The Dread of Tomorrow and Yesterday – Chapter 20
Disclaimer: To be honest, I'm running out of witty/funny disclaimers. I don't own Doctor Who, just Rhea, sorry.
A/N: And we have another chapter with the Tenth Doctor! And this is going to be a fun one! Don't worry, I will be doing an episode with the Eleventh Doctor very soon, not the next episode but the one after that, I promise. This chapter will only start The Fires of Pompeii at the end, most of it though will be entirely original.
Notes on Reviews:
Mionerocks: I'm glad you like the chapter! She is opening up a bit more to the Doctor. I think she's doing that because she figures he knows everything about her already. The relationship between Rose and the TL can't really be said now, they won't have a good relationship, but the TL will be hospitable towards Rose, because of the Doctor. I like your idea about having Rose's face stolen, but I suppose it would depend on what happened before that for me to make a decision. I haven't even started writing that story yet.
Tooclosefortety: I'm so glad you liked my characterisation of the Doctor in this chapter. I loved writing him as the Oncoming Storm. I think if my Time Lady's face got stolen, it would be a little similar, but the Doctor would be much more Oncoming Storm because of the nature of their relationship (but I can't tell you what their relationship is, spoilers!). Rose would be very confused and jealous of the way he was acting.
Areus Bookworm: Welcome to the story (unless of course you've reviewed before under a different username, then sorry)! Thank you so much! I'm blushing as we speak. The Doctor and Rhea will start getting close from now on, as you saw in the last chapter, some of Rhea's walls are breaking down. The Doctor's Wife will be an interesting episode, but I don't plan on it being anytime soon, because I want Rhea to have forgotten what she said to the TARDIS, so she'd be extra surprised if Idris punched her. I'll give you a hint, the first Season 3 episode I'm going to do is The Shakespeare Code, and it will be the next episode after The Fires of Pompeii, so very soon, probably by the end of the week. Human Nature will be very nice, I have a different plan for Human Nature and I really can't wait to write it, it'll be instrumental in the Doctor and Rhea's relationship. Blink won't be for awhile, I wanted Rhea to meet the Weeping Angels before Blink. But Season 3 will be an important season in the first section of this story.
Beulah2013: I know, their interaction in the last chapter was really cute :) I loved writing their reunion scene, it was so fun!
Nights Eternal Dream: Thank you so much for all of your reviews! I'm so glad you like Rhea, I tried to make sure that she was aware of what the Doctor felt towards her, especially since the first time she met him, he mentioned a "bedroom thing". She's just not willing to accept what she knows is true. Yeah, I didn't mind Rose is Season 1 and 2, she wasn't my favourite character but she wasn't horrible (for the most part), but my main problem came in Season 4. She just sort of showed up acting like she knew everything, and I do understand that she knew quite a bit of the problem because her parallel world was ahead of the normal universe, but she just kept acting like she was the Doctor and that didn't sit right with me. And people kept defending her jealous comment to Martha, I don't think there's any justification. The Daleks were trying to destroy reality, that was no time for her jealousy. I love River as a character (she's Doctor Who's Lara Croft), and I like her and the Doctor together, but I felt like their relationship was too rushed, I wish we could have seem how their relationship played out. I thought the wedding scene was a bit fake but I could see that he honestly did care for her. I can accept her being Amy and Rory's daughter but I feel like they just put that in to tie everything together, I would have felt better about that if Amy and Rory had gotten some bonding time with River, especially Rory. Your interpretation of Rhea's interaction with the 11th Doctor was what I was trying to go for. I felt like she'd be a bit wary about all of these new companions (not with Rose, because she meets Rose quite early in Season 1), she still hasn't met Amy, but their meeting will be different, because I feel like Amy was central to the 11th Doctor's character, so Rhea's relationship with Amy would be a bit closer, much more like hers and Donna's. Rhea definitely has a thing for redheads ;) I think Rhea likes Clara, she was the first companion she met, and when I do more episodes with Clara, she'll be more affectionate. Clara's the first one that Rhea gave a nickname to and I think they'd have a big sister-little sister kind of relationship.
Warnings: Swearing, sexual innuendo, slight sexual imagery.
Italics – Rhea's thoughts/The Doctor's thoughts
Days of Wine and Roses
"You know what I need after an ordeal like that?" Rhea asked, walking into the console room, having changed into a dark blue sari and black sequined spaghetti-strapped blouse. "A drink." The Doctor opened his mouth, just a little stunned by her outfit, but used to the way she dressed. "And I don't mean juice or some new-fangled alien drink. I mean, proper alcohol, mind-numbing, hangover-inducing alcohol. I want to drink until I can't feel feelings anymore. I don't care if it's on some random planet in the 92nd century, I just want to go to a bar and get drunk." Rhea told him. She paused. "And maybe dance."
