"And then it's just these three?" Aries questioned as she glanced at the Doctor, her hand hovering over three switches.
Looking away from the scanner, the Doctor nodded with a grin when he saw which switches his Nesdra was asking about. "Yep. Then all that's needed is to pull this lever and we'll be off," he told her as he stepped towards said lever before gesturing for Aries to come over.
The red head hesitated, looking to the switches. "Do I flip these now?" she asked. With the Doctor's confirmation, she flicked the three switches upwards before moving to join the Time Lord in front of the lever.
"Now, when we're ready to head off," the Doctor grabbed her hand and placed it on top of the lever, "I want you to pull this."
Glancing at the lever her hand was resting on, Aries swallowed, feeling a little apprehensive. It was one thing to join the Doctor on his travels, but to actually help him fly the TARDIS was something she hadn't been expecting.
The Doctor stepped up behind his Nesdra and placed his hand over her when he noticed her hesitation. "You did fine," he murmured, feeling her relax at his words, "I checked everything and we're set to go as soon as Rose gets here. All you need to do is pull this," he told her as his hand curled around hers.
My Thief is right, you did wonderful, Wolf, the TARDIS spoke in Aries' mind and she glanced up to the time rotor, Though I suggest you press this, the ship added and a picture flashed in her head of what button the TARDIS wanted her to press.
Aries' eyebrows furrowed and she leant forwards and pressed the button, trusting the ship. She almost snorted at the thought of trusting the TARDIS. She'd know more than anyone how she's supposed to fly, she thought with a mental eye roll.
"Why'd you press that?" the Doctor asked, looking over Aries' shoulder to see what button she had pressed.
"Oh, the TARDIS suggested it," Aries replied without thinking and froze when she realised what she had just admitted. She glanced back to the Doctor and noticed he was pouting at the ship and felt her body slowly relax, realising that he hadn't caught on to the fact she had some telepathic powers.
"Nosey ship," the Time Lord muttered before hugging Aries from behind and kissing the side of her head. "How do you speak with her?" he asked curiously, wondering just how far his Nesdra's telepathic abilities went. She was half Time Lord, so it wasn't as farfetched as he thought that she possibly held some similar abilities as himself, though the Doctor still couldn't understand why he couldn't sense her if she did.
He recalled that she had called out to him mentally after his regeneration had gone wrong, and at first he wasn't sure if she had known that she had done so. But he had thought over his Nesdra and the implications of what he had discovered about her heritage while she had been sleeping and realised that it hadn't been the first time that she had used some kind of mental abilities around him. In fact, the first time he had met her, he could vaguely remember Aries, or Eris, having managed to not only enter his mind, but had also placed a block around the memory of what had happened during their encounter with the Nestene Consciousness.
The Doctor hadn't mentioned that he remembered, however. It wasn't that he feared that she would do it again, but more that he understood what it was like to have secrets. He could see that her actions had been more for self preservation than anything malicious and he couldn't fault Aries for wanting the keep what she had done that day to herself.
Aries stiffened at his question, staring at the console. Okay, maybe he did notice, she thought, her mind frantically trying to come up with a reasonable excuse as to how she could talk with the TARDIS. She didn't even know why she held a connection with his ship, but knew that as both an Occlumens and Legilimens, it could stand to reason as to why she could communicate with the TARDIS; as well as how the ship was able to link with her.
The red head also knew that the Doctor held some kind of telepathic abilities, otherwise how else would he have been able to speak with her while he had regenerated. But she had been cautious at revealing that she was also, unsure as to how the Doctor would react. Let alone how he would react to her being a half Time Lord witch, knowing that he would immediately know she wasn't from this universe.
The Doctor almost sighed when he felt Aries tense in his arms, though knew that it would take time for her to open up to him. Her reaction, however, had told him that she knew she held some mental abilities along with the others that he had seen. Though he couldn't work out where she would have inherited them from. He could count the number of humanoid species that had unusual abilities on one hand, but none of them were from Earth. And although there were a few confirmed cases he heard of about humans during the twentieth century having some mental abilities; telekinesis, telepathy, and even the occasional premonition, none were anything close to what he had witnessed his Nesdra do.
The pair were broken from their separate musings when the TARDIS door opened and Rose stepped inside, a rucksack hung over her shoulder. Aries closed her eyes and let out a slow breath as she felt the Doctor's arms tighten around her, holding her closer for a moment longer before unwrapping his arms from around her and stepped around the console.
She inhaled deeply, savouring his scent that lingered around her. As much as her feelings for the Time Lord scared her at times, the red head didn't know how she would react if he found out who she was and didn't want anything more to do with her. There was always that small doubt that plagued her mind that he would try and send her back, and that thought terrified her more than anything.
Rose frowned as the door closed behind her, noticing straight away that the Doctor had his arms around Aries. That should be me, she thought bitterly, though she held her tongue. She knew that after what the Doctor had said earlier, if she wanted to keep travelling with him and prove to him that she was the better option, she couldn't say anything. Well, not in front of him, anyways, she mused.
"So, where are we going?" the blonde questioned, dropping her large rucksack by the door before approaching the console.
Both the Doctor and Aries felt the TARDIS letting out an unimpressed hum at the blondes actions, but neither let on as the red head looked to the Doctor. He grinned and nodded at her before he turned to Rose as his Nesdra pulled the lever.
"Further than we've ever gone before," the Time Lord said before he made his way back to Aries' side, checking the scanner as he went.
