Thanks to Musibelle, Letta Vios, Emerlyn452, Solane Helsalrogo for following/faving my story.
The Time Lord Oracle: nope her memory isn't perfect.
NicoleR85: thanks!
The next place the TARDIS materializes is a small park on Aickman Road. The door opens and the Doctor and Melanie. "I don't know about you but this doesn't look like that alien moon you were going to take us to, unless it's got a Rymans", the brunette remarked.
"That's because it's not the fifth moon of Sinda Callista", the Doctor said, apologetically "sorry".
"That's o-" Melanie was abruptly cut off when there was a sudden explosion from within the TARDIS, throwing herself and the Doctor to the ground.
"Amy!" the pair cried as the blue box dematerialized before their eyes.
"What the hell just happened?" Melanie asked, worried for her best friend.
"I don't know…this kind of thing doesn't usually happen", the Doctor replied. He got to his feet and helped his Bonded up.
"So what do we do now?" Melanie asked.
"I don't know", the Doctor answered "but I'll figure something out, I promise".
A day later saw the pair standing outside a two story building, number 79A Aickman Road. Melanie pushed the Doctor's hand away from the bell as he reached for it for the fourth time. "Give him or her a chance to get the door", she said.
"Fine", the Doctor mumbled. He then smiled, taking hold of her hand and kissed it. "I love you", he declared.
"I love you too", Melanie said back, returning his smile. Over the past day, her Bonded had grown more affectionate toward her which she didn't mind at all. Suddenly the front door was pulled open and a man in his mid-twenties, Craig Owens, stood there holding a bunch of keys.
"I love you!" he declared.
"Well, that's good, because we're your new lodgers", the Doctor said. He took the keys from Craig.
"But I only put the advert up today. I didn't put my address", Craig said, confused as to how the pair knew where he lived.
"Well, aren't you lucky we came along?" the Doctor remarked "I'm less of a young professional, more of an ancient amateur" he put his arm around Melanie's waist "This lovely lady is an absolute dream", the female brunette gave Craig a small smile "My dream, mind you", the Doctor quickly tacked on, giving the man a pointed look. He wanted their landlord to know straight away that Melanie was his.
"Hang on a minute, mate. I don't know if I want you two staying", Craig said, rather flustered "And give me back those keys", he took them back from the Doctor "You can't have those".
"Yes, quite right. Have some rent", the Time Lord held out a brown paper bag stuffed with money to Craig "That's probably quite a lot, isn't it? Looks like a lot. Is it a lot? I can never tell".
"I told you it was a lot", Melanie reminded him.
"Yes, you did", the Doctor agreed "now, let's go check out the place". He took her hand and stepped past Craig, going into the building. "Don't spend it all on sweets, unless you like sweets. I like sweets", the Time Lord continued "especially this sweet" he kissed Melanie on the cheek.
"Doctor, stop", Melanie said giving him a playful push, cheeks red.
"Never", he said tapping her on the nose "I'm the Doctor and this is Melanie Hannigan".
"But you can call me Elle if you like, most people do", Melanie added.
"Craig Owens", Craig said, introducing himself "The Doctor?"
"Yep. Who lives upstairs?" the Doctor asked.
"Just some bloke", Craig replied.
"What's he look like?" the Time Lord questioned.
"Normal", Craig answered "He's very quiet" there was a loud crash coming from above them "Usually", he amended "Sorry, who are you again? Hello?!"
The Doctor ignored him and walked further into the flat. "Who are you two?" Craig asked Melanie.
"I told you. I'm Melanie and that's my boyfriend, the Doctor", Melanie replied "we're your new lodgers".
"Yeah but who are you two?" Craig repeated.
"Just a couple who's looking for a place to stay for a little bit", Melanie answered. She then walked into the room where the Doctor was eyeing a large stain on the ceiling.
"I suppose that's dry rot?" the Doctor asked Craig.
"Or damp. Or mildew", Craig shrugged.
"Or none of the above", the Doctor muttered, earning him a look from Melanie.
"I'll get someone to fix it", Craig assured the couple.
"No, I'll fix it", the Doctor told Craig "I'm good at fixing rot. Call me the Rotmeister".
