"Thanks, Loraine," I picked up my paperwork from the hospital desk.
"No problem. That's 10 hours of community service for you," the blonde woman on the other side of the desk replied with a grin, "You can definitely go home now."
"Uh...I don't think so. I'd like to continue for a few more days...these patients need some company," I smiled as I skimmed through the papers just to double check that everything was fine. Last thing I needed was for one stupid error to ruin all the hours I had accumulated. "Some very specific pateints indeed..."
"Oh, aren't you sweet," Loraine sat back down in her seat, "Well, go ahead then. You know Mr. Stoker loves having you around. "
"Yeah, to shame his medical students," I looked up, serious. I didn't quite like that man. "Although I have to admit some of the things I know is like so elementary; it's a crime for them not to know."
Loraine laughed as I gathered the rest of my papers off the counter. "Well, go and shame them some more!"
I smiled and went on my way, greeting a few of the other workers along with some patients. I turned for a new corridor, up to where I saw the medical students crowding around a patient, with Mr. Stoker at the head. I wondered what torture the man had come up with for his medical students today.
"Need help?" I walked up to them, sweet grin on my face. I found people were rather fond of my "sweet" smiles and grins. It probably wasn't good to lie but it sure got the Doctor and I out of trouble when we really needed it. And he needed it more than I did. My mouth wasn't nearly as big as his.
"Ah, Miss Souza. We could always use your expertise," Mr Stoker nodded happily, gesturing for me to come closer.
"Nonsense, I can't know more than your brilliant students here," I squeezed through the students until I walked up beside the patient's bed, "Although, I have to say, one of you missed an important detail in Miss Carolina's chart. She'll be going home by tonight. Gotta be careful, guys."
"Excellent," Stoker clapped, "See? This is what you should strive to be," he looked to the students, "I don't know why Miss Souza didn't decide to become a doctor. She has all the makings."
I smiled softly, "It's not my calling. I'm perfectly fine being a volunteer. The patients are intriguing..." I glanced down to a not-so-human-patient beside me, "I like speaking to them."
"Well, the least you could do is oversee my students in their work," Stoker gestured.
I nodded, "I'm all ears."
"Here we have John Smith who was admitted yesterday with severe abdominal pains. How are you today, Mr. Smith?"
"Aw, not so bad, still a bit...you know. Blah," the Doctor shrugged.
"Jones, why don't you see what you could find?" Stoker instructed a dark-skinned young woman to come up. "Amaze me."
Out of everyone, I firmly believed that Martha Jones was the bravest of the students. Everyone else seemed kind of squeaky, especially when it came to Mr. Stoker. I watched as she approached the Doctor's side with her stethoscope in hand.
"That wasn't very clever, running around outside, was it?" she asked the Doctor with a light smile, giving the impression that she already met the Doctor. I frowned. That had to be a mistake. At least the Doctor seemed as confused as I was.
"I'm sorry?"
"On Chancery Street this morning. You came up to me and took your tie off."
My frown had slowly turned into a scowl that was directed at the Doctor. I didn't have to actually say anything for him to know that if he'd wandered off without telling me...
He gave me a look expressively saying that did not happen.
It better had not.
"What did I do that for?" the Doctor asked Martha afterwards, probably to keep the conversation going.
"I don't know, you just did," Martha shrugged. She didn't seem like a liar either which only further puzzled the Doctor and I.
"Not me. I was here, in bed. Ask the nurses. Ask that one," he pointed a thumb at me.
"Yeah, he talked my ears off for three straight hours," I commented, making several of the students - including Martha - chuckle. The Doctor didn't look so amused with me.
Martha shook her head once she sobered from her laugh. "That's weird...cause it looked like you. Have you got a brother?"
"No, not any more. Just me." It sounded so easy the way the Doctor would say things like that. Sometimes I wondered if he was even telling the truth. I figured with how old he was, sometimes things just slipped from that big brain of his. Of course I didn't have the courage to ask him stuff about his family. We'd only just started officially travelling together.
"As time passes and I grow even more infirm and weary, Miss Jones," Stoker crossed his arms, awaiting for Martha to finally finish.
"Sorry, right," Martha placed her stethoscope on the Doctor's chest. She grew confused as she passed it to his other heart. The Doctor only winked at her.
That smug little alien. I had to bring a hand to my mouth because if not, I probably would've laughed there and then. If it had been anyone else instead of Martha, I was sure they would've fainted...or squeaked. But all Martha did was stare at the Doctor and then her stethoscope. She must have been wondering if something was wrong with her expensive tool.
"I weep for further generations," Stoker shook his head, startling Martha, "Are you having trouble locating the heart, Miss Jones?"
"Um...I don't know. Stomach cramps?"
"That is a symptom and not a diagnosis. And you rather fail basic techniques by not consulting first with the patient's chart," he picked up the chart but dropped it on account of an electric shock.
"That happened to me this morning," Martha pointed.
"I had the same thing on the door handle," another student added.
"And me, on the lift."
"Well, there's probably a thunderstorm moving in," I offered, seeing them become alarmed.
"Yes and lightning is a form of static electricity," Stoker added, "As was first proven by...anyone?"
"Benjamin Franklin," the Doctor replied.
"Correct!"
"My mate Ben, that was a day and a half," the Doctor gave a shake of his head as he started on another of his stories. That'd been what he talked about with me over the past few days, his past travels. And they were kind of good. "I got rope burns off that kite, and then I got soaked..."
"Quite..." Stoker said, confused. He must have thought there was a delirious diagnosis they missed.
"And then I got electrocuted," the Doctor finished. He looked around, content with his story. I shook my head when he looked my way. One thing I've learned in these past few months is the man does not know when to stop talking.
"Moving on now..." Stoker backed away and gestured for his students to follow, "Miss Souza, will you accompany us?"
"Uh, no...I think I'll stay here and oversee these patients," I replied, setting my papers on the bedside table.
"Very well," he nodded and led his students away.
Once they were out of hearing shot, I whacked the Doctor with a strong might on his arm, "Are you serious!?"
"Ow, hey, you know you're actually stronger than you look right?" he frowned, rubbing his arm, "I learned that the hard way," he mumbled, moving to rub the back of his head as he remembered the big old smack I gave him just last week after he belittled my school's educational system. Apparently the human education system was primitive in comparison to his old "academy"...whatever that was anyways. Point was, I did not stand for it.
Again, he did not know when to stop talking. And so now, he learned I wasn't just a frail little human girl.
"'My mate Ben...I got rope burns off that kite, and then I got soaked. And then I got electrocuted," I imitated him before whacking his arm again, "News flash, regular people in this time are not friends with Benjamin Franklin!"
"I can't help it! It slips sometimes!" he defended him as he rubbed his arm again, "And can you quit with the hitting?"
"Human too strong for big, bad Time Lord?" I raised an eyebrow, pulling the chair nearby and moving it beside the bed.
He sighed, "How was your day?"
I rolled my eyes, a hint of a smile creeping up on my face, "It was fine. I woke up, checked the TARDIS and it was fine."
"You didn't take her anywhere did you?" he raised an eyebrow, suspicious of my lonely nights in the box of wonders.
Since he was stuck in the hospital all day and night, I was left with the TARDIS at night. When we first made the arrangements, the Doctor had been truly worried that I'd be scared to stay inside on my own. It was touching that he cared but I had to remind him that I'd been on my own for quite a while now. Years worth. And truthfully, I didn't think there was a safe place than the TARDIS. Plus, I had adventures of my own inside the box. I was finally discovering all the rooms it and I couldn't be more enthralled with it!
"I don't even know how to fly her," I reminded, easing his doubts, "But I gotta say, I don't like the idea of you spending the nights here on your own."
"Worried?" he teased, smirking.
