Doctor and Assistant (Chap. 20)
Chapter 20: Scarlet Is Repaired/Lilly's Story/Cybermen
(Author's Note: Okay, look. This chapter involves SOME mature parts. I won't say by who. But it isn't even graphic. It's kind of like almost-happened and then there's also some allusions to it. Also, this chapter gets pretty dramatic and confusing. Mysteries will be cracked open and make you think. So, read on.)
/the Doctor\\
Derpy shut her eyes tightly as the Doctor took her hand and nodded at her. She exhaled softly, walking away with him and Lilly from Scarlet's burning funeral pyre. Hydran disagreed with their suggestion of him going; he still felt guilty and wouldn't bare seeing a funeral, especially not now with his family dead. The Doctor could hear the popping of the crackling fire and the wind whispering quietly as he turned his back on the dead Skyolozine.
"I'm going to miss her," Derpy sighed in a sad tone.
He let go of her hand, his arm now wrapping around her shoulders. "Me too, love... me too," he said. "Lilly, are you okay?"
The psychic shrugged.
"Lilly, please answer?" Derpy pleaded after a pause.
"I'm okay," she said. An obvious lie.
Derpy frowned at the Doctor, slowing so Lilly could catch up. When she did, the psychic kept her gaze on the TARDIS. The Doctor rested his hand on her shoulder. "You know you can talk to us, right?"
Lilly looked at him, a fake smile covering her face. "Yes, Doctor, I know I can." She then ran into the TARDIS, leaving the couple behind in the dust.
"Did you ask her yet?" Derpy asked, again after a pause.
He inhaled through his teeth. "Not yet."
"If she agrees, would you be alright with it?"
"Of course!" he smiled, pecking her cheek. "I just don't know how she'll take it."
"Yeah, you're right. Worth a shot, though, right?"
"Definitely."
/?\\
"Hey, wake up," it said to the beautiful woman lying on the surgical table, "it's me."
"Hmm?! Didn't I die?!" Scarlet asked with a gasp, shocked.
"No. Actually, if anything you were, but sort of... You were halfsies. A bit alive and a bit dead in unison. I had to revive you."
Scarlet tried to sit up but it laid a hand on her shoulder. She froze.
"You are under anesthetics. It'd be best if you just stayed there. You need to heal."
"How long was I out?" she asked, laying back down.
"About 6 hours here, 6 hours there. Around 12, then, I suppose."
"I see your insanity hasn't faded away yet."
An honest, non-forced, deep laugh came from it's mouth. "Never will. It does get sooooo annoying... Can you blame me, though?"
"No," she giggled.
It began pacing the perimeter of her table. "What have you found?"
Scarlet cleared her throat. "He's still 10. He's Derpy's boyfriend, actually. They have a little 12 year old traveling with them named Lilly. She sees and speaks with the dead and deceased. She has a Spirit Guide by the name of Rachel."
"'Derpy'...?" it asked.
"Young, looks like she's in her mid-or-early 20s. Golden eyes which go in different directions and golden hair."
"...Hmm...," it murmured. "Anything I should watch out for or use against 'em?"
"Derpy and Lilly seem to be the Doctor's top priorities. Get to them and he'll surely do anything as long as they are said to be safe."
It stopped walking once it reached her face. She slanted her eyes at it out of confusion.
"Yes?"
It was its chance. All of it's feelings towards it's lovely science experiment-gone-right.
"Are you okay?"
It watched her intensely before lifting her face up to it's own. They kissed eachother feverishly without stopping.
When they did stop, however (after about 15 seconds), Scarlet grinned at it. "I knew you loved me."
It smiled, blushing out of embarrassment. Scarlet brought their lips together again.
/Lilly\\
"Happy birthday!" Rachel smiled later that night, sitting on the edge of her bed. "Exactly midnight, just like how we usually do it."
Lilly smiled weakly at her Spirit Guide and hopped out of her bed. "I can always lay my trust in you as my calendar."
"Yes, yes you can," Rachel laughed vibrantly. "What are you going to do?"
"Listen to music and read in the library. What else?"
