Chapter 3

Tina made the coffee quickly, then took it back upstairs, and as she approached the bedroom her excitement was mounting. She went inside and placed the coffee on the table next to the Doctor's bed, and then as she met his gaze she smiled warmly.

"Here I am."

"So you are," he replied, "Come over here, lay beside me – but don't touch me!"

As she go on to the bed she gave a sigh.

"I know, you're not a hugger."

"I also have three broken ribs that are mending painfully. Please don't go near them!"

She lay on her back beside him, and then she turned her head and smiled.

"So what happens now?"

She ran her fingers through his hair and the feel of her touch was distracting, but he gently pushed her hand away and looked into her eyes.

"You know what your problem is?" he asked her as he cautiously turned on his side – the side that was undamaged – and looked at her intently.

"I'm sure you're going to tell me," she replied.

He smiled and placed his hand on her shoulder. He could tell by the way she caught her breath at his touch that she wanted his hands all over her, but she would have to wait for more...

"Tina,"he said softly,"You're a strange girl. You've always dreamed about the handsome prince who comes to your rescue but you've met many of guys like that and they just don't do it for you. That's because you don't want to be sleeping beauty woken by a kiss. You want to be the girl in woods, followed by the wolf. You like the ways of the hunter, you want to be tracked down by one who sees you better than any other...who can eat you better than any other. You'll always go for the wolf, that's what you need and it will never change."

His words hand been spoken softly as he rested his hand on her shoulder, and their eyes were locked, not once had he looked away from her as he had spoken so seductively.

"Are you a wolf?"

His expression was briefly playful.

"Maybe..I could be...Do you want me to be? Take your knickers off."

Her hands trembled as she obeyed him, but she didn't need to be told twice.

Then he pulled her closer and their lips touched, he kissed her gently, deeply, then gave a her a light kiss as he pulled away once more.

"I know what you want because I can read your mind, and I'm not fucking you. It wouldn't be fair. You're not ready to make love with a Time Lord. But I will make you happy."

He cautiously shifted down the bed, then as she was about to give a reply, her words were cut off by a gasp as he placed his hands on her thighs and pushed them firmly apart. The touch of his soft fingertips as he ran them down her dampened, warm flesh and then parted her wide made her give a low moan of pleasure. His breath was hot on her body, then he tasted her for the first time, and one taste was not enough as he started to lap at her sex, firmly, instinctively knowing how she liked it, and knowing it wouldn't take her long to reach climax, either.

Her fingers tangled in his hair and her thighs shook as she begged him for more, then she cried out as he sucked hard on her swollen flesh, stopping abruptly to place a kiss there and that made her thrust her hips upwards as she moaned again.

He breathed softly across the short, neatly trimmed hair between her legs, then he looked down at the sight of her, swollen and reddened by all the attention, and he took her in his mouth again, giving no mercy as she cried out at the intensity of it. His tongue moved over her swollen sex in a rhythm that she could not outlast, and she came hard, screaming as she grabbed at his shoulder and the hand that was tangled in his hair tugged on it as she thrust her body against his face. Then she slumped down, shattered from the most powerful orgasm she had ever experienced.

The Doctor lay beside her, carefully turned on to this back and considered it quite a victory that he had managed to give her so much pleasure despite his aching ribs.

"That was amazing!" Tina said as she looked into his eyes.

"I'm glad you thought so. But please don't return the favour, I'm still healing and I need my rest. If you made me come now that would literally drain my energy considerably - and I need it to heal myself."

She leant over him and kissed him, and it felt like the sealing of a promise that this would lead to more wonderful things, deep things, the kind that would make his twin hearts sing with joy at their union – and then he remembered there was a timeline to consider, and his hearts swung from joy to aching with sorrow.

"I can't stay, Tina. Remember, I was in pursuit of Missy – and if she ever turns up here, you have to run as far away as you can, she's dangerous!"

Tina smiled.

"I don't know about your stories about space and this Missy woman. All I know is I really like you, Doctor. I want you to stay here."

He looked at her apologetically.

"One more night – and I have to rest, I mean that – and then I have to leave. I need some time in the Tardis to complete my healing."

"So I'll get to see this ship of yours?"

"Yes you will," he promised, and he smiled as he pictured how she would react, the look on her face, when she realised he was telling the truth about being an alien from another world who owned a real space ship...

"My Tardis doesn't just travel in space," he added, "It travels through time as well. It's a time machine."

"So you could take me with you?"

He frowned.