The Doctor sighed, knowing that he wouldn't be able to change her mind. "Any planet okay with you?" The Doctor asked, going around a pressing the button to start up the rotor of the TARDIS.
Rhea gave him a sweet smile. "Any planet. I just need alcohol."
The Doctor had just pushed down a lever when Rhea's legs gave out. She took shuddering breaths and leant back against the console, grimacing as sharp pain rolled through her body, staring from her head, down her neck, coursing through her limbs and into her torso.
"I can't say I've missed the pain." Rhea murmured, weakly, as she fought against the instinctive response in her to cry out from the extent of the pain. Her limbs trembled and she glanced down at them, recognising the familiar silvery glow, that had been absent the last few jumps, coursing through her veins, seemingly instead of blood. She felt the hum of the TARDIS beneath her skin as the ship tried to comfort her through the time travel.
The Doctor was at her side throughout all of this, his arms wrapped tightly around her, and he rubbed her arms. She was ashamed to say that her shaky arms reached out for the chilly skin of his body, needing the relief as her skinned burned from the pain. She breathed in and out quickly and rested her head against his.
"I don't care which 'you' I visit next. You're still taking me out for a drink, got it, time boy?" Rhea told him, weakly and stubbornly.
The Doctor nodded against her hair, his chin resting on top of her head. He pressed a warm kiss to her temple. "Whatever you want."
Rhea smiled despite her distress. "Those are dangerous words for a girl like me." She teased, half-heartedly.
Her eyes shut, despite her best efforts, but her skin still felt scorching and she could see the glow from her body through the slits of her eyes. She breathed in deeply and exhaled, her fists clenching of their own accord. When her eyes fluttered open after a few minutes, her skin felt clammy and damp, her limbs ached and she had a crick in her neck, as if she had woken up on the wrong side of the bed. She could still see black spots in her vision, but she pushed herself onto her own feet, rubbing her aching temples. Someone wrapped their arms around her waist, pulling her into an embrace. She tensed, her hips jutting back of their own accord. She was just about to raise her knee and slam it into the opposing person's groin or stomach, when she felt a familiar wool coat sliding across the exposed skin of her stomach. Her eyes opened wider so that she could get a better look and blinked furiously when she saw the familiar face of the Doctor she had just been with.
"Did I actually jump?" Rhea asked him, nervously.
"Yeah, you did." The Doctor whispered, still keeping his arms around her.
She shook her head, furiously, trying to get rid of the confusion and the resulting aftershock after being hurtled through time and space.
"So, where are we now?" The Doctor said.
"Um," Rhea began, running her hand through her hair, mussing it up just a bit. "I was just in 1953…"
"…with the Wire." The Doctor finished, leaning forward and tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear.
"Oh, good, you've done it." Rhea said, happily, pulling out of his embrace and walking around the console. "You owe me a drink." Rhea told him.
The Doctor grinned. "I do, don't I?"
"This place is bloody magnificent!" A familiar female voice crowed as a woman stepped back into the console room.
"Donna!" Rhea exclaimed and rushed over to kiss her on both cheeks. Donna looked extremely confused and just looked Rhea up and down.
"You've changed your clothes." Donna told her.
Rhea looked down at herself. "No, I haven't." Rhea said, slowly.
"You were wearing something completely different before I went to look around in the TARDIS. And now you're wearing a sari." Donna protested. "You were wearing…"
Rhea rolled her eyes and covered Donna' mouth with her hand. "Spoilers, Red." She warned, taking her hand off her mouth.
Donna looked even more confused than she had looked before. "What do you mean, spoilers?" Donna asked, looking between the two of them.
Rhea's eyes widened as she realised the cause for Donna's confusion and spun on her heels to look at the Doctor. "We never told her!" Rhea exclaimed, looking at the Doctor, as his eyes dawned with realisation as well. "About me, I mean!"
"What, what about you?" Donna asked, getting slightly irritated with the vague sentences.
"The first time we met her, actually, it was the first time you two met each other, and the first time she met me, I'd already met her." Rhea started rambling as she tried to get her head around it.
"What do you mean you'd already met me?" Donna asked, frowning.
"Well…" Rhea drawled. "The first time you met me wasn't the first time I met you and the first time I met you, you had already known me for awhile."
"You're confusing me, Rhea." Donna said.
Rhea let out an aggravated sigh. "I'm confusing myself." She told her. She took a deep breath. "The basic gist of it is that him and I," She said, pointing at herself and the Doctor, "We don't meet in the right order."
Donna's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"She meets me in the wrong order. She'll come here and then she'll go back into my past, then jump into my future, it's very wibbly-wobbly." The Doctor explained.
