And here's the next one! An early Christmas present!
But before I get to it, I wanna do a shoutout. I got a message from a reader that they've drawn Ember and posted it to DA. Here's the link (well, remove the obvious bit):
deviantart (PUT A PERIOD HERE) com/lunammoon/art/Ember-863824598
Thank you, Lunamoon! I love it!
If there are others who'd like to do something, send me links and I'll add them! I appreciate the hard work and will make sure all my readers see them. I wish I could draw as good lol
One more note: I had forgotten one important detail in the last series. When Ember got her ring, it was supposed to be then that the Doctor would reveal that he's been wearing one himself but she couldn't see it for the same reason his past selves won't see hers. I've made that correction in that chapter, but I'm mentioning it here so that those who've missed it won't get confused later.
So here we go! Enjoy!
Chapter Three: Dinosaurs on a Spaceship
When Ember could see again, she was just able to recognise her surroundings as the Tardis before she found herself staring down the blade of a sharp knife pointed at her. Normally she'd be a bit more apprehensive, but she wasn't on the mood, so instead she narrowed her eyes. "Get the knife out of my face or I'm gonna put it where the sun doesn't shine."
The one holding the knife - a rugged middle aged man with a sand-coloured shirt and hat that made him look like he was cosplaying Indiana Jones - blinked at her. "Where did you come from?"
"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa!" Suddenly there was a person between Ember and the knife. It took her a moment to realise that it was the Eleventh Doctor. "Easy, Riddell! She's okay!"
Ember leaned up to peer over his shoulder at the newly named Riddell. "And here I thought I'd be safe in the Tardis. Guess not."
The Doctor spun round and pulled her into a hug, his hand grabbing her left one and rubbing her fingers without looking at it. Ember blinked as something suddenly clicked: he'd been doing that for most of their adventures without explaining why, and now it suddenly made sense; he'd been checking for her ring. A quick glance at his own hand showed his ring was there.
"Hello, Ember," The Doctor murmured in her ear gently, bringing her out of her thoughts. He pulled back just enough so that he could bring her in for a quick kiss before turning slightly to look at the bewildered Riddell. "Riddell, this my wife, Ember. I did warn you that she'd probably drop in."
"Your wife?" Riddell shook himself slightly to get out of the confusion as he put the knife away. "So you weren't just having me on?"
The Doctor turned them around so that they were both facing him, with Ember's back against his chest and his arms around her waist. "Nope."
Riddell straightened. "Forgive me, ma'am. The old hunter in me is a bit jumpy when people appear out of nowhere. It's good to finally meet you. Your Doctor's told me so much about you." He glanced at the Doctor. "Though apparently not everything."
"That's fine. But just for future reference, please don't point a knife at me." Ember replied. "Or a gun. I've had enough guns in my face to last a lifetime, even though I know it's gonna happen again."
"How impolite." A female voice mused. "Must I introduce myself?"
Ember looked just as a woman appeared from behind the console. A tall, tanned woman wearing a dress of Egyptian silk, jewellery that screamed royal and a blue headdress. Her eyes widened. "Wait... Queen Nefertiti?"
The Doctor barely opened his mouth to reply when the brunette pulled herself out of his arms, moving to approach the other woman with wide eyes and a growing smile.
"Queen Neferneferuaten Nefertiti?" Ember repeated, stopping herself from getting closer than five feet. "Oh my god! It is! Queen of the 18th Dysnaty of Egypt, Wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten, this is so awesome!"
The Egyptian woman blinked. "You know me so well. It seems an introduction is not needed on my part. But you are still a mystery."
Ember paused her ramblings, taking a breath to calm herself. She straightened and then gave a bow, her left foot a step closer than the right. "It is an honour to meet you, your majesty. My name is Ember, wife of the Doctor."
"Why is she doing that?" Riddell whispered to the Doctor, gesturing to the brunette's stance.
"Ancient Egyptians always believed that the heart is the most important part of the body." The Doctor replied, his voice lowered slightly. "The heart speaks only truth, as they used to say. So, as a sign of respect, Egyptians would always address their kings or queens by putting their left foot forward, so that they were 'showing their hearts to their rulers'."
Nefertiti smiled and stepped closer, reaching out to gently lift Ember's chin. "You are well taught in our ways, young one. Such respect will grant you a place among the gods one day."
Ember smiled, and the Doctor couldn't help smirking as he noticed a delicate blush on the brunette's cheeks. "Thank you, your majesty."
"Right!" The Doctor said, clapping once to get everyone's attention as he moved to the console. "Let's go get the Ponds, shall we?"
"Uh oh," Ember murmured, finally pulling her eyes away from Nefertiti and turning to face the Doctor. "Um, Doctor, what if they're busy?"
But the Doctor wasn't listening. He pulled levers and flicked switches, making the Tardis rumble. Then, to the surprise of the passengers, three new people faded into existence.
Ember recognised them immediately: Amy and Rory, holding a stepladder that had Rory's dad, Brian standing at the top holding a light bulb.
"Hello!" The Doctor called. He hadn't even glanced in their direction. "You weren't busy, were you? Well, even if you were, it wasn't as interesting as this probably is. Didn't want you to miss it. Now, just a quick hop." There was a shake and then a thud as the Tardis landed. "Everybody grab a torch."
Brian dropped the bulb in shock, clearly very confused. Amy and Rory sighed in defeat as the latter helped his father down from the stepladder.
Ember looked around as the group stepped out of the Tardis. It was dark, spacious and could have been a loading bay. The floor rumbled gently, indicating that they were on a ship, and cobwebs fresh and old were covering almost every surface.
The Doctor wondered over to a web that had a spider still building it, using his torch to see it better. Ember was right next to him, eyeing the arachnid with curiosity.
"Spiders," The Doctor mused. "Don't normally get spiders in space."
Ember shrugged. "Unless they're giant queens with an appetite for humans."
"What the...?" Brian breathed, looking around in awe. It could have been confusion, now that Ember thought about it.
"Don't move!" The Doctor suddenly snapped, making Ember jump. He turned and stalked right up to Brian, flashing him in the face with his torch. "Do you really think I'm that stupid I wouldn't notice? How did you get aboard, eh? Transmat? Who sent you?"
Rory moved to stand beside Brian. "Doctor... That's my dad."
The Doctor looked between father and son. "Well frankly, that's outrageous."
"What?"
"You think you can just bring your dad along without asking? I'm not a taxi service, you know!"
"You materialised around us!"
Instantly the Doctor turned from annoyed to sheepishly smiling at the father, shaking the man's hand. "Oh. Well, that's fine, then. My mistake. Hello, Brian. How are you? Nice to meet you. Welcome, welcome. This is the gang. I've got a gang. Yes. Come on then, everyone."
He didn't bother to wait for a reply as he turned and strode away, taking Ember by the hand as he passed. It wasn't long before they were joined by Amy, Nefertiti and Riddell just as the ship they were on shook slightly with a low rumble.