Rachel rolled her eyes.
"It's the most I can do. You know, it marks the 2-year anniversary of..." She wiped away a random, out-of-nowhere tear and sniffled.
"It's okay," she said soothingly. "You can cry. It always helps to cry," Rachel reminded her.
"But of what? Fear? Anger? Sorrow? Happiness?"
A knock echoed softly on the door as Lilly crossed her room for her earbuds. "Lill', can I come in?" the Doctor asked.
She cleared her throat. "Oh, um, uh, y-yeah."
He opened the door and swiftly turned on the light, shutting it behind him. "Awkward question—are you okay?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you okay...?" he repeated.
She looked up, masking her frown with a smile. "Yes, why?"
The Doctor crossed his arms, transferring his weight onto his left foot. "I'm not leaving until you tell me what's the matter. I could feel you projecting emotions from the control room."
"Doctor, nothing is wrong. I'm perfectly fine, see?" She spun around on the floor, flopping back onto her bed.
"Lilly. Lilly, I've been a father before. I've had children of my own," he said quietly, sitting next to her. "And I've lived long enough to know the difference between 'fine' and 'trying-not-to-cry-so-I-will-say-I-am-fine'."
Lilly giggled, a tear spilling onto her cheek. She wiped it away. "No, no. I'm not crying." she told herself sternly.
"Lillith, it's perfectly okay to cry... Just do it."
"I don't want to cry, though," she frowned softly.
"Why not?"
"Because it's showing I'm weak. And right now... My strength is the only thing holding me up."
He turned to face her fully, taking her hands into his. "Why would you need to be held up?"
She shook her head, looking down.
"Question for another time, then. And crying doesn't mean you're weak. I mean, ask anyone. I cry all of the time and I'm pretty bloody strong," he laughed.
She giggled, meeting his gaze. "So..., it's okay if I cry, yeah?"
"It's better if if you cry, yes," he smiled weakly.
She whimpered, burying her face in his suit and wrapping her arms around him. She sobbed heavily into his jacket and the Doctor frowned, weaving his fingers through her hair. "This can't be happening...," she muttered.
"What can't be?"
She looked up. "You won't tell anyone, will you?"
"My lips are sealed. I promise."
Lilly shut her eyes, trying to keep her composure. "It was my eleventh birthday. I had these feelings, these awful, gut-wrenching feelings that something was going to happen, that something was gonna go wrong and I wouldn't be able to stop it! I warned them day after day after day but they wouldn't listen to me! They said they would send me to the loony-bin if I kept it up!"
"Who was this?"
"My family; my mum, dad, and little baby brother Vincent. They said I was crazy, that I was delusional! They never believed I was a psychic! They just diagnosed me with schizophrenia, even the doctors did! So on my eleventh birthday... I ran away. I ran from the evil. It was bound to happen. I never heard then sing to congratulate me for aging another year. They'd gone to run some errands, and while they were gone I packed and left!"
Lilly went back to crying, the Doctor shaking his head. "Lilly..., Lilly, it's okay..."
"No it isn't!" she sobbed. "It's been 2 years and I don't know if they're alive or not! Rachel can't find them in the Afterlife or see if they are alive!"
The Doctor held Lilly to him and she continued to sob heavily. "Lilly, thank you for telling me. Do you, maybe, I don't know, want to go visit your old house? See what happened?"
Lilly shook her head no.
"Why not?"
She looked up. "Because if... If they died, I... I wouldn't be able to live with myself..."
The Doctor frowned, hugging her again. "I know you know I know how that feels."
Lilly giggled weakly.
"Hey, are you thinking about telling the others?"
"Should I?"
"It's up to you, Lill'. It's your family. You need to have the final say."
"But I'm asking you. When did you tell Derpy and... S-Scarlet about the Time War?"
The Doctor frowned, shaking his head. "I haven't told either. Derpy only knows a bit. But... she doesn't know how it all played out and what role I fulfilled. You, on the other hand, I barely had any choice in telling you," he laughed, hinting at their discussion from two days ago. (Author's Note: She confronts him about what Rachel had said about his past and home planet. He came clean about the entire war. And don't bother looking - it wasn't written and/or published.)
