New chapter! I know it's a bit soon since I just posted this week, but I'm getting these last few chapters done quicker than I expected.
So, enjoy!
Chapter 50
Sleep didn't come easily that night. Then again, being uncomfortable with hospitals would do that. Madison was feeling more and more on edge as time passed. She was glad when it was finally morning, nurse Lisa having brought her breakfast and taken her off the IV finally. Now all she could do was wait for Doctor Landry to give the clear for her to go home. It was close to lunchtime by now. It should be happening soon. She wondered, as she stared out the window of her room and watched storm clouds rolling in, if she should give Jack a call already. Just to get things set up for her the moment she was discharged. Her clothes had been torn off of her by the paramedics the other night, apparently. Leaving her with only her boots and the medical gown provided by the hospital. She had no money to purchase anything that might be suitable from the shop in the lower wards. Which left her feeling rather awkwardly naked given the circumstances. She was thankful that her hospital gown covered her completely and not the kind which had the opening in the back.
Growing restless, Madison eventually got up from her bed, going over to the window to finally peek out and see what the city skyline looked like. It appeared to be like any other ordinary location in London. No buildings were taller than the hospital though, at least on the side she was facing. Most of the other buildings appeared to be restaurants or shops, with the pavement rather busy with people mingling about. Madison frowned thoughtfully as a roll of thunder came and the window began to become pelted with harsh rain. It was pouring outside. The sky was grey and dark. Thunder cracking every other minute. Yet . . . why were there people acting as though the weather were not a bother? Madison went to touch the window, but the metal edge around the glass shocked her. She barely flinched, mostly just at the sudden abruptness of the static electricity. A static shock was nothing, only feeling like a small pinch to a Mer. Still though . . . it was odd.
"Strange. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it's sunny just across the street," Madison muttered aloud, squinting her eyes as she tried to see through the rain towards the walkways where the people were mingling. She couldn't see through the haze of rain all that well.
Still, though, she opened the window—the kind which slanted outwards—and stuck out her hand. She allowed some of the rain to pool into her hand before bringing it back inside and locking the window shut. Her hand was webbed and scaly, but she ignored this, instead concentrating on the water in her hand. Sniffing it proved it was rain, with the slight pollutant scent that normally came with rain in the city. She then gave a quick lick on her hand, tasting the liquid. Smacking her lips she hummed, trying to process the taste. It didn't quite have that city rain bitterness that normally came. Instead, there was this strange metallic aftertone. Metal in the rain. Now that was odd. She was quick to dry off her hand then, knowing something was wrong. But then, the rain began to reverse direction.
She stood there, stunned as she watched the rain rising up and into the clouds above. Backing away from the window, she knew this did not bode well for the hospital. Something was coming and it wasn't good. Then, just as she headed for the table next to her hospital bed for Jack's mobile, there came a strike of lightning that lit up the entire room in a bright light. Followed by a deafening crash of thunder. At the same time, the entire building began to violently quake. So much so that she was thrown to the floor with a yelp, tossed about as the beds, though their wheels were locked, moved around the room. She heard screams throughout the hospital. People shouting for help. Ceiling tiles were falling from above with wires and light fixtures coming down in crashes. It felt as though the ferocious earthquake would never end. But just as suddenly as it came on, it stopped.
Madison lay there on the floor for a moment, waiting to see if another would come or not. Then, feeling that the quake had passed, she carefully stood up again. Her hair felt like a wild mess having not been placed in a braid for a few days now. She brushed it down with her fingers as she hurried over to the window to see any signs of what might have happened to the hospital. The rain had something to do with it. She knew that much. But at what she saw outside, it took her breath away.
Gasping, she could only stare in awe at the sight of the Earth gazing back at her. It was bright, shining as though it were glowing. Though she knew it was merely the reflection of the Sun. It was . . . breathtaking. Just as beautiful as pictures made it appear. So green. So blue! So grand with how vast the oceans were. She knew water covered the surface of the Earth more than land, but . . . seeing it all now . . . it truly made her feel small in the grand scheme of things. In a good way, though. She was small . . . but that was wonderful. Shaking her head, she snapped herself back to attention, looking around the rest of their new environment. Now she noticed the white, dusty landscape around the building. Jagged, rocky peaks far off in the distance. If the Earth was lighting up the inky sky for them . . . No, that was not a sky. That was space. They were in space. And, seeing how the Earth was still visible. Then that meant . . . they were on the Moon.
There came a slow build-up of cries. Followed closely by piercing screams of terror, of horror. They were frantically shouting, yelling, and pleading all at once. All the humans in the hospital were wailing in fright at what they were seeing. All their distress and dismay swiftly bombarded Madison's mind. All their minds were breaking apart from the utter fear they felt. She hissed, gripping her head as it hurt. It was too much all at once. It was reminiscent of being back in Pete's world when all the Cybermen had their emotions come back. Though . . . it had been worse then. There had been far more Cybermen than there were humans here. She would adjust to this. Taking a deep breath, she worked to close off her mind, seeking to keep herself calm as she knew she needed to focus on the situation at hand.
Now then, time to assess. What, how, where, when, and why. The rain somehow moved them to the Moon. Right. It wasn't normal rain. Yes. That meant extraterrestrial interference. Correct. That just begs the question of why. Why would aliens be interested in some normal human hospital? Were they similar to the Sycorax and wanted human slaves? Maybe. Were they testing humans in some way? Possibly. Was there some sort of alien fugitive in the hospital they were after? Might be. There were more questions she could ask, but hardly anything with an answer at the moment. So, instead, she looked for what she could do about it. Could she figure out how to reverse the same process that brought them here? And . . . better yet, how long did they have? How much time was she given to fix this? If they were on the Moon, the windows and everything else would have been blown outwards into space. These windows were not built to keep air or air pressure inside. They should be dead already. They weren't. Which meant . . .
She was quick to open the window, taking a deep breath close to it. The air smelled normal. All right, which meant . . . what? She racked her brain for past scenarios she had dealt with. She recalled a colony she, the Doctor, and Rose had helped once. The colonists had used an air pocket to keep themselves safe and to breathe for a short time while repairs were made to their air filtration systems which the Doctor discovered had a fault to it. It had been rigged to explode by local planet dwellers who did not want the colonists there. It had taken some time for the three of them to make a compromise between the locals and the colony. And by that time, the air in the pocket space had been close to running out. Was this similar? Had they been given an air pocket with a limited amount of air to breathe? Which meant the ones who stole them from Earth wanted them alive . . . For now.
Swiftly, Madison walked away from the window, grabbing the silver mobile phone from the floor when it had been thrown about. She searched through the contact list, seeing Jack's name. It turned out to be a futile attempt as the phone did not even have a dial tone. Oh, dear. Looks like she'll have no help with this one. Though, how the hell was she supposed to get an entire hospital of people back to Earth? It felt like an impossible task. But damn it all, she would die trying. So, with this in mind, she swiftly left her room.
It was chaos outside of the room with people running around screaming or holding onto each other sobbing. People pushed or dumped into her as she tried walking down the hallway, making her way towards the entrance to the building. She tripped over things thrown onto the ground as well. Light fixtures. Wheelchairs. Air tanks. Things like that. Maybe, if she could get outside, she could see what device had been used to get them here in the first place. She didn't know much about technology by any means, but she could at least attempt something. Maybe she would be lucky and there was a reverse button on the damn thing. Yeah, alright, she could dream maybe.