"All right, where are we?" Amy asked. "What is that noise and hello, ten months?"
"Orbiting Earth. Well, I say orbiting. More like pre-crashing. On a spaceship, don't know, and hello, Pond!" The Doctor paused only long enough to hug the woman. "Ten months. Time flies. Never really understood that phrase. This is Neffy, this is Riddell. They're with me."
"Charmed." Riddell said in greeting.
Amy looked at him, then Nefertiti, and then back at the Doctor. "With you? They're with you? Are they the new us? Is that why we haven't seen you?"
"No," the Doctor chuckled. "They're just people. They're not Ponds. I thought we might need a new gang. Not really had a gang before. It's new."
Ember shook her head as she walked ahead of the group, easily finding the massive bulkhead door at the end of the hold. She'd just turned around to let the others know when there was a loud clunk and whirring behind her.
The Doctor looked up at the flashing red lights on either side of the door. "It's coming down."
"What is it?" Riddell asked.
"No idea."
"I can tell you." Ember said. "This is a cargo hold, and that's a cargo lift."
There was a thump that indicated the arrival of the lift, and the huge doors opened sideways. Some kind of bright light obscured their vision, but they could make out two large, armoured creatures moving out if the lift. Two creatures that walked on four legs and had scales, leathery skin and spikes...
Brian seemed to be the first to realise what they were looking at. "Not possible..."
"Run!" The Doctor yelled, and they did. Well, most of them. The Doctor himself and Ember stayed where they were, staring at the approaching creatures in awe.
Ember couldn't believe her eyes. Here were two members of an extinct race, far into the future and she was there to see them! And they were ankylosaurs to boot!
"Doctor!" Amy called back when she realised they'd stayed. "Ember!"
"I know..." the Doctor wasn't looking away from the creatures, even as Amy ran back to him and grabbed his arm to make him move. "Dinosaurs! On a spaceship!"
Ember at least had it in her to follow, though she kept grinning and looking back as they were followed by the two armoured dinosaurs. They'd just caught up with the rest of the group when Nefertiti guided them into an alcove that was wide enough for them to fit in but too narrow for the dinosaurs to follow.
Said dinos stomped around, clearly annoyed that they'd lost their targets, and Riddell slowly pulled out his knife again, flipping it expertly.
"I could take one of them." He said softly, keeping his voice down. "Short blow up into the throat."
"Do that and it'll be in yours next," Ember shot back, only to blink in surprise at herself as the Doctor, Amy and Rory looked at her. "Did I really just say that?"
The Doctor nodded, though he did take her hand and squeeze it to comfort her as he turned his attention to Riddell. "We've just found dinosaurs in space. We need to preserve them."
"Who's going to preserve us?" Riddell asked, but he put the knife away anyway.
"Shush!" Amy hissed. Everyone went quiet as they watched the dinosaurs loiter about for a few minutes before finally stomping away. The group slowly came out of their hiding place, keeping a careful eye out in case there was more waiting for them.
"I can't believe we just saw ankylosaurs!" Ember said, practically skipping on the spot in excitement. "Real ones!"
Brian looked at her. "They almost ate us!"
"No they didn't. They're herbivores. They were probably just stressed from being stuck in the cargo lift."
"Speaking of that," Rory cut in gently. "I have questions. Like, how? And whose ship?"
Ember tilted her head. "Friendlys. But you won't like where they've gone."
"Well, there's so much to discover!" The Doctor said as he led them to an open area that had a few monitors hidden under the layers of cobwebs. "Think how wise we'll be by the end of all this."
"Sorry, sorry." Brian cut in this time. "Are you saying dinosaurs are flying a spaceship?"
"Brian, please, that would be ridiculous. They're probably just passengers. Did I mention missiles?"
"Missiles?"
"Didn't want to worry you. Anyway, six hours is a lifetime. Not literally a lifetime. That's what we're trying to avoid. And we're all really clever." The Doctor grabbed Ember by the hand and pulled her to one of the monitors that was set into a wall, wiping the cobwebs off it with a grimace. He wiped the webs off onto Brian's shoulder, which apparently went unnoticed. "Ooo, let's see what we can find out."
Amy looked around, finding her eyes drawn to what looked like claw marks on the wall. She reached up and ran her fingers over the deep gouges. These were definitely not made by the ankylosaurs they'd encountered. "How many dinosaurs do you think are on here?"
"As many different ones as they could get, I imagine," Ember replied, sticking to the Doctor as he got out his Sonic and got the monitor working.
"Oh, well done, whoever you are." He murmured. "Looking for engines." The screen changed to show a layout of the ship. "Thank you, computer. Look at that. Different sections have engines, but these look like the primary clusters. Where are we now, computer? We need to get down to these engines-"
A bright light engulfed them, taking the Doctor, Ember, Rory and Brian away. When it cleared, the four found themselves on what looked like a deserted beach. It felt like a typical British beach, with a chilled wind and grey waves crashing.
"-Find out... What?" The Doctor looked around, puzzled at the sudden change in surroundings.
Brian looked around as well. "We're outside. We're on a beach."
The Doctor groaned. "Teleport. Oh, I hate teleports! Must have activated on my voice."
"Ah, yes, well, thank you, Arthur C Clarke." Brian was looking more frustrated by the second as he began to rant. "Teleport, obviously. I mean, we're on a spaceship with dinosaurs. Why wouldn't there be a teleport? In fact, why don't we just teleport now?!"
The Doctor carefully leaned towards Rory as the father stomped away a few feet. "Is he all right?"
"No, he hates travelling." Rory explained. "Makes him really anxious. He only goes to the paper shop and golf."
"What did you bring him for?"
"I didn't! Why can't you just phone ahead like any normal person?"
Brian returned to them before the Doctor could answer. "Somebody tell me where we are, now."
In response, the Doctor stuck out his tongue, tasting the salty air. "Well, it's not Earth. Doesn't taste right. Too metallic."
"And this isn't natural," Ember added, making them look down at her. She was now crouching, pressing one hand to the wet sand and having her eyes closed as though listening. Rory copied her move to try for himself, though he knew he wouldn't be able to sense anything like she could.
Brian looked up as the sounds of shrieking above caught his attention; something with wings far above them but approaching. "Is that a kestrel?"
The Doctor glanced over as well. "I do hope so."
"The beach is humming." Rory said as he stood up, Ember following.
"Is it? Oh yes. Right, well, don't just stand there, you two. Dig!" The Doctor took Ember's hand and began to lead her away. "I'm going to look at rocks. Love a rock!"
"Dig with what?" Rory asked.
"Ah, well..." Brian, calmer now that he had something to do, pulled out a foldable trowel from his pocket and unfolded it.
Rory watched, perplexed, as his father crouched down and started digging at the sand. "Did you just have that on you?"
"Of course. What sort of man doesn't carry a trowel? Put it on your Christmas list."
