I've just finished two pieces of art that I wanna post on my twitter but they have huge spoilers for this story so I have to wait...
But Thank you for all of your reviews of last chapter! And I can't wait to see what you all think of this and the next chapters :D
Just know this is the calm before the storm ;)
'I cant find you...please! He has me...'
-
I wake up, my eyes flying open and I realize I'm still in the med bay, laying on my stomach on the bed, I slowly push myself up on my elbows, trying to figure out why I was so startled, and I realize I had been crying, I slowly sit up all the way, wiping away the tears quickly.
'Must have been a bad dream..'
I shake it off and look around again, smiling when I see the Doctor in the room, standing over a table as he fiddled with something in the corner, I relax more and stretch my arms up, sighing as there was no more pain from my back.
I reach back and smile wider, the scars were still slightly sensitive, but not painful, and they weren't hot anymore, the pain seeming to be just a memory now.
I silently drop from the bed and land quietly on the cool tile flooring, my boots making little noise, though I don't think the Doctor would have noticed either way, as he was very distracted.
I quietly walk up and stand beside him, looking down at the small metal orb he was messing with, it seemed to be perfectly smooth, and it had a small ring around it like an asteroid belt around planets.
"Whatchya doin?" I ask casually, causing him to yelp and jump, tightening his grip on the orb as he looks down at me behind his glasses, glaring playfully.
"Rose, one of these days I'm going to be working with something important and you'll make me drop it" he grumbles.
I giggle and lean on the table, smiling up at him fondly "well then I'll be sure to catch it before it falls" I retort, he sets the orb down, obviously trying to hold back a smile, I just beam up at him and he gives in, chuckling a little and holding his hand out to me, I gently take it.
"How are you feeling?" He asks.
"So much better, there's no pain or even soreness left. Thank you, for helping and for not scolding me for being stupid and not telling you about it" I say honestly.
He smiles softly now "you are most welcome, Love. And I only don't scold you because I know you didn't really have much time to" he says softly, I nod and relax more, gently squeezing his hand.
"Now, how long has it been since you've eaten?" He asks.
I pause to think for a moment "I don't even know, but definitely long enough to be hungry again"
He nods "then why don't we go get you some food, I know a nice market you'll like, they have some amazing fruits that only grow on these floating islands that the villages are made on. Their home world was flooding completely so they took the many islands they lived on and lifted them into the sky. Created a whole new life for themselves and have become a popular market stop in the Nova-Campo star system" he says excitedly, I smile fondly at his rambling.
We walk quickly toward the console room, but I stop us at my room.
"Help me pick out an outfit? I don't know what the weather is like on these islands" I explain, he smiles and nods, going with me inside and into my large closet, he looks around, thinking.
"It's pretty warm weather, sunny most days and high up enough to often have fog from clouds at the same altitude" he explains, I nod and look through the clothes, finding a pair of dark blue shorts, a new pair of boots, a white t-shirt and a dark blue hoodie, holding them up he nods and smiles softly.
He waits in my room as I change quickly in the bathroom, checking the scars on my back in the mirror, seeing they were much fainter now, like they had fully healed now, and there was no sign of any underlying injuries.
But when I look in my eyes, that same deep storm blue ring around the outside of my irises was still there, just as before, I shrug it off, at this point it didn't surprise me anymore.
I wrap my hoodie around my waist and head out, meeting the Doctor and we go to the console room, I smile widely when I see Rose reading a book up on one of the platforms around the edges of the room, that sort of blends into the walls.
She's laying on a blanket on her back, the book held above her as she reads.
I leave the Doctors side and silently sneak over and just under the edge of the shelf.
I jump up, grabbing the edge and pulling myself up to be eye level with her "Boo!"
She screams and throws the book a few feet, sitting up and turning toward me all in a matter of a second, and I can't help but laugh, gripping onto the metal grating so I don't fall back to the ground.
She grabs the pillow she was using and tosses it at me, I catch it and drop back down to the ground, wheezing with laugher as I smile up at Rose, who was now glaring down at me over the edge.
"Someday I'm going to throw my book at you instead" she says before smiling as I beam back.
She jumps down and pulls me into a hug before pulling back, holding onto my shoulders as she looks me over "how are you doing?" She asks curiously.
"A ton better, the Doctor took care of it and I'm not even a little sore or achey" I reply happily, she smiles wider.
"Good! So we can go on an adventure then?"
I nod happily and gesture behind me to the Doctor who was working at the console "he said we are going to an alien market to get some food, so there will probably be some running and craziness involved. There always is"
We go to the console as the Doctor was punching in the cords, gripping onto it and laughing as we try to keep from being thrown around.
As we land I have to wait a moment as my mind stops spinning before I look to the Doctor across the console, who was beaming at me, my cheeks warm a bit but I beam back.
I felt so much better than I had in so long, and there wasn't any impending danger just yet, and I had gotten some sleep.
Rose goes to the doors and opens it, looking outside before she comes back quickly "it's too warm for my current clothes, I'll be right back, don't head out without me!" She calls as she heads into the halls, I smile after her before giggling as the Doctor comes over.
I turn and pull him into a tight hug, which he reciprocates, kissing the top of my head gently "feeling better?" He asks softly, I nod and breath in deeply.
"So much better" I confirm, looking up to smile at him, seeing his fond smile warming me, I remember and open my end of the connection, instantly being flooded with warmth and love, causing me to tighten my arms around his middle.
As Rose came back we part and head out into the bright warm sunlight, I shake a deep breath of the clear air and smile around as I see we seem to be in a densely populated market, just off to the side in an alley so the Tardis wasn't parked in the middle of the road.
We head out into the street, my eyes widening, seeing how diverse the people are, how many different foods and items are sold, and seeing that we definitely were on a large floating island.
I look up as Rose grabs my arm and gently shakes it "look at this place! Where do we go first?" She asks excitedly, I smile back and look around again.
"Why not..." I pause as I search the stalls, looking for some food that looked interesting.
"How about there?" I ask, pointing to a stall that has a bunch of different looking fruits and veggies, or foods like them, she nods and we head over excitedly, the Doctor following happily, sending me humor and warmth through the connection.
I smile back at him before we pick out some food, paying for it then we wander down the streets, shops and market stalls all open, showing off everything from jewelry and clothing, to foods of any variety, and even things looking like weapons and different technology.