New Earth, Galaxy M87: Year Five Billion And Twenty-Three
When the TARDIS landed, the Doctor was quick to grab Aries' hand to stop her from looking at the scanner. "No peeking," he scolded her playfully as she looked to him with a raised eyebrow.
He tugged on her hand and led her towards the doors, Rose following behind them with a disgruntled expression. As he opened the door, the Doctor couldn't help but grin as Aries stepped outside.
The red head's eyes widened as she took in the view. The TARDIS had materialised on a grassy field, a river not that far in front of them. And on the other side was a massive, futuristic city. Flying cars zoomed passed overhead and a faintly familiar scent reached Aries' nose.
"It's the year five billion and twenty-three. We're in the galaxy, M87, and this? This is New Earth," the Doctor explained as he stepped up next to Aries, his arm sliding around her waist. There was a rather smug grin on his lips at seeing the look of awe on his Nesdra's face as she took everything in.
"This..." Aries found herself at a loss for words to describe what she was seeing.
"Not bad," the Doctor said, causing his Nesdra to look to him. "Not bad at all," he added with a smile, holding her a little closer and Aries rested her head on his shoulder as she turned back to the view.
"It's amazing," she told him.
Neither noticed Rose glowering at their interaction. The blonde decided to just ignore Aries and focused on the Doctor, trying to figure out a way to get them to separate. "I'll never get use to this," she said, her tone excited and caused the Doctor to glance at her with a slight frown, though she chose to ignore it as she continued, "Never. Different ground beneath my feet," she jumped on the spot to emphasise her words, "Different sky. What's that smell?" she questioned as she took a deep breath of the fresh air.
Aries inhaled deeply before moving from the Doctor's hold to kneel down to pluck some blades of grass, realising what was giving off the scent. She gave the blades a sniff and her nose twitched at the scent. "It smells like apples," she remarked as she eyes the grass, finally managing to work out what the familiar scent was when she had stepped out of the TARDIS.
"Apple grass," the Doctor confirmed as he plucked some for himself so he could also have a sniff of the grass.
"Apple grass," Rose repeated a little flatly, realising that her plan to get the two to separate didn't work as the moment the Doctor straightened, he had wrapped his free hand back around Aries' waist.
Tilting her head, Aries eyed the grass, her expression curious. "I wonder," she murmured and the Doctor raised his eyebrows when, in a rather unorthodox move, Aries popped the blades in her mouth, only to quickly spit them back out. "Oh, yuck," she exclaimed in disgust.
"Why'd you do that?" Rose asked, her face scrunched up in disbelief and revulsion. And I thought only the Doctor did that, she thought.
The Doctor watched in amusement as Aries tried to get the taste out of her mouth. "What did it taste like?" he asked as he looked curiously at the blades of grass he was holding.
The red head had her tongue stuck out as she wiped it with the collar of her shirt, managing to get out, "Pears," between trying to get rid of the taste.
Her response had the Doctor's eyes widening before he dropped the grass and brushed his hands off on his pants. "Better not then," he muttered, wrinkling his nose up in distaste.
"Have," Aries looked to the Doctor as she continued to try and wipe the taste off her tongue, "You don't...got a mint...something to...?"
The Time Lord just shook his head at her, finding her antics rather amusing.
Aries frowned before she stuck her hands into her coat pockets, muttering, "I swear there was one in here."
Rose furrowed her eyebrows as she watched Aries dig around in her pockets, suddenly feeling as though there was something familiar about the coat. Her eyes widened in surprise and disbelief before she turned angrily to the Doctor, wondering why the red head was wearing the Time Lord's old jacket. But before she could say anything, Aries made a noise of triumph.
"Gotcha," the red head exclaimed as she pulled out a bright red apple from a pocket.
The Doctor blinked at his Nesdra, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Why do you have an apple in you pocket?" he asked, a little bewildered.
Grinning, Aries took a bite out of the apple, her eyes closing in bliss as the taste of pears left her. "Never know when I'll get hungry," she shrugged when she finished her mouthful.
The Time Lord eyed her for a moment before a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes. It was the only warning Aries got before he suddenly snatched the apple off her and took off.
"Hey!" Aries shouted, rather dumbfounded that he had just stolen her apple. Though it wasn't long before a sly grin made its way on her face and she dashed off after the apple-thieving Time Lord, leaving Rose to glare after them before she also followed.
None of the time travellers noticed the small, metal spider scurry after them.
When Rose finally caught up with the Doctor and Aries, she couldn't stop herself from glaring daggers at the red head's back, finding the pair relaxing on the Time Lord's long coat as they looked over the city, his arm once again around Aries as she lent against him. It was too close for Rose's liking and the blonde also didn't like how the Doctor had ignored her the moment they had landed.
"So, why do you have an apple in your pocket?" the Time Lord asked as he watched his Nesdra take another bite of the fruit. She had managed to catch him quite quickly, not that he was trying to hard to evade her. But he was rather glad that she seemed to be enjoying herself and felt that Aries really did need some time to unwind after everything she had gone through.
Aries finished her mouthful, glancing at the Doctor as she did so. "Sarah use to get annoyed with how I tended to forget to eat while I worked. I get so caught up in my work that sometimes I skip meals, so I learnt to always have something on me to snack on," she explained. Before she could take another bite from her apple, however, the Time Lord pinched it from her hand and bit into it, causing her to pout.
He just grinned at her as he chewed before managing to speak. "I was feeling peckish," he told her cheekily.
"Apple thief," Aries muttered with a half-hearted glare before taking the apple back and took another bite, causing the Doctor to chuckle at her actions, seeing that she was now holding the apple protectively close to her as she tried to finish it off.
