The Dread of Tomorrow and Yesterday – Chapter 36
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. Anything characters that I use that are from the Doctor Who universe belong to whoever owns it. I'm not even sure who owns it, but I'm sure I don't. But Sunehri does belong to me.
A/N: Okay, so I might have lied about me doing an episode with the Eleventh Doctor. I feel like I've spent the last thirty chapters just kind of introducing Rhea into the Doctor Who universe, so I thought I might as well get onto the plot. And there is a plot, I promise. And there should be heaps and heaps of flirting in this chapter.
Notes on Reviews:
NicoleR85: Aw, thank you so much. I'm so glad you like the story so far :) Donna's definitely my favourite companion 'cause she's the only one who didn't fall in love with the Doctor. I like Clara a lot, but I feel like I haven't got a chance to see her properly, so we'll have to see in Season 8. I like Rose but I don't like her in love with the Doctor, I'd prefer her just as a friend. She is a bit selfish in regards to her mother, Mickey and the Doctor. But I feel like everyone blames that on her being 19. I think that's a silly generalisation that all 19-year-olds are like that. Amy, I only really liked her in the second-half of Season 5 and Season 7. I didn't like her in Season 6 because I felt she was still incredibly selfish and naive. I really didn't like the way she acted towards the Ganger Doctor in particular. I mean, when the Doctor's telling you that the Ganger is him, who are you to question him? All because she travelled with him for a little while. I love River. Out of all of the female characters who I could ship with the Doctor, I like Donna/10 and River/11 or River/10. I think that's an interesting idea of knowing that someone's going to be your wife and it's happened to them already, but it hasn't happened for you yet. But I think that Steven Moffat could have gone about in a different way. It started off so nicely in SitL/FotD and TToA/FaS, and just sort of disappeared after that, but I loved TIA/DotM. River and Rhea are going to have an interesting relationship, don't worry. Semi-romantic and semi-friendly. But we'll have to wait until Chapter 38.
BlueFlame27: I agree with you on all counts about Donna. I think Doctor Who needed that humour at that point. I feel bad about the way that Donna's mother treats her. We might even have Rhea having a go at Sylvia for that ;)
Kristina'sMyName: Unfortunately, not this chapter, sorry. Chapter 38, I promise. I agree with you about all of your favourite companions, I love all of them, with the exception of Amy, whom I get really irritated with in certain episodes. But I love Donna, Jack, Martha and River. And I like Clara as well, I can't wait to see how her character develops in Season 8. I love Sarah Jane, but I loved her even before I knew her as the Doctor's companion. I only got into Doctor Who because I used to watch The Sarah Jane Adventures and I loved her in that. It was only after awhile that I found out that she was in Doctor Who. I was always a bit hesitant to watch Doctor Who because I wasn't into the whole sci-fi thing, but I'm so glad I did.
YingWhiteyWolf: I love Donna too, she's so funny and awesome and she stands up to the Doctor when she thinks he's in the wrong. Plus, she's the only companion that my mum can actually stand :) I wish she had gotten the chance to stay longer than one season though :( I always cry at the end of Journey's End when the Doctor takes her memories. It always felt a bit too much like rape to me.
grapejuice101: Don't worry. 11's coming back for two episodes this time. I'm really excited.
Maren the fangirl: I think Rhea is softening towards the companions now. She'll always be a bit more softer towards Donna and Clara, but we'll see how Rhea goes with Amy and Rose in particular, because they had the longest story arcs with the Doctor in the new series.
Princess-Amon-Rae: I love Sarah Jane. She was the first companion I actually watched, but I watched her in The Sarah Jane Adventures, so I got to see her being awesome on her own. I've only seen the Brigadier in SJA and the beginning of Robot in Classic Who, so I'm not sure about him yet. But I like him so far. I'm so glad you liked the showdown between Rhea and Queen Victoria, I mainly wrote it because I thought it would be odd to have an Indian character in that situation with the Kohinoor and not have her say something. She does miss her family quite a bit. However... we might get a chapter where we see them.
lostiesgirl: I'm so glad you liked both of the telling off bits! I don't have a Season 6 episode planned before the first season finale for the story because I feel like most of the episodes in that season are too entwined with the Doctor's death and that's a big story arc for Rhea to get through right now. I don't think she'd appreciate a lot of what went on in that season, at least not for awhile. I haven't watched Classic Who all that much, bits and pieces of episodes, here and there, but I love Sarah Jane and I think I'd like Ace. I haven't listened to any of the audios though. I love Martha and Rory greatly. I think they're the most well-laid out and down-to-earth characters in New Who.
Marmalade1512: Thank you so much for your review! Wow, you must not have watched much of New Who then. Don't worry, I've still got the Season 4 specials and an episode in Season 7 to get through. I do like Rose, but I liked her in Season 1 rather than Season 2. For me, she just got too cocky in Season 2, I mean, I liked her, but on the surface, that's all. I do ship 9/Rose and 10/Rose, mostly because they made it kind of a huge deal in the show, but also because I think the Doctor Who fandom writes Rose a lot better that what she got in the show. I actually quite like her in fanfiction. Donna was wonderful in The Runaway Bride and I loved her in Season 4. Clara is pretty awesome, even though we've only seen her in like six episodes so far.
