"Two of me?" Lyssa frowned. She stopped, eyes widening as she turned to the Doctor. "Alexis James," she breathed. "The woman who looked so like me everyone thought I was her."
His own eyes widened as he connected the dots. "But why would you have a cover story big enough to be well known?" he pointed out. "And why would you come here if you knew this version of you would be here? The TARDIS generally keeps us away from those points, it's too risky."
"I might not have had a choice," she bit her lip. "Maybe I landed here ahead of you - it's happened before."
"The finer details don't matter here," the Oracle broke in. "What matters is that there's two of you, and if one of you doesn't leave, soon, you're going to be found before you should be."
"Meaning I will be found at some point. Lovely," she muttered with a grimace. Although she could see his point - she knew that she and the Doctor would have to face the hunters at some point, but it would be best if they could do so when fully prepared. The Tenth Doctor knew almost nothing of Vina, and while he would still be able to help, he wouldn't have the knowledge or time to prepare. She raised her voice. "Given that the other me hasn't left yet, I'm going to assume that she can't? And that it's probably going to have to be me?"
He inclined his head. "Time here isn't set in stone."
"Well, that was helpful," she grumbled. "A nice solid answer. 'Maybe.' Thank you, that was incredibly enlightening. I know exactly what to do now."
His lips twitched in what might have been a smirk. "It means one of you has to leave, and you should probably talk to her and decide which one." He tilted his head at the doors to the building, and she instinctively turned to look. There was nothing there, and when she turned back, he was gone.
"Wait, where did he go?" Martha frowned, scanning the room with wide eyes.
"Probably to look up more cryptic notes for his next visit," the Doctor sighed. "I've seen him before. Never learned his name. But I know he's powerful. Dedicated to protecting the timeline. Possibly an ally, he's never been overtly hostile to us, at least."
"Well, I'm pretty sure he was telling the truth, so we need to get out of here," Lyssa decided. She glanced down at the pile of dust that was all that was left of Lazarus and hesitated. "Do we... need to do anything with that?" she asked, gesturing. "Like, I know the body would have been dangerous, because they could have taken DNA samples and started this mess all over again. But what if he's just dust now?"
"We could get a vacuum?" Martha suggested irreverently. Lyssa snorted before she could stop herself, clapping a hand over her mouth and turning only slightly scandalized eyes on the other girl, who just shrugged unrepentantly. "What? It's not like we can haul him away on a stretcher. He'd blow away at the first gust of wind." She tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. "Maybe we could get a broom, and sweep him into a little baggy."
"There are proper protocols for this type of situation," the Doctor informed them, raising an unimpressed eyebrow. "But the capsule should be destroyed as well." He gave it a wary glance. "And, ideally, the blueprints."
"Brilliant idea. You can take care of that, since you're the one with the technical know-how and the sonic, and Martha and I will go see about the situation outside," Lyssa suggested with a bright smile, slinging her arm through Martha's. "We promise we won't take all of the credit."
"Just most of it," Martha teased. "I was the one to get a DNA sample and get everyone out, after all."
"See you in a few minutes, Doctor!" Lyssa informed him with a wave as she began picking her way through the rubble. She heard him give a loud sigh behind her and exchanged a snicker with Martha. She glanced back as they reached the door and saw him using his sonic on the capsule's control panel. She turned back to the door and winced when she saw the crowd gathered outside, some wearing blankets as they talked with police or EMTs. "Well, time to face the music," she sighed, tugging open the door.
The relatively peaceful silence vanished in an instant, washed away under the frantic mutterings of the crowd. A few glanced over as she and Martha slipped out, but dismissed them a moment later, evidently assuming them to be late escapees.
"I can't believe Mr. Saxon endorsed such a clearly dangerous device!" one of the guests exclaimed as they walked past, ranting into her cellphone. "The Siren Corporation has donated thousands of pounds to this project on his recommendation, and this is how we are repaid? Bad enough there's rumors about him violating the labor laws. No, I insist we pull out - and if I have my way, Mr. Saxon will have to answer for himself in court!"