"I'm not calling you that", Melanie said firmly "ever".
"It's a rubbish name, isn't it?" the Doctor asked/stated.
"Yep", Melanie agreed, popping the p.
The Doctor nodded and turned to Craig "This is the most beautiful parlour I have ever seen", he remarked, changing the subject "You're obviously a man of impeccable taste. Can we stay, Craig, can't I? Say we can".
"But…you haven't seen the room", Craig pointed out.
"No we haven't", Melanie said "let's see our room".
Craig led them out of the parlour and down the hall to a bedroom decorated in 80's style "this is Mark's old room. He owns the place. Moved out about a month ago. This uncle he'd never even heard of died and left a load of money in the will", Craig explained as the Doctor sat down on the bed, bouncing on the mattress slightly, testing out how comfy it was.
"This'll do just right. In fact…" the trio looked up when they heard more crashes above "No time to lose. We'll take it. Ah…you'll want to see our credentials" the Doctor took out his psychic paper and showed it to Craig "There National Insurance numbers….NHS number….References…" he listed off, switching the paper behind his back.
"Is that a reference from the Archbishop of Canterbury?" Craig asked, gobsmacked.
"Elle is his special favourite", the Doctor replied, winking at Melanie "Now! Are you hungry? I'm hungry. Elle?"
"I'm pretty hungry", Melanie admitted.
"Ok then", the Doctor said and headed into the kitchen.
"But I haven't got anything in", Craig said.
"You've got everything I need for an omelette fines herbes, pour trois", the Doctor informed him as he raided the fridge and cabinets.
"Who's the girl on the fridge?" Melanie asked noting the photograph on the large appliance.
"My friend. Sophie", Craig replied.
"Girlfriend?" the Doctor questioned looking away from the pan.
"A friend who is a girl", Craig corrected "There's nothing going on", he insisted.
"He's got it bad", Melanie mentally remarked to the Doctor.
"Yep", the Time Lord agreed.
"We met at work about a year ago, at the call centre", Craig continued "Firm's going down though. The bosses are using a totally rubbish business model. I know what they should do. I got a plan all worked out. But I'm just a phone drone, I can't go running in saying I know best" the man frowned "Why am I telling you this? I don't even know you two".
"Well, I've got one of those faces. People never stop blurting out their plans while I'm around", the Doctor said.
Melanie couldn't help but chuckle at that statement. He didn't exactly get those lady fish vamps to tell him the plan. And he even told them to. "Right", Craig said slowly "Where's your stuff?"
"Oh, don't worry, it'll materialise. If all goes to plan", the Doctor assured him.
Melanie sits on the Doctor's lap, feeling rather full from the meal that the Doctor had made. "Oh, that was incredible", Craig commented "That was absolutely brilliant. Where did you learn to cook?"
"Paris, in the eighteenth century", the Doctor replied.
"I think you mean twentieth, honey", Melanie corrected.
"Oh…right", the Doctor said "Sorry, I'm not used to doing them in the right order".
"Has anyone ever told you that you're a bit weird?" Craig asked.
"I tell him at least twice a day", Melanie informed him. She glanced up at the Doctor "Do you think we could go to Paris at some point? I've always wanted to go", she said.
"Of course we can", the Doctor said, making a mental note to take her to the Louvre first since she loved museums so much.
"Great", Melanie said, pecking him on the lips. She pulled away only for the Doctor to pull her back in for a longer kiss. Craig looked away from the display of affection and couldn't help be a little jealous. The Doctor had what he wanted, a relationship with a nice girl.
"Ever been to Paris, Craig?" the Time Lord questioned earning the man's attention.
Craig shook his head "Nah", he answered "I can't see the point of Paris. I'm not much of a traveller".
"I can tell from your sofa", the Doctor remarked.
"My sofa?" Craig asked, confused.
"You're starting to look like it", the Doctor stated earning him a light whack from Melanie.
"I don't think you're starting to look like your sofa Craig", Melanie said.
"Thanks Elle", Craig said "No, I like it here" he fiddled with Sophie's keys "I'd miss it, I'd miss…"
"Sophie?" Melanie supplied.
