First off, I'm very sorry for the long delay. The last two weeks have been midterm weeks and I pretty much had to put everything else on the back burner so I could study and finish up homework before the break. The good news is that I now have a week of uninterrupted time to just relax. Yay!
This chapter is finally a rest chapter. Poor Mabel, I really have been running her ragged.
Enjoy!
~RainingCoffee
I reappear, stumbling into someone.
"Mabel!" Amy's very familiar voice calls out. Her hands come up to steady me.
I blink the spots out of my eyes, looking at her in confusion. "Amy?"
She beams at me, folding me into a hug. "It's so good to see you, I had wondered when you were going to pop in. The Doctor's been pouting."
"It's good to see you too Amy." I respond. And it is. Bewildered as I am by her abrupt change in attitude, I'm not going to complain. I missed her.
"Now listen, we are on a pirate ship right now and the Doctor is stalling as much as he can, but they are trying to make him walk the plank." Amy explains, shrugging on a pirate coat and placing a trifold hat on her head.
I frown. "And where is he now?"
She grabs a sword in it's sheath and ties it around her waist. "Where do you think he is? He's on the plank."
"Of course he is." I reply, exasperated, gesturing for her to go first. "Lead the way, Johnny Depp."
Amy smirks, flicking her hair back, and climbing up the stairs. I follow her, surprised to note that there don't seem to be any sailors trying to stop us. On the deck there is a small group surrounding the Doctor, who is indeed on the plank, but for a ship this size that seems improbable that they are the only crew.
The Doctor seems to have noticed this too. "Where are the rest of the crew? This is a big ship. Big for five of you. I suppose the rest of them are hiding some place, and they're going to jump out and shout boo."
Amy takes this as her cue. "Boo!"
All the pirates turn around, startled. The Doctor's face lights up. "Mabel!"
"Hello sweetheart!" I smile up at him, peripherally aware of Amy getting the pirates to drop their weapons.
His face turns exasperated. "Amy, what are you doing?"
"Saving your life. Okay with that, are you?" Amy replies.
One of the pirate's steps forward. "Put down the sword. A sword could kill us all, girl."
Amy rolls her eyes. "Yeah, thanks. That is actually why I'm pointing it at you."
Another sailor comes out of nowhere with a wooden stave, lunging at Amy. She lets out a noise of surprise, getting into an impromptu sword fight. I can't just leave her to fight by herself, so I wade into the fray. Kicking at sensitive places and throwing an elbow where I can.
"You have killed me!" One of the sailor's cries.
"No way, it's just a scratch." Amy scoffs. "What kind of rubbish pirates are you?"
A pirate, the first one who took a step forward, shakes his head. I'm going to call him beardy, cause his is the best one I can see. "One drop, that's all it takes. One drop of blood and she'll rise out of the ocean."
"Come on, I barely even scratched him. What are you all in such a huff about?" Amy asks, swinging the sword around again.
A pirate grabs her, making her drop the sword. Then for some reason Rory tries to grab the sword as it's dropping, but he gets cut. "Ow!"
Rory's eyes widen in shock and he brings his hand up to show the Doctor. There's a black spot that's shown up in the middle of his hand. "Er, Doctor, what's happening to me?"
Beardy looks at Rory with regret. "She can smell the blood on your skin. She's marked you for death."
"She?" Rory asks.
"A demon, out there in the ocean." Beardy elaborates. Thanks Beardy, that's really helpful.
"Okay. Groovy." The Doctor says, wandering over and placing an arm around my shoulder. "So not just pirates today. We've managed to bagsy a ship where there's a demon popping in. Very efficient. I mean, if something's going to kill you, it's nice that it drops you a note to remind you."
I elbow him, now doesn't seem to be the time for gallows humor. The Doctor opens his mouth to reply, but he's cut off by this absolutely gorgeous singing.
"Quickly now, block out the sound." One of the crew cries.
"What?" Rory looks around in confusion.
"The creature. She charms all her victims with that song." Beardy replies. So full of useful information, this Beardy fellow.
"Oh, great." Rory replies. "So put my fingers in my ears, that's your plan? Doctor, come on. Let's go-"
I'm sure he continues to say more, but my brain seems to turn wibbly. I sway into the Doctor, giggling. His arms steady me, and I can hear him asking me what's wrong, but I'm not concerned with that right now.
"You are gorgeous." I tell him, patting his cheek. "I like the bowtie better than the stick of celery."
"Er, thanks." The Doctor responds, a deeply concerned look on his face.
I would have said something to ease his concern, but at that moment a glowing green figure comes up from the ocean. My feet move by themselves, I want nothing more than to touch her, but the Doctor holds me back.
"No! Please, let me touch her. I have to touch her." I plead, but he doesn't relent. The Doctor hooks an arm around my waist and drags me away, down into the ship.