"So…" Donna started. "When we met on my wedding day with Lance, you had already met me? Why, because you've done this before?" Donna asked.
"Well, not this." Rhea corrected. "But, yeah, I had met you before. I can't tell you where. Spoilers." Rhea said, winking. Rhea frowned. "You recognised I was wearing a sari, how did you do that?"
"Oh," Donna waved off. "There used to be an Indian family who lived up the road from me. I've seen the mother wear one."
"Ah." Rhea said, smoothing down the body of the sari. She turned to the Doctor. "Can we go for that drink now?" She hesitated, looking back at Donna. "Unless there was somewhere else you wanted to go?" She asked, cautiously.
"No." Donna shook her head. "A drink's fine."
Rhea clapped her hands in her enthusiasm. She turned to the Doctor. "Right, then, come on." She walked towards the console and started up the time rotor.
"92nd century then?" The Doctor asked, pushing down a lever.
"Wherever and whenever you want." Rhea said, with a grin.
"Hyper Vodka." Rhea said, gleefully, eyeing the golden liquid with delight. "Ooh, I can't wait."
"Just don't drink too much." The Doctor warned her. "It's your first time drinking it. It might be too strong."
Rhea gave him a withering look and took a deliberate sip of the golden liquid. This was her fourth drink for the night, she had already had a Manhattan, a Cosmopolitan and a Blow Job. She had laughed madly when she saw the Doctor's embarrassed and uncomfortable look when she had ordered that particular drink, but she was determined to get pretty drunk tonight. A part of her was stunned when the bartender had mixed her the previous drinks, she would have thought no one in the 92nd century would have known what a Manhattan or a Cosmo was.
Her eyes widened and she shook her head as the drink scorched the inside of her throat. It tasted like fire and she could understand why one of those would be enough to knock someone out cold.
"Wow!" Rhea breathed, taking another sip. She hummed. "This is what I call alcohol." She fidgeted in her barstool and grinned at Donna. "Want a sip?" She asked, holding the drink out.
Donna laughed. "I'll stick to my Sidecars, thank you very much. I'd rather be lucid tonight."
"Ha!" Rhea waved off. "Lucid's boring." She smiled. "Think of the fun you can have when it's all obscure." She purred, her voice rich and smooth as honey.
"Yeah, just what we need, a drunk Rhea." The Doctor said, sarcastically.
Rhea rolled her eyes. "You're not my father." She said, pointedly. "I can get drunk whenever and wherever I want." She laughed. "I've gotten pretty good at it over the last couple of years." She licked her lips after taking another sip of the spirit.
"The things you do when you're drunk…" The Doctor trailed off, coughing when he saw her tongue run over her lips.
Rhea leaned forward, resting her head on her palm and her elbow on the table. She smiled wide, her glistening white teeth contrasting against the dark crimson of her lipstick. "Oh, really, what have I done?" Rhea asked, waggling her eyebrows. "Do tell." She murmured, her voice lowering to a whisper.
The Doctor shook his head, knowing that she was trying to get under his skin. "No way."
Rhea sighed. "This isn't the first time you've made me squirm." She pursed her lips in a smile and waited for the reaction, stifling a laugh when she saw his ears go red.
He started to stammer out a reply but then collected himself. He looked her up and down, clad in a blue sari, in a form hugging blouse that could pass as a bra any day, she certainly looked like that was all she was wearing, the exposed tanned skin of her stomach and the smooth curve of her hips outlined in the sari, his ending at her bright blue toenails in her open-toed heels. He looked back at her face, at the haughty smirk on her lips and the tease in her bright green eyes and the urge to make her squirm burned through him.
Rhea put the drink down, slamming hard against the table. She stood up, abruptly, and looked at the Doctor and Donna with sneaky smile. "Let's dance." She entwined her fingers with theirs and started to pull them towards the dance floor.
"Oh, no, no, no." The Doctor said, pulling back and sitting back down. "I'm not dancing."
"You danced with me on the Titanic." Rhea retorted.
"You were overwhelmed." The Doctor argued. "It was your first time travelling with me and I wanted to make sure you were relaxed."
Rhea snorted. "That's an incredibly lame excuse, but you know what, if you want to sit there like an old maid, be my guest." Rhea turned to Donna. "What about you, Red? Want to let loose on the dance floor?" Rhea said, shaking her hips a bit.
Donna laughed a little and stood up. "Oh, what the hell." She said and Rhea pulled her onto the floor.
It was hot and damp on the dance floor. The minute that Rhea stepped onto the silver floor, she could feel the vibrations of the music thrumming around her, moving up her legs. Rhea reached out and pulled Donna's hands and put them on her waist, swaying her hips to the music as she did so. She threw her hands around her the redhead's neck and her head fell back, the golden and green lights from the ceiling streaming across her neck. The Doctor tensed, she looked like she was in rapture.