There came a massive rumbling sound, vibrating the building around them. People started to panic more, running out of rooms and away from the windows. Madison pushed her way through the masses, getting inside a room filled with nurses, doctors, and patients. She went close to the window, spying spaceships crossing over the top of the hospital. There were silver and grey metal things. Cylinder in shape, with boosters at the bottom. Some sides were blank with only silver metal showing, while other spots on the ships had rows and rows of yellow lights. There were only three ships, with each one opening up at the ends with four structures for landing gear. By all appearances, they very much looked like a strange skyscraper. She waited, watching them carefully as they landed. The bottoms of the ships soon opened up, showing them marching groups of tough-looking extraterrestrials, covered in black armour from head to toe. An army was coming straight for the hospital.
Should she reason with them? Try to meet them outside before they get inside and talk with the leader? Or would they be hostile upon greeting them? It was hard telling. She didn't recognize the species. They looked humanoid enough, at least up until it reached their necks. Then there was a massive black helmet there on each of them. Did they have large heads? Or was that just the way the helmet was made? She watched as the air seemed to ripple as the army stepped through and entered the building. Great. Now she had to deal with getting the humans back to Earth and handle a Galactic Law situation. Should she threaten them with the Shadow Proclamation? That normally worked to an extent.
She turned from the window, rushing out of the room as quickly as possible. She needed to see what the group of newcomers were up to. Maybe if she had more information, she could talk with them somehow. So, she went as quickly as she could, going over to the stairwell which led down to the first floor. She eventually went out the doors to the landing hanging over where the lobby and shop were. She happened to glance over when she saw some doors leading to the first floor of wards swing close. There must have been some people running away. Peeking over the rail up the upper landing by some plants, she watched as the army in black armour was pushing around the humans down below, checking the humans' foreheads with some sort of handheld scanners that lit up blue at the ends. One of the aliens had their helmet off, showing her what the species looked like. It . . . was a rhino? Huh. Didn't see that every day.
She continued to watch the rhino aliens at work, seeing how they would scan a human before making a black X on the back of the person's hands. Were they tagging the humans for something? Marking them off a list? What was going on?
"Troop five, floor one. Troop six, floor two. Identify humans and find the transgressor. Find it!" came the command then from the one without a helmet on. His voice was gruff and low, sounding like what she imagined a rhino would if it spoke.
She backed away from the railing as the aliens began making their way up towards the landing. Thinking quickly, she turned and ran back into the stairwell, going fast back through where she had come from. If they were marking off the humans to weed out the people in search of a fugitive . . . and that fugitive was non-human . . . Well, she didn't think the black armoured rhinos would listen to her very well. Especially since it didn't seem as though they knew who exactly they were searching for in the first place. They might just assume it was her, kill her off, and then leave without a second thought. Not a good time to be non-human.
"Alright, think. There's a non-human hiding in the hospital. One who probably committed a crime, or is simply on the run and chose a poor hiding spot. And they most likely appear human as well, making them almost impossible to find. Oh, dear. This is tasking," Madison muttered to herself as she walked through an upper floor, away from where she heard the commander give orders. She could hide away for now somewhere high above. Though, eventually, she knew they'd reach her. Maybe she just needed to find the fugitive first. Look through the records. See if there were any anomalies.
"Yes, anomalies. Like having mirrored organs. That'll be helpful," Madison mumbled sarcastically to herself as she marched through the mess of humans still trembling and screaming around her. Well, if she was going to solve this, then she needed to go to someone who knew everything that happened in this hospital. Some sort of head office or something. Madison looked for anyone who might help her then, spotting a woman wearing a white coat trembling on the floor and staring off into space blankly.
"Excuse me," Madison said gently, feeling the wave of distress in the woman's mind. She crouched down to be level with the woman, seeing how the woman—with brown skin, dark hair in a ponytail, and wearing a pink dress shirt—stared at her with wide eyes. "Do you happen to know someone who keeps records of all patients in the facility?"
"What does it matter? We're all going to die," the woman whispered weakly.
"No, we're going to be fine. I'll get us out of this, I swear," Madison tried assuring the woman, seeing how her words only made the woman shake her head in denial. Carefully, Madison took the woman's hands, giving them a soft squeeze. "What's your name, dear?"
"Ju-Julia. Julia Swales," answered the woman, bottom lip trembling.
Carefully, Madison reached a hand up, touching the side of the woman's face. Subtly, she brushed her fingers along Julia's temple. "Julia, I know right now you're more scared than you've ever been in your life. But right now, there are others who are just as frightened and need help. People who are still sick and need all the care they can get. Can you focus on them for now? For they could use a guiding hand at the moment." Settling in Julia's mind and calming the storm within, the woman soon seemed more at ease. When Madison let go and pulled away, Julia blinked in confusion.
"Did you . . . do something to me?"
"I only helped you brave the storm. Now, then, up we get." Madison helped the woman off the floor, smiling proudly. "There we are. Much better. Now, can you please tell me who might have records on patients here?"
Julia looked at Madison warily but seemed to think that it was fine to speak. "Mister Stoker. He's head of the hospital. He might have something."
"Which floor is Mister Stoker's office?"
"Floor seven."
Madison gave Julia one last gentle smile. "Thank you, Julia. And thank you for being so brave. Now, there's a woman over there," she pointed to an elderly woman struggling with her oxygen tank, "who appears to be having trouble with her oxygen mask. Could you help her and anyone else who might need oxygen? It might be a good idea to spread them out so that we don't burn through our own oxygen too quickly."
Julia nodded and soon walked away, leaving Madison on her own. She was swift to walk down the hall, going to the other stairwell at the end of the corridor and travelling further upwards. She passed several floors, heading almost to the top. From there, she walked past many rooms which looked like office spaces. Finally, almost missing it, she walked by an office space with Bryan Stoker written on a door. Just as she was about to open the door in a rush, she halted when her instincts suddenly were alerted. Oh, dear. What could possibly be in there? Slowly, carefully, she edged the door open to check. Inside, she saw a strange sight. Two figures, tall and slender, stood within the room at alert. They were completely covered in black leather, with black helmets that blocked out their faces. By all appearances, they looked to be motorbike riders. And they were staring right at her. She froze, fearful of them coming after her. But neither one made a move towards her. Did they not see her?
Her gaze shifted from them towards the sound coming from the floor. It was almost like a sucking, slurping noise. As though someone was taking a long drink. Two feet in black men's dress shoes stuck out from behind the desk. Meanwhile, there was movement and an elderly woman, wearing a bright blue robe and white with pink dotted night dress, stood up. Her back was to Madison, so the Mer was quick to duck out of the doorway before she was seen. But she heard a barking order from within the room right after, making her turn and run down the corridor briefly before sliding into a nearby office space. Hurriedly, she let the door shut, going behind a filing cabinet with her back pressed against the wall, out of sight from the slim window in the doorway. She heard a set of pounding footsteps running outside the office briefly, followed by a trailing voice.
"I saw that red hair. It should be easy to find," came a snide woman's voice. "We can't let her escape. If she tells the Judoon what I look like . . ."
The voice soon was too far away to be heard, leaving Madison alone in a quiet office space. Carefully, she went to the door, peeking outside to see a rather empty hallway. Only a few humans were around in huddled groups towards the ends of the hallway. That was good. It kept the humans safe from whoever that might have been. And at least one thing was answered. The aliens scanning the humans were the Judoon. Good to have a name for them.