I kick my legs, wiggling in an attempt to make the Doctor drop me. He brushes a hand against my head and my perception tilts. The fogginess recedes. Enough for me to realize that the Doctor probably has a reason for keeping me away. I relax, helping rather than fighting now.
"There we are." The Doctor murmurs, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "Better now?"
"Yeah." I respond, shaking my head. "I'm still a little fuzzy but it's more manageable now. What did you do?"
"Layered my consciousness on top of yours. Right now, half of what you are perceiving is what I am perceiving. It only works while we're touching though. Stay close." He advises, waiting until our hands are linked to drop his other hand from my forehead.
I nod my understanding. The connection feels…almost sore? when I open it to send him gratitude.
The Doctor, who had been in the process of turning back to beardy, whips his head back around to look at me. His face is distressed, hand clenching around mine. A quiet hiss escapes me, the hand he had a hold of was the same hand that I had used to hit him with earlier. It was still tender.
His fingers loosen as though he's going to let go, but I tighten my hold in return. I don't know how long it's going to take for the effects of whatever the creature out there did to me to wear off and I don't fancy going under like I did before.
"What is that thing?" Amy asks, still attempting to wrangle Rory into keeping still.
"The legend." Beardy says, scowling. "The siren. Many a merchant ship laden with treasure has fallen prey to her. She's been hunting us ever since we were becalmed, picking off the injured."
"Like a shark. A shark can smell blood." A pirate from behind beardy pipes up.
The Doctor shakes his head, looking away from me. "Okay. Just like a shark, in a dress. And singing. And green? A green singing shark in an evening gown."
"The ship is cursed!" Beardy insists.
"Yeah, right." The Doctor scoffs, voice hard. "Cursed is big with humans. It means bad things are happening but you can't be bothered to find an explanation."
"She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Rory murmurs, straining against the hold Amy has on him.
"Actually, I think you'll find she isn't." Amy mutters in response. She looks over at us and lowers her voice. "We have to leave right now."
Beardy focuses on the Doctor. "That thing of yours really is a ship?"
"Well, it's not propelled by the wind." The Doctor comments sarcastically. He looks around at the space we are in, and as such doesn't see the fact the beardy pulls a gun out. I do, and I yank on his hand in response. The Doctor whirls around.
"Show me." Beardy demands. "Weigh anchor. Make it sail."
Pursing his lips, the Doctor studies the gun. "And the gun's back. You're big on the gun thing, aren't you. Freud would say you're compensating. Ever met Freud?"
One of Beardy's cronies leans forward. "Leave the cursed ones, Captain. The creature can have them."
Rory leans forward, eye unfocused. "Yes please."
"We don't want the siren coming after us." Beardy nods in agreement.
Before I can open my mouth to argue that they aren't leaving Rory behind, a pirate screams and pulls his leg from the couple inches of water that covers the floor.
"It's a leech!" Amy cries.
"Everyone out of the water!" The Doctor orders. He physically lifts me up out of the water first, then climbs out himself.
I look at him in bemusement. The siren already had a foothold in my mind, there was no reason to make sure I got out first.
"It's bitten me. I'm bleeding." The pirate who had a leech on his leg sounds devastated.
"She wants blood." The Doctor mumbles, hand squeezing mine. "Why does she want blood?"
"I don't think she does." I respond.
"What were you saying about leaving the cursed ones behind?" Amy spitefully asks the pirate who just got bit.
"It's okay, we're safe down here. No curse is getting through three solid inches of timber." The Doctor says.
The green lady pops out of the water, calm now that no one is in it, and I elbow the Doctor.
"Oh!" The Doctor states. "Ah. Hello again."
I can feel whatever she does trying to put me under again, but the Doctor's trick is still working. Amy has a hold of Rory, but no one thinks to grab the pirate who had gotten bitten by a leech. He stumbles towards the lady despite our protests. Then he gets distributed into dust, the only thing left of him being his hat.
The Doctor yanks me back, as if he thinks I'm going to be next. Which is a valid concern, seeing as though I was affected by her earlier. We all clamber our way out of the room, the haunting song of the siren behind us dogging our footsteps.
Beardy leads us to what looks like sleeping quarters. The Doctor and I are the last one in, closing the door behind us.
Amy leans in. "Safe?"
"I have my good days and my bad days." The Doctor mutters back.
"How did she get in?" Beardy asks.
The Doctor scans the room around us with his screwdriver. "Bilge water. She's using water like a portal, a door. She can materialize through a single drop." He hypothesizes. "We need to go somewhere with no water."
"Well, thank God we're not in the middle of the ocean." Amy scoffs. Good old Amy, I really have missed her.
"Did you see her eyes?" Rory asks. "Like crystal pools."
Rolling her eyes, Amy wags a finger in his face. "You are in enough trouble."
Beardy cuts in, looking serious. "The magazine."
"What?" Amy asks.
"He means the armory where the powder's stored." The Doctor clarifies.