Lyssa sucked in a sharp breath, trying not to make it obvious she was watching the woman now. Nods to both the Oracle and the Siren had shown up tonight, and she doubted that was a good thing. It was certainly no coincidence - but one she could hardly bring up here, especially as they were spotted by a familiar face.
"Martha!" Tish exclaimed, running up to her sister and hugging her. "I was so worried!" She turned back and waved. "Mum, Leo, I found her!"
"Oh, thank goodness you're all right," Francine sighed as she joined them, followed by her son. She embraced her daughter then pulled away, squeezing her shoulders with a scolding expression. "Running in after them, are you insane?"
"I had to help, Mum. I had the chance, and the ability. Like you taught us, remember?" Martha reminded her patiently. "And we did it. He's stopped now. He can't hurt anyone else."
Francine pursed her lips tightly. "I don't like you putting yourself in danger." She softened. "But yes, that is the way I raised you. And I'm proud of you for stepping in, even if I am also horrified."
"Got that taken care of," the Doctor announced, trotting down the steps to join them. He stopped by Lyssa, taking her hand in his and brushing a kiss against her temple before looking up to see the group staring at him. "Ah... hello," he said awkwardly, giving them a small wave. "Glad to see everyone's all right."
"I've heard things about you, Doctor," Francine said, studying him with a hard expression. "That you're dangerous. That death and destruction follow you."
"Mum!" Martha exclaimed, giving her an incredulous look.
"Well, I'd argue that the death and destruction came from the man-eating monster," he said mildly. "But given that I was present in the room trying to stop him from eating people, I suppose you could say that," he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand.
"Can I ask who told you that?" Lyssa asked slowly. "Because that is a very strong and insulting claim to make to someone you hardly know. And I would heavily question a stranger who goes around warning people without proof."
Francine pursed her lips. "I'm not saying I agree with what I was told. But I'm also not saying I disagree. The fact that, whether true or false, someone out there has strong enough feelings to warn people about you makes me very concerned that my daughter is spending her time with you."
Lyssa nodded. "And I respect that you care about your daughter - not all mothers do. But did this reputable source happen to share any evidence? How reputable is this source? Is there any chance of bias?" she pressed, knowing full well exactly who the source was. "Because if it came from Mr. Saxon's party, for example, I'd point out that he was heavily invested in the project tonight, and that the Oracle Network - which both the Doctor and myself are associated with - is far from bosom buddies with Mr. Saxon. Therefore any comments that came from him would be questionable, as he would hardly be objective - particularly given that the Doctor helped stop both the capsule and the monster."
"There wasn't much time to be given a slideshow," Francine admitted dryly. "And I wasn't mentioning it as an accusation. I heard from someone else that you were dangerous," she told the Doctor, pinning him with a hard gaze before softening. "But I saw myself that you were compassionate, and tried to help. And my daughter is smart. She wouldn't be friends with you if she hadn't seen good in you." She paused. "But now you know that someone out there doesn't like you. Someone powerful." She turned her gaze to her daughter. "I know I can't stop you from hanging out with them. But please, be careful," she implored her.
The Doctor tugged Lyssa away from the family as Martha pulled her mother into an embrace. "We'll just... let them sort that out, then," he muttered, tugging on one ear.
"Domestics?" she teased, glancing up at him.
"Nah, don't be ridiculous," he scoffed. "I have more important things to worry about at the moment than someone disliking me - it tends to happen a rather unfortunate amount of times. I think I rub people the wrong way."
"What gave you that idea?" she asked dryly.
"No idea," he said in the same tone, leading her down the steps. "Perhaps we should ask someone who might now. Such as... you," he decided, pulling her around the steps to face a woman standing in the shadows. "What do you think?" he called. "Any hints?"
