"Out of curiosity, do we actually have a plan?" Renata dared to ask while she and the Doctor went around the console, in opposite directions, to search for the Dalek ship that was no doubt near Earth.
"I have something in mind…" the Doctor said all too quietly for her liking. He was focused on finding the ship and was pretty pleased when it easily appeared on the monitor.
"You want to let me in on it, or…?"
The way the Doctor turned his head away was a clear indicator that whatever he had going on in his mind would totally be him.
Renata scowled.
The Doctor grinned.
~ 0 ~
There were three Daleks inside the ship when the TARDIS materialized. The Doctor emerged from the box first and despite his insistence for her to stay inside, Renata was right behind him.
"How about that cuppa now, then?" he thought to ask and winced when he heard Renata's colorful vocabulary inside his mind. I did not know you were capable of that kind of language, my dear.
Renata smirked from behind.
"It is the Doctor! Exterminate!"
"Wait, wait, wait, I wouldn't if I were you!" the Doctor quickly sprang his arm forwards, brandishing a small, round object in his hand. "TARDIS self-destruct. And you know what that means. My ship goes, you all go with it. Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah. No scans! No nothing! One move and I'll destroy us all, you got that? TARDIS bang-bang, Daleks boom!"
Behind him, Renata stared at said object, unimpressed. It was a cookie. He was threatening the Daleks with a cookie. She closed her eyes for a brief second and wondered, truly wondered, how she was attracted to him when he pulled stunts like those.
While I will answer that question with examples, let's not get distracted. The cookie will only work for so long.
Renata rolled her eyes at the now smirking Doctor. She hurried towards the nearest control panels while he kept the Daleks frozen in their spots. "Oh! This is embarrassing! This ship's pretty beaten up - running on empty, I'd say, like you." She turned around to the three Daleks with a glower. "When we last met, you were at the end of your rope. Finished. You should've stayed finished."
"One ship survived," a Dalek said.
"And you fell back through time, yes?" the Doctor rolled his eyes. It was fairly obvious that one ship had survived wasn't it? Considering where they were now. "Crippled? Dying?"
"We picked up a trace. One of the Progenitor devices."
"Progenitor? What's that when it's at home?"
"It is our past. And our future."
"Pretty deep for a Dalek and since that's not quite possible why don't you tell us what it means?" Renata asked as she made her way back to the Doctor. She suspected the cookie farce would be ending in the next coming minutes.
"It contains pure Dalek DNA, thousands were created, all were lost, save one."
"OK, but there's still one thing I don't get, though - if you've got the Progenitor, why build Bracewell?" the Doctor couldn't understand even when he tried looking at it from many angles. The Daleks wouldn't create Bracewell without a reason, without...having to…
"It was... necessary."
Renata picked up on the hesitation and almost gaped because Daleks never hesitated. "But why?"
"Oh," went the Doctor all of a sudden. His eyes had widened seconds before a laugh slipped through his lips. "I get it! I get it. Oh, ho, this is rich! The Progenitor wouldn't recognize you, would it? It saw you as impure, the DNA is unrecognisable as Dalek."
"Blasphemy for you guys," Renata didn't hide her own laugh.
"A solution was devised," a Dalek said.
"Yes, yes, yes. Me," the Doctor rolled his eyes. Of course it'd be him. "My testimony. So you set a trap, you knew that the Progenitor would recognize me. The Daleks' greatest enemy! It would accept my word. My recognition of you." One of the Daleks moved its way to another control panel nearby. "No, no, no. What are you doing?"
"Withdraw now, Doctor, or the city dies in flames," one of the other Daleks warned.
"Yeah, sorry to cut into the conversation," Renata said with a raised finger in the air, "But I would like to remind you all of your ship's current state. It's a wreck. With any luck, it'll drop dead in a few moments. You don't have any power to destroy London."
"Watch as the humans destroy themselves."
Renata exchanged a glance with the Doctor, both dreading what the Daleks had in mind. In a few seconds, they watched the creatures forced all the lights in London to turn on.
"Turn those lights off now! Turn London off or I swear I will use the TARDIS self-destruct!" the Doctor waved his cookie around like it truly was a menacing bomb.
"Stalemate, Doctor. Leave us, and return to Earth."
"Oh, that's it? That's your great victory? You leave?"
"Extinction is not an option. We shall return to our own time and begin again."
"Not on our watch," Renata glowered at the creatures with all the hatred she could muster...and it showed.
"Alert, new energy readings…" one of the two Daleks still facing them said.
Just as Renata blinked, the Doctor reached over to her and yanked her behind him. "Don't you dare touch her!"
Renata raised both of her hands to see them golden again. She swallowed hard. Oh God, it was starting again. But I'm not weak this time. That's a huge change. That had to mean something good, right?
