Lyssa carefully finished detangling her hair and set the comb off to the side with a yawn. After the not-adventure where the TARDIS nearly exploded, the Doctor had taken them to the jungles of Mon Seleth, where butterflies were the size of her face, and she was pretty sure she'd seen a dinosaur. The Ranger got ragged mercilessly after walking into the most obvious booby trap ever and falling into a pit in the ground. But he got his own back after it ended up leading into a maze of underground tunnels that eventually led them to an underground ecosystem along the lines of Journey to the Center of the Earth.
It was beautiful down there, the darkness held at bay by glowing streams of water that ran throughout the place. Then everything went pear-shaped as usual, and they ended up stuck for almost three days after the original entrance caved in while trying to find a new one. Eventually they managed to find an exit and escape, and they all breathed a sigh of relief once they were back on the TARDIS. The Doctor had dropped Clara and the Ranger back off in London, and then set them to float somewhere in a nearby galaxy.
And that led to where she was now - finally calling Vina about what had happened with the TARDIS exploding. She probably should have done it earlier, but she didn't really think she'd get good connection half a mile underground. And there was the slight distraction of being trapped underground - good thing she wasn't claustrophobic. She was exhausted, but she needed to talk to Vina before she forgot again, and then she was supposed to meet up with the Doctor later that night.
Vina appeared on the screen with a spoonful of purple ice cream halfway to her mouth, though she put it down with a grin when she saw Lyssa. "Snowflake girl! That was fast!" She raised her eyebrows questioningly.
Lyssa grimaced. "Yeah, well, you apparently jinxed it when you told me to keep an eye out for stuff because everything immediately fell apart."
Vina popped the spoon into her mouth. "Define 'fell apart'," she requested around the utensil.
Lyssa held two fingers close together. "The TARDIS came this close to blowing up, the Crack from the Pandorica showed up, except apparently it was from your universe, and according to my Doctor, someone from your end was using it to try and pull me through to your universe for not-good reasons."
Vina straightened abruptly, leaning forward in her chair with an intense expression. "Okay, I'm gonna need the full story on this one." She stayed quiet the whole time Lyssa explained what had happened, her posture growing tenser the more she heard. "Did you feel anything from the Crack?" she asked when Lyssa had finished. "Some sort of draw to go near it, perhaps?"
Lyssa shook her head. "I recognized it as soon as I saw it, and the only thing I felt was fear." She paused, biting her lip thoughtfully. "But I was also exhausted, and had an awful headache - I might not have noticed it in the middle of everything else. The Doctor obviously noticed something was wrong with it - more than the usual, I mean - but I didn't."
Vina frowned. "That's not good. Even worse, I think it's connected to what I found while doing some research. You remember how, when we met, Elektra told us that Ulto-451 had been taken over by the Black Guardian and his minions?"
Lyssa nodded.
"Well," Vina waved another spoonful of ice cream in the air, the treat only just staying on the spoon. "I got kind of curious, because even though taking over a galaxy is a really bad thing, it shouldn't have been enough to draw the attention of people like Elektra and Tirdis. It happens frequently enough and they've never gotten directly involved before. So I decided to do a little research. You remember how they said the Chronovores were drawn to the cracks in the walls of the universes? Turns out there's a big one in the center of that galaxy. It's massive - practically big enough to return them to full strength all on its own. That's what drew the Chronovores out of hiding.
"But the Black Guardian got there first. He fiddled with it somehow, blocked off most of it so the Chronovores get just enough to make it worthwhile without actually returning them to full power. He's made them dependent on him, and used them to distract the White Guardian so that he could bind him. The chaos of everyone else starving was probably just a bonus to him."
Lyssa raised an eyebrow. "Well, he sounds like a nice guy."
Vina shrugged. "He has his good days and his bad days. Anyways, chaining up the White Guardian is obviously a pretty big thing, and that's what caught my mother's attention. And because he's the Guardian of Order, with him out of the way... things have gotten pretty chaotic over here. People who should've died haven't, and people have died who should've lived a whole lot longer. Kingdoms are falling and stars are burning out. Not many, not all, but... if this lasts for too much longer things could get a whole lot worse."