"Yeah, I'd miss her", Craig admitted. He set aside the keys and got up, heading to the table by the door "Anyway. These, these are your keys" he picked up a set and held them out.
"We can stay?" The Doctor asked happily. Melanie hopped off his lap and he stood up.
"Yeah, you're weird and you can cook", Craig replied "And Elle…you're nice so that's good enough for me. Right. Outdoor, front door, your door", he listed off showing the pair the three keys.
"Our door. Our place. Our gaff", the Doctor said, taking the keys with delight "Ha ha! Yes!"
Melanie smiled at how happy he was at getting a key. "And listen, Mark and I, we had an arrangement where if you ever need me out of your hair, just give me a shout, okay?" Craig said giving the pair a wink.
Melanie understood what he meant by that but the Doctor who was a bit oblivious, asked "Why would we want that?"
"In case you two want some…you know…alone time", Craig elaborated.
"He means if we wanted some privacy to 'dance'" Melanie added when the Doctor still looked a little confused. A bit of red appeared in the Time Lord's cheeks at that. Admittedly, the prospect of them dancing had been on his mind for a bit after the Byzantium. It wasn't something they'd discussed yet but it was something that he was looking forward to because well…he knew what the eventual result will be. "Don't worry, Craig. We'll give you the heads up", Melanie assured the man.
"Yes, we will", the Doctor readily agreed, trying to will the red from his cheeks "and by the way I wouldn't touch that rot". He pointed to the patch before leaving the room with Melanie.
~Doctor's room: later~
The Doctor sat down on to the bed, taking care not to jostle Melanie who was now asleep. "Earth to Pond, Earth to Pond", he said quietly, tapping the earpiece.
"Doctor!" Amy called, the loudness causing feedback making the Doctor wince. He also glanced at Melanie seeing if she'd been disturbed. Thankfully she hadn't.
"Could you not wreck my new earpiece, Pond?" the Time Lord scolded "also Elle is sleeping".
"Sorry", Amy said apologetically.
"How's the TARDIS coping?" the Doctor asked.
"Hear for yourself"
The Doctor made a face at the sounds he was hearing from his ship "Ooo, nasty", he remarked "She's locked in a materialisation loop, trying to land again but she can't".
"And whatever's stopping her is upstairs in that flat", Amy finished "So, go upstairs and sort it".
"I don't know what it is yet", the Doctor confessed "Anything that can stop the Tardis from landing is big. Scary big".
"Wait. Are you scared?"
"I am", the Time Lord admitted "Elle has been hurt far too many times for my liking. So I'm going to have to approach this carefully, I'm not putting her in unnecessary danger. Which means I need the man upstairs to believe I'm just a normal human. How hard can that be?"
At those words, he heard the Scottish woman laughed "Have you seen you?" she asked.
"So you're just going to be snide. No helpful hints?"
"Hmm", the ginger hummed "Well, here's one….Bow tie, get rid!"
"Bow ties are cool", the Doctor said "Come on, Amy, I'm a normal bloke. Tell me what normal blokes do"
"They watch telly, they play football, they go down the pub", Amy listed off.
"I could do those things. I don't, but I could", the Doctor said. He'd try anything that would make him appear to be human. There was a sudden crash above them, startling Melanie awake.
"What's going on?" she asked sleepily. The hands on the clock in the bedroom started spinning back and forth, same was happening with the Doctor's watch.
"Interesting. Localised time loop", the Doctor stated to himself. Melanie looked at him in confusion, still not fully awake.
"Ow. What's all that?" Amy questioned.
"Time distortion", the Doctor replied "Whatever's happening upstairs is still affecting you".
"It's stopped…ish", Amy reported "How about your end?"
"My end's good", the Doctor answered.
"So…doesn't sound great, but nothing to worry about?"
"No, no, no, not really. Just keep the zigzag plotter on full. That'll protect you", the Doctor told her.
"Protect Amy from what?" Melanie asked her Bonded.
"Whatever's happening upstairs is affecting Amy in the TARDIS", the Doctor briefly explained. A brief second later he heard the ginger scream on the other end of the ear piece. "Amy, I said the zigzag plotter", the Time Lord reminded her.