"Energy readings are inconclusive," the Dalek by the control panel said. "But it is not unseen. She is the same Time Lady with the Time Vortex power—"
Renata dropped her hands and poked her head from behind the Doctor, "Hey, it is not the Time Vortex. It's something...mutated!"
The Doctor threw Renata a look. "You really want to explain it better to them?"
"...good point," Renata put her hands behind her back.
Their attention was driven over to a machine at the end of the room that rang particularly loud.
"We have succeeded — DNA reconstruction is complete," one of the Daleks said. All three Daleks glided away from the cubicle enveloped in red energy. After a few sparks, the doors to it slid open.
"Observe, Doctor, a new Dalek paradigm! The Progenitor has fulfilled our new destiny. Behold, the restoration of the Daleks! The resurrection of the master race!"
Both the Doctor and Renata were horrified to see new Daleks emerging from the cubicle, larger ones of all colors. Their nightmare only continued as they were surrounded by chanting Daleks all proclaiming their superiority. It ended with the newer Daleks exterminating the previous Daleks, an act that was agreed upon by both sides.
"What…?" Renata would never cease to be disgusted by them. They took out their own kind without any regard for the fact that they were of the same species.
"Blimey, what do you do to the ones who mess up?" the Doctor stared at the new Daleks now turning for them.
"You are the Doctor! You must be exterminated!" A white Dalek declared.
"Not happening!" Renata once again while the Doctor brandished his cookie as a weapon.
"Don't mess with us, sweetheart!"
Renata shook her head at him. That 'bomb' is beginning to crack! I should just try to use this mutated energy on them!
Don't you dare! The Doctor shot her a warning glance to stay put. The Daleks still didn't understand who she was and he would love to keep it that way. If they didn't know her, they couldn't hurt her as easily.
"We are the paradigm of a new Dalek race," the white Dalek continued. "Scientist, Strategist, Drone, Eternal, and the Supreme."
"Hm," Renata folded her arms over her chest. "And let me guess, you're the last one?"
"Nice paint job. I'd be feeling pretty swish if I looked like you," the Doctor said, cracking a smile. "Pretty "Supre-eme."
"Oh," Renata brought a hand to her forehead. "You didn't just say that one."
The Doctor scrunched his face. Yeah, that wasn't his best one. "Question is, what do we do now? Either you turn off your clever machine or I'll blow you and your new paradigm into eternity."
"Including yourself and the Time Lady?" the White Dalek asked, sounding as if it were taunting.
"This Time Lady has a name, dammit!" Renata exclaimed even when the Doctor actively tried shushing her. "My name is Renata and you better think this little plan of yours through!"
"Shhhhh! Do you not get the 'shhhh!' part!?" the Doctor turned to her with a genuine irritation that would incite Renata's. He didn't want anyone knowing about her, much less the daleks.
"Don't you shush me! I said what I said and I dare anyone to tell me—"
"Scan reveals nothing!" the blue Dalek suddenly said, cutting off whatever would sprout from that disagreement. "TARDIS self-destruct device non-existent!"
Renata groaned and snatched the cookie from the Doctor's hand. "Of course not! It's a cookie you ninny!"
The Doctor snatched it back and took bite of it, leaving only half in his hand. "It's a Jammy Dodger! And now I owe Gabbs one!"
Renata smacked her forehead. This was going far differently than what occurred on the Crucible.
A siren blared throughout the entire ship, pulling the blue Dalek towards the scanners. "Alert! Unidentified projectile approaching!"
Curious, the two Time Lords took a peek at the nearest scanner to see multiple projectiles coming for them.
"What have the humans done?" the white Dalek demanded, presuming it was one of the Doctor's strategies.
"We don't know," the Doctor said but he had a suspicion that Gabby and Amy were involved in the matter.
'Danny Boy to the Doctor! Danny Boy to Renata? Are you receiving me? Over.'
"Ah, lovely, they know my name," Renata mumbled with a light smile.
"Oh, Winston! You beauty!" the Doctor laughed. "Loud and clear, Danny Boy! Big dish, side of the ship, blow it up! Over!" He grabbed Renata's hand and ran for the TARDIS.
"Exterminate the Doctor!"
The TARDIS doors shut before the firing could reach either Time Lord.
"I'll give you credit on that cookie. It lasted way longer than I thought it would," Renata said once they were at the console getting them off the Dalek ship.
"I have good ideas!" the Doctor exclaimed. "But I say— you telling the Daleks who you were was not a good idea!"
"Well, I wasn't going to let them rip you apart! And you know what? If we're together then we're together in all aspects. I hate those Daleks as much as you have. I fought them too, remember?"