Lyssa stared at her for a moment, aghast, before scrambling to grab her journal and scribbling it down. "All of this happened because the White Guardian was taken?"
Vina nodded, eyes somber. "With him gone and the Black Guardian unchecked, chaos is everywhere. We're doing what we can, but until we figure out how to stop him and free the White Guardian... there's not much we can do outside of responding to the disasters as they come."
She sighed. "My guess is that the Black Guardian or one of his cronies also fiddled with the Crack at the center of Ulto-451 and used it to try and pull you through. It would have taken massive amounts of power to manipulate it in such a way. And coincidentally... a black hole has just formed at the center of a nearby galaxy. No doubt an effort to funnel in more of the energy needed to power such a device."
Lyssa bit her lip, setting aside for the moment the issue of someone being powerful enough to deliberately create a black hole. "Do you know any of his 'cronies'? Is there someone I need to warn my Doctor to keep an eye out for?"
Vina finally noticed the melting ice cream on her spoon and hastily stuffed it in her mouth. "Well, there's obviously the Chronovores," she said around the metal. "I've heard rumors of someone like me - the child of a Chronovore and an Eternal, although for some reason they're apparently not good enough and so that's why they need me? I don't know. And then there's someone else, who I'm thinking is from your universe. I don't know much about him except that he looks human but isn't, and has an Irish accent. Apparently it's rather distinctive."
Lyssa did a double-take, staring at the redhead with wide eyes. "An Irish accent?" she repeated, feeling chills run down her spine.
"Except this one bloke I overheard right before I was tripped. He had an Irish accent," she recalled Clara saying after they'd left the ball on Beltura.
The ball where someone had tried to change a fixed point and kill the Emperor-elect.
The only other time there'd been an Irish accent swam into her mind. Being trapped in a demented funhouse with Twelve, his companion - a girl named Bri? No, Bria - and another man. All of whom had been almost killed by the end of the night. Bria had actually been killed. And all at the hands of the man in the purple suit.
The Master.
"Okay, I'm getting bad vibes here," Vina's Scottish accent pulled her out of her memories. "I'm guessing that rings a bell?"
Lyssa nodded, trying to shove the memories of gut-wrenching terror and guilt into the back of her mind. "Yeah. I... I don't for sure know if it's the same guy, but he's the only guy with an Irish accent that I've met in the two-ish years I've been here. Also, he's a psychopath, so it wouldn't exactly be out of character." She took a deep breath, rubbing her hands over her arms in an attempt to bring warmth back to them. "I think it's the Master."
"The Master?" Vina tilted her head to the side with a frown. "Isn't he the nutso guy who used to be the Doctor's best friend and then went completely off the rails because the Time Lords were stupid? Again?"
"So he exists in your universe too. Lovely," Lyssa sighed, fighting off a shiver.
Vina shrugged. "I think ours is dead, actually. Or at least he's supposed to be. Anyway, this guy - he feels different, kind of like you and your Doctor did. So I'm thinking he's from your universe. At least we have a name now, even if it's a stupid one. Wa-hoo!" she cheered sarcastically. "That's my accomplishment for the day."
Lyssa gave a reluctant smile. "Okay, so now we know a little bit more about them. Is there anything else I should keep an eye out for?
Vina bit her lip. "Well, you already know about looking for things that require massive outside intervention. Um... Probably also things happening that shouldn't be happening the way they are without consequences - like creating a massive paradox with no Reapers showing up, that sort of thing. The Guardian of Order can't disappear without widespread consequences. If the effects are already rippling over to your universe, we can get an idea of how bad things are getting."
"Things happening without consequences?" Lyssa repeated, brow furrowed as she thought over her past few adventures. "Well... there were two Doctors on the same planet a while back, though I think they cancelled each other out, and that's happened before without issue," she mused, thinking of Atrellian. Although that sparked another memory. "Uh... What about an unnaturally prolonged lifespan?" she tried.
Vina eyed her. "Define unnatural. Lots of people try and prolong their lifespan."