IronstarGallifrey: I'm sad you think Rhea's a self-entitled bitch. That wasn't what I was trying to make her seem like at all. She is a bit arrogant, but that is one of her flaws. And even that is a mask. She does have quite a bit of self-esteem issues. I'm wondering what you mean by her Mary Sueness. If you gave me particular examples where she's Mary Sue, then maybe I could fiddle with her characterisation, but we don't even know all that much about her. How can you call her a Mary Sue? I'm not trying to be defensive, I'm honestly confused. And I do promise to take your criticism seriously. You're right about writers heeding advice and suggestions. Anyway, thank you for your review.
Queenylime2: I'm sorry that you feel that away about Rhea and you haven't offended me. She is a very sexual person, but maybe I'll tone it down a bit. The next two chapters do have some heavy flirting and hormones going out of whack. But, you have to realise that Rhea isn't willing to let herself fall in love with the Doctor and she doesn't really like it when her hormones go out of control. The end of the next chapter, after the adventure finishes, will puts a damper on the Doctor and Rhea, don't worry, and really explain why she's only willing to resign herself to possibly having sex with the Doctor and that being all. If you can get through the next two chapters and read the end of the next chapter, the next couple of episodes will be focusing on their relationship and the adventure and the plot, I promise. I do realise that I've been pushing the sex thing a bit too much, but that's because that's all Rhea knows. She knows sex. And she does get a bit overwhelmed with the whole jumping through time and space thing, so she falls back on what she knows. But I'll try and tone down the sex bits from now on.
Warnings: Sexual innuendo, swearing.
The Lazarus Experiment: Mr. Hyde
Rhea twirled around the console, singing along to the music that was blaring on the speakers, while the Doctor and Rose were watching her with fond smiles on their face. Apparently she did this a lot.
"Let's make a night you won't remember," Rhea winked at the Doctor, blowing him a kiss, who flushed, looking down, quickly. "I'll be the one you won't forget." Then, she spun around, her back to the Doctor and Rose and continued to dance.
Rose smirked when Rhea turned her head to the side and gave the Doctor a familiar seductive little smile that made his knees go weak, her hips swaying in a way that had his eyes focused on that one action and that one place for several seconds. The Doctor broke out of the spell the undulation of her hips had caused, his mind drifting momentarily to another time and place, where Rhea's hips had rolled in a very similar way.
Suddenly, both the Doctor and Rose broke out of their thoughts when they heard a thud and a hoarse cry coming from the other side of the console. The Doctor rushed around the console, reaching Rhea in break-neck speed and lifting her up to sit on the captain's chair. Rhea held her head in her hands, her eyes shut, tightly, from the force of the waves of pain rolling through her skull. However, she managed to open her eyes, briefly, when she could see the white glow out of the edges of her eyes.
"Don't suppose you know where I'm going?" She asked the Doctor, weakly, whose face was pale with worry. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked, frowning despite the pain.
"I don't like seeing you in pain." The Doctor said, tightly.
"Yeah, well, get used to it." Rhea said, adjusting herself in the captain's chair.
"Don't joke, not when I'm so worried." The Doctor snapped.
Rhea rolled her eyes. "Not like you can stop it." Rhea pointed out. She sighed and leant back, letting the glow do its work on her. "See you soon, I'm sure."
When she next opened her eyes, she was still lying on the jump seat and the Doctor, this time wearing a tight blue suit she hadn't seen for ages, was standing right next to her, while Martha watched her from across the room, worriedly.
Rhea held a hand up towards Martha. "I'm fine, really." She reassured, before struggling to get past her weak legs into a standing position. "Whoa!" Rhea exclaimed, almost toppling over had the Doctor not caught her in the last minute. "I'm fine." She waved him away, once she could feel the blood returning into her legs.
The Doctor looked her over, carefully, before nodding in agreement. He moved back over to the console, his hands flying over the controls as he navigated the ship. Finally, after a few minutes, the Doctor pushed down a lever and the TARDIS stopped with a lurch. Rhea held onto the chair as hard as she could so that she wouldn't fall off.
"There we go… perfect landing, which isn't easy in such a tight spot." The Doctor said, looking up and staring at Martha.
"Good job." Rhea exclaimed, standing up.
"Thanks." The Doctor grinned, feeling very smug.
Rhea rolled her eyes. "I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to the TARDIS." The Doctor's face fell. She pressed her lips to her fingertips and held them against the nearest wall. "You gorgeous girl. If you can get past his bad driving, imagine how good you've got to be." She crooned, beaming, brightly, when she saw felt the TARDIS glow, proudly, under her fingertips, as if thanking her for the praise and agreeing with the sentiment.
The Doctor grumbled under his breath. "She likes her more than she likes me." He muttered, not knowing who he meant by "she", the TARDIS or Rhea, but knowing that both were true. He supposed he was lucky that his ship loved Rhea so much and Rhea loved his ship so much, even when Rhea was so young.
Martha smiled. "You should be used to tight spots by now. Where are we?" Her gaze turned towards the doors.
"The end of the line." The Doctor said, vaguely.
Martha rushed towards the doors, excited by the prospect of what could be outside.
The Doctor shrugged, him and Rhea followed Martha. "No place like it."
Martha turned back when she reached the doors, questioning whether it was alright was her to open the doors. The Doctor nodded and she went outside, pausing when she realised where he had brought her.
"Home. You took me home?" Martha asked, raising an eyebrow.
Rhea winced and shook her head in disbelief. "That's positively cold." She muttered to the Doctor, who rolled his eyes.
"In fact, the morning after we left, so you've only been gone about 12 hours. No time at all, really." The Doctor turned around and began to look at each of her photos.
Rhea stared at the Doctor with pleased surprise. "You're that accurate. Wow." She smirked at him. "I misjudged you."
