Hello honeys,
I'm sorry about the whole updating thing... Work has been an absolute pain in my A double S lately which literally gives me no time to do anything... I'm wearing my future sister in laws clothes at the minute because laundry can't be done due to time constrictions :P
Just so you all know, I'm currently sat at work, updating because I love you just that much :P
Hope you enjoy!
Luna and Donna were reclined on a pair of sun loungers beside the hotel's sparkling pool while an almost mystical blue sunlight shone through the huge crystal dome above them. As they hadn't really had much time to catch up since their little reunion a few weeks previous, they were having a good chat.
"So, when did you realise you were in love with the Doctor?" Donna asked, adjusting her position in hopes of catching an even tan on her legs. Laughing, the Gideon turned to lay flat on her stomach before pushing her sunglasses up to rest on her forehead.
"It'll sound cheesy…"
"So? There's only us two here. C'mon Lu! Share the details!"
"Fine," The alien sighed, smiling at her red-haired friend. "I realised the moment he took me to watch a star being born. It was the most beautiful sight Donna… This bright, dazzling light filled space for at least half a galaxy and we were sat there, legs dangling over the edge of the TARDIS with a cone of chips and some sunglasses on. He kept on whispering about all the chemical reactions, only stopping to shove another chip in his pie hole and that's why I realised… I wanted him to explain to me 'cause I loved the sound of his voice… I just loved him."
As Donna listened, she couldn't help but feel happy for the couple. It was obvious, from the beginning, that they cared deeply for each other but events had forced them apart. She was just so grateful that she'd managed to convince him to go back for her.
However, before she could ask her another question, a smartly dressed man walked over to them carrying a phone on a silver tray.
"Oh, it's your turn this time." Luna told her friend.
"But I told him last time…" she whined, pouting childishly.
"And you can tell him again… If I do, he's gonna be all pouty and I can't put up with that level of cuteness."
Donna grumbled but took the phone from the man.
As he walked away, she answered it.
"We said no!" she said, just as Luna snatched the phone off of her so she could put it onto loudspeaker.
"Sapphire waterfall-it's a waterfall made of sapphires!" The Doctor said.
"Oh come on love, we've heard this half a dozen times before…" Luna told him but he just ignored her.
"This enormous jewel," he continued, oblivious, "size of a glacier, reaches the Cliffs of Oblivion, and then shatters into sapphires at the edge-they fall 100,000 feet into a crystal ravine."
"I bet you say that to all the girls," Donna teased, giving Lu a high five as they both laughed silently.
"Oh, come on!" the Doctor said. "They're boarding now! It's no fun if I see it on my own. Four hours, that's all it takes."
"No, that's four hours there and four hours back." Donna corrected. "It's like a school trip."
"Come on." He begged.
"Alright, for Gods sake! I'll come with you." The Gideon cried, finally giving in to her lover's demands.
"Are you sure?" Donna asked her. "We could just lay here and sunbath."
"Sadly, I don't really have a choice in this matter," she sighed, pulling on a pair of skinny jeans and converse. "If I don't go, he'll just whine while you sleep… You don't share a bed with him."
"Alright, suit yourself." Donna replied.
"So you're coming?" the Doctor asked.
"Yeah, I'm coming woman… Just hold your bloody horses and let me tie my shoelaces."
"Great!" he said happily.
"Donna, we'll be back for dinner, we'll try that anti-gravity restaurant. With bibs."
"Thank goodness. I was covered in so much BBQ sauce last night I just gave in and threw my shirt in the bin. There was no way it was coming outta that silk blouse."
"Oi!" Donna said. "You two be careful, all right?"
"Nah." He said.
"Never!" Lu added, slipping a plaid shirt on and tying it just under her bust, showing her pale stomach and a fair bit of cleavage.
"Taking a big space truck with a bunch of strangers across a diamond planet called Midnight-what could possibly go wrong?"
He hung up the phone, just before Donna had chance to warn him about Luna's fashion choice.
"What the heck are you wearing?!" She shrieked, staring at the alien. The TARDIS blue blouse accentuated her chest and made her ivory coloured skin glow, as well as making her crimson hair look even darker.
