A/N: Hey all, apologies now for any spelling or grammatical errors. I'm posting this without doing my full on proof reading.
The Doctor and Kari were finally back in the TARDIS, after having a rather successful time skating on a frozen lake. Kari hadn't fallen over, well not completely. She had a few stumbles, but the Doctor was always there to help her, to make sure she didn't fall, that she didn't hurt herself. She really was grateful for that, because she had been so scared that she was going to land on her backside and hurt herself some way or another.
"Right, time for dinner. 900th Ruby eclipse on Elfore, perfect." The Doctor said, bouncing around the console as he set the coordinates. Kari just stood there, leaning against the console and smiling away. It wasn't until the Doctor went to reach for something where she was standing that he noticed her smile. "What you smiling like that for?" He asked her curiously.
"No reason. I'm just… smiling that's all. You got a problem with that?" Kari retorted, raising an eyebrow at him and waiting for his response.
The Doctor shook his head at her. "Nope, no problem at all." He told, her leaning in a little closer and reaching behind her. Kari went to move out of his way so that he could get to what he wanted, but he quickly stopped her. "And where do you think you're going?"
"Well, I was going to move out of your way, but apparently, I'm not allowed to do that." She replied, letting herself lean back on the console again. "So I'll just stand here instead."
"Okay. You keep standing there looking lovely, and I'll get us to Elfore." He said, making sure to lean in and give her a quick kiss before darting around to the other side of the console.
All she could do was watch him as he worked away at their time machine. Kari was still trying to make up her mind on if she liked that version of him in a suit or not. It was certainly different to see him wearing it, and it seemed weird that he didn't have his trademark leather jacket on, but in the end she did like it.
"You should wear a suit more often." Kari eventually said. "You look kind of… suave."
"Oh, suave. I like that, suave." The Doctor said, striding around and back to where Kari was standing. "So, you think I'm looking rather suave, do you?"
She rolled her eyes at him as he stood in front of her. "Well, not anymore. Now you're just being big headed. Big head to match those big ears." Kari told him, trying not to let a few giggles slip out. He really did have slightly oversized ears, but they still suited him.
"So, we've gone from being suave, to having big ears have we?" He asked her, trapping Kari with her back to the console.
She nodded at him, a smirk on her face as she did. "You were suave, now you're just pretending to be dumbo. You know, the flying elephant with the gigantic ears?"
"You… are going to pay for that comment." The Doctor warned her, leaning a little closer towards her. "I don't think you deserve to see this eclipse now. Maybe I should take you ice skating some more, and see if you can manage without me to hang on to."
"Yeah? So when I fall over and break something, I can blame it all on you, and have you wait on me hand and foot." Kari replied, feeling a little smug. If she did get hurt, even if it was an accident, he would worry about her. What had happened in the past just proved that point, when she had only been hurt slightly and he panicked and fussed over her about it.
A frown formed on his face as e leaned in even more, leaving their faces only inches apart. "You have an answer for everything, don't you, Kari?"
She still couldn't wipe that smug look from her face. "I learned from the best, Doctor." Kari told him, wondering what he was going to say next. It hadn't escaped her attention that he had been gradually getting closer to her, and she could feel herself getting a little anxious about what he was going to do next.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just throw you into the swimming pool for calling me dumbo and making fun of my ears?" The Doctor asked her, a seriously look on his face, but a twinkle in his eyes.
"You wouldn't dare." Kari said, not entirely confident that he wouldn't actually do it. Every time she challenged on him something, he always seemed to win. She remembered back to when she had tried to call him out on carrying her to the TARDIS because she didn't want to leave. He had proven her wrong then and carried her.
That was when she noticed the smile stretch across the Doctor's face, and she knew in an instant that she had lost, and that she was in big trouble. He had her trapped. "You really need to stop daring me to do things, Kari." The Doctor whispered to her, before grabbing hold of her and just throwing her over his shoulder.
"No, Doctor, I'm sorry. You're not dumbo, you really don't have big ears. I'm sorry. Please, put me down." Kari cried, struggling as he walked away from the console. "Please, I'm really, really sorry."
She heard him chuckling a little. "Nope, too late for that." The Doctor told her, grabbing a hold of her legs as she tried to wriggle free. "You're really not going to get out of this one."
"I'm so sorry, Doctor. I love your ears, they are adorable." Kari told him, her mind trying to think of anything that could convince him not to do it. "Please, I don't want to go for a swim. I'm not dressed. We're meant to be going for dinner, you can't throw me in the swimming pool when I'm dressed like this. Please, please don't do it, Doctor."
