Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I make any money from it.

A/N Thanks for the awesome response to the last story. Here we are with story #5 Terror on Marquessa.

This chapter is a bit of an interlude before the adventure begins and I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it.

Happy Reading!

Terror on Marquessa: Lake Indigo

In the depths of the TARDIS, the Doctor was putting together the Key to Time. The transparent cuboid structure was almost finished and there were only two more segments left to complete the structure. The Doctor sighed and set the core next to it.

After their last adventure which had resulted in nearly all of them being injured, the Doctor had been adamant in making his companions take a long rest. For that very purpose, he had got out of bed before Rose had woken up and set the course for Lake Indigo on the yet-uninhabited planet of Cassiopeia in early 22nd century.

The TARDIS had landed long before his companions had woken up and the Doctor had finished up minor repairs in the TARDIS while they filtered into the console room one by one. Upon hearing that they were getting a day of rest and relaxation, the three humans had rushed out of the doors immediately to take in their surroundings.

Cassiopeia was a serene planet with rich natural resources that would be colonised by early-23rd century. Lake Indigo would later become one of its prime spa spots but for now, it was a calm, deep blue lake. It was surrounded by tall, dark green pine trees along its banks which kept the lake mostly shaded from the twin suns overhead. Despite that, the water was a lovely bath water warm along the edges and it got cooler as they waded in deeper. The banks were made of a light blue sand that the Doctor had told them was a result of the mineral deposits from the lake. At slightly alarmed looks from the humans, he had laughed and assured them that they wouldn't come out of the water looking like Smurfs.

He had left them to enjoy the sun and the sights and returned to the TARDIS to assemble the Key. His own injuries had healed but there was still scarring along his torso. He could have used the dermal regenerator to correct it but given the slow healing process of the healing bandages, he hadn't wanted to mix the treatments. Natural healing would take its course and the scars would be not be visible after two more days.

He walked out of the TARDIS to find Amy and Rory chasing each other in the water, screams and exclamations of joy escaping them now and then. He grinned at the sight and then searched the banks for Rose. She was lying in a sunny spot on the light blue sand, sunbathing in her ivory coloured bikini. Upon seeing him, she waved enthusiastically, and the Doctor smiled and walked towards her.

"Having fun?" he asked, taking his coat off and sitting down next to her.

"Are you really going to try and get any sun while wearing a vest and cravat?" she questioned.

Rolling his eyes, he loosened his cravat and tossed it off. Rose grinned at him as he took off the vest and then lay down next to her. "Better?" he asked.

"It's better than nothing," she shrugged, knowing that she would never be able to actually get him to dress properly for a day in the sun. "So, what brought this on?"

He turned on his side, propping his head on one elbow. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"A day of R&R," said Rose, waving a hand at their surroundings for emphasis.

"I suppose we all needed it," he said, linking his free hand with hers.

"Your chest still hurt?" she asked in concern.

"No, it's healed," he answered. He surreptitiously inspected her palms and nodded in satisfaction when there was no major scarring on them. When he looked back at her, she was smiling in amusement. "What?" he asked her.

"You worry too much," she told him.

"I don't worry enough," he corrected her seriously. "This quest was thrust upon us with no warning. You and Amy and Rory, you didn't ask for all this. Certainly not the danger that it entailed."

"Doctor, our lives were not really all that safe before the Guardians anyway," said Rose gently. "It's just a part of it all."

The Doctor frowned. "It wasn't all bad, was it?" he asked, his brow wrinkling.

Rose laughed. "Course not," she said. "The danger is part of the fun, Doctor." When he continued to frown, Rose looked curiously at him. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," he murmured distractedly. He smiled at her concern. "I really am. I just wonder if sometimes you really want to be here."

Rose looked confused. "Where else would I be? Back home? Eating chips, folding clothes?"

"Safe," he corrected.

"I thought I already said that danger was part of the fun," protested Rose. "What's got into you today?"

