Authors Notes: Thanks to Sam, Meg and Pam for beta reading! Thanks to Sam
for the help with the vacation idea! What information is here about
Sumeria was found on ancientworlds.net
Love's Philosophy
by Percy Bysshe Shelley
The fountains mingle with the river,
And the rivers with the ocean;
The winds of heaven mix forever,
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single;
All things by a law divine
In one another's being mingle;--
Why not I with thine?
**
4 days earlier
**
"Where is he taking us?"
"Rabbits, I don't know. I hope it's peaceful wherever it is. I couldn't take another round of fighting like Sylvana or Sarn. If I see another gun again, it'll be too soon."
There was a rustle of fabric and then the sound of a teenaged body hitting a mattress filled the air. Tegan grinned before she turned to spy Peri sprawled on the bed. She knew that sound well. And she knew the enthusiasm well, although she hadn't felt it in years. "You don't miss the fights, not even just a little?" the young woman asked as she stared up at Tegan.
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't still think about it, Peri. But I don't want to live like that ever again, if I can help it."
Peri nodded sagely. It was a gesture that seemed odd from the girl as young as she, but in exchange for the gun and military garb that the girl had been carrying, the wisdom was a better trade. "Where did you ask him to take us?"
With a frown, Tegan finished braiding her hair. "What's that got to do with it?"
Peri gave her a sideways glance that showed the girl's disbelief at her statement. "Only everything, Tegan; I'm making a bet that he'll have either piloted the TARDIS to a place you've mentioned recently or will apologize for not getting us where he thinks you've wanted to go..."
"Cripes, it's the times I used to yell at him for not getting us where we needed to be," she explained. "It's a learned reaction, I suppose."
"Two dollars," Peri said firmly as she rose off the bed to join her friend. "I'll bet two dollars; it's all I have."
Tegan rolled her eyes. "Come on, then. Let's see what he's about. After all, it is the first trip in this crate after that long grounding. Odds are he'll be cajoling the poor old girl into going somewhere, anywhere."
I just hope it's not Earth, she thought as the two friends walked into the corridor. I'm not ready for that yet. **
The door to the console room opened on a long missing but nevertheless familiar sight: the Doctor standing at the console, his head lowered in concentration and his hand on his chin. His coat was on the coat rack and Tegan was immediately struck by the contrast between the cricket whites and his now missing black military garb.
Without glancing at them, the Doctor cleared his throat. "Good morning, you two."
Peri returned the greeting happily and approached the console to lean on its surface. Tegan, on the other hand, circled the equipment intent on cornering its owner. "Morning, Doc. Where do you have us aimed this time?"
"Ah, well..." he lifted his eyes and spared her a glance. "The old girl has been in dock for quite sometime, Tegan. She needs a proper shake down."
"That's a new way of telling us you've no right idea..."
"Tegan..." he sighed. "As a matter of fact, I do quite know where we are and when we shall arrive where I have us aimed." He leaned forward on the console and reached out to tap her nose gently. "Little faith, Tegan. Little faith."
"So where are we heading," Peri chirped her voice cheerful. The Doctor reacted to the good mood by bestowing a wide smile.
"Rejuvina," he said, loudly. Peri laughed as Tegan crossed her arms over her chest.
"Sounds like a snake oil charm," Tegan smiled.
"Yes, well...it isn't the most proper of names for a place, but it'll do." The Doctor rubbed at the back of his neck. "Actually it's the common name for the resort on Trina Seven. And before you ask," he turned back to Tegan with a smile. "That's where we're headed. Rest and relaxation with no fighting or evil or pain or shooting...I believe that's what you asked for, Tegan. It's the best I can do."
Peri lifted an eyebrow and Tegan, feeling her pocketbook tighten with the loss of two dollars, gave a small smile.
**
A beautiful orange sky and clear green gray grass with matching trees greeted Tegan as she closed the TARDIS door. It looked very like Gallifrey had the last time she was there and she wondered if they hadn't reached their intended destination. If her nose wasn't tricking her, the peaceful smell of a spring morning and honeysuckle in the air. With her arms lightly crossed over her chest to hold her sweater closed, she walked across the meadow to join a clearly excited Peri and a doting Doctor on a small rise.
