Chapter Three
Adventures to Come
"So….what do you think?"
Olivia and Vi stood at the peak of the tallest mountain on the Terronda Prime and watched the sun descend over Earth's horizon in the distance. Olivia could sense the sharp rays of light threatening to blind her wide eyes, but she couldn't bring herself to look away. Terronda Prime's atmosphere was a soft French pink and its circling winds made her feel like she was in the eye of a giant candy-floss tornado. The clouds were edible. The air was warm, sweet liquor and every breath was gradually increasing her blood alcohol level.
It was only when Vi slid her hand over Olivia's that Olivia realized she'd been crying. The blue of her irises jumped to life in the face of extraordinary beauty and trickled down her face. She laughed. As if the sound surprised her, she clasped a hand over her mouth and laughed some more. She'd never laughed on another planet before.
While Olivia watched the sun fall, Vi watched Olivia. Both the girls captivated by an image of beauty. The Doctor smiled. Yes, he had chosen well. He always did.
"Is this what you do, Doctor?" Olivia whispered. She didn't look at him as she spoke. Terronda Prime still had its grips on her attention. Nevertheless, she managed to speak: "Take people away and show them….something amazing?"
The Doctor shrugged one shoulder, still smiling. "Many somethings, if you'd like."
Olivia shook her head. "What could be more amazing than this?" She laughed again, tipping her head back to the sweet pink skies. "Out here we are gods. We can do anything! Be anything!"
"And what would that be?" the Doctor wanted to know. "If you could be anything?"
"Well…" Olivia thought about it. "Back home I work as a make-up artist for low-class photoshoots and runways. Out here I could…I could…be an alien stylist! Conquer the solar system outfit by outfit." Suddenly she gasped. "Doctor - are there aliens? Tell me there are aliens."
At that, Vi bowed her head to hide a smirk. She cast the Doctor a knowing look and he responded with a wink. Thankfully Olivia didn't notice, gaping at Earth's silhouette in the distance again.
The new trio dined on freshly-cooked TARDIS spaghetti bolognese at the peak of Terronda Prime's tallest mountain until the pink ebbed away into a murky silver colour. Kind of like Vi's eyes got when she was happy. But the Doctor was growing restless and fancied a trip to the 70s at the height of the disco frenzy. Olivia was hysterical. She went rummaging about the TARDIS for a historically-accurate outfit for herself and her girlfriend and got them both prepped for a night out on the town. Go-go boots, flared clothes, bouncy hair and bright make-up.
At first Vi wouldn't even dance. The three of them waltzed into the nearest club and Olivia and the Doctor got their groove on until their joints hurt while Vi just watched. She ordered drinks and blew off dudes who took one look at the mysterious girl with long lean legs and daring cleavage and pounced.
Midway through Anita Ward's 1979 'You Can Ring My Bell', a dude in white leathers with a cowlick approached her table. He reached for a sip of Vi's drink, which she pulled away. Vi arched an eyebrow. "Problem?"
"Got this thirst," he told her and licked his lips, "something tells me you'd like to share."
"'Fraid your intuition's screwed you over on that one."
He laughed. "Alright. You like to play it tough. Want me to earn it, huh? I can do that." He beckoned to the dance-floor behind him. "You. Me. Bells ringing. Let's dance."
"I'm good."
"Huh?"
"No."
At that moment, the Doctor bopped and popped his way over to Vi's table. When he made a grab for her drink, she didn't pull it away. Instead she watched him gulp the whole thing down, taste the alcohol, and spew it all out back into the glass. "Bleh!"
Cowlick cleared his throat. "My bad, didn't realize the lady was spoken for."
The Doctor turned on him. "Oh, hello!" He grinned himself silly at the sight of Cowlick's, well….cowlick. "Look at you! Look at your brilliant clothes! Look at your brilliant hair! Vi, are you seeing his hair?"
"I'm seeing it. Now I'm seeing it walk away."
Cowlick coughed, "Whore."
The Doctor frowned. Paused. He looked at Vi. "Is this gentleman bothering you?"
"Aw, I'd hardly call it a….bother," Cowlick smiled, reaching under the table to slide a grimy hand up Vi's leg.