"Why, do I look bad?" she asked, hugging herself as a wave of self-consciousness hit her. She was just hoping to get a bit of a reaction from the Doctor; in her eyes, he still seemed to think of her as the fragile young girl he met over 350 years ago opposed to the woman she was now.
"Course not honey, you look amazing… I just don't want him to have a heart attack."
"Technically, he'd have two simultaneously." The alien said with a wink before wandering out of the hotel, ready to go have an adventure with the love of her life.
The Doctor sat on the shuttle watching the passengers filter into the buss. The hostess was talking to a woman who sat near the Doctor.
"Complimentary juice pack and complimentary…"
"Just the headphones, please." The woman interrupted.
"There you go." The hostess said.
She moved to the Doctor.
"That's the headphones for Channels 1 to 36; modem link for 3D vidgames; complimentary earplugs; complimentary slippers; complimentary juice pack; and complimentary peanuts. I must warn you some products may contain nuts."
"Outta curiosity, would that be the peanuts by any chance?" a woman said. Recognising the voice instantly, the Doctor looked around to see Luna leaning against the pair of seats opposite with a smirk on her face.
Instantly, his mouth dropped open.
There she was, his Luna, looking absolutely gorgeous. Her long crimson hair hung in loose curls, cascaded down her shoulders and back as if it were a waterfall of rubies; it brushed the pale skin of her flat stomach which she had left showing, obviously having just come from the pool.
"You alright over there love?" She asked, her voice taking on a sing-songy quality, forcing him to snap out of his staring.
"Nice of you to join us." He said.
"Well, I can't deny you anything. If you want it, and I can give you it, you know I will." She murmured, perching in the seat beside him though all he could do was focus on her words.
'anything?'
"Welcome aboard, miss." The Hostess said. "For your convenience, we have-"
"Ah, don't worry there sugar… I heard the speech you reeled off to this dummy…" Smiling, the hostess handed over all of the free things to her before bowing her head kindly.
"Enjoy your trip." She told them.
"Oh, I can't wait!" the Doctor replied. "Allons-y!"
"I'm sorry?" the Hostess asked.
"It's French for 'Let's go!'" Lu explained while her lover pouted at the side of her.
"Fascinating." The hostess replied before moving to the people seated behind them.
"Headphones for channels 1-36…"
"Oh no, thank you, not for us!" the man told her.
"Earplugs, please." The woman said.
"There you go." The hostess replied, handing them to her.
"They call it a sapphire waterfall, but it's no such thing." The man said to his companion.
"A normal sapphire is an aluminium oxide but the glacier in question is just a compound silica with an iron pigmentation." Luna explained, peaking her head over the back of her chair though she was met with a resentful look from the elder man and a small smile from the woman.
The Doctor chuckled at the small huff the man gave as the red haired alien slid down her chair looking rather sulky.
The hostess had moved on to a man and woman who were obviously married.
"…complimentary juice pack and complimentary peanuts." She said.
"Thank you." The woman replied.
"Have you got that pillow for my neck?" the man behind the Doctor and Luna asked.
"Yes, sir." The woman replied.
"And the pills?" he asked.
"Yes, all measured out for you, there you go." She told him.
Seeing the look on Lu's face, the Doctor pulled them both to look over the backs of their seats again. Upon seeing the Doctor, the man seemed happier to introduce himself; it was as if he was comforted by the fact she was being accompanied by someone… or it could've been the way she was dressed.
"Hobbes!" the man said. "Professor Winfold Hobbes!"
"I'm the Doctor, hello!" he replied, shaking the other man's hand.
"I'm Luna... Sorry for kinda crashing the party before… Just a little excited!" She said, waving.
"It's my 14th time!" Hobbes told them.
"Oh!" the Doctor said. "It's our first."
"And I'm Dee Dee, Dee Dee Blasco." The woman said, shaking their hands.
"Now don't bother the couple!" Hobbes told her. "Where's my water bottle?"
At this, the alien couple exchanged a brief look before settling back into their seats.
The hostess had moved on to a teenage boy who looked to be the married couple's son, but was sitting away from them.
"…complimentary slippers, complimentary juice pack, and complimentary peanuts." She was telling him. "I must warn you some products may contain nuts."
"Don't be silly, come and sit with us." The woman told him. "Look! We get slippers!"
"Jethro!" the man said sharply. "Do what your mother says."