"Ah, yes..." the Doctor was saying. "I suppose you could say this resort works like a train station, Peri." He swallowed and turned to meet Tegan's eyes as she approached. "It's rather like a nexus point. From the resort one can be transported to any time, any place in the cosmos for a vacation. The patrons are indulged to the highest level of luxury at every stop. Quite like the TARDIS in travel ability, quite unlike the TARDIS in standard of pampering."
Tegan smiled into the breeze that greeted her at the crest of the hill. Below, and only a short distance away, was a domed complex. "That's it there, I suppose."
"Right," the Doctor agreed. "And a very short distance to walk."
"But why here if it's the same thing as traveling in the TARDIS?" she asked, as she unfolded her arms. She felt strangely uneasy with the whole situation.
"Oh, come on, Tegan..." Peri spouted a laugh in her words. "It's definitely not a war. And if it's all about pampering, then I'm all about it."
She sighed and nodded, agreeing with her friend. The Doctor, however, was less than assured and held out his hand for Peri to precede him down the hill. He slipped his hand to the small of Tegan's back and urged her forward. "I did rather think this to be a better spot for relaxation than anywhere else, Tegan. I've been here before; you can change destinations daily if you wish. Patrons are extremely well taken care of."
"As you say," she returned, straightening her sweater as they began to descend the hill. "But I have this incredible feeling, mind, that something is dreadfully wrong."
**
"Of course I remember you, Doctor."
Equal measures happiness and insecurity crossed the Doctor's face in response. "Yes, I remember! You were the steward who attended us on my last stay here..."
"Yes, with Jamie and Victoria if I recall correctly..."
"Yes, well...time and bodies have changed," the Doctor stated. "And so have my friends. Denjar? These are my friends Tegan and Peri. Tegan, Peri, this is Denjar, one of the best operators Rejuvina has to offer."
"We logged the arrival of your TARDIS on our lands and have created a central room for you and your party until other accommodations can be made ready."
Tegan ambled away from the Doctor and their greeter, along the marble outlined path to a computer terminal. Peri was rapt, staring at the screen with a grin that stretched from ear to ear.
"The Doc wasn't kidding about the anywhere, any time part and the pampering: look," Peri scrolled down the screen to show Tegan the destinations and what was available. "Eye of Orion...you've been there...haven't you, Tegan?"
She had heard the conversation ending behind her, but could still here Denjar laughing at the Doctor's input. Therefore when a voice suddenly erupted over her shoulder, she was startled.
"We were there approximately two years ago, yes."
Tegan felt a pair of hands on her shoulders and she glanced back up to see the Doctor addressing Peri. "It's a lovely bit of universe," he continued. "Fragrant, sunny and always spring, there. Isn't it, Tegan?"
"He's right," she agreed. "Good grief...they have a spa there? Hell's Teeth..."
Peri nodded emphatically and followed the screen with her finger. "Nights optional...spacious rooms...sounds like a four star resort."
"But we didn't see it there last time," Tegan objected. "Where would..."
"Ah, well..." the Doctor began. "The Eye is a large planet, Tegan. And besides, I think the accommodations are transient there, only used when necessary."
With a firm nod, Peri met Tegan's eyes and smiled widely. "Well, I'd really like to have a gander at it, Doctor. It looks like a really classy place there. And it's beautiful."
"I wouldn't mind seeing it again, Doc," Tegan responded happily. "It really was beautiful last time..."
The Doctor slid his hands into his pockets agitatedly. "The entire universe at our fingertips and you two..."
"Choose one of the most tranquil and beautiful places in the Universe," she responded with a teasing tone. "On a vacation, fancy that."
The Doctor lifted an eyebrow and but Tegan could see that he was simply putting up a front. He wanted peace and quiet as much as they did. "All right, all right..." he sighed at last. "I can't fight the both of you. Eye of Orion for the day and night and then another destination; would that be acceptable to you?"
Peri smiled and tapped the keyboard. The screen minimized and she rose. "More than acceptable to me. Thanks, Doc."
