CHAPTER?! Y U NO LET ME FINISH YOU FASTER?! Sorry. I needed to vent. I apologize for this taking so long. I didn't mean it to, honest. It just . . . sort of . . . happened.
Also a big thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favorite recently and in the past. Every time I get an e-mail about any of those things I feel so much better, no matter what.
"So," I asked when we landed, "where are we now?"
The Doctor grinned in answer and strolled to the doors. He leaned against them and crossed his arms. "Guess," he challenged, smirking.
Facing The Doctor, I braced my hands on the console and leaned against it. I pretended to think. "Is it a space station floating above Earth in the distant future of the Great and Bountiful Human Empire?"
He chuckled. "Nope, but good guess, maybe we'll go there next." He spun around and flung open the doors. "No—this is the planet Tron! Not to be confused with the syfy movie Tron (At least not for a few hundred years). Forty percent jungle, sixty percent water, eighteen percent swamp and home to the hoosliv species."
I frowned as I did the math. 118 percent? So much for Time Lord intelligence.
Peeling my jacket off, I left it hanging over the railing. The air rolling inside the TARDIS through the doors was almost too hot for my pale blue halter top, let alone a jacket. I didn't see how The Doctor could survive the heat.
Maybe it's a Time Lord thing . . .
The Doctor intertwined his fingers with mine when I got to his side. He led me outside and I gasped in surprise.
We were surrounded by a jungle in the richest shades of green. A blue, actually blue, waterfall fell into a lagoon nearly thirty feet in front of us. Multi-colored flowers hung from coiled, stick-thin vines of orange.
An inhalation of breath rewarded me with one of the sweetest scents in existence.
"Doctor . . ." I whispered in shock. I don't know what I expected but this wasn't it.
His thumb caringly stroked the back of my hand. The Doctor pulled me closer to his side and leaned down, nuzzling my cheek.
The setting, how he was acting . . . it was like a scene from a romance novel. I was even reacting like the swooning girl described in their pages. Shortness of breath, pounding heart, fluttering eyelashes, blushing cheeks, heat coiling in my pelvis, weak knees . . . the list went on and on. Thing was, I wasn't too upset about it.
The Doctor gave me an Eskimo kiss. His eyes were closed and he was smiling gently. This was the most peaceful I had ever seen him.
I could feel his breath on my lips and smell his scent of leather, cinnamon, and honey. He was close enough to kiss.
Every nerve ending was electrified. My arousal was becoming painful.
What's going on? Why are we here? Is that all he's going to do? Is he waiting for me to give some sort of signal?
"Bet you're wonderin' what I'm gonna do next," The Doctor mumbled clearly.
I swallowed nervously. "Maybe. Are you reading my mind?"
The Doctor chuckled. His eyes slit open to leer at me. "No, but I can tell. You're nervous. Don't be. I won't do anythin' you don't want me to." He paused to think. "Well, other than what I'm gonna do next."
I chewed on my bottom lip. "And what're you gonna do?"
He grinned. "This." And then he kissed me.
Though the reality of The Doctor kissing me still left me as dazed as the first time it happened, I made sure to respond this time.
It was a closed mouth kiss. Neither of us felt the need to use our tongues. (That's bullshit. But I think it would be rude of me to shove my tongue down his throat during our second kiss.) The kiss was fierce and languid at the same time, both of us using as much passion as the other but not attempting to dominate or overpower. This wasn't a battle of egos; it was a dance between equals.
My free arm wrapped around The Doctor's neck to lower him to my level even though I was standing on my toes. His free hand was cupping my jaw, ever so slightly tilting my head for a better angle to slant his mouth against mine.
The Doctor didn't nip my lips with his teeth this time. I nipped at his before he got a chance. I felt his shiver of pleasure when I did it.
I thought about using tongue but, instead I was forced to break away for air.
The Doctor kissed my cheek, rumbling in my ear, "Thought that was the perfect moment to cash in my second bribe."
The Doctor and I sat by the lagoon, occasionally dipping our fingers in the water. We hadn't discussed the kiss or The Doctor's excuse of using his second bribe. I wasn't sure I believed him on that. We were still holding hands.
"Doctor," I started, "why did you bring me here?"
He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "As an apology, for how much of an arse I've been to you, and I'm not just talkin' 'bout what happened with Van Statten. I mean all of it."
I smiled to myself.
He huffed. "Soooooo . . . you enjoyin' yourself so far?"
I smirked at him. "Oh yeah. I especially liked the part right after we got out of the TARDIS."
"Really?" He smirked back. "I hadn't noticed."
"There were no clues?"
The Doctor leaned toward me with a playful grin and gleaming eyes. "There might've been. I was too busy payin' attention to the blushing and fluttering eyelashes and little sounds you were makin'."
My cheeks heated up. I hadn't realized I had been making sounds.
"Nice to know you enjoyed it," The Doctor commented, leaning closer.
Despite the burning of my cheeks, I managed to give him a coy smile. "Bet it did wonders for your ego."
He hummed approvingly. We were in the perfect position to kiss again and my stomach lurched in anticipation. "That among other things," The Doctor muttered.
War drums sounded from the surrounding forest. A resonating shriek peeled through the air and sent a shock of cold fear to my gut.
The Doctor and I jerked apart and faced the direction the scream had come from.
"Doctor," I whispered, huddling close to him.
He pressed his lips into a thin line. Squeezing my hand, he said, "I won't let it hurt you."
My fear was soothed, if only by a bit. While I didn't enjoy using The Doctor as a shield or a crutch, knowing that he would be there to help if I was in trouble was comforting.
The drums continued their pounding as they closed in on our position. The shrubbery and leaves on the trees rustled noisily. If I tilted my head the right way I could hear the thud of heavy footsteps.
My eyes caught the shimmer of black orbs. An alien stalked out of the foliage. A large spear was clutched in one of its hands. Others of the same species of alien emerged from the forest; most handled the same type of spear as the first, but others had bows and arrows and smaller knives. The war drums thundered on.
With a wave of one of its four hands, the first alien silenced the drummers. It stared at The Doctor and me impassively.
"You will come with us," it said.
"They're the hoosliv," The Doctor muttered to me as we were escorted through the jungle by the aliens.
Hoosliv were all around eight feet tall, varying shades of dark green, and all had black eyes with nearly invisible green irises. Each one was muscled in a lean way with backwards knees and four arms. I suspected they were all male, but Koschei was quick to shoot that theory down.
The warriors of the hoosliv are genderless. They're like that from birth and have all the strengths of both sexes but the weakness of neither. He'd informed me.
Fantastic, I thought sarcastically.
The trees finally began to thin out and we were soon walking down a well trekked road out of the forest and entering a city built out of grey wood. Hooslivs strolled around, men and women, going about their business but they stopped to stare at our procession making its way through the streets.
The warriors led The Doctor and me to the palace at the center of the city. The large, heavy doors swung open and we were greeted by a large and extravagantly decorated throne room. We walked until stopping several feet from the colossal throne where a hoosliv (male, from what I could tell) sat.