The Doctor would honestly prefer not to remember. Each time he thought of the Crucible, his hearts broke. Renata nearly died and tried wiping out the Daleks as a way to bring them down with her. And then Gallifrey? She fought in the War as much as he had - she'd regenerated during the War and lost her unborn child in the process.
"I just don't want them to know you, to make you a target," the Doctor sighed. "Not you, Renée."
"I am the Vortex Butterfly, remember? That's sure to get around," Renata touched his arm comfortingly but once she made that point, there was no comfort possible that would make the Doctor feel better.
Unfortunately, he couldn't spend time dwelling on that matter. The humans were still up in the sky trying to fight the Dalek ship. They had to help them as much as they could.
The planes struck the dish that was forcing the lights on over London as much as they could but eventually, the Daleks struck them all down except for one.
"That dish has really good shields," Renata frowned after the second to last plane was hit.
"Danny Boy to the Doctor, Renata... only me left now," the remaining pilot called over the comms. "Anything you can do, sir? Ma'am? Over."
"The Doctor to Danny Boy...the Doctor to Danny Boy," the Doctor grabbed a hardly used, old-styled, microphone from the console. "I can disrupt the Dalek shields, but not for long. Over."
"Good show, Doctor, go to it. Over! Going in, wish me luck. Over."
The Doctor and Renata prepared for the incoming attack. They needed to get the timing just right or the whole of London would be dust. Fortunately, they were Time Lords so they managed fairly fine to give the pilot the few minutes he needed to strike the dish.
"Danny Boy to the Doctor and Renata...going in for another attack!"
"Let them have it," Renata muttered and gave the Doctor the nod to pass on the message. He truly loved that old microphone.
"The Doctor to Danny Boy. The Doctor to Danny Boy. Destroy this ship! Over!"
"What about you two?"
"We'll be okay."
"Uuh…" Renata froze when the Daleks hacked into their monitor.
"Call of your attack!" the white Dalek ordered.
"Yeah, and would you like a cup of tea with that too?" Renata frowned at the monitor. "We will never let you get away again! It's your final end."
"Call off the attack, or we will destroy the Earth."
The Doctor hurried over to Renata's side. "I'm not stupid, mate! You've just played your last card!"
"Bracewell is a bomb."
There was an initial fear with that threat but the Doctor wouldn't believe it when things were so close to finally ending the right way. "You're bluffing. Deception's second nature to you. There isn't a sincere bone in your body. There isn't a bone in your body!"
"His power is derived from an Oblivion Continuum! Call off your attack, or we will detonate the android."
Renata stepped away from the console, her face scrunching with frustration. Of course they knew what they would inevitably pick.
"No! This is my best chance ever!" the Doctor argued, although it sounded like he was arguing with himself rather than the Dalek. "The last of the Daleks! I can rid the Universe of you, once and for all!"
"Then do it. But we will shatter the planet below! The Earth will die screaming!"
The Doctor stopped arguing to look at the cold facts in front of him. "And if I let you go, you'll be stronger than ever. A new race of Daleks."
"Then choose, Doctor! Destroy the Daleks or save the Earth! Begin countdown of Oblivion Continuum! Choose, Doctor! Choose! Choose!"
The Doctor wasn't moving but Renata was there for him. She knew what they had to do. She returned to the Doctor's side and gently took the microphone from him.
"This is Renata to Danny Boy. I'm afraid you're going to have to withdraw."
"Say again, ma'am. Over."
"Please withdraw and return to Earth!"
"But Ma'am—"
"I said now!" Renata snapped, hoping the pilot would get the idea it wasn't up for debate. "There's no time, you have to return to Earth now! Over!" She then returned the microphone to its spot. "C'mon Doctor, we gotta go."
The Doctor let her move him around until he could get back into the present. Maybe, maybe if they were fast enough they could do both things. They had to be.
~ 0 ~
Down in the war room, there was celebrations going on when suddenly the Doctor came running in. Renata ran inside a few seconds later, catching the moment the Doctor punched Bracewell to the ground.
"Doctor!" Amy screeched in horror.
"Dude!" Gabby slapped a hand to her mouth, equally horrified. "He helped us!"
"Ow!" the Doctor shook his hand in pain. "Sorry, professor! You're a bomb! An inconceivably massive Dalek bomb."
"You couldn't have just explained that from the start?" Renata came up to his side, throwing him a disapproving look.
"I panicked!" the Doctor dropped to his knees beside Bracewell. "There's an Oblivion Continuum inside you - a captured wormhole that provides perpetual power. Detonate that, and the Earth will bleed through into another dimension!" He pulled out his sonic and then opened up Bracewell's shirt. With a flick of the sonic, he revealed the mechanics underneath the man's skin. "Now keep down!"
