The Dread of Tomorrow and Yesterday – Chapter 12
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, if I did, I'd share an apartment with Martha.
A/N: Well, here's the end of The Poison Sky! What's Rhea going to do in this chapter?
Notes on Reviews:
IKhandoZatman: I'm very happy that you liked it!
Romanadvoratrelu: See, I can't really tell you that yet. It'll become obvious if I ever end up doing Classic Who. The Doctor's known Rhea for a long time (maybe since he was on Gallifrey), and I'll give you a hint, Sarah Jane will recognise her when I do School Reunion.
YingWhiteyWolf: At this point, I'm trying to restrict their interactions to flirting, because Rhea doesn't really have those feelings for the Doctor yet. There'll just be a lot of innuendo between them, but it won't lead to anything just yet. There'll be a couple of episodes where their relationship does progress. I know I have given away a couple of hints about their future relationship (and Rhea has recognised it herself), but there will be a massive lead-up to where their relationship settles down and Rhea accepts it.
Queenylime2: Well, you'll see Rhea's reaction to the Doctor sacrificing himself in this chapter. Rhea definitely won't take it well, but you'll find out here. She will be very pissed off at him. The ninth Doctor will be in the next chapter, but I won't tell you what episode I'm doing with him. Rhea and the ninth Doctor won't argue as much in the first episode I do with them, because she'd still be getting used to him at that point, plus, she'll know that the ninth Doctor was the first regeneration after the Time War, she'll want to know what makes him tic first. It will be a very intense relationship, I can't wait to post it. I'm glad you like their relationship. He will be very 'Oncoming Storm' when she is in danger, especially in The Idiot's Lantern and New Earth.
Tooclosefortety: I'm so glad you liked the chapter! Yeah, Rhea's reaction will be good. I wonder what the Doctor will do. The next episode will be one with the ninth Doctor in it but I won't tell you just yet what it is.
Italics – Rhea's thoughts/The Doctor's thoughts
The Poison Sky: Sacrifice
Martha arose with a scream, her eyes shooting open. At the same time, the clone fell to the ground in agony with the exact same scream.
Rhea wrapped her arms around Martha, grasping her close to her chest, smoothing her hair away from her head. Martha gripped her wrists tightly as she came to terms with what had just happened.
"It's all right. It's all right, I'm here, I'm here. I've got you, got you." Rhea murmured, comforting the panic-stricken woman.
"There was this thing, Rhea, this alien, with this head…" Martha panted, holding onto Rhea's blazer for dear life.
The mobile rang.
"Oh, blimey I'm busy." The Doctor muttered, pulling the phone out of his pocket and answering it. "Got it?" He asked Donna.
"Yes. Now hurry up!" Donna hissed through gritted teeth.
"Take off the covering. All the blue switches inside, flick them up like a fuse box. And that should get the teleport working." The Doctor instructed her.
Martha looked around, pulling herself from Rhea's embrace, and noticed her clone, sitting on the ground and panting.
"Oh, my god. That's me." She breathed.
Rhea helped her out of the chamber she had been lying in, wrapped her up in the Doctor's trench coat, and Martha unsteadily managed to walk over to the clone, who was clutching her throat, gasping for breath, and kneel down.
The Doctor was working on the teleport while Martha kneeled beside her clone.
"Don't touch me!" The clone shouted, recoiling from Martha's hand.
"It's not my fault. The Sontarans created you. But... you had all my memories."
The clone shook. "You've got a brother, sister, mother and father." The clone whispered slowly.
"If you don't help me, they're gonna die." Martha said, earnestly.
"You love them." The clone whispered.
"Yes." Martha nodded. "Remember that?"
"The gas! Tell us about the gas!" The Doctor shouted through a gap in the teleport structure.
The clone glared at Rhea and the Doctor. "They're the enemy!"
"Then tell me." Martha offered. "It's not just poison, what's it for? Martha, please!"
"Caesofine concentrate. It's one part of Bosteen, two parts Probic 5."
"Clonefeed! It's clonefeed!" The Doctor shouted, smacking his forehead with the palm of his hand.