"Yeah, for the other patients," I crossed my arms and took pleasure seeing that smirk drop from his face. "You're not exactly the careful one. You're a walking a disaster."
"Thanks," he rolled his eyes.
"You're welcome," I said, looking around and seeing Martha studying up another patient. I stood up and started towards her but I stopped after only a few steps. With a sigh, I kept myself in my spot and just watched.
"Something on your mind?" the Doctor asked after a moment of silence.
"I made a friend, that one over there, Martha Jones," I pointed discreetly, "She's bloody brilliant in the profession."
"You've spoken then?"
I nodded, turning back and coming to pick up a folder from the table, "I got my hands on special x-rays because of her," I held one of them up high and smiled, "This hospitals is wonders."
"Glad to see someone's having fun in all this."
I glanced at him, lowering the paper, "Well, I've got to do something while you're in here. Making a friend and learning is just my right combination. Plus...I really did have to do community service. High school is lovely," I shook my head.
He picked up my school folder from the table and took a glimpse at the papers, "Two more years, right? Sorry about that."
Now that he knew I was a year behind because of him, it seemed his guilt had risen as well. I kept telling him it was alright, that'd I continue catching up as I had been for some time...but it still got to him.
"Why do none of these school reports have any mention of your parents?" he suddenly asked, looking up from the papers.
"Not important," I snatched them from him, growing serious.
He raised an eyebrow, "Now I'm thinking it is important."
"It's not."
"You know, we still need to go and see them. I promised Jackie I would take you."
"Later..." I turned around, "Much...much later..."
"Still not ready?"
"No," I shook my head.
While I had managed to tell the Doctor a good part of myself, I was still holding back the biggest guilt I carried since I was thirteen. I just couldn't get my mouth to speak those words. And I tried, believe me, but I felt that fear of rejection and I just couldn't. I knew that worried him but as long as he was able to keep a close eye on me, he was alright. I tended to become what one might say "depressed" when I really got to think about it, and he was concerned I'd try something stupid. I never really had done anything so I didn't understand why he was so edgy. But that was one thing I also learned about him, he tended to become a bit overprotective, as he once was with Rose. I admitted it did feel nice to finally be a part of that, it gave me a funny feeling...
"Minerva?" he called, giving me that look over when he thought I was entering that phase.
"I'm fine," I waved him off, "Just please don't make go back to them."
"I won't," he assured, eyeing me cautiously, "Just calm down."
I plopped down beside him, "I'm so sorry. I don't know what happens to me, but I just get so-"
"Frantic?"
"...maybe."
"Why does it happen? You're afraid, that I get, but is it really that much?"
"My mother terrifies me," I confessed, almost shuddering at the idea of seeing her again. "My father...while not the best, was still less scary. If I go face to face with them, I won't be able to handle it. And whenever I think of that, that moment we meet again, I panic..."
And I knew he thought that wasn't okay, not just to be afraid of your parents, but health-wise. Ever since Canary Wharf, we started traveling together and consequently, getting to know each other. Unfortunately, he seemed to have picked up one some of my "unhealthy" emotions and personality traits. But, he didn't seem to want to tell me what exactly those unhealthy traits were from, or why they happened. I just knew they stemmed from my parents...and that fatal day.
"You shouldn't though," he placed a hand over mine, "It's like I told you a while back, it's never your fault. Do what you do, say what you say, it can't be."
"I wish my parents were like that..."
"If they aren't, I can always try and convince them."
I smiled at his offer, taking my hand back and shaking my head, "I think my mom would chew your head off if you tell her she's 'wrong'."
"Oh, she's that kind of person, huh?"
"Like what?"
"She's your mum," he looked away, making a face, "It's best not to say it."
"Oi!" I whacked his arm, "I know she's my mom so I pretty much know what you're going to say. And yes, she is that kind of person. Whatever she says, it's right. Whatever she does is right. I'm always wrong."
"Even when it's about her own daughter. Are you sure you're not adopted?" he asked jokingly, raising an eyebrow as he pondered, "Maybe your real parents are more understanding..."
"I'm pretty sure I'm not adopted," I chuckled.
"Mm, well, worth a shot!"
I stood up, still shaking my head, trying to seem disapproving but my smile was canceling it out. "I'm going to go see if I can talk to Martha."
"Make a new friend, you know, one that's not an alien," he whispered, "Maybe it'll do you some good."
"Yeah," I pretended to consider it, "Maybe it would be good for a human to have a human friend. I wouldn't have to deal with a pompous alien who thinks he's all top-shot," I smirked as he scowled at the words.
"Wha - I don't think I'm a top shot!"
"Of course not, I am," my smirk widened as I backed away.
"Minerva!"
I laughed, though it was cut short when the building started shaking. Fear quickly rushed through my body as I struggled to stay on my feet. "Doctor!" I tried reaching fro the foot of his bed but instead I fell forwards. I'm pretty sure I heard his body land with a thud somewhere else.
The building continued to shake for several minutes in which chaos promptly set in. Patients screamed as they toppled off their beds or fell from standing up. Desks and bed-stands were knocked over, pulling some of the curtain-dividers in the process. No one was left standing when the shaking finally stopped. Despite everything being still, I was afraid to move for the first couple of minutes. It wasn't until the Doctor found me that I finally stood up, and that was, again, only because he helped me.
"What-what just happened?" I clung to his arm until I gathered my bearings. Things might have still been spinning in my eyes.
"Are you okay?" he slowly let me go when he was sure that I was able to stand on my own. Once my eyes could see clearly, they widened. Everything was dark outside. "Minerva? Are you okay~?"
"Yeah, but Doctor, it was day-time..." I pointed a shaky finger towards the window yet when he looked back he didn't seem so surprised.
"Yeah, this is where it starts," he walked me out of his 'room'. "Now stay here!" He instructed before going back and shutting the curtains around the room to change.
I forgot about his one instruction and turned for the windows again. I saw Martha and another student inching closer to them. By this point, almost everyone had realized the big environment change and started panicking. People rushed past me, some of them pushing me a bit. I started pushed my way through until I could reach the windows.
The sight nearly took my breath away.
There was no more sun and light. Space was all around us in all its dark, starry glory. My eyes lowered to the ground where the moon craters were. I touched the glass and realized it wasn't as cold as it was supposed to be. Something is helping us stay alive, I realized.
"Oh my god we're on the moon..." Martha was as breathless as I would be if I was talking, if I could talk.
"But we can't be!" the student beside Martha shook her head frantically.
She was one of the squeaky ones.
"But look where we are," Martha said, far more calm than her friend. "It's got to be real."
"It is," I nodded at her. She wasn't squeaky at all. "And do you know the funny thing?" both students turned to me, awaiting for the answer with curiosity, "We're still breathing. How and, most importantly, why?"
"What do you mean why!?" Martha's friend exclaimed, almost bursting into sobs right there and then.
"It means we're wanted alive...which is good for the moment," I tried to say for her sake but she didn't calm down.
"She's right," Martha agreed, nodding, "If we were wanted dead, the air would've been sucked out the moment we appeared on the moon. And yet, here we are."
"Very good points you two," the Doctor appeared behind us and promptly thumped the back of my head.
"Ow!"
"I thought I told you to stay with me!"
"You wanted me to stay by your bed while you changed when this-" I made a gesture at the window, "-was the sight!? C'mon!" He rolled his eyes in return. "And can I just ask...what is going on with your hair?"
It was hilarious how fast his hand flung to his hair. Sometimes I couldn't tell what the Doctor loved more: the TARDIS or his hair.
"There's something wrong with your hair," I giggled.
Both his hands flung to his hair now, fully alarmed,. "What? Why? How does it look?"
"This is what happens when you don't spend like two hours on it each morning, huh?"