It was at this point that Rose joined them, though the Time Lord didn't even spare a glance at his companion as he turned his gaze back to the view. "So, the year five billion," he started to explain where they were, knowing that with Rose there, the conversation he and Aries were having was over for now. "The sun expands, the Earth gets roasted."
Pausing in eating her fruit, the apple temporarily forgotten, Aries looked to the Doctor with wide, interested eyes as she questioned him, "You saw the end of the Earth?" She didn't realise she had cut off whatever Rose had been about to say, causing the blonde to glare at her while the Time Lord wasn't looking.
The Doctor smiled at his Nesdra and nodded, while using the hand that was around her to snag the unprotected apple back off her once again. "Yeah. Was quite an adventure," he told her as he unwrapped his arm from around her to grab the apple in his other hand before rewrapping it around her. Aries took no notice however, and the Doctor's smile grew at they way her eyes had lit up at the possibility of hearing one of his adventures.
Rose cleared her throat, not enjoying the way she was being ignored. First he had let Aries pilot the TARDIS, then they had left her behind, and now it was as if she wasn't even there.
Rolling his eyes as he glanced to his companion, the Time Lord turned back to Aries. "I'll tell you about it later," he promised before taking a bite from the apple.
Aries nodded before realising that he had managed to take the fruit back and exclaimed, "Hey!"
"So anyway," the Doctor said with a smirk, causing the red head to sulk. He tightened his hold on her and she frowned at him before sighing, deciding that it wasn't worth it and relaxed in his embrace. "The planet's gone, all rocks and dust," he continued, smiling in victory as he took another bite from the fruit, "But the human race lives on, spread across the stars. Soon as Earth burns up, oh yeah, they get all nostalgic, big revival movement, but they find this place. Same size as the Earth, same air, same orbit. Lovely. Call goes out, the humans move in."
"What's the city called?" Rose asked, trying to keep her tone light.
"New, New York," the Doctor replied.
Aries snorted at the name. "Very original," she said with a roll of her eyes, only to stop when she noticed the Doctor looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, come on. You're kidding, right?" she questioned.
"It is," he confirmed with a grin. "It's the city of New, New York," he added before frowning in thought, "Though, strictly speaking, it's the fifteenth New York since the original, so that makes it New, New, New, New, New, New, New, New, New, New, New, New, New, New York. What?" he asked when he noticed Aries looking at him oddly. It was an expression he hadn't seen coming from his Nesdra before.
She didn't reply. Instead the red head frowned as she looked back to the city. She knew that it wasn't his fault, and as much as she tried to get over what had happened, she still couldn't help but miss the Doctor she had come to know. It wasn't that she didn't like this version of the Time Lord; in fact she actually found it very easy to get along with him. She hadn't felt this relaxed in so long and was enjoying every moment she had spent with him, but even knowing that he was still essentially the same man, Aries felt as though she had lost a dear friend; someone she had grown close to after only ever meeting him a few times over the last sixty years.
The Doctor let out a quiet breath as he watched his Nesdra, understanding what the look on her face had been. He pulled her slightly closer and felt her tense in his hold. "It's okay," he murmured into her hair, knowing that as normal as it was for him to change; become a completely new person, he couldn't imagine what it would have been like for his Nesdra. More so when he knew that Aries had actually come to feel something towards him, and then for him to go and change on her.
"How is it okay?" Aries almost snapped before wincing. The Doctor didn't say anything, just held her closer and she sighed, turning so she was nestled against his side. Her breath tickled the Doctor's neck as she let out heavy breath. "Sorry," she muttered, "I know that you're still you. It's just..." She trailed off as she closed her eyes, inhaling his scent deeply, only to feel more unsettled at the fact that the scent of leather was no longer there. She wanted to cry at the knowledge that the version of the Doctor she had come to care for truly was gone, but held her tears back. He's still the Doctor, she told herself, He's still the Doctor...
Neither noticed Rose glowering at them once more, wondering why the red head always seemed to hold the Doctor's attention. She didn't know what was so special about Aries. All she saw was a threat to how things were; how things should be, and didn't like the idea of the red head travelling with her and the Doctor if the he was just going to ignore her all the time.
"You miss him, the old me," the Doctor said quietly, his hearts clenching in his chest at what his Nesdra was going through. And his instincts were clambering away inside, wanting to comfort her, to fix things, but he wasn't sure as to how.
Aries nodded her head slightly. "I...I know you're him, that he's you, but...it's like," she let out a huff before she let herself relax further into the Doctor's side, "I just need a little time to get use to it. You're so different sometimes."
"New, New Doctor," the Time Lord said with a small smile.
His words had Aries pulling away from his shoulder to look at him. "New, New Doctor," she murmured as she studied him for a moment before managing a small smile herself. "I like that," she added as she once again relaxed against him, looking back at the city. "New, New Doctor."
The Doctor's smile grew as he kissed the top of her head. He understood that his change would have been a little startling for Aries, even if she knew what was happening. And he knew that it would take her some time, but he was okay with that. Their relationship was still new and the Doctor had waited over nine hundred years to meet her. He could be patient and wait a little longer.
He felt himself relax as Aries snuggled into his side once more, his instincts slowly fading at the knowledge that even if he had regenerated, his Nesdra hadn't rejected him. In fact, he could tell that she had accepted his change, but he also knew that to her, she had lost someone at the same time. And if there was one thing the Time Lord could understand, it was loss.
