Guess who's back?! :D Sorry the hiatus took a little longer than expected dears. Doing two shows this summer, and going back to school right after has been taxing. But I am back in the swing of things! Chapters should be posted now every one to two weeks depending, but I will be sure to let you know. Oh, and I just added some new songs to the playlist, so if you want to head over to 8tracks and type in The Oddity Tales you are more than welcome to listen. And I'm always taking suggestions for it ;) In any case my dears, thank you all so much for your support and enjoy this long awaited chapter of The Oddity Tales :D
Lizzie turned her back on the console room and began to walk to...well she didn't really have any set destination. All she knew is that Amy and Rory needed to be alone after a very taxing day. Amy had a very long, overdue confession to make, and Lizzie knew she would never do if she and the Doctor were looming in the doorway. She was already a good distance into the Tardis halls, about to turn around a corner when she heard a pair of hesitant footsteps fall into pace next to her.
"So," the Doctor started, more than a little unsure of himself. "Would you, uh…like to come along?"
"What?" Lizzie asked, furrowing her brow and coming to a complete stop.
"Um, to the pool," he elaborated, gesturing back to the console room. "I thought I might take a few laps…Coming?" Lizzie watched him closely as he stood there, looking wide-eyed waiting for answer. From what she understood, the Doctor usually traveled with girls. Or at least, that's what he had suggested when he'd talked about his previous companions briefly in Venice. If that was true, he probably had even less experience with couples. He seemed almost jittery, as though he didn't know what to do with himself now that he was fully aware of the presence of a lovey-dovey pair on board. She smiled as she looked down at his wringing hands.
"Um, yeah," Lizzie fumbled, her stomach doing a flip. "Why not? Lead the way."
"Fantastic. Just a few doors down…" he held a finger in the air, mulling over a choice in his head before sharply pointing to the left. "That way!" He sped off in front of her and around the corner. Lizzie didn't even have time to take three before he was back, mumbling something under his breath and stalking off to the right. Shaking her head, Lizzie allowed herself to talk a deep breath before smiling and running off to catch up with him.
Of course, it was not just a few doors down. In fact it wasn't in the next twelve halls. The Doctor seemed a bit aggravated, occasionally running his hands over the walls as if he were looking for an invisible door, or muttering threats to the Tardis for moving rooms when he went looking for them. After nearly half an hour of fruitless searching and chatting, Lizzie decided to try something. She dragged her hand across the smooth metal wall, closing her eyes and focusing when she was sure she wouldn't run into anything.
"Hello!" She called out in her mind, feeling much less silly than she had the first time she'd spoken to the Tardis."Not that your corridors aren't lovely, dear, but do you think you might be able to show us to the pool now?" The pair made another right turn to be greeted by a short hallway, which seemed very similar to the library hallway, except now the previous full metal door had been replaced with one of wood, an old fashion port hole in the middle.
"Aha!" the Doctor cried triumphantly. "Knew I'd find it eventually!" Lizzie let a slight chuckle past her lips as he turned around with a manic grin. His eyes narrowed when he saw her hand pressed to the wall, mischievous smirk planted on her face. "What did you do?"
"Nothing," she lied, eyes wide and feigning innocence. His eyes narrowed further and he glared up at the ceiling.
"Why don't you listen to me anymore?" he called, throwing his hands out to the sides. Lizzie burst into another fit of laughter, sliding her hand off the wall and turning her head upward.
"Thanks dear!" she called with a grin before she looked back at the door in front of her, questioning its placement. "Doctor? Isn't this the library hall?"
His glared quickly turned into a smirk as he walked closer to her, straightening his bowtie. "Why yes!" he confirmed. "Yes it is."
"Alright," Lizzie nodded, giving him an amused glance. "Then why did the Tardis say it was a pool?"
"I don't know," he whispered under his breath as if it were a secret, a childish grin taking over his face. "Why don't you check it out, eh?" Without another word, Lizzie brushed past him and pushed open the door. She only made it a few steps before she stopped in awe.