"I never really got into the dance scene." Donna said to her, yelling over the music.
"Why not?" Rhea shouted back. She shifted her hips to the beat of the music, her eyes closing. "It's incredible. I love it." She said, with a euphoric smile on her lips.
She tensed when she felt a hand slid over her shoulder and she turned around to see a handsome, blue-skinned young man in a black button-up shirt and leather pants. She was a little taken aback by his forwardness but the buzz in her skull slowly took care of that. She looked back at the Doctor, who was glaring at her. She smiled, sultrily, at him and was about to wrap her arms around his neck, when she felt larger, significantly manlier hands encircle her waist. She shrieked in surprise as she was dragged from the dance floor by a familiar looking, pinstripe suited Time Lord, Donna staring at them both with shock and confusion.
"Hey!" Rhea made a sound of alarm. "What the hell are you doing?" Rhea demanded.
"You, sit down." The Doctor ordered, shoving her down in her seat. She just sat there, furious and a little smashed.
"What is your problem?" Rhea hissed, clenching the table with her fingers, her nails digging into the wood.
"You're drunk." The Doctor said, shortly, his eyes dark as he leaned back in his seat.
"And you're sexy." She teased before she scoffed. "Oh, sweetie, it takes a lot more than four drinks to get me drunk." She said, condescendingly.
He leaned forward, angry, a hair's breadth away from her. "Not when you're drinking Hyper Vodka. You've never drunk that before. You haven't developed a tolerance to it, yet. That's why you're making stupid decisions like that." He eyed the alien she was about to dance with distaste.
"You didn't want to dance with me, remember?" Rhea growled.
"Oh, and this planet's version of Hugh Heffner was the best replacement?" The Doctor asked, sarcastically. "I think not."
Rhea swore and had the urge to punch him in the face. "I am not your property. If I want to fuck Charlie Sheen, then I'll fuck him, you've got no say in the matter." She hissed.
"I'd never let that happen." He told her, darkly.
She breathed in, harshly, trying to keep her temper under control. She slid to her feet and stormed over to the bar. She could her hear similar angry footsteps behind her. She sat on the barstool and he came up beside her.
"You have to be the most infuriating woman I have ever met." He growled as she ordered a Kamakazie shot.
"Keep 'em coming." She told the bartender, a seemingly human man in a white shirt and pants, pointedly ignoring the Doctor and his protests.
"I am not drunk!" Rhea slurred.
"Oh, please," The Doctor scoffed, keeping a tight hold of her waist as she stumbled around on their way back to the TARDIS. "You can barely keep your legs steady."
"That step wasn't there on the way to the bar." Rhea protested, gripping the fabric of his suit tightly and snuggling into his side.
"What did you think was going to happen?" The Doctor demanded, hauling Rhea up against his side so that he could strengthen his hold around her. "Three shots of vodka, a margarita, cosmopolitan and a blow job," He said, flushing a little. "Not to mention, a Hyper Vodka, of course you're drunk!"
All Rhea did was smile at him. She leaned up, tapping him on the nose with her finger, affectionately, and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for the night out, honey." Rhea hummed, wrapping an arm around his waist, as they staggered back into the TARDIS.
Rhea bit her lip, a few steps ahead of the TARDIS as he shut the doors and locked them. She turned around, awkwardly, and slammed him against the doors. The Doctor's eyes went wide and he spluttered. Bloody hell. He turned a little red as she slithered up against him, pressing herself against him, her heels pushing her to his height. Her forehead to his, her breasts against his chest, her hips touching his, their legs curling against each other.
"In fact," She purred, the tip of her nose skimming his cheekbone. "I think I should thank you properly."
Her nose slid down his cheek and she pressed a warm and sensual kiss to his jaw. She hummed when her lips met the warm skin of his neck and nuzzled and nipped at his neck, pressing soft kisses to the skin. "Mmm," She hummed. "You smell so good." Her tongue ran up the cool skin. "You taste good too."
"Rhea, what are you doing?" The Doctor exclaimed, his face red as he tried to shove her away from him. The part of her sari that was draped over her shoulder in neat pleats had slipped off and was falling to her wrists, exposing her torso, clad in a black-sequined blouse that reminded him entirely too much of a bra. It was too small, very tight, extremely low cut and incredibly distracting.
"Rhea, what are you wearing?"
Rhea pouted, looking down at herself and pulling up the saree. "Don't you like it?" Rhea asked, grinning, her tongue poking out of her teeth, teasingly. She attempted to twirl but the Doctor caught her as she tripped over her own feet.
"It's very revealing."