But as we walked and talked, I ate my blue pear like fruit and start to notice people were watching us with wide eyes, I start to get a little nervous as it seemed the native people were the ones watching us the closest.
Their light blue grey skin shone in the sunlight, their dark brown eyes watched me, not looking away when I'd meet their gaze, and their hair was all different shades of blonde.
I try to avoid their gazes after a while, but they seem to continue to seek it out, calling toward us, trying to get us to come over, I look over to the Doctor curiously as he walked beside me, he smirks a little down at me as I whisper.
"Why is everyone watching us? Are we doing something wrong?"
He shakes his head, his hands in his pockets "we aren't doing anything wrong. But they are only watching you" he says as an explanation.
I frown now "what? Why?" I ask softly, stopping to look up at him.
Rose continues on, looking at a nearby stall that had some jewelry.
He smiles more "I may have forgotten about a custom here" he says, shrugging casually, I glare a bit at him playfully.
"And what is that custom?"
"It may be a big deal for someone to have silver or white hair" he says, I smirk and shake my head.
"You are ridiculous. If I get mobbed I'm blaming you" I retort before finishing the last bite of my fruit and continuing on as he laughs, following me quickly.
"I promise I won't let that happen" he says happily, I smile softly and shake my head, continuing on to catch up with Rose.
After some time we cross a large bridge over to the next island, which made me rather nervous from how high up we were, but I make it to the other side without panicking so I called it a win.
We make it to the very center of the market areas, a large circle of stalls and shops and people hanging about, the large trees covering the area from most of the sunlight, leaving it comfortably cool and beautiful.
As I sit down on a bench next to Rose I glance around, noticing more people watching me now before they look to each other, I frown a little nervously and look away, noticing the Doctor was wandering off to look at something technical at a stand, I smile softly and relax as I watch him pull out his glasses, putting them on before he picks up something and begins examining it.
I zone out a little before jumping as Rose touches my arm to get my attention, I look up and she nods past me, so I look over and see a group of the locals had come over, I gulp and stand, smiling a little nervously.
"Um...hello?" I kind of ask, they all suddenly smile, both males and females and others in the group.
"You are the Silver one" one of the men in the front of the group says, I nod a little.
"my hair is silver, but I don't think I'm anyone specific" I offer.
"You don't know of our customs?" Another asks, I nod again.
"In our peoples history, when ever a silver haired one comes, they bring good luck, and happiness and wisdom" the first explains, they all agree and give more explanations, everyone in the growing crowd seemed to be excited.
"You must marry one of us!" Someone yells over the crowd, my cheeks warming as I see how excited they all are.
"Im sorry to disappoint, but I'm already taken. But I am flattered" I explain.
Many of them seem disappointed, backing off a little, but a few stay closer.
"Is she your mate?" One male asks, nodding to Rose beside me, she laughs and I smile, shaking my head.
"No, she's just a friend"
"Then where is your mate?" The same male asks.
I look behind me to see the Doctor still looking at the little device, I smile a little and point toward him "thats him. He's a bit preoccupied at the moment"
The rest of the group seems to lose steam and disperse, however one female is left, she stands tall, a few inches taller than me, with long dark blonde hair pulled back into a braid down her back, she watches me for a moment before walking past me and toward the Doctor, I frown a little as I watch, a bit confused and concerned.
She goes up and stands right in front of him, The Doctor stands up straight, looking down at her in confusion, he sets the tech down and takes off his glasses, making that face he makes when he's confused.
"Um...hello?" He asks, putting his glasses back into his inner pocket, glancing past her to me, I shrug a little in response.
"You. You are her mate?" She asks, pointing back to me, he looks to me again in confusion.
He nods and looks back to her "I am. Yes" he confirms.
She crosses her arms, looking him up and down, then looking back to me "she doesn't have a mark" she says, looking back to him "you haven't given her a link" she responds.
"I challenge you. I challenge you to her hand" she says seriously, the other people around start to watch on in curiosity, the Doctor takes a step back, frowning more.
"Wait, hold on, thats not..." he looks to me for support but I can't help the smile I give him.
"I can't stop her. Are you going to accept the challenge?" I ask, my smile turning teasing, he sighs exasperatedly.
Then he points to me "you say I'm the one that gets us into trouble" he huffs, though I could see the smile hiding there.
I raise my hands in placation, giggling a little as he looks back to her "I want to know the challenge before I accept" he says seriously.
She nods and grabs his arm, pulling him over so they were both standing in front of me, Rose behind me slightly on the bench giggling as she watched it all.
"The challenge is this" she points straight up toward the trees above us "the first to collect the most Picknii-Go fruit wins her hand" she says, The Doctor looks up to the trees then sighs and nods, moving to take off his coat and suit jacket.
I gently take them from him, setting them onto the bench, the crowd had grown and in circled us now.
The crowd was cheering and some of them bring over two large ladders, ones that would reach the lower branches.
I frown a little and come up to stand right beside him "you sure? That's really high up" I ask softly.
He smiles down at me, unbuttoning and rolling his sleeves up "if its for you, I'll do anything" he says softly, my cheeks heating up as I return the smile "sap" I tease softly as he beams down at me.
The crowd watches on in excitement as both the girl and the Doctor move to stand at the base of their respective ladders, Rose moving to a more comfortable seat a few feet away so as to see better, and many more of both the native people, and visitors of the market, had stopped to watch.
An elder of the village comes to stand before me, putting down two baskets about 6 feet in front of me before backing away and looking to the others.
"This will be our first duel this season! Bringing us good luck! With the luck already given by the silver one, we shall see if our own Ranma will win!" He calls out, getting cheers from the ever growing crowd.
Then he looks to me, his brown eyes so light they were almost golden, he smiles "will you bless us with your luck for this challenge and any challenges after?" He asks.
I nod quickly, not exactly sure what to really do, so I look to the Doctor and the girl, Ranma "I wish you both luck in this challenge" then I look back to the crowd "and I wish you all have great luck in anything you aspire to do or be!" I call out louder, which is met with cheers and whoops all around, many of the non natives joining in and celebrating with them all.
I smile, my heart warming as I look back to the Doctor, meeting his gaze as he smiles fondly toward me, he sends me his affection and fondness, only making my cheeks heat up further.