"I do not spend two hours!"
"Three?"
"Minerva!" he half-shouted, and content, I turned to the window.
"So anyways, big picture here, Martha?" I glanced at her, seeing she was still looking between the Doctor and I, "Is something wrong?"
"N-no, I suppose not..."
The Doctor walked up to the window, attempting to get into business mode but there was still one hand pressing the back of his head. "How are we still breathing?"
"But we can't be!" the other student still cried out.
"We are," I snapped, making her turn to me, "Don't waste time by denying the facts, please."
"Have we got a balcony on this floor or a veranda...or...anything really?" the Doctor asked Martha, trying to remember her name no doubt. He hadn't made friends with anyone in the building unlike me...
"It's Martha," I reminded.
"Martha, yes," he nodded his head, "...Jo...J..."
"Jones," I mumbled.
"Jones! Martha Jones! How about that balcony or something?"
"By the patients' lounge," she replied, looking a bit amused with the two of us.
"Good, let's go!" he pulled me forwards.
"Wait!" Martha called, "I'll go with you!"
"You could die," the Doctor looked back with a warning expression. It didn't seem to deter Martha one bit.
"We might not."
"Excellent! Let's go!" I exclaimed, excited to have her around for this bit.
We ran down the hallways until we reached the balcony doors which were shut. We took a deep breath before the Doctor opened the doors and we stepped out.
"What do you know, we've got air!" I said, happily looking around.
"But how does that work?" Martha asked in awe.
"Just be glad it does," the Doctor looked out ahead, seriously.
Martha stared out, her eyes looking from one thing to the other, "I've got a party tonight. It's my brother's twenty-first. My mother's going to be really, really..."
I glanced at her when she trailed off. Her eyes had only slightly un-widened but they were still flickering pretty fast. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah..."
"Are you sure?"
"We could go back inside," the Doctor offered.
"No way," she quickly shook her head, "I mean, we could die any minute but all the same...it's beautiful."
"You think so?"
"How many people want to go to the moon? And here we are!"
"Standing in the earth light," I sighed, looking to our beautiful planet across us.
"What do you think happened?" Martha asked.
"What do you think?" the Doctor challenged.
"Extraterrestrial," she didn't hesitate to answer. "It's got to be. A few years ago that would've sounded crazy but in these days?" She laughed softly, "That spaceship flying into Big Ben, Christmas, those Cybermen things. The battle at Canary Wharf...that's how we lost my cousin, Adeola."
"I'm sorry," I said, sadly, remembering the scene of her death. Truthfully, I had nightmares of that day, once in a while, that'd wake me up from my sleep.
"We were there. In the battle," the Doctor said, "Sorry."
"I promise you, Mr. Smith, we'll find a way out," Martha glanced at us, "And you, Minerva. If we traveled to the moon then we can travel back. There's got to be a way!"
"It's not Smith," the Doctor corrected, "It's not my real name."
"Then who are you?"
"I'm the Doctor."
"Me too, if I can pass my exams," she smiled, "What is it then, Doctor Smith?"
"Just the Doctor."
Martha stopped and considered it, "How do you mean, just the Doctor," she looked back at me and I nodded, "But...so people just call you 'the Doctor'?"
"Uh, yeah," the Doctor nodded, a small smile on his face.
"Well, I'm not. As far as I'm concerned, you've got to earn that title."
"Well, I'd better start then. Let's have a look," he picked up a pebble and threw it out, "There must be some sort of force field keeping the air in."
"But that means the one we've got is limited supply..." I looked over, "What would happen when we run out?"
"You're pretty clever, think you know the answer to it."
"We're all gonna suffocate," I declared before panicking, "But who would do that?"
"Heads up! Ask them yourself!" the Doctor pointed to a couple of ships landing in front of the hospital.
"Aliens. That's aliens. Real, proper aliens," Martha gasped as we watched the armed aliens march towards us.
"Judoon," the Doctor stated.
"Aren't those like...the galactic police?" I inquired. I remembered one of his stories included aliens with that name.
"Hm, you actually do listen," he said with a sarcastic surprised tone.
I smirked, "Well, not all your rambles are useless. Some are actually educational."
"Hm. Let's go!"
He led the way back into the hospital. We walked for the main floor but then hid on the mezzanine level instead, behind a few potted plants, when the 'Judoon' started making their way in. People were going even more frantic now.
"Oh, look! You've got a little shop! I like a little shop!" the Doctor exclaimed, excitedly.
"Not now!" I scolded, recalling his ridiculous likes of little shops from New Earth. "People are literally scared to death here!"
"So these 'judoon', what are they doing?" Martha asked, "Did they bring us to the moon?"
"Neutral territory," the Doctor replied, finally tearing his eyes from the shop, "According to galactic law, they've got no jurisdiction over the earth and they isolated us. That rain? Lightning? That was them, using an H2O scoop."
"Galactic law?" Martha tried understanding, "Where'd you get that from? If they're police, are we under arrest? Are we trespassing on the moon or something?"
"I think they're just looking for something," I pointed, "See? They're marking people with a 'human' sign and since they keep going they obviously don't want something human soo..." I trailed off, glancing at the Doctor, "Bad day for you."
"Why?" Martha asked, receiving a look from the Doctor, waiting for her to make the calculations, "Oh you're kidding me...don't be ridiculous. And what are you then?" she pointed at me, "Alien too?"
"No, didn't you just hear me? I said bad day for him not me," I pointed to the Doctor, "I'm as human as they come."
The Doctor wasn't pleased and stood up, Martha and I following him until we entered an office. While he worked on a computer, we kept an eye on the Judoon that were searching the lower levels.
"They've reached the third floor!" I exclaimed.
"What's that thing?" Martha asked. I looked back and saw him using the sonic on the computer.
"Sonic screwdriver," the Doctor replied without even looking up.
"Well if you're not going to answer me properly!"
"No really, it is. It's a screwdriver and it's sonic. Look."
"What else have you got? A laser spanner?"
"I did. But it was stolen by Emily Pankhurst, cheeky woman," he muttered before hitting the computer. "Oh this computer! The Judoon must have locked it down. Judoon platoon upon the moon. This is your fault!" he pointed at me with a violent finger.
My eyes widened indignantly. "Me!? What did I do!?"
"You had to go and volunteer!"
"I needed the service for school!" I countered, marching up to him, "We can't all live in a stupid box!"
"Oi! Don't diss the box!"
"Then don't accuse me for alien trouble, Martian!"
"Don't call me that!" he pointed again and I felt so tempted to bite him but that might have been described as childish. "If you hadn't volunteered, I'd never have noticed the plasma coils around the hospital!"
"If you don't get your finger out of my face, you're gonna lose it! God, you're an idiot!"
"Oi! You two done yet?" Martha called from the doorway, not amused. "This is not the time for your couple fights!"
"We're not together," I declared, looking back at her, "He's too much of an idiot for someone so clever like me." And I awaited the snap from said idiot.
The Doctor scoffed as he returned to the computer, "You wish you had someone like me!"
"Uh, no, his last name starts with a 'D' and ends with a 'iCaprio!"
"Seriously?" Martha called again, coming up to us and heaving a sigh, "Can someone just tell me what those things are looking for?"
"Something that looks human but isn't," the Doctor replied in a mutter.
"Like you?"
"Like me. But not me."
"Has to be a shape changer if they're categorizing each and every one of us," I pointed out.
"Well...can't we just leave the Judoon to find it?" Martha asked.
"No. They'd declare the hospital guilty of harboring a fugitive, they'll sentence it to execution," the Doctor answered.
"All of us?" I blinked, "But that's..."
"If I can find this thing first...Oh! Just that they're thick! The Judoon are thick!" he exclaimed, throwing his head back, "The Judoon wiped the records! Oh that's clever."