"Well…" She drawled. "You could take it off for me." Rhea said, seductively, stroking the inside of his palm with her finger. She took a hold of his hand and brought it to the centre of her stomach, just above where the pleats of her sari had been tucked in, motioning for him to pull the pleats out so that her sari would slip down her body. His fingers were splayed against the smooth, honey skin of her stomach and the Doctor shook, breathing in, heavily. He pulled his hand back, sharply.
"No, Rhea." The Doctor protested. "I'm not going to take advantage of you when you're in this state."
She shuffled herself so that she was pressed against him again. He looked down and suddenly wished he hadn't. He could see right down her dress, and knowing Rhea, that was something she intended. His hands slipped down her waist, instead of touching blue chiffon, now he was touching warm skin. His eyes moved back to her face, noticing her sway slightly and hazy gaze.
"Come on, Dimples, time for bed." The Doctor sighed, pulling her along, across the console room and into the TARDIS.
"Dimples?" Rhea asked, registering the nickname in her muddled state of mind.
The Doctor looked back at her, with a small smile. "You have very adorable dimples." He straightened. "Bed." He ordered.
Rhea smirked. "Are you going to join me, honey?" Rhea asked, her voice breathy and her posture provocative.
The Doctor exhaled. I never thought I'd need every iota of my self control to deal with an inebriated Rhea. "No."
Rhea pouted then smiled. She pulled her hand, forcing him to stop and look at her. She languorously slinked up to him, letting the throw of the sari fall, leaving her exposed in her blouse and the skirt of her sari, which trailed across the floor behind her, looking like something out of Arabian Nights. She rested her chin on her shoulder, looking up at him. Her hand slid up around her neck and behind his head and to the nape of his neck. Her nails scratched against his hair, winding in the strands.
"I have wanted to get my hands in this hair for so long." Rhea moaned as she tugged the strands of his hair, frantically.
"We can't-" The Doctor spluttered, trying to push her hands away from him and put some distance between the two of them.
But Rhea fought.
She leaned up, her lips almost pressing against his. So close to him that he could smell the jasmine in her perfume, the talcum powder on her neck, the lavender in her shampoo, he could see the golden flecks in her green eyes, the crimson red coated across her lips, the brown highlights in her black hair, and if he pressed his lips to hers, he was sure he could taste the remnants of her drinks on them.
"I would make it so good for you." She purred into his ear, her hand sliding down his chest to the tops of his trousers, about to undo the belt, when he scrambled away from her, breathing heavily.
This woman's going to be the death of me. He thought, plastering himself against the wall in the corridor. There was one path of brown eyes along the curves of her body before he righted himself, shaking his head. She doesn't know what she's doing. You can't take advantage of her. He wrapped a hand around her wrist and forcibly dragged her to her room, making sure he didn't look at her one, lest he get tempted to take her up on her offer.
"Doctor?" Rhea asked, quietly, when they reached the door.
"Yes, Rhea?"
"Are you angry at me?" She asked, in a meek and worried tone that sent a pang straight to his hearts. He never wanted Rhea to be afraid of him. Anyone else could be, but not her. He never should have let her drink this much, but when Rhea wanted to go on a "bender", she really went on one. To hell with anyone, that was her motto.
He sighed and pulled her into a hug. She smiled and nuzzled into his chest. "No, I'm not angry at you. I just forgot how young this you is."
"I'm not young! I'm twenty-seven!" Rhea protested. "Not like you, you're ancient, you grandpa." She teased.
"Thanks." He said, dryly.
Rhea giggled and swayed. Then, her face turned sober. "Do you think I'm a slut?" She asked, softly.
The Doctor flinched slightly. He looked at her, hard. "Why would you think that?" He asked her, cupping her face in his hands.
"Because you didn't react when I threw myself at you." Rhea said, bluntly.
The Doctor smiled, wryly. "Of course I reacted, you silly girl." The Doctor said, pressing his lips to her forehead. "But I would be taking advantage of you if I took you up on your offer. And you'd hate me tomorrow morning. But I'm not a saint, Rhea."
Rhea looked stunned. She swallowed hard and tried her hardest to maintain her balance. She wanted to be somewhat sober when she said this. "You're decent." She murmured, absolutely amazed. She looked up at him. "You're actually decent."
The Doctor smiled. "Yes, I am."
"I've never met a decent man who wasn't related to me." Rhea told him as she stumbled into her room, the Doctor behind her. "Every guy I've prop-propo-propositioned has always taken me up on my offer. In the bathroom of a bar, outside a nightclub in an alley, or their apartment." She said, absentmindedly, as she bounced on the bed.
The Doctor's gaze had faltered. He knew that Rhea had a wild year or two in her life, but to hear her say she had never met anyone decent. That broke his hearts.
Rhea smacked her lips, turning away from him. She yawned. "I should get changed."
"Yes." The Doctor said, looking around, and deciding to leave so that she could change in private. "I'll just be off then."