"I pulled the zigzag plotter!" Amy shouted at him.
"What, you're standing with the door behind you?" the Doctor asked.
"Yes!"
"Okay, take two steps to your right and pull it again", the Doctor instructed. A moment he heard the grating sound cease and he knew that she pulled the right lever. The Time Lord pressed the ear piece, switching it off.
"She safe now?" Melanie asked.
"Yep", the Doctor replied "now, I've got a little bit of shopping to do".
"Want me to come with?" Melanie questioned, sitting up.
"No, you get some sleep", the Doctor said "I won't be long".
"Ok", Melanie said, laying back down "love you", she added, her eyes drooping as she started to fall asleep again.
The Doctor smiled down at his now sleeping Bonded. He leant down and pressed a light kiss to her forehead "love you too", he murmured quietly.
The next morning Melanie was making three mugs of tea in the kitchen when she heard a loud banging from upstairs. She set down the tea spoon and came out into the hallway as Craig was heading for the hall door. "Is everything ok?" Melanie asked.
"I'm just gonna check", Craig replied. He walked to the hall door, the brunette following him, completely not hearing the Doctor as he called out to them from the bathroom. Craig pulled open the hall door and stepped out. The pair ascended the stairs where Craig knocked on the door to the flat upstairs.
A grey haired man, cracked open the door and peered out at the pair "yes? hello?" he said.
"It's me from downstairs. I heard a big bang", Craig explained.
"We just wanted to make sure that you were ok", Melanie added.
"Thank you but I'm quite alright", the man assured them and then closed the door.
"Charming chappie", Melanie remarked as they made their way down the stairs. She stopped near the foot when the Doctor suddenly appeared wearing only a towel and brandishing an electric toothbrush.
"What happened, what's going on?" he demanded, his hearts still pounding in his chest when he thought that his Bonded was in danger.
"We just went to see if the man upstairs was ok", Melanie replied, trying not to look anywhere else than the Time Lord's face. Though it was really hard to stop her gaze from trailing down to his bare chest.
"What did he look like?" the Doctor asked.
"More normal than you do at the moment, mate", Craig answered "What are you doing?"
"I-I thought you two might be in trouble", the Doctor replied.
"Thanks. Well, if I ever am, you can come and save me with my toothbrush", Craig said. The phone in his flat suddenly started to ring and he headed inside to answer it.
"Are you ok?" the Doctor asked his Bonded.
"Uh…yeah. Fine", Melanie responded damn he's hot… she mentally added, not realising that she accidently projected that thought to the Time Lord.
'Why thank you' he said, earning a blush from the brunette. The Doctor stepped closer to her "so…see something you like?" he asked with a smirk.
"Yes, I do", Melanie admitted, somewhat breathlessly "very much". She was definitely feeling something that she'd never felt before and it was kinda overwhelming. The Doctor cupped her face and was about to kiss her when a young woman, Sophie, entered through the front door.
"Oh! Hello", she said, somewhat surprised to see the two of them at the bottom of the stairs, the man in nothing but a towel.
"Ah! Hello. The Doctor", the Time Lord said going over to Sophie and giving her air kisses "and this is my lovely lady/Bonded, Melanie", he added gesturing to the brunette.
"Hi", Melanie greeted, stepping up next to the Doctor "you must be Sophie. Sorry about this one's state of undress".
"In my defence I thought you were in danger", the Doctor reminded her "so I was more concerned with getting to you".
"Well, as thoughtful as that is, how about we go inside and you get yourself dressed", Melanie suggested and ushered the Doctor back into the flat, Sophie following them.
"Doctor, we've got a match today, pub league. We're one down if you fancy it?" Craig offered from where he stood in the parlour door.
"Pub league", the Doctor repeated "A drinking competition?"
"He means football", Melanie quietly corrected.
"Oh, football!" the Doctor said, brightly "Yes, blokes play football. I'm good at football, I think".
"You've saved my life", Craig said and disappeared into the parlour.
"It was nice to meet you both", Sophie said and followed after him.
"Right, now you definitely need to get dressed since you've got a game later", Melanie said to the Doctor.
