Learn From Your Fears
Vivien stood there, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish's. The Doctor just ignored her, rubbing his forehead with the palm of his hand. Tom tightened his arm around Vivien's waist, keeping her trapped against him. She glared up at him, face contorting with rage. "Get the hell off me," she hissed from between gritted teeth, "not unless you want to lose your balls."
Before anyone could react, she broke free of Tom's grip, throwing herself forwards, the soldiers springing to life, raising their rifles in her direction. But before she could reach the Doctor, she was being dragged backwards, Tom hollering at the soldiers to stand down.
"Let go of me, you bastard!" Vivien screamed at him. "I'll kill you, I swear to God I'll kill you!"
"Vivien?" the Doctor asked weakly, sitting up with some difficulty, clutching his side with a shaking hand. He studied her for a long moment, brow furrowing. "Oh, it is you," he then said blearily, sounding put out, "I thought I recognized these dulcet tones."
Vivien just stood there, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. The Doctor just ignored her, rubbing his forehead with the palm of his hand. Tom tightened his arm around Vivien's waist, keeping her trapped against him. She glared up at him, face contorting with rage. "Get the hell off me," she hissed from between gritted teeth, "not unless you want to lose your balls."
"Yeah, get your hands off the alien hybrid, Cambridge," Pope drawled, enjoying the show. "This isn't BU anymore, Professor, all these sweet young things wanting a little extra-curricular instruction."
"Shut your goddamn mouth," Tom snapped, shoving Vivien away from him, trying to ignore the looks the soldiers were exchanging at Pope's words.
"I'm just saying what everyone's thinking, Mason" -
- "You fucking hypocrite," Vivien snarled, rounding on Pope, "you run with rapists."
"Sorry sweetheart, I don't do that shit," Pope smiled blandly.
"No, but your brother did," Vivien retorted viciously, "it's a shame you weren't there when Maggie put him out of his misery. She might have put you out of yours as well" -
Before anyone could stop him, Pope lunged at Vivien, but she swiftly sidestepped him, tripping him up with her bare foot. He went flying, landing face down on the ground. Unable to catch himself, he rolled over onto his side, trying and failing to get up again, Vivien trying and failing to stomp on his nose, Tom restraining her, the soldiers half raising their rifles, Tom once again yelling at them to stand down, the Doctor surveying the scene with mild interest.
"You fucking half breed bitch!" Pope hollered, his face red with rage. "I'm gonna wring that Red-Coat neck of yours!"
"Get him into that cage!" Tom bellowed. "Now!"
"Yes, give him a taste of his own medicine," Vivien said, smiling savagely as the mesh door was slammed on Pope's snarling face.
Tom span Vivien round to face him, grabbing her shoulders with his hands, his face inches from hers. They stared at each other, brown boring into blue, each trying to conquer the other. After having Pope locked up, Tom had dragged Vivien into the classroom next door, trying and failing to calm her down, the two of them now locked in a stand-off.
"You have to get a grip, Vivien," Tom said from between gritted teeth. "I can only do so much to protect you."
"What, like you protected the Doctor?" Vivien retorted.
"I wasn't there" -
Vivien laughed, making Tom snap.
"I can't stop bullets with my bare hands, Vivien," he spat. "You're going to lash out one too many times" -
- "I don't need you to protect me!"
"The Doctor should be fine," Tom said, abruptly changing the subject, "the bullet just clipped his rib, that's all."
"Oh, and that makes everything A-OK, then?"
"He'll make a full recovery," Tom said, "his physiognomy isn't that much different" -
- "From a human's?" Vivien finished for him, watching his face pale. She stepped forwards, filled with vindictive venom. "Will that fun fact make it harder for you to kill him? Having a little attack of conscience, are we?"
"The Doctor is an alien," Tom said, his hands shaking now, "and it was aliens who did this to us, who destroyed our families, our lives. It was aliens who destroyed you, what you are. They took your humanity from you, like they did to my son!"
"They didn't destroy me," Vivien said quietly, "I tried to destroy myself. It was the Doctor who saved me, Tom, an alien. An alien saved me."
We learn from the times that we are cursed
Things cannot be reversed
Learn from the ones we fear the worst
And learn from the ones we hate the most...
Vivien fumbled with the clasp of the silver chain, the TARDIS key resting in the smooth hollow of her throat, before donning the over-sized dressing gown Lourdes had laid out for her, wondering what fresh hell was going to happen next. Nearby, four female fighters circled the room, another two stationed on the doors, Anne and Lourdes busy storing away the rest of the 2nd Mass's medical supplies as Radnanski lay on a cot, clutching his bandaged head.
Tom had left Vivien to get cleaned up and checked over, but not before providing clean water and toiletries, toothpaste and a toothbrush, as well as some blackboards to use as screens to give her some privacy. Clean underwear and socks, all brand new and all roughly in her size, had also been provided for her. But this apparent kindness didn't deceive Vivien. She knew they were just keeping her well cared for so she wouldn't collapse under further cross-examination. Tom might draw the line at vivisection, but it wouldn't stop him from picking her brain.