"Kneel before King Kraith!" the lead warrior ordered us, forcing The Doctor and me to our knees and bowing our heads for us.
I could feel King Kraith's glare. "What are these strangers doing in my palace?"
"They were found trespassing, sire."
I gulped. Somehow I didn't think Kraith would be lenient in punishing us. We needed a plan. A glance at The Doctor told me he didn't have one. Maybe I could think of one?
"Kill them," King Kraith ordered leisurely.
Panicking, I sneered at The Doctor and spat out the first thing I could. "Oh, you stupid man!"
Everyone's attention snapped to me. The Doctor gaped at me in horror. Eyes wide and pleading with him to play along, I snapped at him, "This is what I get for not listening to my mother! She said 'Don't go off with him! All he'll do is get you into trouble!' But I said no and went with you anyway, now look where we are!"
The Doctor seemed to catch on. He bared his teeth and growled, "Oh, shut it, woman! Like I wanted you to come along with all your naggin'!"
"Don't you dare turn this on me!" I snarled back. "Every time! This happens every time we go somewhere! For once, can't you just take responsibility—"
"Enough!" Kraith shouted, standing from his throne.
The Doctor and I cringed but made sure not to drop our pissed off attitudes.
"What is the meaning of your sudden fury, woman?" Kraith demanded, narrowing his eyes at me.
I summoned all of my ire and spat, "My husband. We haven't been married for a year and all he does is get us into trouble!"
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Oh here we go again with the ranting."
"Shut up!" I hissed furiously.
King Kraith ordered thunderously, "Quiet."
We stopped arguing and faced the king. Kraith observed me silently.
"You wish to not be . . . attached to this man anymore?" he asked me, leaning forward and bracing his arms on his legs.
Scowling, I nodded.
"Would you adhere to marrying me instead?"
I gaped. What? I mean . . . what the hell? Did aliens just ask that? Did they really just ask random people to marry them? Then again, he was the king. He probably believed he had the right to do whatever he wanted.
"Pardon me, but are you serious?" I asked incredulously.
King Kraith settled back in his throne. For a second, I thought I had secured both mine and The Doctor's death by insulting the only person who could pardon us. Then the king nodded.
"I am serious," he responded smoothly. "My last queen is recently deceased and I have yet chosen her successor. Now I can call off the search."
I thought about it for a moment. If I agree to marry King Kraith, he'd let The Doctor go, and then I'd be rescued within minutes.
Raising my head, I put on my most charming smile and looked King Kraith in the eye. "I'll marry you."
To my right, The Doctor went rigid. Hopefully, he'd run back to the TARDIS. The sooner we left this planet the better.
Kraith grinned victoriously. "Excellent. I'll show you to your rooms." He stood. "Guards, kill the man."
"What? No!" I shouted in panic. They were supposed to let him go!
Every living being in the throne room stared at me suspiciously. King Kraith's glare was especially venomous.
"Why not? He is of no use to anyone here."
I forced myself to relax. Putting on an air of aloofness and irritation, I easily lied, "Unfortunately, he is. See, our race is mildly telepathic and, upon marriage, our minds are bonded together. To put it simply, if you kill him, you kill me."
Kraith frowned. "Is there a way to reverse this? I will not marry a bound woman.'
A thinly veiled threat laced his tone.
I scoffed, "Of course there is. The only problem is that it's a long process, but that's all right since it'll give you time to prepare the grounds for the wedding ceremony."
Kraith seemed less suspicious, but he continued to ask questions. "Why would the preparation take so long?"
"Weddings on our home world are a rare feature. When one is arranged, it's a town wide event. There's also the problem with the energy of the city." I was so thankful I had a wild imagination. Without it, we'd be dead right now.
"Energy of the city?"
I wrinkled my nose, as if smelling something bad. "Yes. Your guards patrol every street, blocking the flow of energy in and out of the city. It's messing with my psychic field."
The Doctor was scowling openly at me. No doubt he thought no plan was better than my plan.
"Why is this important?" Kraith asked.
Feeling emboldened, I stood. "It's important because the interference isn't allowing my abilities to work at their full potential. Without the full flow, it could take months to sever the mental connection with my . . . spouse." I sneered the last word distastefully.
Again, Kraith thought for several long moments. He then nodded. "Follow me, future queen. Guards, bring him."
The Doctor was hauled to his feet by the guards. He didn't look at me, keeping his glare stuck on the floor. King Kraith offered me his lowest arm. I took it with only a second's hesitation; his green skin look odd again my pale flesh. Soon we were gliding up a set of stairs at the far left side of the throne room and through several wide corridors.
"While we walk, explain the separation process to me," Kraith subtly ordered.
I didn't hesitate to speak this time. I had pieced together the parts of my (at first) sketchy plan. The Doctor and I could escape, and King Kraith would unwittingly help us do so.
"First, my spouse and I will need to be locked in a room together," I explained coldly. "Only the guards will be allowed to bring us food, clothing, and other necessities."
Kraith's response was immediate. "Why?"
"Being trapped together is a sort of punishment and it, along with being tended to by the genderless, removes distractions, interferences, or temptations while the couple separates themselves from one another." Deciding Kraith needed a bit more convincing that I really did want to marry him; I stroked his arm and smiled coyly up at him when I mentioned temptations.
It did the trick. Kraith returned the smirk and relaxed, pulling me closer to him.
"Second, the separation process will take at least two weeks. Any unexpected visits from anyone other than the guards will add between three days to a week of more time." I paused to scrunch my face in annoyance. King Kraith smelt like mold and wet rust. "Sorry, but I can't explain the correlation between outsiders and the separation more clearly. I'm not an expert in the study of psychic links."
My apology was waved off. "Do not apologize. As long as the separation is completed, I don't care to know the logistics."
I slumped in relief. Thank God I didn't have to bullshit my way through that minefield.
Clearing my throat, I continued, "Third, I'll need a map of the city so I can reorganize the guards."
"How will they be reorganized?"
I stroked his arm soothingly. "I'll just need to open four streets until the separation is complete. Everything will go back to normal afterwards."
Kraith nodded. "Then I shall have one of the guards deliver a map as soon as possible. Is there anything else I need to know?"
Sighing heavily, I spare a glance back at The Doctor. He still wasn't looking at me. He didn't even glance up when I attempted to catch his attention. Hopefully he wasn't too upset with my plan.
"I suppose I should tell you that my husband cannot be mistreated during the separation. Our comforts must be equal," I added tiredly. "The more comfortable we are, the easier the separation will be."
Kraith hummed. "Yes . . . we haven't discussed your husband. Won't he resist the separation? Once you are free of him, he will be executed."
I smirked confidently despite the roiling of fear and disgust in my gut. "He can try, but I'm much more talented in matters of the mind than he is."
If possible, Kraith seemed even more pleased than he had been. I guess I was a better liar than I thought I was.
