The dim glow of a flickering lamp cast long shadows across the makeshift office deep within Rhodes Island. The Doctor sat at their cluttered desk, papers and dossiers strewn about in organized chaos, the hum of the facility's machinery vibrating through the walls. They didn't have to wait long. A familiar presence soon made itself known, almost like a playful specter moving through the darkness.
W strolled into the room without a hint of hesitation, her eyes gleaming with that trademark mischievous glint. The explosive expert wore her usual smirk, the kind that always seemed to say she knew something you didn't—and was going to have a lot of fun making sure you never found out. She kicked the door shut behind her with a casual grace, her lithe form settling into a chair across from the Doctor, boots propped up on their desk.
"You rang, Doc?" W said, her voice dripping with mock politeness. "What's this? An official scolding, or are you just bored and looking for some entertainment?"
The Doctor met her gaze evenly, not rising to her bait. They'd grown used to her antics, her way of testing everyone around her, always searching for a crack in their composure. With W, it was like dancing with a live grenade; every word had to be chosen carefully, not because she might explode, but because you never knew when she was bluffing.
"I thought it was time we had a chat," the Doctor said calmly, folding their hands on the desk. "You've been with Rhodes Island for a while now, but I still can't quite figure out where you stand."
W's smile widened, a flash of teeth that looked more like a predator baring its fangs. "Oh, you know me, Doc. I'm just here for the thrills, the chaos, the fun of blowing things up," she said with a wink. "I go wherever the sparks fly the highest. You don't really expect loyalty from someone like me, do you?"
"I don't expect anything," the Doctor replied evenly. "But I do hope for honesty. Even from you."
W's eyes narrowed slightly, the glint in her gaze sharpening like a knife. For a brief moment, the mask slipped, and the playful smile became something colder, more calculating. "Honesty, huh? You're really going to trust a mercenary's word, Doctor? After all, I used to be one of Reunion's finest. What makes you think I won't turn on you the moment it suits me?"
"Maybe I don't know for sure," the Doctor said, a hint of a smile playing at the corner of their lips. "But I'm willing to take that risk. Because despite everything, you're still here. You haven't left, even though you've had plenty of opportunities to do so."
W's smile faded, replaced by a look of mild irritation as she studied the Doctor with renewed scrutiny. "Maybe I'm sticking around just to see how this all plays out. Or maybe," she said, leaning forward slightly, "I'm staying because I'm not quite done making your life difficult yet. Ever think of that?"
The Doctor's smile widened just a fraction. "Every day," they said lightly. "But if that's all it was, you wouldn't be helping us as much as you do. You wouldn't risk your life alongside ours if you didn't care, at least a little, about what we're fighting for."
W's eyes flashed with something unreadable, a flicker of emotion that was gone before it could settle into anything concrete. She tilted her head, a thoughtful expression briefly crossing her face, and then she laughed—a short, sharp bark of amusement that held no mirth.
"Careful, Doc," she said, her voice softening slightly, almost dangerously so. "You might start to sound like you actually believe in me. And that's a dangerous thing to do."
The Doctor's gaze never wavered. "I do believe in you, W," they said simply, their voice steady. "Not because I'm naive, but because I see more in you than just the chaos you surround yourself with. You're more than just a mercenary or an explosives expert. I think you're looking for something, too. Something you're afraid to admit, even to yourself."
W's smile disappeared entirely, replaced by a tightness in her jaw, her eyes narrowing as if the Doctor's words had struck a nerve. For a long moment, she said nothing, just stared at them, her fingers twitching slightly as if resisting the urge to reach for the detonator she always kept close by.
"You think you've got me all figured out, don't you?" she said, her voice low, almost a whisper. "You think you can see through all the smoke and mirrors, straight to the heart of me."
"I think you're more transparent than you'd like to admit," the Doctor replied, their tone gentle but unwavering. "And I think, deep down, you want a place where you belong. Even if you won't say it out loud."
W let out a slow breath, her shoulders slumping slightly, the tension easing just a bit. She looked away, her eyes distant, almost haunted, as if she were staring at something far beyond the walls of Rhodes Island. "Belonging," she repeated, the word sounding foreign on her lips. "I stopped believing in that a long time ago, Doc. The world doesn't have a place for people like me."
"Maybe not yet," the Doctor said quietly. "But we're trying to change that. One step at a time."
For the first time in their conversation, W's expression softened, her eyes losing some of their hard edges. She looked back at the Doctor, a hint of something almost like vulnerability flickering in her gaze. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then stopped, shaking her head with a rueful smile.
"You know what, Doc?" she said, a little of her old mischief returning to her smile. "You're either the bravest fool I've ever met, or the most naïve. Either way, you make this whole mess more interesting."
"I'll take that as a compliment," the Doctor said with a small chuckle. "And maybe one day, you'll stop trying to blow everything up just to see what happens."
"Don't count on it," W said, a grin spreading across her face, though there was a softness in her eyes that wasn't there before. "But who knows? Maybe I'll stick around a little longer. Just to see if you're right."
She stood up, giving the Doctor a lazy salute with two fingers, her trademark smirk firmly back in place. "Later, Doc. Try not to get yourself blown up while I'm gone. I'd hate to miss the fun."
As W turned and sauntered out of the room, the Doctor watched her go, a thoughtful expression on their face. They knew better than to believe that they'd completely won her over. W was a wild card, unpredictable and dangerous, but maybe—just maybe—there was something more to her than the mask she wore.
And as the door swung shut behind her, they allowed themselves a small smile, knowing that even if W would never admit it, there was a part of her that was beginning to believe that maybe, just maybe, there was still a place for her in this world after all.