"Somehow, I didn't think there would be."
She growled playfully as she grabbed a towel and stepped out.
A few minutes later, he joined her in the bed, wrapping himself around her and resting his cheek on her shoulder. "Not long til lights out," she murmured.
He nodded. "I'm going to wait about thirty minutes after that. That should be enough time for the guards to make their rounds."
She breathed a heavy sigh. "For the record, I'm not happy with you going alone to find the keys."
"I didn't expect you to be," he answered softly. "But thank you for agreeing to it."
She said no more, just closed her eyes and enjoyed feeling him next to her. She knew there was no way she would sleep while he was gone, but that didn't matter. She was as wired as if she had drank a pot of coffee and smoked a pack of ciggies.
"Your heartbeat is awfully rapid," he commented.
"What do you expect?"
He sighed. "I'd like for you to rest."
"Well, I wouldn't. And I've already made one concession to you today, old boy."
"I guess two is out of the question," he chuckled.
"You're learning, Doc. You're learning."
Tegan turned over when she felt him rise. "It's time?"
"Yes." He drew a deep breath. "Here goes step one."
She squinted in the dark, hearing the soft familiar whine of the sonic screwdriver. A moment later, he made a quiet sound of triumph and set his collar down on the table, the light still its normal solid color.
"Thank the heavens," Tegan breathed.
"Quite," he agreed. He stepped to the door. Tegan was suddenly griped with anxiety, and she quickly rose and joined him, putting out a hand before he started on the lock.
"Doc..."
He pulled her to him, sensing her fear, and she wrapped her arms around him. "It's all right, Tegan," he whispered. "If I get caught, it'll only be a good beating. Nothing I haven't had before."
"And nothing you'll not have again?" she managed to laugh. She reached up and kissed him hard, surprising them both with her intensity, but after a few seconds of being startled, he responded. When she pulled back, he saw a faint gleam of tears in her eyes.
"Be careful out there, you fool Time Lord," she said softly.
"No worries there, brave heart," he said.
She nodded, releasing him and stepping back. "Then you'd best get on with it."
He turned his attention to the door again, and there was a faint click as he displaced the locking mechanism. He slowly opened it a crack and looked out. He turned back to her and smiled. She watched with a mixture of elation and fear as he quietly slipped into the hall, his lean form dimly outlined from the soft light in the hallway before the door closed.
Tegan blinked, her eyes not appreciating the rapid change in light no matter how short a period of time it lasted. Almost in slow motion, she went back to the bed and laid down, curling up on her side, staring at the door. She drew a deep shuddering breath.
Yes, she'd meant it when she told him she understood his reasoning. And she wasn't happy about it. But more than either of those things was the weight of what she'd left unspoken, had not had any choice but to leave unspoken. If he got caught, she had no intention of taking the blame. She would tell Halda it had all been his idea, that she had begged him not to do it. He would be furious, no two ways about it. But she simply would not, could not do what he had told her to do. Even if meant a second punishment. He would just have to understand. Tegan was all too familiar with not liking something but understanding it.
She lay wrapped up in those thoughts, shivering with fretfulness, the knots in her stomach untying and retying themselves every few minutes. She didn't hear anything but the thudding of her heart. Her imagination kept threatening to run away with her, picturing the Doctor being grabbed, stunned with a baton, perhaps even beaten, and Halda coming to her to demand to know who was to blame...
She was going to lose her mind.
She had no awareness of time other than it was passing at an agonizingly slow pace. She got up, walked the length of the room, laid back down, and repeated this several dozen times. When she was sure that she was going to have to bite her tongue to keep from screaming, there was a sound at the door.
She leaped off the bed, hands clenched into fists as she moved behind it. Maybe if she could cause a distraction...
The door opened just wide enough for her to see that it was the Doctor. She covered her mouth, eyes wide, while he slipped in. She stepped back, hands moving to pluck at her sides as she stared at him. "Doc?" she pleaded.
Wordlessly he guided her to sit down on the bed, then sat beside her, squeezing her shoulder as he felt her shaking. "Calm down, Tegan. I'm fine."
"Did you..."
"Ye of little faith, Tegan," he chuckled as he held out his other hand. She squinted hard, and her frown turned into a smile, then a huge grin as she saw what he held: the screwdriver and some sort of odd piece of metal. For Lils and Rina's ship, she imagined. But where was...
"Here," he said, as if he was reading her mind, pulling her hand to his neck.
She felt the familiar shape of the TARDIS key on its chain.