"What's clonefeed?" Rhea asked, standing up and walking over to him.
"Like amniotic fluid for Sontarans. That's why they're not invading, they're converting the atmosphere. Changing the planet into a clone world. Earth becomes a great big hatchery. Cos the Sontarans are clones, that's how they reproduce. Give 'em a planet this big, they'll create billions of new soldiers. That gas isn't poison, it's food!" The Doctor ranted, before going back to work on the teleport.
"My heart…it's getting slower." The clone murmured.
"There's nothing I can do." Martha whispered.
"In your mind, you've got so many plans. There's so much that you wanna do." The clone said.
"And I will." Martha said, smiling. "Never do tomorrow what you can do today, my mum says. Cause..."
"…cause you never know how long you've got. Martha Jones... All that life." The clone finished. She trembled and sank back against the metal pole she was leaning on, her eyes shut.
Martha pulled off her engagement ring from the clone's finger and put it back on her own.
"Doctor." Donna hissed into the phone.
The Doctor picked up the phone.
"Blue switches done." A door slid open and Sontarans marched in. "But they've found me!" Donna cried.
"Now!" The Doctor shouted, pointing the sonic screwdriver to the teleport pod, activating it. Donna, who was standing inside the pod on the Sontaran ship, disappeared and reappeard in the clone lab. She made a sound of relief and ran to hug the Doctor and Rhea.
"Have I ever told you how much I hate you?" Donna sobbed.
"Hold on, hold on. Get off me, get off me! Gotta bring the TARDIS down." The Doctor said, hurriedly, shoving Donna into Rhea's arms, who hugged the redhead with relief.
"Oh, thank God you're safe, Red." Rhea whispered, hugging Donna tightly, who hugged her back with the same strength.
The Doctor used the sonic screwdriver on the teleport again and the TARDIS was beamed back down in its original spot.
"Right, now. Martha, you coming?" The Doctor asked Martha, who was still kneeling beside her clone.
"What about this nuclear launch thing?" Martha asked, gesturing to her phone.
"Just keep pressing N, we want to keep those missiles on the ground." The Doctor instructed her.
Donna caught sight of the dead clone.
"But there's…two of them." Donna muttered, in shock.
"Yeah, long story." Rhea told her.
All four of them got inside the teleport. "Here we go. The old team, back together! Well, the new team." The Doctor said, grinning.
"We're not going back on that ship!" Donna shouted.
"No, no, no. No. I needed to get the teleport working so that we could get to..." The Doctor activated the teleport and they reappeared in the Rattigan Academy. "...here! The Rattigan Academy, owned by..."
Luke pointed a gun at them, standing a bit far away for a good shot. "Don't tell anyone what I did! It wasn't my fault, the Sontarans lied to me, they..." He started, storming towards them.
The Doctor grabbed his gun, pulling it forcefully out of his hand. "If I see one more gun..." The Doctor muttered, throwing the gun away and stalking forwards.
Well, that was definitely hot.
"You know, that coat, sort of works." Donna commented, eyeing the Doctor's coat on Martha.
"Feel like a kid in my dad's clothes." Martha muttered.
Donna just laughed.
The Doctor began to assemble a device from things found in Luke's laboratory, while Rhea, Martha, Donna and Luke watched.
"That's why the Sontarans had to stop the missiles, they were holding back. Because, caesofine gas is volatile, that's why they had to use you to stop the nuclear attack. Ground-to-air engagement could've sparked off the whole thing." The Doctor explained in a rush, pulling random pieces of equipment that were lying on the table and attaching them together.
"You mean set fire to the atmosphere?" Rhea asked.
"Yeah. They need all the gas intact to breed their clone army. And all the time we had Luke here in his dream factory. Planning a little trip, were we?" The Doctor growled.
"They promised me a new world." Luke defended.
"You were building equipment, ready to terraform El Mondo Luko so that humans could live there and breathe the air with this! An atmospheric converter."
The Doctor ran outside with the atmosphere converter.