"It really is just best if you listen," Renata offered an apologetic smile to Bracewell.
The circular pad on the man's chest divided into sections glowed blue until suddenly, one section turned yellow.
"Well?" Gabby came inching closer with Amy in tow.
The Doctor shook his sonic with frustration. "I dunno, I dunno, I dunno! Never seen one up close before!"
"So, what, they've wired him up to detonate?" Amy asked, judging by the special countdown on Bracewell's chest.
"Not wired him up, he's...uh...well...he IS is the bomb," Renata scrunched her face, knowing how awful it must be for Bracewell to hear that. The Daleks had created the perfect disguise: the man truly had no idea what he was.
"Walking, talking…" the Doctor had the good idea to mimic the sound of an explosion.
"Seriously!?" Renata hissed. "They get it!"
"Well...isn't there just like a little wire you have to cut?" Gabby asked, nervously smiling at the pair. "You know, like in the movie?"
"Oh! The red wire!" Amy exclaimed, having Gabby agree with a pointed finger her way,
"You're not helping!" both Renata and the Doctor glared at them. The companions simultaneously pouted.
"It's incredible. He talked to us about his memories," Winston said in genuine awe. "The Great War…"
"Obviously they were stolen thoughts," Renata said dismissively until she blinked with a memory. "Kind of like you, Doctor."
"What?" he shot her a look.
"When you were John Smith, you truly believed you were him. You created the perfect disguise because even you believed it. It wasn't just a disguise it was...it was your life."
"Right, right…" the Doctor nodded his head as he began to see what Renata was trying to get at. He couldn't accuse Bracewell of faking it if he truly believed it was his life. It would be hypocritical to ignore his own past.
"Bracewell," Renata turned her attention to the man on the ground. "Tell us about your life. Your life? What is it like?
"I really don't think this is the time!"
"Oh but I think it is! Really! Tell us everything!"
Everyone panicked when the next section turned yellow.
"Bracewell, please!"
"Okay, okay, uh...my family ran the Post Office. It's a little place just near the abbey. Just by the ash trees. There used to be eight trees but...but there was a storm."
"And your parents? Come on! Tell us!" the Doctor motioned him to hurry along.
"Good people. Kind people. They... They died. Scarlet fever."
"I'm so sorry," Renata genuinely said despite knowing that it wasn't truly his thoughts, but the pain had to feel like it was. "What was that like? How did it feel?"
"Please…"
"I'm really sorry," Renata shook her head. She hated having to force him to relive these moments. "I get it, I do, but it's important. How did it make you feel?"
"It hurts, it really hurts! Like a wound! It was worse than a wound. Like I'd been emptied out. There was nothing."
Two more sections turned a bright yellow. Renata felt her hearts sink seeing her plan wasn't working. She tried to keep going but she felt like it needed to stop once the fifth section turned read.
"I'm sorry…" Renata looked at the Doctor, her eyes blinking fast to keep tears away. "I'm not…"
"You had a good idea, you're okay," he reached for her hand, offering her a soft smile. It's what he would've thought if he had a bit more time to think about it.
Amy made a face at the two, huffing inside. Renata had gotten it wrong and now they were even closer to being blown up. "Hey...Paisley," she called suddenly when her own idea formed in her head. She slowly crept over to Bracewell's other side. "Ever fancied someone you know you shouldn't?"
Bracewell gave her an odd look for her question, as was everyone else. "What?"
Amy took her chance before anyone could take it away from her. "Hurts, doesn't it?" She got a good feeling when she saw the last section had stayed yellow. "But kind of a good hurt."
"I really shouldn't talk about her…" Bracewell tried looking away but he couldn't do it.
"Oh, there's a 'her'," Amy beamed when the last section turned back to blue. She was on the right track!
"What was her name!?" the Doctor jumped on the opportunity.
"Dorabella."
"Dorabella? It's a lovely name, it's a beautiful name."
"What was she like, Edwin?"
"Oh...such a smile. And her eyes... Her eyes were so blue...Almost violet," Bracewell was genuinely getting lost in the thought of the woman he spoke about. "Like the last touch of sunset on the edge of the world... Dorabella…"
And to everyone's delight, all of the bomb's sections reverted back to blue.
"Oh you two did it!" Renata exclaimed happily to Amy and the Doctor. "Bracewell, welcome to the human race!"
Amy smiled proudly, even more so when the Doctor agreed. "You're brilliant!" he kissed her forehead with a laugh. "Now," he pulled himself up to his feet, prompting Renata to do the same, "We gotta stop the Daleks!" He only made it halfway down the room when Bracewell called to them.
"It's too late. Gone. They've gone."
