Chapter Twelve
The Doctor's POV

How do I get myself into these situations? I wondered as I watched Lexi chatting with one of the guards, our guards. We were prisoners on a space station that was falling into a black hole. That in its self would be no problem, were I able to get to the TARDIS, but every time Jack or I so much as breathed too deeply we got two guns pointed at us. The only one who was allowed to move and talk and breathe was Lexi and was breathing all over them. The guards practically had little animated hearts in their eyes whenever she spoke and she was playing them like the keys of the piano we had on board.

Stuck on you
I've got this feeling down deep in my soul that I just can't lose
Guess I'm on my way
Needed a friend
And the way I feel now I guess I'll be with you 'til the end
Guess I'm on my way
Mighty glad you stayed

She was flirting with them. She was blatantly flirting with them. She was smiling, and giggling, and flipping her hair, and she kept glancing back at me over her shoulder as if she was making sure I was watching. I was watching. Then I wondered if I was jealous. I had been jealous before. I had been jealous of Mickey, Jack, that kid, Adam, that Rose had picked as her pet, even of my clone, but this was different. Lexi had only just met these men. There was no threat of them stealing her away or her inviting them on board, and I had no rational reason for feeling jealous. Protective maybe, but jealous? It was a ridiculous notion. Yet, as she glanced over at me once more and the guards' eyes slipped lower, I found myself wanting to punch them, repeatedly.

"You know, my friends and I are pretty smart." I caught the end of their conversation as Lexi stopped murmuring in their ears. "They're really good with the tech stuff and since you're already falling into a black hole, what the worst they could do? We just want to help."

"Its our orders to guard all foreign objects." One of them said sounding not as sure as he was meant to.

"Well you're big, strong, independent men." She touched one of their arms. I bristled. "Don't you think that you could make your own decisions? Hmm?"

"Well, I guess we can technically still guard you in the control room, but you won't be able to stop it. Everything is automated...and locked. But come on, follow us."

"We'll see about that." She smiled at me and the guards let their guns fall to their sides. I grinned widely and stood up. I was brushing off my pant legs when I hear Jack complaining next to me.

"I could have done that too you know." He muttered. I laughed.

"Don't worry Jack, I don't think she's trying to steal your title for most flirtatious and sexually inappropriate time-traveler." Lexi skipped over to us.

"I've gotta' stay up with those two or they might figure out I was having them on and decide to lock us up again. Honestly, what would you do without me?" She giggled and skipped back. I grinned at her back, wishing she were walking next to me so I could hold her hand.

I'm stuck on you
Been a fool too long I guess it's time for me to come on home
Guess I'm on my way
So hard to see
That a woman like you could wait around for a man like me
Guess I'm on my way
Mighty glad you stayed

"At least I'm not sexually frustrated." Jack whispered quietly so Lexi wouldn't hear. My eyebrows shot up.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"Where are you looking right now?" I snapped my eyes from Lexi's bum to Jack's smug face and felt my cheeks burn in guilt. "That's what I thought. I think you like her," He taunted in a sing-songy voice, "You want to kiss her, and maybe fu-"

"Okay, stop! I get it!"

"So you admit it?"

"Yes"

"Well what do you know? I never thought I'd see the day. So what's the problem? Oh! I know. You're afraid! You're afraid that you could actually be happy."

"I am happy."

"Fine then, happier. I mean you don't know what you're missing. How long has it been for you? Three years? Twenty years? A hundred? Three hundred?"

"Three days." Jack stopped walking in shock. I didn't and stalked past him, keeping my eyes forward and my expression as blank as possible.

"What?" He jumped to catch up with me. "Please tell me it was with Lexi that you broke your sexual abstinence with and not some random passing alien. You can get some nasty STDs that way."

"Yes, Jack. I'm not completely irresponsible, and it wasn't even really my fault, it was the aphrodisiac."

"But you enjoyed it right?" I grinned shyly.

"Yeah." Jack grinned at me proudly. "Shut up." I hit his arm and he wrapped his around my neck in a brotherly hug. I chuckled and tried to pull away. He held on tighter. I rolled my eyes and attempted to put him in a headlock.

"Oh, boys? You whoo!" Lexi called stopping our scrapping and waving us over. "If you're quiet done?" She gestured to the main computer in the control room we had reached without us even realizing it.

"Oh right!" I exclaimed snapping back to attention. Jack and I let go of each other guiltily. I pulled out my sonic and headed towards the computer, but before I did, I caught Jack's eye. He winked.