"That's London. You can't even see it. My family's in there." Donna trembled. Rhea bit her lip, unsure of what to say to Donna to make her feel better.
"If I can get this on the right setting…" The Doctor muttered to himself.
"Doctor, hold on, you said the atmosphere would ignite." Martha said, taking a step towards him.
"Yeah, I did, didn't I?" The Doctor pressed a button on the atmospheric converter and a flare shot up into the air, forcing the sky to ignite.
"Please, please, please, please, please, please, please..." The Doctor chanted, crossing his fingers.
The air of the Earth was engulfed in flame, wiping out the toxic gas from the atmosphere, revealing clear, blue sky, and allowing the humans to breathe freely again.
"He's a genius!" Luke said, in shock.
"Just brilliant." Martha said, smiling.
"Now we're in trouble." The Doctor muttered, picking up the converter, hefting it up onto his shoulders and running back into the building, back to the room that held the teleport pod.
The Doctor walked ahead of everyone else and stepped into the teleport pod, still holding the atmospheric converter.
"Right, so... Donna, thank you. For everything. Martha, you too. Oh... so many times. Luke, do something clever with your life. And Rhea…" He started, smiling at her.
"You're saying goodbye." Donna gasped.
"Don't you dare." Rhea hissed, taking a step forward and then stopping, her entire body trembling, in rage or in terror, she wasn't sure.
"Sontarans are never defeated. They'll be getting ready for war. And, well, you know, I've recalibrated this for Sontaran air, so..." The Doctor explained, looking down.
"You're gonna ignite them." Rhea whispered, coming to the same conclusion as Donna and Martha.
"You'll kill yourself." Donna protested.
"Just send that thing up, on it's own. I don't know... put it on a delay." Martha tried.
"I can't."
"Why not?" Donna hissed.
"I've got to give them a choice." The Doctor murmured.
"But you can't." Rhea whispered dumbly. She cocked her head and just stared at him. He couldn't die. Not now. They had just begun. At least for her.
"Rhea." That was all he was able to say. His eyes were hard and they were set.
He dropped the device as lightly as he possibly could and stormed over to her. He hauled her up against his body and slammed his mouth down on hers. She squeaked in surprise. Now there was something she really hadn't been expecting. His hands clutched her face and skull in desperation or in pain or in regret, she wasn't sure, but she didn't have time to second-guess it right now. Not if this was the last shard of contact she was going to have with him. His fingers wound into her hair, pulling it out of the ponytail and digging and twisting into the strands. Her arms slipped underneath his arms so that her nails could dig into his shoulder blades, giving her leverage against his body, which she pressed up against, writhing. She whimpered as his mouth became more insistent and deepened the kiss. It was hot, wet, and his lips tasted of something dark and time flavoured that she couldn't identity, but she loved instantly, greedy for more.
She shook in his arms, feeling boneless. His thumbs moved from her messed up black curls until they rested against her temples. His lips left hers for the briefest moment. His eyes flickered down, looking at her swollen red lips, a sense of male pride and satisfaction filling him, knowing that he had made her look this way. He was still so close to her that if his head moved, just slightly, his lips would be on hers all over again.
She froze.
"I'm sorry." He murmured against her lips.
There was an intense pressure in her head, not unlike the beginnings of a headache. It wasn't painful, just simply uncomfortable. Her eyes widened. She struggled against his grip for a second, unsure and scared of what he was about to do. The tension slowly drained out of her limbs, and her eyes rolled back into her head. She sank down in his arms and he caught her just before she hit the floor. He placed her on the floor, her hair spread around her head, as if she were floating. He smoothed back her hair, lingering on the soft curls that he had mussed up with his insistent fingers. He pressed his lips against her forehead and then rested his cheek in that exact same spot, just revelling in her warmth and skin for a moment.
Donna and Martha rushed to Rhea, both of them sinking to their knees on either side of her, Martha placing two fingers against the vein in her wrist, checking her pulse.
"What happened? What did you do?" Donna asked him, staring up at him, shocked.
The Doctor swallowed. "I had to. She never would have let me go alone, if I hadn't." He told them, earnestly, trying to make himself believe his own story.