"Okay, what exactly are we looking for?" Martha asked, trying to keep up.
"Any patient admitted in the past week with unusual symptoms."
"Maybe there's a backup or something. Hospitals usually have them," I suggested.
"I'll go ask Mr. Stoker! He would know!" Martha exclaimed before running out of the room.
"DiCaprio? Seriously?" the Doctor looked up when it was just us two. He seemed at a cross between offence and amusement. "I didn't peg you for one of his fans."
"Have you seen Titanic? He was a genius! And good looking," I leaned against the desk and I'm sure a dream smile had to have taken place on my face. "Don't think you can offer me something better than that, right?"
"Mm," I shrugged.,"Can you offer me better?"
He scoffed and loudly, "Time Lord."
"Is that supposed to mean something?" I turned around to face him.
"Lots, actually!"
"Sounds more like a deal breaker to me!"
Now a true offence had cross his face. "Minerva!"
"Oh get to work, Martian," I gestured to the computer, "You can come up with flirts later."
"Don't call me Martian," he muttered before resuming his work.
I took to heart what I said about liking the 'Martian' nickname Donna had used. I branded him with it ever since and it couldn't be more amusing to watch him get so irritated at it. These months had served well to get to know each other, and it also helped us to get at each other's necks. Example, I for one, liked pears and would like to have one again...but he hated them. Minerva doesn't get pears anymore. He, on the other hand, I discovered, was very impatient. And now that he knew I drew, I asked him if I could sketch him once. The man lasted five minutes before he jumped out of his chair.
But even throughout learning the bad sides of each other, we still grew closer...and apparently, to others, we "flirted". And from a different perspective, like Martha's to say, I could see where they would think that. I theorized it was due to the Doctor's guilt of ignoring me. As soon as we started traveling after Canary Wharf, he took me to so many places where he asked every possible question about me, and I to him. We'd gotten close, inevitably, and somehow entered that phase of our relationship, flirts. But it was harmless, all harmless flirting.
"Restored it!" the Doctor exclaimed, snapping me out my thoughts.
"To Martha we go!" I ran out of the room first.
"You've take a liking to her, huh?"
I nodded, "Yeah, I'm telling you, she's so nice! Possibly a good friend if I had the chance to get to know her."
On turning a corridor, we bumped into Martha herself.
"I found her!" she cried, out of breath from an apparent run she'd done. "She's over..."
"Doctor, what is that?" I pointed to the black suited figures coming up behind Martha.
"Run, run, run!" the Doctor pushed Martha and I down the hallway.
We ran down the stairs but came across the Judoon and turned the other way. We ran inside the Radiology room and slammed the door as if it would actually do something. The Doctor ushered us into another room towards the end, behind a window that would protect people during exams.
"When I say 'now', press the button," the Doctor ordered.
"There's many buttons here!" Martha cried.
"Figure it out!"
"Gee, you're so helpful!" I snapped before rushing to a bookshelf in search of a manual. I found it in a matter of minutes and together, Martha and I figured out how to basically turn it on.
"Now!" The Doctor ordered.
Together, Martha and I pressed the big, yellow button when the leather-clad figure emerged into the room. It received a mass amount of radiation before falling face-down to the floor. Martha turned the machine off but neither of us moved out of protective cocoon.
"What exactly did you do?" I asked the Doctor.
"Increased the radiation by five thousand percent. Killed him dead."
"Wouldn't that kill you?"
"One thing you don't know about me: We used to play with roentgen bricks in the nursery," he declared with a grin that I suspected was more or less the same one he had when he would play with...those bricks.
"...right," I tucked some hair behind my ear. "When I was a kid, I used to play with bouncy balls but you...you would play with...radiology. Cool." His smirk expressed his belief that it was indeed 'cool'.
"You two are mad!" Martha exclaimed with a shake of her head.
"It's safe for you to come out, I've absorbed it all. All I need to do is expel it " And then, he started bouncing and hopping like crazy.
"Should I even ask what you're doing?" I stepped out with Martha but for safety reasons I kept us away.
"If I can concentrate I can shake the radiation in my body and move it into one spot. It's in my left shoe!" he pointed at the precise shoe. My head and Martha's just followed his bouncy moves while he hopped all around. "Out, out, out, out, out. Out, out, ah, ah, ah, ah. It is, it is, it is, it is, it is hot. Ah! Hold on." He stopped hopping, removed his shoe and threw it in a dustbin. "Done."
I possibly stared like an idiot but sometimes...he was just too much. It was in these moments that I would wonder what Rose used to do in these situations. Probably fawn over him. The sour thoughts would come to mind which would then make me push her and it all away.
"You're completely mad," Martha breathed in.
"Right. I look daft with one shoe," the Doctor took off his other shoe and threw it in the dustbin as well, "Barefoot on the moon!"
"Yes, because that was the problem," I nodded, crossing my arms. "Doctor!"
"What?" he genuinely asked. I had to laugh.
"So what is that thing?" Martha walked over to the corpse but I quickly pulled her away. Who knows what could leak from the corpse.
"It's just a Slab. Basic slave drones," the Doctor moved around the corpse. "Solid leather, all the way through. Someone has got one hell of a fetish."
"It came with that woman, Mrs. Finnegan," Martha said. "It was working for her like a servant."
"My sonic screwdriver," the Doctor suddenly remembered and rushed to the machine his sonic was sticking out from.
"She was one of the patients," I said to Martha once I remembered the old woman. "She was so sweet..."
"My sonic screwdriver!" the Doctor continued to whine behind us. I glanced back and saw the sonic had been more or less destroyed by his gimmick with the machines.
"She had a straw like some kind of vampire," Martha said.
"I loved my sonic screwdriver!"
I walked to the whining alien, silently took his 'screwdriver' from his hands and threw it away in the dustbin, "I'm sure the TARDIS can make you a brand new one. Can we focus, please?"
"Right, sorry," he quickly set himself up again.
"Doctor! Miss Finnegan is the alien!" Martha exclaimed.
He smiled at her and I assumed it wasn't because she'd basically figured out our culprit. "You called me 'Doctor'."
"Anyways," she obviously didn't want to admit that, "She was drinking Mr. Stoker's blood."
"Drinking blood?" I made a face and shuddered. "Are we dealing with vampires? Do vampires exist?"
"No," the Doctor pointed at me before exclaiming, "That's it! Shape changer remember? Internal shape changer. She wasn't drinking blood, she was assimilating it! If she can assimilate the blood, mimic the morphology then she can register as human! We've got to find her and show the Judoon!" He raced out of the room, leaving Martha and I to follow him into the corridors.
However, not three steps forwards we saw another Slab coming down. We retreated behind a water cooler until it passed.
"That's the thing about Slabs, they always travel in pairs," the Doctor whispered.
"What about you?" Martha asked, "Haven't you got back up or something?"
"Ooh humans," he shook his head, "We're stuck on the moon running out of air with Judoon and a bloodsucking criminal, you're asking personal questions. Come on."
"Humans?" Martha chuckled lightly, "I'm still not convinced you're an alien."
And as soon as we stepped out of our hiding place, a Judoon shined a blue light on the Doctor's face.
"Non-human," it concluded.
"Believe it now?" I mumbled to Martha who was wide-eyed with the shock.
"And again!" the Doctor exclaimed before we ran. We ran up the stairs and entered a new floor where people were gasping for air on the floor, "They've done this floor and with any luck, since Judoon are just a bit logical they won't be back."
We started walking but Martha stopped by her friend a few minutes later. To her credit, the squeaky student seemed less squeaky now and more serious.
"Where are we going now?" I asked the Doctor a few steps away from Martha.
"Stoker's office."