"Are you sure?" Renata asked. She dared to hope for a tiny bit but she could see it on Bracewell's face. He knew they were gone.
"No, no, no!" the Doctor frowned. "They can't! They can't have gotten away from me again!"
"No, I can feel it, my mind is clear. The Daleks have gone."
The Doctor's face deflated at the realization that once again the Daleks had slipped away. Renata folded her arms over her chest, sighing deeply.
"But it's okay, because you did it," Amy tried to be cheerful for the two. She glanced at Gabby and was relieved to see her on the same page.
"Yeah, I mean, you stopped the bomb," she added.
"We had a choice. And they knew we'd choose the Earth," the Doctor bitterly said. "The Daleks have won. They beat me. They've won."
"But you saved the Earth," Gabby insisted. "It's not all lost, right?"
"Definitely not shabby," Amy gestured to everyone else in the room giving him grateful smiles. "Is it?"
"No," the Doctor had to agree and glanced at Renata. She was beginning to smile as well.
"You have a way with words, Miss Pond," she said to the ginger.
"It's a brilliant achievement, my dear friends. Here, have a cigar!" Winston walked over with a cigar in hand for either Time Lord to take.
"Hard...pass…" Renata said and just in case the Doctor had even the slightest of curiosity for it, she warned him telepathically: 'If you ever take even a puff of a cigar, I will never kiss you again.'
The Doctor rolled his eyes at her but truthfully, it was a pretty good threat to make.
~ 0 ~
"So, what now, then?" Amy followed Winston in the war room, trying not to show how bored she actually was.
"I still have a war to run, Miss Pond," the man said and stopped walking when a woman came up with a communique to sign.
"Bad war," Gabby mumbled as she came up beside Amy.
"They hit the Palace and St Paul's again. Fire crews only just saved it," Winston sighed as he lowered the communique to the nearest table.
The young woman who'd been very helpful during the Dalek fiasco came into the room with a face full of tears.
"Is she OK?" Amy asked, making Winston follow her gaze. "She looks very upset."
"Oh, Miss Breen? Her young man didn't make it, I'm afraid. Just got word. Shot down over the Channel."
"How terrible," Gabby frowned, almost going over to Breen to comfort her when Amy asked a very good question.
"Where's the Doctor?"
"He and Renata are supposed to be taking down the alien tech that's in the weapons," Gabby murmured though she did agree it was taking them a little longer than she thought. "I'll go find them. Get us out of here quicker."
Amy had no protests there. As amazing as it was to meet Winston Churchill, she didn't like the idea of being in the middle of World War 2.
~0~
Gabby had wandered through the corridors in search for her two Time Lords. She inwardly laughed. Her Time Lords. That was funny to think of. They were her friends, sometimes space parents when she felt like making fun of them.
She abruptly stopped when she heard a loud clang. She hated the fact that she had no idea whether the sound came from outside, like a potential weapon, or if it was just a normal sound from one of the rooms. Just another reason she would like to get out of this time period.
She poked her head into the next room she came across with and instantly frowned. Well, no wonder we're still in here. She had found her Time Lords...but they weren't taking out that alien tech.
They were kissing. Gabby rolled her eyes. Of course they are.
The Doctor had Renata sitting on the very edge of a table with no chance of an escape, not that Renata seemed to mind. She had her arms lazily looped around the Doctor's neck and was following his lips in sweet, slow kisses.
They had taken out the alien tech in the beginning - it was what they said they'd be doing. They worked finely together until they bickered over how to best pull out a specific device from the inside of a spitfire. Renata thought the Doctor was being unnecessarily fast and reckless while the Doctor thought she was purposely being slow and boring. Renata was naturally offended with the accusation, choosing to ignore the fact she called the Doctor reckless. She huffed and threatened to leave him right there to figure everything out on his own. The Doctor made the mistake of muttering that he'd be way quicker then.
Renata's response was to throw him a regular screwdriver. She only narrowly missed the back of his head because he'd ducked. After that, Renata realized what she'd (nearly) done and rushed back to make sure he was okay. The Doctor genuinely laughed while she ran her hands all over his neck and head to check for even the slightest of scratches. She wouldn't listen to his assurances that he was fine so the Doctor quieted her the only way he could. So they kissed, and murmured their apologies in the process, until somebody was to walk in on them. Of course they wouldn't notice if they were still deeply into their moment.
While Gabby thought it was sweet that they finally had moments like these, she thought this was hardly the place to have one. "It's World War 2!" she exclaimed, startling the pair. "And you guys are making out!?"
The Doctor threw her a glare for ruining a very good moment. Renata, on the other hand, flushed with embarrassment and she slid off the table.