"Dad, I'm thirty one." Rory pointed out, crouching next to him. "I don't have a Christmas list any more."
"I do!" The Doctor, having heard them despite the wind, cried out, lifting both arms and one of Ember's since he was still holding her hand. The brunette giggled, making him turn to her. "Do you have one? I want to look at it."
Ember shrugged. "Not really needed one. Besides, I've got you and all of time and space. What more would I need?"
The Doctor smiled, pulling her into his arms and kissing her sweetly. "My thoughts exactly."
They were just getting lost in another kiss that made Ember shiver in delight when Rory's voice finally reached them. "Doctor!"
Grumbling, the Doctor reluctantly let go of Ember as they waved over Rory and Brian, learning quickly about the metal floor under the beach and finding another terminal on a nearby cliff face where the sand gave way to rock. He was also quick to activate it and bring up the layout again.
"See?" He said, pointing. "Metal floors, screens in rocks. It was just a matter of a short range teleport. We're still on the ship."
"No, we're outside on a beach." Brian argued.
Rory shook his head. "It's part of the ship, Dad."
"Don't be ridiculous."
The Doctor cut in before they could get into an argument. "Well, it is quite ridiculous. Also brilliant. That's why the system teleported us here. I wanted the engines. This is the engine room! Hydrogenerators! Ha!"
"I have literally no idea what he's saying." Brian murmured to Rory.
"A spaceship powered by waves."
"Fabulously impossible." The Doctor was practically gushing. "Oh, think of the things we could learn from this ship if we manage to stop it being blown to pieces."
"Plus not dying." Rory added.
"Bad news, can't shut the wave system down in time. Takes..." he glanced back at another shrieking from the 'birds' was beginning to make him anxious, "takes way too long."
Rory glanced at the screen again. "If these are the engines, there must be a control room."
"Exactly! That's what we need to find."
"Uh, guys?" Ember called, making them look at her. Her eyes were on the sky. "Not to add pressure, but there are more flying things coming, and spoiler; they're not kestrels."
Brian followed her gaze to see for himself: there were now three of the winged creatures above them, and close enough now to tell what they were. "Oh my lord... Are those pterodactyls?"
"Yes." The Doctor replied, taking Ember by the hand again. "On any other occasion, I'd be thrilled. Exposed on a beach, less thrilled. We should be going."
"Where?"
"Uh... definitely away from them."
"That's the plan?" Rory asked, incredulous but at the same time not surprised.
"That's the plan. Amendments welcome. Move away from the pterodactyls."
"They see us!" Ember cried, pulling on the Doctor's hand to get him moving. "New plan: Run!"
"Why don't we just teleport or something?" Rory yelled as they ran.
"No! Local teleport burnt out on arrival." The Doctor called back, taking the lead now that he saw where Ember was going: a cave in the cliff face. "There's something in the cliffs over there!"
The pterodactyls were now swooping around them, trying to snap them up in their sharp beaks or wicked talons. Ember wanted to drive them away using fire, but something kept nagging her in the back of her mind.
He's watching us.
That thought made her hesitate to use her powers. The Doctor had erased himself from history, but what if she wasn't? Any powers she'd use would give her away, especially fire.
Thinking on her feet, she grabbed a loose, baseball-sized rock as she ran, turning and lobbing it at a dactyl that was just about to pierce Rory through the shoulder with its beak. At the same time, she concentrated on the rock as soon as it left her hand, thinking about the jagged rocks she'd made appear back in Mercy.
'Come on!' She mentally urged. 'Spike!'
At the last moment, just before the rock would hit the dinosaur in the face, something clicked in her mind, as the rock suddenly changed shape. While it didn't increase in size, the rough and sharp edges of the stone suddenly broke into a spiked mass that looked like a star. The now edged weapon hit the dactyl right in the face, probably hitting its sensitive nostrils, and it let out a screech as it turned and flew away.
Ember didn't give herself the moment to pat herself on the back, instead using the extra seconds to turn and run, catching up with the men as they reached the cave entrance set into the cliff. As they got their breath back, Ember quickly check on Rory's shoulder, confirming that she'd saved him from an admittedly mild injury.
"Are you all right?" Brain asked, noticing the attention his son was getting.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Rory nodded as he pushed himself upright, nodding his thanks to Ember as he faced the Doctor. "Right, what do we do now? There's no way back out there."
"Through the cave. Come on!" The Doctor led them further into the cave. But then, just as the cave seemed to abruptly end about ten feet in and become the metal hallway of the ship, the group froze as the sound of something big thumping further along. "That suggestion was a work in progress."
Brian glanced back the way they'd come, hearing the distant screeches of disappointed pterodactyls that had lost their prey. "We're trapped!"
"Yes, thanks for spelling it out."
"Doctor," Rory added, "whatever's down there is coming this way."
"Spelling it out is hereditary. Wonderful!"
"That sound's getting nearer..."
Ember moved in front of Brian as he spoke. This was his first trip, after all, and he'd already been overwhelmed. She wanted to do what she could to at least help a little. "Not dinosaurs. Something worse."
The source of the sounds - which the group realised were big, heavy steps - turned a corner and saw them. They were two big, tall robots that were rather bulky and had small heads with leds for eyes. Their metal armour was bronze in colour, and they seemed to be a bit roughed up, as one of them sparked as it moved.
Then, to the surprise of the group (except Ember), one of them spoke. "We're very cross with you."
"You're coming with us." The other one added.
The Doctor hesitated, but then paused as Ember reached out and took his hand. "Ember?"
"They're armed," she said lowly, nodding her head to where what looked like a gun or laser was mounted on the shoulders of both robots. "We should just go along with it. They're working for someone who has answers, but you're not going to like them."
Nodding, the Doctor glanced at the father and son. Rory matched his nod while Brian looked confused, but the latter seemed to know better than to argue. The group slowly came out into the passageway and allowed the robots to lead them down it, though the robots stayed behind them.
"You're going straight on the naughty step!" One of the robots said.
Brian leaned over slightly, lowering his voice to speak to the Doctor. "What's the escape plan?"
The Doctor glanced at him. "Why do we want to escape?"
"They have us hostage!"
Ember shrugged. "As a wise man will one day say, the quickest way to find out anyone's plans is to get yourself captured."
"They're taking us somewhere." Rory added, his own experiences helping make sense of Ember's words. "We might learn from it."
"Oh, you see?" The Doctor grinned, reaching out and pinching Rory's cheek affectionately. "He's so clever. I've missed you, Rory."
Rory looked uncomfortable. "Don't do that."
"What if they kill us?" Brian asked.
"They wouldn't do that." The Doctor turned to face the robots, making them all stop walking as he reached up and tapped at the bronze armour. "You're not going to kill us, are you, Rusty?"
"Who are you calling Rusty?!" One of them snapped, insulted.
"Have you seen yourselves lately?"
"You try being on this ship for two millennia! See how your paintwork does!"
"Don't listen to him." The other robot said. "He's just being mean because we captured him."