"Doctor…" Martha started, shaking her head.
"Don't argue with me, Martha Jones." He said, sharply. He softened his tone. "I don't know what's going to happen to her now. I don't know if she'll keep jumping or not. If she doesn't… if she stays here, take care of her." The Doctor pleaded, looking between the two women.
Donna nodded without hesitation. This woman on the ground had done so much for her, so much that she didn't even know, that she might never know.
Martha looked hesitant, still a little angry at what he had just done to Rhea. "Of course I will." Martha said. Rhea was still her friend. A great friend, even if Rhea didn't know that.
"Thank you." He said, walking back to the teleport and activating it, sending him directly to the Sontaran ship with the atmospheric converter.
"Oh, excellent!" General Staal cried.
"General Staal, you know what this is. But there's one more option. You can go. Just leave. Sontaran High Command need never know what happened here." The Doctor attempted to reason with him, with his hand on the trigger.
"Your stratagem would be wise if Sontarans feared death. But we do not. At arms!" He ordered and the other Sontarans took their lasers into their hands, who still had finger hovering above the trigger.
"I'll do it, Staal. If it saves the Earth, I'll do it." The Doctor insisted. If it means saving her, then yes, I'll do it.
"A warrior doesn't talk, he acts."
"I am giving you a chance to leave." The Doctor growled.
"And miss the glory of this moment?"
"All weapons targeting Earth, sir. Firing in 20." The Sontaran voice came from the loudspeakers.
"I'm warning you." The Doctor shouted.
"And I salute you! Take aim!" General Staal ordered and the other Sontarans aimed their lasers at the Doctor.
"Shoot me, I'm still gonna press this! You'll die, Staal." The Doctor announced.
Rhea's eyes fluttered open as her mind tried to comprehend the sensory input. The events before her sudden unconscious state came back to her and she sat up quickly. Donna and Martha were at her side, tears in their eyes.
"Where is he?" She barked, looking around the room and only seeing Donna and Martha and Luke, who was busy toying with the wires of the teleport.
"He teleported to the Sontaran ship." Donna said, quietly.
"And you let him?" She demanded.
"We couldn't stop him, Rhea." Martha whispered.
"You could have tried." Rhea hissed.
And it hit her.
He was gone.
The idiot.
A familiar cold, numbing ache spread through her limbs and nerves and settled in her stomach, not even allowing her to cry for the amazing man who had managed to change her life so significantly in such a small amount of time.
Her mouth parted as if she were about to say something, but no words were said. No words could be said. She pushed herself to a standing position, wondering whether she would actually be able to stay on her feet without buckling. Martha and Donna followed her lead, each gripping a hand when they stood next to her. She wanted to rip her hands out of theirs. She didn't like it. Her skin crawled. It was too much, too soon.
Martha and Donna noticed Luke. "What are you doing?" Martha asked Luke, taking a step closer to him.
"Knowing that you die, too." The general remarked.
"My death doesn't frighten me." The Doctor said, plainly. Rhea, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I know you'll hate me for this, but I've got no other choice.
"Firing in 15." The loudspeaker voice said.
"For the glory of Sontar! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha!" The general chanted.
"Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha!" The other Sontarans intoned.
"I'll do it!" The Doctor shouted.
"Then do it!"
"Something clever." Luke said, before he stood up and pressed a button, transporting himself to the Sontaran ship and, at the same time, zapping the Doctor back to the Academy.
"Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha!" The Sontarans continued to chant.
"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3..." The voice from the loudspeakers counted down.
The Sontarans froze in their mantra when they caught sight of Luke and his finger on the button.
"Sontar? Ha!" Luke shouted and pressed the button of the converter.
"…1." The voice ended.
The spaceship exploded before they could launch their attack on Earth.
The Doctor appeared in the teleport pod at the Rattigan Academy, on his knees, confused and panting. He crawled forward and sat at the edge of the pod, still shocked. Martha ran to him, smiling, and nestled by his side. Donna walked to him slowly and gave the Doctor a big whack on the arm for scaring them to death, then grasped his arm tightly, so relieved that he was alive.