"Allow me to shed some light on the subject," the woman teased, stepping forward into the light of a streetlamp to reveal, as Lyssa had started to suspect, someone who looked a lot like her. A little older, perhaps, a little more gold in the hair pulled into an elegant bun. She wore a blue blazer over a matching skirt, the silver strand of her necklace just visible as it vanished beneath her jacket.
"Alexis James, I presume?" the Doctor asked in amusement, raising an eyebrow.
"If you like," she shrugged with a small smile. "I've gone by that name before."
"I'll bet you have," he smirked. He glanced around the shadows. "Anyone else here with you?" he asked, a little too casually.
The woman - Alexis's - smile grew pained. "I'm here by myself right now, I'm afraid. It gets a little lonely sometimes, I'll admit." She drew in a sharp breath, hand drifting up to her neck before she forced it back down. "But I have someone I care a great deal about, and I know I'll see them soon." She glanced down at her hands, something glinting in the light before she shifted to cover that hand with the other and gave them a falsely bright smile.
"Still. As I'm sure you remember, you don't have long, so I'll be quick. Regarding the capsule, there was limited stolen DNA to work with, and we're taking steps to take care of that, so you don't need to worry on that front. The Oracle Network works closely with UNIT and another team to help dispose of things that shouldn't be available."
"That's good, but that's not my main concern," the Doctor said quietly, glancing back at Lyssa and squeezing her hand once before releasing it and stepping forward.
"Oh?" she asked, furrowing her brow in confusion.
"No. My biggest concern is you," he told her, reaching out to take her hands in his. "Are you all right?"
She swallowed hard, drawing in a shuddering breath. "Of course I am, I'm always all right," she waved him off, smile a little tremulous now. "As you should know."
"Of course I know, I always know," he countered quietly, reaching out to trace one hand along her cheek. "Which is how I know you're not."
Lyssa considered that for a moment, then nodded. He always did seem to have a knack for knowing when she was feeling down, or needed a hug, or... anything, really. She also knew herself, and so smiled when she saw him pull Alexis into a hug that was clearly desperately needed.
She was a little worried about what had led to that point - the longest she'd been without the Doctor after jumping was about three weeks max, during the whole gas-mask zombies thing. But at least her future self was doing all right - had a cover story, and was working with UNIT. And another group... could that have been Jack's team?
The Doctor didn't move until Alexis reluctantly pulled back, then leaned down and whispered a few words into her ear. He hesitated before pressing a kiss against her forehead, leaning his own against hers after.
Lyssa respectfully looked away, giving... herself... privacy.
Ah, the life of a time traveler.
She heard a sniff and looked back to see Alexis swiping a hand under her eyes as she pulled back, giving them both a watery smile. "You need to go. You need to get out of here, and I need to start setting up a cover story for tonight, see if we can get ahead of the worst of it."
The Doctor nodded, expression grim as he stepped back to rejoin Lyssa, promptly taking her hand in his. "We'll grab Martha and be on our way," he told her. "Be safe. Please."
She flashed him a dimpled smile. "I make no promises. Now go. Martha's waiting." She jerked her head towards the stairs, and the Doctor reluctantly nodded. "Oh, and one more thing..." she turned to Lyssa, expression sobering. "Remember - your touch can't harm him. Your time is shared."
Lyssa exchanged a startled glance with the Doctor, who looked just as baffled. That sounded familiar - and yet in no way made any actual sense. "Thanks? I guess?" she frowned, and Alexis just gave her a faint smile, clearly intending on doing nothing to clear that up.
That's 0 for 2 on cryptic comments of the night," the Doctor muttered, giving her future self one last, long look before finally turning away.
"You think that's bad, I'm going to have to remember to say it," she countered as they headed back to the stairs. "I hate loops like this, I have a terrible memory." She glanced up, looking for Martha, and found her waiting for them by the steps, looking relieved. "Everything okay?" she checked.
Martha nodded. "Just... ready to go."
"It's been a long day," Lyssa agreed. "A lot has happened and my bed sounds absolutely delightful right about now. How's your family?"