"But all the stuff we've done, Shakespeare, New New York, old New York?" Martha asked, confused.
"Spoilers." Rhea sang and moved over to the Doctor. "I get it now. You have the emotional range of a teaspoon." She smirked at him.
The Doctor glared at her. "One trip. That's all I promised her." He muttered.
"From what I hear, it's been hell of a lot more than one trip, honey." Rhea said, quietly, so that Martha wouldn't hear their discussion.
The Doctor turned his attention back to Martha, finally addressing her question. "Yep, all in one night," The Doctor shrugged. "Relatively speaking. Everything should be just as it was, books, CDs," He picked up some underwear drying on a rack. "Laundry."
Martha snatched the offending lingerie from his fingertips, a raging blush on her face.
Rhea reached behind her and smacked the Doctor on the chest. "Boundaries." She scolded.
"So, back were you were, as promised." The Doctor said.
Rhea could easily tell that Martha was upset by the turn of events. She guessed that Martha had expected to have a longer trip than whatever she had gotten and maybe had hoped that the Doctor would ask her to travel with them, permanently. Poor girl. She had hoped the Doctor would have treated Martha better after she told him when they visited 1599. She guessed that this Doctor was still mourning the loss of Rose, but that was no reason to treat Martha like this.
"This is it?" Martha asked, disappointed, looking between the Doctor and Rhea.
The Doctor inhaled deeply. "Yeah, we should probably… um…" He trailed off.
Suddenly, Martha's phone rang and the answering machine picked it up, drawing everyone's attention.
"Hi! I'm out! Leave a message!" The answering machine intoned in Martha's voice.
"I'm sorry." Martha told them, sheepishly.
The machine beeped before the message. "Martha, are you there? Pick it up, will you?"
"It's Mum. It'll wait."
They could hear Martha's mother's frustrated tone. "All right then, pretend that you're out if you like." Rhea smiled. "I was only calling to say that your sister's on TV. On the news of all things. Just thought you might be interested."
Martha raised an eyebrow at the answering machine and picked up the remote control and turned on the television. An old man, probably in his seventies, standing in front of the press, appeared on the screen.
"The details are top secret—" The man was saying.
Martha just stared at the screen, confused. "How could Tish end up on the news?"
Tish was standing behind the man, who was giving the press conference, Professor Lazarus.
"Tonight, I will demonstrate a device…" The professor was telling the crowd.
"She's got a new job. PR for some research lab." Martha explained to Rhea and the Doctor, the former watching the program with interest and the latter itching to leave the apartment as quick as he could.
"…with the push of a single button, I will change what it means to be human." Professor Lazarus finished.
Martha switched off the TV. She turned back to the Doctor and Rhea. "Sorry. You were saying we should-?"
"Yes, yes, we should. One trip is what we said." The Doctor agreed, nodding.
Rhea snorted. "Don't bring me into this." She gave Martha a look that told her that Rhea was not on board with the Doctor's decision.
"Yeah. I suppose things just kind of…escalated." Martha nodded as well, her hands shoved into the pocket of her jeans, resigned to accepting that she wasn't going to be a permanent part of their crew.
The Doctor hummed in agreement. "Seems to happen to me a lot." He mused.
"Thank you. For everything." Martha said, sincerely, smiling, sadly, at the two of them.
The Doctor smiled and nodded at her. "It was my pleasure."
Rhea sighed, knowing that she wasn't going to win. "Anytime." She winked at Martha. She stepped forwards and wrapped her arms around Martha in a hug, which shocked the girl, not expecting this sort of affection from the normally stoic woman. Rhea pulled back and smiled, softly, at her. "I have a feeling you're going to be amazing, Martha Jones." She whispered, cupping Martha's face in one of her hands.
The Doctor and Rhea entered the TARDIS, leaving Martha standing beside it, looking near to tears.
"I don't think this is right." Rhea said, stalking up the ramp.
"What?"
"Leaving Martha." Rhea said.
The Doctor sighed and turned to face her. "Rhea, I only need you."
Rhea rolled her eyes. "While that is an extremely sweet thought, I'm not always here." The Doctor opened his mouth to argue, but she cut him off. "Martha's good for you. She doesn't take any of your crap."
The Doctor paused. "Wait a second." He muttered and then grabbed Rhea's hand, dragging her back to the doors and opening them, stepping back into Martha's apartment.
Martha observed the living room of her apartment, taking a deep breath and backing away from the TARDIS, as it dematerialised. Everything seemed so dull and ordinary compared to what she had just experienced in the past 'twelve hours'. She felt completely and utterly lost when she heard the familiar groaning and wheezing of the TARDIS materialising again in her apartment. She spun on her feet, amazed, and stared as the big blue box appeared in front of her.
The Doctor and Rhea popped their heads out of the door, the latter looking a little confused why the Doctor had brought them back to Martha when he seemed so insistent on leaving her behind.
"No, I'm sorry. Did he say he was going to change what it means to be human?" The Doctor asked.
Rhea stood in front of the floor-length mirror in her bedroom. The TARDIS had given her a long aqua lace dress that fell to her ankles with an aqua sheath underneath the lace. All in all, it was a tight fit, with the sheath were low on her chest, showing a great deal of cleavage through the lace.
"Why this one?" Rhea asked, spinning around to check how she looked in every angle. "Are you sure about the lace, though?" Her hands slid down her stomach and thighs, smoothing down the lace.
