Broken Hearts Still Beat
Chapter 21: Wardrobe ChangesThe Tardis welcomed them with her humming and gave them sanctuary with her quietness. Alexine led the Doctor into her sleeping chamber and pulled off the cold weather gear and piled it on the floor. She gently pushed him down to sit on the side of the bed, and kneeling at his feet, pulled off his boots. Stripping him down to his undershirt and trousers, she pulled back the blankets and settled him down, covering him and kissing his forehead.
He never rested fully after his regeneration, and with the shock of everything that had happened, he fell into a deep sleep in a matter of moments.
Alexine was exhausted herself. She wondered if she was actually getting sick from the perpetual cold of the planet below. Her joints hurt along with her head. She pulled the cloak off, surprised at the sight of Pranis's blood splattered over the front of it. Looking closer, she also saw a little tear from when it caught on the ground when the Doctor picked her up. She remembered hearing the sound of the rip, she just assumed it was something else that tore. She was curious because never before had the cloak ever sustained a stain or damage. Leaving the mystery for another day, she quickly washed the remaining blood away, and laid down with the Doctor to sleep.
The Doctor woke up, feeling warm for the first time in days. He felt Alexine snuggled up next to him, and smiled. His life was definitely better because she was in it. Unintentionally, his arm tightened just a bit around her, causing her to stir.
"Are you awake?" She muttered sleepily.
"Yes."
"Are you hungry?" She asked.
"Yes."
"Will you go make me something to eat?"
"You're a tease, Alexine. Go back to sleep."
Giggling, she snuggled closer to him. "Ice cream?"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
She propped herself on her elbow, her hair in a glorious mess about her and pouted. "Did your message really say that you loved me?"
Softer this time, he said "yes."
"Then you would get me ice cream!" She exclaimed, fully awake now, tickling him in the ribs.
He caught her hands and rolling over, pinned her under him. "No ice cream."
She looked up at him with her restored brown eyes and he melted. "Ok. Chocolate?"
He rolled off and climbed out of the bed. After slipping into the bathing chamber for a moment, he walked through the room muttering about women and ice cream.
Alexine giggled again, and jumped up to join him in the galley after a quick stop of her own.
He was standing still at the counter, his hand on the cold storage, staring into space. His face looked infinitely sad. She went up to him and slipped her hands around his waist, laying her face on his chest.
"It hurts, Alexine."
"I know."
"I'm glad it was you. You know, that you sent him home."
"He was in a lot of pain, Doctor."
"I could tell by the injury that he would have been. Did he know it was you?"
"Yes. He told me to tell you –" here her voice broke with emotion. "He told me to tell you that you are his brother and that he loved you."
The Time Lord buried his face in her hair, his emotions spilling over. She held him, wracked with grief herself over the man that she had known for such a short time.
"He danced with me. Did you know that? At the ball, when you left to look for the transformer. He picked me up and swung me around like a sack of vegetables." One of her infamous giggles sneaked out. "He kept it up for several songs before Mother cut in and I was able to get away to rest. He made me laugh. He was such fun!"
"Was he scared?"
"Listen to me." She pulled his face down so that it was close to hers. "He was so brave! He asked me to give that message to you and one for his Mother, and he made me smile. There was no fear in him, and believe me, I would know."
The Doctor nodded his head in understanding and sat down.
Alexine reached towards the cold storage. "Chocolate?" She asked.
"Strawberry."
After their snack, they both snuggled down again. Before drifting back to sleep, the Doctor asked more questions.
"Where did the cloak come from?"
"I was sitting in front of the console staring at the message that you sent. I wanted so badly to get back to you! I had tried so hard and I had exhausted myself. I think I passed out for a little bit, until the beeping from the message woke me up. So I was sitting there, thinking again that I needed to get to you and it appeared. What was different this time, though is that I SAW it appear. Always before, I would turn my head or open my eyes and it would be there. This time I saw it appear on the console."
"Why do you think it came back?"
"I don't know – maybe so I can help Pranis? Maybe so I can get back to you? Although, I didn't help you."
"Alexine, I would like to point out to you that I had no way to return to the Tardis. If it had not been for you, I would still be on the planet. Which brings up another point. You brought me with you this time. How?"