Ranma smiles at me proudly before the elder speaks again "we have been blessed! And so now let the challenge..." he pauses and both Ranma and the Doctor grab onto the ladders, the crowds going quiet for a few seconds before he continues "begin!" He cries, sending the crowd cheering and both the Doctor and Ranma climbing up the ladders and disappearing into the branches and leaves.
Around me the crowd begins to talk amongst themselves, some praising Ranma for her skills in many different topics, others questioning how many fruits they'd be able to collect and betting on the amounts, and still others asking about us, where we may have come from and why.
I was watching the canopy as the elder comes to stand beside me, I smile at him gently "I must ask, how come everyone wants my blessings?" I ask softly.
He smiles back "your hair is a sign of your luck, of your enchantment. You have magic in your blood, and we only hope that you will share it all with us. So I must thank you for your blessing" he says honestly.
I watch him curiously, smiling gently "I suppose you aren't wrong. And I must say, I am happy to share anything I can with you all, you've shown me kindness that many others haven't, and I believe you will all do well in what ever you want" I say happily.
He thanks me again before we hear movement above us, we all look up and Ranma is jumping down the ladder, setting her arm full of fruits into the basket on her side before climbing back up and disappearing again, the crowd cheering her on.
I smile a little and send the Doctor some of my humor, wondering how he planned to win this, because I know he'll win, he wouldn't have taken the challenge if he didn't think he would win.
After about ten minutes, the Doctor hadn't been seen but Ranma had come down four more times, her basket was so full she had to leave some on the ground next to it.
The elder walks forward to between the two baskets, facing the ladders and away from me "and the challenge period has ended! Come down and unload anything you have and we will find who the winner will be!" He calls up loudly, Ranma comes down quickly, depositing another handful on her side, and then a moment later the Doctor climbs down.
I smile softly seeing he had two fruit in his hands, his hair was a mess and his clothes rumpled and a few sticks and leaves here and there, I smirk as he sets the fruits in his basket, the crowd was now silent and the elder looks surprised but happy.
Ranma looked so proud, giving me a winning smile, I cant help but giggle and nod back toward the Doctor, who was looking pretty smug now.
As everyone watches, the Doctor pulls a fruit from his pants pocket, which did not look like it should have room for the large grapefruit sized fruits.
Then he pulls out his sonic, pointing it above him he presses the button and suddenly it starts raining the fruits down around us, fulling his basket and covering the ground and benches near us.
He smirks at me triumphantly as the crowd had gone silent in shock for a second before they all erupt in loud cheers.
Ranma watched on for a moment before nearly keeling over with laughter, then she picks up one of the fruit and tosses it to a child in the crowd, I gesture to the crowd then to the fruits everywhere.
"Trap your fill!" I call, being greeted by more cheering and laugher as the crowd closes in picking up their fruits to eat or save for later, many children were trying to talk to the Doctor and ask how he had done it, but he just tells them that a magician never reveals their secrets, then they are on their way happily, arms full of the fruits.
Ranma then bows to the Doctor "you have proven yourself to be wise and fit as her mate. It was an honor to challenge you" she says, smiling up at him, as he smiles and bows back slightly.
"It was an honor to be challenged by a fine warrior" he replies.
She comes up to me and smiles gently, which I return "Thank you. For blessing my people and for following our customs for this challenge" she praises.
I blush and shake my head "there's no need to thank me. I am very honored you'd want to fight for me, and I hope you find the perfect mate soon"
She bows again, grinning from ear to ear before she moves away to celebrate the challenge with her friends.
As the Doctor is making his way over I smile up at him happily "I knew you had some trick up your sleeve. Or down your pants...wait no!" I exclaim, cheeks flushing red as I cover my face with my hands "I didn't mean it like that" I grumble as he laughs, pulling my embarrassed self against him in a hug, I wrap my own arms around his waist and bury my face into his chest.
"Let's just pretend I didn't say that" I mumble.
"Why not? I like that blush on you" he replies softly.
I huff but smile a little "again. Sap" I tease, he chuckles and kisses the top of my head.
Then a man from the crowd comes over quickly, smiling happily through his half moon spectacles "come! Come, you have won her hand, you both must make marks!" He says happily, we part and the man grabs our hands, dragging us after him, Rose behind us laughing at our predicament, picking up the Doctors coat and jacket before following us.
The man stops us at his cart and points to us both "you cannot see the other until you are both ready, you must make the mark out of what ever you find here" he says, gesturing to his cart covered in different materials, string and stones and carved wooden figures and many other little crafty things.
I smile wider and nod, I'm then pulled away by a few of the women who had followed us from the crowd, I smile back at the Doctor as he too is dragged off to the other side of a wall on the opposite side of the cart by some of the males.
I am sat at a small table and the girls flit around, speaking excitedly as they bring trays of different things and set them on the table.
I giggle a little as they seemed so excited and happy, one girl stops and gestures to the main tray "you must choose what style to give him. A necklace, a bracelet, a ring or circlet" she explains as I look at the different loops of wires and leather strings.
I look them over before taking one of the longer leather strings "I think a necklace would be best"
She nods and takes that tray, moving the others closer, the other girls watching curiously.
I look over the many trays and bowls of little carvings and trinkets, thinking.
"What is he like?" One of the younger girls asks excitedly, I smile and look to her.
"He's amazing, he's kind, he's a genius, he cares for me. Even if he is a bit of an idiot" I smile more as the girls around giggle, obviously enjoying the gossip.
"But he's my idiot. And he means more to me than anyone ever has in my life. I would give up everything for him, and all he'd have to do was ask" I admit softly, blushing brightly.
The older of the girls gasps, hands on the table as she leans against it "really?! What has he done to earn your respect and love. What has he done to earn your honor and luck?" She asks excitedly.
I giggle a little "does saving my life over and over again count? He also takes me traveling. He's just amazing. He's taken me to places I though were only stories, he's showed me whole worlds and galaxies, whole new peoples and places that I thought I'd only seen in my dreams. And he's saved me, no matter how stupid I was, or how big of a mistake I make, he's never turned his back on me, he's become my entire world" I explain happily, my cheeks staying warm the whole time.
"How romantic" one of the younger girl swoons, sighing happily and I nod, smiling more.
"Very romantic. But I know you'll find someone for you, all of you will" I say, nodding to everyone.
Their eyes widen and they look between themselves, beaming.
However, there's one girl who looks nervous but she speaks up, she was closer to the wall "what if some of us don't want a romantic partner?" She asks sheepishly.