Shaking her head, she soon hurried back over to Mister Stoker's office, going inside to check. Inside, she let out a sad sigh, seeing the fifty-year-old man wearing a smart business suit lying on the floor stiffly, clearly long since dead. His skin was ghostly white, making her wonder what that woman had done to him. She got closer, crouching down to investigate. She felt for a pulse just in case but was saddened still when she discovered none. It was then that she noticed the small round hole on the left side of the man's neck. She had heard slurping and sucking . . . Was that woman some sort of vampiric species? It would make sense, sort of, of how Mister Stoker was killed, why he was so pale. But why drink someone's blood at a time like this? Why kill someone for a meal when there were fresh stocks of donated blood within the building? Unless . . . she needed a living victim. But that only left the question of why. How was that supposed to help the woman escape the Judoon?
Madison looked up when hearing a knock, followed by the door opening.
In came the medical student, Martha. "Mister Stoker . . ." the student began to say but halted in place when she saw the dead man on the floor with Madison crouched near him. Eyes widening, Martha gaped at Madison. Meanwhile, Madison looked back at Mister Stoker, then to Martha again with her own eyes widening as well.
"Oh . . . Hello, Martha," Madison greeted rather lamely. "Um . . . now I know what this looks like . . . " As she started to stand up to speak with Martha better, but sighed as the medical student ran back out of the office. Oh, dear. Now she has a human thinking she is the killer alien the Judoon were after. Could this day get any more dreadful? She walked briskly out of the office, wondering which place she should run to now. She started to head in the direction she remembered where the bikers and vampire woman had gone. Maybe if she could confront them . . . lead them somehow to the Judoon . . . But her plans were dashed when around the corner came one of the biker fellows and her instincts screaming for her to run.
"Damn," Madison muttered before she turned sharply around on her heel and sprinted back down the way she came. Her bare feet slapped on the tiled floor as she ran. At one point, she heard Martha's voice shouting 'There she is!' from behind just as she was rounding the corner and pushing through the doorway leading into the stairwell. She could hear the sound of squeaking leather just behind her. Then, just as she came to a section of the stairs that had signs for floor four, she heard the Judoon coming up from below. Oh, for the love of . . . Today was not her day.
She pushed through the doors of the fourth floor, fleeing as fast as she could from the pursuing leather biker. She kept running still, past through sets of doors and down an empty hallway. No one appeared to be on this level with her. She noticed signs pointing to different rooms for scans and examinations. This must be a specific ward for diagnosing and not patient rooms. At least there were no people around to be hurt from . . . whatever it was that gave chase after her. She had to evade this creature, but how? She doubted she could fight it. She didn't think she could outrun it. It was too close to hide. Was it strong enough to enter through a locked door? Well . . . she was about to find out.
Entering a door to her right, she was quick to find herself inside some sort of women's examining room. Most likely ultrasounds from what the equipment appeared to be. She locked the door behind her the moment it shut, backing away and panting as she heard banging on the door. She tried catching her breath as the door continued to be hammered on, noticing how difficult it was to do so and how thin the air felt. Oh, no, were they running out of air already? With so many people panicking . . . most likely, yes. She jumped when the door suddenly flew off its hinges and fell onto the floor with a thud. In stepped the biker fellow, marching straight for her. She moved away, back against the wall with no way out. She balled a fist, ready to fight away her attacker.
It was then, that there came an eruption of melody. Her vision glowed golden and she saw the same light filling the room. As if on instinct, she held out a hand, pointing it at the biker. The leather creature halted in place, shaking from top to bottom as the golden light surrounded it. Slowly, she watched as the creature was burned away, breaking apart into pieces bit by bit. Until the light finally faded away and there was nothing but charred remains of black soot. Madison then slumped against the wall, falling to the ground onto her backside as she panted again. Weak and disoriented, she gazed at the black dust on the ground, then around the room to see scorch marks on almost everything. That power . . . would have killed anyone else who had been in the room with her. She was only grateful that she had been alone. She closed her eyes, listening to the melody that still urgently sang in her mind.
"I'm alright now, Siren. Thank you. You saved me," Madison whispered, woozy and nauseated, but nothing she hadn't dealt with before. At least the headache wasn't as bad as last time. In fact . . . she didn't even think her nose was bleeding that much. She sniffed as she wiped away the blood with the back of her hand. Shaking it off, she smiled as she felt the melody calming and seemed to be wishing to soothe her. "Really, Siren, I'm fine. You did good. Sleep easy knowing the danger is gone," she said softly.
Soon, the melody went quiet, leaving Madison alone with her thoughts once again. It took her a few moments to stand up. Her legs were wobbling terribly, and the dizzy spell came back with a vengeance. But she managed all the same. She looked at the pile of black dust before her. Alright, that's one down. There's most likely the second one on the lookout for her as well given how she ran into this fellow. The question was . . . did she have it in her to fight off a second attack? No, she didn't think her body could stand the outpour of energy from the Siren twice in one day. That meant she needed to be far more careful from here on out. Sucking in a breath to gather herself, she coughed when the air felt wrong in her throat. Oh, dear. Being a Mer in this situation was definitely not helping. Humans could even last longer than her given the situation. Never mind that now. She needed to focus.
With a shake of her head to get her mind back on task, she walked swiftly over the broken door and out of the room. Searching around the long, empty hallway, she then tried to think of where to go next. The Judoon didn't seem to be on this level. Perhaps because there were no humans? Or maybe they just hadn't reached this section of the floor yet. How much time did she have until . . . She heard a rush of footsteps coming towards the end of the hall. She tensed, looking down at where they were coming from, ready to run. Then, everything froze when she saw two people round the far corner of the branching hallway. The two came to a halt when they saw her. One of them was Martha, the medical student, gazing at her warily. The other . . .
The Doctor stared at her, his eyes, drinking in the sight of her, wide in their gaze. The utter look of disbelief . . . His mouth opened as though he were about to say her name but hesitated in doing so. As though if he did . . . it might make the sight before him become nothing but a dream, a ghost of an image. There was even a little head shake from him while a faltering step was made forward. Madison was equally as stunned. Was this real? Was it true? Was he really here? She reached out mentally, calling to him desperately in hopes he was tangible. When their minds connected, the eternal embrace that they had shared for a year now intertwined tightly, her face split into the biggest smile. Her eyes misty as she stumbled into a run for him. He began sprinting for her, rushing ahead at full speed as he too smiled in elation.
They both fell into each other rather hard, with the Doctor stumbling back as Madison threw herself into his awaiting arms. She was crying the moment he wrapped her into a tight embrace. Sobbing joyfully as she held him, arms around his neck and face buried into his shoulder. She could feel him quivering against her, but he made no sound. Only breathing heavily as he gripped her so hard, his arm around her so firmly and fully that she was certain his arms encircled her completely. Their minds entangled more, making it hard for either of them to know whose mind was whose. Eventually, they had to pull away, both mentally and physically, to get a better look at one another. Both of them were still beaming as they stepped back just enough to stare at each other in the face, holding each other by the arms.
"Hi," she said, breathless from crying and running. Maybe the low oxygen as well.
"Hello," he breathed with a light laugh in his voice. He looked her up and down, still appearing in awe at the sight of her. "How?" he questioned, shaking his head in bafflement. "How is this possible? You shouldn't be here. You can't be here. How are you here?"
"Remember that last gap in the universe? The Siren opened it wider. Made a gateway for me. I leapt through it without a second thought. Figured 'what the hell?'." She couldn't help but laugh at his dumbfounded expression.
