tricey! Faster, baby!"
The ball bounced off a wall and they made a sharp turn. Behind them, Rey could hear the robots still arguing, but they were getting further and further away.
"I'm riding a dinosaur," Brian exclaimed. "On a spaceship!"
"I know," Rory yelled back at him in a similar state of amusement and suspended belief.
"I only came 'round to fix your light!"
"Come on, Tricey," the Doctor urged. As the end of the corridor loomed closer and closer their ride gave no indication of slowing down or stopping. "Where are the brakes?!"
Tricey came to a sudden stop, knocking them all off his back. He trotted up to them, still sprawled on the ground, and dropped the golf ball in front of Rory before taking a few steps back and plopping down himself. All the exercise had him exhausted.
"I can't believe that actually worked," Rey said as she stood. "Where are we now?"
Spotting a computer screen, the Doctor rushed over to it. "Incoming message from Earth. Hello, Earth! How are things?"
Indira looked back at them. "Doctor, the ship's coming through the atmosphere. I have to start the missile program."
"No. No, no, no—don't do that, everything's under control here, turning 'round any moment. Need a bit of wiggle room on the timings…"
"I can't do that."
"You can," Rey urged, coming up behind the Doctor. "Please, Indira, we just need a little more time. This ship's cargo…"
"My only responsibility is Earth's safety," she informed them stubbornly. "I'm launching the missiles. Goodbye Rey, Doctor."
The transmission cut out.
Fiddling with the computers didn't provide as much assistance as they hoped. "Well, this is all very bad indeed. Completely unhelpful." The Doctor pushed away and began to pace.
"Doe the ship have any defense systems installed," Rey asked.
"Good thinking!" Before she could react, he kissed her forehead and turned back to the computer. "Show us weapons and defense systems."
No Systems Available flashed back at them.
"Well, that was a waste of time, wasn't it? Getting my hopes up like that."
Rey stared back at him, a little too stunned to do anything. Her forehead felt warm. Actually, her entire face felt heated. This was worse than the time Donna made them kiss on the lips. That, at least, had been for a reason. This felt like it came out of nowhere. It was odd for their dynamic… unless something had changed—will change? Tenses were so confusing—that she didn't know about.
Maybe… maybe it was a good thing? People kissed each other platonically all the time. In some cultures, it was even a greeting. And if he could do something like that so thoughtlessly, as if on automatic, then maybe it meant that she finally got over her touch aversion in the future.
"What ship doesn't have weapons," Rory asked from beside her, snapping her out of her thoughts. She shook her head and tried to focus. Now was not the time to reexamine their relationship. She could have that crisis later, after they were safe.
"The ancient species—still full of hope."
"What about the control deck," Brian suggested. "You said we should go to the control deck next."
The Doctor stalked away from the computer. "It's too late, it won't make any difference."
"We could at least try."
"It won't work, Rory. The missiles are locked on."
"So, what? We're just giving up?"
"I don't know," he said despondently. "I don't know."
Solomon and the two robots suddenly appeared in a flash of light. "You were telling the truth, Doctor. Earth has launched missiles. This vessel is too clumsy to outrun them, but I have my own ship."
He immediately stepped protectively in front of Rey. "You won't get your precious cargo on board, though. It'll just be you and your metal tantrum machines."
"We do not have tantrums!"
"Shut up," Solomon shouted. He hobbled over to the Doctor, still using the canes to support himself. "You're right, Doctor. I can't keep the dinosaurs and live myself. But I had the IV system run a secondary scan the entire ship and it found something even more valuable. Utterly unique. I don't know where you found it or how you got it here, but I want it."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Earth Queen Nefertiti of Egypt." Strangely, the Doctor relaxed for a moment. But only a moment. "Give her to me and I'll let the rest of you live."
"No." Rey might not like Neffy much, but that she was in no way okay with condemning her to a life as someone else's property.
"You think I won't punish those who get in my way," Solomon challenged. "Whatever their worth?" On his command, not-Rusty aimed its gun and fired at Tricey. He cried out, surviving just long enough to have a slow and painful death. Rey stroked him gently as he took his last breaths, feeling it when Tricey stilled and didn't move again.
The Doctor clapped slowly. "You must be very proud."
"Bring her to me. Or the robots will make their way through your corpses. Starting with your Rey whom you seem to care some much about. Bring her now."
"No," Rey repeated. She stood and stalked back towards the old man, ignoring the laser aimed at her, even when it whined in warning. She'd had enough with him.
Unfortunately, Amy, Riddell, and Neffy chose then to teleport to them.
"What are you doing?"
Neffy stepped forward. "I demanded to be brought here."
"Don't listen to him." Rey glanced back her and didn't move from her position between Neffy and Solomon. "You don't have to do this. We can find another way."
"It isn't your choice, Rey, it's mine."
"If you go with him I can't guarantee your safety," the Doctor said, trying to talk sense into her.
"You saved my people. I am in your debt. Both of you."