Lyssa scrunched her nose. "They steal the lifespans of other people by turning them into children and placing them in some sort of mud that literally absorbs their lifespan. Something to do with a sentient bush that eats them." She shuddered at the memory.
Vina drew back, looking both horrified and disgusted. "Yeah, okay, that's definitely not normal. And there's no way any sort of bush or mud involved became that way naturally. What planet did this happen on? Maybe they just figured it out using advanced technology."
"I think it was Atrellian?" Lyssa tried to remember. "Plant people, supposed to have a lifespan of about ten years, but they had elders who were over eighty and going strong."
"Hang on a sec." Vina disappeared off screen for a moment, and the rustling of pages and tapping at a keyboard could be heard before she reappeared a few minutes later, looking disconcerted. "Okay, so... I just checked, and at least in our universe, Atrellian never developed beyond the wheel. Ever. They're completely hostile to outsiders, and both the Serecelian Embassy and the Shadow Proclamation declared it under their protection basically as soon as it was discovered. No one's allowed to visit there unless the Atrellians reach out first. No exceptions."
Lyssa chewed her lip thoughtfully. "So how do we know if it was just supposed to happen that way in our universe or if it was due to somebody meddling?"
Vina shrugged. "Check their creation myths. A lot of culturally sacred items are usually supposed to have been passed down to them as a gift from some higher being. If they were 'gifted' something along those lines - it was almost certainly deliberate. You don't accidentally give someone a sentient carnivorous plant. Or deliberately give them one without some sort of plan in place."
Lyssa flipped rapidly through her journal until she landed on the right page, scanning her hastily scribbled writing. "I found a passage alluding to them in a book a few weeks back," she told the older woman. "I copied it down, I'll just read it to you." When Vina nodded, she cleared her throat and began.
"'The Atrellians, previously a simple society that had developed little further than the wheel, made rapid technological advancements that made them the equals of such planets as modern day Earth, in the span of a few decades. Few visited this planet in its early years, as it held little that might be considered valuable by more advanced species.
"Though much of their history is secret, the origin of their success is credited to a being they name only as "Her". This mysterious being is revered as the founder of their civilization, and an off-worlder noted for both her golden hair which shone like the sun - at the time a hair color unknown to the Atrellians - and the haunting melody which preceded her arrival on the planet.It's said that in her melody were the secrets to the technological marvels the Atrellians achieved, and as a final gift - or a reward for their welcoming nature, depending on the legend - she bestowed upon them a plant supposedly capable of extending their lifespan exponentially.'"
Vina stabbed her spoon into the ice cream with a sigh, swirling it around in the treat. "Okay, that's totally suspicious," she decided as soon as Lyssa finished reading. "It's gotta be connected somehow. Our universes have a fairly similar timeline of events. A change that big has to be deliberate, but it would also have to be done carefully to avoid the Reapers, even without the White Guardian there to stop it. Given that the Chronovores are unaffected by paradoxes, they wouldn't have gone to all that effort. The Black Guardian was busy over here, as was the person supposedly like me, so... it was probably the Master," she sighed.
"Great," Lyssa scowled, crossing her arms. "Just another reason to punch him in the face if - probably when, actually - I see him again."
"We're gonna need to punch so many people by the time this is over our hands are going to hurt," Vina mused, studying her knuckles thoughtfully. "I've heard it's really satisfying, though."
Lyssa scrunched her nose, recalling the time she'd punched Henry van Statten in the jaw - and regretted it immediately afterwards. Not because she was sorry for him, by any means. Just because she'd done it wrong and hurt herself in the process. "Maybe I can ask Jack to show me how to fight the next time I see him," she thought aloud. The Doctor would probably know how, but he tended to avoid using physical violence if at all possible. Jack didn't seem to have any issues with that sort of thing.
"Connie?" Vina perked up. She grinned when Lyssa sent her a weird look. "What? He's a conman, and I wanted to irritate him. How could I not?" She waved a hand in the air dismissively. "Anyway, was there anything else?"
