Chapter one
One year before.
He stood behind her on the gentle hillside, hands clasped firmly over her eyes. The air was soft and fragrant as the peach tinted sun rose. "Come on, doctor, it can't be that good. Let me see."
He smiled in pure delight. It wasn't often that they got to take time out to see the brighter side of the universe. One by one, he took his fingers away from her eyes until she could see the exquisite vista laid out in front of her. He held her shoulders as a wave of vertigo passed over her. They seemed to be standing on a thin layer of cloud. A million tiny rainbows hid the hillside, a lightshow just for them.
"How?" she turned so she could see his face. The rainbows reflected in his eyes. She studied his face with the same intensity as she had studied the rainbows. A tiny smile edged onto her lips.
"I don't know." He gently turned her around to face the view. That gently probing gaze had made him uncomfortable. The breeze blew her hair into his face. Absently, he smoothed it down with his fingers.
"What do you mean, you don't know?" She spoke softly. "You're the doctor. You know everything."
"Not everything. I never tried to find out." He gazed over the vista. "It would spoil it to know the secret, don't you think?"
"Yeah, it would." She tilted her head back, so her ponytail rested lightly against his shoulder. He reached past her to point.
"See that?" He pointed at a tiny, bleached stone bridge. "It's the oldest thing on the planet. No-one knows who built it. Most of the legends say it just... appeared one day."
"I've never seen anything like it." Every sweep of her eyes found something new to look at.
"There's not much like this left now." He sounded regretful. "Too many wars, ripping the fabric of places apart."
The valley sloped gently. The bottom was wide and flat. A small river sparkled like polished diamonds as it wound its way along the valley floor. The tiny bridge crouched over it, like an old woman counting her memories. Vibrant green plants covered every inch of the slopes. They shimmered under a covering of dancing rainbows. A few houses, each painted a soft pastel, decorated the valley like icing on a cake.
"Makes you want to stay, doesn't it?" the soft question surprised him.
"Not something I've thought about." He murmured. "Never could stay still for too long, you know."
He held his finger out for one on the planet's pure white butterflies to land on. The small creature dipped wings the colour of summer clouds and settled gently onto his offered finger. It's tiny feet felt like silk against his skin. It inched up his hand to his wrist, then stopped as skin turned to fabric. With a bemused bob, it took off again. He watched it go before her words caught his attention.
"I can imagine it."
"What?"
"Settling down here with you."
She felt the shock race through his body. For the space of a few heartbeats, he froze in surprise, utterly still. He blew out a breath that tickled the back of her neck. "It's not something I've ever really thought about." His voice was hoarse.
She turned and took hold of his hands. A question appeared in his eyes. She answered it by kissing the palm of his hand. "You want me?" He sounded a little awed. She smiled and captured his mouth for a soft, teasing kiss that stole all the words he wanted to say away from him.
She drew back from this kiss to watch his face. "I want you."
He smiled, and pulled her into a heartfelt hug.