Seeing Vivien was done, Lourdes stepped forwards, trying and failing to look friendly, her nerves getting the better of her. When she'd first seen Vivien, she'd almost recoiled, the sight of Vivien's inhumanly blue eyes sending a chill down Lourdes's spine. But with damp hair and a dressing gown on, Vivien looked less unearthly and more human, not the threat she was purported to be.
"If you'd like to come over here, I can check you over," Lourdes said, gesturing to the science bench.
Vivien hesitated, glancing guiltily at Radnanski who was now griping at Anne about his sore head, before acquiescing to Lourdes's request, hoisting herself up onto the science bench. Lourdes hesitated in turn before beginning the long process of cleaning and dressing Vivien's injuries, Vivien answering her questions in a monotone. There was a lot for Lourdes to deal with; the bite mark courtesy of Billy, a bust mouth, a cut bottom lip, a bruised cheekbone, untold damage done to her head, the ringing in her ears from the blast in South Boston, cut legs and arms, bits of glass still embedded in her skin, her flayed feet and the hand Tom had bound up.
Most of it Vivien had forgotten about, her body adapting with its usual uneasy ease to whatever strain she put it under, but she had pushed it to breaking point now, and it couldn't take much more. Unlike the Doctor, she could only heal at the average rate of a human. Her speciality was endurance and durability, but again, her level of endurance could only go so far, her durability not protecting her from death.
When Lourdes was done, Vivien made her way over to the pile of clothes Anne had reluctantly provided, rifling through them with a raised eyebrow. There was a floral pink dress way too big for her, with massive shoulder pads and a floor skimming hem, looking as if it had been made out of curtains, and a pair of battered tennis shoes that looked like they would fall apart at the first wearing.
"I'm not wearing those," Vivien said, holding up the dress incredulously.
"That's all we can spare," Anne said, coming over, folding her arms across her chest. "I don't have the time to source high couture for someone like you."
"I'm not asking for the moon," Vivien retorted, "just something that will actually fit."
"That's all there is."
"It looks like something you'd bury your gran in," Vivien said, beaky nose wrinkling in disgust.
"Take it or leave it," Anne snapped, turning and walking away.
"I want Tom," Vivien said suddenly, her words making Anne's spine stiffen.
"You want Tom?" Anne said as she slowly turned around, her face pale as her gaze met Vivien's.
"Yeah, I want Tom," Vivien said, hoisting herself up onto the science bench again, perching almost provocatively on its edge.
"Who wants me?" Tom said absentmindedly as he strode through the swing doors.
"I do," Vivien said, crossing her legs over, making the fabric of the dressing gown ride up, revealing a bare expanse of long limbs.
Tom just stared at her, all but doing a double-take, his shocked gaze taking her in from top to toe, then back up to her face again. He almost didn't recognize her without the dirt and rags. It felt like somebody had hit him over the head with a blunt object. He opened his mouth to speak, only to find he couldn't, Vivien raising her eyebrows at him.
"Got something to say, big boy?" she smirked.
He just shook his head, trying to clear it. "You said you wanted me?" he said stupidly, instantly regretting his sentence.
"Yes, I did," Vivien said, enjoying the show.
"Why?"
"Because you're such a stud," Vivien said sarcastically, her caustic tone clearing his head once and for all, making him feel like she'd thrown cold water over him.
"Stop messing about," Tom snapped. "What's the problem?"
"These clothes are the problem," Vivien snapped back, brandishing the dress at him.
Tom just looked at it, not seeing the problem, trying not to look at her legs which were his real problem.
"Look, I might have something you can borrow," Lourdes said quickly, stepping into the fray.
"As long as it's not something out of a Dynasty re-run, I'm happy," Vivien said, sliding off the science bench.
Tom just shook his head, striding out of the room again, Lourdes hard on his heels, anxious to have Vivien out of the clinic before she could cause anymore trouble. It took her about ten minutes to reach her room and return with the clothes, having been waylaid by several civilians about runny noses and scraped knees. She all but burst through the swing doors to the science classroom, only to stop short at the sight of Jamil laughing and joking with Vivien..
Jamil froze, caught offguard by her sudden appearance. "Oh, hey, Lo," he said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. To say he was taken with Lourdes was an understatement, but she was too caught up in her crush on Hal Mason to pay him any attention. But that didn't stop him trying to get it. Yet he realised too late shooting the breeze with an attractive alien hybrid wasn't the best way to go about it.
"Can I help you, Jamil?" Lourdes said coldly, glancing at Anne who was shredding sheets into bandages with too much enthusiasm.
"Uh, I got bitten by a spider?" Jamil offered weakly.