The library had been given a complete makeover. The room was now cavernous, as were many rooms on the Tardis. The entire ceiling was constructed of variously sized domes, giving it an almost bubbly effect, but not distorting the image of deep space that drifted above. At the moment, they were drifting past a large spiraling galaxy that took up almost all of the ceiling quite similar to Lizzie's own room, a vibrant yellow with flecks of blue and gold that reminded her of the mist the Doctor had coughed up the very first time she and Amy had met him. The whole room was cast in a warm, golden glow. The walls were no longer a velvet red, but now seemed to still be made of metal, though they were warped into intricate patterns like carvings, like old Victorian housing where the rooms had ornately carved wood. There were a handful of mismatched, comfy looking lawn chairs stretching the length of the walls, all equipped with equally comfortable looking towels, and facing the enormous pool a few yards in front of Lizzie. It was at least three times as large as any pool she'd ever seen, the water rippling between the clearest, crystalline blue to shining gold, either because of the bright lights under the water, or because the water itself might be alien. There were low and high diving boards to the right, and a set of stairs into the water to the left, which wrapped around to the side of the pool, tilting deeper as they travelled along, like a ramp. The far side featured two current-powered pathways that went winding through the rest of the room, presumably like a river. However, the path of the river was blocked from Lizzie's eyes by the colossal bookcases that filled the room.
They lined the walls after the pool ended and filled the spans of floor in the middle of the river. There were twice, triple, as many books as when Lizzie last visited. The room was so deep, there was no end in sight. Every spare space was crammed with pages of fiction and nonfiction, tattered bindings and bindings that shone brand new. And somewhere much deeper in the room, a ladder rose up from behind one of the large, deep mahogany bookcases, twisting around as if it were impersonating a spiral staircase. The ladder twirled all the way up to the second level, a wrap around balcony which featured more walls of books, and its very own water slide. Lizzie stared around in wonder, still unable to believe the she had just been in the same room this morning.
"Well?" the Doctor prompted from behind, practically whispering in her ear. "What do you think?"
"I…I think it's…" But Lizzie couldn't find any words to express just what she thought it was. He laughed, stepping around her and throwing out his arms.
"Yeah," he called gleefully, as his voice bounced off the ceiling, drowning out the sound of running water from the slide. "Me too." After a moment, he stopped spinning, turning back to her and stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I had her move the pool back to the library. You kept talking about it, and I figured why not? For old time's sake."
Lizzie just smiled at him, completely overwhelmed that he would do something like this for her. "It's more than I could have hoped for," she breathed, turning to look from the ceiling to the Doctor. He let out a proud smile.
"And you don't even know the half of it!" he gushed. "It's not easy, having the library in the pool room. All the books are completely water proof, so you can read them in the pool. You can even read them underwater! And of course, it's auto-heated, and there's a river and a wave setting and I think there might be a Jacuzzi…somewhere…" she laughed as he rambled on, clearly excited to share.
"It's perfect," she assured him earnestly. He closed his mouth with a content smile, and for a few moments the two simply stared at each other. Lizzie bit her lip, face heating up but not at all complaining. Suddenly the Doctor came to his senses, clearing his throat.
"So, swimming!" he began, clapping his hands and looking anywhere but her face. "There should be a sufficient supply of swimsuits through that door over there." He gestured to the wall on the left, where there was indeed a door, almost completely blending into the wall. "So you can just…change and…whatever else…yeah." He laughed a bit before turning on his heel and walking in the other direction.
"Where are you going then?" The Doctor turned back with a grin.
"Oh, I've got my own private collection," he explained proudly. "See you in a bit!" And with that he took off again. Lizzie grinned at him, shaking her head and walking off toward the dressing room.
When she pushed open the door, she was prepared to find a smaller version of the wardrobe room, stocked with tables and revolving racks of swimsuits in various colours and styles, perhaps a few glass cabinets with swim caps and goggles for people with six eyes. However, Lizzie had not expected to walk into what appeared to be the gymnasium style locker room. She peered around, but found nothing but row after row of dark red lockers. On a whim, she pulled at one only to find it completely unyielding. But that didn't make sense. None of the lockers had any sort of locking mechanism built in, or even attached. She pulled harder, only resulting in hurting her hand. Lizzie glared at the locker, cradling her flushed fingers. At a loss, she turned back to the door, sticking her head out into the pool room. But of course, the Doctor was nowhere in sight.
She sighed, stepping back inside and picking at her hands. She gave a small shrug, and reluctantly set to trying every single locker. Lizzie assumed there were probably hundreds, and she moved through them quickly, one good tug enough to tell her that it wouldn't open. She'd almost decided to tell the Doctor that she'd changed her mind about swimming when the locker under her hand flew open. Her eyes widened as she stared into it. It looked just the same as any other athletic locker she had seen. Vents in the door, hooks on three of the walls, and a small shelf at the top. There was a small caddy with shampoo and other wash products on the shelf, while a towel sat folded on the bottom on the locker, a pair of flip flops waiting on top. On the far hook hung a blue, one-piece suit.
