Title: The Flight of the Lamborions
Author:
Froxyn
Rating:
FRAO
Pairing:
Rose/Ten
Timeline:
Sometime pre-Doomsday.
Synopsis:
Sometimes, romantic notions don’t work out the way they’re intended.
Author’s
Note: This was written for away_fromitall
for the dwsanta fic exchange. Betaed by fairygothmum. Prompts given were
– rust, 6 am, and firefly.
The Doctor paced in
the console room of the TARDIS. He paced
just as he always did when he was kept waiting.
He hated being kept waiting...such a waste of precious time. And when he
was kept waiting, he couldn’t go back and regain the time lost. Not because it wasn’t possible, but because
it wasn’t the most prudent idea to go back into his own timeline.
And that’s why it
frustrated him so much.
“Rose...” He called, pausing just long enough to stare
down the empty hallway. “Are you almost
ready?”
“Yeah,
almost...” She replied, her voice
travelling down the hall from the nearest bathroom. “What about you? You ready?”
He furrowed his brow
as he glanced down. Brown suit with blue
pinstripes, nearly white Converse, dark blue shirt...unbuttoned at the
collar...and no tie. Of course he was
ready. He was always ready.
“No need to be rude
about it.”
At the sound of
Rose’s voice right in front of him, he looked up quickly. “Oh, did I say that out loud?”
“Yeah...is this
okay?”
He smiled as he
roamed his eyes over her choice of clothing.
Blue jeans, white trainers with orange laces, and the hem of a purple
t-shirt peeking out from underneath her cream-colored hoodie.
“Yep...not sure why
it took you so long to get dressed though.
With the time you took, I was expecting you to come out in a 16th
century gown or something...” He met her
eyes and gave her a wink. “Not that you
wouldn’t look absolutely stunning in a 16th century
gown...especially one of a dusty pink color...but, it’s not the most practical
of outfits to wear while watching the migration of the Lamborions.”
“The giant fireflies,
yeah?”
He stared at her for
a split second. “They’re so much more
than giant fireflies, Rose. They’re
necessary to the evolution of the planet.
With each migration of the Lamborions, the planet...it, for lack of a
better word...evolves. The people
change, political systems come and go, the atmospheric elements meld together
to create something completely different and new...it’s like it becomes a new
planet altogether. The migration happens
once every thousand years...”
Rose waited patiently
for him to pause long enough to take a breath.
And when he did, she smiled and asked one simple question.
“But, they look like
giant fireflies. Right?”
He sighed heavily and
reached for her hand. “Yeah. Giant fireflies...with giant glowing
abdomens. A giant abdomen that glows
purple. Well, some are purple...some are
blue. Well, more mauve than blue, I guess. Anyway, jeans are much better for watching
the migration...”
Rose snorted and
laced their fingers together as he led her to the TARDIS door. “Yep, that’s why I’m not wearing a 16th
century gown...well, that and because I’d just look silly...”
The Doctor stopped
suddenly, his left hand holding the door open.
He met her eyes as he gave a light shake of his head.
“You’d look anything
but.”
She held the tip of
her tongue between her teeth for a moment, a grin showing in her eyes. “You’re just saying that ‘cause you like how
the bodice looks on ‘em...especially the dusty pink one...”
His eyes
involuntarily darted to her chest.
“Well...there is that...”
“And then you’d miss
the flight of the fireflies...”
“Migration of the
Lamborions.” He corrected automatically,
leaning against the doorframe and tugging her closer to him. “We have a time machine, you know...we could
come back tomorrow and see the last migration if we wanted to. The one a
thousand years before now, I mean...not the last
one. Because the last one hasn’t
happened yet.”
She laughed softly as
she shook her head and leaned up to place a soft kiss on his jaw. “You wanted to show me this year’s
tonight...which is why I’m wearing jeans instead of a gown.”
“Rose...”
She recognized the
gentle plea in his voice for what it was.
Arousal. Something she hadn’t
exactly planned right now. Giving his
fingers a light squeeze, she slipped out the door and pulled him with her.
“Come on...we have a
migration to watch.” When he hesitated,
she offered him a tender smile. “Big
purple fireflies on a warm summer’s night...what could go wrong?”
“Really? You just asked that?” He sighed heavily, closing the TARDIS door
and rolling his eyes. “Would you like
the whole list or will the top five be sufficient for you?”
Rose laughed,
swinging their linked hands between them.
He looked down at her and grinned brightly.
* * *
Rose breathed
heavily, glaring at the Doctor...who was currently peeking through the fronds
of a large fern.
“Thought you said
that migration was a peaceful thing?”