As she moved away towards the waiting concierge, Tegan glanced at him and shook her head. "Stubborn to the last even if it is something you want."
"Tegan," he replied simply and grabbed her hand to keep her up. "I don't know whether it pains me or comforts me that you know me this well."
**
"It's a simple enough process," the Doctor explained as the door opened. Peri hung on the Doctor's arm; Tegan was ushered by his hand at her back; she supposed they looked like children on Christmas. "We simply stand in a transport place and press the buttons on our transport wristbands, and we're transported wherever we've requested we go. Elementary."
The size of the doors should have cued Tegan to what the interior of the room would look like. She was pretty sure that the state of their rooms should have lent an idea. Although she loved to sink into luxury as much as the next gal, she had a hard time collapsing on the down bed. After sleeping on the ground for most of the last year, the extreme luxury made her feel uneasy just a bit. It seemed like plush velvet and silk covered every surface.
So when the grand doors opened in on an open, opulently decorated room with a stall in its center, she wasn't surprised. Inside the stall were upholstered seats in which she simply wanted to collapse. If she weren't on an alien planet, she could have sworn it was Terran made. Peri ran her hand over nap of the fabric.
"So it's just step inside and...zap?" Tegan asked. She ran her eyes over the rest of the fixtures until her gaze found the Doctor. His full lips were turned up in a slight smile.
"Yes, exactly, Tegan...zap. That'll describe the process perfectly," he replied, his smile widening. She could tell he enjoyed the reminder of their first days together.
"To a certain point," Denjar replied loudly. The Doctor slipped his glasses on his nose and ambled over to the bank of instrumentation.
"Still working on an artron derivative, I gather," he said as his eyes eagerly scanned the knobs.
Denjar laughed heartily. "As you well know, Doctor; you did help us with the bugs last time."
The Doctor blushed slightly and removed his glasses shyly. "Yes, well...I might have given some advice..."
"You kept it from exploding in a tremendous pyrotechnic display, Doctor. And you have quite under-explained the science of the process."
"Too right," Tegan muttered. "He glosses over the good parts all the time."
"Yes, well," the Doctor sighed as he joined Peri in the transport. He sank into the seat and relaxed against the nap of the sofa with a smile. "I could recite the physics inherent in the process, but it would bore you. Come along, Tegan..."
Peri turned and grabbed Tegan's hand. Together they tumbled into the seat opposite the Doctor. With his hat inclined over his eyes, she couldn't tell his state of mind; the teasing lilt of his lips, though, gave her an idea. He was enjoying himself immensely.
"It should only be a moment," Denjar called over. "I'm double checking the coordinates."
The Doctor gave a nod, but jauntily rose and stepped across to sit next to his two companions.
"You're rather calm about this...letting someone else drive," Tegan teased. She eased his hat back from his brow. "Quite unlike you."
"I'm on vacation, Tegan. I'd rather not 'drive' as you put it."
"It makes for a change," Peri agreed. She glanced up under the Doctor's brim. "I like it."
The Doctor frowned and muttered under his breath good-naturedly.
The world started to melt outside the stall. Denjar's voice penetrated the haze as it descended: "Arrival has been set. We shall see you on the morrow! Enjoy yourself, Doctor!"
**
"How long?"
Darkness was everywhere, but Tegan could still feel the cool cushion under her legs. Peri's hand enclosed hers; it was the only contact she had with another.
"How long, hmm?" the Doctor responded. She felt his shoulder brush hers and knew he was reclining in the chair.
"How long of a trip is it?"
"Oh well..." he began, his voice low. "You really can't tell time on these things, Tegan. It all depends on the position of observation. Once you change that, it changes everything- relativity as your Einstein called it..."
"A simple answer would be nice," she shot back. "From our observation, Doctor. What other observation point would you suggest?"
Peri laughed. "You two argue even in complete darkness. At least it's good to know that something is a universal constant."
Tegan felt his hand tap her shoulder. "By our observation, the trip is probably 10 minutes or so."
She leaned closer to him. "You're incorrigible, you know."
"Am I?" he sounded shocked.