"Do you think we'll have sufficient time? Look at these people!" I pointed at the patients scattered down the hallway. None of them seemed to have strength left to keep walking. The air was thinning. "Pretty soon, Martha and I are human and unlike you we're gonna slow down..."
"We'll get it done before that happens," he assured, "Now c'mon, where's the office?"
"Over there," I pointed ahead as Martha re-joined us.
"Let's go then!"
And again, as usual, we ran. When we entered the office, there was no one there except for a dead Mr. Stoker.
"But she was here!" Martha said frantically.
The Doctor went to examine Stoker on the ground, "Drained him dry. Every last drop. I was right. She's a plasmavore."
"What's she doing on earth?" I raised an eyebrow. "And in a Hospital?"
"Hiding. On the run. But she's still not safe. The Judoon could execute us all," he stood up and we walked back out into the corridor, "If I was plasmavore surrounded by police, what would I do?"
"Find the non-human. Execute," We heard Judoon not far away.
"Where did she go, then?" I asked him, though he seemed to be come up short, "What would she need?"
"I...I don't know," he looked around, suddenly spotting the MRI room sign, "Ah, she's as clever as me...almost."
"What? What's she gonna do-"
A loud crash sound followed by the screams of the patients rang through the hallway, "They're coming!" I exclaimed, "Doctor, you gotta go and stop her before we're all dead. Martha and I will...distract, I don't know. How do you distract alien rhinos?" I glanced at them, seeing they were marching their way over.
"They're coming!" Martha shouted.
I panicked and shook the Doctor's arm. "Doctor, ideas!? This would be the perfect moment to use your big mouth!"
"Yeah, you might be right about that one," he said, though rather nervously. He took my hand off his arm and kept it in his own hand. "Did I ever get to the part about genetic transfers with you?"
"In your stories?" I made a face, hoping that would make it a clear 'no'. "Doctor, I'm sorry, but sometimes I just tuned you out!"
He rolled his eyes. "Okay, well, maybe you should have listened! Believe me when I say that I am so sorry for this but I trust you most."
"Oh, what are you on about now, Mar-"
I was just about to turn around when his hands flung to my face, pulling me forwards to his lips for a kiss. I made a funny noise as I couldn't exactly express my shock with my mouth. Of course after a few seconds I started to truly feel the press of his lips against mine and...and it was pretty nice. But just when my eyes closed, the Doctor pulled away.
"What...?" I blinked fast in an attempt to speed my brain back up.
The Doctor, to his credit, did seem like he was a bit dazed as well, but it dropped from his face seconds later to be replaced by a smugness no one could outmatch. "DiCaprio wouldn't have anything on me! But I'm sorry, Minerva, it was to save thousands of lives okay! I trusted you more!"
"No!" I shouted after the him when he rushed off. I hoped I had enough clear anger to make him realize his mistake. "I am 17, I have never been kissed before, and a stupid alien stole my first kiss!"
That made him freeze and look back. "Offensive," he pointed. "But, I will ignore it," he then turned around and continued on his way.
"He did not just do that," I muttered with balled fists as I watched him leave.
Martha moved beside me, now truly looking amused. "Hm, makes me wonder what you do when you are together."
"Shut up," I snapped, although there was a blush on my face for a moment. I shook my head in hope of getting rid of that. "We should just go."
Before she made another remark, I pulled her down a hallway and ran. It wasn't long before we met up with more Judoon.
"Halt," one of them grabbed Martha and shined its blue light on her, "Human."
"Now, listen," Martha said as they moved onto me, "We know who you're looking for. She's this woman. She calls herself Florence."
"Human," it concluded on me, "With non-human traits suspected. Non-human element confirmed. Authorize full scan."
My eyes widened, "Get away from me! I do not consent, you hear me!? I do not-"
But another Judoon moved behind me and grabbed my arms still. Another Juddon backed Martha up when they commenced their 'scan'.
"You gotta listen!" I cried. "We know who you're looking for! We can take you to them!"
The Judoon scanning me took my hand and made a cross just like Martha's, "Confirmed: Human. Traces of facial contact with non-human."
"Oh, tell me about it!" I huffed.
"Continue search," the Judoon handed me a piece of paper, "You will need this."
"What for?"
"Compensation."
"Oh give me a break!" I snatched the paper and chucked it to the side, "We know where the alien is! The MRI room!"
Martha and I shuffled our way out of the Judoon and ran for the MRI room, thankfully a couple other Judoon were headed that way from the other end of the hallway.
"Scan him! Confirmation: deceased," we heard as soon as we entered the room.
"What!?" I pushed myself inside and the Doctor lying on the ground unconscious. "Doctor! Hey!"
"Stop," the Judoon ordered. "Case closed."
"But it was her!" Martha pointed at the old lady in front of us who couldn't look more triumphant. "She did it! She murdered him."
"The Judoon have no authority over human crime."
"But she's not human!" I yelled angrily, dropping to my knees beside the Doctor, "C'mon Martian, wake up."
"We're telling you, she's not human!" Martha insisted.
"Oh, but I am," Mrs. Finnegan raised her hand, showing off the 'X' that branded as humans, "I've been cataloged."
"No you're not!" I shouted, "You assim..." I paused, glancing at Martha who quickly understood, "She drank his blood...she drank the Doctor's blood and do you know what happens after that?"
"I get to do this!" Martha snatched one of the Judoon's scanners and pointed it at Finnegan.
"Oh, I don't mind. Scan all you like."
"Non-human," the Judoon declared.
"But, what?" Finnegan repeated, utterly confused.
"Confirm analysis."
"Oh, but it's a mistake, surely. I'm human. I'm as human as they come!"
"He did this on purpose," I spat, "You drank his blood and now you're caught."
"Confirmed: Plasmavore. I charge you with the crime of murdering the princess of Patrival Regency Nine."
"She deserved it!" Finnegan snapped, "Those pink cheeks and those blond curls and that simpering voice. She was begging for the bite of a plasmavore."
"Do you confess?" the Judoon questioned.
"Confess? I'm proud of it! Slab, stop them!"
And sure enough, one of them did but the Judoon easily disintegrated it with its own shoot.
"Verdict: guilty. Sentence: execution."
"Enjoy your victory, Judoon, because you're going to burn with me. In hell!" Finnegan smirked. The Judoon disintgrated her as well.
"Case closed."
"What did she mean, 'burn with me'?" Martha asked just as an alarm came off the radiology machines. "That scanner shouldn't be doing that. She's done something."
"Scans detect lethal acceleration of monomagnetic pulse."
"Do something!"
"Our jurisdiction has ended. Judoon will evacuate."
"Minerva! Do something!" Martha cried.
"I...I don't know," I looked around, "I...I really don't. I can't think straight! Doctor, wake up!" I shook him but the damn Martian wouldn't move.
"All units withdraw." And all the Judoon left like that, like they weren't at fault for all this chaos!
"We're gonna run out of air!" Martha knelt down beside the Doctor and I, "Can I?"
I nodded and stood up, watching her work on his hearts till I started becoming dizzy. The air was definitely thinning now.
"One, two, three, four, five. One, two, three, four, five!" Martha began CPR with all her force that was surely fleeting. "Two hearts! One, two, three, four, five! One, two, three, four, five!"
"Oh..." I put a hand to my head, feeling even dizzier. "Martha, the air..." I knelt down again but even that did no good.
"I know!" Martha coughed, her CPR movements slowing down as well. "One, two...three, four...five."
Little by little, my body crumpled on the ground. My vision started blurring but I could still see Martha's figure doing CPR. "Maybe...a nap..." I mumbled when my head fell against the cold floor. I heard the Doctor's sharp gasp when he came back to life, but everything was just a mesh of colors in my eyes.