They all turned to Rhea, who hadn't moved from her spot, her mind still comprehending the fact that he was here, he was alive. She stood frozen in that spot, just staring at him.
"Rhea?" Martha said, cautiously.
Her face was pale, as if someone had forcibly drained all the blood out of her face. She closed her eyes and exhaled, thanking every deity she believed in for giving him back to her, praying in English, in Italian and in Hindi, but using every inch of her self control to keep her face blank of any expression. Don't you dare let them see you cry, Rhea. Her mind was hysterical, warring between anger and gratitude, not sure which one to focus on. She spun on her feet, turning her back to the three of them and stormed out of the room.
Rhea pulled open the doors of the TARDIS and strode inside, the Doctor, Martha and Donna following behind her. The drive back to the ATMOS factory was done in complete and uncomfortable silence, with Rhea just staring out the window of the car, not saying a word nor looking at anyone for longer than a moment. The Doctor felt a pang in his heart. Rhea had never gone this long without saying at least one word to him. Even in the times when she had been angry, she had always blown up by now. Her giving him the silent treatment was even worse, the deafening, all-consuming silence was getting to him.
"I'm just going to go say goodbye to my mum and granddad." Donna muttered, staring at Rhea.
"Yeah, I'll, uh, give you a ride, Donna." Martha said, eyeing Rhea's tense posture.
They both left, leaving the Doctor and Rhea alone in the TARDIS.
Rhea leaned against one of the coral struts. She felt the TARDIS thrum against her body, as if the sentient ship were asking her what was wrong. She gripped the strut tighter with her fingers, the thrum reminding her of her mother's hugs, wishing, even greater than she had when she had seen Donna with her family, that her mother was here, right now, with her.
The Doctor walked up the ramp and stood opposite to her, but Rhea was determined not to look at him.
"Rhea, I'm sorry." He tried. He reached out to touch her, but she flinched, pushing herself from the strut and walking over to the console.
His hand fell back to his side. He had to admit, he was stung. She had never flinched away from him like that before, at least, not that violently.
"I know what I did was wrong, Rhea. And-"
Rhea spun on her feet, the fury visible on her face, barely holding back a frustrated scream. "You're a friggin' child, you know that!" Rhea shouted at him, storming towards him so that she was only three feet away from him.
"Rhea-" He began.
"No!" Rhea stopped him. "You had no right to do that to me."
"I was just trying to protect you!" The Doctor exclaimed.
"I don't need you to protect me!" Rhea screamed at him. "I am a grown woman. I don't need you to keep me from doing what is right for me. Who the hell do you think you are?" Rhea demanded, glaring at him. "You knocked me out! What kind of spineless move was that?"
The Doctor flinched at her hostile tone. "I understand that you're upset-"
"Oh, you understand now, huh?" Rhea asked, her voice brimming with sarcasm and anger. "What the hell were you thinking half an hour ago?" She paused, thinking of something else. "You kissed me!" She hissed.
The Doctor swallowed hard. "Yes, I did." And he winced.
"Why?" She growled.
He looked at her, pleadingly. "I can't tell you, Rhea. Please."
"Did you just kiss me so that you could knock me unconscious?" Rhea asked, dreading the answer. She didn't know which one would be better. Yes, that the best kiss she had ever gotten was only a ruse so that she wouldn't follow him into life threatening danger, or no, that the kiss was real and that may mean feelings and emotion and consequences that knotted up her stomach like no tomorrow.
He stood rigid and straight and she knew she wouldn't get that specific answer out of him for awhile. They shared one of their patented, tension-filled, familiar stares. She blew out a breath angrily, and looked away from him.
"Tell me, what can I do to fix this?" The Doctor begged, fully prepared to grovel for her forgiveness, if need be. I don't like seeing you angry or hurt because of me.
He took a step closer to her and Rhea took a step back. He took another step and so did she. This pattern continued until Rhea realised she had nowhere else to go. She tried to walk away from him, but he reached out and gripped her tightly by the forearms, making sure that she would stand still and not get away. She could have easily escaped his grip, but she wouldn't hurt him, they both knew that, and it made their situation all the more worse.