"It's dry as a bone." Beardy confirms.
"Good." I say, stepping forward." Let's go there."
Beardy raises his gun again, pointing it at me this time. "I give the orders."
The Doctor tenses behind me, but I squeeze his hand. "Men, such fragile egos." I comment, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not trying to take over your crew, Pirate, and for that matter neither is the Doctor. We are trying to help. Now, by all means, lead us to the magazine."
Scowling, Beardy turns around and stalks off in another direction.
I let myself have a moment where I just breathe. I'm surprised that worked. The Doctor is oozing disapproval next to me, but I don't for one second doubt that he would have done something similar so I don't pay him much mind.
We take off in the direction the Beardy went, but something seems to be the matter. One of the pirates, the keeper of the keys I guess, is looking through his key ring.
"Quickly, man." Beardy insists.
"I can't find the key." The pirate tells him, looking upset. "Tis gone, Cap'n."
Beardy looks confused. "How can it have gone?"
Eyeing the lock, the Doctor takes a step forward and pushes against the door. It creaks open slowly. "Seems like someone else had the same idea."
With the Doctor and I leading the charge, the rest slowly file into the room. One pirate grabs a lantern.
"Barricade the door." Beardy orders, before turning his head and looking over at a pirate who is in the process of grabbing a lantern. "Careful of that lantern. Every barrel is full of powder."
Looking around, the Doctor sing songs. "Who's been sleeping in my gun room?"
A cough answers him. We exchange a look.
Beardy slowly walks up to a barrel and a second later a cough comes from it again. He quickly lifts the lid and grabs whoever is inside, pulling them out and shaking them. "You fool! You fool, boy. What are you doing here?"
"Who is he?" The Doctor asks me. "What, he's not one of the crew?"
No." Beardy responds. I can't see his face, but his voice is stern. "He's my son. What in God's name possessed you, boy? Your mother will be searching for you." The boy looks away and my heart drops. Beardy also seems to get it. "When?"
"Last winter." The boy coughs. "Fever. She told me all about you. How you were a Captain in the Navy. An honorable man, she said. How I'd be proud to know you. I've come to join your crew."
"I don't want you here." Beardy tells the boy.
The boy looks hurt as he stifles another cough. "You can't send me back. It's too late. We're a hundred miles from home."
"It's dangerous here." Beardy insists. "There is a monster aboard. She leaves a mark on men's skin."
"The black spot?" The boy asks, turning his hand over and showing us his palm. It has a black spot just like I do.
Beardy stands up abruptly and takes the boy over into a corner.
I reach out to the Doctor mentally, as well as turn to look at him. He meets me halfway, sharing his resolve. This child will not die. Not today.
Then the Doctor leads me over to a barrel and makes me sit down. His touch on my hand gentles, and he waits a beat. When whatever the siren did to me earlier doesn't come back, he let's go entirely only to shift and twist my hand around so he can see the damage.
My hand is swollen, one knuckle looking a little crooked. There is a light amount of bruising blooming along the area.
Amy whistles. "Wow, that must have been quite the punch. Bet whoever was on the other end is feeling that."
"Oh." The Doctor murmurs, voice an octave deeper than normal. "He sure did, in more ways than one."
Rory blinks, seeming more aware. He focuses on me and frowns in concern. "Are you sure you're okay, Mabel?"
"Just tired." I respond, resigned to the Doctor's hovering. He lifts up my sleeve next, looking infinitely sad at the sight of the vivid bruises that his previous self left. I nudge him mentally, waiting until he looks up to smile my best smile at him.
His lips twitch in response, but I don't get anything more than that. Climbing up on the barrel next to me, the Doctor seems content to stay silent.
I'm still exhausted, and now all I want to do is cuddle with my partner, but the atmosphere doesn't seem to be conducive for it now. So instead, I just lean against his arm, fingers twining around the sleeve of his jacket.
"I see you're feeling better." I say to Rory.
Rory nods, looking over at Amy who smiles back at him. There is something different about him. He seems more solid somehow? Definitely more confident in his relationship with Amy. A quick glance down at their fingers show matching rings. Ahh, they finally got married.
"There's nothing wrong with the boy." Beardy growls, stalking back over. "He has no scars."
"Yep. Ignore my last theory." The Doctor responds, voice low.
Amy pats him on the leg. "He has his good days and his bad days."
"It's not just blood." The Doctor continues, contemplative. "She's coming for all the sick and wounded, like a hunter chooses the weakest animal."
"Okay, look, the boy has a fever." Amy states, side eyeing the Doctor. "And the siren knows it."
"Humans. Second-rate. Damage too easily. It's only a matter of time before everyone gets bruised." The Doctor starts, looking worried. He focuses his attention on Beardy. "My ship, it can sail us all away from here. You and me and Mabel, we fetch it. Let's go." He pulls me with him as he stands up.