Ember tapped the Doctor on the shoulder. "By the way, the name Rusty is already taken. I just met him. Spoilers."
"Oh, my goodness..." Brian's soft whisper made them turn, finding another dinosaur approaching them. Massive on four bulky legs, a thick tail and two horns sticking out of the front of its head with a third on the snout.
"Whoa!" Rory yelped.
"Ooo!" The Doctor cooed. "Herbivore. Don't panic. Triceratops. Ha! Beautiful."
"Shall I shoot it?" One of the robots said.
"We're not supposed to shoot the creatures, stupid." The other replied.
"Stop calling me stupid!"
The Doctor ignored the robots as the triceratops roared at them. "Roar yourself! Hello, cutie. Good boy. Who's a lovely Tricy then? Yes, you are. Yes, you are!"
Ember was grinning so hard her cheeks were sore as she reached out with the Doctor and pet the massive snout, getting what might have been a dinosaur version of a purr from it. "You are so adorable!"
Brian froze as the dinosaur turned its snout to him, sniffing at his trousers curiously. "What do I do? What do I do? What's it doing?"
"You don't have any vegetable matter in your trousers, do you, Brian?" The Doctor asked thoughtfully as he straightened.
"...Only my balls."
The Doctor looked puzzled. Rory slapped his face with own palm. Ember continued to pet and coo at the dinosaur.
"...I'm sorry?" The Doctor asked, not sure if he'd heard right or if he really wanted to know.
Brian put his hand in his pocket and took out two spheres. "Golf balls. Grassy residue."
"What are you carrying those around for?" Rory asked.
Before Brian could answer, the triceratops leaned in and gave the man a very long, wet and sticky lick up his face. "Urgh!"
"Oh, bless." The Doctor grinned.
"Get it away from me!"
Ember reached out and took one of the golf balls, waving it in the dinosaur's sight. "Here boy. Or girl. Want this? Go get it!"
She threw it down one of the corridors, and the triceratops turned to run after it, happy grunts leaving it as it left their sight.
"Sorry," Ember said to Brian. "I couldn't resist. I triceratops that plays fetch, isn't it adorable?"
The Doctor pat Brian on the shoulder, encouraging him to breathe before he faced the robots behind them. "Right. Take us to your leader."
Rory shot her a look. "Really?"
"Too good to resist."
Ember nudged him with her elbow. "Not the first time you've said that."
The Doctor simply grinned and took her hand again, squeezing it as they began walling again. It didn't take long until the sound of piano music was heard, quiet at first but getting louder as they walked. They ended up approaching what looked like a small room with bars cross-crossing over the doorway.
The Doctor let go of Ember's hand, walked up to the bars and looked through, finding a bit of a cluttered mess inside. "Love what you've done to the place down here."
"Let him in." A male, raspy voice called from within. "Open the gate."
The bars pulled back, and the Doctor cautiously stepped through. Before the others could follow, however, the bars slid back into place behind him. Rory stepped closer in worry.
"It's fine. It's fine." The Doctor said, giving them a reassuring smile.
"He's not interested in you." One of the robots said as the Doctor moved further away from then.
Rory turned to face the robot with a scowl. "Look, you need to learn some manners."
"No, you need to learn some manners!"
"No, you do!" This was punctuated with a pointed finger at the robot's face.
The other robot spoke then. "No, you do, Mister Manners!"
Ember sighed. "I'm surrounded by children. Wonderful."
Inside the room, which the Doctor quickly figured out was actually a small spacecraft, he soon found the owner of the voice they'd heard: an old man with a scarred face lying on a medical cot with wires and monitors around him, the screens displaying vital signs and readings. "Fantasia in F minor for four hands."
The old man tried to look back at him, but he couldn't seem to move far. "You know it."
"Know it? Say hello to hands three and four." The Doctor waved his own hands. "Schubert kept tickling me to try to put me off. Franz the hands. Oh, that takes me back." He looked around, dying the clutter and the cobwebs. "Well, this is... cosy."
"It's fate you came." The man said, unable to fully watch him as the Time Lord explores a bit.
"Is it? I'm the Doctor."
"Yes, I know. I'm Solomon."
Suddenly, a quick, purple laser ran over the Doctor, making him jump but not harming him. "What's that?"
Behind him, Solomon looked uneasy for a moment. "System malfunction. Ignore it."
The Doctor didn't ignore it, but he put it aside for later, instead turning to look at the old man and noticing blood staining the sheet. "What happened to you?"
"I was attacked. Three raptors. They cornered me. The robots rescued me but it was nearly too late."
"Ah yes, the robots. They're... unusual."
"I got them cheap from a concession on Alyria Seven. The robots did as best they could with my legs, but you can help me so much more."
The Doctor's eyes widened in realisation. "Oh. A doctor doctor. I see. Let's have a look."
Solomon watched as the Doctor gently lifted the material covering his legs. "They chewed through part of the bone in my legs."
"Yes. Very nasty." That was an understatement. The Doctor was sure that if Ember could see this, she'd add 'meat on the bone' to her List.
"But you can repair them." Solomon said, confident.
The Doctor met his gaze. "If you tell me how you came by so many dinosaurs."
Solomon frowned, and then he raised his voice slightly. "Injure the woman."
"What?"
"Wait, what-" Ember began. She'd heard the conversation, as the two had made no attempt to be quiet, and she'd been preparing to block the shot with her powers or take it herself; she hadn't expected it to be intended for her from the start.
She got cut off when the robot nearest to her turned and fired a short laser at her from its weapon. It hit her square in the left shoulder, making her cry out and fall back against the doorway.
"Ember!" Two voices called out, Rory's and the Doctor's. It was the former that reached her, while the latter grabbed the bars in an attempt to get closer to her. Brian watched with a slack jaw and wide eyes.
"Easy, Ember," Rory added as he carefully examined the wound. Her denim jacket had a neat hole in the shoulder now, as well as the shirt underneath, but once he moved the cloth out of the way he could see the damage. "You're alright. Doctor, she's ok, it's just a burn, nothing serious."
Ember glanced up, meeting the Doctor's worried gaze. She wasn't close enough to take his hand or physically reassure him, but she sent him a shaky nod. "I'm fine. It was either me or Brian. Rory's taking care of it. Focus on Solomon."
Nodding, the Doctor reluctantly turned away, walking back to Solomon's side. It was a struggle to keep his voice even when he spoke. "I don't respond well to violence, Solomon. Especially when it's aimed at my wife."
"And I don't like questions, Doctor." Solomon replied calmly. "You boarded without my permission."
"Didn't need your permission, asshole!" Ember called over, only to flinch slightly as the robot who'd shot her shifted again.
Solomon didn't look away from the Doctor. "Now, fix me, or the next bolt will make you a widow."
The Doctor straightened, reluctantly turning to the scattered tools to see what he could use. He so badly wanted to tell him where to stick it, but hearing Ember's quiet sounds of pain made him hold his tongue: he couldn't risk her safety further.