"The...the scanner..." Martha began to say with a ragged breathing, "She did something..."
The last thing I saw was the Doctor's bare feet moving around the room before everything went dark.
~0~
"You missed it, Minerva! It was raining on the moon!" the Doctor exclaimed as he handed me a glass of water. The loss of air did nothing for him, clearly. He was all over the place just like usual!
With a weak smile, I nodded and took a sip of my water, "Must have been nice."
I sat on the seat of the console room, letting the Doctor continue his ramble about the rain on the moon. Frankly, I was bit more concerned of Martha's whereabouts. I don't remember how I ended up back on the TARDIS, but I assumed the Doctor had saved her as well. But, I had a another idea that was sparking in my brain and I had to put it into action.
"Doctor, can we go back to Martha?" I asked, stopping him in the middle of his story.
"Martha?" he stopped and cocked his head. "What for?"
"She helped."
"And?"
"I just thought..." I grew slightly nervous, the idea of Martha being a possible replacement to him emerging in my head. She was definitely not that! She was wonderful!
"Minerva?"
"I was thinking...if that was alright I mean..." I tried getting all the words out from my mouth before I grew way too nervous, "...you could...um...bring Martha with us?" I thought he would immediately decline and say something about 'We just lost Rose' and 'It'd be replacing her' and blah, blah, blah, but he was quiet. He was actually thinking about it. I watched him think while he threw his new screwdriver in the air, catching it and throwing it.
"Okay," he stood straight after a few minutes and walked to the controls.
"What?" I blinked, not sure if I had heard right. Could it truly have been that easy?
"I said okay."
"Are...are you sure? You're not mad?"
"No, you're right. She did help us. The least I could do is bring her somewhere nice. And besides, I have a new screwdriver," he waved it.
"So we're bringing Martha?" I excitedly stood up from my seat.
He nodded, "Yeah. It'd be nice to have someone around, you're probably getting tired of my old gob."
"Just a little," I teased, finishing the last of my water.
"Very funny, now hang on," he instructed as he pulled the lever of the console.
Once to the designated spot, I literally dashed out the TARDIS, so excited to have Martha along.
"Minerva, wait up!" the poor alien rushed to catch up.
I rounded a corner, stopping when I saw Martha coming out of a party, her parents and siblings outside as well, along with a raging blonde. My smile faded as I realized they were all arguing.
"Oh, I'm never talking to your family again!" the blonde shouted and walked off.
"Oh, stay, have a night out with Clive!" Francine, Martha's mother called after her.
"Don't you dare. I'm putting my foot down," Clive, Martha's father, warned.
"You coming?" the blonde called back.
'This is me, putting my foot down..." and he followed her anyways.
"Doing it for the last twenty five years!" Francine exclaimed.
"Please," Clive pleaded.
"Clive, stop now!"
And the family disbanded, Tish after her mother, and Leo after their father. Martha was the only one left in the middle and I knew exactly how that felt. Martha was distraught, probably wondering where she'd gone wrong.
I swallowed hard and turned away, my excitement all gone and forgotten. "I don't want to see anymore," I mumbled and headed back for the TARDIS.
"What - Minerva!?" the Doctor hurried to catch up with me. "Hey! With those long legs of his, it didn't him long to catch up. He had his arm around my shoulders in ten seconds flat. "Hey, it's alright."
"No, it's not. I hate seeing families argue. And did you see Martha's face? I know that face," I shuddered a breath. "It's the face you make when you know it's your fault."
"Then we can go," he gestured to the box of wonders in front of us, "Name a place and we'll go. We'll forget about everything here and just go somewhere brilliant! How about an art museum? Vincent Van Gogh tickle your fancy?"
I smiled at his attempt to help me out, but there was somebody I didn't want us to forget. "What about Martha?"
"Do you really want her here that much?"
"Well, it would be nice, wouldn't it? Get our minds off things...you with...Rose. And me with...my own parents."
"Ahem," someone cleared their throat, making us turn around and see Martha standing across us. "Am I interrupting something?"
"No," I answered, shrugging the Doctor's arm off my shoulders. "You saw us?"
"Oh yeah," she nodded, walking up to us. "I went to the moon today."
"A bit more peaceful than down here," remarked the Doctor.
"You never even told me who you are..."
"The Doctor."
"And you know who I am," I reminded.
"But you never said you knew an alien," she smiled softly, gesturing to the one standing beside me.
"Well it's not something you go and blab about."
"But...what sort of species?" she looked at him, "She says she's human but what about you?"
"I'm a Time Lord."
"Right, not pompous at all then."
"Minerva and I thought, since you helped us today...you might fancy a trip."
"What, into space? I can't...I've um...got exams and things to do. I have to go into town first thing and pay the rent, I've got my family going mad..."
"It travels in time!" I offered, remembering how that had sweetened the deal with Rose and thought it could work again.
"Get out of here!" Martha backed up, her eyes giving the box of wonders a new look. "Really?"
"We can," the Doctor nodded.
"That's going too far!"
"I'll prove it to her," he said as he stepped inside the TARDIS.
I moved beside Martha and watched the TARDIS de-materialize. I laughed when Martha lost it at the disappearing box.
"N-n-no," she waved her hand where the box had been, "Is this...that's not..."
I pulled her back and watched the TARDIS reappear in its spot.
"Told you!" the Doctor stepped out with his tie in hand.
"But...that was this morning!" Martha exclaimed, "Oh my god! You can travel in time!"
The Doctor began putting on his tie again, looking at me, "I told you I didn't leave the hospital."
"For once, you didn't wander off," I smiled.
"But hold on, if you could see me this morning, why didn't you tell me not to go into work?" Martha questioned, "Could've saved me a lot of trouble."
"Crossing into established events in strictly forbidden," the Doctor explained, "Except for cheap tricks."
"And that's your spaceship?" she pointed to the TARDIS.
"It's called the TARDIS. Time and Relative Dimension in Space."
"But it's made out of wood...and there's not much room...I mean, you two are probably already squished or something..."
I chuckled lightly, "Not exactly."
The Doctor opened the doors for her, "Why don't you take a look?"
As she went in, we could hear her gasps. We entered behind her and watched her as she took everything in. Her eyes nearly bugged out when she saw the room, but her smile was everlasting.
And then it dropped. "Oh, no, no, no!" She raced out of the TARDIS just to make sure she was seeing correctly even if it defied all laws. "But it's just a box! But it's huge! How does it do that? It's just wood!" We heard her knocking against the TARDIS. "It's like a box with that room just crammed in! It's bigger on the inside!" She ran back inside and laughed, completely missing the Doctor mouthing the famous last line.
He gasped for dramatization, ignoring my mock-glare on him. "Is it? I hadn't noticed." He closed the doors and took off his coat, throwing it onto one of the rails.
"But is there a crew? Like a navigator and stuff? Where is everyone?"
"Just us," I replied.
"Just you two?" she raised an eye brow.
"We had a friend..." the Doctor said quietly, "Her name was Rose..."
"Where is she now?" Martha caught on the subject, seeing it a touchy one like Donna had.
"With her family. Happy. She's fine," the Doctor looked up, "Not that you are replacing her because you're not!"
Martha took it with a smile, "Never said I was."
"Good..." he nodded, "And just on trip to say 'thanks, you get one trip, then back home. We're good on our own."
I glanced at him, not really approving of this. That wasn't really part of the plan...
"Okay..." Martha nodded, "And I can choose? Anywhere I want? In time and space?"
I nodded, "Anywhere you want."
"Oh this is going to be fantastic!" She laughed lightly.
"Yes!" I clapped my hands, "But if you don't mind, could we start maybe a little later? I'm actually kind of hungry..."
"Me too," she quickly nodded, "With all the organizing and my family I don't think I've ate anything."