"I...can't really say that would be a good idea. You see, I can bring you back moments after you left. We could be gone for years and I could return you to this time and place. But it's your timeline. I don't want to risk it. Suppose something happened out in space and I couldn't return you home like I planned? What then? The whole of your life would change, and perhaps change disastrously!"

"What's so special about my timeline?" she asked.

He looked into her eyes.

"Everyone has a place in the universe and a path they are meant to take. I like to think everyone's path matters."

She gave a sigh

"That's no answer!"

"I'm afraid it's all I can give you."

She leaned over the side of the bed, caught her bag by its strap and pulled it closer, and then she drew something out and switched it on.

"What do you think?" she asked, and she smiled into the bulky polariod camera and hit a button. The flash went off and the picture slid out of the bottom. She picked it up by a corner, waved it about in the hope of speeding up the development time and then put the picture on the table next to the bed.

"Well?" she asked him.

He looked to her camera.

"Oh I see, it's a polariod camera – instant pictures...One of the more expensive designs...these things will be obsolete when digital pictures come along."

"Digital?" she exclaimed, indicating to her watch, "Like this?"

"Not exactly."

She studied the camera for a moment, and then looked at the Doctor.

"You talk like you know about the future."

"That's because I do, I'm a time traveller."

"I thought you said you was an alien?"

He smiled.

"I'm both!"

Then she shifted closer, checking she was not on his damaged side, then she moved right up next to him, sharing his pillow as she held out the large, bulky camera.

"Smile..."

The Doctor waved his hand in front of it.

"Oh no, this isn't fair! I don't want my picture taken, Tina...stop it, you know I'm too sore to move!"

She giggled.

"Just one."

He looked at her and his hearts warmed through in a way they had not done for a long time, not since Clara had been in his life...

"Just one, and I mean it!" he told her.

She shifted closer until their cheeks were touching, and she smiled as the Doctor looked rather tense and waited for the flash to go off. As the picture slid out, she caught it and placed it next to the other one that was still developing, then she leant back, aimed the camera and took a third pic, smiling into the lens.

As the next picture slid from the bottom of the camera, and waved it about and then placed it with the others and put the camera back in her bag.

"I hope that's the last I'll see of that thing!" the Doctor exclaimed, "I'm really not in the mood for selfies!"

She looked at him.

"What's a selfie?"

"Never mind, you'll get it one day. Now I really need some rest, Tina. Thanks for the coffee."

She smiled as she moved closer to him, leaning in for another kiss, and he obliged her briefly.

"And thanks for that wonderful encounter we shared. Now please, I do need to rest."

"Okay," was all she said, and then she left him to sleep, and the Doctor rested easily and slept deeply, welcoming the rest and the healing it would bring.

Tina made plans that day as the Doctor rested – this would be the start of a big adventure. Either she was about to run off into time and space with an alien, or she was going to run off with a cute but crazy guy who thought he was an alien...

Either way, it was a plan she welcomed.

But when late afternoon came around, she went upstairs to check on him and found him ready to leave. He was still sore, she could tell by the way he clutched at his ribs as he paused whilst putting on his shirt, and the bruising, although starting to fade, was still vivid.

"I'll be fine," he reminded her, "I just need a few days in my Tardis... If I leave now, I can come back for you when I'm better, it's easier for me that way. I just want to finish healing."

"But I want you to take me with you!"

He turned and stared at her – the back of her - as he noticed she had put on a dress with a lacy short skirt and was now slipping on white stilettos.

"Let me sort myself out first. Then maybe I can track down Missy and find out what she's up to -I have a time machine, I can be back for you tomorrow night!"

She turned around and stared at him.

"Tonight. You can make that thing come back to any time and place, right? Do it tonight. Do what you have to do and then return tonight for me. If you're telling the truth it will work because you can go off and do what you need to do and then use your machine to come back here for me. I'll be waiting."

He looked into her eyes.

"Then I will do that," he promised her, "But remember, Tina – when this is over, when you have to return one day, I have to bring you back to this time and place, I can't leave any gaps in your timeline."

She looked at him doubtfully, and paused to pick up the now developed pictures she had taken earlier.

"Show me this time machine."

The Doctor had refused help as he went down the stairway slowly and painfully, and as he struggled to put on his now dry jacket, she saw pain once more reflect in his eyes, but then it was gone.

"I'll be fine once I get back to the Tardis," he reminded her.

They left the house together, and she walked with him, stopping as he did each time he needed to catch his breath and press a hand to his aching ribs, and finally, as they entered the wooded area near the house, they came to the place where a police box stood.

"This is it?"she said, and then she shook her head.

"Okay, so you are crazy. But I could still love you -"

"What did you say?"