"Sorry 'bout that."
"Nah, you would've found out anyway."
"I suppose." She wiped away a few more tears before focusing her gaze on his jacket.
He looked down self-consciously. "What?" he asked.
She giggled embarrassedly, pointing to a damp spot, "I cried on your jacket."
"So what?" he adds. "I'm not worried about it."
She laughed, but during doing so a few more tears dropped.
The Doctor picked her up and had her sit on his leg where she proceeded to cry into his shoulder.
/the Doctor\\
The Doctor kept Lilly on his leg, shutting his eyes. But the psychic's at-that-moment-usual shaking breaths turned frail and soft, like the calm before the oncoming storm (although he hoped another storm wouldn't be coming). He opened his eyes and looked down at her.
"Doctor, this... this may sound weird and out of the blue, and it does feel awkward, but... Doctor, you remind me of my dad. And... And I'm finding myself looking at you like you're my father," she admitted.
The Doctor's breathing paused, a proud grin on his face. "And on the same level of awkwardness, Lilly, Derpy and I have been thinking about you lately. In a good way, I mean. And we... If it's okay with you, we'd like to adopt you. Just so you don't have to walk around without parents. Because... Having no parents is a horrible thing and we don't want you to feel like that, especially with all of the added drama and problems you have encircling you."
Lilly smiled.
"Is that okay?"
She paused. "Okay, dad."
He laughed. "Now I can literally say, with the exception of Hydran, we are one time-traveling family."
Lilly giggled, but it soon turned cold. "What do you two think?"
This caused him to "hmm?"
"You got a daughter who sees the dead, can't sleep, is always passing out, and never doesn't have bloody noses. How does that make you feel?"
"Proud."
"How does that make you proud?" she asked, sniffling and meeting his gaze.
"Because no one else does that. And if you haven't realized it, I'm proud to be near unique people. I mean, Scarlet was a new and different race. Derpy's eyes are extremely one-in-a-million. I'm a Time Lord. Hydran is a three-handed dragon that spits plasma and brings things back to life. And now we have you," he explained.
Lilly smiled. "Speaking of, what's going on between you and Derpy?"
The Doctor laughed honestly. "We're in love. We're dating. Anything else?"
She giggled. "I think you know what I mean."
He blushed automatically, looking down. "No, n-no, it isn't... It isn't like that."
Lilly laughed. "You're aura is definitely telling me something."
"What is it saying...?"
"Let's just say... Doctor, you're in love. And you have a very creative mind." His blush deepened and the psychic smiled. "Hey, our little secret, right?"
He laughed. "Sure. Whatever you say, kiddo. Anything else to ask?"
"Sort of. Anything to ask ME?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you have anything you want to ask me?" Lilly asked.
"...Yeah. Yeah, I actually do."
"Hit me."
"What were your parents like? That is, if you don't mind talking about it."
She automatically began talking. "They were the people who would do anything for anybody at any time no matter what was right if they believed otherwise. My dad, Lee, he would always make me laugh on days where I thought laughter was a faraway memory. My mum, her name was Roseline. Oh... You have a bad response to that," she added quietly, placing a hand on his back when he tensed at the name "Rose". "Sorry. Anyways. Mum would always put Vincent and I first. I always got what I wanted unless it would affect us all negatively. Not saying I'm spoiled or anything. And then there was Vincent. Funny story about him, actually. I was the only who told my mum she was pregnant with him, not a test! She didn't believe me of course, but, lo and behold, she finds out a day or so later."
The Doctor chuckled a bit at her story. "But... If you were loved that much by your family, why did they, in your words, almost send you to the 'loony-bin'?"
"Because they almost did. It reached a point in my warnings towards them that they stopped acting like that; all nice and caring. I was ignored. But soon I realized after overhearing their conversations about sending me off that is was BECAUSE OF the warnings, so I decided to lay off of 'em. I didn't tell them as frequently after that, but I had still made an effort to tell them. Then they were back to normal."
"And they still didn't believe you were a psychic, even after your prophesizing of Vincent?"
