A/N: This takes place during/after the end of episode two of Seeds of Doom...
FREEZER FOOD
Sarah and the Doctor began to run, knowing the bomb would be going off any second, destroying the entire Antarctic camp. The Doctor skidded to a stop, and turned to Sarah. 'Sarah? Concentrate.' Before she could respond, he reached up and touched both her temples with his index fingers, then took her hand and they both ran.
The Doctor knew he needed to try to get back to the camp, so he headed off at a sprint, knowing he was leaving Sarah slightly behind. He glanced back to make sure she was still following him, but the distance separating them was getting larger. Then the explosion occurred, throwing them both to the ground.
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Sarah eyes fluttered open as she heard machinery approaching. She saw three men approaching her, one in a bright orange coat and two others in white uniforms. The man in orange knelt next to her as she sat up. 'Doctor? Where's the Doctor?' she asked, looking around frantically.
'It's all right, I'm a doctor, Doctor Chester. We're from South Bend, these marines got me through.'
'No, he was trying to reach the camp, we've got to find him.' She stood up, and began running down the hill. 'Doctor? Doctor?' she called. She finally saw the Doctor lying face down in the snow. She quickly knelt down next to him, pulling on him, trying to turn him over. 'He's alive,' she told Chester as he knelt down next to her.
As Chester and Sarah rolled the Doctor over onto his back, his eyes opened and he looked up at Sarah and smiled. 'Good morning,' his velvet tone warming her to the core, despite the Antarctic cold.
The two marines and Chester quickly bundled the Doctor and Sarah into the back of the vehicle to take them to South Bend. They sat close together on the bench seat, but were mostly silent. The Doctor looked over at Sarah and saw her staring straight ahead. He reached out and took her mitten-covered hand in his. She jumped as he touched her, then glanced over towards him and smiled. 'Sorry, was just thinking.'
'Are you all right, Sarah?'
She nodded, then went back to staring straight ahead. After a few moments, she leaned into the Doctor's shoulder and closed her eyes.
~!~!~!~
At South Bend, the Doctor watched as Chester spoke softly to another medic. Finally, Doctor Chester walked over towards him. 'I don't know how you two did it. Not a bit of frostbite on either one of you.'
The Doctor smiled, 'Superior biology.'
Chester frowned, 'You and your…friend were just really lucky. If the marines hadn't gotten us through, well, let's just say I don't think either one of you could've survived for more than an hour.'
'How's Sarah?'
'Her body temperature is dangerously low, yet she doesn't seem to notice it. Our nurse, Nancy is waiting for her while she takes a hot shower, and then she'll show her to some quarters. It's going to be tomorrow before we can get a plane in to get you back to civilisation.' Chester looked at the Doctor before continuing. 'Doctor, I wish you would let us examine you as well.'
'I told you, I'm fine. We just need to get to back to London as soon as possible.'
'We've lined up all the appropriate flights. Given what you told me happened, I just think you and Miss Smith need to get some rest and warm up.' After a moment, Chester continued, 'C'mon Doctor, I'll show you to some quarters.'
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The Doctor looked around the small room, taking in the surroundings. Chester stood in the doorway. 'Miss Smith should be in shortly. I apologise for the cramped quarters, but it does have a double bunk.'
The Doctor turned to the look at the medic. 'Thank you, Doctor Chester, this will be more than sufficient.'
Chester left, closing the door behind him. The Doctor paced around the room like a caged tiger, waiting for Sarah. Each second and minute that ticked by seemed to make his skin crawl just that bit more as he worried about his companion.
He whirled around as the door opened and Nancy motioned for Sarah to enter. Sarah walked in and immediately noted the Doctor's expression. She turned back as Nancy began to speak. 'This was the only spare quarters we have, I'm afraid, Sarah, but figured the double bunk would work for you. You'll just have to fight over who gets which bunk.'
