A/N: Firefly bits here are from "Serenity" Part one, the initial pilot episode for the TV show, not the BDM. Any remaining scenes recycled from "Rose" still belong to the BBC, even if I completely change them around. Jelly Babies?
My Reflection, "Phlogiston" is a word I learned through playing Advanced D&D, SpellJammer campaigns. For the last chapter it fit very well. Who said role-playing never taught you anything?
OtherMeWriter, Well… those vibes are gonna remain mysterious for a bit more, but Kaylee is right. Someone is, eventually it'll come out who. And Dobson will get egged, oh yes he will… But I'm not telling you how yet. As for Wash and Riddick – it's like this, Wash was in a POW camp, he fought in a war, and he's got pilot creds that are as long as Mal's leg, that's Firefly canon. All I did was assign that wartime to the other side of my AU 'Verse's space making some of Wash's piloting time as ghost lane, cryo-runs. And there will be a surprise with the 'gold'…
Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in his past…
Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space. Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the Hunter-Gratzner crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One
So what happens in 2517 to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and Jack B. Badd now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures and then a 'quiet' trip to 2005 London brings them face to face with living sculptures of another kind… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?
A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.
Features Doctor 9, companion Rose Tyler; The cast of Firefly; 'Jack B. Badd' and Richard B. Riddick…
Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind.
Part Thirty-Two
Hearth
It had taken quite a lot to finally get calmed down enough to even think about making an appearance in the main section of the ship. And she knew already that Mal would find some way to make her life difficult. She steadied herself with breathing exercises and took a quick sponge bath before dressing in clothes that wouldn't splash her career all over the place, choosing something elegant but simple. Inara placed the gold coin back around her neck and hoped that the individual she was supposed to meet wouldn't be the one that Mal would choose to embarrass her with.
The 'Ifritah was almost scared to exit her shuttle. She'd been left behind while the ship went and did it's business and usually when that happened Mal was sharper with her than he was most other times. And yet, she was paid up on her rent, so really there was no reason for her to be denied access to the showers, kitchen, or company that the others afforded her. She steeled her resolve and opened the hatch that lead into the main cargo bay. The stairs are fairly steep, which is why she wears elegant but sensible slippers on her feet instead of heels. The cooler air insures that she swirls a wrap around her shoulders before she steps out. She hears the sounds of youth, the deep rumble of a voice that is unknown to her and the feel of a mind that already is aware of her approach.
She slowly descends the stairs until the bay itself came into view. Kaylee is just returning from the kitchen with an empty bag in her hand. Mal is perched on the main landing. Zoë is down on the cargo bay floor next to a muscular bronze tanned man with closely cropped dark hair who is wearing lightly shaded glasses. Behind him are two young women about Kaylee's age that are dressed alike but are not related to each other, two young men who while wildly different in their ages likely are related to each other, and another slightly taller man with pale skin, naturally short seal brown hair, and two hearts. Her breath catches in her throat and she places one hand up on the coin. He's not looking her way, but she knows his is the mind that has been pressing against hers ever since she returned to the ship.
On the landing below her Kaylee hands the bag in her hand to a man in gray. As he turns she notices he's a Shepherd. Likely from Southdown Abbey. Unusual that one of the cloth would choose to leave the security of the stone walls that make it easy to have faith in God, but not unheard of. Just as the man is passing Mal the captain looks up and spots her. Inara tries to not cringe from the teasing look that lights his eyes, "Ah, the Ambassador graces us with her presence."
She feels, more than sees, the eyes of the others turn to her. The priest is the closest and she suspects that Mal's going to toss something very negative at her in order to make the man dislike him. She keeps her focus on the bay in general even as the holy man looks up at her, "Hello, Mal. I see we have some new faces."
Excited at her emergence Kaylee grins, "Hey you."
Inara can never reject the mechanic's joy at life, no matter how much she's dreading whatever sharp knife Mal's looking to shove into her this time. She meets the smile with one of her own, "Hey you."