"I'll show you the kitchen!" I volunteered, moving for her, "Doctor? Would you like to accompany us?"
"No, thanks. I'm good."
"Okay," I shrugged, "We'll be back a little later."
~0~
We had planned on just a snack. Really. We had. But then...
"Pass me the brownies!" Martha pointed.
"What? You can't mix pasta with brownies!" I frowned, almost gagging at the idea. "That sounds disgusting!"
"It's not and hurry it up!" She laughed and tried reaching over. I slid the plate to her and watched her bite into a brownie, "Oh, now these are delicious!" she smiled, "You're a really good cook!"
"Thanks, probably the only thing I didn't learn on the road," I set my plate down on the floor. "Learned it right at home."
"Who taught you? You're mum?"
I scoffed, "Please, for her, dinner was a frozen meal you get from a liquor store."
"Dad?"
"Take out. My grandmother taught me..." I sighed, reminiscing all my lessons with my sweet grandmother, "She taught me everything I know."
"Good grandma," she nodded, biting again into her brownie.
I dove my fork into my pasta again, "Yeah...she is."
There was a knock by the threshold, making us both look up, "Uh, ladies?" the Doctor walked in, "Why are you on the floor when there's a perfectly good table right there?" He pointed at the table that was completely empty. Martha and I looked at each other and laughed, "I was being serious."
"We found it more comfortable," I replied, wiping my mouth from brownie crumbs.
"Gave us more free space," Martha gestured, "Can't you see we have a mini-buffet going on?"
"Uh...sort of?" he looked down to our plates.
"Want some?" I asked, "There's pasta and minty-fresh brownies."
"No, thanks."
"Oh c'mon, you have to have at least one," Martha held up a plate of brownies to him. "They're really good. And after a day like today, we all deserve something sweet."
"Okay," he grabbed one and took a bite, "Not bad."
"Minerva is such a good cook!"
"That she is," he agreed.
"Thank you both," I grabbed one as well and bit into it. They were pretty good if I say so myself.
"Minerva, I need your help for something," the Doctor said, "It's with the console. Think you can come with me just for a bit?"
"Uh, sure," I said, standing up, "Don't know much about spaceships though. Sure you want me for the job?"
"I just need an extra person. Won't take long," he gestured for me to go first.
"See you in a bit," I said to Martha then walked out, "So what's wrong with the console?"
"I can't exactly tell," he replied, "It's just making this weird sound..."
"Well, it's probably all that hammering you give it," I shook my head, smiling to myself. I was sure that if the TARDIS could actually talk, she would've yelled at the Doctor for hours for all the damage he'd done to her. "I know if someone kept hammering me I'd probably go out of my way to ruin your plans."
The Doctor didn't say much on our walk. Even when we reached the console, he said nothing so I went ahead and opened my ears up for any strange noise. Minutes passed by and no matter how much I waited, I didn't hear anything. With a frustrated sigh, I turned to the Doctor. "I don't hear a noise! Is it like a noise that humans can't hear?"
"Oh, uh, I lied," he suddenly said, moving past me to the console.
I was left blinking in my spot for a couple minutes. "Wait, what!?" I spun around again and rushed to his side. "What do you mean you lied?"
"I lied. There is no noise. Console's fine, see?" he made a show of touching the controls and sure enough, nothing strange happened. "Like I would ask you to help me on my console?"
One of my eyebrows shot up in offence. "First of all, rude. Second of all, why did you lie!?"
"Because I wanted to apologize in private."
"What for...?"
"Stealing your first kiss, apparently."
My eyes widened and before I knew it, I turned away out of embarrassment. After everything was said and done, I realized I acted far too childish for a situation that had required a 'genetic transfer'. "No, Doctor, you don't have to say anything. I was rude and selfish. I was very selfish. I was putting something so stupid like a first kiss over a thousand peoples' lives. I've never done anything like that and I hope it never repeats itself. There's no excuse."
He touched my arm but even then I wouldn't look at him. "You don't have to be so hard on yourself. It was important to you, that's all."
"Yes, but...nothing should matter over so many peoples' lives, Doctor! You'd never be so selfish! That's why I'm the human. I let little things get in the way of the big picture...and that's wrong."
"You're being harsh on yourself and that is something I will not stand for," he forced me to face him then placed his hands on my shoulders. "And, if it helps, I feel guilty too."
"About what? You saved the people in the hospital. You saved me...again."
"But after that, I still have to live with myself, and I think I've hurt you enough."
"I'm not hurt," I shrugged, and I dare to think that the chuckle that slipped through my lips would be convincing enough. "A bit...surprised, yeah. But I mean, wouldn't you be?"
"I took someone's first kiss. And it really meant a lot to her," he sadly smiled, letting go of my shoulders.
"Surely, you're not going to feel guilty for something that ridiculous, right? It doesn't matter."
"Yes it does!" he nearly shouted, startling me, "I don't want to hear those words from you when things clearly do matter to you. This mattered, and I'm gonna fix it. So name a person."
"Excuse me?"
"Oh, what's that bloke you talked about earlier? The one that's clearly not better than me, who was he?" he turned to the console, hands wiggling as they prepared to work the controls.
"Doctor, what are you talking about?" I almost laughed at his crazy face.
"Outside those doors will be waiting someone to kiss," he pointed, "I took one and you're getting it back."
Somehow, this didn't surprise me. It was ridiculous, but it was also a nice gesture. Of course I had to laugh - what a stupid alien!
"There's not some other alien out there waiting for me, right? Like those Zygons you told me about, the ones with the big suckers?" I mimicked said suckers with my hands, making him smile a bit.
"No, there will not be any aliens waiting for you. You deserve better."
"Better? As in human?"
"...better as in, well, better than me."
"Oh, don't put yourself down like that," I frowned. I hated when he did that; I wondered if that's what he felt with me whenever I put myself down? If so, then I might understand his frustration. "And you know what, fine, I accept your deal. But I get to choose, right?" he nodded and so I thought, but the idea had already started forming before the question had been asked. "I don't want DiCaprio. I don't want a Zygon."
"Then who?"
"A first kiss is supposed to be meaningful, you know, with a meaningful person..."
"Yes..."
"I'm looking at him."
"Sure..." But of course, he paused when the words finally got to him. "Wait, what?"
"A friend who'd go to these measures just for a stupid human custom has to be meaningful. You're becoming to be a good friend," I said, trying to make it sound casual and not let him see my blush. "I want you to know that, I'd like for you to understand it."
"Thank you," he said, sounding truly surprised. "But...you need to pick someone be-"
"If you say 'better' I'll kick you," I deadpanned, immediately shutting him up.
"Fine, but pick someone worthy, I swear I'll make it happen. But honestly, it shouldn't be a problem considering it's you."
Despite my efforts to be casual, that little line sparked a tingle. "And...and what exactly is that supposed to mean?"
The Doctor's eyes widened and suddenly the back of his head must have been itchy because his hand dug into his hair. "Uh,uh, n-nothing..."
"Doctor, what did you mean?"
"It's embarrassing!" he declared, moving around the console.
"Why?"
"Minerva," he gestured for me to stop with a hand, "I'd just...rather not talk about it."
"Talk about what? You haven't said anything!"
"Yes, and don't you think that's a sign to stop considering how much I usually talk?"
"Oh you're good," I acknowledged, but I hopped in front him and stopped his walking, "But I still wanna know! I'm very curious as you can see!"
"Minerva," he whined, looking away.
"Oh please!?" I clapped my hands together, putting that sweet smile that'd get me just what I wanted. It worked one everybody including him too!
"Fine! Alright, fine," he sighed and set a hand on the console, struggling to say his next words, "I...think you're pretty...and a good kisser."