Our party finally stopped in front of a large pair of ornate double doors.
"This is where you and your spouse will be staying. Normally the future queen would be placed closer to my rooms but, seeing as I must resist the temptation of visiting you, you'll be placed in the most secluded wing of the palace. Few need to pass through these parts and only the guards and I shall know which room you two reside in," Kraith told me. He lightly shoved the doors open with his main set of arms.
The room was spacious enough to fit two living rooms inside. Half the room's interior was comprised of expertly crafted wooden furniture accented with shimmering glass or precious metals. Colorful silks draped from the walls and crisscrossed the ceiling, sometimes draped from it. The other half held a king sized bed that hung from the ceiling with thick, coiled vines.
Kraith motioned to the two doors spaced from the suspended bed. "One is a wardrobe. Clothes will be dropped off, along with food and a map, as soon as I can arrange it. The other is a bathing room." He stepped away from the double doors. My arm was released from the crook of his elbow.
Blinking his slanted eyes, the king bowed deeply to me. "I shall leave you to your work, my queen-to-be."
I felt silly bowing back. "Thank you, my lord. Hopefully this process will be quick." Then I strolled as gracefully as possible into the guest room.
The Doctor stumbled in after me (most likely pushed), and the doors were closed.
Sagging in exhaustion after the door locked, I hurried over to The Doctor to look him over for any wounds. I hadn't seen the guards injure him, but King Kraith and I had walked in front of them the entire time through the hallways. I had gotten us this far; I wasn't about to start taking chances.
"Doctor, are you all right?" I asked, lightly running my fingers over his arms and chest. He flinched away from my touch. "Did they hurt you?"
"I'm fine," he answered coldly. The Doctor shifted away from me and crossed his arms over his chest defensively.
Hurt stung in my chest. My arms fell to my sides.
"So," he sneered, "does your 'plan' go beyond not dying into, you know, escaping?"
At his mocking tone my hackles raised. Standing tall, I shared The Doctor down and spit out a firm yes. He motioned for me to go on.
Scowling, I obliged. "Once I get a map, we'll clear the guards from four streets. After that, all that's left is to get out of this room and onto one of the streets and then we're out."
He raised an eyebrow. "That's it? How are we goin' to get outta this room? We're locked in."
I rolled my eyes. "There's more than one way out of here, Doctor." I pointed to a pair of orange curtains in the living room half of the guest room.
The Doctor blinked dumbly, mumbling, "Ah." He'd finally noticed the sliver of light filtering through the closed fabric.
I walked over to the curtains and wrenched them apart. And frowned. The window didn't go to the floor like I expected but it was big enough for both The Doctor and me to fit through and not too far off the ground. The only problem was finding a place to tie off whatever we used as a makeshift rope. Most of the furniture was too light to hold my weight, let alone The Doctor's. But that could wait. For now those silks decorating the room were looking very useful right now.
"How far down do you think the drop is?" I asked The Doctor, stripping one of the silks from the wall to measure it.
"From one hundred seventy-six feet to one hundred eighty-three," he noted off handedly. He was leaning halfway out the window to observe the city.
"Fourteen feet," I mumbled to myself, twisting the pale green silk between my hands to test its strength. The cloth wasn't actually silk; it wasn't smooth enough, but it was the only word I could find for the fabric.
"We'll need at least fourteen to get to the ground safely," The Doctor tossed out. He took the cloth from me, caressing it with his calloused hands. "Hurnyl—strong, not too slippery, lightweight, many purposes. Not my first choice as impromptu rope but it'll have to do."
The room had gotten darker. I looked out the window to see the sun setting. How was that possible? A short while ago the sun was high in the sky.
The Doctor noticed my confusion. "Days here go by twice as fast as they do on Earth."
So that's what it was. Guess that wasn't weird, in retrospect. Planets having different orbits and all. Only natural that some have longer days and others have shorter . . . Wait . . . did he say twice as fast? Meaning one of their days is half the length of one of Earth's?
"Fuck my life," I growled, gritting my teeth so hard they creaked. "I thought we had more time than that."
The Doctor snorted. "Well, we don't, so what do we do?"
I sighed and squeezed the bridge of my nose. The sun had nearly set, and it seemed like King Kraith wasn't sending any guards to visit us tonight. There wasn't anything we could do. Except sleep.
"Let's just get some rest," I muttered. "God knows we both need it after today." I shuffled over to the closet, hoping there were at least some night clothes stuffed in there.
I was lucky. Though they seemed outdated, there were several variations or clothing stuffed in the closet.
As tempted as I was to take an old shirt and pants, an impish part of my mind chose a short, flimsy night gown. I swiftly hid my find in my arms by bundling it up as tightly as possible against my chest.
"Do you want the bathroom first?" A brief fantasy of The Doctor suggesting we wash at the same time flitted into my mind before I could shove it away.
The Doctor grumbled. "Sure." He shrugged out of his leather jacket and laid it across a chair, slipping his boots and socks off as well.
I expected him to rummage through the closet for clothing to sleep in but The Doctor merely passed it and continued to the bathroom.
Running water sounded from the bathroom seconds later.
I wonder if he'll be in there long enough for me to burn off some frustration. My hand toyed along the waistband of my pants. It wouldn't take long for me to get off; The Doctor had me worked up and horny already. All I needed was a few select touches, and Koschei had been quiet for a while . . .
The water shut off. I could hear splashes that signaled The Doctor was climbing into the tub.
Five minutes, five minutes is all I need, I thought desperately. Giving into temptation, I hurriedly clambered onto the bed, settling on my stomach. Undoing my button and zipper, I shoved my hand into my pants until it connected with my wet folds.
I hissed at the contact. I was almost too sensitive, but I could work with this.
Slowly, I used a finger to circle my clit. A breathy whimper escaped me at the touch. I wouldn't even need my other hand; I could get off on those small touches alone.
I worked my clit faster. My hips jerked against the mattress. My breath came out in soft pants. Heat and arousal were quickly pooling in my lower abdomen. Twinges of pleasure made my legs straighten to points. God, I was so close.
Pleasure pulsed through my entire body when I orgasmed.
I basked in the afterglow of my orgasm. I could've fallen asleep in that position—I already felt drowsy (good orgasms do that to you)—but fabric rustling interrupted my daze.
Shit. I forgot he was there. I quickly redid my pants and maneuvered into a casual position. Masturbating to a fantasy of my nine hundred year old alien friend? Me? I would never.
The bathroom door creaked open. Steam rolled into the room.
Pretending to not be the least bit guilty or ashamed wasn't as easy as I had hoped it would be.
Swallowing thickly, I looked over to the now open door. In another attempt at casualness, I said airily, "Wow, you weren't in there for an hour? I'm amazed." I got the words out just in time, because as soon as I caught sight of The Doctor, I choked on my own spit.
He was wearing nothing but a pair of black, slim fitting boxer shorts. I could still see the moisture slicking his body from his bath. I couldn't rip my stare away from his muscles as they moved under his skin every time he made the smallest move.