"I'm sorry." The Doctor said, earnestly, staring into her eyes.
"You took my choice away from me." Rhea whispered, making sure to avoid his eyes, trying to maintain that strong, resolute state of mind.
"Believe me, I wasn't trying to hurt you. I would never intentionally hurt you, Rhea. I did it because I knew you'd never let me go on that ship alone, and I'd never want to put you in that sort of situation on purpose. Don't you see how much you mean to me?" The Doctor asked, frowning.
She considered the consequences of what she was about to say to him. She finally formed the courage to look him in the eye. "Don't ever do that again." She said, strongly. "If you do, I won't forgive you a second time." She warned
"I won't." They both knew that the other didn't mean it, but there was nothing either of them could do about it for now.
He wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace, his arms winding around her shoulders and her arms winding around his thin waist. She rested her head on his chest and listened to the steady rhythm of his twin heartbeat and he rejoiced in the ephemeral display of affection and emotion from her, at least from this Rhea. She looked up at him, breaking the embrace before it became entirely too much.
"I'm glad you're alive." Rhea said, hoarsely, trying to put just a dash of humour into her words, giving him a shaky smile.
"Me too." He said, grinning down at her, pushing a lock of her hair away from her eye and stroking her cheekbone with his thumb.
"Space, alien boy, personal, private space, which you're invading right now." She said, pushing herself away from him and walking back over to the console. She wiped a tear from her eye, before it had the audacity to even fall down her cheek.
Donna and Wilf's eyes were drawn to the door when Sylvia entered, holding plastic bags filled with groceries, and went into the kitchen where the two were sitting.
"The streets are half-empty. People still aren't driving. There's kids on bikes all over the place, it's wonderful. Unpack that lot, I'm gonna see if Suzette's all right." She told Donna and put the bags on the kitchen counter before leaving.
"I won't tell her. Best not. Just keep it as our little secret, eh?" Wilf said, winking at his granddaughter.
"Yeah." Donna said, smiling softly.
"And you go with him, that wonderful Doctor and his lady friend. You go and see the stars. And then bring a bit of 'em back, for your old Gramps."
Donna nodded, then got up to hug him and kissed his head.
"Love you." She murmured, walking out the door and fighting back the tears by pressing the back of her hand to her mouth.
"Is something else the matter, Rhea?" The Doctor asked, hesitating. She hadn't said a word since their hug ten minutes ago, she just stared emptily.
"Hmm…" Rhea made a sound, as if only realising that he was here now. "Sorry, what did you say?"
"Is there anything else that's bothering you?" The Doctor asked.
"It's just…it's just Donna." Rhea sighed.
The Doctor frowned. "You don't like Donna?" That didn't sound like the Rhea the Doctor knew. Rhea loved Donna, thought she was the best companion the Doctor had ever taken on, except for maybe Ace and Sarah Jane.
"No!" Rhea exclaimed. "No, it's not that…it's just…seeing Donna with her family, it made me realise how much I miss mine." She ended, quietly.
"Oh, wait." The Doctor exclaimed, pulling Rhea's phone out of his pocket and opening the back. And he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and turned it on, the sonic whirring madly as it went to work on the circuitry of the phone. "Ah!" He cried in triumph, throwing it to her. She caught it on reflex, looking at him with confusion and wonder. "Call her." He said, gesturing to the phone.
Rhea frowned. "Are you screwing with me?" She asked, suspiciously.
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Just call her."
Rhea sighed and decided to humour him. She dialled the number for her mother's mobile and listened to the rings.
"Rhea?" Her mother silvery voice came over the phone after three rings. "Tesoro, is that you?"
Rhea swallowed hard and almost dropped the phone in shock, her eyes wide. Her grip on the phone tightened and she held it with both hands. "Mama?" Rhea whispered hoarsely into the phone.
"Rhea, you're the one who called me, why the hesitation?" Her mother asked, laughing.