I smile to her gently "what's you're name?" I ask her gently, her eyes widen more and she swallows.
"Natia" she replies.
"Then, Natia, I know you will find the right friends and family, you'll have great success in what ever you put your mind to. With or without a partner. As partners aren't always needed, nor wanted. And thats perfectly normal" I tell her.
She looks shocked, and tears come to her eyes "I...you aren't just saying that? You mean it?" She asks, her voice breaking a little, I smile more and nod, moving to stand.
"I mean every word of it. I've known people, friends, who didn't want romance, nor a partner. It doesn't make you any less normal" I say softly, a few tears had escaped her eyes and I motion for her to come closer before gently pulling her into a hug.
"You aren't broken Natia, you are whole. And you are You" I say softly, gently brushing her hair back and smiling down at her, she beams back, wiping away her tears as she pulls back, the other girls cheer happily and I laugh as I'm pushed back toward the desk by Natia.
"You need to make the mark before time runs out!" Natia giggles happily.
I smile wider "I'm being timed?" I ask.
"Well, not exactly, but it's always a race to see which mate finishes their mark first" she replies happily.
"Ooh, ok" I nod and look over the table again, curious as I look for something that reminds me of the Doctor.
As I look it all over one thing catches my eye, a small stone with a carving on it, I pick it up and smile wider, carved on the small river stone was the caricature of two suns on it.
I nod and hold the stone up "his home planet had two suns, I think this will be perfect" I say happily.
The girls flutter around me, taking and moving trays, bringing bowls of different connector bits in them and they help me make it into a proper necklace so it wouldn't break or fall apart.
Once it's done I stand and smile at the girls "thank you, so much. Today has been so much better than I was expecting" I say honestly.
We all move to stand outside, waiting out front of the small cart, my heart racing as I glance around a little nervously.
We hear footsteps and I look up to see the Doctor, he had rolled his sleeves back down, sadly, but he looked so happy, a grin on his face as we met eyes.
I beam back, the necklace hidden in my hands in front of me, the man who insisted we do this comes up and gently pulls us closer to each other.
"The lady will go first. Show each other how well you know the other" he says happily before stepping back, I could hear the girls behind me whispering excitedly.
My smile widens as I look down at my hands, holding up the necklace by the string so he could see the small stone pendent of two suns "reminded me of you the second I saw it" I say softly, looking back up to meet his eyes, seeing the hint of moisture there now, his smile widening and I could feel his love and fondness through the connection, making my cheeks warm.
He leans down and I gently place it around his neck, softly kissing his forehead before he could stand back up, he then holds up something, a small metal pendent, in the shape of a single human heart, but with nothing else.
I look down at it curiously before he moves it around and flips it open, revealing a cut out shape inside, my eyes widening when I realize what it was, it was in the shape of the Tardis key I had worn on a string around my neck since before I even came to this universe.
I look up to him as my eyes sting a little, he smiles softly and leans down, gently pulling my necklace out from under my shirt before he clips the pendent around the key, it fit perfectly and didn't add much weight to the whole thing.
I jump up and wrap my arms around his neck in a tight hug, he hugs back just as tightly, lifting me off my feet and spinning us a little, I laugh and the others around us cheer excitedly, the Doctor sets me back on my feet and I pull him down into a warm kiss.
On our way back toward the Tardis we meet up with Rose again, we grab a few more things of food before we head down the alley way, I smile seeing our beautiful blue box, I grab the handle and she unlocks the door, letting me push it open before we all head inside.
"I'm going to go and finish that chapter of my book you so rudely interrupted earlier" Rose says, gently bumping shoulders with me as she passes, I smile and nod.
"Hope it's a good book" I call after her, and she waves back before she's gone down the hallways.
I set my uneaten fruits onto the pilots chair, moving to untie my hoodie from my waist before setting it over the chair as well.
"How did you find a pendent that fit the Tardis key so perfectly?" I ask curiously, gently messing with said metal heart.
The Doctor looks up from the console, smiling more "I may have cheated slightly, used the sonic" he says, shrugging and moving around the console quickly as he got us moving.
I smile fondly "well thank you for it. Now the key will always be safe, and people won't know it's there..." I pause a little and look down at it in my palm, a blush warming my cheeks.
"This is probably really cheesy, but it feels like you've a somehow given me one of your hearts, so we both now have two hearts" I admit softly, and I can now feel his love and warmth he was sending to me.
"You have always had my hearts, now you just have a physical reminder" he comments gently.
I blush harder and cover my mouth to try and hide my smile "you're such a sap" I tease, hearing him chuckle softly "but I'm your sap" he retorts.
I come over and lean against the console beside him "you are, and I will fight to keep you forever. You're stuck with me" I respond happily.
He smirks "more like you're stuck with me"
I chuckle a little before pausing, a frown coming to my face as I hear the music start up.
I pout a little and look up to him sadly "someday I'm going to find out how to stop jumping around so suddenly" I huff.
He smiles sadly and gently pulls me into a hug, I return it, pressing close physically and mentally "you be careful" he says into my hair.
I nod and press closer, closing my eyes for a moment "I will, I promise. But don't worry too much, I have a feeling you will be seeing me again very soon" I say, pulling back and smiling up at him.
He chuckles a little, gently pulling me into a kiss before we both jump, looking up to the consoles screen to see something written in circular Gallifreyan, his eyes widening and he looks to me quickly "thats..."
I smile up at him "me I'm guessing?" I ask.
He nods, hesitating for a moment, I pull him down into one more kiss as the music got louder.
"Go on, go find me, make sure I'm ok" I say, gently nudging him toward the console, he meets my eyes worriedly.
I just smile gently at him "Everything will work out, don't worry. I love you" I say softly, hearing Rose coming down the hallways toward the console room, I can sense his worry but I hear him return my sentiment before I blink and I'm in the dark.
The burning of a new tattoo warms my left arm, I look down at the tattoo, seeing this one had a bit of color to it, a green moon.
I nod and sigh, closing the connecting then looking around the empty blackness 'I really hope this will be a calm adventure...'
I snort at myself "right, like anything with the Doctor is ever calm" I giggle.
I close my eyes and start to wonder where I'd end up when suddenly I feel cold, very cold, and as I try to take a breath in, my lungs fill with water.
My eyes snap open as I start to choke, only to find myself deep underwater, I look up desperately an begin swimming up as fast as I can, my entire body and mind in full on panic.