Mal actually pauses as he looks at the Companion. Something about her is different today, and it's not her makeup or her clothes. It's not her understated but elegant adornments or her light pleasant fiery spice of a scent. It's not her hair, either. But there's something -- in her eyes -- that have changed. Ever since he first put sight on her he noticed how constrained her expression always was, like a wall existed between her and the 'Verse. But now, there's a fire in her eyes, a glow, and he can see that her emotions are open and raw. He doesn't know why this has changed but he can see that it has. His heart flips in his chest for a moment when she looks at him and he feels like she's consuming his shattered soul. With far more respect than he normally affords her he says, "Ambassador, this is Shepherd Book."
"I'd have to say this is the first time we've had a preacher on board," she says as she looks over at the Shepherd, "Although I should warn you, Shepherd, that I'm a Registered Guild Companion, not a dignitary."
Book can sense that whatever it was that Mal was trying to pull has just been curtailed before anything negative could come of it, "Well, that's unusual for a ship this size. I don't believe there are many Companions that choose this lifestyle. But why 'Ambassador'?"
"She is pretty much our ambassador," Mal says. "There's plenty of planets won't even let you dock without a decent Companion on board. This... this isn't a problem for you, is it, Shepherd?"
Smirking at the failed attempt, Kaylee says, "It's not a problem --"
" 'Cause, it's not," Book finishes. "It's a pleasure to meet you, 'Ambassador'—"
"Inara Serra, Shepherd." She smiles as he takes her hand and places a light gentlemanly kiss on the back of it.
"—Inara. I think you'll find the other passengers, the Smythe family, to be a delight."
Giving Mal a 'hah, got you' expression, Inara allowed Book to escort her down to the hold floor. Kaylee followed them. The engineer says, "So how many fell madly in love with you and wanted to take you away from all this?"
Laughingly she says, "Just the one. I think I'm slipping."
"Do you have people actually do that?" Book says. 'Nara nodded. "I'd consider that rude."
"It's usually the young ones that don't know any better," She found herself stopped in front of the two girls. She smiled, "Hello."
"This is 'Nara," Kaylee said to them. They both smiled back at her, having been told, in Rose's case, what exactly a Companion was. "Inara, this is Saritha Smythe and Rose Tyler."
"Sounds like a glamorous life you lead," the blonde said.
"It can be, but there's always some drawbacks to every path in life, Miss Tyler." She's relieved to see the young woman nod, "And who is this?"
"Simeon and Jacob, my brothers," says Saritha. Then to them, "This is Inara."
"Ma'am," they chorus.
She smiles as the other two members of the Smythe troop come over to her. "And your – fathers?" Inara says to the children in general. The dark headed twins and honey haired boy nod.
Rose says, "Richard and Jon." The Companion finds that both know the proper decorum for addressing her silently by politely kissing the back of her hand. She also knows that Richard is more than he appears to be, just with his touch. But Jon looks into her eyes and she feels her entire past open to him, and she feels him slightly tweaking her equations, easing her psychic inter-linking with him. She has to force herself to not show deference to him out where others might see it.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," he says. She squeezes his cool hand slightly more than she had Richard's. Inara smiles and hopes that her cheeks are not tinged with pink. She is amazed that one of her people's allies survived. Amazed and honored that he'd been here in front of her. She wants to kiss his feet, anoint him with oil, and give him her soul… We'll talk later 'Ifritah, away from the prying eyes of those who won't understand. She dips her head as he lets go of her hand.
Kaylee says, "Oh! Look at the time. We need to make supper." The preacher glances at the engineer's chrono and nods. Inara decides to follow them to the kitchen. Kaylee says as she climbs the ladder, "Ain't he a hottie? Too bad he's sly, huh?" The Companion laughs quietly and nods. If only Kaylee really knew… Book gives them both an amused expression.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Thete ushers his group back to the dorms. He figures that the captain and his first mate have other things to do besides watch them dig through their luggage for things they don't need. Although… he'd like to move the TARDIS into his shared room with Richard, just to have Verity closer to him. I'm fine, Thete. She insists that the cargo bay is closer than where she normally ends up, which is quite true. It's just the idea of not being able to touch her is all. But they survived this before, he expects he'll be fine. After a moment he sighs and removes the leather jacket, transferring the dimensional openings into his cargo pockets, with a minimal of fuss and checks to make sure his yo-yo and sonic screwdriver are there along with the psychic paper and wallet. And other assorted things… They all come up as he searches for them. This might not be too bad, he thinks.