"But I thought you liked it?" the Time Lord complained as Melanie pushed him towards the bedroom. His eyes slid to hers as a smile worked onto his face "Unless you had something else in mind…"
Melanie flushed crimson at what the Doctor was insinuating. "You need clothes, now", she said, shoving him into the bedroom and closing the door. She turned around, only to blush further when she realised Craig and Sophie were watching her. The brunette cleared her throat, trying to will the red away from her face "so, Sophie…do you play football?"
"No, Soph just stands on the side-lines. She's my mascot", Craig answered before Sophie could.
"I'm your mascot?" the woman repeated and Melanie winced. She knew that was the wrong thing for Craig to say "Mascot?!"
"Well, yeah, not my mascot. It's a football match. I can't take a date", Craig floundered.
"I…didn't say I was your date", Sophie stated.
"Neither did I", Craig said.
"Awkward", Melanie muttered. She kinda wished that she was in the bedroom with the Doctor so she could've avoided that conversation.
'You're still welcome to join me in here' came the Doctor's voice in her mind, making her blush again.
"Uh…excuse me", Melanie stammered and disappeared into the bedroom. She found the Doctor standing in the middle of the room in only football shorts, smirking at her. "You know, using this mental link we have like that isn't very nice", she remarked.
"I could've suggested it out loud but that might have made you more flustered that you already are", the Doctor said.
"Still…I hate it", Melanie told him.
"No, you don't", the Doctor said "I can feel your emotions, you love it really".
Melanie threw her hands up "ok, yes. Fine! "I do love it" she admitted "bloody Bond", grumbled.
The Time Lord closed the gap between them "you're adorable when you're flustered", he said, making her blush even more.
"I hate you", Melanie mumbled.
"No you don't", the Doctor said, leaning in.
"No I don't", the young woman sighed just before they kissed.
"What are you actually called? What's your proper name?" Craig asked as they walked through the park.
"Just call me the Doctor", the Doctor replied.
"But I can't say to these guys 'hey, this is my one of new flat mates, he's called the Doctor'", Craig said.
"Why not, that is his name", Melanie said.
"It's just…weird", Craig remarked "unlike your name, Elle". Just then his friend, Sean showed up, holding a football.
"All right, Craig. Soph", he greeted.
"Hello, I'm one of Craig's new flat mates", the Doctor said "I'm called the Doctor and this is my beautiful Bonded, Melanie".
"Hi", Melanie greeted, with a wave.
"All right, Doctor, Melanie. I'm Sean", the man introduced "So, where are you strongest Doctor?"
"Arms", the Time Lord answered earning a snort from Melanie.
"He means which position on the field", she quietly amended.
"Oh…" the Doctor said "Not sure. The front? The side? Below".
"Are you any good though?" Sean questioned.
The Time Lord took the football from him and spins it on his fingertips "Let's find out", he said.
It turned out that the Doctor was a very good football player. Melanie jumped up and down, cheering him on as he scored goal after goal after goal. "You were amazing!" she exclaimed, running over to her Bonded, flinging her arms around him the second the game was over.
"Well, I had my lucky charm", he said giving her a wink, making her blush.
"I didn't do anything, you're the one with the skill", Melanie mumbled.
"Hey, don't sell yourself short", the Doctor said softly "you being here helped me win". He leant in to kiss her when Sean interrupted.
"You are so on the team!" he declared "Next week we've got the Crown and Anchor. We're going to annihilate them!"
"Annihilate?" the Doctor repeated, rounding on him "No. No violence, do you understand me? Not while my Bonded's around. Not today, not ever. I'm the Doctor, the Oncoming Storm… and you basically meant beat them in a football match, didn't you?"
"Yeah", Sean replied bit confused by his response but Melanie giggled, amused by how he went from protective to calm in split second.
"Lovely. What sort of time?" the Doctor asked. Before Sean could answer, Craig opened up a can of drink and gets promptly sprayed with foam. His teammates laugh and then it happened again.
And again.
And again.
"Doctor what's happening?" Melanie asked, eyeing the people stuck in the loop worriedly.
"It's a time loop", the Time Lord answered. He grabbed her hand and pulled her away from them and tapped his earpiece. "Amy?" he called.