“It is...but then you
jinxed the whole bloody thing by asking what could go wrong.” He grumbled in response, tracking the
movements of the being they were currently hiding from.
“You’re blaming this
on me?”
“Shh!” He whispered sharply, quickly slapping his
hand over her mouth. “I didn’t realize
that shrillness was hereditary...”
She narrowed her eyes
at him and he exhaled a deep breath of resignation.
“Look, I didn’t know
that there was going to be a rebellion against this particular migration. Had I known, I would’ve taken you to the last
one.”
She pulled his hand
away from her mouth and spoke...quickly but quietly. “You’re a bloody Time Lord...what do you mean
you didn’t know?”
“Well...this is a new
development. Apparently.” He replied, turning his eyes to her when the
being...an Aterian, it seemed...ran off in the opposite direction. “Something’s been changed somewhere in the
timeline...by someone...somehow.”
“Apparently.” She echoed, shifting just enough to wipe the
yellow dirt from her jeans. “Is it
safe?”
He nodded slowly, reaching
over to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Yeah, for now. Luckily the
Aterian race has a horrible sense of sight...nearly as bad as their sense of
smell. They’re pretty much a sense-less
race.”
She rolled her eyes
as he grinned, but grinned in return just the same. “Reckon we’ll ever have a nice, romantic
date?”
“This is
nice...” He protested, gesturing to
their surroundings. “I mean, it’s
warm...not a cloud in the night sky...of course, they don’t have clouds here. Well, not yet...not for another twelve
thousand years, anyway. The grass is
soft, the dirt is...well, the dirt’s dirty, but...it smells nice. All saffron-like and – ”
“We’re being hunted
by a group of aliens.” She interrupted,
staring at him incredulously.
He held up two
fingers and raised an eyebrow. “Two,
Rose. Two aliens. Since when does ‘two’ constitute a ‘group’?”
He lowered his hand
and continued before she had a chance to answer him. She figured it was pretty much a rhetoric
question anyway.
“And, it is nice...apart from the being hunted by
aliens, of course. And...it’ll be
romantic as soon as the Lamborions start their migration. The light that they give off will cast the
most beautiful glow over everything...and I can’t wait to see how the purples
will look reflected in your eyes.”
“Oh...” She whispered, eyes widening slightly. “Okay, that was...kinda romantic.”
“Yep. See? I
can do romance. It’s just a little
more...adventurous...than your average romantic human male.”
“Adventurous?” Rose snorted, resting her palm on his thigh
as she leaned in for a kiss. “That’s
you...Mister Adventure.”
“I like ‘Captain
Adventure’ better than ‘mister’. Captain
makes me sound all superhero-like...mister makes me sound...old and...” He shuddered as he trailed off.
“You are old.” Rose added teasingly, lifting her hand to his
chest when he furrowed his brow at her.
“And superhero-like. You’re like
an aging Superman or something.”
“Was that supposed to
make me feel better?”
Rose chuckled as he
pouted, moving her hand from his chest to the side of his face...allowing her
fingers to lightly stroke his sideburn.
“Well...you don’t look like an
aging Superman.”
“More manly? More chiselled?” He asked, his pout melting into a soft
smile.
“Well, more like...skinnier, geekier, and
cleverer.” She replied with an amused
tone, continuing as he gave a deep sigh.
“Which is how I prefer my superheroes, if you haven’t noticed.”
“Because there’s an
abundance of skinny, geeky, clever super – ”
He interrupted himself as he noticed a flash of light in the
distance. “What the hell...”
Rose turned and
looked in the direction that he was staring.
Her eyes widened as she saw a familiar blue box.
“Um...that’s the
TARDIS...”
The Doctor nodded
once and then shook his head. “No. Well, yeah...or...no. The color of the light is wrong. Look...it’s more...orange than it normally
is. And...” He paused and exhaled a shaky breath. “I can’t connect to her...it’s not our
TARDIS, Rose.”
“How many blue police
boxes are on this planet?” She asked
softly, still staring at the object in question.
“Apparently,
two.” A voice replied from behind
them. “Well, one...but right now, two.”
The owner of the
voice grinned as the Doctor and Rose spun to face him. “Ooh, look at you. You’re much more his type than – ”
“Who are you?” Rose interrupted quickly.
“Bit more assertive
too. Spunky, even, I’d imagine.” The man winked at the Doctor and rocked on
his heels. “Whatever did you let her go
for?”
The Doctor’s eyes
narrowed as he studied the man in front of him.
“Impossible...”
“No, not really...the
Chameleon Arch can make the impossible, possible. But, oh...how good it is to be back...”
“Master...” The Doctor breathed, moving to stand in front
of Rose.