Their moment was ruined when Rose's voice cut through the silence that had grown. "Can we go and visit New, New York, so good they named it twice?" the blonde asked with her tongue in teeth grin, trying to ignore what she had just heard and seen. She really wasn't liking having Aries around, feeling as though the red head was stealing the Doctor's attention from where it should be. But she also knew that she couldn't say anything, the Time Lord's warning still fresh in her mind.
The Doctor glanced at his companion before looking to Aries, a slight frown appearing on his face. He really didn't want to do anything right now, finding himself enjoying having his Nesdra by his side. But Rose had reminded him of the reason he had brought them there, and he guessed he had been stalling for long enough. "Well," he spoke up, his tone gaining Aries' attention and he pouted internally when she pulled away from him. "I thought we'd go there first," he continued as he pointed to an elegant pair of curved skyscrapers that were standing apart from the city on the same side of the river they were on.
"Why, what is it?" Rose asked as she stood up, happy to see that both the Doctor and Aries had stood up as well. She really didn't know how much longer she would have been able to stand seeing them so close.
"It's some sort of hospital, isn't it?" Aries asked as she glanced back to the Time Lord before helping him put his coat on when he begun to struggle in the wind.
The Doctor hummed in agreement, "Green moon on the side. That's the universal symbol for hospitals." He pulled out his psychic paper from his coat," I got this. A message on the psychic paper," he explained, showing it to them.
Aries couldn't help but frown as she looked at the paper, already knowing that she wouldn't be able to read it; not while she was occluding. Even though she may not have come across many, or rather any telepaths over the last century, the Doctor excluded, the red head still wasn't comfortable with her walls down at any time. It made her feel vulnerable and it had become like second nature to always have them raised.
"Someone wants to see me," the Doctor continued before he noticed his Nesdra frowning. "Aries?"
"Hrn?" The red head lifted her gaze to meet the Doctor's, only to notice he was watching her, his expression concerned.
"Is everything okay?" he asked.
"Oh, yeah," she replied, her eyebrows furrowing as she dropped her gaze back onto the psychic paper. "But what's it say?" she questioned, nodding to the paper.
The Doctor raised an intrigued eyebrow, his earlier interest about Aries having some kind of telepathic abilities perking again. "What's it look like to you?" he replied with a question of his own.
Aries continued to look at the paper, nibbling on her bottom lip as she thought about what she could say. Sighing, she looked up to the Doctor, "It's blank," she told him as she pulled her own from an inside pocket of her coat and showed it to him, having found it with her old jacket after she had woken up earlier. "Psychic paper has never worked for me. It's always been blank," she explained, making sure her thoughts were blank so nothing would show up on hers.
"Where'd you get this?" the Time Lord questioned as he looked at the paper she was holding, rather surprised that she had psychic paper.
"It was, er..." Aries glanced at Rose, ignoring the blonde's glare before looking back to the Doctor, "Left with that note I mentioned when I, uh, arrived in Britain."
Rose's glare darkened as she watched the Doctor nod in understanding, hating that she didn't know what they were talking about. She hated to think that they had been talking about things while she hadn't been there, just like the Doctor showing the red head how to fly the TARDIS.
"If you still have it," the Doctor said, "Or if you remember what was written on it, would you show me later. It might help with figuring out what happened," he added, curious to see the note. It might hold the answer to if, or how his Nesdra was related to the Alchemist. As well as possibly hold the answer to how she had arrived in 1898, although he held the suspicion that Aries already knew how she had arrived.
The red head once again drew her bottom lip between her teeth, a little unsure if telling the Doctor what was on the note was such a good idea. That little bit of doubt that never left her mind made her not want to, but she also knew that he may help her find the answers that had plagued her since being sent away by her father.
She swallowed heavily as she nodded, though it was rather stiff.
Noticing her hesitancy, the Time Lord took a step towards her and grabbed her free hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. He had learnt from Sarah about what had happened after Aries had awoken, but he felt that there was more that they weren't telling him. Whatever was on that note, or even whatever was behind Aries arriving in the time period she had, it seemed to be something the red head kept close to her chest.
"Whatever happened," he spoke softly as they started to head off towards the hospital, his hand not letting hers go, "I'm sure we can work it out together."
Aries continued to chew on her bottom lip as she walked beside the Doctor. She tucked her psychic paper back away before letting out a quiet sigh.
She just hoped he wouldn't hate her when he found out what she was keeping from him.
As the trio approached the hospital, there was a sudden beeping coming from one of the Doctor's pockets.
The Time Lord frowned as he looked down at his coat, rather dumbfounded as to what could be beeping. Though he got his answer when Aries slipped her hand from his, her expression confused.
"Is that my phone?" she asked before she started to search for the device in the Doctor's coat, not even thinking about what she was doing.
The Doctor raised an eyebrow as she did so, a small smirk working its way on his lips when he realised that he had put her mobile in one of his inner pockets, and his Nesdra was searching his outer pockets. Though he couldn't help but wonder, not that he was complaining or anything, why his Nesdra hadn't just asked him for her mobile.
Rose shot Aries' a dark look as the red head continued on with her search. She was certain that Aries was doing it on purpose and couldn't help but think that it could...no, it should have been her.
Aries suddenly froze, realising that she was essentially patting the Doctor down in her search and flushed when she noticed his expression. It deepened when she realised that she had checked his outer pockets, and if his coat was anything like hers, left only the hidden pockets inside. A part of her wanted to disapparate on the spot, feeling mortified by her actions. But when the Doctor's eyebrow only raised higher in a silent question, her mortification was replaced with the need to get rid of the smug look on his face.