Oh, I'm leaving on that midnight train tomorrow
And I know just where I'm going
I've packed up my troubles and I've thrown them all away
'Cause this time little darling
I'm coming home to stay

Lexi's POV

I couldn't help but smile as I watched the Doctor run around pulling at the wires under the control console, sonicing things, and yelping and sticking his fingers in his mouth every time he got shocked. He kept running his hair in frustration causing it to stick straight up. I desperately wanted to run my hands through it. I remembered how his hair stuck up like that as we lay next to each other three nights ago. He was sweating then too, just like he was now, only not for the same reason. A part of me wishes it was, as I watched him unbutton his jacket.

"Blimey its a bit hot in here, isn't it?" The Doctor questioned, his head under the bottom of the computer.

"Its the automated system; its venting all the energy that normally goes to the temperature control to the engine thrusters." One of the guards named, Henric, explained. The Doctor rubbed at his forehead and unbuttoned his top two buttons of his shirt. He then yanked off his tie and shoved it into his bigger on the inside pockets. I felt myself bite my lip.

"I know what you're thinking about." Jack taunted. I rolled my eyes and looked over at Jack who was grinning like a cheshire cat.

"Oh?" I responded. "And how do you know that?"

"Because I'm pretty sure I'm thinking the same thing." I blushed.

"You were thinking about canceling out the implosion with an explosion?" I covered quickly, remembering the story the Doctor had told me about the time he had run in to his past self. Jack's smirk dropped.

"Can we do that?"

"Jack!" The Doctor called, getting up and walking over to us.

"I love it when you scream my name." The Doctor ignored this.

"The system keeps locking me out. Can you help."

"I can try." He shrugged. "What are you trying to do exactly?"

"Send out a pulse of electronic signals to try and temporarily interrupt the gravitational pull of the black hole, but this ship doesn't have the right technology to transmit the right frequency and when I try to update it locks me out." He pulled at his hair again.

"Lexi has an idea." Jack offered. The Doctor's head snapped around to me and I trembled under his intense gaze.

"What is it?" He asked earnestly. "You're smart; brilliant in fact." I blushed.

"Its just, remember how you told me about when yourself and your TARDISes merged? You told me that an explosion could cancel out an implosion." He eyebrows scrunched together in thought, his hand went to his forehead again, and he started pacing.

"In theory that could work but we have a few problems. One, the would work better if we made the explosion at the same time of the original implosion. Plus it would need to be at the origin point, the very center of hole."

"Could we send out a probe?"

"We don't have any parts to spare and like I said, I'm locked out of the system, even the escaped pods, so I couldn't rig one up and send it off. If I had the TARDIS I'd have enough gear. If I had the TARDIS I could just fly us out of here, this ship in tow."

"Why don't they trust us enough to let us do that? I mean they're letting you screw around with the wiring."

"Aaaah, alien technology. They know what are dealing with here. They know the danger can't get any worse, only better, but if they get on a stranger's ship that appeared out of 'no where' they could end up anywhere, including in even more danger. They've already resigned themselves to their fate and are comfortable in their doom."

"Well then, why the hell do they have to bring us down with them?" I nearly shouted shaking in frustration.

"Because the damn computer told them to." Jack shouted angrily. I shut my eyes trying to stop shaking. I realized I wasn't shaking in frustration after all.

"So, we're doomed?" I asked quietly. The Doctor knew me too well. He could sense my fear. He walked over and stood in front of me, taking my hands.

"Hey." He said softly forcing me to look him in the eyes. I immediately got calmer, getting lost in the infinite depths of his dark brown orbs. "Never doomed; not as long as you've got me." He paused. "And Jack." He added as an after thought. "If it comes down to it we can use him as a shield and make a break for the TARDIS." I let out a small smile. The Doctor always knew how to cheer me up and make a dire situation seem a little less grim.

"Gee thanks." Said Jack crossing his arms. "Good to know that the gooseberry is good for something."

I'm stuck on you
I've got this feeling down deep in my soul that I just can't lose
Guess I'm on my way
Needed a friend
And the way I feel now I guess I'll be with you 'til the end
Guess I'm on my way
I'm mighty glad you stayed

Author Note: Aaaannnnddddd, I'm back! I am SOOOOO sorry I have left you guys hanging for so long. The last month of school was rough. I never know weither to use American or British slang with Jack. I went with gooseberry here instead of third wheel because I figured that since the Lexi was british and the Doctor acts British that he'd use the one they would understand...but its a bit of a gray area with him, what with his history.

Song: "Stuck on You" by: Lionel RichieJust watched "The Lodger" and looooved it. I should post a lot faster this time because it is summer now. Love you guys, don't forget to vote on the title of the next book as this one is almost done. (the list of titles is at the end of the previous chapter)

Love you guys,
Scifigeek