Just as I was starting to feel dizzy with no air, I break the surface finally, coughing and desperately trying to stay above the cold waves, while also not throwing up the water now in my stomach and lungs.
I was starting to lose the battle to stay above the waves when I hear yelling and then a pair of hands grabs me and pulls me up and out of the water, I'm laid on the floor and turned to my side.
Then I am able to throw up the water, clearing most of it from my lungs and stomach and throat.
I can hear loud talking above me as I try to catch my breath, shaking and gasping.
"How the hell did she get out this far!? Was she left by someone?" One voice asks shrilly.
"But then how did she just appear? There hasn't been any other boats for hours, and we've been stopped here for over 7 hours" another says.
Then a louder female voice calls over everyone else "enough! We will figure all of the out in time. For now give the girl some space!"
The people back off as I slowly move to sit up, spitting out a bit more water, finally being able to catch my breath, so I sit there gasping for a few moments before I look up to find my rescuers.
I frown a little in confusion, I didn't recognize any of them, not even a little bit.
A tall and well built woman crouches down in front of me, her blue eyes looking a bit concerned "there we go. Hello, do you understand me?" She asks.
I gulp but nod, wincing at the pain of my sore throat, I gulp again before speaking in a hoarse voice "yeah...where am I?" I ask.
She smiles a little, trying to be friendly and obviously almost as rattled by the whole event as I am "first, I want to know where you think we are" she retorts.
I frown a little more and look around the place for a moment then looking back to her "on a ship in the middle of the sea, but I don't know anything else" I admit.
She frowns now "do you have any memory of how you could have possibly gotten out here? We are miles from land" she asks.
I shake my head, deciding to lie for now "no...the last thing I remember was being with my...my husband" I admit.
She glances down to my shaking hands in my lap, raising her eyebrow a little, but she doesn't comment on me not having a ring.
"Right then. I'm going to send out a call to the coast guard, see if I can finally get through to them on the radio" she says, going to stand.
I don't stop her, as my adrenaline was suddenly hitting me full force again as a panic attack begins, I scramble back away from the edge of the boat, pressing my back against the wall, covering my face and shaking worse now.
The others of the group I hadn't really looked at let out sounds of shock as I moved so fast.
"Please tell me I'm dreaming..." I whimper, my spine twinging uncomfortably, just the thought of being out on open water sent waves of fear and terror through me, so knowing that is exactly where I am, was making me feel sick and terrified as well.
"Woah. Hey, its ok" one of the men says quickly, I shake my head, trying desperately to keep myself from having a full blown breakdown.
"Please...is there someplace inside I can go? I can't look at the water" I say shakily, keeping my eyes covered as I tremble there on the floor.
The crew helps me into the boats interior, it was a nice research vessel, lots of equipment and diving gear, but I pay little note of it all, sitting down in a bench chair I finally look up to see everyone around me was human, two woman besides the woman I saw earlier, and three men.
I'm handed a glass of tea and I thank them, one handing me a blanket as I was still soaking wet.
After a few minutes I finally look up to them, they had been talking amongst themselves, but one of the girls, a shorter girl, short pixie cut brown hair, was just watching me, looking curious but worried.
I take a deep breath and set my cup down "can I ask...what are you researching out here?" I ask softly, the others look to me.
"Just sea life" calls the woman from the beginning as she enters the room, then she looks to the others "still nothing but static, we need to find a way to move us" she says.
I frown a little, pulling the blanket closer around myself "you aren't able to contact the coast guard?" I ask, she nods "yes, but it will be alright, this happens a lot in this area, nothing to worry about" she says quickly.
I narrow my eyes a little "that is definitely something to worry about" I retort, she frowns "what would you know?" She snaps back.
"Let's just say I know when something weird is going on. And right now feels like that kind of thing. So, I'm guessing you're the captain?" I respond, she nods a little stiffly.
"Good, then you best tell me whats been happening. I can help" I say quickly.
The rest of the crew watches silently, it seemed they were all very nervous and unnerved by something.
"There's nothing to tell. If you'd excuse me, I need to return to the helm" the captain says seriously.
I watch as she leaves the room quickly, then I look to the others "anyone else want to tell me whats happening? You all seem pretty scared. So whats happened, what unusual thing has spooked you all?" I ask.
They all stay silent for a moment before one of the older men sighs, he seemed to be in his early 50s, salt and pepper hair, beard and he's wearing a pair of khaki pants, a green shirt and dark brown jacket over it.
"We ought to tell 'er. Not like we could hide somethin' like this" he grumbles, the others nod a little nervously.
The man comes and sits across from me in a chair at the table "look, this is gonna sound like we're all mad. But..." I raise my hand quickly and he goes silent.
"Before you try and convince me of something. I just want you to know I have seen far more things than you could imagine, and almost nothing will surprise me at this point, so don't worry about sounding insane. I once was nearly killed by a mummy on a train in space" I reply quickly before laughing a little, which turns into a few wet coughs, when the people before me stare in shock and confusion.
I smile at them and nod for the man to go on "ok...then I'll just get to it. We 'ave been cursed, or somethin' like it. Every hour, for a few minutes, this...this fog, or mist, it comes up from the water, it closes over us and for a few minutes the only lights we can see are in our ship, nothin' outside of it. It smells something awful, as if the fish in this very water was dead and decaying on the ships decks" he explains.
I nod as I listen, my shaking slowly lessening as I relax a little, forgetting a little where I am.
"How long has this been happening?" I ask.
"Since we came out 'ere this mornin', we've tried hailing the coast guard, but it seems our signal is being blocked. We've even tried flares, shootin' 'm up high, but they fizzle out before they even make it ten feet out of the gun. And our anchor is stuck on somethin' so we've been stuck 'ere" he continues.
I frown more and nod "ok, does the mist make you feel sick at all? Besides from the smell?" I ask.
They all nod and I grimace a little "ok, when do you think the next mist will hit us?"
The old man looks to the clock on the wall "ten minutes from now or so" he says.
I nod and move to stand, keeping the blanket around my shoulders "alright, this is what we are gonna do, I want everyone to grab a scuba mask and tank. If this stuff is toxic we need to be protected"' I explain, moving to the shelf thats covered in scuba gear.
I pick up one of the masks and look it over "how do you know we need those? And why are you in charge anyways?" a soft voice asks.