The air around them filled with a feminine voice with extremely clipped pronunciation. "Arrival imminent. Location: Eye of Orion, Pre-dynastic era, second kingdom; City: Sidon. Enjoy your stay."
"Interesting," came the Doctor's hoarse voice in her ear. "Pre-dynastic era; I've never been there."
"Is it something unusual?" Peri asked.
"It's when most of the buildings were built there," the Doctor explained. Tegan felt his leg brush hers as he crossed them. "At least that was the information I've heard from the excavators who have studied the Eye. The buildings have only been ruins whenever I've arrived. Interesting."
"And you were worried about monotony, I suppose," Tegan muttered with a smile. "You'll be like a child on Christmas morning."
Peri burst out in a laugh. The darkness seemed to lessen about them. "I resent that, Tegan. I won't be quite that eager," he responded quietly. There was something in his voice that made her shiver.
She felt his breath ruffle her hair at her crown and glanced back up over her shoulder to see his face in complete silhouette. He was looking down at her; she could tell the direction of his gaze, but not the intensity of it.
There was something there that made her remember about their time in the rainforest. It was a visceral memory; she could feel their time together; the rain, the coolness of his skin contrasted by the heat of his kiss. She felt the elation that she had hidden under a maelstrom of uncertainty about the whole situation, an uncertainty that had spread when she had heard the Joiba's response. She felt the pain at watching him left behind on Sarn. And she felt the incredible happiness at finding him again but with an aged vintage of feeling that came from growing older and knowing what one wanted in life.
And then, finally, the knowledge that there was caring between them; the gripped fear in her stomach lessening. At the same time, there was frustration that there was still a long way to go; neither she nor the Doctor knew exactly what direction to go with the relationship. True to both their natures, they hadn't discussed where they wanted to go nor had they discussed exactly where they were.
The booth flooded with light and she blinked. When she looked again, the Doctor had shifted and was rising from the seat. She could see that they had stopped in what looked to be a lobby.
"Ah, splendid, we've arrived," he stated as he sat his hat on his head. He extended his hand down to her as Peri happily piled out of the booth. "Shall we, Tegan?"
And with a smile, she took his hand.
Love's Philosophy
by Percy Bysshe Shelley
The fountains mingle with the river,
And the rivers with the ocean;
The winds of heaven mix forever,
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single;
All things by a law divine
In one another's being mingle;--
Why not I with thine?
**
4 days earlier
**
"Where is he taking us?"
"Rabbits, I don't know. I hope it's peaceful wherever it is. I couldn't take another round of fighting like Sylvana or Sarn. If I see another gun again, it'll be too soon."
There was a rustle of fabric and then the sound of a teenaged body hitting a mattress filled the air. Tegan grinned before she turned to spy Peri sprawled on the bed. She knew that sound well. And she knew the enthusiasm well, although she hadn't felt it in years. "You don't miss the fights, not even just a little?" the young woman asked as she stared up at Tegan.
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't still think about it, Peri. But I don't want to live like that ever again, if I can help it."
Peri nodded sagely. It was a gesture that seemed odd from the girl as young as she, but in exchange for the gun and military garb that the girl had been carrying, the wisdom was a better trade. "Where did you ask him to take us?"
With a frown, Tegan finished braiding her hair. "What's that got to do with it?"
Peri gave her a sideways glance that showed the girl's disbelief at her statement. "Only everything, Tegan; I'm making a bet that he'll have either piloted the TARDIS to a place you've mentioned recently or will apologize for not getting us where he thinks you've wanted to go..."
"Cripes, it's the times I used to yell at him for not getting us where we needed to be," she explained. "It's a learned reaction, I suppose."
"Two dollars," Peri said firmly as she rose off the bed to join her friend. "I'll bet two dollars; it's all I have."
Tegan rolled her eyes. "Come on, then. Let's see what he's about. After all, it is the first trip in this crate after that long grounding. Odds are he'll be cajoling the poor old girl into going somewhere, anywhere."