Suddenly, Aries ducked her head and the Doctor's smirk grew at the blush he had seen on her face, but he didn't see the smirk on Aries' face as she continued her search, checking the inside pockets of the Doctor's coat and making sure to 'accidently' tickle the smug Time Lord in the process. He jumped in surprise when she tickled him, though before he could retaliate, she made a noise of triumph as she pulled her mobile out of his pocket. He glared playfully at her when she tickled him again as she stepped away, though it was replaced with a smile at seeing she had one of her own on her lips, her eyes sparkling with victory.
Aries felt her flush grow as she glanced at the Time Lord, noticing his smile. She quickly ducked her head again, though this time it was genuine, feeling rather surprised by her own actions. But as she looked at her phone, her surprise was replaced by confusion. "That's strange," she muttered, noticing she had a message on her phone and opened it.
"What is it?" the Doctor asked.
"I...I have a message," the red head told him, a little perturbed. "Ward 26? But I don't even know the number," she murmured with a frown before looking back up to the Doctor. "How do I even have reception?" she asked him.
"I upgraded it," he replied as he stepped up beside her to see her phone. "Though I made sure I didn't disrupt any upgrades you had made yourself, more...built upon them," he added as his eyebrows furrowed, seeing the same message that had appeared on his psychic paper. So, whoever wanted me here also knew that Aries would be coming as well, he mused, though the thought made him a little uncomfortable. He didn't know if he should be worried about the prospect of someone knowing Aries, or worse; someone knowing who she could be. "It's called Universal Roaming," he continued, breaking his own train of thought, knowing that until he was certain, he would be keeping his Nesdra close. "Means that you-"
"I'll get reception anywhere, and can call anyone, no matter where or when I am," Aries looked to the Doctor with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, yes," the Doctor rubbed the back of his neck, "I hope you didn't mind, but we couldn't let Sarah worry about you again, now could we?" he asked with a grin, which caused Aries' blush to return. He grabbed her hand again, "Come on. The quicker we realise who wants to see us, the quicker we can go and see New, New York," he added, glancing at the hospital.
Neither noticed Rose rolling her eyes at them, her arms crossed against her chest. She was seriously getting both annoyed and frustrated by the fact that, once again, it felt as though she wasn't even there. She really wanted things to go back to the way they were.
Aries raised an eyebrow at the Time Lord as he gently guided her towards the hospital. He doesn't seem that keen to go inside, she thought, noticing that the closer they got, the more uncomfortable he looked. "Don't you like hospitals?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
The Doctor wrinkled his nose. "Bad experiences," he admitted, his hand tightening around hers.
Not knowing if he was talking about the first time she had met him, or some other incident, Aries gave his hand a squeeze, causing the Doctor to glance at her and smile.
"Bit rich coming from you," Rose commented as she tried to ignore the red head, though her voice caused the pair to startled slightly and she scowled, realising that they had forgotten she was there.
"I can't help it," the Time Lord told her, his tone a little harsher than intended as they stepped through the hospital doors, "I don't like hospitals. They give me the creeps."
'The Pleasure Gardens will now take visitors carrying green or blue identification cards for the next fifteen minutes. Visitors are reminded that cuttings from the gardens are not permitted,' a Tannoy sounded and Aries' nose wrinkled at the smell of the hospital, though she was picking something else up that had her feeling a little agitated.
"Very smart," Rose remarked as they glanced around, "Not exactly NHS."
Oh, Aries' eyebrow raised, her lip curling slightly in disgust at the nurses, noticing that they were bipedal cats. She wasn't to fond of cats, though after having a few try and stalk her over the years while she was in her animagus form probably had a lot to do with her dislike towards them. But a brief thought flickered through her mind, unable to help but wonder how her old Transfiguration's teacher, Professor McGonagall, would have reacted to seeing the nurse cats and she had to stifle a snort. She'd probably have kittens.
"No shop," the Doctor said with a pout, causing the red head to glance at him, "I like a little shop."
"You just said that you didn't like hospitals, but you'd like them to have shops?" the red head questioned, rather baffled by the Time Lord.
The Doctor looked at her with a grin, shrugging his shoulders, but before he could say anything, Rose spoke up. "I though this far into the future, they'd have cured everything," she stated.
"The human race moves on, but so do the viruses," the Doctor explained as he watched Aries eyeing the nuns, "It's an ongoing war."
Rose suddenly paused, noticing the nurses in their nun-like wimples and habits when one waved at her. "They're cats," she stated a little flabbergasted.
Looking to his companion, the Doctor lightly scolded her. "Now, don't stare. Think of what you look like to them," he looked her up and down, "All pink and yellow," he added before pointing over her shoulder and towards a corner. "That's where I'd put the shop. Right there," he declared before turning and moving off towards the lift, grabbing Aries' hand on the way.
"Pink and yellow?" the red head questioned, shaking her head.
The Time Lord just shrugged as they stepped inside the lift. "Ward 26, thanks!" he called and the doors begun to close.
Neither noticed Rose still standing in the same spot, a little perplexed as she stared at the corner the Doctor had pointed to until it was too late.
"So, you knew?" a males voice asked, his tone both annoyed and exasperated as he glared at the tank that held the Face of Boe, "All these years and you always knew what was going to happen and you never thought to tell me. To give me a bloody hint."
Boe didn't respond, didn't even move; his eyes closed as if he was sleeping, though the brunette standing before him; glaring at him, knew better than to believe the giant head.