His hand was poised to push open the door of the Tardis, and he looked back at her in surprise,and she knew those words had come out too fast and way too soon.

"I...I mean, I like you a lot, I don't care if you're crazy. Really Doctor, it makes no difference to me!"

"This is my ship," he replied, and opened up the door.

From inside came a low hum. The vast interior was bright with polished gleaming metal and as she looked to the console she stared in disbelief, then stepped back, taking in the size of the box, and then she looked inside again, and back at the Doctor.

"You're not lying!"

"Obviously."

The Doctor met her gaze, then his ribs ached and he longed to be back onboard his ship, the one place where he was sure his healing time would speed up.

"Tina, I have to go. I will be back for you, I promise. Be ready, I'll meet you here tonight."

"No!" she said in alarm as she suddenly remembered something, "Mr Franklin might take the keys back tonight! It depends when he gets back from his trip! Meet me down the main road, just off the other side of the bridge. I'll be waiting there."

The Doctor stepped closer to her and smiled.

"It doesn't matter where you are," he told her, "My Tardis will find you."

She smiled too.

"That's reassuring Doctor, but all the same, I want you to to have this."

And she handed him one of the pictures she had taken earlier, a polariod snapshot of her smiling into the camera, the picture he had called a selfie.

"I'll be sure to take care of it," he said, and then he reached for her awkwardly, and she understood that although he wasn't a hugger, he needed to hold her now.

"Careful!" he warned her, but she remembered his bruised and damaged ribs and put her arms around his shoulders and hugged him lightly, then he let go and stepped back.

"See you later, I won't be gone long," he promised, and then she nodded, and watched as he went inside the impossibly vast ship, then the door of the blue box closed and with a wheeze and whoosh and a scattering of leaves as a whirlwind briefly whipped up, the Tardis vanished.

Now he was alone and back in his Tardis, just being inside the place seemed to help the pain. He leant over the controls and turned a dial, then he took the picture of Tina from his pocket and slid it into a slot on the console, locking it away for safe keeping. Then he set a flight plan, and as the pain in his side throbbed and he gave a gasp, he turned a dial too far, then stepped back, clutching at his aching side.

His next thought was sleep, to mend the worst of the pain, then he could set about trying to find Missy – although he had a feeling that perhaps she had already eluded him.

But the time would come when they met again, and he knew one day the matter would be concluded. As he went off down the corridor to grab some rest and deep sleep that only the Tardis could encourage, his thoughts stayed on Tina, and how he planned to return to her.

He was yet to realise the truth:

In that moment of pain, when he had turned that dial, he had set the Tardis on a course that would take him back on a long way round trip – when he went back to find Tina, he would be close on thirty years late...

Tina went back to the house, thinking only of grabbing her bags and waiting for her alien lover – that was how she had come to think of him – to return. She thought of what she had seen – the impossible, a vast ship inside that tiny blue box... and then she had thought about her encounter with the alien man who had come to the house for shelter.

With no phone calls to say Mr Franklin was likely to be back that day, she went back into the vast front room, opened up a bottle of wine and lay back on the sofa, swigged from the bottle a few times, then set it down on the table. She kicked off her shoes and closed her eyes and thought about the Doctor and his mouth on her body and suddenly she was swollen and damp all over again – she was sure the swelling had not properly gone down from her encounter with him, when he had said he would eat her, he had certainly kept his promise...

She slid her fingers between her legs and began to rub slowly, not wanting it to happen too quickly, as the events of the afternoon played over in her mind.

He had left her feeling aroused and the ache for him only reminded her more sharply of how good it had been. Her fingers were sticky and she was swollen and her thighs were damp when she heard a knock on the door.

She quickly got up, pulled down her skirt, quickly wiping her fingers on the lace, and then she left off her shoes and hurried from the room and down the hallway, her excitement mounting as she hoped her lover had returned already...

It wasn't the Doctor.

As she opened the door she stared in surprise at the woman who stood on the doorstep with striking but cold eyes, a woman whose dark hair was swept up, and who wore a gown that looked decidedly Victorian.

"Hello," she said sweetly, "I do hope I got here in time...before that awful Doctor! He's really not to be trusted, you know," she told her, and then she stepped past her and entered the house.

She looked about the hallway and then back at Tina and smiled.

"Really," she promised, "You don't have to be afraid of me no matter what that liar has said!"

And knowing nothing of the situation, Tina felt utterly confused.

"Who are you?" she said cautiously.

The woman smiled, pushing the door shut softly as she met her gaze as they stood together in the hallway.

"I'm your friend," she told her, "I'm the one who you really can trust. My name is Missy..."