"But–but that is literally impossible!"
"Yeah, you keep saying that, but things just keep happening anyway, don't they?"
He laughed with a shake of his head, eyes glistening with pride as he looked her up and down. "You're amazing!"
Before she could respond, he was kissing her, arms around her just as tight as before. She wrapped her own arms around his neck once again, fingers tangling within his hair. Their lips parted and moved together in a familiar dance. Their breaths intermingled intimately. Their noses kept pushing against each other. It was the most resolute kiss she had ever received. The Doctor gave a guttural noise before practically lifting her off the floor to deepen the kiss further. Eventually, Madison had to pull away with a gasp, trying to catch her breath. He kept kissing her still; her cheeks, her eyelids, her nose, her forehead. Everywhere he could touch he kissed. Soon, she tapped his back, the thin air around them reminding her of their dire situation at hand.
"Spaceman, dear, we really should get a move on," she said, trying to be more firm about their current predicament. They would have time to catch up later (she hoped).
The Doctor gave her one last big smooch before settling her down to her feet. His eyes gave her another once over, taking in the state of her. His brow furrowed as he frowned. "Why are you wearing a hospital gown? And where are your shoes?"
"I was admitted the other day. Um . . . medical emergency after coming back into the universe. I'll explain later." Madison gave him a once over as well, surprised by the sight of a blue-pinstripe suit, red tie, and matching red chucks. "And look at you, tiger. A new suit. Blue suits you."
The Doctor's smile turned into a foxy grin. "You think so?"
"Definitely," she replied with a wink. Madison looked around him, finally remembering Martha standing there. The woman appeared rather perplexed, one brow raised as she had her arms crossed and leaned more on one foot. "Oh! So sorry, Martha. We, ah . . . got a little swept up in the moment there."
"I'll say," Martha said with a shake of her head in bemusement.
"Oh! You know Martha?" the Doctor asked, face unwilling to stop smiling at the moment.
"We met yesterday. She was shadowing the doctor who was in charge of my care," Madison explained.
"Great! Martha Jones, Madison Baker. Madison, Martha Jones," the Doctor said in exchange, waving a hand in between them. "No need for introductions then . . . which I did just now, didn't I? Well, it never hurts to do them again." He was grinning at the two of them like a fool, making Madison giggle and Martha raise her brow further.
"So the one the Judoon are after is your . . . girlfriend?" Martha questioned then, seeming sceptical.
"Life partner, actually," the Doctor corrected quite firmly, his hand snaking down to grip Madison's, entangling their fingers together as his thumb caressed her skin. A small gasp escaped her as she stared at the Doctor, in shock at his declaration. Never once had he said or given a name to what they were to each other. Even Rose, who knew full well that they were together, never once got the Doctor to admit the relationship out loud. Hearing him say it, confirming it out in the open, made her eyes grow misty all over again.
"The, um," Madison struggled to clear her throat with how emotional she felt at the moment, "Judoon aren't actually after me. It's this elderly woman, wearing a blue dressing gown, who has frizzy hair. She's some sort of vampiric species who drinks blood. I caught her eating poor Mister Stoker. I hid after she spotted me leaving his office, but one of her goons in leather found me after you and I," she pointed between Martha and herself, "had that misunderstanding. That's why I was running through here. But don't worry, I . . . dispatched the goon."
"Really? How?" the Doctor questioned curiously.
Madison gave him a levelled look. "The Siren came out to take care of it." The Doctor made a small 'ah' of understanding, nodding.
"What's that?" Martha asked them curiously.
"We'll explain later. Come on. We better move on." The Doctor hurried off, yanking Madison along with him. It appeared as though he were refusing to let go of her hand for the moment. "This 'goon', what did it look like?" He listened to Madison as she briefly explained the all-leather look.
"I saw two of those earlier skulking around. Are they not human?" Martha mentioned as she kept up with their quick pace.
"Sounds like a Slab. That's what they're called. Basic slave drones. They're normally made out of one solid material all the way through. Sounds as though these two are made out of solid leather," the Doctor answered rapidly. "Someone had got one hell of a fetish." He glanced at Madison beside him. "You said this woman was drinking Mister Stoker's blood?"
"I noticed a straw in her mouth before I turned out of the room," Madison replied with a nod.
"Funny time to take a snack. You'd think she'd be hiding."
"I assumed it was some reason to hide from the Judoon in a way. It was the only logical explanation I could think of. Why kill for blood when there's plenty to snack on in the donation storages?"
The Doctor stopped briefly, grinning at her. "Yes! That's it! Shape-changer, internal shape-changer! She needed a live victim for a full assimilation!" Then his grin dropped, walking forward hurriedly once more with a more serious expression settled on his face. "Oh . . . If she can assimilate Mister Stoker's blood, mimic the biology—"
"She'll appear as human," Madison finished for him, already seeing where he was going.
"We've got to find her and show the Judoon. Come on!" He started to run then, dragging Madison along beside him. She was quick to reach out and grab Martha's hand as well, smiling pleasantly at the woman.
"First rule of being with the Doctor: Make sure to hold hands to keep up. The man forgets that he runs like a giraffe," Madison said with a laugh, pleased to see Martha giving her a smile in return.
The three of them ran through the halls of level four, trying to find the stairwell again. But soon, Madison stopped abruptly, halting both the Doctor and Martha into a stumble, her instincts screaming at her to hide.
"Something's coming. We need to hide," Madison whispered, pulling the Doctor and Martha back into an alcove in the hall.
"What? Why?" Martha questioned in confusion.
"Just listen to Madison. Her instincts are always right," the Doctor replied in a low voice, making the three of them crouch down, low to the ground to hide. The three remained still and silent as a door was heard opening. Heavy boots were heard stomping onto the floor they were on. The footsteps came swiftly towards their hiding spot, and they watched as the Slab marched on past them, heading down an empty hall.
"That's the thing about Slabs. They always travel in pairs," muttered the Doctor in a low voice as they watched the Slab exit the hall into a branching corridor.
Martha gave a curious glance towards Madison. "How'd you know that thing was coming?" she asked, keeping her voice at a whisper.
Uncertain in how to respond, Madison shifted uncomfortably on the spot. Should she be truthful and mention she wasn't human? Should she be vague and leave it at that? She could mention being non-human without giving away entirely of what or who she was. Then again, she remembered her conversation with Andy back in Pete's world. The question of the necessity of Mers remaining hidden. Being the last Mer on Earth . . . should she continue the secret, or simply give up since it wasn't necessary anymore? There was no other Mer put in danger if Madison Baker was discovered by humans. Finally, she decided to merely be ambiguous in her response.
"I have these, ah, instincts which allow me to sense when danger is nearby. Not always accurate, but it does come in handy," Madison explained absently, following the others in keeping her voice quiet.
Martha raised a brow, looking between the Time Lord and the Mer. "He says he's not human. Are you not human, too?" Martha went on as Madison shifted on the spot again. "I mean, mirrored organs? Not something you run into every day, is it? And you said your parents were the same . . ."
Hmm, maybe ambiguous wouldn't do here. She could see the keen eye Martha was giving her, letting her know that the medical student already had the sense that Madison wasn't human. The student was merely trying to confirm it. ". . . Um, well . . ." Madison started to say.