God, I pleaded, I'm not sure if this is a punishment or a reward, so I'm not sure if I should thank you or scream as many obscenities at you as I possibly can. Please don't hold that against me. I could practically hear the disembodied laugh.
Oh wait, that was real. Koschei was letting out this wheezy sort of cackle in the back of my mind.
"Well, some of us don't like to turn ourselves into prunes."
What? Oh, The Doctor was talking. Okay . . . stop ogling him! . . . He's gonna notice! . . . Seriously, stop . . . like right now . . . oh, forget it . . .
Can anyone really blame me for staring? The only time I'd seen this regeneration anywhere near this level of undress was in the episode Dalek, and even then he was being tortured. Kinda hard to appreciate the view when the one you're drooling over is screaming in pain.
If I thought he was sexy then, he looked like a god now.
"I'm hoping you didn't use all the hot water, though I might take a cold one with how humid this planet is." I was glad The Doctor was toweling his head off. He was so busy with the task that he wasn't paying me any mind.
"Mmhm," he acknowledged, moving toward one of the couches.
Was he still angry? What did he have to be angry about anyway? My plan might be a little unorthodox but his plans were never exactly foolproof either. They were his plans after all.
Deal with The Doctor's mood swings later. First—a bath.
The bathroom was still covered in a fine sheen of moisture from The Doctor's bath, but the hot tub sized in-ground tub was completely drained. Several extra-large towels were stacked on a wicker shelf on the farthest side of the room, only slightly rumpled from The Doctor's rummaging.
I twisted the faucet on, testing the water to make sure it was to my liking. To keep the now wrinkled nightgown from getting wet, I placed it beside the towels and got undressed, folding my clothes neatly and placing them on another shelf.
It turns out a hot bath was what I needed. While I still felt slightly guilty over using The Doctor as substance for my fantasies, the shame was gone. Now that my head was clear, I really didn't have a reason to be ashamed, did I? I mean, with all the companions The Doctor has had, most of them have had feeling for him. They probably did the exact same thing I did. Besides, it's innocent. Nothing will come of it. It's just a way of relieving tension so I don't jump The Doctor and make a fool out of myself.
Having thoroughly explained my actions to myself, I finally relaxed in the nearly scalding water.
I was having second thoughts about the nightgown. I could just tell him to toss in a shirt and pants. He'd believe me if I told him this has a hole in it, I thought, biting my lip. No, I resolved, tugging the dainty thing over my head, I am not a coward.
I kept a towel on my head for the purpose of both drying my hair and giving me something to fiddle with. The over-sized towels were too large to stay on my head properly.
Thankfully The Doctor wasn't in my direct field of vision when I left the bathroom. He was doing something over by the couches.
What the—? "Doctor," I frowned, "what're you doing?"
He had pulled one of the covers off the bed and over to a couch. He seemed to have arranged it and some pillows into a makeshift bed.
"I guessed I would be sleepin' over here," he snorted. "Unless you were plannin' on takin' the couch?"
My cheeks heated up but I fought down the blush. "I thought we were going to share the bed. It's big enough for more than four people so there's plenty of room."
The Doctor stopped what he was doing. "Are you sure?" he asked tentatively.
I shrugged even though he couldn't see. "Sure, as long as you don't, you know, kick me off the bed or steal the covers."
He snorted and looked over his shoulder at me. I'm sure I saw his eyes roam over my body. "I'm fine with it—as long as you don't grope people in your sleep."
I nearly snapped at him, but then I saw the glint in his eye. The bastard was teasing me. Smirking, I shot back, "Like you wouldn't enjoy it if I did."
Watching The Doctor's cheeks turn a deep shade of pink gave me an empowering sense of victory.
I tossed the towel away. My hair was still wet but the towel wasn't helping anymore. No point in bothering myself to hold onto it.
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Slob."
"Oh please," I snorted and crawled onto the bed. It swung gently back and forth with the disturbance. "Like you're any better. I've seen you completely trash rooms while looking for a pencil."
The Doctor just muttered under his breath.
"Well, you can join me if you want to," I yawned. "I promise not to violate you in your sleep."
The Doctor huffed, "Seems I don't have a choice." He walked back to the bed, carrying a lantern I hadn't noticed and set it on the bedside table.
He carefully climbed onto the bed beside me but his movements still rocked us back and forth.
"Swing beds, why'd it have to be swinging beds?" The Doctor grumbled. "Damn things're almost as bad as water beds."
I giggled at his frustrated shifting. The Doctor kept tossing and turning because he couldn't get comfortable while the bed was moving and the bed kept swinging because he wouldn't stop shifting.
After the hundredth shift, my amusement ran out. Sighing, I flipped over to face The Doctor. His back was to me and he was still squirming uncomfortably.
I reached out and laid a hand flat across his bare shoulder. My stomach lurched pleasantly at the contact. He was so warm. I just wanted to cuddle up to him, but I didn't. That would probably make everything even more awkward between us with the recent kiss and his annoyance over my plan . . .
"Just keep still," I whispered to him. He had frozen when I placed my hand on his shoulder. I didn't know if he was just shocked that I had touched him or he was actually following my order.
The room was enveloped in silence. The only sounds were the foreign animals outside, the creaking of the woven vines holding the bed up, and our breathing. When the bed finally stopped moving, I cautiously leaned over The Doctor. He seemed to stop breathing while I reached over to his sonic screwdriver lying beside the lantern. I drowsily flipped it to the correct setting and pointed it to the lit lantern.
"Do you want this on?" I murmured to The Doctor. I was tempted to fall asleep right where I was, draped over his half naked form with my breasts sandwiched against his comfortably warm side.
"No," he replied just as quietly.
"Mmkay," I sighed, using the sonic to extinguish the flame. The sonic was placed back on the table and I scooched back over to my (cold) side of the bed. "G'night, Doctor."
"Goodnight, Dahlia."
[Author Note: You guys. Seriously, you guys. The morning scene was supposed to be an awkward interaction that only lasted about a page and a half. How the hell did it end up being this erotic spawn of six pages? How? How do these things happen?]
The next morning found me sprawled out on my stomach in the center of the bed, clutching an immense pillow to me. A cozy weight rested around the small of my back. Sunbeams managed to nail me right in the eyes, causing me to squirm against my pillow and bury my face in its smooth, feverish surface.
Smooth? My sleep-addled brain fought to discover the problem. Pillows weren't smooth . . . and they weren't warm or . . . breathing . . .
Groaning in frustration, I huffed and pouted. I didn't want to open my eyes and investigate. I just wanted to sleep. It had been so long since I'd gotten that good of a night's rest. There hadn't been any nightmares; not one whiff of blood or ash, not a single scream of terror or exterminate. Oh yeah last night had been the best sleep I'd gotten in months.
Finally deciding I'd procrastinated enough, I slowly blinked my eyes open. Blurry images took a few seconds to settle and clear but ultimately revealed their secrets.