I turn to see the second youngest girl watching me with suspicion "the captain should be telling us what to do, not you" she continues.
I sigh softly "I'm in charge because I know stuff about these kind of situations. Now, are you all just going to stand there? Or do you wanna not suffocate on what ever is out there?"
Slowly the crew gives in and we all get a mask and tank, the old man helping me with my own, I thank him before the captain comes back, seeming to be furious.
"The hell are you doing? I am the captain of this ship, and I have no order for this" she snaps, I look up to her from my spot at the table with a few maps, the air tank on my back but the mask hanging off my shoulder.
"Perfect timing captain" I jump to my feet "you need one as well" I insists.
"Bullshit. You're just making us waste our air canisters. Take that all off" she orders.
I frown and shake my head "sorry captain, cant do that. Now I'd highly suggest that you do the same as us" I say, gesturing to the wall of equipment, but she just glares.
"Not a chance, that equipment is expensive. Now everyone, take those damned things off" she snaps at her crew, who all look conflicted and nervous.
"Cap'tn. I think we should listen to the girl. I mean, who knows what that mist really is, it could be dangerous to breathe" the old man retorts.
"You'd risk your job to listen to a random girl who was dumped out here by who knows who? She's probably just confused" she snaps.
I frown as I move between her and her crew.
"Captain, does the mist make you sick?" I ask her seriously.
She scoffs "you need to step down and stop making my crew hysterical" she growls.
I cross my arms and keep eye contact with her "Captain. Does the mist make you sick?" I ask again, not budging.
She draws herself up a little, continuing to glare down at me "you have no right to be commanding any of us" she snaps.
I narrow my eyes again "I have far more right than you think. What year is it?" I ask suddenly.
They all go silent in confusion, even the captain, so I look to the old man and he speaks up "2010"
I nod and look back to the captain "then you must remember when there was a massive rock spaceship hovering over London? When one third of the population was standing on the edge of buildings?" I ask.
She pauses a little, slowly nodding "how the hell does that have anything to do with this?" She demands.
I smirk a little "who do you think was up there talking with the aliens?" I ask.
She stares before bursting out in harsh laughter "bullshit. You really have lost your mind girl. Jackson, take her and put her in one of the spare rooms. And lock the door" she orders, looking to one of the younger men.
I roll my eyes a little and look to Jackson, smiling kindly "no need to lock me up, lets get this mist business sorted before we do anything else" I say then turn back to the captain.
"You have no right to order my crew!" She fumes again.
"I also helped take care of the mess that was the disaster at Lazarus Laboratories. I've even got the scar to prove it" I retort, gesturing to my back "I seem to have more tenure with these kinds of things than you, captain. So I suggest you stop your bitching and let me help you all" I snap, my blood beginning to boil at this point.
She stares at me, her eyes a little wide before she shakes her head "you're just a kid. You must have been drugged or hit your head. Jackson, do as I say" she snaps at the man.
I huff and take off the air tank and mask, setting them on the table before I turn my back to her and pull my shirt up enough so she could see part of the large scar left from Lazarus's attack, I hear her take a deep breath in.
Turning back, I push my shirt back down, meeting her shocked gaze "I wasn't kidding, I've seen some things you would never even believe. Now, I am going to ask you again, please put on one of the air tanks" I insist, moving to pull my own back on.
I move back to look over the maps, ignoring the captain now as I hoped she was putting one on, I look to the old man and smile kindly "Im sorry, I just realized I never asked your name"
He smiles back a little "I understand, it's been a rather hectic time. My names Shasta" he replies.
I smile more "like from The Horse and His Boy?" I ask gently.
He nods and smiles more "indeed. You know the book?"
I nod "its my favorite..."
Before I can continue a loud deep sound shakes the boat, causing me to nearly fall over, I look up and out the tiny port hole window, and it looked like it was almost night out "put on your masks!" I yell quickly, pulling my own on.
And seconds later the mist comes pouring into the cabin, through the doors and windows and any tiny crack.
I quickly move to the door, glad to not be able to see the open ocean around us.
Stepping out onto the deck with the others following I move to the edge of the boat, looking down into the water, even as I felt sick and terrified of the black water, I knew I had to at least try and keep it together.
I take a moment and look to the others, both Shasta, then other man and the two younger girls had followed me out "Im going to take off my mask to smell the air, if anything happens to me, I want you to put my mask back on, no matter what I say" I explain, having to speak loudly through the mask to be heard as we hadn't set up the com units inside.
Shasta nods and glances to the others then back to me, I notice the younger girl was still watching me, she hadn't said a word since I arrived, but I didn't blame her.
I look back out into the dark mist and fog, taking a deep breath of the oxygen before I take off the mask, holding my breath for a moment before I breath out, watching as my breath fogs up as if it was freezing out, but it didnt feel too cold.
Then I breath in, and instantly my already sore throat felt like I had just drank a bunch of nails, the pain was awful, and the smell.
The smell was like someone had caught a fish, drenched it in gasoline and then left it to decompose on the deck, I nearly gag as I quickly put my mask back on, gasping in the fresher air from the tank.
I jump as that same loud low sound shakes the ship, I grab the railing and watch as the dark water starts to become small waves.
I watch the waves with growing panic, until I feel a hand on my shoulder, turning stiffly I see Shasta watching me with a bit of worry before he points to our left and out and away from the boat.
I follow where he's pointing and my eyes widen, there was a body in the water, I scramble to that side of the boat, the body definitely wasnt human, I could tell that much, and looking back toward the others, I could tell none of them wanted to get any closer to it, so looking back, I try to think of the best course of action, watching the body, until it suddenly moves, its a small jerk of the arm, but that meant they were alive.
I grip the railing, looking down into the black cold water, I nearly felt sick with fear, but I look back up to the alien, and know I can't let them die, even if its a slim chance that I could save them.
I make sure my tank is well in place before jumping up to stand on the railing, I can hear everyone behind me crying out, moving to stop me but I jump before they can, instantly I'm shocked by the cold water as I drop in.
I begin swimming instantly, surfacing and trying very hard to not scream, it felt empty and cold and the worst fear was crawling up my spine.
I push on and make it to the aliens body, it had long thin limbs and torso, its head looking much like the classic grey aliens, big eyes, though they were closed at the moment, it seemed to be dressed in some kind of jumpsuit but it looked burnt and ruined.