"You brought this on yourself." He told her, as the swimming pool finally came into sight. "You had your chance, my dear, sweet, Kari." She had seen it as well, and there was nothing that she could think of that could stop him from throwing her in the pool.
Kari knew she had to think of something fast. "You… you can't, Doctor. I can't swim."
The Doctor chuckled a little more. "Now, I know that is not true. No, I think it's time you went for a swim."
There was no escaping it, Kari knew that she was going to have to suffer a swim in the pool for calling him dumbo and making fun of his ears. Once again the Doctor was managing to surprise her, especially with the way he was currently acting. She knew he wasn't angry with her, not really, he wasn't pleased with the things she had said, but he was being rather… playful.
A few minutes later, the Doctor was standing at the edge of the extremely large pool, Kari still thrown over his shoulder. "Any final words before you take a dip?" He asked her.
She shifted a little so that she could at least try to get a look at his face. "I'm sorry." She said, pull her best puppy dog eyes and pout, hoping that it would change his mind and get him to put her down on the side, and not in the pool.
"Oh, I know." He whispered to her, before leaning forward a little and tossing her into the pool.
There was a loud splash as Kari hit the water, and a small scream slipped past her lips as she went. The Doctor just burst out laughing, knowing that he was going to get an earful from her once she finally surfaced and got out of the pool. But he knew she wouldn't be angry, a little annoyed with him, but never angry.
He stood there at the side, waiting for her to surface. He could just see her under the clear blue water, but she wasn't even trying to get to the surface of the pool. Straight away the smile fell from his face, he couldn't see her moving at all. Something was wrong, and so he quickly jumped into the pool as well, knowing that he had to get her out.
The moment he reached her, he noticed the grin on her face. Kari's eyes were open and she was grinning at him from ear to ear under the water. A moment later and Kari was making a swim for it, up to the surface and away from the Doctor.
It took him a few seconds to register what had happened, but as soon as he had, he was chasing after her. When he broke the surface, the first thing that reached the Doctor's ears was her laughter.
"Oh… that, that was fun." Kari breathed between her laughs. "Your face. Oh, that was priceless."
Now the Doctor understood. Kari had just kept herself under the water, knowing that he would worry and jump in after her. "Did you… did you just play one of you tricks on me?" He asked her, splashing her with some of the water.
"Well, I thought it was only fair that you joined me for a swim." Kari told him, splashing him back, but only much bigger. "You threw me in the pool with my dress on. That was just mean." She said, defending her actions.
"And calling me dumbo wasn't?" The Doctor asked her, a frown on his face as he wiped away some of the water that was dripping down his forehead.
She shrugged her shoulders at him. "I did say sorry. You just didn't want to accept my apology."
"Right. Well, you've had your revenge. Now we are both soaking wet." He told her, flicking a little more water at her. "How about we call it a draw?"
Kari looked at him, wondering how they had gone from saving Rose and chasing living plastic, to having dinner, followed by ice staking on a frozen lake, and ending up in the swimming pool. It certainly hadn't been like anything she had ever imagined, especially not with that particular Doctor. But she wasn't going to complain, it had been fun, even being thrown into the pool.
"Kari? Hey, you all right?" The Doctor asked her, getting her attention. That was when Kari realised that he was now right in front of her and had a hand gently resting on her shoulder.
She nodded at him a little. "Yeah, I'm good. And yes, we can call it a draw. All this swimming has made me hungry. Can we go get something to eat now?" Kari asked him, knowing that they both needed to get out of the water and get into some dry clothing.
The Doctor simply smiled at her. "Course we can. But first, I think we better go and get changed. You've completely ruined my suit now."
"What about my dress?" Kari asked him in shock. "That's ruined now as well. And I liked this dress, even if this was the first time I had worn it. Going to be the last time I get to wear it now as well." She moaned.
"I'll get you a new one, I promise." The Doctor told her, knowing that she really wasn't as bothered about the dress as she was making out. "Now come on, otherwise you're going to get sick."
The pair of them swam over to the edge of the pool, the Doctor getting out first and helping Kari out afterwards. Lucky for them, the TARDIS has supplied them with a pile of fluffy blue towels, allowing them to dry off a little before they headed to go and get changed.
"Pick out another dress. If you want, that is. I'm still taking you to dinner, just like I said." The Doctor told her, as they started walking through the corridors.