"It's happening again. Worse", the ginger replied.
"What does the scanner say?" the Doctor questioned.
"A lot of nines. Is it good that they're nines? Tell me it's good that they're all nines", Amy replied.
"Yes, yes, it's…it's good!" Melanie arched a brow at his lie "Zigzag plotter. Zigzag plotter, Amy". The brunette flinched hearing a loud bang come from the device followed by Amy's screamed.
"That doesn't sound good", Melanie remarked, very concerned for her friend.
"Amy? Are you there?" the Doctor asked, loudly.
"Yes. Hello", Amy replied, breathlessly.
The Doctor relaxed as did Melanie "Oh, thank heavens. I thought for a moment the Tardis had been flung off into the vortex with you inside it, lost forever", he said earning him a whack upside the head from his Bonded.
"Are you serious! Don't joke about things like that!" she scolded.
"Sorry Elle", he mumbled feeling bad for saying that as he could feel the fear from the brunette. He really needed to work on what was funny and what wasn't. "How are the numbers?" he asked his companion.
"All fives", Amy reported.
"Fives", the Doctor repeated "even better".
"Looked like the time loop has broken", Melanie remarked noticing that the Craig and his friends weren't repeating the same action over and over again.
"That's good also", the Doctor said "now, come on. Got some rewiring to do".
"Didn't know 'rewiring' was code for this" Melanie mentally commented to the Doctor as they made out on the bed. Not that she was complaining or anything, this was definitely more enjoyable than whatever the Doctor actually had planned.
"It wasn't originally but I think it should be from now on", the Doctor said, making a note to remember that for next time. As they continued to kiss, Melanie felt a surge of bravery.
"Can we stop for a moment?" she asked out loud, her heart hammering in her chest at what she was about to do.
"Are you ok?" the Doctor questioned, looking at her worriedly. She was anxious in both look and emotion.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine", Melanie assured him "there's just something I want to do and I want to do it before I chicken out".
"Sure", the Doctor said, moving off of her so she could sit up. The brunette took a breath to steady her nerves before she grasped her t-shirt and pulled it over her head. She set it in her lap, twisting the fabric in her hands to give them something to do instead of covering up the scars on her now exposed skin.
The Time Lord looked over the marks that he had only caught a brief glimpse of before. The Doctor returned his gaze to her face "beautiful", he declared and kissed her "my beautiful Elle". Melanie relaxed at his compliment. She didn't know why she was so afraid. He hadn't been disgusted by her scars when he saw them the first time, why would this be any different?
Deciding that since his Bonded had taken off her top, he'd do the same. The Doctor quickly tugged off his bowtie and stripped off his shirt with such haste that he nearly ripped off some of the buttons. He went to kiss her again when he stopped. "One second", he said, getting off the bed and scooping up the bowtie from where he'd dropped it. Melanie watched as he went over to the door, opened it up enough that he could wrap his bowtie around the handle. "So we're not disturbed", he explained to the young woman after he closed the door and crossed the room back to the bed.
"Good thinking", Melanie agreed "we wouldn't want that".
The Doctor grinned "definitely not", he said and kissed her again.
Now both were shirtless, things hotted up pretty quickly. The Time Lord took great care to give every scar on Melanie's skin a loving kiss to show her that he loved her, all of her. The brunette by this point had her eyes closed letting out small noises of pleasure at the sensation of his lips on her body. It felt like small jolts of electricity from every kiss.
The Doctor moved back up to give her lips the same amount of attention as he'd been giving the rest of her. Melanie gasped into his mouth when his hand wandered up to her bra and dipped into the left cup. She moaned, arching her back, her hands even more tangled in his hair. "Don't stop", she said, her mental voice came out as a moan as well as the Doctor began to play with her breast.
"Oh, I won't", the Time Lord said. As he continued his ministrations, he felt himself get hard. Melanie felt it press against her, filling her with a strange kind of warmth and desire.
"That's not your sonic is it?" she asked, breaking the kiss.
"Nope", the Doctor replied, withdrawing his hand from her bra "I took an important choice away from you before and I don't want to do it again. So I have to ask: Elle can I dance with you?"