I grab their arm and wrap it around my neck before moving to swim back to the boat, breathing heavily into my mask at the excursion.
It takes me a good minute or so to swim back, dragging the heavy body with me, while also praying they hadn't died.
I get to the boat and am helped up and out of the water by Shasta, the others stay back as we pull the alien aboard as well.
I quickly roll the alien onto their back and press my ear to their chest, listening for any breathing, when I don't find that I feel for a pulse shakily, and I find one, very dim but it was there.
I get an idea so I take a deep breath of the air before I pull off my mask, holding my breath and pressing the mask over the aliens mouth and small nose, then I use my free hand to press down hard on their chest a few times, praying this would work.
Their arm twitches and I see their hand turn to a fist for a moment so I keep working as fast as I could, trying to hold my breath for as long as possible, until I see someone crouch down on the aliens other side, I look up to see the youngest woman, surprising me a little, but she's holding a tank and mask.
I quickly put mine back on, gasping in the air before helping her fit the other mask to the alien, and after a few moments their hand suddenly shoots up and grabs my wrist as I held their mask in place, they gasp and their grip tightened to a painful point.
I whimper a little and gently grab their hand to try and pull them off, they stare up at me, fear plain as day in their eyes.
I take a second and take my mask off, smiling gently at them "it's alright, you're safe. Can you understand me?" I ask gently, holding my breath so I didn't accidentally breath in without my mask.
I hear the others around me gasp but the alien stays staring for a moment before slowly nodding, I smile more, taking a breath from my mask before speaking again.
"Ok good. Just relax and breath for a while, let the air get to your bloodstream" I say before putting my mask back on, the alien relaxes tiredly and closes their eyes, seeming barely able to stay awake.
I look up to the humans and sigh sadly seeing the fear and caution on their faces, even Shasta looked uncomfortable.
However, the youngest girl isn't looking at me but the alien, her eyes were wet and she looked like she was going to start crying, I frown worriedly.
"Hey. It's going to be ok, they aren't a danger to you" I say loudly through the mask, trying to calm her a little.
But when she looks up at me my eyes widen, she had a perception filter on, and I could now see through it.
She was just like this alien, I hold my hand out to her, gesturing her over, not wanting the others to panic at first if she turned it off.
She comes over hesitantly. I take her hand gently and she crouches down on the other side of the alien to me, I lay her hand on the aliens arm gently and see the alien open their eyes.
The girl lets out a soft sob as the aliens eyes widened seeing her, they sit up suddenly, I could tell that took a lot of energy, before they embrace tightly.
I stand and back away to give them space, moving over to stand with the others.
Then the mist begins to clear, much quicker than any fog I'd ever seen.
I take my mask off and take a hesitant breath in, and this time there was barely a hint of the awful smelling mist.
The first thing I hear is Shasta pulling off his own mask before asking "'ow the 'ell did you do that?"
I frown and look to him confused "do what?"
"That!" He gestures to the alien "speak like that. That wasn't English" he says seriously.
My eyes widen for a moment "oh...that yeah, I suppose you could say I have a translator in my head, so I just hear myself speak English, but it translates my speech to what ever it needs to be for people"
He lets out a huff of a laugh "blimey, you are a strange one"
I smile more "you haven't seen anything yet" I joke softly.
We all move into the main cabin of the boat, the humans nervous of the aliens, but the youngest girl had taken off her perception filter and was sitting with the other alien, quietly talking and just holding onto each other.
I move to stand across the table from them "I know it's been a rough days, but I have to ask. Do you know what this black fog is? And why radio signals aren't traveling through it or around it?" I ask gently.
The girl holds onto the others arm as they sit up a little straighter, nodding.
"It is our ship. We crashed here months ago, our engines gave out, so we've been trying to fix it to leave. She would scout out on land, make sure we would have food. She was out working when an accident happened" he explains.
"I was working on the engines when something caught fire. The engine then exploded, I was tossed around and about half of our ship has flooded, I got blasted out into the water and didn't make it back into our ship before I fell unconscious and I must have floated up. The fog is the fuel from our engines. I think our ship keeps trying to turn on autopilot. But with the engine broken, its just sending a power surge, sending fuel up here"
I nod as I think it all over "ok, I think I can help with this. Or at the very least get someone else who can help" I pat at my pockets before remembering I didn't have my phone on me anymore.
I grimace for a moment before I remember back to the time of angels. When I had accidentally called on the Doctor somehow, like a mental message, like what Jack did on New Earth.
"Ok, give me just a minute to contact him, then we will sort this all out" I reassure them, then looking to the humans I smile.
"Im going to go contact my husband" I explain before leaving to go stand on the deck of the ship.
"You won't be able to contact anyone with the radios jammed" calls Shasta.
I smile a little more "Im not going to use radio signals" I reply before closing my eyes.
'Doctor. Theta, if you can hear me, I need your help. Please come find me' I think into the void, opening my end of the connection in hopes it would help.
I open my eyes after a few moments, staying silent as I waited, hoping he'd come running.
I smile brightly as I hear the unmistakable sounds of the Tardis as she materialized in front of me on the deck, I hear Shasta gasp and back up.
After only a moment of her being stationary, her door wings open to reveal the 11th Doctor, his floppy hair and bow tie and big goofy grin.
I beam back and run forward, catching him in a tight hug "there she is. Just the woman I was looking for" he says happily.
I giggle and look up to him, he smiles back fondly and pulls me into a kiss, I happily return it before making myself pull back, he lets out a soft almost inaudible whine of protest.
I giggle again "we have work to do before we can relax" I say softly.
He groans dramatically and slings his arm over my shoulders as we both look to Shasta "and who's this then?" He asks.
"This is Shasta, he's one of the crewmen on board this ship" I explain, before going into more detail on whats been happening as we head inside.
As we enter the Doctor smiles at the aliens "Ah! Flayr's! I haven't seen any of you in years" he says, walking up to them with his normal bouncy energy, moving into a formal sort of bow that would look odd anywhere on earth.
Both other aliens look to me with wide eyes, I just smile and nod back toward him.
He asks them about their ship and what exactly had happened to cause the explosion.
I sit down in one of the chairs and the Doctor hovered around and behind me, listening and talking as he made up a plan to go down there with the Tardis and fix the problems, I just watched him mindlessly, not exactly paying attention as I more so just enjoying watching him.