A soft hum thrummed through her mind and she grinned, mischievously. "It is quite revealing." She agreed. Her smile grew until her dimples were showing. "You naughty thing, you just want me to wear this to get a rise out of our matchstick man out there." Rhea sighed. "Oh, well, who am I to disagree with a twelve-dimensional time machine, huh? You sure he'll like me in it?" She asked.
She received another hum in her head as a reply. "It'll definitely get a reaction, won't it?" She chuckled and ran a hand through her hair, until it fell out in long waves down her back and shoulders. She then applied the thick kajal to darken her eyelids and to act as mascara for eyelashes. Gotta love Indian makeup. Once she was done with that, she slipped on a pair of nude pumps and rechecked herself in the mirror, smiling, softly, when the walls of the TARDIS started to glow, impatiently. "Okay, okay, I'm done, god, you're pushy." Rhea grumbled, before walking out of her room and down the corridor, aiming for the console room.
Her lips curled into a kissable smile when she saw the Doctor waiting for her in the console room. Her smile grew when she caught sight of the tuxedo he was wearing. "Nice threads, handsome." She called out, her heels clacking against the grill.
The Doctor looked up and doubled back, his hand slipping on one of the struts and hitting the railing with a thud. He swallowed hard, almost tripping over his own feet, his hand curling around one of the struts again to keep him steady. He only saw a wide, deep red sinuous mouth that was almost ready to curve into one of her trademark smiles. Dark green eyes emphasised by thick, black eyeliner, highlighted against her honey skin. And a body to die for. A small, curvy waist that he could circle completely with his hands alone and a lithe, slender frame encased in blue lace, easy for him to lift into the air and wrap her legs around his waist if he wanted to. And he really wanted to.
"Well?" Rhea teased, twirling around in a circle, showing him the back. "How do I look?"
"Um… well… you look…" The Doctor stammered for something to say to her. He flushed, his black dress shoes scuffing against the grill, and fussed with his bowtie, absentmindedly. "Sunehri," The Doctor began, gruffly, surprising her with the use of her full name. "That's isn't a dress. It's just lace wrapped around your body." And it's such a nice body.
Rhea laughed. "That's what a dress is, honey."
She clucked her tongue and walked forward until she was standing in front of him. She reached up, cursing his height, and straightened his bowtie, making sure it was done properly. She patted him on the cheek, affectionately, once she was done. She looked him up and down, did look incredible in a suit. Very delicious, good enough to eat. Something primal and sharp clenched low in her stomach and she suddenly noticed exactly how close the Doctor's body was to hers. Unbeknownst to her, she licked her lips, her eyes darkening. The Doctor's eyes were drawn to that very act and his dark brown eyes followed every movement of her tongue across her deep red lips.
Rhea swallowed hard and shook her head, freeing herself of those thoughts, and took a step back, away from the Doctor. She cleared her throat to get rid of the dryness and turned away from him, ready to leave the TARDIS and join Martha.
Suddenly, she stilled when a large hand wrapped around her wrist, tugging her back. She turned around and looked up at the Doctor, questioningly. His thumb stroked the inside of her wrist.
"You look beautiful." The Doctor murmured.
Rhea's eyes widened. It wasn't the first time she had heard that word in relation to her, but no one had said it in the way the Doctor just had. No one had ever been able to insert that much meaning into just one word when complimenting her. She smiled, widely, at him, incredibly touched by just those three words, the lust she had carried draining away and being replaced with tenderness. They were simple words. But they meant the most to her.
"Thank you." She whispered, before leaning up and pressing her lips to the corner of his mouth and cupping his jaw in one of her hands. Her hand slipped down his arm and slid into his, their fingers entwining.
The two stepped out of the TARDIS, intending on joining Martha.
The Doctor, Rhea and Martha strode down a damp street in the evening. Martha was wearing a pretty, little purple dress with her hand down to a shoulders, adorned only with a wide headband. The Doctor was fussing with the cuffs of his dress shirt.
"Oh, black tie. Whenever I wear this, something bad always happens."
Rhea snorted. "Honey, that's not the outfit, that's just you." She looked him over again. "It suits you, honey. In a James Bond kind of way." She smirked, remembering how she called him 'Dr Seuss' the last time she had seen him wear a tuxedo.
"James Bond?" The Doctor scoffed with derision, pulling a face. Then, he paused, thinking about what exactly that meant. "Really?" He asked, smiling in approval.
Rhea rolled her eyes and Martha chuckled as they approached the impressive entrance to Lazarus Laboratories.
When they stepped inside the main reception room, they could see that everyone was mingling in the crowd, talking to each other. Rhea frowned as she saw a large white round structure smack dab in the middle of the room, surrounded by four pillars with a slight curve at the top. She smirked when she saw the Doctor snatch some hors d'oeuvres from a passing tray.
"Oh, look, they've got nibbles! I love nibbles!" The Doctor tossed one whole into his mouth, making Rhea smile at his exuberance, fondly.
A petite, dark-skinned woman in a short dress joined them, smiling. Rhea guessed that this must be Martha's sister, Tish. "Hello." She greeted.
Martha smiled at her sister. "Tish" She said, before wrapping her arms around her.
"You look great. So, what do you think? Impressive, isn't it?" Tish said.
Martha grinned. "Very." She agreed, nodding.
"And two nights out in a row for you, that's dangerously close to a social life." Tish joked.
"If I keep this up, I'll end up in all the gossip columns." Martha snickered.
"You might, actually. Keep an eye out for photographers. And Mum, she's coming too, even dragging Leo along with her." Tish whispered, conspiratorially.
