She sighed, the quiet sound a stark contrast to the tension in her features. "You have to admit it's wacked, though," she said after a while. "Us doing this as a Hobson's choice."
"Hobson's choice? I don't understand the reference," he replied.
"What, you mean I know something you don't?" she asked in delight.
He shook his head. "Tegan, I'm certain there are many things you know that I don't, you needn't act so surprised by this."
"If you say so. But I do wish I had my diary here..."
"Why don't you stop being so dramatic and tell me about Hobson's choice?"
"Well, the word came from a liveryman in England named Hobson, natch, who would tell customers they could take the horse near the stable door or none at all."
"I see," he said. "So the choice wasn't really a choice at all. Hence your comparison."
"Right again, Doc. If I have to choose between being taken from you and put with Gods only know what sort of being and us... well," she trailed off, glancing at her hands as though she'd never seen them before. "It's not really a choice," she finished.
"I agree," he told her. "Why do you think I told Halda we'd...pair off?"
Tegan chuckled. "For goodness sake, listen to us. Both of us dancing around putting a name to it like it's a wild animal in a cage. Why can't we just say it?"
"Putting a name to it would make it... more clinical, I think," he reflected. "Rather like discussing a science project."
She looked up at him. "You're really serious about that, aren't you?" she asked. "You really want this to be all moons and stars and flowers."
"I want this to be as pleasant and painless as possible," he said.
"I won't argue that," she answered.
He stared at her for so long it unnerved her, and she glanced down at her hands again. "How much longer til lights out, do you think?" she asked.
He considered. "Not long. Another hour or so. Why?"
"Because, O great Time Lord, we still have a shower to take," she told him.
"Then we'd best take it," he murmured. "That's good, very good."
"Why do you say that?"
He arched his brows. "I believe that it will help set the mood, as you humans would say."
To her chagrin Tegan found herself blushing, and hating it. She was inexperienced, but she wasn't an innocent virgin. Why, then, did she suddenly feel as shy as a new bride on her wedding day? She was having an old fashioned case of the jitters... over the Doctor?
He took her hand is his and pulled them both to their feet, and she was shocked by the abrupt jolt that his touch created. And then she knew why she was having these feelings. They were part of her attraction to him, her physical desire for him. A desire that, up until now, had been ruthlessly suppressed and stamped down; a desire that she had thought could not, would not, ever see the light of day. Now that hunger was breaking free of the restraints she'd kept it in for so long. A hunger that, once it had found substance, shape, did not want to be ignored or denied.
He caught her shiver and felt the slightest answering spark flare up from deep within himself. He knew she was nervous, hesitant. He had to admit that he felt the same. Recognizing that they had to do this was very different from having the option of picking a time, a place. He wasn't used to being ordered to do anything: well, except surrender or divulge Time Lord secrets to hostile beings bent on taking over the universe. He could imagine few things more stressful for a friendship than being told you had to "mate" with each other. He couldn't think how it would be if he and Tegan didn't have feelings for each other, or if it had been Nyssa here with him instead of Tegan, or if Turlough were still with them and Tegan had been paired with him. He almost smiled at that last thought-what a mess that would've been!
As it stood, the situation that he and Tegan were in was bad enough. The fact that there was mutual attraction between them beyond friendship wasn't going to change their circumstances. He sighed, realizing that his train of thought was going to take him directly to a station of negativity. It wasn't productive or beneficial. It was indisputable that, for the present, their reality was being dictated to them. But it was up to them to decide how to react to it, how to accept it.
"That was an awfully heavy sigh," Tegan commented. She squeezed his hand.
He smiled faintly. "Just considering our plight."
"I thought we weren't going to think too much on that," she said, trying to tease him.
"We're not," he murmured. "I'm finished with introspection for the evening."
He pushed open the bathroom door and drew her in after him, closing it behind them. Their captors had never entered their room after evening meal before, but he was taking no chances. He turned to see Tegan staring at the floor, chewing on her lower lip.
"Tegan..."
She moved with the suddenness of someone who must, at all costs, no longer stand still, and placed herself in front of him. She pressed two fingers gently to his lips. "Don't," she murmured. "You and I have already had enough words to last the rest of your lives."
He drew a shaky breath that could have been laughter, could have been agreement, taking her hand and kissing the fingertips. "I could get used to that," she sighed.
"I thought you said no talking," he chided.
"So I did," she answered. She paused. "Well, perhaps a little talking would be all right..."
"Really, Tegan, please stop changing the rules on me in midstride," he said, a twinkle gleaming in his eyes. "Would you like me to talk or not?"
"Mmm," she purred, reaching up to cup his chin in her hand. "Maybe later. Right now I want something entirely different."
He gazed into her eyes, noticing for the first time the soft flecks of moss and gold hidden within their depths. She leaned closer to him and he felt his hearts beating a little harder, a little faster. "Which is?" he asked hoarsely.