I just hope it's not Earth, she thought as the two friends walked into the corridor. I'm not ready for that yet. **
The door to the console room opened on a long missing but nevertheless familiar sight: the Doctor standing at the console, his head lowered in concentration and his hand on his chin. His coat was on the coat rack and Tegan was immediately struck by the contrast between the cricket whites and his now missing black military garb.
Without glancing at them, the Doctor cleared his throat. "Good morning, you two."
Peri returned the greeting happily and approached the console to lean on its surface. Tegan, on the other hand, circled the equipment intent on cornering its owner. "Morning, Doc. Where do you have us aimed this time?"
"Ah, well..." he lifted his eyes and spared her a glance. "The old girl has been in dock for quite sometime, Tegan. She needs a proper shake down."
"That's a new way of telling us you've no right idea..."
"Tegan..." he sighed. "As a matter of fact, I do quite know where we are and when we shall arrive where I have us aimed." He leaned forward on the console and reached out to tap her nose gently. "Little faith, Tegan. Little faith."
"So where are we heading," Peri chirped her voice cheerful. The Doctor reacted to the good mood by bestowing a wide smile.
"Rejuvina," he said, loudly. Peri laughed as Tegan crossed her arms over her chest.
"Sounds like a snake oil charm," Tegan smiled.
"Yes, well...it isn't the most proper of names for a place, but it'll do." The Doctor rubbed at the back of his neck. "Actually it's the common name for the resort on Trina Seven. And before you ask," he turned back to Tegan with a smile. "That's where we're headed. Rest and relaxation with no fighting or evil or pain or shooting...I believe that's what you asked for, Tegan. It's the best I can do."
Peri lifted an eyebrow and Tegan, feeling her pocketbook tighten with the loss of two dollars, gave a small smile.
**
A beautiful orange sky and clear green gray grass with matching trees greeted Tegan as she closed the TARDIS door. It looked very like Gallifrey had the last time she was there and she wondered if they hadn't reached their intended destination. If her nose wasn't tricking her, the peaceful smell of a spring morning and honeysuckle in the air. With her arms lightly crossed over her chest to hold her sweater closed, she walked across the meadow to join a clearly excited Peri and a doting Doctor on a small rise.
"Ah, yes..." the Doctor was saying. "I suppose you could say this resort works like a train station, Peri." He swallowed and turned to meet Tegan's eyes as she approached. "It's rather like a nexus point. From the resort one can be transported to any time, any place in the cosmos for a vacation. The patrons are indulged to the highest level of luxury at every stop. Quite like the TARDIS in travel ability, quite unlike the TARDIS in standard of pampering."
Tegan smiled into the breeze that greeted her at the crest of the hill. Below, and only a short distance away, was a domed complex. "That's it there, I suppose."
"Right," the Doctor agreed. "And a very short distance to walk."
"But why here if it's the same thing as traveling in the TARDIS?" she asked, as she unfolded her arms. She felt strangely uneasy with the whole situation.
"Oh, come on, Tegan..." Peri spouted a laugh in her words. "It's definitely not a war. And if it's all about pampering, then I'm all about it."
She sighed and nodded, agreeing with her friend. The Doctor, however, was less than assured and held out his hand for Peri to precede him down the hill. He slipped his hand to the small of Tegan's back and urged her forward. "I did rather think this to be a better spot for relaxation than anywhere else, Tegan. I've been here before; you can change destinations daily if you wish. Patrons are extremely well taken care of."
"As you say," she returned, straightening her sweater as they began to descend the hill. "But I have this incredible feeling, mind, that something is dreadfully wrong."
**
"Of course I remember you, Doctor."
Equal measures happiness and insecurity crossed the Doctor's face in response. "Yes, I remember! You were the steward who attended us on my last stay here..."
"Yes, with Jamie and Victoria if I recall correctly..."
"Yes, well...time and bodies have changed," the Doctor stated. "And so have my friends. Denjar? These are my friends Tegan and Peri. Tegan, Peri, this is Denjar, one of the best operators Rejuvina has to offer."
"We logged the arrival of your TARDIS on our lands and have created a central room for you and your party until other accommodations can be made ready."
Tegan ambled away from the Doctor and their greeter, along the marble outlined path to a computer terminal. Peri was rapt, staring at the screen with a grin that stretched from ear to ear.