“Doctor...” The Master replied, his grin widening. “Nice to know you remember my name. We’ll have a similar conversation later. Well, later in your timeline...just the other
day in mine.”
“Master? Master of what?” Rose asked, moving back to the Doctor’s side.
The Master glanced at
Rose and licked his lips. “Master of the
same thing he’s the Doctor of. Nothing
and everything...”
“He’s a Time
Lord.” The Doctor stated quietly, not
taking his eyes off the Master.
“What?” She gasped, tearing her eyes away from the
Master and staring at the Doctor. “A
Time Lord? But, I thought...you said...”
“I thought I
was.” The Doctor said. “Chameleon Arch...made yourself human to
survive the war?”
“Yeah...good move on
my part.” The Master’s grin faded and a
coldness seeped into his eyes. “I’d have
burned with the rest of ‘em. You ended
the war...funny how you’re the only one to have survived it. I mean, except for me...because I was human
and all.”
“You can make
yourself human?” Rose asked, obviously
confused by the conversation taking place.
The Doctor nodded and
slipped his hand into hers. “Yeah, but I
wouldn’t be me. I’d be...someone
else. I wouldn’t remember what I once
was or what I’ve done or...”
“Who you’ve
loved?” The Master finished for him, the
corner of his mouth quirking into a smile.
When the Doctor’s
eyes darkened slightly, the Master chuckled.
“Oh, don’t get like
that. I know your past...or present, as
it were...is...were?” The Master
shrugged his shoulders indifferently and gestured towards the blue box waiting
in the distance. “The TARDIS didn’t want to tell me, but...I coerced her.”
“What did you do to
her?” The Doctor nearly growled.
The Master waved off
his question and started to circle them.
“Know bits of your future too.
Not a lot...but enough to know that your little piece of arm candy isn’t
in it. Or...at least...I didn’t see her
hanging around. Can’t imagine that she
would’ve tolerated you gallivanting to the end of time with someone else,
though...”
When he felt Rose
stiffen, the Doctor looked over at her.
“Ignore him,
Rose...he’s just – ”
“Spilling secrets?”
The Doctor turned his
dark eyes back to the Master. “Being a
prat, I was going to say. So, what did
you do? Steal the TARDIS from us?”
“Yeah, I did.” The Master chuckled. “Well, from you. She put up quite the
fight, so...I gave her a bit of an adjustment.”
“Which is why I can’t
connect to her.” The Doctor whispered,
giving the stolen TARDIS a look of longing.
“You destroyed her.”
“Nah...just a bit of
cannibalization is all. She runs
perfectly fine...maybe even a bit better.
But, then...I was always a better pilot than you.”
Knowing that the
Master was merely trying to goad him, and knowing that his TARDIS...the one who
brought him and Rose to this planet...was perfectly safe, the Doctor took a
deep breath and looked into the Master’s eyes.
“What are you doing
here?”
“Just having a bit of
fun before I run for Prime Minister.”
Rose snorted. “Prime Minister? You?
As if anyone would vote for
you!”
“You’d be surprised
what the human population would vote for...Rose, is it?” The Master grinned and scratched at his
chin. “I mean, really...why else would
the Americans vote in George B. Jarvis?
His grandfather and great-grandfather weren’t bad enough for them?”
Rose stared at him in
confusion. “George B. Jarvis?”
“So, you thought
you’d throw an entire planet into rebellion?”
The Doctor asked, not giving the Master time to elaborate on his
example.
“Just to give you
something to do. Thought you might be
bored...I mean, why else would you come watch the migration of the
Lamborions?” He gave an exaggerated
shudder. “Boring!”
“You knew we were
here?” Rose asked, suddenly not caring who George B. Jarvis was. “How did you know we were here?”
“Knew he was here with his companion...didn’t
know it was you. Not that it matters,
still would’ve come...even if only to meet the illustrious Rose Tyler.”
When Rose’s mouth
dropped open in surprise, the Master smiled proudly...and wisely took two large
steps away from the Doctor.
“The TARDIS told me
stories about the two of you. She liked
you...said you were her favourite companion.
You were her favourite because
you’re his favourite.” He continued quickly, arching an eyebrow at
the Doctor. “And I knew you were here
because I plugged in a date and asked where you were. My
TARDIS brought me here...and look, here you are.”
“I’ll stop you.” The Doctor stated lowly, his voice taking on
a dark tone.
The Master rolled his
eyes. “Yeah, you’ve said that before
too...and stop with the Oncoming Storm voice.
It didn’t work back in the day and it’s not going to work now.”
“I was younger
then...and a different person.”
“Yeah...me too.” The Master glanced over the Doctor’s shoulder
and smiled. “See, I may never be as
clever as you, but...I’ve got street smarts.