Rory seemed to have the same sentiment, glaring at the robot that had shot the brunette. "I will take you apart cog by cog and melt you down when all this is over!"
"And that's if I don't get to you first," Ember added, hissing slightly as her shoulder stung.
"Oh, I'm so scared!" The robot taunted, and then it paused and looked at the other robot. "Actually, I might be. A little bit of oil just came out."
Ember shifted, intending to give the robot a piece of her mind, but Rory put his hand on her uninjured shoulder to keep her from rising. "Easy, Ember. It's just a burn, but let me treat it."
Brian finally found his voice as his son brought out a small pouch from his pocket. "What's that?"
"You carry a trowel, I carry a med-pack. It's all about the pockets in our family." Rory replied as he took out a small, padded square from the pouch. "This is an ice patch. It cools the skin."
Brian watched, fascinated, as Ember hissed at another sting from the pressure of the patch on her wound. "Never seen one of those."
Rory shrugged as he dug around in the pouch. "I pick up cool stuff wherever we go. For some people it's cars and hardware, for me it is nursing supplies." He found what he was looking for and held it up for Ember to see; it looked like a medicine dart. "Now, painkiller. This won't hurt."
"I know you're lying about that," Ember muttered, then yelped as Rory stuck the tiny needle into her bicep. "Ow!"
"Yep, I lied." Rory smirked as Ember used her free hand to smack his arm in retaliation. "It won't hurt from now on, though. All right, you're done."
"Good."
Rory looked up at Brian with a smile. "You get to see my awesome nursing skills in action for once."
Before the father could reply, the sound of a mobile phone ringing echoed around them. The robots spun round, trying to find the source of the noise, but Brian knew what it was. "Your phone's ringing. In space."
"You get used to it." Rory stood up, taking his phone out. "I have to take this. The wife." He answered the call. "Hello, missus." A pause. "Still on board. Met some pterodactyls and some rusty robots I'm going to melt down."
Ember smirked as she slowly pulled herself to her feet, nodding to Brian when he helped her. "It's gonna be ok."
"How do you know?" Brian asked.
"Trust me. I have the inside track."
In the smaller ship, the Doctor was working on fixing Solomon's legs, partly listening to the talk outside of the ship. He was glad that Rory could treat Ember's wound and that it wasn't too serious, but the fact that she'd been injured in the first place made him silently seethe.
"How did you get on board, Doctor?" Solomon asked, bringing him out of his thoughts.
"Oh, I never talk about myself with a gun pointed at me. Less so when it's pointed at my wife." He said, sounding almost casual. "Let's talk about you. Your cosy little craft embedded in a vast old ship."
"You're very observant."
"I'm a Sagittarius. Probably."
Solomon didn't show any indication that he knew or cared what the reference meant. "I'm transporting it to the Roxborne Peninsula."
Pieces started clicking into place. "A commerce colony? You're a trader."
"I search out opportunities for profit across nine galaxies."
"Ah, the purple light." The Doctor nodded his head in the direction where the beam had come from. "That's what it was. An IV system; identifying value. The database of everything across space and time allocated a market value. Argos for the universe. You were trying to find out how much I'm worth."
"Would you like to know?" Solomon offered, leaning over to look at a screen as he pressed a button. The screen had been displaying Solomon's vitals, but was now showing a scan of the Doctor and the word 'Scanning'. The Doctor watched for a few tense seconds until the scan was complete and it showed the result: 'No Identification Found.' "You don't exist. It's never done that."
The Doctor hid the smirk as he picked up a drill-like tool and went back to the other man's legs. So far, his plan to erase himself from the universe was working. "That's me. Worthless. Unlike these creatures you have on board. Very valuable, given they're extinct."
The drill whirred, and the Doctor was only a little bit ashamed to admit that he found a certain amount of satisfaction at seeing the pain cross Solomon's face for a few seconds. When it was done, the Doctor tossed the tool aside and leaned over. "Done. Sit up, very slowly."
"Doctor?" Rory called, putting his phone through the bars. "Amy."
"I need to take this." The Doctor didn't bother waiting for a reply, walking to the bars and taking the phone. "Amy."
"This is an Ark built by the Silurians." Amy replied, getting straight to the point. "They were looking for another planet."
"Where are they now?"
"None on board. I mean, thousands of stasis pods, all empty."
"I'll see you soon." He hung up the phone and handed it back to Rory. A quick glance over the man's shoulder allowed him to meet Ember's gaze, seeing her nod. "Be ready."
"The pain in my legs is gone." Solomon said, standing up shakily with the help of makeshift crutches. "I can move them. Thank you, Doctor."
The Doctor turned to look at him. "What did you do to the Silurians?"
Wether he wasn't surprised or didn't care, Solomon didn't ask how he knew. "We ejected them. The robots woke them from cryosleep a handful at a time and jettisoned them from the airlocks. We must have left a trail of dust and bone."
"Because you wanted the dinosaurs."
"Their ship crossed my path. I sent out a distress signal, they let me board, and when I saw the cargo things became more complex."
The Doctor bristled. "Piracy and then genocide."
"Very emotive words, Doctor."
"Oh, I'm a very emotive man."
"The lizards wouldn't negotiate. I made them a generous offer."
"Bullshit!" Ember snapped. She'd have grabbed the bars if Rory wasn't holding her back. "You knew they wouldn't accept! They wanted to save the dinosaurs, you just want to exploit them!"
"The creatures on board this ship are not objects to be sold or traded." The Doctor agreed.
Solomon gave them both an unimpressed look. "I feel like you're judging me."
"We are." Ember replied sourly. "I stand by my earlier statement. Asshole."
The Doctor was trying hard not to let Ember's passion and anger fuel his own, knowing that they were on borrowed time. "You said Roxborne Peninsula, so why are you heading to Earth? You're on the wrong course." He saw the minut shift in Solomon's stance that told him all he needed to know. "Oh... you don't know how. Brilliant. You couldn't change the pre-programmed course without instructions. The ship defaulted, returned home. Oh dear. The Silurians outwitted you even after you'd massacred them, so now you're a prisoner on the ship you hijacked."
"Not now you're here." Solomon replied. "You going to help me go wherever I want to go, Doctor."
Ember surprised them by laughing. "Even if he said yes, I've got bad news. He can't change the ships course."
The Doctor glanced over at her, knowing the hint for what it was, before meeting Solomon's gaze again. "Little bit more news, Solomon. You're being targeted by missiles. Get off this ship while you still can."
Solomon at first looked worried, but then he frowned. "You think I believe that? You just want them for yourself. You won't profit from me, Doctor."
"Don't ever judge me by your standards." The Doctor replied as he moved to the gate, hitting the switch to move the bars. He went straight to Ember, pulling her into his arms even as he looked at Rory and Brian. "Well, don't just stand there, Rory." He looked at the robots. "Hey, he wants to see you."