"Correct. Apparently my mum had actually taken a test, but it read negative. She just thought that I was guessing by the way she had been acting, ya know, with the throwing up and mood swings; the normal pregnancy side effects."
"So you're definitely a legitimate psychic," he said, although it was more of a statement than a question.
"Wanna see a trick?"
"Go ahead."
Lilly smiled, standing up and walking to her dresser. She picked up a glass of water (and he could see she had about 5 more stored away inside of the compartment) and placed it on the windowsill. "Know anything about telekinesis?"
"No way!" he gasped.
"Yes way. I was the one who moved Hydran's wife," she admitted. Lilly extended her arms and the cup slowly began shaking and twitching before it moved up to the ceiling and circled the room. Bewildered yet amazed, the Doctor scooped her into a tight hug when she set it back down.
"Lilly, you are completely amazing!" She laughed at his exclamation. "Add that to the list of why I am proud!"
Lilly giggled and Derpy walked in. "Should I be leaving you two alone?" his girlfriend asked with a laugh.
Lilly smirked. "Doctor, your aura again...," she teased.
The Time Lord blushed. "Lilly!" he laughed nervously.
"What is this about auras?"
Lilly laughed again. "Nothing, nothing."
Derpy walked over to them, pecked his cheek, and sat next to Lilly. "Did he ask you yet?" she asked the psychic.
The Doctor nodded. Lilly sat upright in his lap.
"And her answer?"
"Hello, mum," Lilly said with a large smile.
Derpy grinned, placing her hand on her back. "Welcome to the family, dear," she told Lilly.
/Lilly\\
Lilly grinned widely out of joy, her eyes on the brink of tears again. Derpy and the Doctor embraced her again and she controlled herself from sobbing by letting out a shaky exhale. She had a family. She wasn't alone. And now, for the first time in two years, she could say she had a mum and dad by her side.
/?\\
It looked next to itself and groaned, seeing it's science experiment, Scarlet laying in his bed. It's mind raced. It couldn't let her find out the secret behind her and her "species". For now, the facade of it picking her up from the streets shall stay.
And now that they had just done... that, it might be a tiny bit harder.
/the Doctor\\
The Doctor and Derpy walked away from Lilly's bedroom, leaving the psychic to herself.
"So now it's like Dinky has a step-sister," the Doctor stated nonchalantly.
Derpy smiled, taking his hand loosely. "I'm happy we decided to do that."
The Doctor chuckled.
"What was she talking about?"
The Time Lord tensed. "Oh, you know... stuff."
"I saw tear marks on her face, Doctor."
He froze completely. "She wasn't crying."
"Doctor, dear, please don't lie to me," she murmured, standing on the tips of her toes and tracing his jawline. "She's my child too."
"...She told me not to speak her reason."
"Of course she didn't want you to," Derpy mumbled. She dropped her hand.
"She's just 13 years old. Secrets are secrets and they have to be kept, especially around her age–"
"–Doctor?" Lilly asked, peering from her door. "I think I'm gonna tell everyone."
/Lilly\\
Lilly looked at the Doctor's fellow companions, a wave of apprehension slamming into her and twisting her insides. They'd flocked to the control room all too quickly for Lilly.
"Just keep your composure," muttered Rachel.
The Doctor sat next to her and clasped her hands in his. "Lilly, dear, you don't have to do this if you don't want to."
"Doctor, I have to do this."
"Don't you want to think it over again?"
"Doctor, I have to do this." she repeated. Lilly stood up from the couch and gulped. "Here goes nothing," she murmured.
/?\\\
"Oh, hey," Scarlet yawned, flying into it's laboratory.
It didn't even turn to look at her. It continued typing on it's computer. "Last night never happened," it murmured.
Scarlet laughed seductively, walking over to it. "Oh contrare..."
"Since when have you spoken Romanian?" it asked, suddenly intrigued. It then wiped the attitude away. "We shouldn't even had kissed," it continued.
Scarlet sat on its leg and pecked it's cheek multiple times, peppering it with kisses. "Are you sure?"