"I wrapped the cloak around us both. I don't know why I did that, I just did. And it worked."
"Did it feel any different?"
"Yes. It felt heavier, like I was carrying a heavy weight." She paused, yawning. "Doctor?"
"Hmmm?"
"Can we sleep now?"
"Yes." He pulled her to him and she wrapped her leg around his and they slept.
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The morning brought with it a task that the Doctor was used to. With the new body came a new look. Because of the size, he didn't have that much to choose from, but he did the best he could with what he had. Shooing Alexine out of the closet, he went to work. Shirts were selected and rejected. Jeans were tried, leather pants, wool leggings, heavy silk kilts. The shirts were more bountiful and in an array of colors. After spending the entire morning and part of the afternoon in the closet, he exited, his new persona in place.
Alexine was sitting on the steps waiting for him. When she heard him, she jumped up and turned around. The only word she could mutter was "Oh…."
He was gorgeous. He was so handsome before, with his brown hair and his mischievous grin. But now….words escaped her.
He wore a black leather jacket with pockets and straps all over the place. The sleeves were pushed up a bit, exposing the lower part of his arm and wrist. He wore a white shirt that was loose, made out of a linen that was tucked into his trousers of black denim. Boots were on his feet, their laces tied around the ankle twice before being knotted in front. His hair was gathered at the back of his neck with a leather tie, and hung down his back to his shoulder blades.
He was one fantastic looking man.
He held his arms out, turning around in a circle. "So what do you think? I was going to cut the hair but I think I'll leave it like this for a bit."
She just stared at him.
"Alexine!" He snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Oi! Hello!" She stood there still. Feeling that he had achieved the desired effect, he pushed past her on the stairs. "Oh, yeah. I've still got it."
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The Doctor parked the Tardis the next day next to the hall that was the site of the battle the previous day. There was quite a bit of activity happening with people rushing about and temporary shelters being built. There was a small crew at the site of the mine, fastening a giant plate made from the coverings of the exploded transformer over the opening.
"Doctor!" Mother's voice greeted. She approached them, and kissed them both on their cheeks. She wore a red turban which Alexine had not seen before. Noticing her glance, Mother reached her hand up and touched it. "Our sign of mourning. Red is the color of blood, meaning an immediate relative died. For a friend, it would be white for purity. We wear it through the burning day to announce the death."
"Burning day?"
The Doctor leaned down and said softly to her "the Parakembles cremate their dead. The winter months prohibit burial because of the frozen ground."
"Mother," the Doctor began. "Is there an envoy for Pranis named yet?"
"No, Doctor. I've been waiting for you." Her sad smiled gave proof of her acceptance of the friendship between the two men.
He bowed to her. "I would be honored."
Mother bowed her head in return, and walked into the hall.
Speaking to Alexine, he said "The envoy is the person outside of the immediate family who is the closest to the deceased. He needs to be able to speak of his character, his mind, his heart and his soul. It's a very important part of the life celebration."
The Doctor left Alexine in the hall with Mother. He went to talk with the members of the Brethren that were left behind to find out what their wishes were regarding their futures. She approached Mother, who was folding cloths at a table.
"Do you have a white covering that I can borrow Mother?" She asked.
Mother pulled one out of the pile, and wrapped it around Alexine's head. The weight of it felt foreign to her. Mother put her hands on Alexine's shoulder and looked carefully into her face. "Child, are you feeling well?"
"A bit tired, but yes, I'm well."
"You look"….Mother hesitated…."Less."
"Pardon me?"
"Like there's less of your essence. I'm sure it's nothing, please forgive me. My eyes are blurry from crying."
Mother's words hit home to Alexine. She felt less. She was tired, but not fatigue that could be conquered with rest. She shook her head to dismiss the thoughts.
"When will the life celebration begin, Mother?"
"At sun down. A life begins at sun up, it ends at sun down."
Alexine helped with the preparations for Pranis's life celebration. The people of Parakemble mourned and honored their dead, but recognized the importance of continuing despite their losses. And they had a lot they had to continue with.