While they were distracted, the four of them took off, running out into the passageway they'd come in from. They looked around, trying to figure out which way to go, when a grunt led them to where the triceratops was further to the right.
"What are we doing?" Brian asked.
Ember grinned. "Sorry, Doc, But I've gotta steal your bit. Do what I do!" She took off running before the boys could stop her, using a few crates to climb up before jumping into the back of the triceratops. "Whoohooo!"
"Oi!" The Doctor called as he followed her example, getting on the dinosaur's back and sitting behind Ember. He glanced back at Rory and Brian looking at them like he'd gone mad. "Come on!"
Reluctantly, but knowing they didn't have a choice, the father and son ran to climb on. Luckily the dinosaur was large enough to accommodate them all.
"Go, Tricy!" The Doctor commanded. "Run like the wind!"
Only the triceratops didn't move, even as a laser bolt flew past them.
"After them!" One of the robots could be heard.
The Doctor didn't bother glancing back, trying to get the dinosaur to move: he even tried to do a karate chop that only hurt his own hand. "Quick, how do you start a Triceratops?"
"There they are!"
"I know, I saw them before you!"
"Brian!" Ember called. "You got another golf ball right?!"
Brian quickly caught on, fishing out the other golf ball. "Tricy, fetch!"
With one throw, he lobbed it down the corridor. The triceratops immediately took off after it. Its passengers whooped in joy as it ran, following the bouncing ball away from the robots who were walking too slow to keep up.
"Go, Tricy!" The Doctor cheered, grinning when Ember let out a laugh. "Come on, Tricy, faster, baby!"
The golf ball bounced off a corner, making the dinosaur turn to follow. Brian looked halfway between scared and thrilled.
"I'm riding a dinosaur! On a spaceship!" He yelped at a bump as he looked at Rory. "I only came round to fix your light!"
"Come on, Tricy!" The Doctor yelled again, only to pause when he realised they were coming up to a dead end, and the dinosaur wasn't stopping. "Where are the brakes?"
Ember lowered herself so that she was ducked behind the massive crest on the back of the dinosaur's head, bracing herself as the triceratops suddenly skidded to a halt. She'd been prepared, but the others hadn't and all three of them tumbled off. The triceratops, having caught the ball, dropped it beside Rory's groaning head and began to trot off to rest in the corner, not bothered as Ember climbed off its back.
"That was awesome!" She cheered. "Can we do it again later?"
The Doctor grinned up at her from the floor even as Rory spoke up. "You're a bit excited today."
Ember was practically bouncing on the spot. "Of course I am! You know you have these little wishes you know aren't gonna come true but you want them to anyway? Two of mine are right here on this ship, and one was to meet a real dinosaur!"
"And the other one?"
"Meeting Neffy."
By now the Doctor has finally stood, brushing himself off. "Okay. Er, where are we now?" A loud beeping made him turn to another monitor. "Ooo, incoming message from Earth. Hello, Earth, how's things?"
Ember moved to listen in, but at that moment, her head throbbed, drawing her into a vision...
Solomon has taken Queen Nefertiti hostage, but after finding that he couldn't leave with her, he was swift to kill her before the Doctor could stop him...
"Come back! Please!" The Doctor's pleading brought her back, and she looked over as he groaned in frustration. "That's very bad indeed. Completely unhelpful."
"Doesn't the ship have any defence systems installed?" Rory asked, neither them nor Brian noticing that Ember had been distracted.
"Good thinking, Rory!" The Doctor turned Rory by the face and kissed him full on the mouth, much to the latter's discomfort, before turning back to the monitor. "Computer, show us weapons and defence systems."
Ember reached them just as the screen displayed a result: 'No Systems Available.'
The Doctor groaned, turning to lightly slap Rory's cheeks. "Oh, well, that was a waste of time, wasn't it? Getting my hopes up like that!"
"What ship doesn't have weapons?" Rory asked, ignoring the slaps; they didn't even sting.
Ember shrugged, moving away from the monitor. "Why would they need them if they're peaceful? Too trusting."
The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Exactly, they're ancient species, Rory. Still full of hope."
"What about the control deck?" Brian spoke up. "You said we should go to the control deck next."
"It's too late. It won't make any difference."
Rory shook his head. "We could at least try."
"It won't work, Rory. The missiles are locked on."
"Literally." Ember said, but she was ignored as Rory didn't seem to hear her.
"So what, we're just giving up?"
"I don't know!" The Doctor snapped. He then took a breath and his shoulders slumped. "I don't know."
"I do." Ember spoke again, this time raising her voice a bit so that the men would turn their attention to her. "A solution, and a way to hit two birds with one stone, is about to present itself any moment now."
Suddenly there was a flash, and when the four of them turned around, they found Solomon standing, or rather leaning on his crutches, with the robots on either side.
"You were telling the truth, Doctor." Solomon said. "Earth has launched missiles. This vessel is too clumsy to outrun them, but I have my own ship."
The Doctor moved to the front of the group. "You won't get your precious cargo on board, though. It'll just be you and your metal tantrum machines."
"We do not have tantrums!" One of the robots said, almost stomping its foot.
"Shut up." Solomon snapped at it before looking at the Time Lord. "You're right, Doctor. I can't keep the dinosaurs and live myself. But I had the IV system scan the entire ship, and it found something even more valuable. Utterly unique. I don't know where you found it, or how you got it here, but I want it."
The Doctor frowned. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Earth Queen Nefertiti of Egypt. A face stamped across history. Give her to me, and I'll let the rest of you live."
"No."
Solomon frowned. "You think I won't punish those who get in my way, whatever they're worth?" He gestured to where the triceratops lay innocently, and the robots turned, taking aim.
"No!" Ember yelled, running past the Doctor and putting herself between the dinosaur and the robots, holding her arms out. "Touch that dinosaur and you'll have to answer to me!"
Solomon didn't seem fazed. "You want to be shot again?"
Ember growled. "You want to take something valuable with you? You think Neffy is the most expensive one here? Are you sure you scanned everything?"
"Ember, what are you-"
"Bring her to me," Solomon cut the Doctor off, "or the robots will make their way through your corpses. Bring her now."
The Doctor stood his ground despite his confusion of Ember's behaviour. "No."
Suddenly there was another flash, and Amy, Nefertiti and Riddell appeared next to the rest of the group.
"What are you doing?" The Doctor hissed at them.
"I demanded to be brought here." Nefertiti replied curtly.
"No, no, no, no, no way."
"It isn't your choice, Doctor, it's mine."
"Actually, we haven't finished negotiating yet," Ember said, getting their attention. She kept her eyes on Solomon. "Did you scan me earlier?"
Solomon huffed. "What would have been the point?"
"That's a no then. Let me ask you something else: have you heard of the Great Fire?"
The Doctor tensed, starting to understand.
Solomon almost laughed. "A mythical being who commands the elements of the universe? You're trying to offer me a myth when I have the largest bounty here?"