"And what of the prophecy? Did you always know about that as well?" the brunette continued, crossing his arms against his chest, "Or was it only when you decided to help my father and betray me and my trust?" he all but sneered.
"Excuse me," a cat-nurse appeared, interrupting the conversation and the male turned slightly to glance at her, missing Boe opening one of his eyes to peek at the brunette before he closed it again. "Who are you?" the cat-nurse continued, eyeing the man.
"The King of France," the brunette mocked, looking the nurse up and down, "What the bloody hell does it look like I am? I'm a visitor."
If the man was paying attention to the Face of Boe, he would have heard the head chuckling at his response.
"I'm sorry, but if you're going to continue being rude and upset our patients, I am goi...how did you even get here?" the cat-nurse questioned, suddenly realising that the brunette hadn't come from downstairs.
"I flew in through the window," the brunette rolled his eyes before sighing dramatically, "Are you quite finished? I'm rather busy right now," he gestured to Boe, who was still trying to hold up the pretence of sleeping.
"If you haven't gone through the disinfectant process, I must ask you to leave," the nurse remarked, her eyes narrowing, "This is a hospital, treating some of the mos-"
"Will you just shut it!" the brunette finally snapped as he turned to face the nurse fully, his nose wrinkling up in distaste as he looked at her, "I don't give two shits if this is a bloody quarantine zone to protect half the human population from some obscure virus that some busy-bodies feel as though the local populace shouldn't know about." His comment had the cat-nurse stiffening slightly and his lip curled up into a smirk. "So why don't you be a good little kitten, and bugger off. I'm currently trying to talk with an old friend of mine and you are becoming rather a nuisance."
Boe's eyes opened a smidge at the brunette's words, his lips twitching upwards into a small smile. It had truly been far too long since his old acquaintance had referred to him as a friend, though he could understand as to why. But he was rather glad that despite their history, some things hadn't changed.
The cat-nurse stood there, her mouth agape as she stared at the brunette before she suddenly pulled herself together and straightened. Her lips pulled back slightly as she said, "I am asking you to leave before I have to call security."
The brunette raised an eyebrow. "Now, we both know you won't be doing that, don't we?" he asked snidely, countering her bluff. And when the nurse's lips drew into a thin line, his smirk returned, "But if you would like, go and get your bloody security. A least I might have some peace and quiet until you get back."
Huffing indignantly, the cat-nurse turned and walked off.
The brunette sighed before he pinched the bridge of his nose and turned back to Boe. "You had to pick the hospital with bloody cats, didn't you?" he asked, but Boe still made no motion of 'waking' and he sighed once again. Shaking his head, the man dropped his hand from his face and looked at his old friend. "Twelve hundred years, Javic, and you still manage to surprise me." He looked to his wrist with a frown, fiddling uncharacteristically with a vortex manipulator that was strapped there.
Glancing back up to Boe, the brunette frowned, "There's no chance in getting you to change your mind, is there?" he asked, "It's not like she would even understand any of it. By the gods, it's been decades and I still don't know what half of it means."
It was only after his words did Boe finally open his eyes, though this time it was because of the emotion he could hear in the man's voice. Boe silently watched the man for a moment, wanting to chuckle at the way the brunette crossed his arms across his chest, raising an eyebrow, but he didn't. There was something about his question that seemed far more serious to take lightly.
Twelve hundred years, Ly, and you have never asked me for anything. What has changed now? he answered with a question of his own, wanting to know the reason as to why the brunette had returned now.
Ly frowned, shifting his weight from one foot to the other before glancing over his shoulder, seeing the cat-nurse that had interrupted them moments ago talking quietly with another nurse. It was the same one that he had 'asked' to leave the moment he had appeared, and Hame had surprisingly complied, leaving him alone with Boe without any unnecessary questions. He looked back to his old friend and seemed to think over what he wanted to say, something that silently intrigued Boe.
After a few beats of silence, Ly finally spoke. "Because not a day goes past that I wish that I had never heard of that prophecy. That so many people would still be alive if certain mouths had stayed silent. And if I am completely honest, I would rather have never been born than to have lived through everything I have because of those blasted words," he told the ancient being before him, "Anything would have been better than going through that pain."
The face of Boe frowned as he eyed Ly. Have you spoken to him about it, to explain what happened that day? Or did you do as you always do and take what you saw and made your own assumptions? he asked and Ly barely held back a flinch at his words, You know more than anyone as to why Red needs to be told, as well as what would happen if she was not to find out.
"Nothing would happen," Ly argued stiffly.
Ly, you and I both know that that isn't true.
"Why?! Why must she know?" the brunette snapped, glowering at Boe, "It would be better off if the Kyrostra neve-"
"Excuse me," Novice Hame cut in, causing Ly to snap his mouth closed and turned to her with a slight glare. "I thank you for watching over my patient, but Sister Jatt has made it clear that you are to leave before security is called."
Ly looked to Boe, but was quick to turn away at the expression on his old friend's face. "As you wish," he sneered, his voice laden with scorn as he pressed a button on his manipulator and disappeared in a flash.
"Ward 26, thanks!"
Rose's head shot towards where she heard the Doctor and realised that he and Aries had entered a lift. She ran towards the lift when the doors started to close, calling out, "Hold on! Hold on!"
The Doctor tried to press the open button, but the doors slid shut, leaving Rose behind. "Oh, too late. We're going up," he told her.
"It's alright," Rose yelled, though she was annoyed that she had been left behind, "There's another lift."
"Ward 26," the Time Lord reminded her as the lift started to move upwards. "And watch out for the disinfectant," he added.