Martha's eyes widened, comically. "Leo in black tie?" She asked, comically. "That I must see."
Tish pursed her lips, glancing at the Doctor and Rhea, who stood awkwardly by Martha's side. She gave her sister a pointed look. "These your friends?" She asked her sister.
"This is, uh, the Doctor." Martha said, giving the Doctor a quick look. "And this is-"
"Doctor Sunehri Adwani." Tish finished. "Professor Lazarus told us you were coming."
Rhea's frowned at the woman. "I'm sorry," She began, hesitantly. "Have we met?" She asked, confused.
Tish held up a sheet of paper. "You're the newest addition on the guest list. Instructions of Professor Lazarus' investor."
Rhea's eyes widened. "Really."
"Yep, sure," Tish showed her the paper, the last name on the list showing 'Dr. Sunehri Adwani + 1'. "Here you are."
"Oh, wow," Rhea managed to say, despite the shock and suspicion.
"Um, is he your plus one?" Tish asked, smiling at her.
"Oh, um, yes, he is." Rhea said, curling her fingers around the Doctor's biceps and smiling, tightly.
"So, this Lazarus bloke, he's your boss?" The Doctor asked, suddenly.
Tish nodded. "Professor Lazarus, yes. I'm part of his executive staff."
"She's in the PR department." Martha snorted.
"I'm head of the PR department, actually." Tish corrected, drawing herself up, slightly offended by her sister's condescension.
Martha's eyes widened. "You're joking."
"I put this whole thing together." Tish said, proudly, looking around.
"So, do you know what the professor's going to be doing tonight?" The Doctor asked Tish, wanting to steer away from a sibling rivalry. "That looks like it might be a sonic microfield manipulator."
Tish snorted, eyeing the Doctor. "He's a science geek. I should've known." Rhea laughed. "Gotta get back to work now. I'll catch up with you later." She touched Martha's arm, lightly, before leaving to go and mingle in the crowd.
"Science geek? What does that mean?" The Doctor asked, confused.
Rhea grinned. "Someone who's obsessively enthusiastic about science."
"Oh," A wide smile appeared on the Doctor's face. "Nice." He said, proudly.
Rhea rolled her eyes and the Doctor wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into his side.
"Martha." A middle-aged woman in a slinky gold dress appeared out of nowhere, addressing Martha.
Martha's eyes widened as she turned around, looking at the woman as if she hadn't seen her in years. "Mum!" She breathed and threw her arms around her mother, squeezing the woman, tightly.
"Oh. All right, what's the occasion?" Her mother asked, when she pulled back.
"What do you mean? I'm just pleased to see you, that's all." Martha laughed off.
"You saw me last night." Her mother said, slowly, as if Martha had forgotten this fact.
"I know." Martha shook her head. "I just…miss you." She trailed off, not wanting to jump into the hole she had dug for herself. "You're looking good, Leo." She said, grinning at her brother.
"Yeah. If anyone asks me to fetch 'em a drink, I'll swing for him." Leo joked.
Martha's mother narrowed her eyes once she noticed the Doctor and Rhea standing a bit behind Martha.
"You disappeared last night." She said, accusingly, pointedly looking at the Doctor and Rhea as if they were the reasons. They were the reasons but Mrs. Jones and Rhea didn't know that.
"I...just went home." Martha covered up, taking a quick look at the Doctor and Rhea, lost at what to say.
"On your own?" Mrs Jones asked, glaring at the Doctor.
"These are some friends of mine." She gestured to the Doctor and Rhea. "This is the Doctor and Doctor Sunehri Adwani." Martha stressed the second 'doctor', knowing that her mother would take it better if she introduced Rhea as a 'doctor'.
"It's very nice to meet you both." Rhea smiled, widely. She was accustomed to these situations, having to deal with them with Damian, knowing how best to smile and shake hands. She was good at greeting people she was wary of. She reached out a hand and shook both Leo's and Mrs Jones'.
"Doctor what?" Mrs Jones asked, looking at the Doctor, suspiciously.
"No, it's just the Doctor. The three of us have been doing some work together." Martha explained.
Leo shook the Doctor's hand.
"Do you both work in the same hospital as Martha?" Mrs Jones asked, frowning.
Rhea shook her head, with a smile, finding a reply to the question easily. "I'm just in England to do some research. Just for a little while."
"Yeah, all right." The Doctor shook Mrs Jones' hand, enthusiastically. "Lovely to meet you, Mrs Jones. Heard a lot about you."
"Have you?" Mrs Jones raised an eyebrow, obviously not trusting the Doctor. "What have you heard, then?" She asked, tightly.
"Oh, you know," The Doctor fell short of what to say. "that you're Martha's mother and…um… No, actually, that's…that's about it. We haven't had much time to chat, you know, been busy." He said, with a laugh and a bright smile.
"Busy? Doing what, exactly?" Mrs Jones asked, suspiciously.
Rhea smirked. "That was really not the right thing to say." She muttered under her breath to the Doctor, who rubbed the back of neck, awkwardly.
"Oh… you know… stuff." The Doctor finished, lamely.
Their conversation was cut short, when they heard sharp tapping on glass, drawing their attention to the large structure in the middle of the room, waiting for the announcement that was about to come.
Professor Lazarus stood in front of the machine. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am Professor Richard Lazarus and tonight I'm going to perform a miracle. It is, I believe, the most important advance since Rutherford split the atom, the biggest leap since Armstrong stood on the moon. Tonight, you will watch and wonder. Tomorrow, you'll awake to a world which will be changed forever."