Rhea smirked at him. "Are you sure you don't want to help me?" Rhea asked, cocking her head.
The Doctor's eyes widened and he looked like a deer caught in headlights. "No, no, no, I think, I think it's better-." He stammered.
Rhea giggled. "It's okay, Doctor. I think I can manage on my own." She said, standing up and wobbling a little.
"I'll just be outside, if you need my help." The Doctor told her, walking outside and shutting the door behind him.
Rhea smiled at the closed door and stood up, holding onto various pieces of furniture in her room, so that she could reach her wardrobe, unwrapping herself out of the sari, folding it and hanging it inside the closet. A familiar blue, button-up shirt hung on one of the racks and Rhea pulled it out, looking at it with confusion. It was a man's shirt and it looked remarkably similar to the one the Doctor had on underneath his suit. She smiled, devilishly, and slipped it on, clad in only that shirt and panties, the shirt coming halfway up her thighs.
"I'm dressed!" She called out to the door and it swung open.
The Doctor just started at her for a moment.
"Is that my shirt?" The Doctor asked, his voice high-pitched and squeaky.
"Yeah," She smiled, innocently. "It was in my closet. The TARDIS must have put it there. Do you mind?" Rhea asked, cocking her head and staring up at him and crossing her legs once she was on the bed, so that the shirt rose up her thighs.
The Doctor shook his head, unsure of how to proceed. "You should, um, you should sleep it off." He said, meaning her intoxication.
"Are you sure you don't want to join me?" Rhea asked, only half-joking. A part of her wasn't playing him anymore. She wanted to see if he would hold steadfast. But a part of her wouldn't mind if he honestly joined her. But that would be a mistake.
"No, no, no, I, well, I have to, there's this…thing I have to do." He stuttered, pointing outside the door.
She smiled, letting him know she was joking. "It's okay." She murmured and crawled across the bed, not noticing the Doctor shutting his eyes in an attempt to control himself. She snuggled underneath the silk covers and laid her head on her pillow, smiling. She opened her eyes and turned to look at him, her green eyes intense. "Thank you."
The Doctor smiled a little. "You're welcome." He said, before shutting the door on his way out.
The lights dimmed and she clutched onto the pillow tightly, sinking into her alien alcohol-induced oblivion.
When Rhea woke up the next morning, the lights were on.
"Good morning." An incredibly cheerful voice called out.
One eye opened and looked at the idiot in front of her. "Go away, you smug bastard." Rhea groaned, turning over so that her back was facing him.
"Oi! Language!"
"Shut up!" Rhea hissed. She felt as if someone was squeezing her head tightly as her brain screamed in response. She cringed when she felt the warm light in the room fall on her eyelids, causing her to whimper in pain, and she waved her hand absentmindedly in the air, as if trying to shoo the light away. She curled into a ball, tucking her head into her chest. "Turn the fucking lights off."
The lights dimmed and she sighed in her somewhat relief. She felt the covers being ripped away from her body and she growled, ignoring the fact that her throat burned from the lack of water.
"What the hell is your problem?"
"Rise and shine, Rhea." The Doctor said, happily. "Have to take Donna on her first adventure today."
Rhea groaned. "Isn't she as hungover as I am?"
"Of course not. No one could be as drunk as you are!"
"My head feels like a freaking mosh pit." Rhea told him.
The Doctor nodded. "That's usually what happens when you imbibe copious amounts of alcohol."
Rhea opened her mouth to retort when she made a run for the bathroom. She barely made it to the toilet and shoved the seat up, before she doubled over and threw up the entire contents of yesterday's meals. She retched and she gagged until she wasn't sure anything was left in her body anymore. Her hair was pulled away from her face and held behind her head until she finished vomiting. As she leaned against the toilet, she willed time to turn back so that she wouldn't go on a bender with three shots of vodka at the end. Cool hands stroked her hair and the temperature felt good against her heated skin. Her head dropped onto the toilet seat, her forehead and hair soaked with sweat.
"Better?" The Doctor asked.
"Oh, shut up." She grumbled. "Alcohol is poison." She said, as she washed her mouth out with water, trying to get the taste of bile out of her mouth.
"So, why do you drink it?" The Doctor asked, confused.
She turned to look at him. "Because there are things inside of me I need to kill." She said, bluntly. The Doctor smirked at her. Rhea narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you enjoying my agony?"
The Doctor gave her a sheepish smile. "A little."
Rhea glared at him and looked down at herself. "Yech! I need a shower." She motioned for him to leave the bathroom and she shed the shirt and underwear she was wearing. She stepped into the shower and hummed in relief as the warm jets of water eased the ache in her muscles and soothed the pounding in her head. After she had made sure she had practically drowned herself in the massive shower, she walked back out, dressed in the same shirt, to see the Doctor seated on her bed, bouncing a little.