"Are you going to wear another suit, then? I mean, since I'm going to wear another dress that is." Kari asked him, wondering if he was just going to go back to his normal look with the leather jacket now that she had ruined his suit by getting it absolutely drenched.
He stopped walking, causing Kari to stop and look at him. "Do you want me to wear a suit? Because I will if you want me to."
That was when Kari realised that the only reason he must have worn one in the first place was for her. "I only want you to wear one if you want to wear one." She told him, wanting to let him know that she never cared too much about what he wore. She had run around with him wearing a fez and a bow tie at the same time, and that hadn't bothered her one bit.
"Well, I'll see what I can do." He replied, before capturing her lips and kissing her. It was only short, but it still made her blush. "Now, go and get changed." The Doctor ordered, giving her a little nudge towards the wardrobe.
Kari done as she was told and walked towards the TARDIS wardrobe, drying her hair as best she could with the towel in her hand. She was still trying to get over the fact that the Doctor had thrown her in the pool, and that it hadn't made her angry or upset with him at all. For once, he was being so playful, and Kari just didn't really know what to make of it. It was weird, as far as she was concerned, but she certainly wasn't going to complain.
"Okay, need a dry dress, something for dinner. Any suggestions, Sexy?" She asked the ship, knowing that she was listening to her and that she would help her, like she always did. Kari heard the soft humming reply and looked over at the new rack of dresses that had just shown up. "Thank you."
She browsed through them all, wondering what colour to opt for this time. She generally had a thing for picking out blue, she was almost always wearing something blue. Kari decided it was time for a change, a different colour for the rest of her adventure with her rather playful Doctor. She hadn't even decided on a colour until her eyes fell upon golden coloured dress. It was roughly the same length as the blue one she had been wearing, but it showed off more of her arms.
Kari took it from the rack and walked over to the mirror, holding the dress against her as she looked at herself. She loved the fact that the top was a corset, with golden flecks all over it, and the way the skirt dipped and swished around as she moved. "I don't know… it's a bit… revealing." She mumbled, referring to the fact that her arms and back would mainly be on show for all. When she looked over at the dresses again, she noticed something else, a gold bolero. "Well, okay then."
It actually took her some time to get herself dressed. Getting into the dress wasn't too hard, but doing up the corset proved to be a bit of a challenge for her. Eventually she managed it, and was left to fix her hair, which was completely dry and curly.
"Kari? Are you ready yet?" She heard the Doctor call. She knew that she really didn't have much time now to do anything to her hair, and so scraped it up into a messy bun with a few strands hanging. She grabbed the sparkling golden clip that was on the vanity and placed it in her hair before smiling to herself.
"I'll be out in a second. Just getting my shoes on." Kari called back, doing up the straps on the gold sandals that she was now wearing. She was rather impressed with how she was looking, and she had to admit that she did like it when she got to dress up. "Okay, now I'm ready." She said to herself, before stepping out of the oversized dressing room in the wardrobe.
The Doctor was standing there waiting for her, and he was once again wearing a suit. "Kari… you… you look…" He stuttered, unable to form a coherent sentence.
All it did was make Kari blush even more. "I know, my hair is a right mess, isn't it?" She said, trying to hide the redness on her cheeks. The way he was looking at her really wasn't helping.
"You look stunning." He told her, before reaching out and grabbing her hand. "Absolutely stunning."
"And, uh… you're… wearing another suit." Kari managed to mumble as the Doctor lead her away from the wardrobe and back towards the console room.
"Well, why not?" The Doctor told her, beaming away. "If we hadn't gone for that little impromptu swim, I would have been wearing a suit." All Kari could do was smile at him, she really didn't have a valid reason as to why he wouldn't be wearing a suit once more.
When the reached the console, she sat herself down in the chair, while the Doctor dashed around. "So, tell me about Elfore." She asked, watching him moving swiftly around as he set their destination.
"Elfore, fifth planet in the Ranak system. Originally home to Juantes, but now shared with over three billion humans." He told her. "Twenty seven hour day, roughly four hundred and seventy two days in a year, and four seasons very similar to Earth."
"What are the Juantes like?"
The Doctor glanced over at her, frowning a little. "Why all the questions? You don't usually ask this many questions." He found it a little strange that she was asking about where they were going and what those who lived there were like.
She shrugged her shoulders at him. "I'm just interested, that's all. I like asking questions and finding out about places I've never heard of before. I'm used to us going to places that I have some kind of knowledge about, even if it is from my all knowing power." Kari told him, genuinely just wanting to find out more about this place that they were going to. "And what about this Ruby eclipse? You said it was the 900th, yeah?"