"The Doc wasn't kidding about the anywhere, any time part and the pampering: look," Peri scrolled down the screen to show Tegan the destinations and what was available. "Eye of Orion...you've been there...haven't you, Tegan?"
She had heard the conversation ending behind her, but could still here Denjar laughing at the Doctor's input. Therefore when a voice suddenly erupted over her shoulder, she was startled.
"We were there approximately two years ago, yes."
Tegan felt a pair of hands on her shoulders and she glanced back up to see the Doctor addressing Peri. "It's a lovely bit of universe," he continued. "Fragrant, sunny and always spring, there. Isn't it, Tegan?"
"He's right," she agreed. "Good grief...they have a spa there? Hell's Teeth..."
Peri nodded emphatically and followed the screen with her finger. "Nights optional...spacious rooms...sounds like a four star resort."
"But we didn't see it there last time," Tegan objected. "Where would..."
"Ah, well..." the Doctor began. "The Eye is a large planet, Tegan. And besides, I think the accommodations are transient there, only used when necessary."
With a firm nod, Peri met Tegan's eyes and smiled widely. "Well, I'd really like to have a gander at it, Doctor. It looks like a really classy place there. And it's beautiful."
"I wouldn't mind seeing it again, Doc," Tegan responded happily. "It really was beautiful last time..."
The Doctor slid his hands into his pockets agitatedly. "The entire universe at our fingertips and you two..."
"Choose one of the most tranquil and beautiful places in the Universe," she responded with a teasing tone. "On a vacation, fancy that."
The Doctor lifted an eyebrow and but Tegan could see that he was simply putting up a front. He wanted peace and quiet as much as they did. "All right, all right..." he sighed at last. "I can't fight the both of you. Eye of Orion for the day and night and then another destination; would that be acceptable to you?"
Peri smiled and tapped the keyboard. The screen minimized and she rose. "More than acceptable to me. Thanks, Doc."
As she moved away towards the waiting concierge, Tegan glanced at him and shook her head. "Stubborn to the last even if it is something you want."
"Tegan," he replied simply and grabbed her hand to keep her up. "I don't know whether it pains me or comforts me that you know me this well."
**
"It's a simple enough process," the Doctor explained as the door opened. Peri hung on the Doctor's arm; Tegan was ushered by his hand at her back; she supposed they looked like children on Christmas. "We simply stand in a transport place and press the buttons on our transport wristbands, and we're transported wherever we've requested we go. Elementary."
The size of the doors should have cued Tegan to what the interior of the room would look like. She was pretty sure that the state of their rooms should have lent an idea. Although she loved to sink into luxury as much as the next gal, she had a hard time collapsing on the down bed. After sleeping on the ground for most of the last year, the extreme luxury made her feel uneasy just a bit. It seemed like plush velvet and silk covered every surface.
So when the grand doors opened in on an open, opulently decorated room with a stall in its center, she wasn't surprised. Inside the stall were upholstered seats in which she simply wanted to collapse. If she weren't on an alien planet, she could have sworn it was Terran made. Peri ran her hand over nap of the fabric.
"So it's just step inside and...zap?" Tegan asked. She ran her eyes over the rest of the fixtures until her gaze found the Doctor. His full lips were turned up in a slight smile.
"Yes, exactly, Tegan...zap. That'll describe the process perfectly," he replied, his smile widening. She could tell he enjoyed the reminder of their first days together.
"To a certain point," Denjar replied loudly. The Doctor slipped his glasses on his nose and ambled over to the bank of instrumentation.
"Still working on an artron derivative, I gather," he said as his eyes eagerly scanned the knobs.
Denjar laughed heartily. "As you well know, Doctor; you did help us with the bugs last time."
The Doctor blushed slightly and removed his glasses shyly. "Yes, well...I might have given some advice..."
"You kept it from exploding in a tremendous pyrotechnic display, Doctor. And you have quite under-explained the science of the process."
"Too right," Tegan muttered. "He glosses over the good parts all the time."