"Gabriella, we, uh...we…"
Gabby shook her head. "Listen, I'm all for this new relationship but is this how I'm gonna find you now?"
"Sorry," Renata bit her lower lip, truly seeming apologetic.
"I'm not," the Doctor huffed and soon received a whack on his chest. "I'm not!" He wouldn't take it back even if Renata gave him the look at him all day. Why would he ever be sorry for kissing her?
Gabby laughed at the two stark different reactions she was getting. She would ask how they worked if she didn't already know them. "You guys are so in that honeymoon phase, huh?"
"The what?" the pair simultaneously asked with the same confused stare.
"The honeymoon phase? You know, that first phase of all relationships?" Gabby was still met with blank faces. "Wow, you guys really are aliens…"
"There was doubt?" the Doctor raised an eyebrow at her, smiling when she laughed.
"Right. The honeymoon phase is basically the beginning of every relationship where you guys can't keep your hands off of each other. You're making out any chance you get."
"Oh…" the Doctor was quick to grin, and proudly too.
Once again Renata whacked his chest. "Gabriella that makes us sound like we have no control over ourselves," she said sternly but Gabby snorted and gestured to their current whereabouts. Renata rolled her eyes and looked away. "I am 758, I don't 'make out' with people."
"Then what were you doing?" Gabby smirked widely while Renata struggled to find an answer that would prove her point. There was no such answer.
"Oh, shut up and go wait for us with Amy!"
Gabby laughed. "Fine, fine, but could you do me the favor of closing the door the next time you guys are in one of your little moments? Nobody needs to see that!"
"Sounds fair enough," the Doctor shrugged. He didn't feel like being interrupted either.
"Doctor!" Renata huffed.
"What?" It was his turn to laugh when Gabby was gone.
"Would it kill you to have a little bit of dignity?"
"I don't have dignity because I admit that I like kissing you?"
Renata shook her head. She moved away from him to get back on the work they'd ignored.
The Doctor followed after her, keeping his laugh at bay because he knew if he laughed, she would smack him and huff all the way to the TARDIS. "Renée, I love you and all your huffy ways."
She rolled her eyes at him but did smile out of sight.
~0~
When the group finally joined together, they made one last stop before they could truly be on their way. They found Bracewell standing in the middle of his lab. Once he saw the group, he exhaled a shaky breath.
"I've been expecting you," he said with eyes on the Doctor and Renata. "I knew this moment had to come."
"And that would be…?" Renata trailed off for him to answer, trying her best not to look so puzzled.
"It's time to de-activate me."
"Ah."
"Is it?" the Doctor asked, sounding as if he'd only just thought about it. He glanced at Amy and Gabby, choosing to keep the game going in that moment. They both rolled their eyes at him.
"You have no choice," Bracewell said with a lamenting sigh. "I'm Dalek technology. Can't allow me to go pottering around down here where I have no business."
Renata brought a hand to her mouth. She struggled not to laugh because she truly felt for the man. But he wasn't making it easy.
"No, you're dead right, Professor. 100% right. And by the time I get back here in... what, ten minutes?" the Doctor side-glanced Renata and lowered her hand from her mouth.
"With you? I say 15."
"Oh, you're being too kind," Gabby put a hand on Renata's shoulder. "With the Doctor, it'll take 20."
"Thirty," Amy coughed and smiled when the Doctor threw each of them a look. Just because they were playing a game didn't mean they had to gang up on him.
"So we'll be taking 30 minutes…" Renata cleared her throat. "That's exactly what we're going to do. You are going to be so de-activated. It's going be like you've never even been... activated."
"God you sound like him too," Gabby muttered beside the Time Lady. Renata discreetly pushed the girl away, ignoring the mock-glare Gabby gave her in return.
"Thirty minutes?" Bracewell asked just to be sure.
"More like 40, if I'm honest," the Doctor shrugged. "Once we see to the urgent thing…"
"Yes!" Amy agreed, now wanting to laugh like Renata had earlier. Bracewell still wasn't getting it!
"…we've got to see to. The... the... See?"
"Very well," Bracewell nodded. "I shall wait here and prepare myself."
"Wow that Dalek tech is a little bit slow, huh?" Gabby made a face.
"Mhm," Renata agreed. "That thing we've got to do. Gonna take an hour, realistically, isn't it, Doctor?"
"Easily!" he nodded his head. "So no running off, that's what I'm saying. Don't go trying to find that little Post Office with the ash trees or that girl... What was her name?"
"Dorabella," Bracewell was quick to answer.
"Dorabella. On no account go looking for her. Mind you, you can get a lot done in an hour!"
And the penny finally dropped. A huge grin spread across Bracewell's face followed by a laugh. "Thank you, thank you, Doctor!"