Well, I thought slowly, barely managing to process the new information, that was not entirely unexpected.
So you normally cuddle random people in your sleep? That definitely doesn't scream clingy, Koschei snickered.
I groaned. Go away, Koschei, it's too early for me to deal with your shit. Call back in a few hours. You know, when I'm not using The Doctor as an oversized body pillow.
The Time Lord ghost-imprint-afterimage-thing chuckled lowly in my ear one more time before leaving me in peace.
Really though, Dahlia, you should've known this would happen, I thought, collapsing back onto The Doctor's well-toned chest. It was true. I did have a tendency to curl up with anything and everyone I ever shared a bed with. I had no idea why, it just happened. Now I was splayed out on top of my very attractive, almost naked Time Lord friend who I definitely had more-than-crush-but-not-yet-love feelings for. Great. What a perfect way to start a day. Not to mention said Time Lord had an arm securely around my waist, keeping me in place on top of him.
With all the thinking I had done my mind was now almost fully awake. And with that awareness came embarrassment, blushing, and the worst, arousal.
My cheeks burned as my groin throbbed pleasantly. What the hell was wrong with me? Couldn't I control myself for once? Was there some sort of weird aphrodisiac in this planet's air that The Doctor forgot to tell me about? As likely as that sounded, the most probable cause of my seemingly constant arousal was my own attraction to The Doctor.
Which was also why I needed to get as far away from him as possible before I did something we'd both regret.
I attempted to remove The Doctor's arms but they wouldn't budge. I knew he was stronger than humans but I hadn't thought he'd be this strong in his sleep. Next I tried poking him in the side. It was a crude technique but hey, it always seemed to work for other people. My luck seemed to be on the opposite side of the tracks today because all The Doctor did was mutter something unintelligible under his breath and stretch a few muscles.
Maybe, I can . . . I flattened my body out against his, inhaling sharply when my cheek rests against his clavicle. His mouth was so close . . . No! Need to escape before he wakes up or he'll ignore me the rest of the day.
I slowly loosened his tight grip around my waist. It wasn't loose enough for me to break but I might be able to slip out from under it.
Squirming, I slid down his body. All was well for the first foot or so. Then I realized that something hard was pressing between my breasts. Heat flared in my cheeks and ears and down to my breasts while my mouth dried up.
Oh God. OhGodOhGodOhGod . . . Oh. My. Fucking. God. The only way this could be more embarrassing is if The Doctor woke up right now, I whimpered internally. In a flash of fear and panic, I snapped my eyes up to The Doctor's face. Thank God, he's still asleep. I don't know what I would do if he woke up.
Start pleasuring him with your mouth? Koschei purred.
My breath hitched and, if possible, my face turned a deeper shade of red. I told you to leave.
He laughed. I know, but your floundering has gone from hilarious to pathetic. I thought I'd intervene and give you a little warning.
Warn me about what?
I felt a presence loom over me and lean in close to breath in my ear, If you don't scooch your ass up in about six seconds, he's going to roll over and you'll be trapped like this until he wakes up.
I could feel Koschei's breath on my neck. With him being a sort of spirit entity, that should have worried me, but I had bigger problems.
I was in such a rush to return to my original position that I forgot to lift myself off The Doctor's erection. I just . . . kind of . . . slid my entire body up its length, and boy, did it have length.
I wanted to moan and grind my hips against his, just once, to feel it pressing against my burning hot center for a few seconds . . .
The Doctor groaned loudly and bucked his hips sharply against mine. I wasn't prepared for that. Goosebumps erupted on my skin from hearing such a delicious sound come from him of all people; a sharp cry burst from my throat as I bucked back.
His large hands grasped my waist and I knew what was happening before it happened.
The Doctor's hips pushed upwards and to the right, effectively rolling us and pinning me beneath him. I struggled under him but it was a pointless endeavor.
This is quite the situation you've gotten yourself into, Dahlia, I chastised. I glanced at The Doctor.
He was curled around my front, his arms around my waist. Puffs of breath caressed my skin where he pillowed his head against my breasts. At least he didn't snore.
All struggles ceased when I felt his erection twitch against my thigh. Heat pulsed between my legs in response.
Struggling was pointless. The Doctor's grip tightened whenever I attempted to get away. Might as well get comfortable. Snuggling back into the fluffy covers and pillows, I ran my fingers through The Doctor's short hair. He sighed contentedly and nuzzled against my chest in response.
I wasn't really sure how long I laid there watching the sun rise and stroking The Doctor's hair, drifting in and out of sleep. By the sun's position, it was probably hours but I didn't care enough to do the proper mental math.
The Doctor stirred gently, rubbing against me and groaning tiredly. His eyes twitched open and then immediately screwed shut again. "Damn alien suns . . . I'll need to fix that someday . . ." he muttered grouchily. He yawned before squinting up at me. "Oh, hello, Dahlia."
I smiled nervously and mumbled, "Morning, Doctor."
He frowned. "Somethin' wrong?"
"N-no! It's just . . ."
He tilted his head to better stare into my eyes. "Ya can tell me. Good listener, me!"
Swallowing thickly, I whispered, "D-Doctor, you're . . . um, lying on top of me."
Silence. He blinked dumbly for several seconds, taking that time to evaluate our extremely comfortable entanglement. (I was actually surprised by how I wasn't being crushed by his weight). Our situation seemed to dawn on him then. His cheeks flushed a deep pink and spread to his ears. The Doctor coughed awkwardly and removed his arms from my waist, taking his warmth with them.
"Sorry," he mumbled, averting his eyes to an empty spot on the bed. "I'll just . . . move, yeah?" The Doctor used his arms to lift his weight off me and then tried to simply slide away from me. Unfortunately this caused two problems: first, his (not fading) morning erection was still firmly pressed against my inner thigh. Two, his movement was causing my nightgown to slip lower and lower. Already part of the areola was showing.
Fuck my life.
The Doctor stumbled over his words, "Um, I, uh, I-I didn't mean— um, s-sorry, uh, uh, um, I'll just, um . . . yeah . . ." His blush was rivaling mine in terms of just how dark it could get. Poor man looked positively miserable.
Calmly as I could, I righted the garment. "Let me just . . ." I said quietly. Remorse weighing me down, I inched my legs away from The Doctor's length. I tried not to look at him but my curiosity got the better of me. Shyly, I glanced at his expression from beneath my eyelashes.
The Doctor's eyes were fogged over with both restraint and obvious lust. He was breathing heavily through his nose, occasionally licking his lips. Every muscle on his frame was tense, burning hot, and trembling. His hands were fisted in the sheets of my sides; they seemed near the point of ripping the fabric. I was suddenly hit with just how stupid we were both being.
My God . . . we're fucking morons. I fought the urge to twist my face into an ugly scowl. The situation was fragile. I didn't want to discourage whatever The Doctor felt for me.
But holy fuck we were idiots. Our attraction to each other was obvious—why did we keep avoiding it?