Lizzie took it out, holding it up and spreading out the fabric in the air. The material was a mix of deep blues, fading effortlessly one to another as it stretched. Additionally, the neckline was accented with a light blue border, and the same blue had been used to make a lightweight skirt of ruffles around the hips. It was a bit plain, but it was exactly Lizzie's style. She looked at the surrounding lockers, suddenly understanding why they hadn't opened. None of them had what she needed. She smiled, and checking the room one last time, changed into the suit. She slid on the matching blue flip flops, and braided her hair so it cascaded down her back, and gave a look in the mirror attached to the inside of the locker door. The suit fit perfectly, and to be frank, made her legs look fantastic.
"Like Amy said, all the running," she smirked to myself. Folding her clothes neatly in the bottom of the locker, Lizzie picked up the fluffy white towel and began to pad back towards the door. As a second thought,she doubled back and grabbed the caddy, afraid she might not be able to find the same locker again.
Lizzie strode cautiously back into the main room, relaxing when she discovered that it was still empty. She wondered briefly how the Doctor could be taking longer than her, when she had the excuse of not knowing how the locker-system worked, before shrugging it off. She placed her caddy and towel gently on the floor next to one of the squashy lawn chairs and made her way to the pool's edge. She dipped her foot in experimentally, and was met with near freezing cold. She jerked back, but when she dipped her toes in again, the water had warmed up considerably, to a cool temperature that felt beyond perfect. A smiled took place on her face as she stepped in. Auto-heated, indeed.
Lizzie continued walking down the steps until she was neck deep, still standing on the ground. She peered down through the clear water, following the steps as they descended deeper and deeper, probably three times her height under the surface, until they disappeared completely. She narrowed my eyes. Lizzie knew that not all the Doctor's companions were human, but who in the universe could need that many steps? She pushed out into the water, twirling in experimental circles and treading water. It had been a while since she had been in a pool this nice, and she intended to fully enjoy it. Fifteen minutes later, she was still enjoying it, but also still alone and growing tired. As if on cue, a floating lounge emerged from the mouth of the river. Not the generic, inflatable lounge, but literally a floating, waterproof couch, complete with throw pillows and a blanket. The same that had been in the previous library that see had woken up on the morning.
"Oh you know me so well," she whispered to the Tardis, paddling over to the lounge, which in return seemed to float over to her. It stayed level as she climbed onto it, collapsing into the cushions that felt like a normal couch, if exceptionally comfortable, but watching as the water rolled right off the surface in beads. Lizzie grinned, laying her head back and staring up at the ceiling. The nebula outside was softly orbiting, swirling around in a manner that was almost hypnotizing. She felt completely at ease, and she hummed a familiar song to herself as her legs kicked in the water. Suddenly she saw a faint reddish glow out of the corner of her eye. She lazily looked down, smiling a bit when she saw the strange book from this morning laying at her side, the glowing red planet and language still just a fascinating. Lizzie reached down and took the book in her hands, slightly thrown off by the bit of heat it radiated. The planet started to swirl with the color of a pristine sunset at her touch, the unreadable language moving in slow circles around the cover. It was mesmerizing. Lizzie have no idea how long she was there for, staring at a book. She might even have fallen asleep, but it seemed a long while later that the sound of a door swinging shut cut through the silence. She snapped her head up, placing the book at her side, and paddling the sofa around so she could look for the intruder.
The Doctor was strolling out from his dressing room with a pleased spring in his step. It was odd, seeing him without the tweed and braces for once. Though, Lizzie remembered with a blush, she had seen him in much, much less one of the first times she'd ever met him. Instead of the usual ensemble, he was sporting an old fashion men's swimsuit, one where there was a torso and wide straps, and the tight trunks extended down nearly to his knees. The entire suit was made of thick, black and white stripes, and with that stupid smile on his face, he looked a bit ridiculous. But of course, she hadn't expected anything less.
"Took you long enough!" Lizzie mock-complained, stretching her arms up over her head and looking at him upside down as her seat rotated away. "What, no bowtie?"
"Oh, hardy-har-har!" He glared, climbing up the ladder to the taller diving board. "Of course no bowtie! The fabric would be ruined," he reasoned, and she let out a light laugh. He reached the top with a devilish grin, before breaking out into a run and jumping off the end. "GERONIMO!" With an almighty splash, he cannonballed into the pool, not two meters from Lizzie, and sending a gigantic wave of water all over her seat and her. By instinct, she quickly threw herself over the book to protect its pages. She spluttered, fully intending to scream at him when he resurfaced. But he didn't. She quickly wiped the stray hair out of her face, staring at the water where he'd disappeared.