Lazarus entered the cabinet, while two female technicians started the machine from consoles behind the cabinet. There was a high-pitched whir and a bright blue light as the four pillars began to spin individually, creating an energy field. The pillars then began to rotate around the cabinet, going faster and faster until it hurt everyone's eyes to stare at them for much longer. Suddenly, everyone was startled when a warning klaxon went off.
The Doctor's eyes widened, his eyes flying over the movements of the technicians. "Something's wrong. It's overloading."
The technicians frantically tried to stop what was going wrong with the machines. The controls started to explode one by one and sparks flew from the console, forcing the technicians to rear back. Rhea swore and the Doctor jumped over the low desk and aimed his sonic screwdriver at the controls.
"Somebody stop him! Get him away from those controls!" An old lady shouted.
Rhea glared at the woman. "If that thing goes off, it'll take the whole building with it. Is that really what you want?" She shouted at her, reveling when the woman fell silent, disgruntled.
The Doctor yanked at one of the main wires that connected to the cabinet that Lazarus had stepped into. Rhea and Martha ran to the door to the cabinet, the Doctor running to join them.
"Get it open!" The Doctor shouted and three of them managed to pry the door open.
They watched in horror and bewilderment as, through the smoke that emanated from the machine, Lazarus emerged, looking around forty years younger. They could hear photographers snapping away as they looked on, amazed. Lazarus touched his face, his eyes lighting up as he realised that the machine had worked. He stepped completely out and stood in front of the machine.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Richard Lazarus. I am 76 years old and I am reborn!" Professor Lazarus held his arms out in triumph as everyone clapped loudly.
"He did it. He actually did it." Rhea heard the woman who had objected to the Doctor helping the technicians speak.
While people were taking the opportunity to take pictures with Lazarus, Martha moved closer to the Doctor and Rhea, the two women watching as the Doctor studied the machine.
"It can't be the same guy. It's impossible. It must be a trick." Martha said, eyeing Lazarus and shaking her head.
"Oh, it's not a trick. I wish it were." The Doctor murmured, not taking his eyes off the machine.
"So, what just happened, then?" Rhea asked, gritting her teeth and narrowing her eyes at Lazarus, suspiciously. This guy's a human. Where did he get science or technology like this? It's way beyond him. Rhea walked over to the Doctor, hooking her arm in the Doctor's, patting him on the side.
"He just changed what it means to be human." The Doctor said, taking a deep breath and looking at Lazarus.
Rhea, the Doctor and Martha watched as Lazarus cracked his neck, as if experiencing pain, and his resulting gasp. Rhea and the Doctor narrowed their eyes at the professor when he snatched an entire tray of hors d'oeuvres from a passing waiter. What really surprised them was Lazarus started shoveling one after the other into his mouth, while his companion, the older woman who had objected to the Doctor, Lady Thaw, watched, aghast.
"Richard!" Lady Thaw hissed, scandalised.
"I'm famished." Lazarus managed to say between mouthfuls.
The Doctor, Rhea and Martha approached them.
"Energy deficit. Always happens with this kind of process." The Doctor interjected, explaining the source of Lazarus' hunger.
"You speak as if you see this every day, Mr—"
"He probably does." Rhea spoke in an undertone to Martha.
"Doctor." The Doctor corrected. "And, well, no, not every day…" The Doctor trailed off, shaking Professor Lazarus' hand
"… But he does have some experience in this kind of transformation." Rhea finished, reaching out and offering her hand to Lazarus, shoving down a grimace when he kissed her knuckles instead of shaking her hand.
"That's not possible." Lazarus said, shaking his head.
"Using hypersonic sound waves to create a state of resonance. That's-that's inspired." The Doctor said, without blinking once, making Lazarus stare at him with surprise.
"You understand the theory, then." Lazarus stuttered, thrown back.
The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Enough to know that you couldn't possibly have allowed for all the variables."
"No experiment is entirely without risk." Lazarus said, blindly.
Rhea narrowed her eyes. "That thing nearly exploded. You could have just stepped inside a blender."
"You both are not qualified to comment, Mrs-" Lady Thaw began, snidely.
"It's 'Doctor', actually. Doctor Sunehri Adwani." Rhea answered, stressing her title and smirking when Lazarus and Lady Thaw paled.
"You're the woman that Mr. Saxon wanted-" Lady Thaw began, but Rhea cut her off annoyed at the woman's meek tone once she realised who Rhea was.
"And if he hadn't stopped it, it would have exploded." Rhea said, nodding at the Doctor. "So, yes, if anyone in the universe is qualified to comment, it's him." She growled at the woman. She noted down the name that Lady Thaw had given her. Mr. Saxon, huh?
"Then I thank you, Doctor." Lazarus turned to the Doctor. "But that's a simple engineering issue." He said, lightly. "What happened inside the capsule was exactly what was supposed to happen. No more, no less."
Martha shook her head. "You've no way of knowing that until you've run proper tests."
Lazarus laughed. "Look at me! You can see what happened. I'm all the proof you need."
Rhea snorted. "Yeah, proof of another mad scientist searching for immortality." She muttered under her breath to the Doctor. "'Cause that's never happened before." She commented, sarcastically.
"This device will be properly certified before we start to operate commercially." Lady Thaw said with a sniff.
"Commercially?!" Martha asked, incredulously. "You are joking. That'll cause chaos."
"Not chaos. Change. A chance for humanity to evolve, to improve."
"This isn't about improving." The Doctor shook his head. "It's about you and your customers living a little longer."