Unfortunately, Beardy has decided to be an ass again and is once again pointing a gun at us. "You're not the Captain here, remember."
Before the Doctor has a chance to respond, I notice Beardy's son open the top of a barrel. It has what looks to be some sort of liquid inside. I lunge for the barrel just as the Siren pops up, reaching for the boy. Grabbing the lid, I do my best to tune out the singing but I can already feel it affecting me. The Doctor jumps in then, finally registering what is happening, and together we manage to force the siren back down into the water.
"The water's dangerous." Beardy states, gesturing towards the barrel with his gun. "That's how she gets through. One touch of her hand and you're a dead man."
"We're all cursed if we stay aboard." One of the other pirates insist.
"It's not a curse. Curse means game over." The Doctor replies, taking a step towards the pirate. His voice is lowered a register in his anger. "Curse means we're helpless. We are not helpless." He turns to Beardy. "Captain, what's our next move?"
Beardy looks startled that the Doctor is addressing him, then the look turns contemplative. He quickly pulls a silver metal medallion on a string from around his own neck and puts it over his son's neck. The boy looks so very pleased at that small bit of attention.
Turning to his men, Beardy looks at them with determination. "Wait with the boy."
The same pirate as earlier takes a step forward, his face is not pleased. "Captain, we're all in danger here."
"I said wait." Beardy reiterates. "And barricade the door after we've gone."
"Sure you want to go?" Amy asks, sidling up to us.
"We have to get Rory and Toby away." The Doctor replies, eyes flickering towards me. And Mabel. I'm the unspoken name in the room. "She's out there now, licking her lips, boiling a saucepan, grating cheese."
"Okay." Amy says, clearly reluctant. "Well, remember, if you get an itch, don't scratch too hard."
"We've all got to go some time. There are worse ways than having your face snogged off by a dodgy mermaid." The Doctor replies, sharing a smile with Rory.
"Oi!" I exclaim, smacking him.
He smirks in my direction, a smug little thing. It only makes me itch to smack him properly, and by the widening of his smile, he can tell.
Beardy rolls his eyes and proceeds out the door. The Doctor and I follow, making sure said door is closed behind us.
"Do you want to draw lots for who's in charge, then?" Beardy whispers, looking over his shoulder.
"Darkness? Demon?" The Doctor asks, reaching back to grab my hand. "You can have first go."
Beardy looks unsurprised and continues on through the darkness. He manages to trip, and the Doctor just barely catches him before his hand goes through a nail.
"Care-ful." The Doctor breathes out, sharing a look with Beardy.
"Nearly." Beardy nods, looking relieved.
After that, we make it to the Tardis surprisingly easy. The Doctor opens the doors and rushes inside, leaving me to deal with the Tardis shock.
"By all the-" Beardy gasps, awed.
"Let me stop you there." The Doctor calls from the console, not abandoning me to the Tardis shock like I had thought he was. "Bigger on the inside. Don't mind, do you, if we just skip to the end of that moment? Oh, and sorry I lied, by the way, when I said yours was bigger. Kitchen that way. Choice of bathrooms there, there, there." He even throws in gestures, what a show off.
I can't help but smile, closing the door behind me as Beardy takes a few steps deeper into the interior. His awe reminds me of how I felt in the beginning. Nowadays I kind of took the Tardis and all this crazy for granted.
Beardy meanders his way up to where the Doctor is next to the console. "What's this do?" He asks, pointing at the red lever that starts the dematerialization sequence.
"That does very, very complicated." The Doctor says, lunging towards the lever like Beardy is going to try pulling it. Upon realizing the same thing I realized earlier, that Beardy has no desire to pull the lever, he starts showing off a bit. "That does sophisticated. That does whoa, amazing, And that does whizz, bang, far too technical to explain!"
"Wheel?" Beardy asks, raising an eyebrow as he points to a spinning ball with probes coming off of it.
"Atom accelerator." The Doctor responds.
Beardy's eyebrow gets higher, his expression becoming even more unimpressed. "It steers the thing."
"No!" The Doctor exclaims, before grimacing. "Sort of. Yes."
"Wheel. Telescope. Astrolabe. Compass." Beardy states, pointing at different things around the console. He gives the Doctor a pointed look. "A ship's a ship."
I can't help but laugh. The Doctor's resulting look of betrayal in my direction is totally worth it. "I mean, Beardy's really got you there sweetheart."
"Oi! He does not-" The Doctor starts, before cutting himself off and mouthing the word Beardy to himself. Shaking his head, he looks over at Beardy before shrugging. Ha! He sees it too.
"Beardy?" Beardy asks, sounding confused.
"Oh, yeah." I mutter, sort of embarrassed. "You know how I showed up later than everyone else? Well it's not like I got anybody's name. You were talking the most and you had a beard so I just started calling you Beardy in my head."
I can see the Doctor facepalm out of the corner of my eye and I can instantly feel a blush form on my face in response. "Oi, Mister!"