Rich watches him fiddle with his pockets for a moment then walks up and wraps his arms around the other man's waist.
"Hey, luv," the Doctor says as he relaxes into Amadak's arms.
"Did I ever tell you how much I like angora?" the ex-ranger kisses the back if Thete's smooth neck.
Smirking with his eyes closed, the Time Lord says, "Um… I think I recall something about that." They sway for a bit, slowly rocking in a slight dance-like movement as the bond sings with the awareness of each other. Thete entwines his fingers with Amadak's, not bothering to open his eyes. By Rassilon, how he's missed this. There's a sharp twisting pain with the thought that makes tears come to his eyes. The Doctor tries to force it away because he's not going to lose this one the way he lost the other. He's not. He won't let anything happen this time.
He feels Amadak flood his mind with reassurance. I'm not going anywhere without you. Ever. Not even death will pry me away, Thete. All that I am, all I can be, it's yours, without condition. Richard hugs him tighter, moving one of their inter-linked hands up under the layers of cloth until he can splay his palm over cool skin just above the waistband of Thete's slacks with the Time Lord's hand over his own. He presses his lips to the source of the honeyed musk and sucks at the exposed juncture of shoulder and neck.
The moisture slips down his face, he can't stop it. The declaration is made with conviction, but the intense piercing agony is still there. There's only one thing that can drive it away, but Thete wonders if perhaps he needs this pain, if he needs to remember what he's lost so that he respects what he's being offered now. He rides out the white-hot spike until his body begins to overcome it with another type of heat, one born of pleasure. The sensation shivers up and down his being spreading out from the point of contact with Richard's lips and tongue, "Did I get a chance to tell you how much that particular action effects me?"
"Not as such, no." Rich says as he pauses with the suction, nips at the same spot and then goes back to his previous action.
Moving the other hand down a little lower, "Well—" The much warmer hand cups him, massaging through the layers of cloth. Richard watches Thete's face as the lines of pain fade into a glow of enjoyment.
"Oh, you like that, huh?" he goes back to nibbling on the now relaxed and exposed throat.
"Um," the Doctor is practically purring.
With a lick the ex-ranger moves his face to a pale earlobe as he pulls the Time Lord back to press more on himself, "As you can tell, I like it too." Then he suckles on the ear before going back down to the juncture of the man's neck and shoulder.
"Ah -- this is good. I enjoy bananas." Richard snorts and bites a bit harder. "You're going to leave a mark."
"That's the point. Shut up," he cuts off anything else by coaxing a moan out of his alien. And really, that's how he feels. Thete, the Doctor, Jon, whatever name he chooses to go by, is his. He wants everyone to know it. And he'll do whatever he needs to do to keep him. He raises his head and looks at the deeply colored mark surfacing on the pale skin. Then he licks it and moves his attention to the flushing cheeks and mouth trying to memorize every inch of soft skin.
Thete twists and kisses him. This better?
Infinitely. They flow quickly into the realm of not needing any words.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Rose snickers at the slightly rumpled look that the older pair possesses when they emerge from their room. Even though they were quiet and the air filters minimized odors, she can tell what they were doing, even without the hickey on the Doctor's neck. He's shed the coat and the collared shirt, so the mark is not quite hidden. "You look thoroughly shagged, you two," she teases. Rich pulls down his shades and winks at her. "Yeah, randy boys," she pats the bronze man on the ass. "Not that I mind." The ex-ranger takes it with good humor.
"Hey now, that's mine there you're swattin'," the Doctor protests with a broad grin. She knows he doesn't really mind. He might even be a little flattered by it.
Rose sticks her tongue out at him. Then more seriously she says, "I called my mum, just thought you'd like to know. Phone worked fine. Thank you."
"My pleasure."