Then the Doctor gave a scoff, diverting Martha's attention. "Humans! We're stuck on the Moon, running out of air, with Judoon and a bloodsucking criminal, and you're asking personal questions." The Doctor finally stood up, pulling Madison up with him. Martha was soon to stand as well. "Come on," he muttered, heading to go around the corner of the alcove.
"I like that. 'Humans'," Martha began to say sarcastically. "I'm still not convinced you're an alien." They all froze when they turned around the corner of their hiding spot and came face-to-face with a group of Judoon. The Judoon in the front of the group raised one of their scanners, right up to the Doctor's forehead. The end glowed blue and made a noise.
"Non-human," confirmed the Judoon.
"Oh, my god, you really are," Martha gasped in shock.
"And again," was the Doctor's only response as he grabbed Martha's hand, still held onto Madison's, and made the two beside him sprint with him back down the hall where they came.
They rounded the corner of the hallway just as the Judoon behind them fired their weapons. The red lasers hit a wall with a bang and sizzle as the paint was burned away. Martha exclaimed in shock while the Doctor and Madison both flinched. The trio kept on running for their life, feeling the pursuit of the Judoon right on their tail. Finally, they found the doorway to the stairwell. The Doctor had to let go of their hands as he leapt up the stairs two at a time, with Martha and Madison struggling to keep up with him. Soon, they were on floor seven, pushing their way through the door, with the Doctor locking it behind them, and hurried down the hall which had people mingling around the corridor. Many were on the floor, slumped over and seemingly having difficulty breathing.
"They've done this floor," the Doctor mentioned, absently pointing out the black marks on the humans' hands. "Come on. The Judoon are logical and just a little bit thick. They won't go back to check a floor they've checked already. If we're lucky."
They kept marching on. Madison noticed how the Doctor seemed to be keeping his stride easily while she and Martha were both having some difficulty. While Martha seemed to be gasping every so often to intake enough air, Madison started to feel dizzier than before, with her head pounding and her vision becoming fuzzy at the edges. She knew she was past the point of lightheadedness with her balance becoming unsteady. But none of that mattered now. She didn't care what trouble she was having. Seeing all the humans in the hall struggling to breathe, made her fearful of what was to happen to them. Most of these people had existing medical conditions which could only make things worse with the lack of oxygen. If someone were to die here . . . Madison spotted Julia from earlier, sitting beside a woman and holding an oxygen mask up to the patient's face. Martha stopped at the same time Madison did. Both of them turned to Julia.
"Hello, again," Madison said kindly, going to Julia and crouching beside her. "Are you holding up alright?"
"Yes," Julia answered, sounding faint but remaining as strong as she could. Her eyelids were heavy, as though the woman were sleepy. But she kept the mask on the patient beside her who seemed in a far worse state.
"How much oxygen is there?" questioned Martha, inspecting the patient with care. A well ingrained routine it seemed.
"Not enough for all these people. We're gonna run out," Julia told them gravely.
The Doctor came back over to them, assessing the scene before him. He looked at Martha. "How you feeling? You all right?" asked the Doctor.
"Running on adrenaline," Martha told him.
"You'll find that's normal when running with the Doctor," Madison joked lightly. She blinked as she felt the Doctor grabbing her hand, pulling her up from where she was kneeling. He was suddenly inspecting her, turning her hands around to stare at them. "What?"
"Your fingers and lips are turning blue," he mumbled, brow furrowed in concern as he met her gaze. "I can find somewhere for you to hide so you can rest."
Madison shook her head, expression stern. "Not a chance. I'm sticking with you whether you like it or not. Besides, I'm running on adrenaline as well. I'm fine." She could see the Doctor debating with this in his mind briefly before eventually he gave in and nodded. Though he kept a tight hold on her hand as they started down the hallway once again.
"What about the Judoon?" they heard Martha asking behind them, hurrying to keep up.
"Nah, great big lung reserves. It won't slow them down," said the Doctor. He looked over his shoulder towards Martha. "Where's Mister Stoker's office?"
"It's this way." Martha hurried around them, now leading the way. Though there was a brief look given over her shoulder towards Madison. "Are you sure you're alright? Are your fingers or toes turning numb at all? Or pain in your ribs?"
Madison knew the medical student was assessing her. Just like a true doctor who cared for their patient. Madison gave the woman a reassuring smile. "Really, I'm okay. I just don't . . . process breathing air as well as a human would."
"So you're not human, either?"
After a moment of hesitation, then Madison decided on the truth. "No, I'm not human." She felt the Doctor squeezing her hand, trying to reassure her as she shivered, old fears of being discovered coursing through. She pushed it all aside for now, knowing it was pointless to deny it anyway. Martha practically had all the evidence she needed to know that Madison was non-human.
The Doctor had the two stand back from the office, entering it cautiously first. When it seemed clear, he waved for them to come inside as he went over to the body of Mister Stoker. Crouching down, the Doctor began to inspect the body as the two stood by the desk watching.
"Drained him dry. Every last drop," the Doctor muttered as he looked at the mark on Mister Stoker's neck. "I was right. She's a Plasmavore."
"What's she doing on Earth?" Martha questioned, seeming puzzled by the alien fugitive's choice of location.
"Many criminals come to Earth to hide since it's a low-level planet, lacking the intelligence for space travel," explained Madison. "No offence. That's just how they see Earth," she added quickly when seeing Martha's expression.
"What's she doing now? She's still not safe," they heard the Doctor mumbling to himself. "The Judoon could execute us all."
"Do you think she has some sort of weapon stored away in the building?" Madison asked him. Seeing his frown, she could see that he was thinking something similar. He stood up quickly, heading around the two towards the exit.
"Come on," he called for them. However, he halted when Martha asked for him to wait.
Madison and the Doctor both watched as the woman walked over to Mister Stoker, carefully closing the man's eyes. Madison smiled, moved by the gesture. There was some shame on her part as well, not even thinking of doing that earlier. But seeing Martha's compassion, made her realise how great the character of Martha Jones was. She held the woman's hand as they followed the Doctor swiftly back out of the office. The two of them could hear the Doctor muttering under his breath. Though Madison wondered if only she could hear him.
"Think, think, think. If I was a wanted Plasmavore surrounded by police, what would I do?" Madison listened as the Doctor muttered to himself, his hand scratching through his hair, making it stick up on end in a mess. He looked at the wall, slowly dropping his hand from his head. "Oh. She's as clever as me . . . Almost."
Madison didn't have time to see what he was staring at as her attention was drawn when there came a crash of doors being thrown open. Screams erupted from the people within the hall, rushing away in a panic as Judoon came marching through the crowd towards the trio. She tensed, ready to run again. But she was shocked when the Doctor turned to Martha first.
"Martha, stay here. I need time, you've got to hold them up," the Doctor began instructing rapidly.
"How do I do that?" Martha asked in alarm, looking between him and the Judoon in shock.
The Doctor sucked in a breath, looking at Madison first. "Forgive me. This means nothing. I swear." He then stared at Martha again, holding her by her upper arms, pulling her in close. "Just forgive me for this. It could save a thousand lives and it means nothing. Honestly, nothing. Madison is my partner. Understand?"
Martha gave a shaky nod, seeming just as bewildered as Madison. Both of them were confused by what the Doctor was saying. Then, both women's eyes went wide as the Doctor suddenly kissed Martha. Not just a chaste one, either. But a deep, hard kiss. Then he let go just as swiftly as he grabbed her, firm in his stance.
