Chapter 8- in which there are engine room cuddles, and the Doctor comes to take River home...
Kaylee- River pads unseen down to the engine room and pauses at the threshold, surprised and not to see the young mechanic in her hammock. During their brief chat at dinner- River had been a popular conversationalist and topic at the table, and everyone had talked over and around and to and about her- Kaylee had expressed understanding of River's need to be comforted by the engine, and Serenity's gentle whirring soothes her like a TARDIS lullaby. The gentle sway of Kaylee's hammock and the warm weight of the young mechanic against her back add to the peace of the moment. Kaylee's arm had snaked around her ribs when she'd slid in, curling against her like a teddy bear and snuggling her face into River's curls.
Her fingers knit with Kaylee's and she closes her eyes a moment before lifting their hands to her nose and sniffing. Ahhh, she thinks. That's what that is. Kaylee is possessed of a strange but charming scent that comprised of engine grease, strawberries, baby powder and a hint of something that River could only determine as a garden in summertime- warm, floral and sweet with a trace of damp earth. The girl smells like happiness, that smell small children have when they are content and well loved. River closes her eyes against the tears that threaten at the thought, and instead lets herself drift into a dream, where 6 little girls held hands as they ran through a sunlit field of colorful flowers. There is a sweet brunette with a pink wrench, a shy girl with chocolate locks, a stunning beauty with raven waves, a bronze amazon, a pale redhead with hair that catches fire in the sunlight, and a golden haired wild child. She knows them all, and the tears flow.
Her cheeks are stiff with dried tears when the TARDIS finally whooshes into place, and she hears rather than sees the door open, her Doctor poking his head out of the cloaked doorway. He whispers into the mellow light of the engine room, "Hi honey. I'm here." He has a moment to breathe in the peace of it all as his old girl and the Serenity have a brief chat in hushed rumbles, before River mumbles back a reply. "And what sort of time do you call this?"
She disengages herself and eases out of the hammock, sending it swinging again with a soft push as Kaylee drifts back to sleep, content in her canvas cradle. Her clothes are tossed through the opening with muted accuracy, and she alights on the engine casing as the Doctor takes her hand and pulls her into his arms with a soft kiss. A shaft of glowing light marks the still invisible doorway, and her hand emerges in midair and snaps once before the door clicks closed behind them.
With a whir of farewell, the TARDIS dematerializes, headed for the vortex, for the night behind, back into the black.
A/N: so there we go. my final bit. sorry about the delay; problems on the site meant posting took a while. hope you liked it. thanks for sticking through the read, and coming along for the ride I created.
comments are appreciated, whether you liked it or not.