"It's really you." Rhea whispered.
"Of course it's me." Her mother's voice turned concerned. "Are you all right, Rhea?"
A strangled sound escaped Rhea's mouth before she could stop it and she blinked furiously to stop the tears that had pooled in her eyes from spilling.
"Rhea, are you all right?" Seraphina asked, worriedly.
"I'm fine." Rhea croaked, smiling. "Yeah, I just…I just wanted to hear your voice."
Seraphina laughed and Rhea's smiled widened. "I just talked to you this morning."
Rhea frowned. "What day is it?"
"Saturday, remember?"
Rhea's eyes widened. It had been Saturday when Rhea had left with the Doctor and it was still Saturday for her mother. "What time is it?" Rhea asked.
"Two in the afternoon." Seraphina answered. "I'm at the shop. Someone just ordered three dozen long-stemmed roses. I'm just putting them together."
Rhea exhaled. She had only been gone a couple of hours for her mother, not enough time for her mother to miss her.
"Is this about tonight?" Seraphina suddenly asked. "Do you not want me to come over? I was going to make your favourite spinach and mushroom lasagne and pecan pie for dessert. I thought we could watch 'Titanic', you know, for the fiftieth time ever. Have a real girl's night in." Rhea could practically hear the frown in her mother's voice and her underlying disappointment.
"No, it's just that something's come up." Rhea said, leaning against the console next to the Doctor. "I have to go out of town for awhile. I won't be back until next week." Rhea said, running her fingers through her air.
"Oh, what happened?" Seraphina asked, tensing.
"Um, it's a work thing. Just a conference. It's in Los Angeles." Rhea said, sniffling, rubbing her mouth with her palm.
"Oh, that's sad, I was looking forward to seeing you again." Seraphina confessed. "Oh, there is one other thing, by the way, who was that man who answered your phone this morning?"
Rhea's eyes widened. Fuck, what do I say now? She looked at the Doctor, who was trying his hardest to act like he wasn't listening into the conversation. She pressed the phone to her collarbone and stared at him, helplessly.
"What should I say?" Rhea hissed.
"How should I know?" The Doctor exclaimed.
"Shh." Rhea growled, quietening him down. "You're the one who answered the phone."
Realisation dawned on his face and he looked sheepish. "Tell her I'm a colleague or something." He said, quickly.
"He's a colleague." Rhea said into the phone, crossing her fingers and praying that her mother would believe her.
"Oh, what's his name?" Seraphina asked.
Rhea looked at the Doctor again, helplessly.
"John Smith." He hissed.
Rhea groaned and repeated the name into the phone.
"Oh, well, he sounds nice, Rhea, a keeper, that one." Seraphina murmured.
Rhea snorted. Yeah, sure. "Thanks, mama."
"I'd better go, Rhea, these flowers aren't going to arrange themselves." Seraphina said, giggling.
Rhea smiled when she heard her mother laugh. "Yeah, I'll talk to you soon, okay."
"Call me when you get to Los Angeles." Her mother ordered.
"Yes, ma'am." Rhea said, laughing.
"Ciao, Rhea." And Seraphina put the phone down.
She just stared at it, in her hands, for a minute or two, a small pained smile painted on her face.
"Better?" The Doctor cautiously asked.
Rhea pursed her lips and turned to him, smiling sadly. "I just miss her."
His hand reached across the rim of the console to touch her fingers softly. "I know." He said, meaning every word.
Her smile grew and she leaned over, hesitating for a moment before pressing a warm kiss to his cheek. Her smile grew into a grin when she saw his shock and his resulting blush and she looked down, smiling.
"Thank you." Rhea said, sincerity and gratitude shining in her eyes.
He grinned back at her and merely flicked a button on the console.
The doors suddenly opened a few inches and Martha stuck her head in, changed from the clothes they had met her in, now wearing a grey jacket, pink shirt and blue jeans and missing the white coat.
"Everything okay?" Martha said, slowly, not wanting to interrupt what might be a private moment.
Rhea smiled softly at her. "Yeah, everything's fine."