"Oh, you're going to love it. Now, you think of Earth, and you look at the sun and most people see it as yellow. Well, the sun that reaches Elfore is red. And I mean a deep red, and when their third moon aligns with it, the whole sky… well, you're just going to have to wait and see." The Doctor told her, a smile on his face as he pulled he final lever.
"You never told me what the Juantes are like, Doctor." Kari asked him, knowing that he didn't want to talk anymore about the eclipse because he didn't want to spoil it for her. "Are they big and blue? Do they look like lizards? Are they fish? What are they like?"
He made his way over to her, managing to keep himself steady with the slight shaking that was going on as they hurtled through the time vortex. "Big and blue? Where did you get that from? No, humanoid. They look like us, and humans, but have a life span longer than humans yet shorted than us."
Kari nodded at him. "Okay, so a cross between a Time Lord and a human then, yeah?" She asked him, knowing that he was more than likely going to make some sort of protest about them being nothing like Time Lords and more like humans.
"Well, I suppose you could put it like that. Although they can't regenerate, but they are rather clever. When the humans came to negotiate colonisation, the Juantes got the better end of the deal. The humans basically make the planet wealthier because of their trade, brought in the tourists."
"So, the humans got a nice planet to live on, and the Juantes get to reap the rewards the humans bring in?" She wondered, trying to get it all to make sense in her head. She wasn't so sure she liked the sound of the Juantes of they were basically just letting the humans live there so they could become all high and mighty.
"No exactly. The Juantes are clever, but humans can be clever as well. A lot of other species didn't trust the Juantes, and would only trades with the humans, giving them the advantage. They work as the middleman and do better from it." The Doctor explained to her. "But that was a few hundred years ago, now they all work together and the Juantes have a better reputation because of the humans."
"So, no big blue people or fish then?" Kari asked him, trying to sound disappointed. She didn't even know why she said come out with blue people and fish, it just did.
He chuckled at her slightly. "Nope, no big blue people or fish. Now come on, I'm starving after that swim." The Doctor told her, pulling her up out of the chair at the exact moment that they landed.
Kari had to admit that she was pretty excited. That had really been having a great time and she was looking forward to whatever else was to come. It then got her to thinking on how long she could prolong this adventure for. She knew where they needed to go to save Rose and Micky, she knew exactly where to find the Nestene Consciousness, so maybe she could have a slightly extended stay with this Doctor if she planned it right.
"Hello? Anyone home?" The Doctor asked her, waving his hand in front of her face.
She quickly shook herself out of her thoughts. "Nope, sorry. My mind went for a little wander there. You're lucky I remembered that I was hungry or I could have been out for ages." Kari told him, before looking at where they were. "The sky… it's… it's…"
"I know." He whispered to her, knowing that she was rather stunned.
"It looks like it's on fire." Kari managed to tell him. It was just a clash of orange and red, and it really did look like it was a raging fire. It reminded her of something she had seen, in that thing the Doctor told her was a desire orb.
She head the Doctor chuckling beside her, as he continued to lead them towards the only building in sight. "Wait until the actually eclipse. We should have enough time to eat before it reaches the final phase." He told her, before hearing her stomach grumble. "Sounds like you really are hungry."
Kari nodded at him as she hold onto his arm. "Yeah, just a little. I haven't eaten for a few days. It's been all this jumping through time and saving people and planets. Difficult to find time to eat sometimes." She told him, remember that the last time she really had a decent meal was when they had Christmas dinner. It felt like so long ago for her now, even though it was most likely only a few days.
"Well, better feed you up then. Need to make sure you have enough energy to run around and save the universe with me, otherwise I'd be at a total loss." The Doctor told her, a smile on his face as they finally reached the building.
Kari had to admit that it did look pretty amazing, and that was just from the outside. It just seemed to big, and the architecture was nothing like she had ever seen before. "Ah, it's the Doctor and his Kari." A short, elderly man called as they approached the door. "It's wonderful to see you both again. And Kari, looking as lovely as ever."
She had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, because she was pretty sure she had never been there before. "Uh, thanks." She mumbled, tightening her grip on the Doctor's arm a little.
"Ah, don't mind her. She's gone a little shy today." The Doctor said, covering up for her awkwardness. "Great to see you again, Harold. How's business been?"
"Oh, much better since the pair of you were last here. Everyone helped with the reconstruction, and the tourists love hearing all about it." The man told them excitedly. "Now, come. You didn't come here to stand and talk to an old man all night. You have the best view, just for you both."