The Doctor pulls his hand from his face and gives me an innocent look. One that I don't buy for a second. I narrow my eyes in return.
Beardy scoffs, directing my attention back to him. He has half of a smirk on his face. "You two have been tied for a long while I see." Both of our mouths open, but he doesn't give us a chance to respond. "And the name is Avery. It's better then Beardy at the very least."
"Avery, huh?" I smile at him from the other side of the console. "It's nice to meet you Avery."
Clearing his throat, the Doctor pulls the attention back to himself. "This is how the professionals do it." He states, cockily pulling the lever to send us off.
The time rotor..skips? Like it's trying to take off, but nothing is happening. The Doctor's hurriedly puts the lever back down. "Er, it's stuck. Not responding."
"What?" Stuck? I've never heard her make that noise before.
"Is it becalmed?" Avery asks.
"Mmm hmm. Yeah, apparently. That's new." The Doctor murmurs off handedly. Avery grimaces and nods to himself. The Doctor catches it and frowns. "You had to gloat, didn't you?"
Avery looks up, quickly denying it. "I'm not gloating."
"I saw that look just now. Ha, ha, his ship is rubbish." The Doctor gestures, scoffing.
"True." Avery admits.
"I've never heard her do that before." I murmur, sidling up to the Doctor as he frantically types something into the console.
The Doctor hums noncommittedly. Looking frustrated at the readings he's receiving. "It can't get a lock on the plane."
Avery looks over in confusion. "The what?"
Rubbing his face, the Doctor moves around the console to get closer to Avery. "The space we travel in. The ocean. Sort of ocean but not water. The Tardis can't see. It's sulking because it thinks the space doesn't exist. Without a plane to lock onto we're not going anywhere."
"So something's jamming the Tardis? Like she's reading that we aren't anywhere right now?" I try and work out what's going on.
"More or less." The Doctor replies, grimacing in my direction.
"I'm confused." Avery admits.
"Yeah, well, it's a big club." The Doctor states. "We should get T-shirts."
The Tardis must not like that because she skips again and this time it continues. The whole console room jerks, throwing us around.
"What's happening?" The Doctor cries, looking around the room in confusion.
That's super discouraging. I'm so used to the Doctor knowing what's going on, at least in connection to knowledge of the Tardis, that him being as confused as the rest of us comes as somewhat of a shock to me.
The Doctor lunges for the controls, pulling levers and pushing buttons. Nothing happens, and the Tardis continues to skip. "Okay, she's had her little sulk. Now she's heading for the full-on screaming tantrum!"
"Can you fix it?" Avery demands, hands on the console just trying to keep him steady as the ship shakes.
"I don't think the Tardis is doing this on purpose." I shout to be heard over the noise.
Frustrated, the Doctor hits another button. "The parametric engines are jammed. Orthogonal vector's gone." Flailing, he looks over at Avery with a frown. "I'm almost out of ideas."
Avery looks up. "Almost?"
"Well, we could try stroking her and singing her a song." The Doctor responds. It's hard to tell if he's being sarcastic or not.
"Will that help?" Avery asks in disbelief.
I cannot hold back the full body eye roll the two of them are causing me. "She's trying to dematerialize you idiots, the only reason she isn't is because for some reason she doesn't want us in here when she does so."
"We could end up anywhere!" The Doctor states, tone upset.
Avery looks between the two of us. "That sounds bad!"
"Yes, it is! Out!" The Doctor states, running around the console and grabbing Avery's arm. "Out now! Abandon ship! Abandon ship!"
I'm two steps behind them, but just as the two of them make it out of her doors, they shut in my face.
"Mabel!" I can hear the Doctor yelling through the doors.
Pulling on the handle does nothing so I bang on the door. "Doctor!" But it is to late. The ominous green glow coming from outside the doors already tells me all I need to know.
My heart pounds as I take a step away. There is no way I'm stepping outside of those doors, not with the siren outside. At least she won't be able to get me in here. No standing puddles of water as far as I could see. At least not in here and I had a feeling that the Tardis would help me if it came to it.
Or at least I had been under that impression until the green glow starts to come from behind me. I turn around in apprehension, and there she is. Her song starts up, and there is no Doctor here to help me this time.
She really is quite beautiful.
I take a step closer and she smiles, holding a hand out for me. What can I do but take those last few steps and touch her?
My world disintegrates.
xxxx
There are fingers cupping my cheek.
That's the first thing that penetrates the darkness. Fingers cupping my cheek, then the press of a forehead against mine. A spark of contact. Relief.
I open my eyes and the sight of the Doctor is like a balm to my soul. Smiling, I lean into the hand at my cheek. "Doctor."
"Mabel." He breathes out. Relief is permeating everything. Oh, that's his relief.
I blink, trying to focus. "Doctor. The Tardis took off, the siren got in. I touched her."