Rose tucks herself between Rich and Jon until they reach River's room and then she snags the dark haired girl and wraps her arms around her shoulders. Swaying from foot to foot Rose says in her ear, "They shagged, you owe me a quid."
"Oi, no betting," Thete tugged their ponytails and the two girls laughed before heading out of the dorm. "Brats."
Jacob said, "Hey, food's on. Hurry or there'll be nothing left."
"We're on our way," Richard tells him as he drapes an arm across Thete's back. "You will eat, right?"
"What's with the eating all of a sudden?"
"I just don't want to explain why you're pushing food around your plate."
Jon kissed him, "Yeah, I'll eat."
They headed up the stairs, with Simeon and Jacob just behind Rose and Saritha. The table's been expanded a bit and what extra chairs there are to be had are arranged so there are enough settings for everyone. Jayne eyes over the late arrivals and then blinks when Rose and Saritha settle down on one side of him with Simeon on the other side. "Hi," says the ebony headed teen, "I'm Saritha."
Zoë and Mal both wander in just as Jacob squeezes in between his dads with a smirk, "Only way to keep you two from pawing each other," the boy teases.
Jayne responds to the girl, "Jayne Cobb."
Rose says, "Isn't Jayne a girls name?"
"No!" exclaims the very tall man.
Thete bites his tongue. He's not going to say anything. "Yes," River says for him. "It's a feminine form of 'John'." Rose suppresses a chuckle and reaches over to give the other girl a push. River giggles out loud and sways with the contact.
Kaylee laughs as she sets a dish on the table and smacks Saritha on the arm, "She's just teasin', Jayne." River looks up at the golden haired girl all smiles.
"Oh, this is incredible," Zoë exclaims as she looks at the fresh food on the table. To her it's a feast.
Book adds a few more things to the table, including mashed potatoes and sliced raw vegetables, "It's not much -- I had a garden at the Abbey, thought I should bring what I could."
"It's very kind of you to share with all of us, Sir." Simeon says.
"Quite fantastic," Jon adds. Richard nods in agreement.
"I'm gonna make a plate for Wash..." Zoë says. She snags a plate out of the cupboard and fills it with food to take up to her husband, "Save me a roll, will you?" Mal nods and puts one on her plate before the basket empties. As she steps out with the full plate the others begin passing around. Mal makes sure that a bit of each dish ends up on Zoë's plate too, so by the time she returns it's heaped full. "Thank you, sir," she says with a grin as she resumes her seat.
She catches Book saying, "Well, it won't last, and they're never the same when they're frozen. The important thing is the spices. A man can live on packaged food from here 'til Judgment Day if he's got enough rosemary."
Dobson whose seat is on the other side of Zoë and across from Rose cuts right over what Book is saying as he comes in just a bit after the others, "Can you pass me the tomatoes?" Jayne takes a slice or two more and passes them just as Kaylee adds more rolls to the table from the oven and a fresh fruit salad.
Then the entire group comes to a pause, aware that there's a Shepherd in the group. "Say your grace, padre," Mal says, "Just don't expect all of us to join you."
Book blinks, "Thank you." He says a short blessing over the food and Mal pauses while it's being said, but doesn't actually bow his head like Kaylee, Dobson, Jayne, or the Smythe family. Zoë raises an eyebrow at him. He shrugs at her and breaks his roll open as the last word of the prayer goes silent. If she didn't know better she'd swear that Mal was at least trying to be nice about having Book aboard.
The younger Mr. Smythe said, "So, does it happen a lot?" Mal looks over at him confused. He adds, "The Government commandeering your ship, telling you where to go?"
"That's what governments are for -- get in a man's way." The captain said.
Dobson deftly sliced his food, "Well, it's good, if the supplies are needed."
Richard noticed Rose giving him a strange look. What Mei-gui?
She blinked. How?
Verity. What are you spotting over there?
Oh, cool. Just that Dobson here is using his knife like you do. Like it's an extension of his hand. Does that mean anything?
Yes. It means he's trained to kill with them. This is why I told you to stay with River.