"Scarlet, at least let me hit this button," it said.
"What'll it do?" she asked.
"Oh, my darling, it's just another trap for this lot."
"The Doctor and his crew?"
"Mmhmm. And, I must say, you did good not spoiling our little... masquerade."
"No big deal. It was easy."
"And all of these emotions? Mother of Rassilon, you'd never know it was you, my love."
"When one follows in the light of someone like you, one has to learn how to act. At least a bit, that is."
It laughed honestly. "Who'll press the button?"
"You! You're the brains of the operation."
It laughed once more, slamming it's fist against the button. It watched the computer screen before cheering triumphantly. "Operation Depression is in action. And, luckily for us, Derpy has BEEN in that state of mind..."
/Lilly\\
"...And I had been running ever since," Lilly explained, concluding her story.
Derpy frowned as she sat next to the Doctor on the couch, everyone else sharing her expression. "Where have you been living?"
"Orphanages. Almost an insane asylum when they found me on the streets. Then, the people from the masquerade ball. Now, here. People like me with my state of mind usually don't have forever-homes. Children just aren't listened to, no matter what our gift is," Lilly muttered.
"Thank you for telling us," Hydran smiled comfortingly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "That took a lot of guts."
/the Doctor\\
Derpy laid her head on his leg and curled into a ball. The Doctor rested one of his arms on her shoulder, Hydran and Lilly watching.
"Where do you lot think we should go next?" he asked them.
Lilly smiled, presumably at Rachel. "Yeah, I know, right!"
Hydran slanted his eyes in confusion. "Hmm?"
"Oh, nothing. Sorry," Lilly said quickly.
Derpy went limp against him and he looked down to watch her. "You alright?"
"...Yeah," she answered.
"Are you sure?" he questioned further. He could feel something was wrong.
Derpy tensed, sitting up quickly. "Yes."
Hydran watched her expectantly while Lilly looked away. "Derpy, you seem a bit off."
"Shut up!" Derpy yelled, crossing her arms.
The Doctor put an arm around her shoulders. "Dear, this isn't like you. Please. Something is wrong and you aren't telling us... Yelling isn't going to help."
"How would YOU know?! Maybe yelling IS helping me!" she yelled once more. "You aren't me! You don't know what is or what isn't helping me! If you did I wouldn't feel so-!" Her crying cut her off. She pushed the Doctor away, running to the bed hallways. Lilly ran after her.
The Doctor groaned, his entire body going limp and his head rolling back.
/Lilly\\
Lilly ran, silently following Derpy through the hallways. When she shut the door to her bedroom, Lilly opened it again and stayed by her bedside.
"Derpy?" she asked.
Derpy didn't respond, she only buried her face in her pillow.
"Derpy, please?" she tried again, "I can help you. We can help you!"
No response.
Lilly, figuring it was the only way, concentrated on the area within her shoulders to her head which would hold her emotional aura. A dark, muddy, forest green emerged and smothered her. Lilly gulped, running to the Doctor.
/the Doctor\\
He sat wondering with Hydran about Derpy's sudden outburst of emotion. What could've happened? Maybe-
-"Doctor, something is definitely wrong with Derpy!" Lilly called out, running to him.
"What is it?" he asked, hopping to the ground.
"Dark forest green!"
"'Dark forest green'?"
"Ugh!" she groaned. "She's... She's in a really bad place of her mind right now. She feels victimized by the world, insecure, and her self esteem is hardly there."
He facepalmed. "How could I be so blind? I should automatically know! I must be the worst boyfriend in the entire history of the universe to her!" The Doctor groaned again out of disbelief. "I gotta go talk to her. Stay here," he rambled, already rushing to his assistant.
/Derpy\\
Her door opened. She shut her eyes together, a tear forcing out against her will. Someone sat on her bed and held her to them tightly.
Derpy looked up and saw the Doctor. "Derpy, you need to say something sooner," he whispered.
"I couldn't," she frowned.
"Why not?"
"Doctor, please... I've felt like this for so long now that it has become normal."
"Why did you only run off just now?"
She gulped. "I couldn't hold it back any longer. I've been..."