The Doctor sighed and fell back in the sand. "I suppose I am a bit melancholic today," he conceded. "The last time I assembled the Key, Romana and I barely escaped. Romana had to regenerate soon after that. It's a difficult task, that's all."

"And we are through most of it," said Rose, squeezing his hand. "Just two more and then it's back to our usual mad adventures."

The Doctor smiled and raised their linked hands to stroke her cheek. "Yeah," he agreed with a small smile. "I suppose we should visit your mother soon too."

Rose grimaced. "Yeah, she's not happy with me lately," she said. "But it can wait until the Key is assembled. You can take Amy and Rory off for a few days and drop me on Earth for a week or so."

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a plan," he nodded and looked towards the lake where Amy and Rory's game was winding down. They were both now floating lazily on the water, talking in hushed voices. "Speaking of plans," said the Doctor in a low voice.

Rose followed his gaze and then looked back at him. "You wanna play matchmaker?" she asked incredulously. The last thing she ever expected was the Doctor bringing it up.

"I can't stand unrequited love," he said firmly.

"Well, we could always lock them in a cupboard on the TARDIS until they confess their feelings," suggested Rose.

The Doctor laughed. "Drastic but effective," he nodded. "But it could be subtler, I expect."

"Like what?" Rose asked. "Should we pass notes?"

The Doctor tickled her bare side and she squealed with laughter as she tried to move away from him. "Nothing quite so juvenile," he said, smiling at her flushed face. "Perhaps things will run their course."

"Can't you know for sure, high and mighty Time Lord?" teased Rose, her tongue touching the side of her mouth.

The Doctor tried to tickle her again but Rose was faster this time and the two of them wrestled playfully in the sand for a while until the Doctor overpowered her and pinned her wrists on either side of her head. "What I was suggesting until I was so deliberately insulted," he began with mock outrage. "Was to let the two of them reach the natural progression of their relationship."

"How long will that take?" Rose asked, slightly breathless as a result of their tussle.

The Doctor stared at her thoughtfully, completely mindful of their close proximity. "It's difficult to say," he answered.

Rose stared wordlessly back at him, searching his eyes to see how far he was going to take this harmless bit of flirting. The Doctor did not look ready to back down. In fact, he was growing increasingly more thoughtful. "What's wrong?" Rose asked finally.

"Sometimes, you scare me, Rose Tyler," he murmured in an almost absent tone.

"Why?" asked Rose, afraid of the answer yet wanting to know either way.

The Doctor sighed and released her wrists. "You were reading a book about Gallifrey's history," he said, lying down on his back and staring at the sky.

Rose turned on her side to look at him. "Yeah," she said. "I only did it 'cos you wouldn't tell me the whole story," she added, slightly defensively.

The Doctor turned his head to gaze at her. "What did you learn?" he asked.

"Not much," Rose shrugged. "Some stuff about the Pythia, Rassilon and Omega. I only read a bit about the Other."

"Why are you so curious about him?" asked the Doctor.

"Why are you so reluctant that I should not know anything about him?" she countered.

"Dangerous questions, Rose," he murmured, looking at the sky again. It appeared it was going to rain later.

"You're still not answering them," said Rose, sitting up and frowning at him.

The Doctor was a quiet for a long moment and Rose was ready to tear her hair out in frustration. She was about to get up and leave when the Doctor spoke softly. "Have you ever had a secret? A secret so terrible that no one could ever know about it?"

Rose frowned as she thought about it. "I suppose so," she agreed. "Some things I went through with Jimmy would qualify for that." The Doctor looked at her in concern but she waved it away. "You were saying," she prompted.

"I have been alive for so long that I have accumulated my fair share of secrets," he confessed. "But there is one secret that…that's everything."

"About the Other?" guessed Rose. "Is that why you can't tell me? You know something about him that has to be kept secret?"

"Yes, and no," he said. "It was the Other's secret. But it is mine to keep as well."

"I don't understand," said Rose.