Martha smiled. She hated seeing them fight. She walked up the ramp and joined them on the console.
Donna walked into the TARDIS a few minutes later, her face slightly splotchy. Rhea guessed that she had been crying or that she was definitely close to it.
"You okay, Donna?" Rhea asked, frowning.
Donna nodded, giving her a small smile. "Yeah." She whispered.
"How were they?" Martha asked her, picking up on what Rhea had just noticed.
"Oh, same old stuff." Donna wiped a few tears off her cheek and attempted to appear casual. Rhea assumed that she did that a lot, pretend to be all right when everything's really not. It takes one to know one. She recognised the facial expression that Donna was wearing from her own mirror.
"They're fine." Donna looked as if she were trying to convince herself of that fact, not just the other three. "So! You gonna come with us? We're not exactly short of space." Donna offered Martha, both Rhea and the Doctor smiling in agreement.
"Oh, I have missed all this." Martha confessed. "But, you know. I'm good here. Back at home. And I'm better for having been away." She looked absolutely honest about what she was saying, not even the slightest trepidation in her voice. "Besides," She started, holding up her hand with the engagement ring on it. "Someone needs me. Never mind the universe, I've got a great big world of my own now!"
And Rhea let out a cry of pain, sinking down to the ground.
Martha, Donna and the Doctor rushed to her at once, the latter reaching her first.
"Rhea? Rhea? It's okay. Everything's going to be fine." The Doctor said, soothingly, stroking her hair and any part of her face that wasn't covered by her own hands, which were clutching her head in pain.
Her hands began to glow with a bright silvery light and she stared down at them in fear and in wonder. Crippling pain and weird light show aside, the whole situation was pretty cool from a third party's viewpoint. She smiled wryly at the Doctor. "See ya soon, alien boy." She murmured, giving into the pain and relaxing her limbs, resting her body against the console and just waiting to disappear. The console hummed behind her, as if the TARDIS was trying to reassure her that everything would be fine. Thanks, gorgeous girl, I'll see YOU soon too.
"You bet." The Doctor murmured, standing up and taking a step back, forcing Martha and Donna back as well. "You know what happens now." He told the other women. "She's going to a different part of my timeline."
"I wonder which face I'll see next." Rhea speculated.
The Doctor had a strange look on his face, the kind of guilty look like you know something that the other person doesn't.
"Oh, you know, don't you?" Rhea groaned. "That means I'm going to your past. Time travel, man, it sucks."
"I'll see you soon, Rhea." The Doctor simply replied.
She shut her eyes.
A/N: And there's the end of The Poison Sky. Rhea got really angry at the Doctor, didn't she? I was tossing up between her shouting at him or her punching him, but I might save her punching him for a later date. She really doesn't like it when other people make decisions for her. And she got to talk to her mother. I hope you realised, in some of the chapters, that has been at the back of her mind. It's been about a week since she's seen her mother. I got a bit confused in the show with that sonic phone thing myself. In The End of the World, how did Rose's phone call Jackie only what looks like a couple of hours after Rose left, because Jackie didn't seem upset? How did the phone know to call that specific time? Same with Martha in 42, how did the phone call Martha's mother at that specific time? I kind of went with that premise in the last scene with Rhea and her mother.
And the kiss! Was that a good kiss? I hope it was a good kiss! And hot! And Rhea kissed back! Is she in love with the Doctor? No, she's not. She's attracted to him and she cares about him, if her reaction to him going onto the Sontaran ship is any indication. That was a great scene to write, I spent ages just writing that scene over and over again. And what the Doctor did next. Was that unethical for him to use his telepathic abilities like that? I thought so, but he was just trying to protect her. I hope you guys understand why Rhea didn't show a lot of outward emotion after she woke up. She was kind of numb and she's not the type to get overly emotional, especially in front of others. That was what I was kind of going for with her turning around and praying. She didn't want the Doctor, or Martha or Donna to see her.
I wonder which Doctor Rhea will meet next, it's in 10's past, maybe another adventure with 10? Or maybe 9?
Anyway, Read and Review!