She reached up and pulled him down into a kiss.
"Hobson's choice? I don't understand the reference," he replied.
"What, you mean I know something you don't?" she asked in delight.
He shook his head. "Tegan, I'm certain there are many things you know that I don't, you needn't act so surprised by this."
"If you say so. But I do wish I had my diary here..."
"Why don't you stop being so dramatic and tell me about Hobson's choice?"
"Well, the word came from a liveryman in England named Hobson, natch, who would tell customers they could take the horse near the stable door or none at all."
"I see," he said. "So the choice wasn't really a choice at all. Hence your comparison."
"Right again, Doc. If I have to choose between being taken from you and put with Gods only know what sort of being and us... well," she trailed off, glancing at her hands as though she'd never seen them before. "It's not really a choice," she finished.
"I agree," he told her. "Why do you think I told Halda we'd...pair off?"
Tegan chuckled. "For goodness sake, listen to us. Both of us dancing around putting a name to it like it's a wild animal in a cage. Why can't we just say it?"
"Putting a name to it would make it... more clinical, I think," he reflected. "Rather like discussing a science project."
She looked up at him. "You're really serious about that, aren't you?" she asked. "You really want this to be all moons and stars and flowers."
"I want this to be as pleasant and painless as possible," he said.
"I won't argue that," she answered.
He stared at her for so long it unnerved her, and she glanced down at her hands again. "How much longer til lights out, do you think?" she asked.
He considered. "Not long. Another hour or so. Why?"
"Because, O great Time Lord, we still have a shower to take," she told him.
"Then we'd best take it," he murmured. "That's good, very good."
"Why do you say that?"
He arched his brows. "I believe that it will help set the mood, as you humans would say."
To her chagrin Tegan found herself blushing, and hating it. She was inexperienced, but she wasn't an innocent virgin. Why, then, did she suddenly feel as shy as a new bride on her wedding day? She was having an old fashioned case of the jitters... over the Doctor?
He took her hand is his and pulled them both to their feet, and she was shocked by the abrupt jolt that his touch created. And then she knew why she was having these feelings. They were part of her attraction to him, her physical desire for him. A desire that, up until now, had been ruthlessly suppressed and stamped down; a desire that she had thought could not, would not, ever see the light of day. Now that hunger was breaking free of the restraints she'd kept it in for so long. A hunger that, once it had found substance, shape, did not want to be ignored or denied.
He caught her shiver and felt the slightest answering spark flare up from deep within himself. He knew she was nervous, hesitant. He had to admit that he felt the same. Recognizing that they had to do this was very different from having the option of picking a time, a place. He wasn't used to being ordered to do anything: well, except surrender or divulge Time Lord secrets to hostile beings bent on taking over the universe. He could imagine few things more stressful for a friendship than being told you had to "mate" with each other. He couldn't think how it would be if he and Tegan didn't have feelings for each other, or if it had been Nyssa here with him instead of Tegan, or if Turlough were still with them and Tegan had been paired with him. He almost smiled at that last thought-what a mess that would've been!
As it stood, the situation that he and Tegan were in was bad enough. The fact that there was mutual attraction between them beyond friendship wasn't going to change their circumstances. He sighed, realizing that his train of thought was going to take him directly to a station of negativity. It wasn't productive or beneficial. It was indisputable that, for the present, their reality was being dictated to them. But it was up to them to decide how to react to it, how to accept it.
"That was an awfully heavy sigh," Tegan commented. She squeezed his hand.
He smiled faintly. "Just considering our plight."
"I thought we weren't going to think too much on that," she said, trying to tease him.
"We're not," he murmured. "I'm finished with introspection for the evening."
He pushed open the bathroom door and drew her in after him, closing it behind them. Their captors had never entered their room after evening meal before, but he was taking no chances. He turned to see Tegan staring at the floor, chewing on her lower lip.
"Tegan..."
She moved with the suddenness of someone who must, at all costs, no longer stand still, and placed herself in front of him. She pressed two fingers gently to his lips. "Don't," she murmured. "You and I have already had enough words to last the rest of your lives."
He drew a shaky breath that could have been laughter, could have been agreement, taking her hand and kissing the fingertips. "I could get used to that," she sighed.
"I thought you said no talking," he chided.
"So I did," she answered. She paused. "Well, perhaps a little talking would be all right..."
"Really, Tegan, please stop changing the rules on me in midstride," he said, a twinkle gleaming in his eyes. "Would you like me to talk or not?"
"Mmm," she purred, reaching up to cup his chin in her hand. "Maybe later. Right now I want something entirely different."
He gazed into her eyes, noticing for the first time the soft flecks of moss and gold hidden within their depths. She leaned closer to him and he felt his hearts beating a little harder, a little faster. "Which is?" he asked hoarsely.
She reached up and pulled him down into a kiss.