"I'm sitting here." Jethro replied.
"Really don't blame him… No offence to 'em but I'd be denying any ties to them if they were my parents too." Luna muttered, earning a gentle jab in the side from the Doctor.
"Now, be nice…" he scolded playfully but she just stuck her tongue out at him.
"Oh, he's ashamed of us." His father said.
"But he doesn't mind us paying, does he?"
"Oh, don't you two start." His mother said. "Should I save the juice pack or have it now? Look, peach and clementine!"
"It's like the 50th century or something… they're not made outta real fruit." Lu muttered, shaking her head.
"Stop it." The Doctor told her quietly, trying to hide a smile.
"You know you love it." She winked, leaning to the side to give him a kiss though they were interrupted by the hostess standing at the front of the shuttle.
"Ladies and gentlemen and variations thereupon, welcome on board the Crusader 50." She said. "If you would fasten your seatbelts, we'll be leaving any moment. Doors!" The doors automatically sealed.
"Shields down!" she called. Shields descended in front of the windows.
"I'm afraid the view is shielded until we reach the Waterfall Palace." She told them. "Also, a reminder, Midnight has no air, so please don't touch the exterior door seals. Fire exit at the rear, and should we need to use it…you first." She was the only one to laugh.
"Now I will hand you over to Driver Joe." She said.
"Driver Joe at the wheel!" a voice came over the intercom. "There's been a diamond fall at the Winter Witch Canyon, so we'll be taking a slight detour, as you'll see on the map."
A map popped up on the screen.
"The journey covers 500 kliks to the Multifaceted Coast," he continued, "duration is estimated at four hours. Thank you for traveling with us, and as they used to say in the olden days, wagons roll!"
They felt the engines start and they were on their way.
"For your entertainment, we have the Music Channel playing retro-vids of Earth Classics." The Hostess told them. She pressed a button and the video for Do It Do It Again appeared.
"Also, the latest artistic installation from Ludovico Klein." She pressed another key and a hologram show began. "Plus, for the youngsters, a rare treat-the Animation Archives." She turned on a projector that began showing old cartoons. "Four hours of fun time!" she told them. "Enjoy!"
The noise filling the shuttle bus was atrocious and loud, causing a faint pounding to fill Luna's head so without a moment's hesitation, she dipped her hand into the Doctor's jacket. At first, he stiffened up slightly, feeling her hand brush against his chest until he realised what she was after.
A few seconds later, she held his sonic screwdriver under his nose in victory.
"Thank god!" she exclaimed, pointing it at the main 'entertainment' device. The minute she pressed the button, everything was turned off and silence consumed the group.
"Well, that's a mercy!" Hobbes said.
"I do apologize, ladies and gentlemen and variations thereupon." The hostess said. "We seem to have had a failure of the Entertainment System…"
"Ooh." The Doctor said.
"Well, isn't that a bloody shame," Luna added sarcastically
"But what do we do?" Jethro's mother asked, obviously upset.
"We've got four hours of this!" her husband said. "Four hours of just…sitting here?"
"Tell you what!" the Doctor said. "We'll have to talk to each other instead!"
However, he didn't get the huge reception he was expecting.
Instead, he was just met with strange looks.
98 kliks later…
Everyone was sitting around talking and laughing, with the exception of Sky, the woman who had been sitting in front of the Doctor and Luna.
Instead, she was just sat quietly reading a book.
The eccentric time lord was sat talking to Biff and Val, Jethro's parents, while Lu ventured back a few rows to sit with Jethro.
"So Biff said, 'I'm going swimming'." Val was saying.
"Oh, I was all ready, trunks and everything! Nose plug!" Biff added.
"He had this little nose plug, you should've seen him." Val said.
"And I went marching up to the lifeguard, and he was a Shamboni, you know, those big foreheads?" Biff asked.
"Great big forehead!" Val added.
"And I said, where's the pool?" Biff said.
"And he said…"
"'The pool is abstract'!" Val and Biff said together.
"It wasn't a real pool!" Val told them.
"It was a concept!" Biff said.
"And you wore a nose plug!" the Doctor said, laughing.
"I was like this!" Biff said, pinching he nose. "Mmm…where's the pool?"