"Perhaps it is better that you don't," he said seriously. "I don't know why you could activate that defence, Rose. I wish I knew. But every explanation that I have come up with so far has been weaker than the one before it."

"You would tell me if there was something wrong with me, wouldn't you?" asked Rose quietly.

"There's nothing…" he trailed off at a look from Rose. He sighed and nodded. "Yes, I will," he promised.

Rose smiled and bent down to kiss his cheek. "Right then," she murmured, pulling away. "Think I'll go back to the TARDIS. Had enough of the sun."

The Doctor smiled back as she gathered up her towel and things and left in the direction of the TARDIS. He looked at the lake and found Amy and Rory still talking. He couldn't hear what they were saying but he decided to leave them alone and headed towards the TARDIS after Rose.

"So, you do miss it," Amy was saying to Rory.

"Yeah, sometimes," nodded Rory. "It's been almost three years since I have been anywhere near a proper patient."

Amy smiled at him. "Sorry to hear that," she said.

"What about you?" asked Rory. "Do you miss being a Time Agent? Or a pirate?" he added cheekily.

Amy splashed some water towards him and giggled when he sputtered after receiving a face full of water. "I do miss being a Time Agent sometimes," she confessed. "I got to see a lot of places, met a lot of interesting people. But when the CIA and Time Agency merged, I couldn't stay."

"Yeah, not a big fan of the CIA either," said Rory. "They wanted to wipe my memories the first time I met them."

"The Time Lords have their own brand of flaws," nodded Amy. "The Doctor is different but the CIA is Time Lord dominance at its height. I am still surprised he supported the merger."

"The President is his friend," said Rory. "At least that's what Rose told me. It was her first move as President."

"That explains some of it," agreed Amy. "But I couldn't work with Time Lords. Not even if you paid me. Too many rules and not enough freedom in my opinion. So, I went freelance. It was fun but I do miss having structure to my life."

"Yeah, structure kinda got chucked into space once I started travelling in the TARDIS," said Rory with a chuckle. "Even in Rome, I had a routine of some sort. But now…"

"I know what you mean," murmured Amy. "Think you would have returned to Earth if you had family?"

"Most likely, yeah," he agreed. "What about you?"

"Yeah, I think I would have returned to Nova Scotia if mum and dad were still alive," she said. "My old aunt is a hag though. No way am I seeing her ever again."

"You're from Canada?" asked Rory with some surprise.

Amy laughed. "No, Nova Scotia is in an asteroid belt with different colonies. New Scotland, see? I hadn't been to Earth until I became a Time Agent. But my ancestors came from your Earth."

Rory nodded along to that. He hadn't dared to ask Amy about her family before. It seemed like a sore subject and he could relate to that. A gust of cool wind made them both shiver. "Think it's gonna rain," said Rory, looking at the sky.

"The Doctor and Rose went inside some time ago," said Amy. "Think we should go back too. The next segment awaits."

Rory nodded as they both waded to the shore and climbed out of the water. "Wonder where it will take us this time," he said as he grabbed his towel.

Amy smiled and opened the TARDIS doors. "Wherever or whenever it is, it's going to be fun."

And Rory couldn't help but agree as he followed her into the TARDIS. The Doctor waved at them as they came in. He had already fetched the core and was plugging it into the console.

"Hey," said Rose as she came into the console room, dressed and ready. "Do we have a destination yet?"

There was a beep and the Doctor read the coordinates quickly. "Yes," he answered. "A space base named Marquessa. 47th century."

A/N End of Part 1. A short and sweet beginning to the new story. What did you think?

I have been getting questions about how the Series 7 finale will impact this story and to that I will say, that it will not. At all. Not even a little bit. For one, I am quite sure this story would be done before the 50th (when we get the answers) and even if it isn't, there is no way I will tolerate Eight's existence or role being challenged.

Let me know what you thought of this one. Part 2 will be up soon. See you then!

~ Phoenix