Kari didn't say anything, as the man led them both into the building and into when she could only call an elevator. The Doctor and Harold were chatting away, clearly talking about something that had already happened for them, but not for her. She knew there was no place in the conversation for her, but Kari didn't mind.
"Here you go. If you need anything else, just ask Paul. He'll be here to look after you. And don't worry about paying, it's on the house." Harold told them both, before getting back into the elevator and disappearing.
"I take it we've been here before then?" Kari asked the Doctor, looking around and realising they were the only people on the roof.
The Doctor just looked at her, a huge grin on his face. "What's that word you use all the time? Oh yes, spoilers." He told her, before giving her a quick peck on the lips. "Now come on, we have a private dinner and a show in the sky waiting for us."
Kari let the Doctor lead her over to the only table there, illuminated with candles and a bottle of wine sitting there. "Really, Doctor? More alcohol?" She asked him, as he turned into the true gentleman and pulled out her chair for her. "Did we not drink enough when we went dancing?"
"You can't have dinner without a little bit of bubbly." He told her, sitting down opposite her.
"Uh, I've been drinking way to much lately. First the Champagne a few days ago, and what we had earlier, it's not good you know." Kari told him, watching him fill up their glasses.
"We'll just take it slowly. I promise, no more alcohol for us for a while after this." He assured her, knowing that she actually had a very valid point. "How does that sound?"
She smiled at him, glad that he had gotten the message. She never had been a big drinker, and she wasn't going to start now either. "Sounds like a good plan to me. Anyway, I need food. What's the best thing to get?"
"I've already got it all ordered. Harold will take care of everything, all you have to do is sit here and wait." The Doctor told her. "We've probably got about… oh, an hour or so before the final phase of the eclipse." He said, looking up at the sky. "So, enough time to fill up on food and enjoy the rest of the evening."
It didn't take long for their dinner to arrive, which Kari was quick to start at because of how hungry she really seemed to be. The Doctor even had to asked her if someone had been starving her, which was when she pointed out that it was him who always kept her from having a good meal.
Once they were both fully satisfied, the Doctor assisted Kari out of her chair, and led her over to where there was blankets and pillows scattered across the floor. "What, are we having a picnic now as well? Make up for all the meals you've made me miss?" Kari asked him as she carefully sat herself down. Her dress wasn't exactly the best thing to be wearing to sit on the ground.
The Doctor rolled his eyes at her. "Now you're just being silly. We have the best seats in the house, well, the best spot on the entire planet actually." He told her, a smile on his face. He could see that Kari was looking at him, waiting for him to explain it some more. "This place is in exact alignment with the sun and the moon. Basically, we are going to be perfectly in line to see the eclipse.
"How long do we have?" She asked him, watching the sky change from orange to red. The closer it came to the eclipse, the redder the sky became, and it just seemed to sparkle now as well.
"Just a few more minutes."
Kari nodded at him, and ended up snuggling up closer to him. It was rather warm, compared to where they had just been by the frozen lake. The Doctor wrapped his arm around her, a smile on his face as he did. It was just turning out to be a fantastic evening in his opinion, more fantastic than he had actually planned.
They both lay there and waited. Kari was about to say something when suddenly the whole sky burned a bright orange, before turning a blood red. She was in absolute awe, as she watched the red spread across the sky, making it look as if the sky was bleeding. Words seemed to fail her as she kept her eyes glued to the scene above her. Now she could understand why it was called the Ruby eclipse, because the sun and the moon together looked like one gigantic ruby.
A/N: Well, I hope you all enjoyed that chapter. You guys wanted even more 9/Kari, so you got even more 9/Kari. If you're lucky, there may be even more 9/Kari in the future.
The poll is now CLOSED! I have the three episodes that you guys want to see the most, and I'm starting with them right away. So thank you to everyone who took the time to go and vote.
Speaking of 'thank you', big thank you to every single one of you who reads my story, all you people who have favourited/followed, and especially you wonderful people who have reviewed.
Few notes on reviews:
1. I have got the whole 'Bad Wolf' plot line already sorted, you're all just going to have to wait and see what happens.
2. Jack is actually going to be coming back soon. I love Jack, there needs to be more Jack as far as I'm concerned.
3. I have idea's for all of the older Doctor's. I just need to get the words out of my head and into some form of text. But don't worry, I am working on the classic stories as well.
Okay, enough from me. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and thank you all so much for your continued support. You are AWESOME!
Pippa.