Lourdes just raised her eyebrows. Jamil seemed to be extremely accident-prone, always turning up at the clinic over the slightest scratch. "Put these on," she said abruptly to Vivien, handing her the clothes. "If you sit down, I'll check you over," she then said to Jamil, who reluctantly did as he was told, his shoulders hunched, looking like a little boy for a moment.
Vivien repressed a reluctant smile at the tableau in front of her, before retreating behind the blackboards and getting changed. She'd been slightly taken aback when Jamil had spoken to her, making a joke about the dress's massive shoulder pads, but sensing he had no hidden agenda, she had hesitantly responded in kind, even making a joke about it being sedition talking to her. Jamil had grinned at this, but Anne hadn't found it funny, giving them a dirty look as she carried a pile of sheets over to a far counter.
She did up the laces on her tennis shoes, wondering again at Jamil talking to her, the shock hitting her afresh. Apart from Sally, he was the first being she'd encountered so far not to show any kind of hostility to her, and it made the tears prick her eyes. Forcing herself to get a grip, Vivien straightened up, shaking her black hair back. As she stepped out from behind the blackboards, Anne glanced up, before gesturing at two female fighters to escort Vivien outside to where Tom was waiting. When Vivien passed Jamil, he nodded at her, the movement barely imperceptible, Vivien acknowledging him with a faint nod of her own.
As the swing doors parted, Tom stood up from where he'd been leaning against the wall, trying and failing not to stare at Vivien again, realising with a sharp shock she was beautiful, not knowing his eyes were deceiving him, seeing beauty when there was none beyond her vivid colouring. The red smock top Lourdes had lent her set off Vivien's dark hair and ivory skin like a foil, the tight jeans emphasizing every curve, her violet eyes meeting his with a contempt that bordered on hatred.
They looked at each other for a long moment, dislike dancing with disgust, before Tom got a grip of himself and dismissed the fighters. They left without a backwards glance, glad to be rid of Vivien, their repulsed faces more telling than words. Tom gestured for Vivien to move, Vivien hesitating before obeying, dropping her arms to her sides.
"You look better," Tom said with some difficulty as they then started to walk down the empty corridor.
"You mean I look more human," Vivien said, not without some scorn.
"You already look human," Tom said, "but your eyes..."
"Are a whole different story," Vivien finished wrongly for him. "As in they make me a freak."
"Your eyes are fine," Tom snapped, adjusting the strap of his rifle.
"What kind of fine?" Vivien said sarcastically. "Hot mama fine or run of the mill fine?"
"What about Tom Mason fine?" Tom said just as sarcastically, gesturing to himself. "I've had this hotness trademarked, don't you know."
Vivien stared at him before breaking down into mirthless laughter. "You are seriously losing the plot, Professor," she said, shaking her head at him.
"So would you if you were existing on two hours sleep," Tom retorted.
"Oh, how my heart bleeds for you," Vivien pretended to sympathise. "But it's better than being shoved into a cage and felt up by a serial rapist, isn't it?" she continued, making Tom slow to a stop.
"Look, I'm sorry about what happened to you," he said, struggling to keep his temper, "but the 2nd Mass aren't John Pope and his gang, okay? So stop making out we're monsters" -
- "When I'm the real monster around here," Vivien finished for him, setting off again.
Tom just ignored her, eyes narrowing as he stared at the far end of the corridor, pretending to be very interested in the set of double doors up ahead. As he did so, he somehow suddenly spectacularly tripped over, Vivien catching him by the elbow.
"Christ on a cracker, are you alright!?" Vivien said, worried against her will.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Tom snapped, the tips of his ears turning crimson again. "Maybe not hot mama fine, but I'm fine."
Vivien smiled a little at this, the expression completely changing her face, softening the sharp angles of her features. Tom stared at her for a moment, before looking away, running his hand across his beard. Vivien hesitated, before leaning against the wall, Tom reluctantly echoing her stance. "Look, the Doctor's lying on the floor without even a blanket to cover him," she said quietly, her voice cracking, "can't you do something about that?"
Tom faltered before answering. "I'll... try," he then said against his will, "but I can't make any promises."
Vivien just nodded, before looking away this time.
"What happened to him shouldn't have happened, Vivien," Tom said reluctantly, making her glance up at him. "He was in protective custody, in my care. His welfare is my responsibility and I failed to do my duty" -
- "You weren't there, Tom," Vivien acknowledged against her own will, cutting across him, "so - so there's no point in beating yourself up about it. It happened, and that's that. Just give him a goddamn blanket or a bed or something, instead of leaving him lying on the floor like a piece of rubbish."
Tom just nodded, studying her again. For a young woman, Vivien had old eyes, the contrast between them and her youth unsettling. It was like she had seen too far, seeing sights he couldn't even contemplate.
"Done deducing, Sherlock?" Vivien asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Yeah, I'm done," Tom said abruptly. "Let's go."