"Not a little longer, Doctor. A lot longer. Perhaps indefinitely."
"Which is an incredibly stupid idea." Rhea pointed out.
"Richard, we have things to discuss. Upstairs." Lady Thaw said. And with a final look of disdain at the Doctor and Rhea, Lady Thaw walked away and Lazarus moved to follow her.
"Goodbye, Doctor, Doctor Adwani. In a few years, you'll look back and laugh at how wrong you were." Lazarus reached out and took Martha's hand as well, kissing the back of it before leaving along with Lady Thaw.
"Ooh, he's out of his depth. No idea of the damage he might have done." The Doctor murmured.
Rhea sighed and looked up at him. "So, any idea what to do now?"
"Now… well, this building must be full of laboratories." The Doctor looked around the building. "I say we do our own tests."
Martha looked at her hand and then at Rhea's hand. "Lucky we've just collected a DNA sample then, isn't it?" She said, slyly.
Rhea looked Martha, surprised, and then she smiled, widely. She reached up and wrapped an arm around Martha's shoulders, hugging her. "Oh, she's good. Very good." She told the Doctor.
The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Oh, Martha Jones, you're a star." He said, proudly, and the three headed off.
The Doctor, Rhea and Martha were in a lab, looking at the results of the DNA test on a computer screen.
"Amazing." The Doctor breathed, his eyes roving over the results.
"No, honey, that's sick." Rhea corrected.
"What?" Martha asked, frowning at the screen and then at the Doctor, uncomprehending what the Doctor and Rhea could see on the screen.
"Lazarus' DNA." Rhea replied, her eyes narrowed at the screen as she observed the image of Lazarus' DNA strand.
Martha frowned. "I can't see anything different."
"Look at it!" The Doctor insisted.
Then, the image on the screen flickered, changing just slightly.
"Oh, my God!" Martha's eyes widened. "Did that just change? But it can't have!"
"But it did." Rhea pointed out, grimly.
"It's impossible." Martha said, stubbornly.
"And that's two impossible things we've seen tonight. Don't you love it when that happens?" The Doctor asked, excitedly.
"That means Lazarus has changed his own molecular patterns." Martha said, incredulously.
"Hypersonic sound waves to destabilize the cell structure then a mutagenic program to manipulate the coding in the protein strands. Basically, he hacked into his own genes and instructed them to rejuvenate." The Doctor explained.
"But they're still mutating now." Rhea said, confused.
"'Cause he missed something." The Doctor pointed at the difference in the DNA strand. "Something in his DNA has been activated and won't let him stabilize. Something that's trying to change him."
A feeling of dread settled in Rhea's stomach. "Changing him into Godzilla or Benjamin Button?" Rhea really didn't want to ask this question.
The Doctor shrugged. "I dunno but I think we need to find out." He mused.
"That woman said they were going upstairs." Martha added.
"Let's go!" The Doctor said, standing from the chair, abruptly, and dragging the two women from the lab in search of Lazarus, running in the direction of the lift.
The Doctor, Rhea and Martha stepped out of the lift and into Lazarus' office, which overlooked the rest of the city. The Doctor reached to the side and switched the lights on.
"This is his office, all right." Martha murmured, looking around.
"So, where is he?" The Doctor asked.
Rhea frowned, not detecting anyone else living in the room. "Let's try back at the reception. I don't think he's-" Rhea stopped, abruptly, when she noticed a pair of skeletal bones, sticking out from behind the desk, wearing high heels. She swore and tugged the Doctor and Martha around the desk and doubled back when they saw the desiccated remains of Lady Thaw.
"Is that Lady Thaw?" Martha asked, shakily, her eyes wide with horror and her mouth gaping.
"Used to be." The Doctor replied, grimly. "Now it's just a shell. Had all the life energy drained out. Like squeezing the juice out of an orange."
"Lazarus." Rhea finished, looking at the Doctor with worry.
"Could be."
"Must be." Rhea corrected. "He's the only one that just experienced a biological mutation."
Martha looked between the Doctor and Rhea. "So, he's changed already."
"Into Godzilla." Rhea mused. "I was right."
"Not necessarily. You saw the DNA. It was fluctuating. The process must demand energy. This might not have been enough." The Doctor eyed the remains of Lady Thaw.
"So he might do this again?" Rhea asked, hurriedly, spinning on her feet and rushing towards the lifts again, the Doctor and Rhea hot on her heels.
Martha, Rhea and the Doctor stormed back into the reception.
"I can't see him." Martha said, her eyes scanning over the crowd for Lazarus' face.
"He can't be far. Keep looking." The Doctor walked on, pulling Rhea along with him.
Leo walked up to her. "Hey, you all right, Marth? I think Mum wants to talk to you."
Martha laid a hand on Leo's arm. "Have you see Lazarus anywhere?" She asked in a rush.
"Yeah." Leo nodded. "He was getting' cosy with Tish a couple of minutes ago."
The Doctor and Rhea joined them just at that moment, followed by Francine.
"With Tish?!" Martha shrieked, her eyes wide.
"Ah, Doctor." Francine said, trying to pick up a conversation with Martha's suspiciously new friend.
"Where did they go?" The Doctor and Rhea demanded.
"Upstairs I think, why?" Leo asked, his eyebrows furrowing.
The Doctor and Rhea rushed past, spilling Francine's drink all over her dress.
"I'm speaking to you!" Francine shouted after them.
Martha started to follow the Doctor and Rhea, before stopping and turning to address her mother. "Not now, mum!" She snapped.