The Doctor helps me sit up, taking off something strapped to my throat. "I know. I was wrong earlier. She wasn't trying to kill anyone. It's an interface for an automated sickbay. She was just trying to keep everyone alive."
Going after at the sick and wounded. Makes sense. He presses something of the side of the table I'm sitting on and I can't restrain a gasp as the aches from my hand and arms come rushing back.
"I know, I'm sorry." The Doctor murmurs, crowding in close and pressing his forehead against mine once more. "Once we get you back on the Tardis, we'll go to the medbay and get you healed."
I send him a grateful smile, then scan the room. There seems to be dozens of people laying on tables just like mine. Avery is standing over someone who looks like his son. Amy is not too far away from us, talking to Rory, who is laying on his own table.
The Doctor follows my gaze. His voice lowers even more, a whisper I almost can't hear. "He's going to be more difficult. He was mostly drowned when the siren got to him. As soon as we take the life support off Amy is going to have to resuscitate him."
I clamp my hand down on his arm, hard. He winces in response, but nods. We are on the same wavelength then. That's good.
"Well then, what are we waiting for?" I ask, sliding off the table and sending a smile in the Doctor's direction as he steadies me when I stumble.
"We have to send this ship back into space." The Doctor states. "Imagine if the Siren got ashore. She would have to process every injured human."
"What about Toby?" Avery asks, looking up from his son's sleeping form.
The Doctor's eyes flicker. "I'm sorry. Typhoid fever. Once he returns it's only a matter of time."
"What if I stay with him, here." Avery suggests. He sounds as if he's already made up his mind and he's only informing us for his own sake. "The Siren will look after him. I can't go back to England. And what home does he have now, if not with me?"
I study him. He seems sincere in his desire to do this. I suppose there is only one thing left to ask then. "Well then, do you think you can sail this thing?"
Avery barks out a laugh. Sending a look towards the Doctor, he leans forward towards me. "Just point me to the atom accelerator."
The Doctor laughs as well, clasping Avery on the arm for a second. Pulling back, we both turn towards Amy and Rory.
"Getting yourself into trouble again?" I tease Rory as we come up to the bed he's laying on.
"You know me." He responds, smiling a little awkwardly. Directing his attention to Amy, he turns serious. "I know you can do this. Of course, if you muck it up I am going to be really cross." He pauses, taking a deep breath. "And dead."
Amy smiles, brave in the face of her own tears. "I'll see you in a minute."
The Doctor rips off the life support brace around Rory's chest and he immediately gasps, the sound of a flatline fills the room.
We all move quickly after that. Amy and the Doctor brace Rory between themselves and I rush to get the door of the Tardis open. Once inside, they gently lower him to the ground and Amy immediately starts CPR.
"Come on. Come on, Rory." The Doctor murmurs, taking a hold of my hand and squeezing. "Not here. Not this way. Not today."
Several rounds of compressions and breathing commences, before Amy sobs. "He trusted me. He trusted me to save him."
"You still can, keep trying." I urge her, my own heart in my throat.
Amy makes a frustrated noise, increasing the pressure behind the compressions. "Please, please, please wake up." Each word is accompanied by a chest compression. "Wake up. Come on. Come on!"
The Doctor lowers his head, eyes closing.
Sitting back, Amy's face crumples from the force of her tears. I lean against the Doctor's shoulder, my own tears forming.
Suddenly, Rory coughs. Water dribbles from the side of his mouth and I lunge forward, turning him to the side so he doesn't choke anymore.
Amy throws her arms around him, sobbing into his chest. "Amy. Amy, you did it." Rory's arms go around her in return. "You did it!"
I sit back on my heels, letting out a breath of relief.
"Well then!" The Doctor exclaims jumping up. He reaches down and pulls me up as well. "I think it's time to send our new friends off world, don't you?"
"You do that, I'll be right back." I murmur, glancing over towards Amy and Rory who are still huddled next to each other. Hurrying down the hallway, I slip into the first door I see, which looks to be a bedroom. There is a convenient robe thrown on the bed and I grab that before heading back towards the console room.
The Tardis jerks slightly, I assume we've managed to send the ship off into atmosphere and we're departing ourselves. Emerging from the hallway into the light shows the Doctor fiddling with something near the console, so my assumption is probably correct.
I throw the robe over Rory and Amy's head, and smile at the complaints that causes. "Hey now, I figured you might want to cover up a bit."
Rory manages to get the material off his head, with Amy surfacing a second later. He shrugs, slipping the robe on and sending me a smile. "Thanks, Mabel."
Amy stands up, helping Rory to his feet, then leaning into him with a smile.
"It's good to see the two of you are alright. I was worried there for a while." I murmur. The two of them look so very happy together. It's a sight for sore eyes after the last time I saw them together.
Amy hums, looking up at Rory. He only has eyes for her in return.
"Alright." I state, shooing them away. "Alright, that's enough of that. You two can go be smoopy somewhere else."
