The Doctor effectively dumped me in whatever place we'd teleported to, because as soon as the new reality had snapped in he'd vanished again with a stern stay-put look, leaving me alone to figure out where the hell I was. I glared at the empty air where the Doctor had been from my position on the floor, feeling sick and betrayed. Finding out the Doctor had been lying to me had hurt, and I was angry with myself for even getting attached to him. What the hell had I been expecting?
I climbed to my feet with a low, upset growl and paced around in circles for a while, until I had calmed down enough to take in my surroundings. What I saw literally took my breath away.
The Doctor had left me in what looked like a Gothic cathedral, all vaults and arches and pillars, a thousand stained glass windows casting patterns on the floor. I craned my neck up in an attempt to find the ceiling, but failed. I did, however, see what appeared to be stars, twinkling in the shadowy distance. The entire place fairly screamed of ancientness and tranquility, and it was awe-inspiring in its beauty.
"Do you like it?" The Doctor asked quietly from behind me. I jumped a bit and whirled around, backing away slightly in the process. I didn't exactly want to be near him at the moment.
"What is this place?" I asked in response, pretending to study one of the windows and pointedly ignoring him. I heard the Doctor sigh I crossed my arms, biting my lip. I wanted to be able to take satisfaction in making him sad, damn it. Instead, it only succeeded in making the dull ache in my chest worse.
"If you want to use technical terminology, I suppose it's my…lair." The Doctor admitted, and I shot him a quick, surprised glance.
"A lair? What are you, some sort of supervillain?" The words came out harsher, more accusatory than I was expecting, and the Doctor's face visibly fell. "Tell me the truth, Doctor."
"Fitz, I-"
"Don't you dare try and get out of it!" I spun around to face him. "I trusted you! I knew that a bad idea but I did it anyway, because I liked you, and now I find out you've been lying to me!" I realized that I was shouting but I didn't care. I was mad and hurt, and I wanted the Doctor to see that.
"I never said I was a faerie," the Doctor said calmly, even though his body was tense.
"Yeah, but you let me believe you were one! You played me!" I rubbed at my eyes angrily, appalled to find that I was crying. "Was anything you said true? Or were you just using me as entertainment?" I spat the last sentence at him and ground to a halt, breathing heavily. I had plenty more to say, but I was starting to get too worked up to even form proper sentences.
The Doctor shook his head slowly, a pained expression on his face. "Fitz. I am sorry. I am sorry I did not tell you the truth from the start. I…I panicked.
My mind flashed back to the Doctor, coolly impaling the ghoul through the head, and I stared at him incredulously. "You? You panicked? About what?"
"I thought you would not want anything to do with me if you knew what I was!" The Doctor shouted back, tugging at his hair. "It's not fair! I know better than to get attached to mortals! I know that! First Samantha, and now you!" He broke off and glared at me, eyes wild and bright. I stared back, stunned into silence. "When I look at a human," the Doctor continued, more quietly, "I see them. Everything they are, their personality, what they have done and what they will do."
The Doctor moved closer, staring into my eyes like he was trying to climb inside me. I found I was unable to move. "I look at you and I see you. Your soul ensnared me and I…I…don't you see?" He grabbed my hand and raised it to his mouth, kissing it almost desperately.
It burned.
I screamed and snatched my hand away, looking down at the red mark slowly forming on the skin. "W-what the hell?" I stammered, looking up at him in shock and pain. The Doctor took a step back, looking horrified.
"I'm sorry. I am so sorry. I-"
"It's ok, Doctor." I cut him off, shaking my hand. It didn't hurt any more, surprisingly. "Can you just…tell me what you actually are? I don't know how much more of this I can take. Please."
The Doctor let out a long sigh, running his hands through his mussed hair. "I'll do better than that. I will show you." He let his hands fall back down and he tipped his head back, eyes closed. His body started to glow, form flickering and blurring violently at the edges. The light grew so bright that I had to look away. I heard a rustling, slithering sort of noise, and the glow died down. I chanced a look and felt my eyes go wide in shock when I saw the Doctor.
"Holy shit," I breathed, staring up at him. "You're a…" I trailed off, at a complete loss for words.
"A Dragon," the Doctor rumbled in agreement, the words seeming to come from inside my head. My knees suddenly felt shaky and I sat down abruptly on the floor before they had a chance to give out. Holy hell. The Doctor was a Dragon, capital D. A semi-divine cosmic being that ruled part of the universe.
It was hard to reconcile the small, curly-haired Doctor I knew with the massive god in front of me. He had to be topping thirty feet, all coils and iridescent, shimmering scales. The Doctor very much resembled the Asian depiction of dragons, with his long body and curly mane and antler-like horns. No wings, though, I noticed. He managed to be both beautiful and terrifying at once.
"I cuddled with a Dragon," was all I could think to say. The Doctor laughed, a melodious, silvery sound, and lowered his head until he was at roughly eye level with me. His eyes were still the same, and I suddenly understood why there had always been such a wild look in them.