He claps his hands together "alright, thats settled. I will go down and shut off the engines, then I will haul your ship up to the surface and we can begin on fixing it" he says finally, I nod and move to stand, he takes my hand and pulls me off to the side to talk privately.
"Are you alright?" He asks softly, pressing to my mind through the connection.
I nod softly, smiling a little "my throats a little sore and Im a bit nervous but otherwise I'm alright"
He frowns "why is your throat sore? What's happened? Have you gotten sick?" He asks, reaching up to feel my forehead for my temperature, I smile softly and gently take his hand.
"No, I'm not sick, I just appeared under water and accidentally breathed some in, but that was a while ago. I promise I'm ok now" I insist, pressing back to his mind, showing him I was alright.
He relaxes and smiles fondly and kisses my forehead, causing me to blush a little.
"Do you want to come with me? You can stay in the Tardis" he says softly.
I shake my head "I should stay up here, I want to make sure nothing happens between the humans and aliens" I murmur softly so I was not overheard, he nods.
"Be safe" he says, kissing me gently before heading out quickly, I smirk a little at his clumsy exit of the rather cramped insides of the ship.
I lean against the wall quietly and watch on as the humans and aliens talk, well, more like the humans asking a lot of questions, and I could tell the others were starting to get uncomfortable and a bit overwhelmed.
I stand up away from the wall "ok, I think thats enough. They don't have to answer your every question"I say seriously, the humans looked a bit sheepish at that, so I smile gently.
"Remember, they are people just like you. And they have had a pretty insane day, just like all of us" I explain.
Shasta looks to me curiously "you aren't human? Like them?" He asks.
I nod a little "yes. Well, sort of" I sigh a little "I grew up like a human, was raised on earth, but Im not human. It's all a little bit complicated at this point" I laugh softly and shake my head.
Only a moment later the whole ship begins to rock so I move out to the deck, staying near the wall as I watch out toward the water, trying to keep calm and not focus fully on the water, one hand messing with the hem of my shirt to distract me a little.
The water begins to bubble and steam around the ship, and soon a large metal ship floats to the surface, the side airlock opens to reveal the Doctor and the Tardis parked inside behind him.
I smile widely at him "how does it look?"
"It's not as bad as it could be, I'm going to have to disassemble a part of the engine and coolant tank in here, but it shouldn't take too long" he explains, holding his hand out toward me, wanting to help me across the small gap.
I frown a little, glancing down to the water before he speaks again.
"Rose, look at me, not the water" he says, I look up and he's smiling kindly, his hand still held out "focus just on me"
I take a deep breath before nodding and taking his hand, not looking down as he helps me jump the small gap, I relax the second my feet touch the metal floor.
The rest of that day is spent inside either the aliens ship or the Tardis, as I helped the Doctor work on everything, and then we saw them off, I had wondered where the captain had gone, and we find out she had hidden in the captains quarters after becoming violently ill from the mist and not using a mask, but she seemed like she'd be fine after a while.
It felt good to be able to move around and actually work and help without being in pain, or even losing energy quickly.
Once everything was done I flop onto our bed face first, trying to hide a yawn with my face buried in the blankets.
I hear a soft chuckle from behind me, I can hear him taking off his jacket before he sits down beside me on the bed, resting his hand on my back "I forgot to ask, where were you?" He asks gently.
"From the floating islands market, and new earth" I say, rolling over and smiling at him as he takes my hand in his.
He returns the smile "how are you feeling after all of that? Is your back hurting at all?"
I shake my head "nope, no pain anymore. I feel great honestly" I say happily, he smiles more and lays down beside me, beaming at me as his mind pressed to my own.
"I'm so glad, I've been worries about where you'd end up after that, I wanted to make sure it was properly healed" he says.
I smile more and scoot closer, kissing the tip of his nose happily "Thank you hun. Thank you for watching out for me" I say honestly, pressing my mind to his, which he returns.
"I've already told you, I will always be there for you" he murmurs, I nod happily and wrap my arms around him.
We relax and just decompress there for a while, soon moving to change into some clean clothes, I didn't want to risk jumping in pajamas again, then we head to bed and get a few hours of sleep.
Well, I get some sleep, he lays with me and reads as I sleep against his chest.
'Please...I'm so scared...'
I groan a little as I wake up to a headache and the music was already loud in my mind, I rub my forehead a little as the Doctor looks down to me.
"What's wrong?" He asks concerned.
"Music and headache" I grumble, looking up to his sadly.
He sighs and nods "it will be alright, the headache should disappear when you jump" he says softly, kissing my forehead.
I nod again "ok...you gonna be ok?" I ask, looking up to him, he smiles and nods.
"Yes, I'll be alright, please be careful" thats the last thing I hear before the music gets far too loud and I'm left in the dark.
I groan and slowly sit up, rubbing my eyes before looking down at my arm, seeing the newest tattoo was a small anchor.
I stand slowly and soon my headache disparates.
Relaxing a little I close the connection and glance around, still the blackness was the same.
Then suddenly I'm standing in the hallway of either 9 or 10s Tardis, I smile fondly and run my hand along the wall a little as I head off toward the console room.
I can hear talking from ten and Martha when suddenly the whole ship sakes hard, I grab hold of the wall for support quickly.
"-the year one billion. Five billion. Five trillion. Fifty trillion. What?" I hear the Doctor say in confusion "the year one hundred trillion, that's impossible" he exclaims.
I knew I recognized those words, but where from? When was I?
I make my way down the hall, keeping a hold of the walls and supports so I wouldn't fall.
"Why? What happens then?" Martha asks in concern.
"We're going to the end of the universe" the Doctor replies.
It's then, as I turn the corner into the console room that I realize where and when I am, and I have to stay in the doorway, leaning on the wall to stay upright, both the erratic movement of the ship, and the realization of this adventure, wanting to throw me off my feet.
"Oh fuck..."
Oooooo! I cannot wait to get to the next chapter!
I hope you all enjoyed this, a few quick side stories I thought of, and the run up to the next chapter or two.
We will see more of Jack! Which is always a ton of fun!
I apologize if I miss any spelling mistakes in this chapter, I wanted to get it out faster so as to work more on the next chapter and have more time for it.
I would love to know what you all think could happen in this coming chapters and I'd love to know how you enjoyed this one :)
Love you all, don't forget to drink some water!
~Ezra