No. Why did I keep avoiding it? That day in the kitchen . . . The Doctor had made the situation perfectly clear to me: it was my move. We might have been interrupted but there were tons of opportunities for me to snog him senseless. A few minutes of making out were all it would have taken, and I decided to do nothing.
Then he brought me here—an apology, he said, but all I had to do was read between the lines instead of waiting for him to do something. Ugh! Why am I such a stupid ape?! He wouldn't ever make a move. He's afraid he'll frighten me away with all his burdens and Time Lordyness. And then he has the rule about not screwing companions.
Fuck that rule. Fuck ignoring whatever my feelings are. And fuck pretending like I don't want to spread my legs and beg him to fuck me until I can't walk.
"Dahlia?" the Doctor's voice was so low I could barely hear him.
"Doctor." I smiled coyly, shifting my hips back to their original position against his hard on. I watched his Adam's apple bob when he swallowed. "I'm pretty comfortable. How 'bout you?"
The air wheezed out of his lungs in one long whoosh.
I pouted falsely. "Though, it could be better." Propping up on one arm, I trailed the free hand from his abdominals to his chest and then wrapped it around his neck. Trailing kiss up his neck, I paused at his ear, murmuring, "Breathe, Doctor. This is real."
He sucked in a gulp of air—only to release it seconds later in a soft groan. "Dahlia."
A thrill of pleasure caused my heart to stutter. Victory. This was happening. I moved forward to kiss him.
Echoing knocks thundered into the room. The Doctor and I stiffened. I squeezed my eyes shut and pleaded. Please please please please please please please . . .
"Future Queen, you must wake now," a genderless voice stated. "We have food and your requested map."
Any arousal drained from The Doctor's face at the words 'Future Queen'.
"You'd better answer," The Doctor spat coldly. He pulled away from me and stomped into the bathroom.
I flopped back on the bed in defeat. Tears prickled at my eyes. The Doctor's tone had killed any lingering arousal. I had been so close. Now any progress made had been thrown out the window. The Doctor would pretend nothing happened.
Still wrapped in my despair, I trudged toward the door, making sure to put on a sleepy and non-depressed front before I opened it. Two guards stood there, one with a bundle of papers and what seemed like charcoal sticks under an arm and the other keeping one hand on a food trolley covered in plates, covered dishes, and large pitchers of some sort of drink.
I managed to get out a short thank you while I pulled the cart inside the room. Taking the papers and charcoal from the other guard, I said, "If you'll excuse me, I must resume my work on the separation."
They were both walking away before I had even finished my sentence. Well okay then.
Pushing everything over to the couches, I spread the papers out on the table. Most were blank; I assumed they were for me to write down preparations for the 'wedding'. An investigation of the food left me both hungry and slightly disgusted. Little to nothing was recognizable, and whatever was recognizable gave off weird smells.
Shuddering, I thought, I'll just wait for The Doctor to tell me what's safe and what isn't. I unrolled the map to begin my search for four roads to mark. The palace, unsurprisingly, was in the middle of the map in all its massive glory. I immediately began to compare the buildings on the map to the ones I could see out the window. Several roads connected to the palace, all I needed was to find one that was under our window.
Good God there are so many roads. A headache was forming behind my eyes both from not eating and staring at the tiny lines of the map.
The bathroom door swung open. The Doctor strolled out, dressed in his clothes from yesterday. I abandoned the map in favor of getting changed into my clothes, as well.
The Doctor was eating some sort of red-orange, nearly flat oval thing that I assumed was a fruit when I returned. Collapsing on the opposite couch, I hesitantly picked one up. "Um, Doctor," I said quietly, "this is all safe for me to eat, right?"
He gave me an odd look. "'Course it is. What made ya think it wasn't?"
Part of the awkwardness in the air disappeared. I blushed and gave him a self-conscious smile. "Sorry. Just not very familiar with alien foods."
Grinning hugely, The Doctor scooted forward on his couch until he could clearly point out random foods. "What I'm eatin' is called a flai. They're fruits that taste like blackberries but have the texture of apples. This right here is fried eggs from the trolin bird, think of chicken eggs, with baked purple drhun roots, think of potatoes or hash browns. And these are . . . ." He went on and on, explaining what everything was to me. Some of them I decided to stay away from, like the extremely bitter mattven. Altogether it was nice. Just us eating breakfast together without the awkwardness.
After we finished eating the food cart was shoved over toward the door and we settled in to stare at the map.
"So, can you tell which road is the one right under our window?" I asked The Doctor. We were seated side by side on one of the couches. He seemed to have a better understanding of the map than I did.
"Sure. It's this one right here." He placed his finger on said road.
I marked the street with a charcoal stick, doing the same to three others to make the map symmetrical. "Now we just need to wait until the guards come back to give it to them. Then we can start on the rope. Hopefully they'll put this into effect immediately." I sighed. "We'll probably be here another day or so."
The Doctor stayed silent.
I spent the rest of the day making up the most ridiculous wedding preparations in existence to keep King Kraith busy. The guards came by again twice; the first time to collect the modified map and food cart and the second to drop off dinner.
This time I didn't grab a slinky nightgown to sleep in. Instead, I picked a baggy shirt and pants. The Doctor seemed to have the same idea but his borrowed shirt fit much better than mine did.
Fiddling with my sleeves of my shirt, I bit my lip and glanced nervously over to The Doctor. He was sitting on a couch, inspecting the sonic.
"Doctor . . ." I wondered if it was a good idea to ask. Maybe I should just go to bed and hope that he followed.
"Hm?" He didn't look up.
"Are you . . . are you coming to bed?" Only after the words were out of my mouth did I realize how much they made us seem like a married couple.
The Doctor had noticed it, too. He visibly tensed before sighing tiredly. "Dhalia . . . I think . . . it would be best if . . . if I stayed on the couch tonight."
I flinched at his words and slumped dejectedly. Maybe I was wrong about him returning my feelings. "Oh," I whispered. "O-okay." Swallowing thickly, I muttered, "Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
The next day was a mess of awkwardness. The Doctor and I tried to avoid each other as much as possible, but it was a ridiculous endeavor. We were locked in a room together. Where could we go?
The guards were the only break in our mundane day. They did the same thing they did yesterday—bring food and more paper and take the 'plans' I had written down.
"Do guards patrol around the palace?" I asked one when it handed me another scroll of parchment.
"Yes. Why do you ask?"
I frowned. "I've felt the patrols' energy signatures. It's been a bit of a distraction."
The guard stiffened. "We will not cease our patrols around the palace."
I shrugged nonchalantly. "I know. I can work around it. Thanks anyway."
Closing the door, I called out over my shoulder, "We need to time when the guards change shifts when they patrol around the palace. I'd rather not go through all this trouble just to get caught the second we get out the window."