Amy laughs, smirking at me over her shoulder as they walk up the stairs. I roll my eyes. Refocusing on Rory, Amy nudges him in the arm. "I thought I was an excellent pirate."
Rory leans in, a sparkle in his eye. "I thought you were an excellent nurse."
"Easy, tiger." Amy teases before looking back down at us. "Goodnight, Mabel, Doctor."
"Goodnight Amy." I respond, the Doctor echoing me with a, "Goodnight Amelia."
I send a confused look over to the Doctor. Since when has he ever called her Amelia. Amy seems to think it's weird too because she narrows her eyes at him. "You only call me Amelia when you're worrying about me."
"I always worry about you." Is the serious response.
"Mutual." Amy breathes, her eyes going distant.
The Doctor flicks his eyes in her direction. His voice takes on the tone of a scolding parent. "Go to bed, Pond."
Amy makes a face, but turns to do what he says.
I walk over to the Doctor's side of the Tardis. He frowns at me, but doesn't turn the monitor off. Which allows me to see the fact that he's performing a pregnancy test on Amy, and it keeps flickering between pregnant and not pregnant.
"What?" I ask him, my voice flat.
"I don't know yet." He replies, voice as upset as I feel.
Staring at the monitor, my eyes start to sting as water wells up. It's been such a long time since I was last able to just sit and stop, at least that's what it feels like. And now there was something wrong with little Amelia.
The Doctor tugs me gently into his arms. "Hey now, it's okay."
I hide my face against his shoulder. "Sorry, Sorry." I mumble. "I don't know why I'm so emotional right now."
"I do." He replies, exasperated. "When was the last time you ate or slept? Or just got a chance to sit and not do anything?"
"It's been longer than I'd like." I admit, closing my eyes and allowing myself to lean into the embrace.
The Doctor tsks, then in a whirlwind of production he proceeds to heal me, feed me, make me shower, and bundle me up in a comfy pair of pajamas before I quite know what's going on.
I rub my hand against the corner of my eyes, sitting in oversized pajamas on the bed and feeling miserable. Exhaustion pulls at me, but I'm stubbornly waiting for the Doctor to be done with his own shower before I let it win.
Fortunately, it only takes him another 2 minutes for the shower, and after a brief round with the towel on his hair, he climbs into bed.
Immediately, I curl up into his side, my arm reaching across his chest. He hums, a soothing rumble kicking up in his chest.
My body liquifies, tension fading and leaving a peaceful feeling instead.
The Doctor shifts, arm coming out and effortlessly moving me so that instead of me being curling into his side, I'm now stretched out on top of him.
It's exactly what I needed. I drift off like a light.
xxxx
The feeling of someone gently running their fingers through my hair brings me out of my deep sleep. I groan in annoyance, burying myself deeper into the blankets to get away.
The Doctor laughs. The bed shifts as he moves and a second later my comforter is pulled from overtop of me.
"No." I whine, stubbornly keeping my eyes closed.
His fingers run down my back, which feels really good until he hits my side. My resulting twitch must have tipped him off, or maybe he already knew, but the Doctor takes advantage of it either way.
I contort wildly, trying to escape the torturous fingers assaulting me. It doesn't work, and soon the Doctor has me giggling wildly as he continues his assault.
"Okay!" I shout breathlessly. "I give, I give. I'm up now."
The Doctors changes his stroking from light to firm, making the touch feel more like a caress. I roll over and pout at him. My face is undoubtedly flushed and messy, eyes wet with tears of laughter but the resulting bleed over of arousal and affection that I get from the Doctor in response is gratifying none the less.
He leans down, hand coming up to cup my jaw. The kiss is soft, exploratory, until he does something with his tongue that makes me moan in response. Then the Doctor surges forward, dominating the kiss. His hand at my neck allows him to change the angle just as he likes. It's…electric.
When he pulls away, I lean up to follow him. I manage to coax a few more kisses from him, before the Doctor pulls back successfully this time.
"Mabel." The Doctor murmurs.
I hum in response, noting with displeasure that at some point the Doctor seems to have gotten dressed.
He notices my gaze, of course he does, and laughs. "I was up after three hours dear, you slept for twelve."
"Twelve?" I grimace. "No wonder I feel so foggy still."
"You needed it." The Doctor comments. "I could feel how exhausted you were."
I aim a somewhat pointed look in his direction. "If I needed so much sleep why didn't you let me wake up naturally?"
A rueful smile is my response. "I made you breakfast?" He offers.
"Breakfast huh?" That sounds wonderful.
"Of course!" The Doctor smirks, tapping me on the nose. "One must spoil their partner every now and again."
I smile, feeling touched at the gesture. Hopefully I get to stay here for a while. It's been nothing but jumping around and I desperately need some kind of substance to keep me going.