"Doctor?" she questioned, leaning over the edge just slightly.
"Yes?" Lizzie jumped, nearly falling to the pool as she rolled over frantically. The Doctor was leaning contentedly on the back of the couch, watching her with a silly grin. She opened her mouth to yell at him, but he shook his head like a dog, spraying her with cool water and effectively silencing her as she burst into a fit of giggles. "How long have you been out here?" he asked, once his hair was effectively semi-dry, and sticking up on end.
"No idea," she admitted, hand still over her heart from shock. "You took ages."
"Sorry," he said nonchalantly, paddling his way around the lounge until he was in front of her. He brought his arms up to rest on the cushions, head laying on them. "I thought I would go down and see a friend while I was in here, but deep sea diving gear is a bit nasty to get on then off again...then on again."
"Friend? What frien-" Lizzie looked down into the water, an amused smirk on her face. What could possibly be down there that she didn't know about? Her train of thought stopped when she swore she saw a tentacle waving around in the pools dark depths. "Nevermind," she snapped her gaze forward. "I don't really want to know."
The Doctor chuckled observing her for a moment, his expression turning serious. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Um…uh, yeah," she stuttered, pulling her feet underneath her and tucking a renegade strand of hair behind her ear. "Go ahead."
"How did you figure it out? Who the Dream Lord was?" Lizzie shifted uncomfortably in her seat, avoiding his prying gaze.
"Well you said. It was obvious, right?"
"Yes, I thought so," he mused, still looking up at her, "only Amy and Rory didn't figure it out, which means it wasn't." She sighed.
"There were just…a few things he said…"
"Things? What things?"
"Mostly things he said about you," she admitted. "He knew too much about us, all of us, and I figured it had to be some sort of psychic thing or…or he knew us. And as much as he was taunting us he really seemed to be targeting you, and then…I remembered you'd said there was only one person who hated you that much, and well…since he wasn't a Dalek, I figured…And then I screamed at him, and he screamed back cause I was defending you and…it clicked…"
"I don't remember that," he muttered after a moment. Lizzie shook her head.
"No this was when you and Rory were in Leadworth." He nodded.
"And where was Amy when all this happened?" She pursed her lips, a little ashamed.
"It was after I left you all. I came back and she…said some things…so I stormed off and the Dream Lord came after me."
"He singled you out?" the Doctor asked intrigued, pushing his body higher out of the water. "Did he try and hurt you?"
"No, no!" She assured him. "No, even that part of you didn't want to hurt me. In fact, he seemed pretty intent on teaching me a lesson…showing me that I had to stop living my life for my friends, and stop trying to please people, and do something I wanted to do for a change." Lizzie chose her words very carefully, not sure how much of the conversation she was ready to divulge, especially about what happened in the world the Dream Lord made for her. But the Doctor's raised eyebrows showed her he wasn't satisfied, so she carried on. "And then he…said something about you, and I started yelling. I said something about you being opposites, so he said, 'you have no idea.' After that it kind of just…hit me." Her friend nodded, eyes finally sinking to the upholstery. "I think he wanted me to figure it out, really. For someone to recognize that you were the same person. That's why a little while after I figured it out, he sent us back to you."
"And what happened in that little while?" he asked, lowering his eyebrows a fraction, but leaning forward with interest. Lizzie appraised him quietly.
"So you don't remember anything?" She inquired. "Even though he was a part of you." It was the Doctor's turn to sigh.
"Well, he wasn't exactly a part of me," he explained. "He was an extrapolation of something that is a part of me. It's not like that side was ripped out and put back again. So no. I don't remember anything that happened to him." He looked up at her from under his lashes, close enough that she could just make out the droplets of water sticking them together. "Why? Is there something I should know?" Lizzie bit her lip, before giving a secretive smirk. She changed courses with a laugh.
"Well he did insinuate that he wanted to sleep with Amy, maybe me. Care to elaborate?" The Doctor's face flushed with panic and she laughed loudly, breaking the quiet. He grumbled, crossing his arms and burying his head with a huff.
"Fine, don't tell me." Lizzie thought about commenting on how he'd avoided the question, but thought better of it. Maybe there were some things she just wasn't ready to know yet. Instead, she leaned forward in her seat, tentatively reaching forward and playing with a strand of his sopping hair. He visibly stiffened under her touch, but didn't flinch or pull away.
"It's okay, you know," she assured him, fingering his hair gently. "That he's a part of you. You've gone through so much pain. No one would expect you to come out unharmed. The fact that you hide your scars so well is proof of how wonderful you can be." He lifted his head up slightly, peering up at her so timidly, she might've thought he was a child.