Lyssa sighed. "Well, I think the Master might have tried to change a fixed point a week or two ago, and assassinate this guy who was supposed to create an empire of long-lasting peace, or something like that. I don't know for sure, but Clara noticed that someone there had an Irish accent. And he's the only one with an Irish accent that I've noticed the entire time I've been traveling with the Doctor. Usually the translation circuits make everyone sound British. And that's too big of a coincidence for me to ignore."
"So they're trying to alter fixed points on your end, but they're leaving them alone on my end for the most part. But why?" Vina wondered, tapping her spoon against her lips. "Unless... You mentioned you do have an awareness of how Time is supposed to be. Do fixed points affect you at all?" she asked Lyssa.
The brunette wrinkled her nose. "Sort of? It feels kind of like an itch at the back of my neck. And if they get broken I get sick. Or at least I did last time. Why? Do you think they're trying to make me sick?" she frowned.
Vina shrugged. "Could be. Make you less of a threat and easier to capture. It would also serve to distract the Doctor." She sighed. "This is so complicated. Everything was so much easier when I thought I was human." She waved a hand at Lyssa's questioning look. "It was supposed to teach me empathy and compassion, something like that, I don't know. Something about how Eternals are incapable of feeling empathy. Which, sure. I'm glad I'm not an emotionless being who uses others as playtoys. But let me tell you, it's incredibly weird to wake up one day and find out you're not supposed to be human anymore. My whole life was a lie! I don't even know who my brother actually was - was I biologically related to him before I became me again? Was one of us adopted? Was he even human? I don't know. My mother has never been overly skilled at communication."
"I know the feeling," Lyssa muttered. "Like, all of that. That's... probably really sad," she sighed.
"I can't believe we're the ones they picked to save the multiverse," Vina grumbled. "Like, are our issues supposed to magically save the day, somehow? I don't even know how to file taxes. What if we get audited?"
"Haven't you heard?" Lyssa asked sarcastically. "It's all about the power of love these days. We probably just need to give someone a hug and that'll fix everything. Never mind that I'm barely a functioning adult most days. Also, I really need a nap. And probably a pay raise." She muffled a yawn with her hand.
Vina glanced at her with a mischievous smirk. "Well, a hug might fix some of your problems, but then, you're not a homicidal maniac, so I don't know how well it'll work on the others. I don't have enough data to compare it to. Funnily enough, not many people try hugging homicidal maniacs."
"There's something about correlation vs. causation there, I just know it," Lyssa snorted.
"Well, don't go hugging any homicidal maniacs to find out," Vina instructed with a raised eyebrow. "I like you alive. You're like the little sister I never knew I had, who I'm not biologically related to, and is in fact a different species."
Lyssa laughed. "Thanks! I prefer you alive too. You're like the big sister I never knew existed until I got a vision of you from a fairy godmother who I'm also not related to."
Vina clasped her hands to her chest and sniffed dramatically. "Such tender words of affection! It's official then. I'm adopting you as my baby sister. No take-backs, I've already claimed you as a dependent and baby needs an auntie." She patted her round stomach.
"I thought you said you didn't know how to file taxes?" Lyssa pointed out, trying not to smile.
"Oh, dear, is that the time?" Vina glanced at her watch-less wrist. "I just remembered that I scheduled a family emergency today. I really must be off - can't be late, you know."
"But didn't you just -"
"Sorry, can't hear you over my fake - I mean, real, totally real - emergency. Got to go. Bye, snowflake girl!" Vina waved and disappeared, ignoring Lyssa's protests.
Lyssa shook her head with a smile, running a hand through her still faintly damp hair as she let her journal fall shut. "I can't believe I ever thought she was normal," she muttered, getting up from her bed to put her journal away and check the timer on her phone. She was supposed to meet the Doctor in the library that night - they'd been working their way through Treasure Island after the Doctor had taken her to the planet that had supposedly inspired the famous story a week or two ago. It was almost time to leave, so she put her comb away and headed out into the hallway.
As soon as she shut her door behind her she felt goosebumps raise up on her arms again. She glanced up at the ceiling, rubbing her arms for warmth. "Is there a reason it's still cold out here?" she asked the TARDIS, recalling how cold she'd been before the TARDIS had crashed several days ago.