Sarah smiled. 'That'll be fine.' She glanced at the Doctor as Nancy left and shut the door behind her. Once they were alone, the Doctor quickly crossed over to Sarah and took her face in his hands, looking intently into her eyes as if he was staring into her very soul.
Sarah wanted to shrink back from the intensity of his gaze, but couldn't. She saw an embedded fury, not against her, but against the ones who'd put them in this position. It was a look she'd not seen from him before, certainly not anytime they were alone. She reached up and placed her hands lightly against his chest. 'Doctor?' she said softly.
'Are you hurt?' his voice full of concern.
'What?'
The Doctor reached up and began to stroke her hair. 'You're not hurt? Scorby didn't hurt you?'
She shook her head. 'No. Scared me, yes, hurt me, no. I don't think he had time.'
He reached up and touched her temples again with his index fingers. Her eyes quickly glazed over, then cleared. 'How are you feeling, Sarah?'
'Cold, tired.' She looked around the room. 'What happened?' She turned back to the Doctor, eyes blazing. 'What did you do?'
He began to run his hands along her upper arms. 'I had to make sure you didn't freeze.'
'What?'
'We were going to be separated, I had to make sure you'd be all right.'
Sarah began to shiver, partly from the cold, partly from his admission. 'You would've left me?' she asked softly. 'In Antarctica?'
He shook his head, then quickly wrapped his arms around her. 'No, Sarah, not like that. We would've been separated either by the explosion or by my running faster and making it back to the camp. You know I'd never leave you.'
She buried her head in his scarf and willed herself to stop shaking. 'Why am I so cold?'
'It's my fault, actually,' the Doctor said softly. He kept his arm around her and led her towards the bed. He reached down, scooped up one of the blankets and wrapped it tightly around her then briskly rubbed her upper arms. 'The hypnotic suggestion I gave you lowered your body temperature and made you less susceptible to the cold. Now that I've cancelled it, your temperature is equalising.'
'Is that how you do it?'
He nodded as he began to unwrap his scarf from around his neck and loop it around Sarah's, 'I can either raise or lower my body temperature as needed.' A wide, Cheshire cat-like grin slowly spread across his features. 'That gives me an excellent idea.'
Sarah looked up at him and smiled, infectiously caught up in his excitement. 'Does it get me back up to normal faster?'
'There's only one way to find out.'
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The Doctor and Sarah lay in the bottom bunk, limbs wrapped tightly around one another, and the Doctor having wrapped his coat, scarf and the blankets around them. 'Are you getting warmer? I can't raise my temperature too much more.'
Sarah nodded, and curled up tighter against him, burying her face against his chest. 'How long can you keep this little personal roaring fireplace of yours going?'
'As long as I have to, or until the last log is reduced to embers.'
She looked up at him then, a wicked smile on her face. 'How come I haven't seen this side of you before?'
He gave her an innocent smile. 'You have, just expressed differently.'
At his expression, she gave him another look before they both began laughing. Once they calmed down, Sarah gave him an easy smile. 'Doctor, we may run into some crazy people and situations, but we do have fun, don't we?'
He leaned down and dropped a kiss on the top of her head, 'We wouldn't want it any other way.'
Sarah's expression got serious. 'This is actually a very serious situation, isn't it?'
'Yes, that pod is very dangerous. We need to figure out who Scorby and Keilor are working for and stop them. However, we can't do anything until we get a flight back to London.'
'Which reminds me, why didn't we take the TARDIS again?'
'I couldn't risk explaining how we got here. It was much easier to take normal methods of transportation, however frustrating those are at the moment.'
'So what's the next step?' she asked.
'Tonight, we sleep. Tomorrow, we get back to London, meet with the World Ecology Bureau and figure out what's going on.'
Sarah looked up at him. 'And win.'
The Doctor looked down at her, locking gazes. 'Yes, we win. Because we don't have a choice.'
Sarah leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. 'I'm just glad I'm on your side.'
The Doctor smiled, 'Me too, Sarah. Me too.'
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