She shrugged. "Less inclined to think of the Doctor as some sort of comic book villain, so that's a plus in my book."
"You know, I think we actually fought a comic book villain once," Lyssa said thoughtfully as they began the trek back to Martha's flat and the TARDIS.
"Picked up one to read, and quite literally got sucked right into a 2-D world," the Doctor agreed. "It was quite the clever scheme, too."
"He had some sort of thing that would suck the color out of people, leave them basically drained versions of themselves," she told Martha. "And he could draw any sort of weapon he wanted, super dangerous. With just one weakness."
"Water," the Doctor supplied with a grin.
"What can I say, I can be rather clumsy," Lyssa shrugged innocently. "There I am, trapped by his side in total subjugation to this conquering villain, and whoops! I trip while carrying a glass, and... finis."
"It's a shame, really," he mused. "I was quite enjoying the book up until that point, but now the pages are stuck together."
She shrugged. "It's for the best, really. The storyline was too cheesy for my taste. And some books aren't worth the re-read."
xXx
Lyssa slipped into the TARDIS once they reached Martha's flat, leaving the other two outside to finish their chat. In the end, it was the Doctor who needed to invite Martha aboard as an official companion. And in the meantime, she was more than ready to be out of her damaged shoes. She slipped them off as soon as she was inside and collapsed onto the jump seat, rolling her eyes when she felt the TARDIS' amusement.
"I'd like to see you save the day with broken shoes," she muttered, waving one of them at the console, the torn pieces flapping about in the air. The door pushed open and she glanced up. "Finally get it all figured out, then?" she asked with a smirk.
"Yes, yes, you were brilliant and we should have listened to you all along," the Doctor sighed good-naturedly as he sent them off. "What happened to your shoe?" he asked, eyeing the remnant.
"Right. About that," she paused, realizing that he was probably going to be less than thrilled about just how close she ended up coming to Lazarus. "Would you believe that while you guys were running through the building from Lazarus, I was making friends with a poor, starving billy goat?" she asked hopefully. "I didn't have anything else on hand to feed him, and he just looked so pitiful, so..."
He frowned, stabilizing the ship before coming over to hear and tracing a finger over the burned remnants of the fabric. He raised his eyebrow at her. "Is there anything you want to tell me?"
She blinked up at him innocently. "Not in the slightest, why do you ask?"
He sighed.
Martha bit back a snicker. "I think she's got the right idea," she said frankly, reaching down and slipping off her heels. "We're done for the day - no more shoes."
"I would be up for getting ice cream," Lyssa perked up. "And if we do it at a beach, we don't have to put shoes back on. Can we, Doctor, can we? Please?" she begged, clasping her hand together and giving him her best pleading eyes.
He narrowed his eyes at her and managed to hold it for all of about ten seconds before giving in. "Fine. Ice cream on the beach," he sighed, as if he wasn't about to order a triple scoop of banana ice cream. "But don't expect me to take my shoes off," he warned them as he input the directions into the console.
"Yes!" she pumped a fist.
"Oh, please, like he was ever actually going to say no," Martha teased, rolling her eyes as they landed.
"What are you talking about? I say no all the time, I'm no pushover!" he protested. "It's my job as the pilot to be able to say no for everyone's safety."
"Whatever you say, dear," Lyssa patted his arm as they stepped out onto a moonlit beach, the air warm and humid against their skin as a pale pink ocean lapped gently against the sand. "Ooh, horseback rides!" she pointed to a stall further down. "Can we do that after the ice cream? I've always wanted to go horseback riding on the beach like they do in movies."
"We'll have to change out of our dresses first. And do you know how to go horseback riding?" Martha pointed out.
She shrugged. "Vaguely. Everyone mutually decided I was best off riding with others. But I figured I could just hitch a ride with the Doctor, it's what I've always done before." She turned him. "Are you okay with that?" she asked with wide eyes. "I could always ride with Martha, instead, if you're not comfortable with that."
He gave her a flat look, though he couldn't hide his amusement. "You're doing it on purpose now," he scolded her, fighting a laugh. "Of course I am."