"There is no debt," Rey urged. "You don't own us anything. That isn't how it works."
For the first time since they met, Nefertiti offered her a genuine smile. She patted Rey on the cheek before stepping to Solomon's side. "Then I do it of my own will."
"No!" Riddell cocked his rifle and pointed it at the old man. "Take her, I shot you."
"Put your weapon down," Nefertiti commanded, regal still despite everything. "Let me make my choice."
"Do it, boy." The robot whose gun wasn't trained on Rey stepped forward and glowered at Riddle until he obeyed. "My bounty increases. What an extraordinary bounty you are. Though perhaps I should add to it even more. I'm sure I could find a use for the Doctor's Rey."
His hand whipped out, faster than he should have been able to move, and grasped her chin roughly. She felt her skin crawl at the point of contact, nerves lighting up and screaming at her to get away. Unbidden, her foot came up and kicked out at his injured leg. He jerked back in order to remain standing and she ripped herself out of his grip, scrambling back to get away.
Even without his physical touch, she still felt disgusted. Her jaw burned; if she looked in the mirror she was sure she would see angry red marks from where his nails dug in and scratched her. It reminded her of one of her nurses.
There had been more than one actually, but one in particular who spoke in the exact same condescending tone as Solomon. He knew how to hurt her so that he wouldn't leave bruises, and where to leave them so no one would notice if he did. She couldn't fight back at all then, not when the cocktail of drugs they put her on left her feeling sick more often than not. And by that time, the others knew better than to listen to anything she said. It wasn't until he was fired for stealing supplies that she was finally free of him.
When Rey finally came out of herself, it was to an alarm ringing throughout the ship. Both Solomon and Neffy were gone. Her chest felt tight like she'd been holding her breath for too long and her head felt stuffed with cotton. She forced herself to listen to the announcement, trying to find something to focus on.
"Hostile targeting in progress. Hostile targeting in progress. Hostile targeting in progress…"
Something like how targeting systems in the 22nd century worked. They had been a book on the tracking innovations the library. If she remembered the chapter correctly… "We need to get to the control deck."
Amy and Rory shared a concerned look. The Doctor looked utterly confused for a moment, before his eyes lit up with realization. "Of course. Bingo!" He teleported them directly there, not bothering to answer Amy's and Rory's questioning glances. Two chairs for the pilots faced each other in the cockpit. A small post stood between them. He tore the covering off it and got to work.
"So, what's the plan," Rory asked.
"Come on. The missiles are locked onto us, we can't outrun them, we have to save the dinosaurs and get Nefertiti back from Solomon. Isn't it obvious?!"
"It's sort of the opposite of obvious."
"Seventeen minutes before the missiles hit, we need to turn this ship around."
"This is a dual piloting system," Rey noted. That was a bit unexpected. Her brow furrowed as she recalled a manual she found in the library months ago. "But Solomon could have just used one of the robots to help… unless…"
The Doctor looked up from where he was sonicing the inside of the post. "Exactly! See, Rey's got it!"
"You said it was too late," Rory reminded them. "There wasn't any time."
"Ah, yes, but I didn't have this plan then, did I? Riddell? Keep an eye out for dinosaurs."
He cocked his gun and held the spare out for Brian. "I was rather hoping you'd say that."
"No killing any," Rey ordered without turning around. "Brian and Rory, could you two clear the seats? I don't think you want to be sitting in cobwebs."
"What?"
"Two pilot seats, set parallel to each other—this ship needs two operators to fly it. The catch is that they need to be from the same gene chain. That's why Solomon couldn't change the ship's course, but we can. Or more specifically, Rory and Brian can. Aren't we lucky Mr. Brian Pond happened to be with us?"
"I'm not a Pond."
"'Course you are," the Doctor told him. "Sit down, both of you. Ship does all the engineering, the controls are straightforward, even a monkey could use them—oh look." Father and son glared at him as they took their seats. "They're going to. Guys, come on, comedy gold. Where's a Silurian audience when you need one?"
Rey rolled her eyes and set to explaining the controls. "The two eye-line screens show velocity and trajectory. Just steer away from Earth and try not to bump into the moon or the races who live there will be cross."
"What," Brian asked, more about the moon than anything else.
"Primary controls in the arms of the chairs, principle's the same as any vehicle. Any questions, Rey is your go to girl," the Doctor finished.
She checked her watch. "Eight minutes, forty-five seconds."
He soniced the chairs, activating them. "Get us as far away as you can. Right, phase two sorted. Now for phase one."
"Phase two comes after phase one," Amy said.
"Humans, you're so linear. Well, except Rey, she's never linear. Shine a torch in here, will you?"
The two girls moved over to him. Amy held the light up. "What are you doing?"
"Mixing my messages." He pulled out some wires, then motioned for Rey to stick her hands in and hold some down out of the way so he could properly work. "How's the job?"
"We're about to be hit by missiles and you're asking me that?"