"Yes?"
She frowned again, looking up at him. "I've been blocking out my emotions since I was a filly."
"But you were crying a few days ago, weren't you?"
"I meant this specific emotion," she whispered sadly. Another tear fell from her eye but she ignored it.
The Doctor ran one of his hands through her hair with a concerned expression. "And which emotion is this?"
Derpy sniffled, tears streaming down her face. "Promise you won't overreact?"
"No promises," he smiled weakly.
Derpy gulped again, leaning closer to his ear. "Doctor, I... I don't... Doctor, I don't like myself anymore," she sobbed, "I hate myself... I hate myself so much!"
The Doctor tightened his grip on her and shook his head. "Why, Derpy?"
She buried her face in his suit, unable to answer.
"Love, you're amazing. Beautiful is an understatement," he whispered deeply into her ear. "I look into your eyes and I can see the universe. I'd stop all of time and space just to make you smile because you're so adorable when you do."
"But that's out of love, Doctor! If you weren't in love with me, would you still?"
"Yes, I absolutely would," he answered automatically.
"Why would you?"
"Why would you think I wouldn't?"
Derpy shook her head, pulling away from his embrace. "Doctor, no one likes me! No one! My eyes make me stupid! I run into stupid situations! I have horrible eyesight and even the best glasses wouldn't work! I'm awkward and clumsy and I can't talk right and I have an extremely high pitched voice and I–"
–the Doctor held her to him, attaching his lips onto hers for a few seconds. "And where did you hear this all from?"
"Everyone, including myself," she admitted, wiping her tears away although they kept coming.
"And is that why you're feeling so down? Because if you give me less than two minutes to talk I can make you a rebuttal for all of that."
"I'd like to see you try," she muttered, pouting.
"You have friends, Derpy, friends that care about you and like you and would do anything you asked. Your eyes don't make you stupid at all! In fact, you're very intelligent. You don't run into stupid situations, I accidentally make you, so the blame for that one is on me. Sure, your eyesight might be bad, but you aren't the only one! You aren't awkward. You aren't clumsy. Your talking doesn't need any work at all. Your voice is adorable, and I love it. Derpy, I love you."
Derpy shut her eyes, bowing her head and laying her forehead against his shoulder. "I just don't know what to think anymore, Doctor."
"On what topic? Still the victimized one?"
Derpy nodded into his shoulder.
His grip tightened again. "Tell me? Please?"
His assistant looked up and into his eyes. "I have two different minds, it feels like. One listens to me and says I am worthless, but the other is saying I'm perfect!"
"Think of the second one. It's the truth," he said soothingly, rubbing her arms.
"But what if it isn't?"
"Derpy," he said softly, taking her hands in his. "Am I ever wrong?"
"No, but it doesn't mean you can't be," she said under her breath.
The Doctor shut his eyes, holding Derpy to him tightly. "Sweetie, there are over three-hundred-million different problems in the world. You should be able to say you have the honor of having a grand total of zero. I'm here for you. I know how you feel, sweetheart, and I'm here to fight off your monsters and keep you safe. I've lived for 904 years and I never get a break with these different life lessons and experiences and memories, so you should be able to trust me. You don't need to argue with yourself. You should look in the mirror and tell you reflection that you look really, really attractive because you are." Derpy giggled at his last sentence, an embarrassed blush now on her cheeks. "See? Look. You're beautiful even when you cry. Your eyeliner didn't even run! You're talented in so many different ways and you didn't even know it!"
Derpy laughed weakly. "Stop," she smiled.
"Only if you promise me that you'll remember what I said and you'll listen to the right side?"
Derpy looked up at him one more time, grinning. "Fine."
The Doctor smiled, planting a short kiss on her lips before embracing her again.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"No big deal. Actually, it was a big deal but let's just say it wasn't." Derpy laughed again at his talking speed. "See? That's the Derpy we need around here. And... I'm sorry if it was about something I said back in the control room–"
"–it isn't. Trust me," she murmured back. "I just needed something to believe in."
The Doctor nodded. "I know how that feels. Just... Try to believe in yourself."