"Parents are about the most embarrassing thing in the universe, aren't they?" Jethro muttered quietly to the attractive woman beside him, her eyes briefly flickering down to glance down her shirt.
"Ah believe me, I have stories to rival theirs. For instance, me and Theta over there once found ourselves dressed as Mickey and Minnie mouse in Disneyland Paris!" She told him, laughing quietly to herself though it brought a smile to his face.
"How did you manage that?" He asked, not bothering to mention the fact that Disneyland now had androids to play the characters and happened to be on a separate planet .He didn't want to burst her bubble, she seemed so happy talking about it so he decided to let her carry on.
"Well, not matter what the Doctor says, his French isn't half as good as he says it is. He thought he was agreeing to attend the show, not star in it. Three hours later, we're in the centre of some huge float dressed like cartoon mice, being shouted at in French through tiny earphones they practically glued in our , you know... Vous n'avez qu'une seule vie."
"What does that mean?" he asked.
"You only get one life." She translated, smiling at him.
150 kliks later…
The Doctor and Luna stood in the gallery, casually chatting to Dee Dee about how she ended up on the shuttle with Professor 'Know it all'.
"I'm just a second-year student, but I wrote a paper on the Lost Moon of Poosh." She was telling them. "Professor Hobbes read it, liked it, took me on as a researcher. Just for the holidays. Well, I say researcher, most of the time he's got me fetching and carrying. But it's all good experience!"
"Outta curiosity, did they ever actually find it?"
"Find what?" Dee Dee asked.
"The Lost Moon of Poosh!" she said.
"Oh no!" Dee Dee replied, laughing. "Not yet!"
"Well, if it managed to find the elusive moon of Gideon, There's hope for anyone." The Doctor said, throwing a wink over to the, now blushing, Luna. "Maybe The Lost Moon of Poosh will be your great discovery."
"Here's to Poosh!" Lu announced, lifting her cup of juice in a toast.
"Poosh!" Dee Dee called, raising her cup to tap it gently against the other woman's.
209 kliks later…
The Doctor was sitting beside Sky, having just had their meals served while Luna chatted quietly with Jethro. Occasionally, the Doctor found his eyes drawn over to them as they laughed together. He couldn't help but feel a little envious at the attention she was bestowing upon him; despite knowing that she loved him, he wasn't able to control the green eyed monster.
She was his moon… Not Jethro's.
"So it's just the pair of you?" Sky asked, pulling his attention away from his love.
"No, no." the Doctor answered. "We have this friend, Donna. She stayed behind in the Leisure Palace. You?"
"No, it's just me." Sky answered.
"Oh, I've done plenty of that." The Doctor told her. "Travelling on my own. I love it. Do what you want! Go anywhere!"
"No, I'm still getting used to it." Sky replied. "I've…found myself single rather recently, not by choice."
"What happened?" the Doctor asked.
"Oh, the usual." She replied. "She needed her own space, as they say. A different galaxy, in fact. I reckon that's enough space, don't you?"
"Yeah…" the Doctor told her. "I had a friend who went to a different universe."
"Oh, what's this, chicken or beef?" Sky asked, studying her meat.
"I think it's both." The Doctor replied.
251 kliks later…
The Doctor now sat with Luna curled up in the chair beside him, her eyes fluttering closed as they listened to Professor Hobbes drone on about the falls. To the time lord, it was rather interesting but to the Gideon, it was a rather potent form of tranquilizer.
"So, this is Midnight, d'you see?" he said, pointing to the diagram he had on the screen. "Bombarded by the sun! Xtonic rays, raw galvanic radiation. Dee Dee, next slide!" She switched to the next slide.
"It's my pet project." He told them. "Actually, I'm the first person to research this. Because you see…the history is fascinating, because there is no history. There's no life in this entire system, there couldn't be. Before the Leisure Palace Company moved in, no one had come here in all eternity. No living thing."
"But how d'you know?" Jethro asked. "I mean, if no one can go outside…."
"Oh, his imagination!" Val dismissed him.
"Here we go!"
"He's got a point, though." The Doctor said.
"Exactly!" Hobbes said. "We look upon this world through glass. Safe inside our metal box. Even the Leisure Palace was lowered down from orbit. And here we are now, crossing Midnight, but never touching it."
There was a rattling and the engines went silent.