"There we are," Renata laughed with him. "Do a lot, then. And we shall be off…"
"Mhm," the Doctor took her hand and turned them back for the corridor. "Gabbs! Come along, Pond!"
They were more than eager to get into the TARDIS after the day they had.
"So, you have enemies then?" Amy asked when the group reached the TARDIS.
"Everyone's got enemies," the Doctor shrugged, trying to be casual about it even though he knew what Amy was asking specifically.
"Yeah, but mine's the woman outside Budgens with the mental Jack Russell. You've got, like, you know, arch-enemies!"
"Well, me, yeah...I suppose so," the Doctor sighed as he glanced at Renata. "I just sort of drag Renata into it too."
"No, the Daleks were my enemies before any of this happened," she shook her head and looked at Amy. "Daleks and Time Lords have been at it for centuries. This was just a slight preview of what they are capable of."
Amy gulped. "Sorry. Um, actually, I am sorry. I just thought that we'd just be running through time, being daft and fixing stuff. But no, it's dangerous. I don't think it's a game, Renata. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Renata offered her a kind smile. "Everyone has trouble when they first come aboard. God knows I did." The Doctor scoffed in agreement. "Oh be quiet, you brought it upon yourself."
"Yeah, you did," Gabby mumbled with a chuckle.
"When are we going to let it go!?" the Doctor groaned as she and Renata started heading inside. "It's all nice and fun but not when you gang up on me!"
Amy chuckled. "Happens a lot, doesn't it?"
The Doctor nodded his head with another groan. "Don't you dare join them."
"Promise," Amy raised her hand and went inside as well.
The TARDIS de-materialized a few minutes later. It was not surprising when Gabby and Amy both decided they needed some sleep.
"Get full rest," Renata ushered them towards the corridor and watched them until they disappeared. When they did, she turned around and headed back for the console.
"Renée, I've been thinking…" the Doctor began but Renata sarcastically cut him off with a 'I dread to think about what'. "Ha, ha. I"m serious." He came around the console to be at her side. "Would you like to go out on a trip with me?"
"We do that all the time," Renata smiled at him with confusion.
"Yes, yes, but I meant as in a date. I don't think we've ever been on a proper date."
Renata stopped to think about that, wondering if he was right. Back in their first incarnations they had to hide their relationship. They snuck around to have some adventures but it was always fast-paced and there was always the 'will they, or will they not catch us?' sentiment that followed them.
"Oh, you're right," she blinked when it hit her. "We haven't ever had a real date. Well, I guess that's also kind of normal since there wasn't really 'dating' on Gallifrey. You were betrothed and that was...that was that."
"But maybe we could break that tradition? I mean, unless you feel like getting betrothed already…" Even though it was a joke, the idea of marrying Renata left the Doctor with a red face.
Renata was in the same state. She bit her lip and looked away, cursing her body for blushing so easily. It would be a nonstop problem, wouldn't it?
"A date...would be nice," she found her words a few seconds later. "But...you don't have to go overboard with it."
"Me? When do I do that?"
Renata raised an eyebrow at him. She wasn't going to waste her breath answering that question.
"Yeah, alright," the Doctor shook his head. It was a stupid question. He always wanted to do the best he could, even if it was just for a date.
"It's not that I'd hate it, but...there's just no need," Renata shrugged. "You don't need to do all this impressive stuff for me. We are way past that stage."
"Doesn't mean I don't like to do it," the Doctor nudged her on the side until she smiled at him. "I will always try to give you the best of the best."
Renata felt her face get warm. He always tried to make her feel special, even back when they were on Gallifrey. He'd pull the craziest stunts just to make sure that whatever they were doing was at its best for her.
"Shall we go right now?" the Doctor asked, more than eager to get their first date started.
Renata blushed even more. The idea of actually going on a date with him was genuinely making her nervous. "I-I would love to but...there is something else we need to talk about."
"What? Like what?" the Doctor asked, his face falling into a pout.
"You know...Amy? She didn't remember the Daleks at all. And Gabby gave her a detailed story that Amy lived through!"
"I know," the Doctor sighed. It made absolutely no sense why Amy would forget the Daleks. She acted as if she'd never seen one.
"I would love to go on a date with you but I really think that we should just hold off a bit until we get a better idea of what we're dealing with. Nobody forgets the Daleks without a reason."
"Right but...our first date, Renée," the Doctor whispered, his pout deepening.
"It's been centuries, Doctor. I think we can hold off just for a few weeks more." Renata thought she was being fair for both sides but she forgot the Doctor was very impatient.
"But what if I just wanted to kiss all throughout the date?"
"You already try to do that anyways!"