"But it's hard," she admitted.
"I know it is, baby, I know it is. If you are ever, Rassilon forbid, in a situation where you don't feel able to do something just tell yourself you can do it. Life is going to be hard to the best of us. We just have to find a way to push through. It isn't about how hard you are pushed; it's about how hard you can GET pushed and keep going. And it might seem excruciatingly hard at first but trust me when I say, with enough practice and hope and love, anything is possible. I know you, sweetie, and I know most, if not all, of your limits both psychically and mentally. So if you ever need help, I'm always going to be there for you until my dying breath no matter what happens."
Derpy nodded, kissing his cheek. "I love you, Doctor. Thank you."
He cradled her face. "Is there anything else you'd like to admit to feeling?"
"Well, I mean, I do want to kiss you right now. Other than that, though, the answer is no."
The Doctor chuckled, bringing their lips together. They linked and unlinked together hungrily and they both automatically began blushing. Derpy pulled away.
"I don't know how you do it," she giggled breathlessly.
"Do what?"
"How can you make me blush by only kissing me?"
He laughed huskily. "That's not my fault. Derpy, it seems you may be fantasizing about me."
"I think you're guilty too."
"Maybe I am."
Her blush deepened and she began kissing him again. His hands knotted in her hair and held her in place as his mouth began traveling her face.
Hydran knocked on the door, startling them both. "Is it seriously going to be like this every time I walk in on you two?"
"Just don't walk in," Derpy shrugged when the Doctor pulled away out of pure embarrassment. He laughed at her tone.
"Okay, well, I'll shut the door. I won't tell Lilly."
The door shut and the couple watched each other carefully before sharing a nervous laugh. "Now the question is, dear, do we salvage the moment or wait for another?" he asked, grinning.
"I'll say we do both," she suggested seductively.
He laughed, holding her to him again. Their lips crashed against each other's and his hand traveled down her back slowly. She laid down, pulling him down with her. They continued to kiss feverishly until they reached a consistent tempo. The Doctor moved her farther up her bed and sat back, watching her. "Do you want to do this?" he asked.
She giggled. "Why wouldn't I? You?"
He laughed, pulling her up to him again. She began taking off his jacket with ease and then moved onto his suit (which was actually surprisingly fast considering she still had a cast on her hand) as he began busying himself with her shirt, when all of the sudden a few seconds later–
The TARDIS lurched forwards, the Doctor falling onto Derpy. However they didn't blush when they realized the TARDIS wasn't doing that for their own sake.
"Doctor?" Derpy asked, tossing him his jacket and putting her shirt back on. "What's going on?"
"Derpy, love, although I hate to ruin that moment of ours, it seems the TARDIS might be traveling," he frowned disappointedly, hopping off of the bed in unison with Derpy.
"That's too bad," she giggled. "I really thought we had something going on there."
He chuckled, buttoning his suit. "Me too."
Derpy leaned against the wall watching him, waiting for instructions. He looked up at her and automatically walked to her. "Doctor?" she asked when he got so close he was directly against her.
"The TARDIS can wait," he said in a husky tone, pinning her arms above her head against the wall and locking his lips with hers. She returned his kiss passionately, a blush forming on her cheeks when their tongues touched. She eventually got her arms free and used his suit to pull him as close as possible.
The TARDIS lurched again, throwing Derpy in the Doctor's directions instead of vice versa. He groaned at the TARDIS. "Fine, fine," he pouted, pulling Derpy along with him to the control room.
Lilly blushed at them when they ran in hand and hand. Derpy gasped, "you told her, didn't you, Hydran?"
"No, no, he didn't," Lilly admitted. "You guys definitely know how to project images..."
The Doctor froze.
"Well, you definitely got to the Doctor," Hydran laughed.
/Lilly\\
"Yeah, yes you did," the Doctor agreed with a nervous laugh. "Did anyone touch the controls?"
Hydran and Lilly shook their heads.
"Then why are we traveling?" Derpy asked.
"Dear," he said, pushing in some levers, "you've travelled with the TARDIS and I for 7 months straight; you should know she has a mind of her own."