Beside River, Jayne was saying, "We're just happy to be doing good works."
Right. I'll do that. Rose looked away, "What other sorts of things did you grow, Shepherd Book?"
"Oh, herbs, berries, and vegetables mostly, although there's a few edible flowers I tried as well."
"I hear a lot of the border moons are in bad shape. Plagues, and famine..." Dobson said.
Zoë has been watching Dobson too, and getting an odd feeling about him. In fact she's wondering if he's looking for a reason to rat them out for anti-government sympathies, with his line of questioning. So she tries to answer as neutrally as possible with the hopes that Mal catches on. "Well, some of that's exaggerated, and some of it ain't. All those moons -- just like the central planets, they're as close to Earth-That-Was as we could make 'em: gravity, atmosphere, and such, but..."
Only Mal doesn't catch on, "Once they're terraformed, they'll dump settlers on there with nothing but blankets, hatchets, maybe a herd. Some of them make it, some of them..." he drifts off rather than finish.
"As I understand it," Jon said, "Each moon has it's own quirks and deviations based on the basic chemical composition of the body to start. None of them are perfect, and each population suffers it's own maladies based on the interactions of the technology with the native biosphere."
"Dad, common English, please?" Simeon said.
"That was common English."
"No, it wasn't," Jacob protested.
Richard smiled, "What you're all getting at, is that humans aren't meant to be living on some of these worlds, and we're making ourselves sick by pushing it. The 'plagues' are caused by our own actions because we're rushing too fast into these new places using technology that wasn't meant for the conditions we're using it for. And I'm guessing the 'famine' is caused more by social situation."
Zoë nodded, "Yes."
"So it's good then to be helping, right?" Jacob said.
" 'Course."
Kaylee looked over at Simeon, "So both you and Jon are doctors, right?"
"Oh. Uh, yes. Although I'm specializing as a trauma surgeon. Currently I'm getting field experience. My dad is a general practitioner."
"Where did you get your training?" She asked.
"Helion Prime. At the New Meccan Medical University," Jon said.
Mal piped up, "Long way from here." The Doctor looked at him and nodded. He could tell though that this fit with what Mal expected.
Dobson said, "That's the other side of Wild Space, isn't it?"
"Ain't nothin' wrong with the medical know-how over there," Mal says, "Might even be superior to ours, in many ways."
Kaylee turns her attention back to Simeon, "You seem so young. To be a doctor."
"It's what I want to do. I've been watching my dad all my life, and it just seems to fit." He shrugs, "You know, You're pretty young to be a ship's mechanic."
She blushes slightly, "No how. Machines just got workings, and they talk to me."
"That's a rare gift," Shepherd Book told her.
If anything, she blushes further, "Oh, not like being a doctor. Helping fix people, that's important."
"Little Kaylee here just wishes you was a gynecologist," Jayne says with a cackling laugh. He doesn't notice Rose's hard look, or Saritha's shocked expression, or even Kaylee's humiliation. He gives Simeon a slight push and doesn't notice the glares he gets from the male members of the Smythe clan either.
But Mal does see the reaction. The temperature at the table has dropped a good few degrees, in fact; "Jayne." He says the name sharply enough to get the gun-for-hire's attention, "You'll keep a civil tongue in that mouth or I will sew it shut, is there an understanding between us?"
The brawny man blinks at the ship's captain, "You don't pay me to talk pretty. Just because Kaylee gets lubed-up over some big city dandies' s--"
This makes both Jon and Richard tense up. Mal knows there'll be blood if Jayne doesn't leave, "Walk away from this table. Right now." Jayne stares, not understanding the danger he's in for insulting two trained killers and their son. Not to mention the offense they seem to have taken on Kaylee's behalf. Mal fixes him with a stony expression, booking no arguments. Jayne, in a huff, piles on some more food on his plate and storms away with it.
The entire gathering is quiet for a long second.
Finally Rose clears her throat, "What'd you pay him for?"
"Huh?"
"Well, just curious as to his job. On the ship," the blonde says.
Mal stares at her a moment dumbfounded. Then he replies, "Public relations."