Our fourth day on the planet of Tron, The Doctor and I were both getting antsy. Being cooped in the same room together—along with the weird tension and awkwardness—was getting to us. Our tempers were shorter and often the smallest thing ended in a screaming match. I didn't know how much more my stress levels, and vocal chords, could take.
To make things even better, King Kraith decided to toss my warning out the window and visit me.
"Why don't you run off and find your fiancé?" The Doctor shouted.
I gritted my teeth. "Maybe I will! It'd be better than staying in here with you!"
Several loud knocks interrupted us.
The Doctor sneered, "Oh look! Maybe that's him now!"
"I can only hope," I growled, stomping toward the door. I expected another duo of guards and was surprised to see the king standing there, looking all too pleased with the shouting match he had just heard.
Gaping like a fish out of water, I floundered, "K-King Kraith! I-I didn't expect to see you for another few days."
He puffed out his chest. "I understand that my visit will set your back another few days, but I needed to see that your spouse had not attempted to kidnap you myself."
"The only thing he's done is start arguments. There's no reason for you to worry," I said coolly.
"It seems so." King Kraith tilted his head to the side, looking at me expectantly.
I didn't understand right away what he wanted me to do, but when he starting leaning forward, I knew.
Mother of fu— he wants me to kiss him?! What do I do?! What do I do?! The king just kept getting closer, the expectant look never leaving his face. Suck it up, Dahlia. Do it or he'll get suspicious. Kissing him once is better than dying.
Disgust firmly squashed, I stood on my toes until I could slant my mouth over the king's.
I nearly reeled back in revulsion. If I thought he smelt bad, his taste was even worse. His skin had a dead, rubbery feel to it and tasted overpoweringly like bitter salt. My lungs were starting to ache from holding my breath for so long, too. Sometimes I really hated my life.
Kraith finally pulled away, stroking my hair as he did so. He smiled. "I would apologize for adding several more days to your confinement but it seems that neither of us cares."
Morphing my face into what I hoped was a love struck expression, I croaked out, "Yeah . . ."
Seeming content, Kraith released me and backed away from the door. "Until the day we wed, future bride."
I closed the door with a soft click, and then rushed to the bathroom as fast as I could to desperately wash my mouth out. How could one kiss make me feel so unclean? It felt like I had cheated on The Doctor and we weren't even freakin' together!
Shit. The Doctor. He'd been in the perfect spot to see the entire thing. He had watched me voluntarily kiss King Kraith. Every time I try and take a step closer I get shoved fourteen back. Seriously. Fuck my life.
Finally gathering enough courage to exit the bathroom, I made a B-line straight for the table with the extra fruit left over from our last meal. Unfortunately the flai I bit into didn't do much to erase the taste of the hoosliv king's mouth from mine.
The Doctor hadn't said anything, but I had seen his expression. The deadly rage of The Oncoming Storm was boiling just beneath The Doctor's skin, and I had to be extra careful if I didn't want to set him off.
"You two seem to get along well," he spat bitterly. His glare threatened to burn two holes in my back.
I took a calming, wavering breath. "We did? Good. A lie is supposed to seem real."
A low growl started in The Doctor's chest. "You should've told 'im no."
I frowned. "And risk him getting suspicious? No thank you. I've kept up the act this long. I can keep it up until we escape."
"Oh, you still want to leave?" he shot back dryly.
Eyes narrowing into a glare, I spat, "Of course I do! The entire point of the plan is to keep suspicion down until we can escape."
The Doctor glared back. "Sure you wouldn't be happier here with your dear King Kraith?"
My hands tensed, causing the flai fruit to creak in warning. "Why would you even think that?" I snapped, barring my teeth. "I'm just as miserable here as you are!"
"You seemed pretty comfortable snoggin' Kraith back there!"
My patience finally snapped. I didn't care if The Doctor and I were both confused about our feelings for the other. He didn't have the right to be an asshole for no reason.
Flinging the flai at the floor—it exploded into a colorful and sticky splatter upon impact—I shouted, "For God's safe, Doctor! What is your problem?! You've been a fucking prick for days! I'm sick of it! But ya know what? Fine! Fine! We'll do it your way!" I snarled, clenching my fists at my side until they began to go numb with the pressure. "There was no part of that kiss that I enjoyed! It was probably one of the worst experiences of my entire life! In fact, I still can't get the god awful taste out of my mouth! There! Are you happy now?! Are you ready to talk to me like a normal person?!"
The Oncoming Storm was still angry, but I could tell some of my yelling had gotten through to him. Relief was slowly unwinding his coiled muscles and replacing the anger with something foreign. My anger, however, only became more fueled when he started stalking toward me.
I didn't back away. He didn't seem to want to hurt me; he just looked determined.
The Doctor loomed over me, forcing me to crane my neck to look him in the eye. I was still scrunching my face into a scowl, clearly upset and not wanting to be frustrated by The Doctor's bipolar attitude anymore. The Doctor didn't seem to care because as soon as he was close enough he swooped down and captured my mouth with us, muffling my gasp of surprise.
This kiss wasn't like the last one we shared by the blue waterfall. We weren't equals. The Doctor was the dominator and I was the dominated.
His mouth pressed harshly against mine; I could feel my teeth leave imprints on the inside of my lips. The Doctor bit my lips, rolling them between his teeth and then soothing the almost wounds with his tongue. He forced my mouth open, snaking his tongue inside to curl against mine and map my mouth. I was almost left dazed and jumbled by The Doctor's anomalous behavior, desperately trying to keep up and challenge him while he tried to make me submit. But I was still angry, and kissing a furious woman didn't make her any more compliant.
When I started going lightheaded from lack of air, The Doctor pulled away but not before sucking on my tongue for a good few seconds and then scraping his teeth along it.
Gasping for breath, I returned The Doctor's stare. His pupils were blown so wide they nearly obscured his icy eyes. He, too, was breathing deeply but not gasping like I was. Damn frog-skinned bastard, I thought sourly, but there was no venom in it.
"You're mine, Dahlia Tombew," The Doctor uttered lowly. "No one else is allowed to touch you like this. Don't you ever forget that, got it?"
I swallowed thickly. Part of me was affronted of The Doctor thinking he could own me. The other part was begging to let him show me just how much he owned me. I shoved both feelings away, choosing instead to give him a hard stare.
"You can only have me if you earn me, Doctor," I challenged.
"Wouldn't have it any other way," he murmured with a smile and stroked my hair. "Also, we're leavin' tonight. I've memorized the guards' schedules and know when their shifts change. We'll leave then."
I nodded.
The Doctor smirked. "Now, let's see how long it takes to get that bad taste out of your mouth, hm?"
After the guards collected the empty cart from the evening meal, The Doctor and I spent hours knotting hurnyl decorations together for our rope. Personally, I wasn't too crazy about using a homemade rope to escape with but beggars can't be choosers.
I'm also sure it wouldn't have taken as long as it had if The Doctor would've stopped caressing me at every opportunity and causing me to fumble the complicated Rublian knot I had been instructed to use.