Well, with those types of compliments who wouldn't blush? I tucked some hair behind my ear and cleared my throat. "Well, uh...thanks for that. Especially since it was a first-time for me and...and you're far more experienced..."
"I, well...thank you..." the Doctor said slowly. "So then...how's about it, then? Got anyone in mind?"
I took in a breath and once I exhaled, I knew what I wanted. "It's okay, Doctor. You don't have to do anything. I'll take the one I received."
Apparently, that wasn't what he wanted to hear. "I need you to let go of your silly pride and-"
"It's not a pride thing, not this time," I took his hands and gave them a light squeeze. "I'm fine now, really. Thank you for going through ridiculous measures just to make me feel better. I don't think you should feel guilty anymore."
"So that's it, then? That's your first kiss? A quick and forced one?"
"Yes, and it's alright," I chuckled, seeing him so worked up about it, probably even more than me now. "Now c'mon, let's go back to Martha. I get the feeling we won't be seeing any brownies if we delay a minute more."
"Alright, fine," he nodded, but gripped my hands, forcing me to stay in place, "I can't give back what I stole, but I can make it better."
"What does that-"
"I can give you a better first kiss!" he grabbed the sides of my faces.
"That's really not necessary..." I said nervously.
"Minerva, I've hurt you okay, and you've done nothing but give me your kindness. You forgive me in a heartbeat...always. Even when I ignored you, you had already forgiven me and don't you dare so that's not true because I remember. I remember your words last Christmas with Rose. You had forgiven me already when I didn't deserve it."
"You remembered," I blinked, surprised he actually remembered what was such a long time ago. I honestly thought it'd never come back to him seeing how long it was. And now that he remembered, he looked so...destroyed.
"Jackie was right, you should've slapped me."
"That's kinda why I did in the 50's," I admitted, making a face at my brutal act, "Sorry about that..."
"Still, I feel awful."
"You're guilty," I frowned, disliking the manner in which his eyes diverted from looking at me, "And I don't like it. Stop it."
"I guess that's one thing we have in common, we're both guilty," he sighed, stepping back.
"The difference being that you have repaid your guilt while I could never do that. But hear me now, Martian, everything is fine. Let's just forget about today and think of where we're going to bring Martha, who by the way is still in the kitchen waiting for us so let's go back and enjoy a nice lunch-slash-dinner," I chuckled, still confused as to how exactly the whole 'day' and 'night' thing worked in this box of wonders. "And then go somewhere fantastic! Might I suggest the past?"
"Incredible," he declared in a low whisper.
"What is?"
"You. Are you really just gonna let it go?"
"Doctor! Focus on the big picture! Get over it. It doesn't matter. Now let's go!" I grabbed his hand and walked for the corridors.
"Noo," he turned me around, face to face with him, "I can't. I promised to be a good friend and..."
"What are you...?" I frowned.
"I can't take it back, but I can make it better!"
I saw him leaning down and I should've stopped him...but I didn't. I just stood there, watching him press his lips against mine. I wasn't going to lie, I didn't want to at first but then he started growing on me. His hands slowly slid down to my waist, gently bringing me closer to him. My hands eventually came to rest on his arms and despite my awkwardness, I fell under his charm. His lips felt so warm and so soft that I just had to respond. And it was weird at first, but we soon found our sync together almost...almost like we already knew what to do for each other.
Don't be ridiculous, Minerva. You've never even kissed anyone! A statement I could no longer say.
For it being just a kiss between friends it felt so good. Now, I've never been kissed before but I felt like it could become so much more. It wasn't even long before I felt what I had always heard about a first kiss. That little spark...
It was fantastic. It was perfect. It was my first kiss.
The Doctor slowly pulled away after a few minutes. Despite my dazed moment, I could see a slight blush on his face. "Was that...was that good?"
"I can't believe you just did that," I started giggling...like an idiot. But he didn't seem to think so judging by the smile on his face. "DiCaprio would have nothing on it."
He practically beamed at that. "Really?" A smugness took his face over and this time, I couldn't get angry. I laughed at him instead.
"You're ridiculous Martian man!"
"I'm not Martian," he frowned immediately. "Is there any way you could stop calli-"
'Never."
"...that's not nice."
"You stole my first kiss," I pointed with another laugh. "So we're even."
"Alright, fair enough. So...we're good?"
"We were good before, but now...now we're really good." I looked away for a moment to calm my warm face. He was so smug now, of course he'd be, but there was one more thing I had to do. "But I do have to do one more thing."
"And that's?"
I slapped him across the face.
He stumbled back with a hand on his cheek. He was rightfully stunned with the sudden hit. "What was that for?! I thought you just said we were good-"
"That was for kissing me in the hospital without permission!"
He dropped his hand, about to argue, when he realized it was a very true fact. "Okay, I deserved that one."
"Mhm," I nodded but chuckled and pulled him into a hug. I was probably confusing the hell out of him right now. "And this is for right now. You're doing good, Martian. Let go of your guilt, okay?"
"I will when you will," he countered and I pulled away.
"And now I think it's time to get back to Martha, don't you think? She'll be wondering what's taken so long," I tried pulling him for the corridors again but found myself pulling and pulling while the man just stood there, "C'mon!"
"No, you go," he freed himself of my hand, "It seemed like you really wanted to get to know Martha since you met her in the hospital. Go and do that."
"But we're supposed to be doing the same, come with us."
"No, you deserve this. Go and make a friend who'll listen on the first round."
"Thank you," I gave him another hug, "I won't lie, it feels nice having her around, even if it's just for one trip."
"Exactly," he pulled away, "So go one and find out who she is and make sure she's not a threat or anything."
"Yeah right," I shook my head, "I think Martha is going to lead to some very good times."
"Eh..." he swayed his head as he considered it, "...we'll see."
"You should consider bringing on another companion," I edged him on as I walked off.
"Maybe..."
"It'll be a yes soon," I warned, glancing back, "I can feel it," I grinned and continued on my way.
Once I was a decent distance away from him I stopped and placed my fingers went to my lips, getting a shiver down my spine...but a good kind. I shook my head, suddenly remembering who had gotten angry at me for thinking that this precise action was something I was after. Oh, if she was here I'm sure I would've gotten more than a slap from her. I continued walking, trying to forget what had happened but my mind kept drifting back and back...
One thing I did allow myself to think about was that I could definitely see what Rose was so worked over about. The man was a really good kisser and I certainly wouldn't mind kissing him again.
Thank god she'd never know that.
Author's Note:
We're two days into the week and I already wanna drop dead. Exams everywhere and essays everywhere.
Anyways, back to the main topic, hello! New season, hooray!
And to answer the question about Rose in a review of the last chapter, I actually haven't outlined that part of the next season but, I mean, clearly Rose isn't going to be happy when she returns if things have progressed a lot more between Minerva and the Doctor, right? Now, I know for a fact I'm not going to make her a psycho driven by jealousy because that's just not what I have in mind for her return.
Oh, and good point on the whole 'Rose isn't perfect' thing too. I love ten/rose and when they were separated, my heart shattered, but I'm also open and did realize that, as someone else put it, the Doctor had kinda "idealized" the blonde into this perfect being. Now, I'm all for the big love between them but I have to admit that he did do that, he just pictured all the good things in her and that's not what love is supposed to be (at least in my book anyways). Love is supposed to be when a person can see all the good and bad things of another and love them nonetheless. So, yeah, I may throw that concept into this season, maybe the beginning of the next, because I've realized that fact and feel like it should be talked about unlike the actual show.
Yes! Donna for the win! She was my top fave then Rose, Amy & Rory, Jack. All others were...eh to me. But I won't go into that as I may upset those who actually do love the rest of the companions.
So here's the newest chapter, hoped you liked it! Hope to hear some of your thoughts :)