"I am sorry for not explaining this sooner," he said quietly, although his mouth didn't move.
"Nah, I-I get it." I lifted my hand tentatively and reached out towards the Doctor, only to stop and draw back when I realized what I was doing. God. It wasn't like he was pet horse or something. The Doctor let out an amused snort and pressed his nose into my hand briefly. His scales were warm to the touch. "Jesus," I muttered, dropping my hand to pat absently at my jacket pockets.
"What are you doing?" The Doctor asked curiously, tipping his head to the side.
"I need a smoke. This is too much for me." I stopped searching when I remembered that the police had confiscated my cigarettes back at the station. And my keys. And my wallet. "Damn it," I sighed. "Never mind."
"Looking for these?" There was a sudden jangle and the aforementioned objects dropped into my lap. I looked up at the Doctor, blinking in surprise.
"How-"
"I picked them up when I went to sort out that mess at the police station." He nodded down at me. "You have been exonerated, by the way."
"What did you do?" I eyed him, but he just gave me the Dragon equivalent of a beatific smile. I decided not to ask too many questions. "Are Trix and Tobin okay?"
"Yes." The Doctor snatched away the pack of cigarettes with a surprisingly delicate movement just as I was about to pull one out.
"Oh, come on!" I complained loudly, glaring at him. The Doctor glowered back. My chances of winning a fight against a giant magical lizard were exactly zero, so I crossed my arms and pouted instead. "Thanks a lot," I muttered sulkily. The Doctor snorted again and nudged me with his head. "What?"
"Stand up," he ordered. I groaned complainingly but got to my feet anyway. I instantly regretted it when the Doctor grabbed the back of my jacket with his teeth, lifting me clear off the ground. I stifled a yelp as he twisted his neck around and dropped me onto his back.
"Wh-what was that for?" I gasped, still lightheaded from being flung through the air.
"I want to show you something," the Doctor rumbled in response, setting off through the cathedral. I almost fell off his back and grabbed at his mane, eliciting a low growl from the Doctor when I pulled too hard.
"S-sorry," I stammered nervously. The Doctor grunted and shook himself, making me yelp and hold on tighter. I could've sworn I heard him chuckle as he padded through the cathedral. The place was huge, every room as gorgeous as the one I'd first seen. I stared in awe-struck wonder, trying to take in as much as I could. "Is this place even real?"
"It exists on a plane adjacent to Earth, similar to the NeverNever. It is my home." The Doctor said by way of explanation. "Ah. Here we are."
The room we'd stopped in was massive, stretching so far into the distance that I couldn't see the far wall. It was filled with all sorts of objects, from paintings to rows of books to, bizarrely, what looked like a dinosaur skeleton, the bones scattered on the floor. "Your treasure hoard?" I hazard a guess.
"Quite." The Doctor crouched down, signaling for me to get off. I slid to the floor with only mild difficulty, although my shirt did catch on a scale and tear. The Doctor started to walk through the room, deftly weaving around shelves and hopping over piles of precious stones. I had to practically run to keep pace with him.
"Aren't-aren't Dragons supposed to be super jealous and protective of their stuff?" I panted when I caught up.
"Typically." The Doctor flicked his tail. "I enjoy showing it to others. I enjoy humans as well. Very few of my kin hold that sentiment." He flopped down into a particularly expansive field of pillows suddenly and stretched, looking for all the world like an oversized cat. I couldn't help but grin and he flicked me with his tail, the feathery plume tickling my face. "Don't laugh," the Doctor said mildly, pushing me forward with his tail.
"Sorry," I said as I stumbled forward. "Um. Is this…is this your true form, then?"
"Of course not." The Doctor snorted. "Were you to see my true face, it would drive you mad."
"Oh. Well. That's nice to know." I shoved my hands in my pockets and looked up at the Doctor. "Um. If it's not too much of a bother, could you…maybe make yourself smaller? Sorry."
"Certainly." The Doctor dipped his head, form blurring and scales blurring bright, until he was roughly the size of a large horse. "Is this better?"
"Yeah. Thanks." I gave him a nervous smile. "So. Um." I stopped, not sure what to say. There was an awkward silence.
"Are you still mad at me?" The Doctor asked quietly, his startlingly human eyes sad. I bit my lip, considering, before finally shaking my head.
"No, guess not. I just- if we're gonna be working together, we gotta be honest with each other from now on, okay?"
"Agreed." The Doctor leaned forward, rubbing his head against my face in what seemed surprisingly close to a nuzzle. I blinked, feeling myself blush for reasons I didn't quite understand.
"Right. Okay." I cleared my throat, aiming desperately for detached professionalism. "We have a lot to talk about."
"So we do." The Doctor flickered again, reappearing in his familiar human form. He looked like he was about to speak again when he suddenly gasped, clutching at his chest and doubling over.
"Doctor! Are you all right?" I moved over to him, alarmed. He shook his head, glancing up at me with anguish in his eyes.
"No," the Doctor gasped out. "Samantha is dead."