"It should scare you," he whispered. Lizzie tilted her head to the side.
"Maybe. But I knew there was more to you the night you took Amy and I away for supposedly no reason. I didn't run then, and I'm not going anywhere now." He sat up again, and she absently left her hand in his hair, moving to the fringe over his left ear.
"Before, you said something," he started, leaning forward so that his whole torso rested on the couch. "You said you'd known which world you'd belonged in all along." Lizzie was positive his saw the blush that tinted her cheeks as she looked away. "What did you mean?"
"I meant…" She faltered. What had she meant? More so, how did she tell the Doctor what she meant without giving away more feelings then she could handle? "I meant that right now, this is all I want. To travel, with you. I'm not ready to settle down, with a job and Amy and Rory every day. Right now, it's not for me." She could have said more. Then again, so could he. Instead, he lifted his hand, pulling her fingers out of his hair and holding them in his own. The two smiled, agreeing silently that, for now, nothing more should be said. Lizzie knew where those words were headed, and it was a dangerous road. She had an inkling he knew too, but she'd seen him oblivious to much more obvious things. For now, he was holding her hand, and she was still welcome on board. And that was good enough for her.
"You know, you didn't have to panic over the book earlier," he laughed finally. "I already told you they're water proof."
"And have to go diving in after it? No thank you!" She responded, laying the book out with her free hand and opening the cover. "I don't know how deep your space-pool is."
"Three hundred forty seven meters," he replied instantly. Lizzie's face slacked.
"What?"
"Well, and a half," he amended with a jerk of the head. "Some of my larger guests need the extra space. But nevermind that," he let go of her hand, pulling himself up to fully sit on the cushion next to her. "Just what are you reading?"
Lizzie smiled as he scooted closer to her, slinging his arm around the back of the couch. "I'm not sure to be honest," she breathed, turning the glowing red cover to the light. "I haven't even gotten to the first page yet, I've been too fascinated with the cover." The Doctor visibly stiffened next to her as he took in the book seriously for the first time.
"Lizzie...you can see this?"
"Yeah," she answered plainly as he pointed a finger at the spinning planet, the light growing more intense at his slight presence. "I can see it fine, but the language is..a bit odd."
He shook his head, a few water droplets flying as he looked up at the stars. "You shouldn't be able to even register that the cover had a picture." He looked for a small sign of approval before taking the book from her hands, cradling it in his own. "This book is supposed to be for Timelord's only." Cautiously, the Doctor placed his hand in the middle of the red planet. His hand started to glow faintly in a golden mist, just like the kind Lizzie had seen the very first night she had meet him. The planet absorbed the mist greedily, as if it could actually feel hunger and hadn't eaten in years. At its new found energy, the planet began to glow even brighter than before, the language around it separating from its original line and forming some sort of symbol that Lizzie couldn't make out. As the symbol finished forming, the planet on the cover rose, spinning until to burst above their head in a stunning three dimensional image. "...That's Gallifrey," the Doctor whispered, staring up at the image mournfully.
Lizzie tore her eyes from the sight above to look at him, heart sinking when she realized what the planet may be. "Is that your…" she started, but he cut her off with a slight nod.
"Yes, that is my home planet," he said slowly. "Stunning brown seas, red grass fields, wonderful orange skys, and terrible, terrible hats."
"How was I able to see it?"
He smiled fondly at her, a look of melancholy still present in his features. "Regeneration energy," he explained, wiggling his fingers slightly, some still wrapped in a golden mist. "Absolutely loves humans. The Tardis is full of it, I'm full of it, so some of it was bound to rub off on you eventually. It doesn't do anything to you in moderation, just likes to build up in your system. You've been traveling with me for so long, you had enough in there to start up the book."
Lizzie nodded in understanding, reaching down to grab his hand as she looked up at the magnificent red planet. "It's beautiful." she commented, leaning her head on his shoulder.
He looked down at her, pausing for a brief moment before smiling, placing an arm around her shoulders. "Thanks," he shifted a little bit, clearing his throat before asking. "W-Would you like to hear about it?"
Her heart jumped a bit at that thought that he was willing to open up to her, to tell her about his home. She smiled up at him softly as she said, "I would love to."
"Okay!" he grinned excitedly, so large that it reached his eyes. He snuggled her in closer as he turned the page, beginning his long tale about the story of his home "Now the title is called, that's the weird symbol there, The Shining World of The Seven Systems…"
Review maybe?