Some scouting parties to the mountain brought back reports and maps of the damage with some areas being excavated for historical objects. The palace itself was rubble, but a passage was found that allowed the scouts into the government chambers, rescuing their law books and ceremonial artifacts.
The people of Parakemble were miraculously all accounted for. There were some lives lost in the collapse of the tunnel, and several lost during the battle. But the lives saved were just as miraculous.
When Pranis's message was sent, even though it was only an hour until the explosion, the people did not waste time and immediately fled with their loved ones. The carts that were left in the tunnel turned out to be a blessing as their items were removed and brought around the long way to the farms.
There was already a basic power structure to the farms and numerous homesteads dotted the landscape. For now, the townspeople were camped in with the farmers and within the hall, but lodgings were quickly being planned and should all be in proper housing before the next winter froze the land once again.
The food was always stored on the farms, so there was no shortage of grains or vegetables. The meat was procured in the forests bordering the farms, so there was but a minor inconvenience there. The pots and pans in the palace were lost as were the giant ovens. The tradesmen were already at work replacing these items.
The Doctor walked through the new town, pleased that they were poised to bounce back so quickly. His conversation with the members of the Brethren revealed that they wanted to go home. Although the planet was a wasteland, there was still a civilization that lived on it, though they counted heavily on the imports brought in to sustain life. He promised to send a message to the Shadow Proclamation requesting transport. In the mean time, in the role that he originally agreed to, he brokered a treaty between the Parakembles and the remaining Brethren for safe passage and guest status until the transport arrived.
The Life Celebration for Lead Elder Pranis began that evening at sunset. The survivors all gathered in the hall and began their ceremony. Alexine was moved to tears many times during the proceeding, but no more than when his Mother spoke of his childhood and his quest to become Lead Elder.
The Doctor's turn was a little more light hearted. He told stories of their travels, including how he first met Pranis and finally – (!) the story of the Princess of the Water Nebula. The story talked about the bravery of a very young Pranis and how he had saved a lot of people from death.
At the end, they lit the funeral pyre, and somberly stood around it and watched it burn. Alexine held the Doctor's hand, his white turban glowing by the firelight and the tears on his face glistening. When they were done, the Doctor had some private words with Mother, spoken softly with his arms around the woman who was in so much pain.
Mother came to her and kissed her forehead goodbye before unwrapping the white turban from her head.
"Grieving is done. You may still miss him and you may still shed tears because you miss him. But he has been honored and he has gone on, and so must we." After unwrapping the Doctor's turban, she gave them blessings and told them to come visit her, that they were always welcome.
"Oh, and Alexine – this is for you. I promised." And with that, she indicated a large sack of the brown puffy grains that she so enjoyed at their luncheon that they shared just two days ago. Mother winked. "Don't worry – we have plenty of sacks."
Alexine and the Doctor entered the Tardis, he carrying the sack of grain and placing it just inside the door. At the control panel, he snapped his fingers and the doors closed. And they left the planet of Parakemble for space.
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Alexine was tidying up the Tardis, putting clean things up in the galley and picking cold weather clothing up off the floor in her bedroom. She came across the bloodied, torn cloak and brought it in to the Doctor in the control room.
"What do you think of this? It's never got a speck of dirt on it before, but now it's filthy!"
"I think it means that something's changed."
"Can we jettison it out into space?"
"You don't mean that."
"No…it will just come back anyway."
She brought it in and ran it through the cycle to clean it, but when it came out the blood was still present. Strange, she though, as she folded it and put it away in a drawer.
"So…do you want to try Earth again?"
"And hand packed ice cream?" Her eyes lit up.
"Yeah. I still like the idea. Is that a yes?"
"Yes!" Her answer was enthusiastic.
Laughing again, the Doctor said "Earth it is!" And started madly twisting dials and pushing levers.
Alexine was standing next to the Doctor, laughing at him when suddenly a wave of dizziness overtook her. She wildly tried to grab something, anything, to keep from falling. Strong arms circled her and centered her. "Whoa. What happened?"
"I'm dizzy. Put me down please."
"I'm not carrying you."
She looked down at her feet, touching the floor, and looked up at the Doctor. "Not good" She said just prior to passing out.
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A/N – Instead of posting a preview of the next chapter, I've decided to just post the chapter and complete the story.