We ended up stealing away when the glowing moon was still rising. The Doctor went down our rope first; he wanted to be sure of its strength. If it could hold him then it could definitely hold me.
From the safety of our room I watched him descend.
A tiny blue light flashed from the darkness. He had made it.
Cautiously, I gripped the hurnyl and climbed out the window. Just don't look down. Easy. I've faced murderous Slitheen and Daleks. This is easy. The only problem was that my arms started trembling halfway down.
A fall from this height would kill me. I scowled at the thought that had come from nowhere. Thanks, Scumbag Brain.
I ignored my steadily panicking thoughts. Not thinking was infinitely better.
"That's it, Dahlia. Just a bit further," The Doctor shout-whispered.
Oh thank God. If I could hear The Doctor then I was almost back on solid ground. I scooched a few more feet down and felt arms grip my waist.
"Let go," The Doctor whispered.
Releasing the rope, I let The Doctor take my weight. He easily held me before placing me on the ground. The Doctor grinned widely and grabbed my hand. "Run," he whispered. I beamed back and took off with him.
The street was empty of guards, as arranged, and a straight shot to the TARDIS (or so The Doctor said). We would be there soon; we were already past the edge of the city and near the woods.
I was struck by déjà vu while we dodged trees and other foliage but this time there was no mental breakdown on the horizon.
An hour hadn't even passed before we were back inside the TARDIS, out of breath and grinning like maniacs. We both braced ourselves against the console while we caught out breath.
The Doctor only took a minute of rest before he was rushing around the console. Soon the TARDIS was roaring to life and I was clutching the console to not be chucked against the railing. Goosebumps prickled all over my skin when the grinding sound of the TARDIS met my ears. I hadn't realized how much I had missed that sound until now.
"There. Floatin' safe and sound around the Crab Nebula," The Doctor proclaimed, entwining our fingers and leading me to the doors. He threw them open, allowing me to become enchanted by the splintered mass of green and orange, and curled the hand that used to encase mine around my waist.
I cuddled into The Doctor's side, sighing contently. "Hopefully this'll go better than your last attempt at being dashing."
"Should go better," he grinned, "Aren't any blokes here tryin' to steal you away from me."
Blushing, I bit my lip. We really needed to talk about that. "Doctor, we—" I was cut off by him tilting my face up and kissing me.
The kiss lasted for several seconds. Not even close to the bruising one The Doctor had planted on me several hours ago, but still a good, long kiss.
Kissing The Doctor was a wonderful experience. It felt like coming home. His cinnamon and honey taste with that twang of aged parchment and ink always encased me, filling my head like vapors and leaving me lightheaded.
By the time we parted, I was drunk on his scent and aching for more of his taste. Was there a chemical in Time Lords' saliva humans were addicted to? If so, I didn't mind.
The Doctor continued to place several open mouthed kisses on my mouth, pulling away when I tried to return them.
I eventually gave up and let him do what he wanted; I was enjoying it anyway.
In between kisses I managed to get out, "Doctor . . . we . . . need to . . . talk."
He made an acknowledging sound but didn't cease his ministrations.
I dodged his next kiss. He moved on to my neck. "We need to talk."
"About what?" he murmured against my throat.
Pulling him away from my skin to look him in the eye, I said, "You know what." And he did. I could see the nerves eating away at him. His pupils were blown wide in a way that made him look like an animal ready to bolt.
"I have an idea—let's go somewhere!" And like that the frightened Doctor was gone, replaced by the happy, never-bothered-by-anything Doctor.
I attempted to get him back on track. "No, Doctor. We don't need to go somewhere. We just got back!"
He ignored me. The Doctor rambled while he scrambled around the console in an effort to seemingly press every button and flick every switch. "Earth! How 'bout Earth? Haven't been to Earth in a while. Gotta check in every now and then or else it might explode. You know how it is."
The TARDIS slammed her doors shut. She was irritated with her thief. I could feel her annoyance in being taken to Earth just so The Doctor could avoid talking about his feelings.
I was wrenched from my thoughts by a sudden flip the TARDIS executed. Shrieking in surprise and fright, I clutched the railing so I didn't go flying into the ceiling. Two seconds later I crashed back to the metal grating. A similar crash told me The Doctor had experienced the same antigravity situation I had.
I was still in shock when The Doctor threw open the TARDIS doors. My knees were trembling uncontrollably and bile was creeping up my esophagus. That's it. The Doctor is no longer allowed to drive when he's emotionally unstable.
I would suggest killing him but I know you wouldn't approve, Koschei added.
I decided not to honor that with a response and stumbled out the doors after The Doctor.
The Doctor hadn't gone far. He had stopped a few feet outside the TARDIS and sat on a bench to stare blankly out at a bay in whatever city we were in of whatever country this happened to be.
Without saying a word I sat next to him. I let the silence settle before I disturbed the peace. "Doctor, you know we can't ignore this."
He sighed heavily. "I know."
Biting my lip, I scrounged up the courage to asked, "What are we?"
"Honestly? I don't know."
"What do you want us to be? Because I know what I want."
"I can't . . . I can't tell you."
"Why not?"
"Because it's wrong for me to want anything from you!"
"What? Why?"
"Because I—Dahlia, I can't . . . I can't give you anything. I can't even ensure your safety, let alone your happiness. You deserve to be a queen yet I can't give you that."
" . . . Doctor, I don't want to be a queen. I know you can't keep me safe, but you will tear apart the universe for me. And what can't you give me?"
"A stable life, a home, kids . . . Dahlia, I can't even tell you how I feel about you for Rassilon's sake!"
"First off—kids? I'm not ready for kids and won't be for a long time. Second, the TARDIS is my home now. Third, if I wanted a stable, domestic life, I wouldn't have come with you in the first place. I happen to like our crazy life. Lastly, I don't need for you to tell me, Doctor. Yeah, it would be nice to hear it but being shown how you feel would make me just as happy." I stared intently at him after I finished. "I'll ask again—what do you want us to be? We can see where this goes or call it off. Whatever you want."
The Doctor smiled sadly and covered my hand with his. I steeled myself. No matter what, I wouldn't cry.
"Dahlia." He stared into my eyes and said remorsefully, "I'm sorry, but I can't let you go that easily. I want us to at least give this a chance."
Happiness and relief hit me so hard I was actually frightened by my reaction.
I returned The Doctor's smile, though mine was exceedingly more cheerful, and this time . . . this time I kissed him.
My God. This chapter's finally finished. I apologize for it taking so long. I wanted to get this in by the end of April but that didn't happen. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long.
On another note: Have any of you heard of the Skin Deep webcomic? If you haven't, find it and read it. Er. Mah. Gerd, you guysh. This comic is one of the greatest things ever! It's my newest addiction! The saddest thing is that there's a section in for fanfics about it and it's empty. Empty.
So here's my mission for you all: Read the comic. Realize how awesome it is. Write as much as humanly possible.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I hope you all did. Please review if you want to. I'll see you all again when I update.