The Doctor opened his mouth to argue that it wasn't true...but it was. It really was. A grin came to his face when he remembered Gabby's earlier words. "Right, because we're in the honeymoon phase…"
Renata crinkled her nose in disdain. "Don't remind me." The Doctor slipped his arms around her waist from the side. "Making us sound like we're children. We're far from it."
"I don't think that was the purpose, love. You have to admit that we are in a bit of touchy phase," he kissed her temple. "Definitely having spontaneous kisses. Lots of snogs."
"There's another word I don't like. We don't 'snog', we don't 'make out'. We don't do that!" she huffed, making him laugh.
"Then what do you call what we've been doing?"
"Kissing, that's it."
"Ah," the Doctor nodded but he couldn't help laugh. "Right."
"You think I'm being ridiculous, don't you?"
"Absolutely not. I think you're being you."
"Right, ridiculous."
"No, you're being you." The Doctor turned her around and lowered his head to hers. "Absolutely you." He gave her a short kiss as he wrapped his arms tighter around her waist. "And I wouldn't want you any other way."
Renata studied his face for any ounce of doubt. "...even when I throw screwdrivers at your head?"
The Doctor laughed the moment he remembered the screwdriver that landed only an inch from him. "That was surprising but...nothing you haven't done before."
"What?" she made a face. "That was the first time—"
"You threw a screwdriver, but not the first time you threw something at me because I really annoyed you. Remember the book that you threw at my nose, you actually broke my nose!"
Renata's eyes widened. "Oh my God…" She remembered that day alright.
He'd been with her doing his usual hours for his misdemeanor and that day she wanted to reorganize one of her bookshelves. She claimed it was better for the children to find them easier, but the Doctor had suspected she was just bored that day. It happened sometimes. He came up with a different system and bickered with her over it until, after one moment, she snapped and threw a book at his face. He actually felt the crack of his bone. It was a pretty thick book.
Renata had felt terrible when she realized what she'd done. The Doctor, however stunned he was - and he was - burst into laughter. It was the first time he'd seen the petite, proper Time Lady snap out of anger. It was actually one of his favorite memories of them. She hardly ever showed anger that when she did, she didn't just get 'mad' she snapped.
"Oh my God, Doctor, I am so sorry!" Renata cupped his face as if she'd just thrown the book right now. "I threw a book at your face…and a jar...and another book...and...oh my God, I have a problem." The Doctor was close to laughing again. "Why are you laughing?"
"Because I'm remembering those moments. You were so mad. Each time your little freckled face would get as red as your ginger hair," the Doctor's fingers brushed over her cheeks that no longer carried those freckles.
"I'm sorry," she looked at him with a genuine guilty face. "Did I hurt you badly?" she gently touched his nose.
"I've had some time to recuperate," the Doctor smiled at her.
Renata moved her hands down to his neck. "And the screwdriver? Did I really miss?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
Renata still stared at him with full-fledged concern. She let her hands wander around his neck, something that the Doctor didn't mind one bit. If she felt like she needed to check for herself that he was fine, who was he to stop her?
"I'm sorry," she started giving him kisses on the lips, much to his amusement.
"I am okay—"
She kissed him again and let her fingers crawl to the back of his neck, still searching for any sign that he was actually hurt. "Really sorry!" She kissed him again.
The Doctor reassured her that there was no harm done, but she kissed him again...and again...and again. Yes, he truly loved his snappy, huffy Time Lady so much.
A/N:
I'm getting my juices back for this story! I'm in the middle of writing another comic episode for this fic and I absolutely lOVE it! Important moments for Renata and Amy!
And the next chapter is, yeah, the Angels ;). Spoilers go as follow: Gabby will not be her usual self, River keeps trying, and Renata is just trying to push through!
For the Reviews:
The Time Lord Oracle: Yeah, that sort of seemed dismissive to me too. Gabby remembers everything because 1) she's been inside the TARDIS with the Doctor and Renata and 2) she's not quite human anymore so there's that. And oh, Amy's behavior towards trips is going to be a huge thing for Renata. It's just the start of things!
savethemadscientist: I knooow, but given the situation i couldn't see Gabby not doing that unfortunately. But there'll be a big resolve in an upcoming chapter for her. Yeah, the competitions between Gabby and Amy will go between friendly and sometimes not so friendly. Yup, Renata won't forget the decades she lived as a 'human' on Earth. To forget would be a huge slap to her background! Ooooh, River's coming next chapter!
.seed: Like I said before, thank you for ALL of your comments! I've loved going through them. Gave me a lot more motivation to keep going with this story!
P.S As always, I have a tumblr account dedicated to my fanfic works! It's a place where anyone can comment about a story or even just talk to me! I often drop aesthetic work belonging to my stories too! Feel free to check it out, my URL is "saiilorstars"