Before Vi could react (by promptly grabbing his nuts and flinging him across the room, obviously), the Doctor gasped in outrage and yanked out his sonic. With a short high-pitched buzz, the whole tub of wax Cowlick had brushed through his hair singed his stiff blonde locks straight down to the scalp until he was bald as the day he was born. All that remained was that singular trademark cowlick.
Still pointing the sonic at Cowlick like a warning, the Doctor said, "Take your filthy hands off her or you lose the eyebrows too. And trust me, it's very inconvenient to go about your daily business with no eyebrows."
"What the hell?!" Cowlick felt his head. His eyes were horrified. "What've you DONE?"
"Vi, baby, there you are!" Her timing spectacular as ever, Olivia grooved on up to the table and took her girlfriend's hand. She leaned down to plant her lips on Vi's and smashed them together until neither girl could breathe. It was only when they were getting lightheaded she pulled away and grinned. "Let's dance."
This time, Vi did not refuse the invitation. She followed her girlfriend onto the dance-floor with a final remark tossed over her shoulder: "You're damn right I'm spoken for."
And they danced until their feet gave in.
No one knew what time it was when they were all back in the TARDIS, slumped over on the chairs around the console. In fact, no one really cared. In a machine where time was meaningless, what did it matter how long you were out?
The Doctor, still dressed all nice and proper in his top hat and waistcoat, flipped a switch. He met Vi's eyes across the console where she sat on a chair with Olivia sprawled across her lap. "I suppose you girls will be wanting to go home?"
Vi smirked. "Kicking us out, Doctor?"
"'M not sleeping, promise," Olivia murmured. Her eyelids fluttered. "Just….resting my eyes." Feeling herself drifting off, she gave Vi a nudge. "Don't let me sleep."
"Okay," Vi responded. Everyone in the room knew it was a complete lie, but it seemed to appease Olivia regardless. She fumbled for the lion tooth around her neck and brought it to her lips, kissing the tip softly. Vi's breath shuddered. God, she was so beautiful.
Mere seconds later Olivia was out cold, breathing deep and slow. Vi watched her, stroked her blonde curls away from her face, completely and utterly mesmerized.
The Doctor cleared his throat. "Vi?"
"Mm."
"Permission to…..pose an inquiry of character?"
"Granted," she murmured, although he thought she may have granted just about anything right now.
"You and Olivia. You have something special. Different, but undoubtedly special."
If Vi hadn't nodded along to his remarks, the Doctor wouldn't have even thought she was listening. She was still watching Olivia's sleeping figure with such glorious intensity, captivated by every breath.
"It's what you do to each other," he tried to word his confusion, "how the relationship is balanced. I've never seen anything like it. It's as if Olivia….brings out a whole other person in you."
"Makes me a person," Vi corrected.
"Hm." The Doctor considered this. "Have you known each other a long time then?"
Vi paused. "Feels like a lifetime."
She had stiffened, so the Doctor knew he was pushing it, but he was too fascinated by the chemistry the couple brought onto the TARDIS to back down now. "How did you meet?"
"Olivia…found me."
"Found you?"
Then, Vi finally looked up. Her facial expression was completely blank when she said, "I performed a gig with my band at a music festival in Bute Park, and afterwards she approached me and long-story-short I ended up fucking her under a drum kit till she screamed. Quite romantic really."
At this, the Doctor straightened like a pole had been stuck down his spine. He swallowed, face whiter than snow. His eyes looked just about ready to pop out of his face he was so horrified. He straightened his bowtie, cleared his throat, and finally responded in a weak voice, "Yes, quite….quite romantic. Indeed."
The Doctor tugged down on a final lever and clapped his hands together. "Alrighty then! I'll be in a room - not sure which room yet, I'll just wander until I find something interesting. Good old sexy always delivers." He patted one of the TARDIS walls and gave a schoolboy's smile, sheepish at the naughty word. "There's a bedroom down the hall and second on the left for you and Olivia to…uh, whatever it is you lot do in bedrooms. Never really knew myself." He leapt up the stairs and started down a corridor when he turned around and tipped off his top hat. "Sweet dreams, Vi. Olivia."
And Vi was left alone with a peaceful girlfriend still out cold across her lap. She caressed Olivia's rosy cheek and planted a butterfly kiss on her temple.
Yes, Olivia, Vi thought, you sleep now.
There were many adventures yet to come.