"Not a myth," Ember held out her hand, palm up, and allowed a small flame to appear in her hand. She smirked as Solomon's eyes widened in surprise. "You're looking at the real deal. The Great Fire, the Mother of Elements, in the flesh."
The surprise faded quickly into greed. "And you'd trade yourself?"
"If you leave them and the dinosaurs alone, yes." Ember replied. "But if you try to go back on it and hurt any of them, I will end you before you have the chance to scream."
"Ember, no," the Doctor said, stepping forward. "Don't do this."
"It's either me or Neffy, Doctor."
Solomon nodded. "I'll take your offer."
Ember smiled, letting the flame in her hand disperse. "Let me just kiss my husband goodbye?"
"... make it quick. We have missiles to avoid."
Quickly, Ember ran back over to the Doctor and let him take her in his arms as they kissed. Unbeknownst to anyone else, they used this advantage to communicate mentally.
"What are you doing?" The Doctor asked, putting his worry into the kiss.
"Had a vision," Ember replied. "He'd have killed Neffy. I can buy you time."
"For what?"
"To get to the front, lock him in and move this ship. And you'll find a way to deal with the missiles and Solomon in one fell swoop. Oh, and here's a hint: sometimes it takes two to fly a ship."
"Alright, that's enough," Solomon said, unwittingly breaking their conversation. "Come along now."
Ember pulled away reluctantly, stepping back. She could feel the Doctor tighten his hold on her hands for a moment more before he let go, and she could see how tense he was even as she moved to Solomon's side.
"My bounty increases." Solomon mused, raising a hand towards Ember's face. "And what an extraordinary bounty you are."
Ember slapped his hand away before it would touch her. "I agreed to come quietly. I didn't say you could touch me."
Solomon moved fast, despite Ember knowing it was coming, and lifted one of the crutches to press her against the wall. The end of the crutch was actually a steel blade that pressed against the side of her neck, the flat of the blade against the burn on her shoulder making her hiss softly.
From the corner of her eye, she saw everyone tense, but none more so than the Doctor. He looked murderous, but luckily caught the slight shake of her head before he could act.
"I like my possessions to have spirit. It means I can have fun breaking them." Solomon said, leaning close. "And I will break you in with immense pleasure."
"First of all: ew," Ember said, feeling a shiver of disgust at the leer he was sending her. "Second of all; missiles?"
Nodding, Solomon glanced over at the Doctor. "Thank you, Doctor. I will take very good care of your wife. Computer, take us back to my ship."
There was another bright flash, and then Ember found herself alone with Solomon and his robots on the small ship they'd found him in.
"You need to upscale your ship," Ember found herself commenting, ignoring the faint chill from the blade still poised at her neck. She needed to talk to keep herself from trembling in fear; she'd learned that from the Doctor. "And remodel. It's a mess in here."
"Perhaps You shouldn't speak," Solomon said lowly, reaching out and running his fingers through her hair. "Unless you wish to lose your tongue."
Ember raised a brow to hide the cringe. Her hair had grown to reach her shoulders, but now she was tempted to just shave it all off if it meant he'd stop touching. "What about the bit where you said you'd take good care of me? And wouldn't my value drop if you cut my tongue out?"
"You don't need your tongue to use your power. Now stop talking."
"Actually, I'm gonna keep talking. It helps keep the mind focused. Helps keep you calm. And you know what else it does?" There was a clunk and slight shake, and Ember smirked. "It distracts you. We're not going anywhere."
Solomon, confused, pushed away from Ember and turned to the control panel. He pressed several buttons and flicked switches, but other than the engines coming on and a slight jolt, nothing happened. "Come on, come on... we're not moving. He's magnetised us. We can't move away." He turned to glare at Ember. "You knew?"
"Yep." Ember replied, her smirk getting bigger. "But don't worry, you'll be leaving soon. Just as soon as some adjustments are made."
Right on cue, there was a flash as the Doctor appeared, standing between to two robots. "Hello! Having trouble leaving?"
Before the robots could react, the Doctor grabbed a couple of power cables from their sockets, jamming them in the robots. Both went down, one singing something about daisies as they shut down.
"Ship's still magnetised." The Doctor said. "Just couldn't bear to lose you."
Solomon stood as quickly as he was able, moving to Ember's side and grabbing what might have been a laser scalpel before pointing the glowing end at her throat. "Release my ship, Doctor, or I kill this precious little object."
Ember moved, reaching down and swiping her hand on his left leg. The material immediately burst into flames, and while it didn't burn his skin, it was enough to make him flail and pull the weapon away from her. The brunette then kicked the lone crutch that he was using to stand, making the man tumble to the ground from the lack of support. With a lack of finesse that she knew Nefertiti would have had, Ember grabbed the other crutch and pointed its blade at his face.
"I'd stay down if I were you," She said, letting her voice darken in anger. "And by the way, I'm no object of yours. If I belong to anyone, it's my husband."
"Don't mess with angry wives, Solomon." The Doctor said, walking past them and using his Sonic on the control panel. "I hope you've learnt that now."
"What are you doing?" Solomon called to him, unable to see from where he was.
"Disabling this ship's signal and replacing it with the one from the Silurian ship. I send this craft off emitting the signal they're looking for, the missiles will follow. Hopefully, Siliurian ship safe, dinosaurs safe, everybody safe. Bit tight for time, though. Shouldn't really be chatting. Ember, let's go." He walked with the brunette to the back of the ship, only to pause and turn back. "How remiss of me. Almost forgot. The thing about missiles, very literal. This is what they latch on to."
He pulled out what looked like a fist-sized d20 dice and place on one of the machines. It glowed green. He then got out his Sonic again. "Now, one press of this and the ship's demagnetised."
Solomon struggled to get up, finding that Ember had moved both crutches too far for him to reach. "Doctor, whatever you want, I can get it for you. Whatever object you desire."
"Did the Silurians beg like that before you killed them?" Ember shot back, her smirk gone and a cold glare in its place.
"I already have everything I could want. And you almost took that away from me. Twice." The Doctor added, taking Ember's hand, and then he looked at one of the screens. "Look, Solomon. The missiles. See them shine? See how valuable they are. And they're all yours."
"You wouldn't leave me, Doctor." Solomon tried one last time, hoping he could use guilt.
The Doctor didn't cave, closing the bars to the main compartment with him and Ember on the outside. "Enjoy your bounty."
With that, he and Ember walked away, using the Sonic to send the ship away and take the missiles with them. They both ignored his calls until they couldn't hear them anymore.
Ember squeezed his hand twice. "I know you don't like it when someone dies..."
"I don't, usually." The Doctor said as they walked. "But sometimes a line is crossed. I wasn't lying when I said I have everything." He paused, turning to the brunette. "You are all I need in all the universe, and I'll do anything to keep you safe."