"Oh," He exclaimed, handing her a flask of green liquid, which she eyed, suspiciously. "Drink it, it's a hangover cure created on Jalian 17. It should work on Hyper Vodka."
Rhea groaned. "Honey, I have roofing nails having a rave in my skull, I'm going to need a bit more than 'should'."
"Just drink it."
Rhea rolled her eyes and downed the flask in one gulp, grimacing at the slimy texture and sour taste. She shook her head and gave him back the flask, surprised at how much better she felt. The shards of glass that had poked the backs of her eyes were gone, the burn in her throat had faded and her stomach had stopped churning. Her muscles still felt heavy and she had a miserable headache, but this was still loads better than the after-effects of one of her binges.
"You should sell that." Rhea said to the Doctor. "You'd be a billionaire." She retraced the steps of her drunken night and paused when she remembered what exactly had happened once the Doctor had brought her back to the TARDIS. "Oh, my god." She moaned.
"What, what's wrong?" The Doctor asked, worriedly, coming over to her.
"I tried to seduce you." Rhea whispered, scandalised.
"Yes," The Doctor murmured, embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck. "You did seem quite eager to get me into your bed."
Rhea grimaced and shut her eyes. Oh, that's just great, I tried to sleep with him. And you thought you didn't have poor judgement. Although, the possibilities if he had agreed... Then, they slammed open. "You said no." Rhea stated, shocked. "You actually said no."
"Well, yes, I didn't want to take advantage of you."
"No one's said no before." She said, softly, looking up at him, earnestly. She swallowed, convulsively, and smiled at him. She slid to her feet. "Where are we going now?" She asked him, trying to get rid of the dangerous thoughts in her head.
The Doctor winked at her. "It's a surprise."
Rhea raised an eyebrow. "Do I have to change?"
The Doctor shrugged. "If you'd like."
"So, what actually happened to Donna?" Rhea asked as they came into the console room.
"I took her back to the TARDIS and then came back for you."
"Good." She nodded. "At least you didn't leave her there."
The Doctor looked insulted. "I'd never do that."
"Can't you tell me where we're going?" Rhea whined.
"No." The Doctor laughed. "It has to be as much of a surprise to you as it is for Donna."
"What surprise?" Donna asked, walking in.
Rhea frowned at her. "Don't you have a hangover?"
"I did," Donna said. "But the Doctor gave me some of that magic potion and I feel much better."
"It's not a magic potion. It's a liquid made out of-" The Doctor started to explain.
"So, where are we going?" Donna interrupted, with a smile.
"He won't tell me." Rhea told her.
The Doctor spun a wheel on the console and yanked down the lever, turning the time rotor on. Donna and Rhea reached for a railing the minute the TARDIS started jerking around.
"So, did you miss this?" Rhea called out to Donna.
"Not the sea-sickness." Donna replied.
"Doctor, we really don't need the race car experience right now." Rhea shouted at the Doctor.
"Oh, please," He scoffed. "This is part of the fun."
Donna and Rhea shared exasperated looks as they were thrown all over the ship.
The Doctor stepped outside of the TARDIS, finding himself in some sort of a tent. He pushed aside a rough, dirty white curtain, a broad smile forming on his face. Donna and Rhea came up beside him, looking around in wonder. Donna was wearing a purple patterned top and jeans and Rhea was decked out in a long, white and black full-sleeved dress, so she wouldn't draw too much attention to herself.
"Ancient Rome!" The Doctor crowed, stepping out into a street that had dozens of market stalls set up. He looked around and Donna and Rhea followed him. "Well, not to them, obviously. To all intents and purposes right now...this is brand new Rome." He explained, matter-of-factly.
"Oh my God, it's...it's so Roman." Donna breathed, enthusiastically. "This is fantastic!" She gushed, throwing her arms around his neck, making the Doctor and Rhea laugh. "I'm here...in Rome. Donna Noble in Rome." She walked down the street. "This is just weird. I mean, everyone here is dead." She said, looking around at all of the people, dressed in a variety of Roman clothes.
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Well, don't go telling them that."
Donna looked behind him and noticed something. "Hold on a minute." She said, with a voice that was burgeoning with disappointment. "That sign over there is in English. Are you having me on? Are we in Epcot?" She whined, almost stomping her foot.
"No, no, no, no." The Doctor said, going up to her.
"It's the TARDIS translation matrix." Rhea explained.
"It just makes it look like English, speech as well. You're talking Latin right now." The Doctor told Donna.
Donna's eyes went wide. "Seriously?"
"Mmm." The Doctor hummed in agreement.
Doctor smiled. "I just said 'seriously' in Latin." Donna said, and then she laughed.