"It. Meant. Nothing," he reiterated. After he finished with Martha, he grabbed Madison's hand and yanked her along, making her follow him as fast as possible. They ran together through the halls, away from the Judoon and Martha. Madison worried about the woman's safety as they pressed onward. Then, a small part of her, worried about that kiss. Even though she tried to keep herself knowing that it meant nothing. The Doctor had said so himself. Plenty of times. "It really did mean nothing," he spoke into her mind, holding her hand tighter. "I needed to transfer my DNA so that she would register as inconclusive on the Judoon's scanners."
"I know, Doctor. I trust you. But next time, you should think to ask permission first before just kissing someone like that," she responded mentally. She smiled as she felt the falter within his mind. Some embarrassment as well.
"Right . . . That would have been the smart and decent thing, wouldn't it?" he replied slowly, obviously humiliated in not having thought of that.
The two of them kept running, going through the many branching halls towards a destination the Doctor searched for. Madison noticed after some time that he was following the signs that said MRI on them. Was that where that woman was? She tried to press herself into going faster when noticing her fumbling in keeping up with the Doctor. It wasn't until he slowed down that she noticed her breaths were coming out wheezing. Adrenaline or not, her body was struggling to intake enough oxygen. There just wasn't enough. Not for a Mer. She felt the Doctor's concern and worry through their connection, but she was quick to assure him that she was fine. Squeezing his hand as well to comfort him. Finally, they came to the MRI room, seeing the flashes of light from the window on the door and hearing the loud sound coming from the room as well. The Doctor halted just outside the door.
"I need you to trust me," the Doctor spoke in her mind once again.
"I always trust you," she assured him swiftly, brow furrowing as she saw the strange look in his eyes then. Something was off. Something wasn't right. But he had shut her away from his emotions, making it impossible to know what turmoil might be within.
"Then I need you to stay here. Until the Judoon arrive. Then you can come inside." The Doctor turned to her, brown eyes conveying the urgency of his request. "No matter what you hear in that room, you cannot come in. And whatever you do, don't let the Judoon scan you. Understand?"
Anxious, but knowing she needed to follow the Doctor's orders, she nodded her head to confirm her understanding. He gave a quick kiss to her forehead, thumbing her chin as he gazed at her for a heartbeat before pushing open the door and going inside. And so, Madison stood outside the door, shifting on her feet nervously as she tried to listen to the Doctor's voice through the wooden door. It was muffled, with most of what he was saying being lost within the sounds of high voltage discharge coming from whatever the Plasmavore was doing within. Madison had no idea what was happening. Only that it had something to do with an MRI and the Doctor was there to stop it. But he knew the Judoon was coming as well. Was he waiting for the Judoon to arrive and arrest the Plasmavore? Unable to help herself, she walked closer to the door, pressing her ear up to it to finally hear clearer.
"Then I must assimilate again," came a woman's voice. The one Madison recognised to be the Plasmavore.
"What does that mean?" came the Doctor's response, sounding strangely confused.
"I must appear to be human."
"Well, you're welcome to come home and meet the wife. She'd be honoured. We can have cake."
Madison frowned. Wife? What was the Doctor talking about? Unless . . . Was he going with a strategy of pretending to be a human? He had done that one before many times. But why now?
"Why should I have cake? I've got my little straw," said the Plasmavore, sounding ever so wicked.
"That's nice. Milkshake? Uh, I like banana," replied the Doctor nervously.
"Mmm. You're quite a funny man," said the woman. She spoke more, it was drowned out by the machine within the room. It was getting louder and louder by the minute. But Madison had heard enough. She realised with a start what the Doctor was doing. Pretending to be a lost human . . . He was tricking the Plasmavore into drinking from him. No . . . No, he couldn't . . . Time Lords held more blood than a human. Could he survive being drained like that? Could he survive until the Judoon came to discover the true culprit?
She stood away from the door shakily. Unnerved with the idea of the Doctor being hurt in that very moment as she stood helpless on the other side. She wanted to march in there right now and put an end to that Plasmavore. But she had sworn to the Doctor to remain here. She had promised him. Besides, the other Slab was obviously inside as well. She didn't have enough strength to fend against anyone. Her entire body was fighting a losing battle to breathe. Her vision was growing dim and she felt herself swaying in place as she stood there. Her entire head felt light, faint. She . . . She was going to faint.
She jolted back to full awareness when hearing a door banging open and marching footsteps drawing closer. She then proceeded to rush into the room, seeing the woman with her straw sucking on the Doctor's neck. The Doctor was being held tightly from behind by the Slab, allowing its mistress to drink her fill. Meanwhile, the Time Lord was pale. Paler than he ever had been before. His eyes were hazy before slowly falling closed as he went limp. Then, the Plasmavore and Slab seem to finally notice Madison standing there. The Slab stood back, dropping the Doctor in a heap onto the floor. The Plasmavore backed away as well, eyes flashing as she glared at Madison.
"You," hissed the woman.
Madison glared back, her ferocity stifling as she stared that woman down. The Plasmavore seemed nervous then as Madison growled. "You are going to regret hurting my beloved," she spoke, her tone low with the promise of no mercy. Moving swiftly, Madison placed herself to the side as she heard the Judoon entering the room from behind her. The Plasmavore's eyes went wide with fear, backing away with her straw behind her back. She then smiled weakly.
"Now, see what you've done? This poor man just died of fright," the woman tried lying.
"No. She just killed him. I watched her do it. Just as she killed another human earlier," Madison spoke, pointing a finger at the woman. "Scan her. She's a Plasmavore. She's the one you're after."
"Scan him," ordered the commanding Judoon, pointing at the Doctor instead. Another Judoon did as instructed, scanning the Time Lord who still lay deathly still on the floor. "Confirmation, deceased."
In hearing this said, Madison gave a small cry, covering her mouth as her eyes welled up with tears. She had hoped . . . She had been hoping that he was fine. That the Plasmavore hadn't drunk enough of his blood. She had been so hopeful that he was fine in the end. This—This couldn't end like this. Not like this. Not after everything they had struggled through to find each other again. They had just found each other. They were finally together again. And now . . . Her vision blurred again. Her knees, too weak to stand any longer, gave out. She fell to the floor by the Doctor's head, gasping to air as she stared at his lifeless face. Tears fell from her eyes, splashing onto his cheeks.
Vaguely, she heard shouting within the room. Some sort of commotion. Nothing that was registered as everything started to fade. Slowly, the room tilted to the side. Before long, she noticed that she had fallen to the side, her Doctor no longer in her sight. All she stared at now was where the Plasmavore stood shouting. No, she didn't want to stare at them. She wanted to stare at her Doctor, at his face. If this was the last time she would ever see him again . . . She wanted to gaze at the face she loved. With a blink, she slowly turned her head when she heard movement. She thought it was the Doctor moving at first. Then she realised it was Martha. The woman was hovering over the Doctor's chest, pumping on it with her hands together and her arms stretched in front. Chest compressions. Martha was trying to revive the Doctor. Martha was going to save him. He was going to live.
This thought carried Madison into the darkness as everything faded away.
XxXxXxXxXx
" . . . Kiera . . . Kiera? . . . Please wake up . . . I'm here, I'm here. Please, Kiera . . . Wake up."