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said airily.
xXx
"Still glad you kept your shoes on?" Lyssa teased later that night as the Doctor dumped a mountain of sand out of one shoe, then did the same with the next.
"Considering all the complaints I heard about the sand being hot from you and Martha?" he shot back as he tapped the heel to shake out any remaining pebbles before finally entering the TARDIS once he was sure he wouldn't track any sand in. "I'd say yeah, probably."
"What, are you telling me your superior Time Lord feet would've been burned from the sand?" she teased, wiggling her bare feet against the cool metal of the grating, not regretting her lack of shoes in the least.
"Not at all," he sniffed. "Just mildly inconvenienced. And we can't have that."
"Mild inconveniences are the worst," she sighed in agreement, gripping onto the console as he sent them off. The ship flew smoothly, Martha having gone to bed a few hours earlier - after giving Lyssa a few pointed glances at the Doctor and completely unsubtle winks - and while the bedrooms had their own stabilizers, the TARDIS often stepped in to aid the Doctor's piloting. "So. What's next on the agenda?"
"Well, I figured we could do a quick hop back and borrow the critical parts of Lazarus' capsule and blueprints, see what makes it tick," he said thoughtfully. "I'd return it after, of course."
"Oh, of course," she snickered. "Well, I can't help with figuring out the science behind it, but I can totally help you disassemble it. I'm told I've got a mean swing with a pipe," she offered.
He grinned at her, eyes crinkling around the corners. "I'd love your help," he told her genuinely as they landed. "Although you'll need to stay here while I grab it - no need to risk tempting fate by having the two of you out there at once again."
She nodded easily, having figured as much. "That's all right, it looked too heavy to lift for me, anyway," she said. "I'll let your big strong Time Lord muscles carry it all."
He huffed, face a mixture of smug and exasperation at the teasing, but she was onto him - the smugness was winning. "I'll be back shortly," he said at last, one hand on the door. "I won't be lifting much of anything. I'm going to attach a tag to it," he hefted a small metal circle into the air for her to see, "and use that to have the TARDIS teleport it aboard into one of my labs."
"Ah, smart - avoid all the heavy labor. I like it," she said, nodding in approval. He shook his head, shooting her a small smile before disappearing out the door. He returned a few minutes later, a small device that looked almost like a cell phone in his hand.
"Got it," he said proudly, waving the device in her direction. "Capsule acquired, blueprints downloaded - and deleted from all computers onsite. Can't do much if they're elsewhere, but," he drew out the word with a pleased little grin, "they can't do much without a capsule - or the DNA," his eyes darkened.
"Brilliant," she grinned, slipping off the jump seat to press a kiss against his cheek. "I'm off to bed, it's late by even my questionable standards," she told him. "I'll see you in the morning?"
"Y-yeah," he stuttered, eyes wide and fixed on her. He cleared his throat. "Yeah," he said again, more firmly this time. "Sleep well," he murmured, tracing a hand along her cheek.
She gave him a soft smile. "Have fun with your science." She reached her hand up to his, taking it and giving it a quick squeeze before releasing it to head up the stairs to the hallway, feeling his eyes on her all the way.
xXx
"Is this broken enough?" Lyssa asked several days later, lifting the deformed remnants of a panel into the air.
The Doctor glanced her way, shoving his safety goggles onto the top of his head and causing his hair to fly every which way. "That's perfect, that's -" he took a closer look. "A little too perfect," he said, startled. "How did you get it to break so thoroughly?"
"I have my ways," she told him sweetly, shifting just enough for her leg to hide the bottle of acid the TARDIS had secretly supplied her at the beginning of their competition - completely safe for anything organic, but powerful enough to soften metal in seconds. She tossed the panel onto a pile filled with similarly disassembled machinery. "That's another point for me."
"Hmm. Remind me what the winner gets again?" he eyed her.