His smirk flows into something gentler. Waiting until I get up off the bed, he gallantly offers me his arm, almost tripping he bends over so far. I stifle a laugh and take his arm anyways.
In short order, I'm bustled into the kitchen and sat in front of a mouthwatering omelet the size of my plate and some peanut butter toast. A glass of cold milk follows soon after, and the Doctor sits down beside me looking pleased with himself.
I smile, a secret little thing, fond and touched in equal measure. The Doctor is taking care of me. Making sure I sleep and eat.
Spontaneously, I lean over and kiss him. Thoroughly, and completely. Then I busy myself with eating the food he made me, ignoring the dumbfounded look on his face.
The Doctor's mouth flaps open and closed, a blush blooming across the bridge of his nose. "What was that for?"
"For taking care of me." I respond. "For being a good…partner."
"Braveheart Mabel." He says, blush fading as his attention focuses on me. His expression is intense "Are you done running now?"
I hold back the blasé response that wants to fall out of my mouth and actually think about it. I've been jumping from place to place without ever sitting down and hashing out just what the Doctor is to me. The Doctor himself has been letting me dictate the pace, going as far as I'll let him and pulling back when it's clear I'm not ready for something.
"I can't promise that I won't run for a little bit longer." I start, words coming out slowly. "But I'm going to attempt not to."
The Doctor hums. There is no expectation on his face, just understanding.
Smiling, I lean over to kiss him again. This time, he doesn't look confused, or startled. There is no resulting blush on his face. Only the self-assurance of a man who has kissed the same person many times before.
He pulls away, shooing me towards my plate. Taking the hint, I finish the meal he was sweet enough to make for me.
"So what's on the agenda for today?" I ask, leaning back in my seat.
"Nothing." The Doctor replies.
That throws me for a loop. "Huh?"
Sighing in exasperation, he focuses on me. "Mabel, you just slept for 12 hours and then ate half of your body weight in eggs. You've clearly been pushing yourself. Today is a rest day."
I frown. "But-"
"Nope." The Doctor cuts me off, raising a hand to stop the words I try to say next. "No complaining. Today is a day for Mabel."
My frown falls into a pout, and the Doctor beams because he can feel the fact I'm giving in. Doesn't mean I can't grumble though. "What kind of day is a Mabel day? It sounds ridiculous."
"Ahh, what's the use of being an adult if you can't be ridiculous sometimes?" He responds.
A scoff comes from the kitchen door. "You just said that cause you are ridiculous all the time." Amy tells him.
The Doctor hums. "And why can't both of those reasons be true?"
Rory laughs, nudging Amy aside so he can come inside the kitchen as well. The Doctor gestures towards the counter, where a plate of scrambled eggs is waiting. There is also a bag of bread out that's more than ready to be toasted. Amy and Rory murmur their thanks and then busy themselves with making a plate of their own.
I turn back towards the Doctor. "Are you not going to eat?"
"I ate when I woke up, I don't need more food now." He murmurs back, picking up my hand and placing a kiss on it. He doesn't let go after that, just threads our fingers back together as he sets it down.
I look at our hands, blush blooming across the bridge of my nose. He's being very casually touchy today and I'm starting to get to the point where I don't quite know what to do with it. I promised though, that I'd try to not run away anymore. It's not as though I don't like it, I do. It's just that I'm still not used to this kind of casual intimacy.
A glance in his direction shows that he's very carefully not looking in my direction, though the small tilt in my lips tells me that he's at least somewhat aware of what's going through my head right now.
"What's this?" Amy asks in a teasing way, sitting down with a plate of food. Rory sits down next to her with his own. "Is that a blush I see?"
Which only causes my cheeks to get redder. "Shut up, Pond." I mutter. Though I make it a point to not let go of his hand.
"What?" The response is said with glee. "You are, look Rory she's blushing fire engine red."
Rory smiles, just a little, before turning towards Amy. "I think that's enough Amy."
Amy pouts. "But she's so fun to tease when she's young."
"I still older than you are at this point in time." I retort, raising an eyebrow. All I get in response to that is a cheeky grin.
My blush fades slowly as I get used to the feeling. I lean back against the Doctor, just enjoying the flow of chatter around the table.
Amy and Rory finish their own meal, then after discovering that today will be a slow day, head off to go find the swimming pool. I'm not feeling swimming right now, and after Rory almost drowned yesterday I'm not quite sure how they are either but to each their own. I head off in the direction of the library instead, the Doctor following along and rambling about one thing or another.
It does indeed end up being a slow day. Full of good books and cuddles. Though I still have the persistent nagging feeling I'm going to jump away as soon as I relax.
Fortunately, it seems like I'm lucky today. I don't jump, and I don't jump the next day, or the next.
I actually get to stay for several weeks. After jumping around so much, I guess my energy was a little worn out. At least that was the explanation that the Doctor gave me when I expressed my confusion.
I definitely wasn't going to complain.
Bekka G – I'm glad you liked it!
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