And how she'd ended up needing the jacket to save the Ranger's life. "Should I just grab a first aid kit now? Is someone else bleeding out?"
The ship sent her a feeling of calm assurance - and a wave of smug mischief that instantly made her wary. "What was that about?" she asked suspiciously, glancing about the corridor. "What are you up to?"
The temperature lowered a few degrees again and she shivered, this time not questioning when the ship sent her a mental image of the wardrobe. "Works for me," she agreed, heading down the hallway for the room. She'd already removed the jacket she'd worn when the TARDIS had crashed, having no desire to wear it again with all the bad memories associated with it. The wardrobe had plenty of jackets, she could find a cute one easily.
Using a few shortcuts the TARDIS provided her, she arrived in the wardrobe less than a minute later, quickly descending the stairs until she felt a nudge from the ship telling her to stop halfway down. Walking out onto the level, she raised her eyebrow when she saw that most of the clothes were men's jackets - all far bigger than her size. Most of them were suit coats, although she felt a faint twinge in her heart when she saw Ten's brown overcoat hanging neatly from a hook on the wall, as if the owner had just stepped out for a moment and would be back shortly.
She ran her hand over the familiar fabric before stepping away with a sigh when the TARDIS nudged her forward, feeling oddly like she missed the Doctor - which was ridiculous, obviously, considering that she'd be seeing him in just a few minutes.
She shivered again, rubbing her arms absently as the chill got worse. Running her fingers along the clothes as she passed them, she stopped at a rack when the TARDIS gave her another warning nudge. "I'm guessing this is the one then? Even though none of these will fit me?" she guessed. The ship gave her a stubborn affirmation and she shook her head in amusement. "All right, whatever you say," she complied agreeably.
She rifled through the clothes - still all men's, and still all too big for her. Most of them were fairly normal in appearance, but some were a bit questionable. And one of them... well, it was the most ridiculous coat she'd ever seen, and that was being kind.
"What even is this?" she laughed, pulling the multicolored coat off the rack and holding it out for to see better. "It looks like a fabric store threw up on it!" It was a hideous combination of both patterns and colors of every kind, none of them paired in an even faintly complimentary fashion, and she loved it. "This is the best thing ever!" she exclaimed, placing the hanger back on the rack and holding the coat up to herself for comparison.
It easily dwarfed her, and she tugged it on with glee, laughing when her hands disappeared into the sleeves with several inches to spare. The inside fabric was also incredibly soft, and her chills disappeared the moment she put it on, leaving her feeling both warm and, strangely enough, safe. There was a faintly familiar scent to it, faded, but still present enough for her to recognize it as a faded version of the Doctor's, strangely enough. Probably because it'd been in the TARDIS for long enough to gather the same scent as all the other clothes. If she tried on another one she'd probably find the same scent.
Buuuut she liked this one - not only was it utterly appalling to the eyes, but it was also incredibly comfortable, and warm, and it smelled nice, and - yeah, basically she was keeping it forever. "Is this what you wanted me to find?" she asked the TARDIS. She frowned when the ship sent her a smug affirmation. "What's with all the smugness?" she demanded, throwing her hands into the air and unable to resist a snicker when the extra fabric flapped about in the air with the movement. "Seriously? Why all the subterfuge? I love this coat, it's not like it was a struggle to get me to wear it."
The ship remained obstinately silent, and she sighed, too deliciously warm to bother being irritated. "All right. Keep your secrets. I've got to meet the Doctor in the library." When this statement was only met with a burst of glee, she rolled her eyes fondly and headed back up the stairs.
She made it into the library before the Doctor did, and curled up into her usual spot on the couch in front of the fireplace. It was strangely cold in the room, and now she was positive the TARDIS was up to something. She held her hands up to the roaring fire, letting the heat warm her cold fingers before settling back onto the couch as the Doctor entered the room, tugging a nearby lap blanket up over her shoulders for extra warmth.
