Chapter Eight – Lexi's POV
I pulled the sulking Doctor unwillingly into the store. The others had gone off to see to last minute details because they had more notice than the Doctor and me. All the time in the world and we were rushing last minute.
"Lexi," He asked still pouting, "Why don't you just get a dress out of the wardrobe room? I feel bad when I have to sonic the ATM machines."
"Oh, get over it." I told him sitting him down next to the changing rooms, "By the time I found a dress that fit and was from the right era, it most likely wouldn't be anything like the one I want to wear. So sit there and deal. Then we'll go find you a new tux yeah?"
I wandered off leaving him sitting there before he had a chance to make another excuse. 45 minutes later I wandered back with 16 dresses pilled in my arms. I walked past the Doctor on my way to the changing rooms and without opening his eyes he commented,
"That's more dresses than there are people on the planet Trestra." I ignored him and walked inside. I slipped on the first dress, a short red dress. It was plain, no glitter, no fringe, but I didn't want to get too flashy a dress, it was a wedding after all. And it wasn't like I had a date to impress.
It's sitting by the overcoat,
The second shelf, the note she wrote
That I can't bring myself to throw away
And also
Reach she said for no one else but you,
Cuz you won't turn away
When someone else is gone
I stepped out of the dressing room and the Doctor looked up. His eyes widened and he starred at me like I had grown a second head. "What?" I asked uncomfortable under his unwavering gaze. He finally blinked as my voice brought him out of his trace.
"You buying that?" He asked monotone. I mentally kicked myself for thinking it was me that had caused him to stare. He was just being impatient.
"Do you like it or do you just want to leave?" I asked raising an eyebrow at him.
"Yes." He was starring again.
"Yes to which one?" He started as if he had forgotten I could speak and looked up meeting my eyes. He paused and scratched the back of his neck. He looked embaressed.
"Both?" He offered with a sheepish grin. I turned and started walking towards checkout to hide my disapointment. I wondered why it mattered so much to me what the Doctor thought. I pushed the feelings away and payed with the money the Doctor had sonic'd from the unsupecting ATM machine.
I met him outside the store and handed him the bag containing my dress and he have me a look that clearly said, "What did I do to deserve this?" I just shrugged looking innocent and pulled him towards a men's store. I sling-shot him inside. I grabbed my dress from him and signaled to an attendent for help and he was getting mesured for a new tux before he had completely regained his balance. He shot me a dirty look before getting pulled away into a dressing room.
An hour later he amerged from the store looking grumpy and holding a large bag. He sat down on the bench next to me and huffed a huge sigh.
"Done?" I asked causually. He shot me a look that said, "I will ' accidently' leave you in the Early Cretaceous Era." I just grinned and he lent back against the wall. I waited twenty seconds before,
"Did you buy cufflinks?" He didn't get a chance to answer. He was about to, he had turned to me and raised a finger. He had even taken a deep breath to tell me off with, when my cell phone rang.
I answered it, and next to me the Doctor deflated. It was Martha. We had exchanged numbers before takeing off on our own errands. The group was meeting for lunch just down the street and I agreed that we'd meet here there. After hanging up I glanced over at the Doctor. He was slumpped against the wall with his eyes closed. That's odd, I thought. He looked defferent when he wasn't running for his life or wallowing in self-inflicted misery. His worry lines smoothed over, his motor-mouth was closed, but not pursed, and with his all knowing eyes closed he seemed to loose that spark of life that made him so distinctly the Doctor. It was unsettling but at the same time calming to see that sometimes even he could be normal.
It didn't last long. He opened his eyes and caught me starring. I glanced away and stood up.
"That was Martha," I said attempting to keep my embaressment out of my voice, "We're meeting them for a late lunch. Come on." He stood up and grabbed his stuff. A smile returned to his face and his eyes lit up. The Doctor was back.
"Last one to the resturant is red-eyed Ood!" he shouted and took off. I laughed and called out,
"It's the other way!" I started running.
I ran up to the resturant door and placed my hand on it with a smile.
"I won!" I called out out of breath and turned back towards the oncoming Doctor to gloat. I didn't get the chance. I let out a shocked squeal as he lifted me off the ground and spun me around, shopping bags flying, three times before returning me to the ground. He was out of breath but still laughing.
Reach down your hand in your pocket
Pull out some hope for me
It's been a long day, always ain't that right
And no Lord your hand won't stop it
Just keep you trembling
It's been a long day, always ain't that right
"Your face was priceless." He told me, eyes sparkling and his hair sticking straight up. I reutrned his smile before pretending to pout.