"Yes, well," the Doctor sighed as he joined Peri in the transport. He sank into the seat and relaxed against the nap of the sofa with a smile. "I could recite the physics inherent in the process, but it would bore you. Come along, Tegan..."
Peri turned and grabbed Tegan's hand. Together they tumbled into the seat opposite the Doctor. With his hat inclined over his eyes, she couldn't tell his state of mind; the teasing lilt of his lips, though, gave her an idea. He was enjoying himself immensely.
"It should only be a moment," Denjar called over. "I'm double checking the coordinates."
The Doctor gave a nod, but jauntily rose and stepped across to sit next to his two companions.
"You're rather calm about this...letting someone else drive," Tegan teased. She eased his hat back from his brow. "Quite unlike you."
"I'm on vacation, Tegan. I'd rather not 'drive' as you put it."
"It makes for a change," Peri agreed. She glanced up under the Doctor's brim. "I like it."
The Doctor frowned and muttered under his breath good-naturedly.
The world started to melt outside the stall. Denjar's voice penetrated the haze as it descended: "Arrival has been set. We shall see you on the morrow! Enjoy yourself, Doctor!"
**
"How long?"
Darkness was everywhere, but Tegan could still feel the cool cushion under her legs. Peri's hand enclosed hers; it was the only contact she had with another.
"How long, hmm?" the Doctor responded. She felt his shoulder brush hers and knew he was reclining in the chair.
"How long of a trip is it?"
"Oh well..." he began, his voice low. "You really can't tell time on these things, Tegan. It all depends on the position of observation. Once you change that, it changes everything- relativity as your Einstein called it..."
"A simple answer would be nice," she shot back. "From our observation, Doctor. What other observation point would you suggest?"
Peri laughed. "You two argue even in complete darkness. At least it's good to know that something is a universal constant."
Tegan felt his hand tap her shoulder. "By our observation, the trip is probably 10 minutes or so."
She leaned closer to him. "You're incorrigible, you know."
"Am I?" he sounded shocked.
The air around them filled with a feminine voice with extremely clipped pronunciation. "Arrival imminent. Location: Eye of Orion, Pre-dynastic era, second kingdom; City: Sidon. Enjoy your stay."
"Interesting," came the Doctor's hoarse voice in her ear. "Pre-dynastic era; I've never been there."
"Is it something unusual?" Peri asked.
"It's when most of the buildings were built there," the Doctor explained. Tegan felt his leg brush hers as he crossed them. "At least that was the information I've heard from the excavators who have studied the Eye. The buildings have only been ruins whenever I've arrived. Interesting."
"And you were worried about monotony, I suppose," Tegan muttered with a smile. "You'll be like a child on Christmas morning."
Peri burst out in a laugh. The darkness seemed to lessen about them. "I resent that, Tegan. I won't be quite that eager," he responded quietly. There was something in his voice that made her shiver.
She felt his breath ruffle her hair at her crown and glanced back up over her shoulder to see his face in complete silhouette. He was looking down at her; she could tell the direction of his gaze, but not the intensity of it.
There was something there that made her remember about their time in the rainforest. It was a visceral memory; she could feel their time together; the rain, the coolness of his skin contrasted by the heat of his kiss. She felt the elation that she had hidden under a maelstrom of uncertainty about the whole situation, an uncertainty that had spread when she had heard the Joiba's response. She felt the pain at watching him left behind on Sarn. And she felt the incredible happiness at finding him again but with an aged vintage of feeling that came from growing older and knowing what one wanted in life.
And then, finally, the knowledge that there was caring between them; the gripped fear in her stomach lessening. At the same time, there was frustration that there was still a long way to go; neither she nor the Doctor knew exactly what direction to go with the relationship. True to both their natures, they hadn't discussed where they wanted to go nor had they discussed exactly where they were.
The booth flooded with light and she blinked. When she looked again, the Doctor had shifted and was rising from the seat. She could see that they had stopped in what looked to be a lobby.
"Ah, splendid, we've arrived," he stated as he sat his hat on his head. He extended his hand down to her as Peri happily piled out of the booth. "Shall we, Tegan?"
And with a smile, she took his hand.