Madison slowly felt herself stirring. A soft cloud surrounded her, with the feeling of silk beneath her fingers. Her head was cradled in something firm yet giving. Her mind had difficulty coming back into focus. But soon, things came rushing back to her. The hospital. The Judoon. The Plasmavore. Martha. The Doctor. Oh! The Doctor! No, he had . . . Madison's eyes snapped open as she gasped. Then she shook as her entire body was screaming against her. Racking coughs came next as she rolled to the side, trying to steady herself into breathing properly. She felt a hand patting her back. Another hand soothingly stroked her head.
"Here. Breathe this in," came a gentle voice. The Doctor's voice.
She turned back to see where he was while still coughing. She saw that he was sitting at the head of her. Her head was in his lap while the rest of her body was lying in a comfortable bed. No, she recognised this bed. It was the Doctor's bed. But yet . . . this wasn't his room. No . . . it was his room. What? She blinked as she looked around, seeing a mixture of her room and the Doctor's placed together. The windows showed her childhood lake view on one side while on the other was the view to the Doctor's homeworld Gallifrey. The stone grey walls. The fireplace with sofas around it. An invention room to the side. The deep red covers on the bed. It was a room combined to be one for the two of them. Something which made her heart swell with bliss at the sight of.
"Your room . . ." she asked, her voice hoarse, her breath wheezy. But she ignored all that, elated to see him happy and well.
He smiled down at her, continuing to stroke her head gently. "The TARDIS did it soon after you left. I, ah, tried changing it back, but she wouldn't let me. I think she knew you would be back someday. Do you like it?"
"I love it," she gasped, still struggling to calm her body, but smiling with misty eyes all the same. She felt the presence of the TARDIS in her mind then. A happy, delighted sense from the old girl as the lights flickered somewhat. A warm welcome back home. "And you're alright. I was so scared, Doctor. I thought you were—"
"I was. Martha brought me back. She saved me with her last breath."
Alarmed, Madison gasped in horror. "No, she's not . . . Her and the humans aren't dead, are they?"
His eyes widened and he hurriedly shook his head. "No, no, no. They're fine. All of them. I made sure of it before we left." The Doctor adjusted where he sat, helping Madison to sit up so that she leaned against his chest. "Speaking of, you're worse off than even the humans. You need time to heal from oxygen starvation. Breathe this in. It should help." He held up some sort of inhaler. He made it let out a puff of mist.
Madison leaned forward, inhaling the mist slowly. It smelled like cherries. Almost right away her head cleared and her lungs no longer burned. Though she still felt weak in her body. She glanced down at her fingers, seeing the colour had returned to normal. "Perhaps a bath will help as well. It has been some time since I've been in water."
"One bath coming up." The Doctor moved so that he stood beside the bed now before easily lifting her into his arms and carrying her towards the ensuite. Setting her down on the edge of the large bathtub, he helped her out of the hospital gown before filling up the bath with warm water.
"Aren't you joining me?" Madison asked as she slipped into the warm water. A small sigh escaped her as she felt her legs transforming into an elegant tail.
"Do you want me to join you?" he responded, standing back from the bath with this rather uncertain demeanour she had only witnessed at the beginning of their relationship.
With a smile she extended a hand to him, leading to him grin at her before tenderly taking her hand in his. He lifted her hand, slowly trailing his fingers along her webbed ones. Soon he brought her hand up to his lips, kissing it firmly while keeping his eyes locked onto hers. The heat from his gaze created a fiery effect which pooled within her stomach. Electric trails crept up her arm and down her spine. A soft exhale pushed its way out between her parted lips. Oh . . . how she had missed him. She could sit here and stare at him all day, never growing tired of his beautiful brown eyes.
"Yours are much more breathtaking," he said then, his voice husky as he lowered her hand from his lips. "You are so beautiful, Kiera."
Her green eyes welled up, elated at hearing him say her name with such love. "Say it again, please," she breathed, her voice catching.
The Doctor slowly crouched beside the bath; his eyes refusing to break their tender gaze. "Kiera. Oh, Kiera, I'm so happy. I thought . . . I thought I'd never see you again. But here you are." His voice caught as well as a wave of emotion appeared to overtake him. With soft care, he thumbed her left cheek, stroking it as his eyes grew warmer still.
Her hand held the one placed on her cheek, kissing his hand delicately. "I know. I thought the same. I'm here now. I promise I won't ever go away again. And even if I do, I swear, I will always find my way back to you."
His eyes were now glistening with unshed tears. "I know you will. You impossible woman." They met together for a kiss. Their lips pressed together for a moment before gradually pulling away. He continued to thumb her cheek. "There's something I need to say, something that was left unfinished on that terrible day of goodbyes."
Madison's heart fluttered, picking up in pace as her breathing hitched. She knew what he meant. Knew most likely what he wished to say. The one thing left unsaid between them. Three words that she dearly wished for someday, but never wanted to pressure the Doctor into saying. She knew how broken he was. Knew how much his hearts still hurt for those he had lost in the war. But, in remembering what the future Doctor had told her . . . "What do you wish to say?" she found herself asking.
Leaning forward, the soft press of lips against her ear was felt. The warm breath of his created a line of goosebumps down her body. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer to him as he held her tightly. "Kiera . . . I love you," came the softest breath within her ear.
To say her heart was soaring would be an understatement. It flew away and then some. A quivering breath left her as tears of joy rolled down her face. "Oh, Doctor," she grabbed his chin, making him move so that they could face one another as she smiled, "I love you, too. With all my heart." They met for another lingering kiss. Arms around each other for another embrace. She pulled away first, smirking as she lowered herself almost all the way into the water. "Now, get in here, spaceman. I do believe it's time I worship that skinny body of yours." She chuckled when she saw his face grow red as he stuttered in surprise.
"Oh, you really did miss me if you're talking like that," he growled as he stood up, removing his tie with a quick pull.
"I missed you with every beat of my heart," she confessed.
"I counted every day, hour, minute, and second I didn't have you in my life," he stated, nodding in understanding. His suit jacket and buttoned shirt were now on the floor. He struggled to pull his undershirt over his head.
"How long have I gone for you?"
Undershirt now on the floor with the rest, he gave her such a sad look. "Too long. Eight months too long."
"Oh. That's strange. That was how long it was before you contacted me."
"Hmm. That was months afterwards for me. Suppose . . . the universes were still in sync with one another? Or," he sucked in a breath, seeming to think, "or maybe we just got very lucky." His pants fell around his ankles before he finally stepped out of them. His voice lowered then as his gaze grew heated. "Now, time for some ravishing, I think. For both of us."
Completely bare, he stepped into the bath with her, sitting on the seat at the back of the tub. He held out his arms to her and she immediately went to him. Holding him close, she moved to be sideways in his lap, kissing him around the neck. Meanwhile, his skilful hands travelled down her body to her tail before both of them sighed in relief at being able to touch one another once again.
XxXxXxXxXx
It took them some time in the bath, and then some time more in their shared bed, before either one of them was sated enough to relax. It reminded Madison of when she had been trapped away from the Doctor and TARDIS for five years. The same feeling of making up for lost time. Now, having the Doctor lying his head on her chest, drawing circles with his fingers on her stomach, drew the warmest of smiles from her as she ran her fingers through his hair in a massage. He was practically purring as he lay curled up beside her. Eventually, he turned, resting his chin on her chest as he looked at her in pure amazement.
"It really should be impossible, you know," he mentioned again. "The Siren opening a gateway, sure. I can buy that. But you being able to travel through dimensions, through the Void, through the Time Vortex without dying? Now that—that is highly unlikely. Your very tangible being should have unravelled into nothing."