"Bingo!" she laughed through her tears.
She growled playfully as she grabbed a towel and stepped out.
A few minutes later, he joined her in the bed, wrapping himself around her and resting his cheek on her shoulder. "Not long til lights out," she murmured.
He nodded. "I'm going to wait about thirty minutes after that. That should be enough time for the guards to make their rounds."
She breathed a heavy sigh. "For the record, I'm not happy with you going alone to find the keys."
"I didn't expect you to be," he answered softly. "But thank you for agreeing to it."
She said no more, just closed her eyes and enjoyed feeling him next to her. She knew there was no way she would sleep while he was gone, but that didn't matter. She was as wired as if she had drank a pot of coffee and smoked a pack of ciggies.
"Your heartbeat is awfully rapid," he commented.
"What do you expect?"
He sighed. "I'd like for you to rest."
"Well, I wouldn't. And I've already made one concession to you today, old boy."
"I guess two is out of the question," he chuckled.
"You're learning, Doc. You're learning."
Tegan turned over when she felt him rise. "It's time?"
"Yes." He drew a deep breath. "Here goes step one."
She squinted in the dark, hearing the soft familiar whine of the sonic screwdriver. A moment later, he made a quiet sound of triumph and set his collar down on the table, the light still its normal solid color.
"Thank the heavens," Tegan breathed.
"Quite," he agreed. He stepped to the door. Tegan was suddenly griped with anxiety, and she quickly rose and joined him, putting out a hand before he started on the lock.
"Doc..."
He pulled her to him, sensing her fear, and she wrapped her arms around him. "It's all right, Tegan," he whispered. "If I get caught, it'll only be a good beating. Nothing I haven't had before."
"And nothing you'll not have again?" she managed to laugh. She reached up and kissed him hard, surprising them both with her intensity, but after a few seconds of being startled, he responded. When she pulled back, he saw a faint gleam of tears in her eyes.
"Be careful out there, you fool Time Lord," she said softly.
"No worries there, brave heart," he said.
She nodded, releasing him and stepping back. "Then you'd best get on with it."
He turned his attention to the door again, and there was a faint click as he displaced the locking mechanism. He slowly opened it a crack and looked out. He turned back to her and smiled. She watched with a mixture of elation and fear as he quietly slipped into the hall, his lean form dimly outlined from the soft light in the hallway before the door closed.
Tegan blinked, her eyes not appreciating the rapid change in light no matter how short a period of time it lasted. Almost in slow motion, she went back to the bed and laid down, curling up on her side, staring at the door. She drew a deep shuddering breath.
Yes, she'd meant it when she told him she understood his reasoning. And she wasn't happy about it. But more than either of those things was the weight of what she'd left unspoken, had not had any choice but to leave unspoken. If he got caught, she had no intention of taking the blame. She would tell Halda it had all been his idea, that she had begged him not to do it. He would be furious, no two ways about it. But she simply would not, could not do what he had told her to do. Even if meant a second punishment. He would just have to understand. Tegan was all too familiar with not liking something but understanding it.
She lay wrapped up in those thoughts, shivering with fretfulness, the knots in her stomach untying and retying themselves every few minutes. She didn't hear anything but the thudding of her heart. Her imagination kept threatening to run away with her, picturing the Doctor being grabbed, stunned with a baton, perhaps even beaten, and Halda coming to her to demand to know who was to blame...
She was going to lose her mind.
She had no awareness of time other than it was passing at an agonizingly slow pace. She got up, walked the length of the room, laid back down, and repeated this several dozen times. When she was sure that she was going to have to bite her tongue to keep from screaming, there was a sound at the door.
She leaped off the bed, hands clenched into fists as she moved behind it. Maybe if she could cause a distraction...
The door opened just wide enough for her to see that it was the Doctor. She covered her mouth, eyes wide, while he slipped in. She stepped back, hands moving to pluck at her sides as she stared at him. "Doc?" she pleaded.
Wordlessly he guided her to sit down on the bed, then sat beside her, squeezing her shoulder as he felt her shaking. "Calm down, Tegan. I'm fine."
"Did you..."
"Ye of little faith, Tegan," he chuckled as he held out his other hand. She squinted hard, and her frown turned into a smile, then a huge grin as she saw what he held: the screwdriver and some sort of odd piece of metal. For Lils and Rina's ship, she imagined. But where was...
"Here," he said, as if he was reading her mind, pulling her hand to his neck.
She felt the familiar shape of the TARDIS key on its chain.
"Bingo!" she laughed through her tears.