"Oh, good, you're in here already!" he called as he made his way over to her. "I brought tea - yours is properly sugared, don't worry. I know how you like it. The strangest thing happened, though. I was in the kitchen, and this piece of soggy toast fell on my face! Don't have the foggiest where it came from, or how it got there, but the TARDIS absolutely refuses to tell me a thing!" he complained.
Lyssa snorted as the mental image hit her. Then she laughed even harder when she realized what had actually happened. The stupid piece of toast that the Ranger had accidentally stuck to the ceiling had somehow survived the TARDIS almost crashing and an additional three days before falling right when the Doctor walked underneath it.
"I recognize that laugh, fairy-girl. You know what's going on!" the Doctor accused her.
"Yep, I do, and it's hilarious," Lyssa grinned, standing up to take her cup as the Doctor approached the couch. "Also, the Ranger owes me now." She paused. "Although, if it fell on me in an alternate timeline... do I owe him, too, now? Or does it just cancel out? Do alternate timelines even apply? I didn't actually read the terms and conditions, I just lied and pretended I did."
The Doctor sputtered something unintelligible.
She turned to look at him in concern, only to see him staring at her, frozen. Or, to be more accurate, at her outfit. She glanced down, not sure what was wrong. Had she spilled something?
A patch of particularly ugly color caught her eye, and then she realized that her current garb wasn't exactly her normal style. She turned back to him with a grin. "I know. Isn't it awful?" she laughed, flapping her excessively long sleeves about in the air with glee. "I found it in the wardrobe. It's quite possibly the worst thing I've ever seen, and definitely the ugliest thing I've ever worn, but it's super warm and comfy, and I'm keeping it forever."
"Wh-what made you choose that one?" he managed to stammer out, still looking quite stupefied.
She narrowed her eyes at him with concern, rescuing the tea cups in case he dropped them and setting them on the nearby end table. "Well, I was really cold - still kind of am, actually, but the TARDIS directed me to this one level in the wardrobe. I still don't entirely know why, because it was all men's jackets, but I found this one in there, and loved it immediately. I tried it on, and it just... I don't know. It makes me feel all warm and safe." She shrugged awkwardly, wrapping her arms around herself. It was kind of silly that a random piece of clothing would do that, but... it was what it was.
Totally had nothing to do with the way it smelled.
The Doctor blinked, a wide range of emotions moving rapidly over his face before he managed to settle on a mostly casual expression. "Ah. And the TARDIS didn't pick it out for you?" he asked carefully.
Lyssa frowned. "No. Although she seemed quite pleased that I picked it. Why? Does it mean something to you? I can give it back if you want it," she offered reluctantly, although it didn't quite seem to be his style. She didn't even know why he had it in the first place, unless he'd picked it up on some adventure in the past, or something.
He shook his head rapidly. "No, no, you can keep it," he hastened to assure her. "You... I like... it looks good on you," he fumbled for words, looking faintly pink for some strange reason.
She eyed him. "Are you sure?"
Whatever was bothering him, he seemed to shake it off. "Yes, I'm sure." He shot her a smile and took his place on the edge of the couch, taking a sip of his tea before setting it back down. "Shall we?" he invited, nodding his head at her usual place beside him.
"All right," she agreed reluctantly, still feeling like he wasn't being completely honest but curling up next to him anyways, tucking her legs up onto the cushion underneath her. He automatically stretched his arm out over her shoulders, tucking her into his side. She huddled into his warmth gratefully, pulling the blanket up over both their laps and grabbing her tea as he pulled the book out, cupping her hands around the warmth.
He shot her a concerned glance but started the book anyways, his steady voice bringing life to the pages. "'Chapter 14. I was so pleased at having given the slip to Long John that I began to enjoy myself and look around me with some interest on the strange land that I was in...'"
xXx
The Doctor marked their place and closed the book as he finished reading, several chapters later. "You know, I once helped a pirate bury his treasure. It was not as cool as I thought it was going to be. There is a lot of digging involved, and I got sand in my shoes." He crinkled his nose in distaste. "I'm not a big fan of sand."
"Because it's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere?" Lyssa teased him sleepily, perfectly comfortable and warm in her spot buried into his side.