"There was a consequence to me giving that leap of faith," she stated, pausing in her massage on his scalp. She snickered when he whined about her stopping, so she started up the massage once again. "When I arrived in this universe, I was bleeding through my nose and eyes. I then fainted and my heart stopped for three minutes. I was only fortunate that a few locals called emergency services for me and the medical staff were able to bring me back to life."
The Doctor tensed, eyes growing wide as his breath caught for a moment. "That . . . is something. Are you certain it was a good idea to have, ahem, partook in recent activities? You could still be in a weakened state, you know."
She scoffed. "You're one to talk. You died! Mind you, you should be thankful I'm not slapping you for being so idiotic. How could you throw yourself at that Plasmavore knowing she was going to kill you?"
"I wasn't dead. Not really. My hearts just slowed down so much that they were undetectable by the Judoon scans, which would have led them to scan the Plasmavore . . . eventually. I was just in a comatic state, ready to be woken again by a few good jolts to my hearts. Which, I logically put together that Martha or you would have done. Simple, really."
"Oh, simple he says. The cheek on you." She poked him on the forehead, earning a pout from him.
"Really though, we should probably check you out in the medical bay."
Madison rolled her eyes, shaking her head fondly. "Really, spaceman, I'm fine. Doctor Landry herself said so. They kept me in the ward to monitor me and the day the Judoon showed up I was meant to be discharged from the hospital."
"Hmm. Good thing you didn't. Or else we might have missed each other."
"Yes, a very good thing," she agreed. "And other than the oxygen starvation, I feel perfectly decent enough. After a night's sleep, I should be completely fine."
Lips pressed together in a tight line, the Doctor still appeared uncertain. "Still . . . I want to do a few scans of my own. Just in case."
Madison smiled fondly, scratching his head affectionately. "Of course, dear."
"Still though! You're as tough as ever, cowgirl. Should have known you'd leap through a strange portal into nothingness with how jeopardy-friendly you are." He kissed her chest, smiling sweetly as he sighed. Then, there was a spark of interest in his eyes. "Do you remember what it was like travelling between worlds? Not many people can say they have and live to tell the tale."
"Oh! Yes, I do. I believe I was able to meet the Siren's sisters. The ones from the Vortex she mentioned?" Madison was careful in describing what had happened within the Time Vortex. Going into as much detail as she could.
Meanwhile, the Doctor listened to her. Enraptured by her tale. When she had finished, he gave the biggest grin, sitting up to hover over her. "That's amazing! Newly discovered beings, living just inside the Vortex! And oh! They must have protected you along the way! Oh, that is brilliant! I only wish I could have seen it for myself. And the way they communicate with each other. I wonder if the TARDIS could ever learn to translate it. The stories they could tell . . ."
He rambled on for some time. Madison smiled lightly, listening to him attentively while nodding and saying something in agreement every so often. Eventually, he flopped over to the side, sighing as he finished. He then proceeded to pull her up into his arms, lying her head on his chest. It was his turn this time to run his fingers through her hair. Listening to his steady hearts beating again . . . it brought forth such a soothing moment for her. She closed her eyes, rubbing her fingers through the hairs on his chest. Her eyes opened again when he grabbed this hand, making her look in time to see him kissing it. The two then smiled at one another, at ease in the calm stillness of the room. It was a few beats before either one said anything else.
"I just realised, I forgot to ask what happened after I fainted. You said the humans were all safe?" Madison questioned, leaning into his touch as he kept massaging her head.
"Well, the Judoon took care of the Plasmavore judging by the melted hole in the glass. I took care of the tampered MRI . . . Then I carried you out of the room and waited until the Judoon placed the hospital back on Earth. Saw everyone stirring soon after, so I left before anyone woke up and started asking me questions. There were too many police around for my tastes," the Doctor told her absently. There was a curious frown on his face. Leaning back into the pillow behind his head, he stared up at the starry ceiling above them. "There's one last thing that's bothering me. That Martha Jones . . . she mentioned how I had met her on the pavement earlier that day, taking off my tie in front of her before walking off. I wonder why I'd do something like that. Can't go back in time just to do something I don't even know why."
"Actually, I've been thinking about Martha as well." Sitting up, Madison hovered over him. "I think she was quite brave given the circumstances. And she seems accepting of us not being human. I think . . . she could become a good friend to us if given the chance."
The Doctor's earlier frown came back. With a furrowed brow, he held a puzzled gaze with her. "You think so? What about . . . What about Rose?"
Madison tilted her head lightly, now puzzled herself. "What about her?"
"Well, I mean . . . Well, I, erm, . . . Don't you miss her?"
Saddened at the thought, she gave a solemn nod. "Of course. I miss her. Terribly so. Just as I have missed all those who came before her. Perhaps . . . with Rose, I will miss her even more so. I never had a friend quite like Rose before . . . But that doesn't mean I can't find more friends . . . Right?" Now she was uncertain, wondering if it was too sudden to think of making new friends. It had taken her over a hundred years before finally finding new people to bring into her life. Was it too soon?
Sensing her distress, the Doctor sat up, bringing them both up to face each other. He cupped her face, thumbing her cheeks to wipe away the tears she hadn't realised were there. "I only want us to take things slow. I know how much Rose meant to you. To both of us. I can't imagine anyone replacing her right now."
She sighed with a heavy heart. "Yes. I know . . . I'm only thankful that Rose is doing so well in the other universe. She really is happy being there. She adjusted so surprisingly well. Almost as though she were always meant to be there."
The Doctor smiled. "I was wondering how she was doing. I'm glad to hear that."
"But still," Madison pressed on, needing to speak her peace, "we don't replace the ones we've loved. We only gain new ones to love all over again." Feeling more confident now, she brought her hands up to hold his. "Besides, Martha Jones saved my Doctor, my beloved. I want to thank her for that. To give her something meaningful in return for her courage and tenacity. Wouldn't you do the same if someone were to save me?"
"Hmm. You have a point." Sucking in a breath, the Doctor gave a moment to pretend as though he were still mulling it over. Though Madison saw he had already made up his mind. "Oh, alright. Fine. We can give her a reward. How does one trip in the TARDIS sound? After that, I think you and I could use a break. Just to catch up and relax for a while."
"Sounds like a deal to me," Madison replied with a wide smile. Then, it suddenly dawned on her and she was quick to pull away from his hold on her face. "Oh! I almost forgot! Jack!"
Now the Doctor was truly frowning. "Jack? What about him?"
"He came to me in the hospital. Apparently, he's been living in Cardiff for a while waiting to meet us again. I did have a mobile phone meant to contact him after I was away from the hospital, but I, ah, unfortunately, lost track of the phone." She recalled placing it on a table in the messy room before leaving it behind. She had meant to go back for it later. But perhaps now it was too late. It was bound to be lost to her forever after the chaos with the Judoon. She was then surprised to see the flash of annoyance across the Doctor's features.
"Of course, he's been living in Cardiff. Just like him to be right under my nose." The Doctor kept on grumbling under his breath, making Madison laugh.
"You're just annoyed because you didn't find him first," she teased.
"Of course! I'm a Time Lord with an infinite TARDIS! I should have found him first." Running a hand of frustration through his hair, the Doctor eventually sighed heavily. "Yes, fine. Suppose we should visit the Captain at some point. But after our trip with Martha. I'd like to get a few things out of the way before running into another mess to handle."
"Deal," she agreed, grinning happily as her excitement grew for things to come.
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