Francine went over to one of the tables where she found a napkin to wipe herself down. A man in a smart suit walked over to her.
"I think you need one of these." The man said and handed her a fresh glass, brimming to the top with champagne.
"Thank you." Francine smiled, tightly, at him. "That's very kind of you."
"Do you know that man and that woman?" The man asked after a moment.
"No. They're friends of my daughter's." Francine said, reluctantly, the disapproval clear in her voice.
"Perhaps she should choose her friends more carefully." The man said, lightly, before walking off.
Francine stared after the man and pursed her lips, looking back in the direction that her daughter had run off in. She swallowed, knowing more than ever that this Doctor and his little girlfriend were bad news. So much more than she had originally thought.
The three arrived back at Lazarus' office, searching desperately for any sign of Lazarus or Tish.
"Where are they?" Martha asked, worriedly, her concern for her sister plain in her voice.
The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver from his tuxedo pocket. "Fluctuating DNA will give off an energy signature. I might be able to pick it up." He held the sonic screwdriver out at arm's length and slowly turned in a circle, it's beeping increasing as he moved around.
"Got him." The Doctor growled.
"Where?" Martha asked.
The Doctor's arm slid, vertically, until it was pointing directly at the ceiling.
"But this is the top floor!" Martha protested.
Rhea smacked the Doctor on the chest. "The roof!" She shouted and they ran for the stairs.
When they reached the roof, they could see Lazarus standing beside Tish, staring at a cathedral in the distance. They could hear him speaking to Tish.
"I find that nothing's ever exactly like you expect. There's always something to surprise you. "Between the idea and the reality, between the motion and the act-" Lazarus was saying.
"-Falls the shadow." The Doctor finished, making the Lazarus turn to face him, Rhea and Martha.
"So the mysterious Doctor knows his Eliot. I'm impressed." A sly smile appeared on Lazarus' face.
Tish glared at her sister. "Martha, what are you doing here?"
"Tish, get away from him." Martha warned, harshly.
"What? Don't tell me what to do." Tish hissed at Martha, irritated.
"I wouldn't have thought you had time for poetry, Lazarus, what with you being busy defying the laws of nature and all." The Doctor remarked, dryly.
"You're right, Doctor. One lifetime's been too short for me to do everything I'd like. How much more would I get done in two or three or four?"
A wistful smile appeared on the Doctor's face. "Doesn't work like that. Some people live more in 20 years than others do in 80. It's not the time that matters; it's the person."
"But if it's the right person, what a gift that would be."
"Or what a curse." The Doctor finished.
"Look at what you've done to yourself." Rhea said, quietly.
Lazarus glared at the Doctor and Rhea. "Who are you to judge me?" He snarled.
"Over here, Tish." Martha reached a hand out.
Tish stormed over to Martha. "You have to spoil everything, don't you?" She hissed at her sister. "Every time I find someone nice, you have to go and find fault." What she couldn't see was Lazarus spasming incessantly behind her back.
"Tish, he's a monster!" Martha exclaimed.
Tish shrugged. "I know the age thing's a bit freaky, but it works for Catherine Zeta-Jones."
"Honey, I'll give you that one if you just take a look at your new boy-toy over there." Rhea muttered to Tish.
Tish stilled when she heard the sound of growling. She slowly turned her head, her mouth dropping in shock and horror when she saw what Lazarus had become. He had transformed into what seemed to be the cross between a human skeleton and a scorpion at least ten feet tall. It reared up, raising and bearing its claws at them.
The Doctor's eyes widened, his hand on the small of Rhea's back, pushing her behind him and in the direction of the stairs. "Run!" He shouted.
A/N: The end of the first part of The Lazarus Experiment. Hope you all liked it. I hope you all liked all the flirty moments and the sweet moments between the Doctor and Rhea in this chapter. Especially the beginning with the singing. The song is Timber by Pitbull, by the way. And we also had a nice moment after Rhea got changed for the party. I think this chapter pretty much cements the idea that the Doctor is attracted to Rhea.
Rhea is definitely on Martha's side. More because she hasn't formed a very serious relationship with Rose that she would be utterly devastated by the possibility of Rose. While Rhea likes Rose, I don't think Rhea would consider Rose the most important companion nor would she feel the loss as much as the Doctor. Rhea is definitely on board with Martha becoming the Doctor's permanent companion. Hopefully she can convince him. She did try in The Shakespeare Code.
I wonder how Rhea's name was on the guest list. It's gnawing at Rhea too, don't worry. She'll bring it up next chapter, but she's more focused on the Doctor and Lazarus right now. We know it was under the orders of Mr Saxon and we all know who Mr Saxon is. I wonder why the Master would put her name down on the list?
Some things will be different in the next chapter. Will Martha's mother still slap the Doctor? I think that cabinet's a bit too small for three people to fit into it when they're hiding from Lazarus, don't you? We might even get some sexy times between the Doctor and Rhea as well.
Oh, and a few reminders, everyone. I'm making this the last chapter where you can tell me what you want the pairing name for the Doctor and Rhea to be. After I post the next chapter, I will put up a poll on my profile for everyone to vote :) Oh, and a little incentive for you all to review. Whoever is my 200th reviewer will get a spoiler of their choosing, whether it be from this story or any upcoming Time Lady stories. But be careful, with great power comes great responsibility.
And the question for this chapter: If you could have the Ninth Doctor travel with any companion other than Rose or Jack, who would you have and why?
Anyway, hope you all liked it and please do review!