"Watch out for what?" the Doctor and Aries heard Rose shout.
"The disinfectant!" the Doctor shouted back, causing Aries to wince.
"The what?!"
"The disinfect..." the Doctor gave up, "Oh, never mind, you'll find out," he mumbled.
"I don't think Rose is really going to like what's going to happen," Aries pointed out to the Doctor, having a fair idea as to what he was talking about by the way the lift was set up.
The Time Lord looked to his Nesdra questionably, but before he could say anything, an automated voice spoke up, 'Commence, stage one disinfection.'
They were both hit with jets of what felt like water after a green alarm beeped. Standing underneath the spray, Aries was scowling, hating the feeling of being wet while wearing clothes. But she decided to just get over with it and ran a hand through her red hair, using her fingers like a comb as she removed her braid.
Glancing at his Nesdra, the Doctor couldn't help but smile in amusement at her expression as he ran his own hands through his hair like he was washing it in a shower. The spray suddenly stopped and they were both hit with a puff of white powder. Aries couldn't help but flinch, causing the Doctor's amused smile to grow. Finally, hot air blew up from beneath them and the Time Lord couldn't help but snicker as Aries shook herself off, trying to get rid of as much disinfectant as possible as he just held his arms out, holding his coat open, enjoying the moment.
The hot air stopped blowing and the doors slid open. The pair exited the lift, the Doctor's hair slicked back while Aries' was a little puffy until she pulled it back and started braiding it again.
"Guess Rose wasn't the only one who didn't like it," the Time Lord remarked as he eyed his Nesdra in clear amusement, earning a glare from the red head, although her lips curved upwards in a small smile of her own.
They were approached by a veiled nurse, the same nurse that had spoken to Ly not moments earlier, and were led into Ward 26 after the Doctor inquired. As they entered, Aries' nose wrinkled at the scent of the hospital. It wasn't that it was a bad smell, but there had always been something about modern hospitals, and she could now put advanced hospitals into that category, that always smelt too clean for her liking.
"Nice place," the Doctor commented as they walked, "No shop, downstairs."
Aries just rolled her eyes in amusement as she looked around, wondering who could have asked her to be here. And there was something about the hospital; something causing her to be wary. But she couldn't place what it was.
"I'd have a shop. Not a big one. Just a shop, so people can shop," the Time Lord continued.
Sister Jatt removed her veil and stared at the Doctor as she told him, her tone not overly friendly, "This hospital is a place of healing."
The Doctor shrugged, "A shop does some people a world of good. Not me," he added, "Other people."
Jatt just stared at them for a moment longer, her expression clearly one of strained patience.
"Guess that's a no for the shop, then," Aries muttered as the cat-nurse turned and continued to lead them further into the ward. Her words had the Doctor pouting slightly as they looked around, both looking to see who could have asked to see them, though the Time Lord was quick to grab his Nesdra's hand when she had finished braiding her hair. He really wasn't wanting her to go too far until he knew that she was going to be okay.
"The Sisters of Plentitude take a lifelong vow to help, and to mend," Jatt explained as they passed a patient who had blood-red skin. Aries glanced at the man, her expression both intrigued and sympathetic.
As they came to another open cubicle, however, the Doctor and Aries paused, peering at the patient curiously; the Doctor raising an eyebrow at what he saw.
"Excuse me!" a prim looking woman said sharply, glaring at the pair as she moved to stand in front of them, blocking the patient from their view. "Members of the public may only gaze upon the Duke of Manhattan with written permission from the Senate of New, New York."
Aries raised her own eyebrow at the woman as the Doctor murmured, "That's Petrifold Regression, right?" before she glanced around the woman and saw an overweight man laying on the bed, his skin grey and almost looked like stone.
"I'm dying, sir," the Duke groaned out, "A lifetime of charity and abstinence, and it ends like this." The man's voice faltered as he finished.
"Any statements made by the Duke of Manhattan may not be made public without official clearance," the woman before them stated sternly and Aries couldn't help but compare her to Hermione Granger. That witch knew how to nag and the red head swore she just liked to hear her own voice by the amount of times she had overheard Granger ordering her friends around.
"Frau Clovis!" the Duke called and the woman immediately returned to his side, holding his hand. Though the moment the Duke saw Aries, his face creased in confusion. "You...you remind me of someone," he told her, causing Aries to frown. She didn't notice the Doctor stiffen beside her as the Duke continued, "An old acquaintance of mine. Her hair was just as red as yours, but she was older and her eyes were almost golden brown," he muttered as he glanced at the Doctor beside her.
Aries furrowed her brows, opening her mouth to question the Duke before something caught her attention and she looked away from the man. Letting the Doctor's hand go, the red head stepped away from the small group, curious to figure out who could have brushed against the walls of her mind. As the Duke's words faded from her thoughts, replaced by ones on the possibility of humans becoming telepathic this far in the future, Aries couldn't help but feel almost...welcomed by the others presence. It was something she couldn't quite name, but she hadn't felt any malice from the unknown source.
Before the Time Lord could follow his Nesdra, he was stopped by the Duke as the man grabbed his arm. He looked to the man and couldn't help but frown at the expression on the Duke's face.
"She looks so much like her," the Duke's words were quiet, concerned, "And I can tell that you know of who I am talking about by the way you reacted."
The Doctor glanced in Aries' direction, seeing her standing a little way off with a frown on her face as she looked around. "I may," he muttered, feeling rather apprehensive to think that his Nesdra's heritage could be so easily brought into the light. He would have to be more careful in the future to make sure that where he took Aries, no one had heard of the Alchemist.