"Right," Derpy agreed, her right eye gliding upwards.
"Where's the TARDIS headed?!" Lilly asked anxiously, her and Hydran deciding to hold onto the railings surrounding the control system as the TARDIS began lurching more frequently and violently.
"It's saying 'unknown'," the Doctor exhaled, holding Derpy's good hand and the monitor's outside.
"And 'unknown', that's something bad?" Hydran asked.
"Could be."
"What do you mean, 'could be'?!" Lilly gasped out of disbelief.
"That it COULD be dangerous. That I don't know if it will be or not," the Time Lord answered.
A static was heard, and a message cut through the White Noise. A voice no one recognized (including the Doctor; Rachel said so) shot through the speakers.
"You will be upgraded, but not by me..."
/?\\
..."Emotionless you'll be, eternally," it sang. Scarlet smirked, disconnecting it and the Doctor's conversation.
/the Doctor\\
"Disconnected," a female, robotic voice declared.
"Doctor, what did that mean?" Hydran asked after a pause.
"'You will be upgraded, but not by me, emotionless you'll be, eternally,'" he recited. "What could that be hinting to...?"
"Well," Derpy said, laying on the couch, "think of our foes. 'Upgrading' and 'emotionless', wouldn't that describe a Cyberman?"
The Doctor looked at the ceiling, deep in thought. "Cybermen... Cybermen... CyBERMEN!" he repeated until he gasped. "Derpy, you intelligent woman, you are ingenious!"
Derpy sat up. "I was right?"
Lilly and Hydran laughed.
"Oh, cool, I was right!" Derpy grinned.
The Doctor, noticing that the TARDIS had stopped it's buzzing, ran to the double doors and opened them. They were in space, with it's cold air and bright stars. Out on the horizon he saw something with 4 lights blinking 4 times before it disappeared. He slammed the doors shut.
"Hmm?" Derpy asked.
"If I can lock on to the ships out there it could be a ship containing the Cybermen," he explained, lening against the doors. "But there's no reason to fight them if they haven't done anything to us or anyone-or-body else."
"Doctor," Lilly asked uneasily, "are you sure?"
"Well, yes. Well, actually, kind of leaning towards no... Well, fine, no, I'm not sure, but it doesn't mean we attack–"
–the TARDIS rang her cloister bells obnoxiously without stopping. Hydran jumped back in surprise. "Uh, why the bells?!"
"Like a fire alarm, Hydran, instead she uses it to warn us from danger," the Doctor explained. He opened the doors just in time to see the ship appear again and shoot a gold beam of energy from the ship to the Earth's atmosphere. "And now we know what the danger is." The Doctor whipped out his sonic screwdriver and partially scanned it, placing the screwdriver into a slot embedded in the control desk.
"What is it?" Lilly asked.
The Doctor let out a soft gasp once the TARDIS deciphered the golden mist a few moments later, running a hand nervously through his hair and inhaling through his teeth in a half-sigh. "It's pure solar energy, from the sun itself! If they keep spreading it into the atmosphere of Earth the planet will absorb it all and won't reflect it back into space because they cant adapt to the sudden change in time to protect itself. The planet will grow too hot for any forms of life whatsoever," he rambled.
"Why would they do that? Don't they need the humans to upgrade them?" Derpy asked.
"That's the point, mon armour," he exhaled. "What would drive them to commit genocide to a species they need to pass on their legacy to repopulate so their own species doesn't go extinct?"
Author's Note:
And there's the mystery.
Anyways. What do we think about Scarlet x Master? Haha, my friend (Scarlet's creator irl) was completely shocked when I brought the idea up. Pretty sure we all know what they did. And that wasn't too mature of a scene between Derpy and the Doctor, now was it?
Also, what are our thoughts of a special Christmas update? Like, a Christmas chapter uploaded on Christmas? I'll probably get it into the story after Doctor Who airs that day.
Reviews are appreciated and I'll do my best to get back to you! I'd like to know what I may or may not be doing wrong so I can fix it or use it to help me later on.
Thanks for reading,
— GothicPegasister