"Ah..." she glanced away, cheeks heating. The competition had begun late the night before, when both of them were thoroughly tired beyond all sense, even with their lessened need for rest - and on the tail end of a heavily flirtatious conversation, though neither of them would ever admit to as much. "Winner gets to decide," she told him hastily.
He shot her a smirk. "Then it's a good thing I've already decided what I want."
"Like you're so sure you're going to win," she scoffed, trying to hide her flush and thrusting a hand out at his pile, which looked to be roughly the same size as hers. "You don't have any lead to speak of."
"Oh, trust me, fairy-girl," he told her, voice deepening. "I intend to win this one."
A flash of light caught her eye and she looked down to see gold swirling around her hands. "Oh," she breathed, shoulders sagging in disappointment as she lifted one hand to show him. "I think I might have to get a raincheck on that competition."
Disappointment filled his features, but he rallied quickly. "You didn't have to leave just because you were losing," he told her, forcing a smile.
"Maybe I was just trying to spare you my victory gloating," she tried. She glanced down at the glow and sighed. "I spent so long with the last you, and now I'm leaving you after only a few days. And it's been ages since I've seen this you," she pouted.
"Well, in the end, you got to see me, and I got to see you, and that's what really matters, right?" he gave her a crooked smile, reaching out to clasp her hand.
"Yeah," she couldn't help a small smile. "And you'll be seeing me real soon, if I remember the next adventure right." She paused, a few giggles slipping out. "Although I won't be anything like I am right now - it's going to be one of my first jumps," she told him. "Total baby. I don't know how you refrained from pinching my cheeks and cooing over how adorable I was."
He raised an eyebrow, looking amused. "Any advice for dealing with your past self, then?"
She paused, the most memorable bit about that adventure popping into her mind. She bit back a devilish grin. "Well... don't do this," she suggested, calling on all the bravery she could muster as she reached up to cup his cheeks with glowing hands. She leaned in close to his face, hearing his breathing hitch as she stopped just before touching. She lifted her eyes to his, willing him to be the one to make the final move - while she was near certain he would be more than okay with it, and would have been totally comfortable kissing his later selves, she wouldn't do anything here without his confirmation.
And he provided it, leaning forward to erase the scant distance between them and pressing his lips against hers. One hand swept up into her hair, cradling her head, while the other curled around her waist, tugging her into him and keeping her upright. She closed her eyes, one hand falling down to his arm and curling around his sleeve. She was breathless when she finally pulled away, certain her gaze was starry as she met his.
His eyes flickered down to her mouth before his lips curled into a smirk. "Well, now I know I won," he said cockily, keeping his one hand around her waist and tracing the other along her face. "Because that's exactly what I would have asked for."
She gave him a dimpled smile, gold sweeping across her arms. "Want to know a secret?" she asked quietly, eyes dancing with merriment. She leaned forward until she was close to his ear and whispered, "I would have asked for the exact same thing." He swallowed hard and she grinned as she pulled back. "Say goodbye to Martha for me?" she requested, and he nodded wordlessly. She raised one glowing hand to caress his cheek as the gold swept over her vision. "Goodbye, Doctor."
A/N: Me : This chapter is going be focused on the new episode!
Also me : *Spends 5k words on the previous adventure without even beginning the new one*
Yeah, I had planned on starting the next episode here... that ended up not panning out with the way my schedule (and ability to focus :P) worked out this week. But! It should be up next week, assuming I can decided what to do with a certain scene *glares at computer file* On the plus side, I do have marginally more sleep this time! And hopefully I will continue to have marginally more sleep, life just seems to work better that way.
Friendly reminder that checking to make sure it's okay before you kiss someone for the first time is sexy (Or if you think it's the first time, because time travel).
Lyssa: Make sure you don't kiss my younger self, Doctor!
Also Lyssa: *Promptly kisses him, ensuring he has kissing on the mind when meeting her* So yes, it is her own darn fault (at least partially)
Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to everyone who's reviewed! You guys are awesome! :)
Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!
General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa and (maybe) the Oracle