"Oh yeah." Rhea said, grinning at her and hooking Donna's arm with her own.
"What if I said something in actual Latin? Like 'veni, vidi, vici'? My dad said that when he came back from football." Donna said, hurriedly.
"It means 'I came, I saw, I conquered'." Rhea chimed in. "And good point, what would happen?" She asked, looking at the Doctor.
Donna nodded at her. "If I said 'veni, vidi, vici' to that lot, what would it sound like?" She asked the Doctor as well.
"I'm not sure," The Doctor said, his eyebrows furrowing. "Blimey, the two of you have to think of difficult questions, don't you?" He said, glaring at them.
Rhea simply laughed and took a hold of his hand when Donna removed her arm from hers.
"I'm gonna try it." She warned, enthusiastically, and walked up to one of the stallholders, a middle-aged man.
"Hello, sweetheart." The stallholder drawled, eyeing Donna up and down. Rhea rolled her eyes. "What can I get for you, my love?" He asked the redhead.
Donna pursed her lips. "Veni, vidi, vici." She said, slowly, wondering what his reaction would be.
The stallholder frowned. "Huh? Sorry? Me no speak Celtic. No can do, missy." He said, slowly, twirling his hands around, trying to give her the message.
"Yeah." Donna said and walked back to the Doctor. "What does he mean by 'Celtic'?" Donna asked the Doctor.
"Welsh. You sound Welsh. There we are. That's something." The Doctor nodded.
The Doctor, Donna and Rhea turned around and started to walk down the street. As Rhea spun on her feet, she noticed a red-robed woman with bizarre eye make-up, albino-pale skin and great deal of jewellery around her neck watching the three of them intently. She frowned but started to walk towards the Doctor and Donna, not thinking too much of it. She's probably staring at us because of our clothes.
"Won't our clothes look a bit odd?" Donna asked the Doctor.
"Nah. Ancient Rome, anything goes. Although, Rhea'll fit right in." The Doctor said, eyeing Rhea's dress.
Rhea stopped and put her hands on her hips, glaring at him. "Are you mocking my Indian clothes?" Rhea asked, dangerously.
The Doctor held his hands out in a surrender position, much to Donna's amusement. "Wouldn't dream of it." He turned to Donna. "She might punch me." He told her, in a conspiratorial whisper. He straightened, avoiding Rhea's narrowed eyes. "Rome's like Soho…but bigger."
"You've been here before then?" Donna asked the Doctor, looking up at him as they turned around the corner.
"Hm, ages ago." The Doctor murmured. Rhea opened her mouth to ask him something, but he cut her off. "Before you ask, that fire had nothing to do with me." He paused. "Well, a little bit, but I hadn't gotten the chance top look around properly. Coliseum...Pantheon... Circus Maximus..." They came through a small archway. "You'd expect them to be looming by now."
"You think we'll get to see a gladiator show?" Donna asked with a laugh.
"All those men, practically naked, bulging muscles, fighting." Rhea shook her head with a smile. "It's a twenty-first century girl's dream come true." Rhea grinned when she saw the annoyed look the Doctor was giving her. "I'm just joking, honey." Rhea said, wrapping an arm around his waist and giving him a quick hug.
The Doctor frowned. "Where is everything?" He stopped and looked around. "Maybe this way."
They walked on and came to a wider street. Donna and Rhea looked around. Donna noticed something to her left.
"I'm not an expert, but there are Seven Hills of Rome, aren't there? How come they only got one?" Donna asked, looking at a large mountain in the distance.
The ground shook.
"Here we go again." Rhea heard a man saying.
She looked around to see everyone gripping onto various structures in their vicinities, as stallholders did what they could to save their stalls and merchandise, in vain. She paled. "There are seven hills, but there's only one mountain here." Rhea breathed, gripping onto the Doctor's hand tightly. "One mountain, breathing smoke, which means we're in…" She trailed off.
"Pompeii." The Doctor said, with wide eyes. "We're in Pompeii...and it's Volcano Day!"
A/N: And there's the end of an original chapter! Rhea got drunk and tried to seduce the Doctor! But he's a gentleman, he wouldn't take advantage of her in that state, no matter how much he wanted to ;) How sweet is he! Rhea's a bit of a party girl, isn't she? I hope the descriptions of the hangover and the bar scene were accurate, I'm not much of a drinker to be honest. And we had glimpses of a jealous and possessive Doctor, hopefully we get to see him again soon. And Rhea gave a few insights into her past. She is definitely a wild child. And the lead up to the next chapter…the next episode is, you guessed it, The Fires of Pompeii. I wonder what will happen in the next chapter ;) Wow, I can't actually believe I've written twenty chapters. This is definitely the most dedicated I've been to a story in a very long time. Let's hope that dedication continues.
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