"Your just a sore loser." I told him gloating a bit, "I'm glad to see you smiling again though." As I said this I caught sight of Mickey over the Doctor's shoulder. He held a finger up to his lips to silence me. I focused back on the Doctor as if nothing had happened and pretended to listen as went on about it being unfair because I had gotten a head start.
Then, Mickey pounced. And the Doctor dodged him. Mickey ended up in a head lock and the Doctor gave him a noogie before releasing him with a twirl that left him spinning. When he stopped spinning Mickey rubbed his head offended. I burst into laughter and was soon joined by Sarah Jane and son and a nearly crying from laughter Martha.
"Told you it would never work." Said Sarah Jane with a shake of her head.
"He got you bad!" Added Luke.
"How'd you do that?" Mickey asked no longer upset. The Doctor laughed.
"Mickey The Idiot I could hear your big feet clopping the second you came around the corner." Mickey punched him in the arm. The Doctor didn't flinch but instead smiled uncomfortably at him.
"Come on then." He said turning to walk into the resturant. We followed, Martha first, then Luke and Sarah Jane. I went last and as I walked in I stiffled a chuckle as in front of me the Doctor rubbed at his arm.
I flopped down on the bed in my hotel room exauhsted. It was only 7:30, but the Doctor and I had already been up running for our lives five hours before even arriving on Earth. I unlaced my blue converse and let them drop to the ground, and shrugged off my jacket. I had just closed my eyes when I heard a loud knock. I open an eyelid to stare at the offending door that connected my room to the Doctor's.
"I'm too tired to get up," I called out, "Let yourself in." I heard the distent buzz of his sonic screwdriver on the lock and soon the door opened. The Doctor walked in, pocketing his screwdriver, and sat down on the bed next to me. He had shed his suit-jacket and tie and rolled the sleeves of his light blue collered shirt up to his ellbows.
"Story time?" I asked sitting up to pull my sketchbook out of my bag. He heaved a sigh as I opened my pencils.
"No story tonight," He said hesitently, "Can we wait until we get back to the Tardis?" He was starring at the celing and something told me that I better leave that subject alone, for now.
And I'm so
Terrified of no one else but me
I'm here all the time
I won't go away
It's me, yeah I can't get myself to go away
It's me, and I can't get myself to go away
Oh God I shouldn't feel this way
"Yeah, shopping takes alot out of you." I said laughing, and managed to get a smile out of him before he fell back onto the bed with another sigh. "How can you be so forlorn? Your friends are all here, well most of them, and Martha is getting married!"
He didn't reply, instead he grinned up at me with a smile that looked like if you held it too long it would really hurt. Actually judging by his grimice, it looked like it already did. I sighed. "Fine, then hold still, because I'm going to draw you."
He raised an eyebrow in question but eventually settled back as I began to sketch him. I had never gotten a chance to sketch him like this before. Normally it was from a distance while he was fidling with the Tardis, from memory, or from the distriptions of a scene from a story. I started with his nose. It wasn't big, but it deffinatly wasn't small. Then his eyes. I pause here, there was something about his eyes that always tripped me up, but drawing him this close up made it even harder. They had a spark of curiousity and excitement that draws you in and keeps you captivated. Then the deep sadness and experience bleeds through, it faded where it met the edges of his eyes where small wrinkles creased in worried crow's feet. This was the only part of him that showed his age and they were hidden by faded freckles.
I filled in the outine of his face next. He had a strong chin and jawline that crawled up and curved into his ears. I drew his neck down until it hit his collar which I lightly outlined. Then I turned to his hair. I drew in his big sideburns in thick, dark rectangles and stemmed off from there into big, wide strokes for his big, wild, and crazy hair that made you want to run your hands through it. Last came his mouth.
"Smile." I told him poking him in the side. He left out an involuntary chuckle and mananged to hold a small upturn to the corners of his mouth while I quickly sketched it in. When I was done I signed it and handed it to him. He sat up and resting his glasses on the tip of his nose he brought it up for apraisal.
"Is my nose really that big?" He asked sounding worried. I laughed.
"Your nose is fine." I told him only slightly patronizingly. He ignored it and continued to stare at the picture. "It's a nice drawing." I told him, admiring my work from over his shoulder. One of the best I've ever done, I thought before adding, "When we get back I'll see if I can find some bigger paper and blow it up for you. Then you can hang it."
"Yeah, I'd like that." He voiced with a smile and handed it back to me. I grabbed some more pencils and began to sketch the adventures of that day. With spinning robots and green suns and purple stars. The Doctor got up and with a tap on the clock by the bed that meant, "Don't stay up too late.", he wandered out of the room. By the time I had finished Martha, Mickey, Sarah Jane, and Luke and shut my sketchbook, I heard soft, but still audible snoring coming from the door the Doctor had forgotten to close.
Song: Long Day By: Matchbox Twenty