He scoffed. "No. That's what sand does. It'd be like getting mad at stars for shining. But once you get offered as a sacrifice to the Sand Mites of Terhine, twice, it loses a lot of its appeal."
Lyssa raised her eyebrows. "Twice? What, the first time was so good you went back and did it again? Or did you get lost?" She covered her mouth with her hand when the Doctor stayed suspiciously silent. "Oh my gosh, you did, didn't you?"
"What - no!" the Doctor protested, looking offended when she let out a peal of laughter. "Lyssa, I am a skilled driver, with centuries of experience! I don't get lost! I go precisely where I mean to!"
"Just not when you mean to?" she snarked, dodging when he poked a protesting finger into her side, only to go to far with her recoil and falling off the couch with a shriek. It wasn't as bad as she'd expected though. Her new, oversized coat and her hair protected her from feeling anything beyond a minor bump, and it was actually kind of comfy, so she just lay there and accepted her fate as he leaned over the side of the couch to peer down at her with raised eyebrows and a smirk. She was too tired to bother getting up.
"This is my home. I live here now," she announced placidly, turning onto her side and curling up so that her legs were tucked into the coat and her head was resting on her arms.
He tilted his head to the side. "You really do like that coat, don't you?" he asked, wearing an inscrutable expression.
She nodded. "It's like... a giant hideous blanket of protection," she settled on. "It's super comfy and warm, and nobody will ever try to steal it because it's so ugly, which means I can keep it forever. And something about the smell makes me feel safe." Then, because she was sleepy and thus her filter was down, she added, "I think it's because it smells kind of like you, and you make me feel safe. Which, duh, it was in the wardrobe, the TARDIS probably uses the same detergent on all the laundry, it all probably smells like this." He made a strangled noise and she blinked up at him in concern, noting the odd look of shock or disbelief in his eyes. "Are you okay, Doctor?"
He took a deep breath and blew it out again before sending her a reassuring, if slightly wavering, smile. "Totally fine, fairy-girl. Cross my hearts."
"Okay." She didn't entirely believe him, but she didn't say anything, instead reluctantly sitting up and scooting over until she was sitting next to his feet, leaning her head against his legs, smiling when she felt him relax a little. She let her thoughts drift as the Doctor sipped his tea, both taking comfort in the other's presence. A memory popped into her head, from the time that never was with the Ninth Doctor, and she frowned. She never had figured out what he'd meant. Well, no better time to ask than the present.
"Doctor?" she asked quietly, tilting her head over her shoulder to look up at him.
"Hmm?" he answered absently, staring into the fire, though his leg pressed into her side as a sign that he was listening.
"Why am I dying?"
A/N: Sleepy Lyssa is loads of fun to write because she has very little filter, and it just gets to the Doctor every time. XD
Psst. The TARDIS is a total shipper, pass it on. But like, a shipper who loves to frustrate the Doctor while she's at it.
To confirm what everyone has most likely guessed, yes, Lyssa has indeed found the Sixth Doctor's coat, and yes, the Doctor got very soft when he saw her wearing it. Also very flustered. :D
This idea was requested/suggested by Chocolatelover027, and I've been waiting for a chance to use it ever since XD
I should totally get points for nailing that one trope - 'Stealing Your boyfriend's jacket' or whatever it is. Well. 'Your not-boyfriend-(yet)-but-it's-not-exactly-purely-platonic-anymore-friend's jacket' to be more specific. But it should still count!
Bonus/Deleted scene: The Ranger finds out Lyssa got hit by the toast in the original timeline and accuses her of rewriting time purely to save five bucks.
Unfortunately I can't guarantee when the next chapter will be up, but hopefully it'll be soon, and it should see things taking off pretty quick, which I'm looking forward to - we'll finally be getting around to some major plot points/character growth arcs ;)
Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to everyone who's commented! Your support kept me writing, and all the lovely comments just made my day. You all are awesome, thank you so much!
Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)
General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa. Vina belongs to AllOfTimeNSpace over on Wattpad.
Slightly More Specific Disclaimer: Treasure Island was written by Robert Louis Stevenson.