"He works best when multi-tasking," Rey explained. "It's best just to go with it." If not, the unanswered question would distract him more than the conversation would have, usually leading to disastrous results.
"I gave it up."
"You gave the last one up," the Doctor said.
"Yeah, well, I can't settle. Every minute, I'm listening for that stupid TARDIS sound, or Rey complaining about landing in the flowers again or something."
"Right, so it's our fault now, is it?!"
"I can't not wait for you two," Amy shot back. "Even now. And they're getting longer, the gap between your visits. At least Rey still calls."
"Are they," she asked.
The Doctor busied himself with shoving his arm in the post.
"I think you're weaning us off you."
"I'm not, I promise." He looked at Amy to make sure she knew he was serious. "Really promise. The others, they're not you. But you and Rory, you have lives. Each other. I thought that's what we all agreed."
She bit her lip. "I know. I just worry there'll come a time when you never turn up, that something will happen to either of you and I'll still be waiting, never knowing."
Rey pulled one of her hands out and placed it on top of Amy's without looking at her. Amy's hand twitched, like she wanted to turn it to properly hold Rey's, but she held herself back.
"No! Come on, Pond." The Doctor nudged her gently. "You'll be there till the end of me."
"Or vice versa."
The sonic beeped, cutting short what would've been a nervous silence that had almost took hold of them. The three of them got up, the Doctor pulling something glowing out of the post as he did.
Riddell re-entered the room looking a little harried. "Doctor? This is a two-man job."
"Take Amy," Rey suggested. She needed to stay in case Rory and Brian needed help and the Doctor needed to go after Neffy. "She's easily worth two men." Amy laughed and grabbed a rifle before following Riddell back out.
"Be back soon." The Doctor kissed the crown of Rey's head quickly before grabbing the crystal that came from inside the post and teleporting away.
She stared at the spot he disappeared from. Another kiss—no, she couldn't think about this now. She was barely holding it together as it was. She couldn't let her mind wander off into all the what if's and maybe's of her future. That could come later, when her nerves weren't so shot.
"Rey?"
She shook her head and refocused, walking Rory and Brian through taking over the autopilot. They picked it up quickly and soon enough, she didn't need to instruct them anymore. Brian was having a blast. He was like a kid again, playing the best video game ever invented.
Once they were safely away from Earth, she helped them plot a basic course and re-engage the autopilot so they could leave the chairs. When the Doctor returned, Nefertiti was with him, and he wore a grim but satisfied smile. He explained phase one of his ingenious plan on the way back to the TARDIS: swapping out the signal of the Silurian ship for Solomon's, then demagnetizing it so the missiles would target him instead.
She was a little thrown by his ruthlessness. Yes, Solomon deserved that and more, and the Doctor had always had problems with those that threatened others, but she thought he would at least offer to save him. If only to turn him over to Indira so the military could take care of him.
"So, dinosaur drop-off time."
"Actually, we think home for us," Rory said, sharing a look with Amy.
The Doctor paused in the TARDIS doorway. "Oh. Fine. Of course."
"Not forever," she added quickly. "Just a couple of months."
Rey patted his back, ushering him fully inside. She tried to say I'll never leave without so many words. Despite the small smile he gave her, she wasn't sure if she managed it.
"We need to drop everyone off and find somewhere new for the dinosaurs," she said instead, cursing her own cowardice.
Nefertiti chose to stay with Riddell, at least for a little while. They were a strange couple, but Rey thought they suited each other in an odd way. Riddell would provide adventure for Neffy, and she would keep him on his toes.
They found a new home for the dinosaurs on a distant planet the Doctor off-handedly named Siluria. He wanted a different name at first, but she vetoed it. It was way too embarrassing. They sent a postcard to the Ponds, and when Rey called to make sure they'd received it on time and not too early, Amy mentioned that the adventure had awakened a traveler's spirit in Brian.
The Doctor laughed when she told him. Of course it had, he'd said. Brian was a Pond, wasn't he?
She stayed with him for a while longer. It was hard to tell exactly how long when they mostly stayed in the Time Vortex, but it was long enough for her to finish her book on cross-species genetics and another one on music theory. They were lounging in the console room together, him working on repairs and her just observing when she felt the familiar tingling in her toes.
"I'm jumping soon," she warned, not wanting him to look up and see that she was just gone.
The Doctor instantly dropped what he was doing and climbed out of the harness. She sat sideways on a step, legs hanging off the side. The railing separated them when he came over to her. For once, they were almost at eye level.
"Doctor?" He was close enough that she could feel his breath on her cheeks, warm little huffs that made her want to shiver. "What's wrong?"
Her hearing was going now. He might have said something, but it could easily have also been a simple twitch of his lips. She could no longer feel the bar of the railing that she knew was under her hands. Her vision began to tunnel, black spots eating at her peripherals.
His lips were the last thing she saw before it all went dark—red, impossibly close, and aimed at a spot lower than her forehead this time.