"Yes you can", she replied, softly "I've wanted to do it since the Dream Lord", she admitted. The prospect of having a family with the Doctor had been on her mind after the Dream Lord had given her that 'gift' of what her life could've been like. And she wanted it. Not the house, the TARDIS was way better than some building that didn't go anywhere. But the children for sure.
The Doctor grinned and crashed his lips against hers. "I love you", he said, in her mind.
"I love you too"
The Doctor ran his fingers through Melanie's hair, smiling down at his slumbering Bonded. Their first dance and their Bond felt stronger than ever. He glanced at the pile of odds and ends in the corner of the room. He needed to get his scanner build AND do the rewiring too. The actual rewiring this time and not some code in order to make out with his love. The Time Lord sighed and got out of bed, pulling his clothes back on. The sooner he got it done, the sooner he could get back to curling up with his Bonded and maybe just maybe having a little snooze. Deciding to do the rewiring first, the Doctor grabbed a random tool and left the room but not before giving Melanie a smile. He closed the door and headed to the living room.
It was twenty or so minutes later when he was back in the bedroom and started on his scanner. After an hour and several sore fingers, he had finished. "Finally", he breathed, sitting back. Now he could do what he wanted, being in bed with his Bonded. The Doctor stripped off his clothes and slipped under the covers, curling up against Melanie.
It was a few hours later when the young woman stirred as did the Doctor who'd dozed off too. "Hey", she murmured looking up at him with a smile.
"Hey batcha", the Time Lord said "how are you feeling?"
"I feel fantastic", Melanie answered "and…is it me or does the Bond feel stronger?"
"It's not just you", the Doctor replied "feels stronger to me too".
The brunette then noticed the large device in the room. "I see you've done your doohicky", she remarked "does it work?"
The Doctor shrugged "haven't tried it out. I had other things on my mind", he admitted, giving her a look that made her blush.
"Maybe you should try it out now?" Melanie suggested.
The Time Lord pouted "don't wanna. Too comfy", he mumbled, tightening his grip on her.
"We'll have plenty of time to relax and cuddle and dance later", Melanie said "but right now we need to figure out whats going on with the man upstairs. And we need to do it fast before the TARIDS takes off into the time vortex with Amy".
The Doctor sighed "Fine, lets turn it on". With much reluctance he got out of bed, pulling on his underwear and trousers. Melanie joined him as well, snagging his shirt before he could put it on. The Time Lord didn't mind as she looked pretty good in it. The Doctor set the device spinning.
"Is it giving you anything?" Melanie asked.
"Yeah but something is wrong", the Doctor frowned "there's no traces of higher technology upstairs. Its completely normal".
"Guess we'll have to go upstairs then and take a look", Melanie remarked.
"I'm not about to walk in there completely blind, potentially endangering you", the Doctor said firmly "I've let you get hurt too many times. It's not happening again" he tapped his ear piece "Amy, can you use the data bank and get plans of this building? I want to know its history, the layout, everything. Meanwhile, I shall recruit a spy".
"What spy?" Melanie questioned "I didn't thing you wanted anyone going up there".
"No person. But a cat will be perfectly fine", the Doctor explained.
"Well, while you're doing that, I'm gonna go back to bed", Melanie said, doing just that.
It turned out that the man upstairs was a hologram which had been attempting to launch the ship by luring people into the 'flat'. With some quick thinking from the Doctor and a big admission from Craig about his love for Sophie, the day was saved!
"You know, I kinda liked staying there", Melanie remarked as they walked toward the TARDIS "it was nice and relaxing. Except the killer hologram. Do you think we could get a little holiday home somewhere?" the Doctor stopped walking and looked at her "it's a dumb idea, forget it".
"No its not", the Time Lord said, softly "I think it's a great idea!"
A holiday home was a perfect reason to spend a few days of r and r. They would able to properly chill out and not have to worry about any emergency the TARDIS may alert him to. "Really?" Melanie asked, hopeful.
The Doctor smiled "Really", he confirmed. His bonded laughed when he scooped her up, bridal style "in fact you chose the location, and I'll find you that holiday home", he promised. Melanie beamed and kissed him.
"I love you", she declared.
"I love you too"