1 – Flutter-bys

The TARDIS landed with its usual jarring halt, practically throwing Rose to the floor. A tight grip on the railing behind her was all that kept her in place. The Doctor, however, had been a bit too slow in grabbing for something to brace himself with, and was currently sprawled across the grated TARDIS floor.

Rose shifted herself until her position once again resembled one of a sitting person. "You alright?" she called over to him.

In response he gave and exaggerated groan. She waited, and sure enough he gave an unsubtle peek out of one eye to see if she was rushing to his aid. She merely raised an eyebrow at him while remaining seated. She thought she felt a gentle hum go through the railing, as if the TARDIS was laughing at him.

She tilted her head slightly so that it was closer to the angle his was at. "Can we go see the butterflies now or are you going to lie there all day?"

Heaving a big sigh and feeling deeply unappreciated, the Doctor sprang up from the grating. "They're not butterflies. They're flutterings. Very similar, but not quite the same. Well, when I say similar I mean on the outside. Inside is a completely different story. They're DNA has 54 base pairs each, not to mention all of the espicolytes and such that your race hasn't even discovered yet. Oh, and they have opposable thumbs. Isn't that neat? Course, they don't technically have any fingers, but…" his babble slowed chastising look Rose gave him.

"Yeah, so can we see these flutter-bys or what?"

He winced. "They're not flutter-bys. And don't call them that to their faces. The flutter-bys live on Kreshpa, Scarinton's sister planet. The two have been at war for decades. Something about one of them cross pollinating the wrong flowers or something. I'm not quite sure. They have very high pitched voices that hurt your ears to listen to."

"Doctor?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

"'Kay. Shall we?"

He shrugged into his coat and held out his hand for her. She willingly took it and they rushed toward the door. He pulled it open and ushered for her to go first. She stepped out into the bright morning sunlight.

They stood at the top of a cliff. The ravine below looked at least a mile wide, spotted here and there with a tree. Everything in it looked a dull, uninteresting grey. She turned back toward the Doctor. "Oi! I thought you said there was going to be 'vibrant' colors and call that. It's all grey."

He grinned that grin that said he had a secret and had no problem not telling her. "Just wait, Rose. Let's find a good seat, yeah?" He grabbed her hand again and dragged her along the cliff edge. Every once in a while he'd stop to look out over the ravine, making a frame with his forefingers and thumbs as if he were going to take a picture. But he'd always shake his head, grab her hand again and drag her farther from the police box. Finally he stopped, spinning around to take in the grey view.

"Perfect!" he exclaimed. He quickly shrugged out of his coat and laid it down on the ground for Rose. She gingerly sat down, wondering what made this spot any better than the others they'd passed along the way.

The Doctor fidgeted for a minute, still standing. "Maybe we should have brought some lunch. Had a nice picnic. But then, it would be rude not to bring enough for the flutterings. They're always starving when they wake up."

Rose reached over and tugged on his trouser leg. "Doctor, stop worrying and just sit. You're making me nervous, pacing that close to the cliff. Now, what are we supposed to be looking at?"

He plopped himself unceremoniously beside his companion. "That," he explained, gesturing out at the grey ravine.

Rose looked out over the dull expanse then back at him. "What are-"

"Ssh! It's starting."

Rose looked forward again. She didn't see anything remarkable. They were centered in front an especially large tree, but even it looked grey.

Rose squinted her eyes at the tree, trying to see it more clearly. Had she just seen a flash of orange? Yes, there at the top of the tree. It was just a pinprick, though. Nothing exciting. She glanced over at the Doctor. He was riveted, a look of childlike delight covering his face.

Catching her glance, he directed his grin toward her. "I haven't seen this in…oh, at least 400 years. In fact, I think I'm sitting over there." He pointed to a spot to the left and on the other side of the canyon, but then hesitated. "No, wait…There! That's where I am." He moved his finger a fraction of a degree to the left. "Now shush! It's going to get better in a sec."

Rose turned her attention back toward the tree. The orange spot was flashing more rapidly now. As she watched, it seemed to slowly grow, spreading out until it covered the entire tree. Then various sections started to flash other bright colors, like red and yellow.

She gasped as suddenly the entire ravine floor suddenly burst into colors. Only then did she realize that the grey that had been covering every surface below her had been the flutterings' chrysalises. Now they were hatching out.

She watched in wonder as they rose as a giant mass into the air, a rainbow of colors flashing randomly here and there. The sheer brilliance and beauty of it took her breath away. She stared transfixed, not even noticing when the Doctor switched his attention from the show in front of them to watch her expression. He grinned softly to himself, loving the awe and wonder that played across her exuberant features.

All too soon it seemed that she turned back to him, the flutterings having continued on in their migratory path. She favored him with a brilliant smile, the wonder still fresh in her eyes.

"That was amazing, Doctor! How do they all know to come out like that at the same time?"

"They have a mental link. Their queen monitors the status of each of her subjects. Only once they're all ready will she let everyone emerge."

She grinned at him. "Thank you."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, squeezing her to his side in the semblance of a hug. They looked out one last time over the now empty and lifeless ravine.

"Now, Rose Tyler, I do believe I promised you a weeklong Singla Equinox festival."

She turned her face up to him, excitement back in her eyes. "Will they have cotton candy and ice cream?"

"Well, in a sense. Maybe you should avoid the ice cream, though. It tends to be more insect flavored than you humans prefer."

Laughing, they got up and headed back toward the TARDIS.