You know how the description says there's a "Doctor/OC" pairing in this story? Well here it comes!
When I got into the control room, Ruby and the Doctor were chatting.
"So, you had no idea about who you really were?" the Doctor asked.
"Nope," Ruby replied. "I was, to all intents and purposes, human. Until I met you."
The Doctor smiled shyly. I held back from calling out to them. This could be interesting.
And it was. Because the Doctor suddenly kissed my sister. On the mouth. And she kissed him back.
I stared silently for a while, flabbergasted, before composing myself and saying, in the calmest voice possible, "Don't mind me."
They jumped and bolted away from each other, the Doctor blushing visibly.
"Blimey," I said expansively, "that's the second time I've walked in on a snogging couple since I came back. It's crazy. Did you take Cupid for a ride, by any chance?"
The Doctor blushed even harder and started to fiddle with the controls. I walked over to Ruby and pulled her away from him to have a little chat with her.
"Did you just…?"
"Yes."
"And were you…?"
"Yep."
"Did you, er, like it?"
She paused. "Yes."
My eyes widened in surprise. "But you're…"
"Gay? Well, I was. But that was before I became a Time Lord."
"Wait… Are you saying that a change in species could affect someone's sexuality?"
"Maybe."
"Then how is it that I'm still straight?"
"Probably because no guy's hot enough for you," Ruby teased.
"I am not that shallow!" I protested.
"Yes you are."
"Shut up!"
"Not a chance."
"So, Doctor," I shouted, wanting to get away from that ever-so-slightly disturbing conversation, "where were you while I was gone?"
"An acid farm," was the reply.
"Oh, so, the Flesh."
He looked at me. "How do you know about that?"
"Long story."
"There are a lot of those, aren't there?"
"Yeah, like that time you let the Master dress me as a clown and break my freaking nose?" This got a startled look from my sister.
"Ah. Yes. Sorry about that."
"Sorry? Sorry?" I was almost screaming now. But instead of leaping to a new crescendo in my tirade, I laughed. "Why are you sorry? I've never had so much fun! Apart from the broken nose bit. I'm very put out with you about that, Theta."
He stared at me, shocked. "How…?"
"A long story. One I might actually tell you. But not now. Later."
The Doctor had just dissolved Flesh-Amy with his sonic, and the good man was going to war. Rory was giving my sister lessons with a sword (I have no idea why), which left me and the Doctor alone in the control room.
"How did you know that nickname of mine?" the Doctor asked me.
"I assume you remember the Master's fob watch?"
He nodded.
"Well, I touched it."
"You did what? You could have died!"
"I know that now. But I didn't. Instead of dying, I saw memories."
"The Master's?"
"Nope. Mine."
He stared at me. "You mean…"
"Yep. My life as a Time Lord." I sat down on the floor of the TARDIS, leaning my back on the railing. "Do you remember the red fields?"
"Of course," the Doctor replied, sitting down next to me.
"Well, so did I. I remembered running. Just…running. Never stopping, never tiring. Just running for the sake of running. With my two best friends. They were Koschei and Theta."
He gave me another stunned look, but said nothing.
"Then, when the Time War began, you, Theta, saved my family. My father told me to take my sister and run. I ran in a Type 40. Just like you." He chuckled. "Anyway, it crashed. On Earth. And we were wearing Asameth Necklaces. They're like the whole fob watch thing…"
"But permanent," the Doctor finished for me.
"Well, they're meant to be. But contact with you…and the TARDIS…and the Time Energy…it reversed the effect of the Necklaces. And we came back."
"Do you remember your name? From when you were on Gallifrey?"
I nodded. "Alumen."
He stared at me, then suddenly hugged me. "My old friend," he said, tears in his eyes.
I hugged him back. "Nice to finally meet you again, old friend."
"You need to get some more Time Lord-y clothes on, Alumen," he said to me then, looking me up and down.
"Right. But one small thing."
"What?"
"Don't call me Alumen. Not because I don't like the name. It's just… Ruby."
"Right. Gotcha…David." He winked.
I went to the massive wardrobe and picked out some new clothes for myself. I glanced at myself in the mirror. What I was wearing now was a long coat, similar to the Tenth Doctor's. Under it I had a black T-shirt with a strange design (it wasn't Gallifreyan, by the way), and simple blue jeans. I'd put a black crown insignia on both shoulders of the jacket in homage to Kingdom Hearts, my favourite game series back when I was human. All in all, I thought I looked pretty good. Feeling a bit proud of myself, I headed back downstairs, ready for the war that was to come.
About David's Time Lord name. I wrote this chapter after reading a Pittacus Lore book, so that's where the name came from. You know, "Lumen", "Alumen". It fits. As for the Asameth Necklaces, I just made them up on the spot XD
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