"So, you've heard the stories," the Duke said, causing the Doctor to look back to him and the man smiled a little grimly at the Time Lord's expression. "I can tell by the way you look at her. The way you keep her close," he continued with a voice that sounded a little breathless, but firm non the less.
Frowning, the Doctor didn't say anything as he turned back to where his Nesdra was.
"Keep her safe," the Duke warned, "The Alchemist was searching for something. Something she would stop at nothing to find and I fear what would happen if she ever found it, or..." He turned his head slightly in Aries' direction and the Doctor couldn't help but stiffen at what the man was implying.
The Time Lord had no idea that the Alchemist had possibly been searching for something...or someone. He had given up her trail the moment he had found Jon-Flor and the state the Time Lady had left it in. But to hear that she was possibly looking for her daughter, his Nesdra, it caused a flare of worry to ignite in the Time Lord's hearts.
"I would do anything to keep her safe," the Doctor muttered as he watched his Nesdra look around once more before heading back towards them. His hearts felt heavy at the knowledge he was withholding from her, but knew that if it meant that she would be safe, he wouldn't tell her. Not yet, anyways, he thought as he fixed a smile on his lips as Aries' got closer. "Are you okay?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they moved away from the Duke.
"Yeah," Aries sighed, "But I don't know. Something..." She trailed off as the cat-nurse, Jatt, joined them.
"He'll be up and about in no time," the Sister informed the pair.
The Doctor continued to look at Aries for a moment longer, concern flickering in his eyes as she looked around once more before turning to the nurse. "I doubt it. Petrifold Regression? He's turning into stone," he stated, "There won't be a cure for, oh, a thousand years? He might be up and about, but only as a statue," he finished, barely holding back a shiver at the last memory he had of seeing someone that had been turned into stone.
He didn't see Aries frown as the red head glanced back to where the Duke was, her own thoughts on the first and last time she had experienced anything to do with petrification. Her second year in Hogwarts had been rather eventful, as it seemed to be for each year that she had gone to school with one Harry Potter. But that year, a basilisk had been released from the Chamber of Secrets and had started attacking students; whom seemed to be very fortunate enough to have not been outright killed by the lethal gaze of the giant snake.
She had only known because of her father that it had something to do with the Dark Lord; but even then that had only been revealed when Potter had saved Ginny Weasley from the Chamber. She had learnt that day what foul and truly dark magic was, having been shown the memory of Tom Riddle's diary. A slight shiver trickled down her spine at the thought of the Horcrux and what Riddle had done to try and beat death.
"Have faith in the Sisterhood," Jatt stated, drawing Aries back to the conversation. The cat-nurse gestured around the ward, ignoring the frowns that were on the Doctor and Aries' lips. "But is there no one here you recognise?" she questioned, "It is rather unusual to visit without knowing the patient."
Aries looked around, only to feel the Doctor pause beside her. She glanced to the Time Lord, finding that he was staring intently at one corner of the room, his grip slightly loosening around her shoulders as a small smile appeared on his face.
"No, I think I've found him," the Time Lord remarked, feeling the earlier tension leave him at the sight of who has asked to see him and Aries.
The red head followed the Doctor, letting him guide her towards to what appeared to be a large head sitting in a tank beside the circular windows. The head seemed to be groaning slightly, eyes closed in what looked to be a restless sleep, she observed as they got closer.
"Novice Hame, if I can leave this gentleman and lady in your care?" Sister Jatt asked the nurse who was adjusting the equipment beside the large tank.
The cat-nurse bowed her head in acquiescence as the Doctor turned to Jatt and injected, "Oh, I think my friend got lost. Rose Tyler. Could you ask at reception?"
"Certainly, sir," Sister Jatt left them as the Time Lord turned back to the face, letting Aries take a step towards the tank.
There was something niggling at the back of the red head's mind as she studied the head in the tank. She couldn't help but feel as though she recognised the face, but just couldn't remember where from. As she looked closer, Aries could see dark veins running across the head as the sight of them tugged at her heart. "What's wrong with him?" she asked quietly, placing a hand on the tank while the Doctor shook his head, frowning.
"I'm afraid the Face of Boe is asleep," Hame murmured softly, though her words had Aries' eyes widening in surprise; recognising the name from one of her many books. "That's all he tends to do these days. Some moment's are better then others, but..." the cat-nurse shook her head, eyeing the Doctor and Aries, "Are you a friend, or..." she trailed off, looking between the pair, remembering the man from earlier.
"I just met him once on Platform One," the Doctor admitted before glancing back to the Face of Boe. "What's wrong with him?" he asked, repeating his Nesdra's question.
The novice's gaze turned sad as she replied quietly, "I'm sorry. I thought you knew. The Face of Boe is dying."
"Of what?" Aries questioned, tearing her gaze away from Boe and looked to the cat-nurse.
"Old age," Hame told them as if it explained everything, "The one thing we can't cure. He's thousands of years old. Some people say billions, although that's impossible."
"Oh, I don't know," the Doctor said as he knelt down beside his Nesdra, "I like impossible." He glanced at Aries with a small smile before focusing back on Boe and rested his hand against the tank. "We're here. I look a bit different, but it's me, it's the Doctor," he said quietly.
Aries glanced at the Doctor before she grabbed his free hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. She looked back to the Face of Boe, remembering the stories she had read about the man, er, face. They had seemed almost like fairy tales, and the red head probably would have considered them as such is she hadn't lived through what she had.