"I know." Ember replied, leaning up to accept his kiss. She ignored the voice in the back of her mind that purred over the fact that he was willing to go beyond limits to protect her, as well as that other instinct that told her she was willing to do the same. The purr in her mind intensified when she felt his fingers run through her hair, replacing the gross touch of Solomon and wiping out her urge to cut it off. She pulled back with a smile. "Come on. I wanna see the velociraptors before we get them to their new home. Did I tell you they're my favourite dinosaur?
After managing to turn the ship around and using its own systems (teaming up with the Tardis' databanks) to find a suitable planet to put the dinosaurs, the Doctor and the gang of humans were watching as Ember tried to say goodbye to Tricy.
Key point being tried.
"Come on, I really have to go now," The brunette was saying, though she was laughing as the dinosaur dropped the retrieved golf ball at her feet once again. "Oh, alright, last time, okay?"
The triceratops wiggled on the spot in excitement as Ember picked up the ball and threw it as far as she could, sending it soaring over lush grass as the dinosaur immediately turned and lumbered after it.
"You know, he's gonna keep coming back." Amy pointed out. "We should go while he's looking for it."
Ember looked at her. "I know, but who else can say they've played fetch with a real dinosaur? And I can't just leave without saying goodbye, can I?"
"Why not? The Doctor does it all the time."
"... alright," Ember pouted, but walked over to where the rest of the group were waiting by the Tardis, following them inside. "Still think I could have kept him."
Amy rolled her eyes. "And where would keep a fully grown triceratops as a pet?"
"In here! The Tardis could have made an awesome room for him!"
Rory put his hand on Amy's shoulder. "At least she wasn't asking to keep the velociraptor."
"That would have been awesome too!" Ember said, letting the Doctor lead her to the captain's chair before going to set them off. "My own guard dog!"
"I thought that was the Doctor," Riddell quipped, laughing when the Doctor shot him a look.
Ember giggled, though she stopped herself as Nefertiti moved to her side. "I'm sorry we didn't get to spend much time together, your majesty. I would have loved to hear more about your kingdom."
The Egyptian queen smiled. "You are welcome to visit anytime."
"Yeah. And it really was an honour meeting you," The brunette got off her seat to properly bow to the older woman, shifting her stance so her left foot was forward again.
"And an honour meeting you," Nefertiti replied. "And I want to thank you for your brave actions earlier. You put the safety of others before your own, and that is a remarkable trait. One that must be rewarded."
Ember straightened, opening her mouth to politely decline any kind of reward, when she was silenced.
As was everyone else, when Nefertiti boldly grabbed the brunette by the lapel of her jacket, yanked her forward and pressed their lips together in a scorching kiss.
Everyone had their own reactions. Amy rolled her eyes and muttered 'of course'. Brian dropped his mug of tea and didn't notice. Rory and Riddell were gaping like fish, and the Doctor was just staring, as though unsure how to react.
Ember panted as Nefertiti pulled back with a smirk. "Um... well, that was... um..."
"Your reward," the Egyptian queen replied. "And you may visit my kingdom to claim another whenever yo see fit, even if I am burdened by the responsibility of ruling."
Ember would laugh later at the fact that Amy had to smack each man upside the head to snap them out of their staring. Right now, though, she was thinking about something else. "Um, you know... history says that you disappeared after your reign. No one figured out why..."
Nefertiti stole a glance at Riddell, and she grinned. Riddell returned the gesture.
The Doctor moved to stand by Ember's side, nudging her gently with his elbow. He was chuckling quietly at the still-surprised look on her face. "Are you alright?"
Ember blinked. Then blinked again. And then finally, a full out grin spread across her face. "Are you kidding? I just got snogged by Queen Neferneferuaten Nefertiti! This is awesome!"
"What is so interesting about these things?"
She looked up from her book, raising a brow at the man who'd spoken. She wouldn't call him a friend, as such, but she wouldn't say a bad thing about him, at least not yet. "Sorry?"
The man, whose face for some reason wasn't clear, learned over to look at the images in the book on her lap. "They're beasts. They have no intelligence, not even enough to avoid stepping in their own droppings. Even primates are smarter than that."
"Being smart is relative," she replied, closing the book. She knew she wouldn't get any more reading done with him around. "They have intelligence in their own right. If they could look at us, they'd probably be asking 'why are those creatures wearing all that cloth? Are they cold?' You shouldn't judge others by your own standards."
"You know what happens to them, right? What has happened. They go extinct. We're still here, but they aren't. I wouldn't call that intelligent." He didn't bother waiting for her answer, turning and walking away.
It was unclear if he heard her reply as she opened her book again. "What if that's not the case? Are they really gone?"
Ember sat up, breathing deeply, before she moved to put her feet on the floor and sit on her bed. The dream hadn't been too detailed and hadn't been scary, but she still felt the residue of adrenaline that thrummed through her veins. That and the sting in her shoulder, which was probably what woke her up. The pain meds Rory have had probably worn off.
There was a mumble behind her before she felt a warm palm press against her back, soon followed by a warm torso and a chin on her right shoulder.
"Are you alright?" The Doctor's drowsy voice muttered.
Ember glanced at him and smirked at the sight of his hair sticking up like he was trying to imitate his tenth self. "It's alright. Just another dream."
Mumbling again, the Doctor dramatically flopped down onto the mattress. "Want some help getting back to sleep?"
Turning, the brunette couldn't help but admire the man lying in her bed. They'd taken a shower together (which took longer because a certain Time Lord couldn't keep his hands to himself), and had decided a rest was in order afterwards. She herself wore a pair of fluffy trousers and matching top in a deep grey colour, while the Doctor settled for just the trousers and leaving his chest bare. If he knew that the trousers hung a little low on his hips, he hadn't admitted, but Ember liked the view.
"I'm fine, thanks," she replied, shrugging her shoulders and wincing at the sting on the left one. "Just gonna get something for my shoulder and then I'll be back."
The Doctor moved before she could, sitting up again and putting his hand on her right shoulder. He gently guided her to turn to face him a bit more as he gently moved the collar of the top aside to see the minor wound for himself. "I wish you'd let me heal that for you."
Ember shook her head. "You shouldn't waste your regeneration energy on something so little. It'll heal by morning anyway."
"It's not little, or a waste when it's you." The Doctor replied. He lifted a hand, about to heal her shoulder, when he paused. "Wait... I remember this..."
"What? Remember what?"
The Doctor grumbled to himself as he flopped onto the bed again. "You were hurt when... ah, that explains it..."
"Explain what?" Ember asked, turning more and frowning.
"Should have recognised the jim-jams..."
Then, right on cue, Ember felt the burning in her chest start up. All she could do was send him a glare as she jumped.
Okay, there we go! Hope you enjoyed the surprise with Neffy at the end!
Speaking of Neffy, I did my Egyptian research mainly from the books of Ancient Egypt I have at home, and a little bit of internet. Hopefully I have the facts right.
Next Time: Ember and the Doctor runs into a blast from the past, and the Doctor gets some help taking a big step. Stay tuned!