And I also have the advantage of knowing how your mind works. You’ll stay here...to save this
planet...instead of chasing after me right now.
We’ll meet up again in a few years, rest assured.”
“I’ll save this
planet...and then I’ll find you. This is
not finished...not by a long shot.” The
Doctor countered.
“Mm...but, see...you
won’t remember me being here.”
“Oh, but I
will...” The Doctor disagreed, staring into
the Master’s eyes.
“Deep down,
maybe. In the darkest corners of your
mind, you’ll think... ‘what a strange dream’.”
The Master licked his lips and returned the Doctor’s stare. “You do still dream, don’t you?”
Before the
Doctor...or Rose...could give a response at all, the Master’s gaze flickered
back over to a spot in the distance behind the Doctor. “Time for me to go...you do have a planet to
save after all. And I think that they’re going to do everything they can
to stop you...and the migration.”
The Doctor didn’t
follow the Master’s gaze...but Rose did.
“Um...Doctor? Remember how you said that two doesn’t make a
group?”
The Master grinned,
winking at the Doctor before taking a step back. “Two’s never
been a group. Eight, on the other hand...that’s
a pretty good start, don’t you think?”
Despite his better
judgement, the Doctor turned and looked over his shoulder. “Well, then...that’s definitely a group.”
“Yeah...” Rose agreed, tightening her fingers around
his. “And the Master guy is gone...”
The Doctor gave a
nearly imperceptible nod and slipped his free hand into his jacket pocket. “Would’ve been more surprised if he’d
stayed. We’ll catch up with him later,
first things first though.”
“You’re human!” A small, greenish-colored being stated in a
surprised tone.
“I most certainly am
not!” The Doctor scowled
indignantly. When Rose cleared her
throat, his scowl softened and he gestured towards her with a tilt of his head. “She is though...as human as...well, a
human. Not much else that’s human as
that, is there? I look human, so I
understand your confusion about that.”
The alien narrowed
his eyes as he stared at the Doctor.
“You talk a lot. Way more than
any human I’ve ever met.”
“How many have you
met, then?” Rose asked, glancing at the
weapon in the alien’s hand.
“Counting you? Um...one.”
He cleared his throat and scratched the top of his head. “But, heard stories of ‘em...seen pictures
too. Gotta say that you’re a lot
prettier than the pictures...”
“Oi...watch it.” The Doctor admonished, glaring at him. “What’s your name? You’re an Aterian, yeah? And judging by your height, I would wager
that you’re a juvenile...”
The being studied the
Doctor closely for a moment and then heaved a deep sigh. “Maz.
My name is Maz.”
The Doctor arched an
eyebrow at him. “Maz?”
Maz shrugged a
shoulder. “I have a long name...hard to
pronounce. My friends started calling me
Maz because it’s easier.”
The Doctor nodded
slowly as he smiled. “I know what you
mean. I’m the Doctor.”
“Doctor?” Maz questioned.
“I have a long, hard
to pronounce name as well.” The Doctor
responded, closing his eyes briefly when he heard the sound of the TARDIS’
engines.
“She sounds
sick.” Rose whispered, tearing her eyes
away from Maz and watching the TARDIS dematerialize.
“She is.” The Doctor answered sadly before opening his
eyes and taking a deep breath. “Your
friends have us surrounded.”
“Yeah...we’re kinda
sneaky like that. You’re going to try to
stop the revolution, aren’t you?”
“Yep.” The Doctor nodded slowly, letting go of
Rose’s hand and jerking his thumb over his shoulder in a gesture to the spot
where the TARDIS stood just a moment before.
“If it’s a revolution that he
started, then yeah...I’m going to stop it.
Because whatever he starts isn’t good...”
“He said that the
Lamborions would kill us all if they migrate.”
A voice called out from behind Rose.
“He lied!” Rose responded, shaking her head. “Right, Doctor?”
“Well...”
Rose turned her eyes
to the Doctor and stared at him. “Right, Doctor?”
“Technically...” He paused and tugged at the lobe of his left
ear with his right hand. “Well, the Master is a lot of things, but...he
generally doesn’t lie. In fact, he’s
normally brutally honest...people fear the truth. He learned that at a very early age.”
“So they will kill us!”
Rose rolled her eyes
and smacked the Doctor’s arm. “You’re so
not helping right now!”
The Doctor ignored
Rose and stared into Maz’s accusing eyes.
“The Lamborions will not kill you. They’re peaceful beings, you know this. They’re nothing but...big fireflies. Big, purple fireflies. You’ve coexisted with them for eons...and
you’ll do so for millennia to come. If
you don’t do something really, very, monumentally stupid right now.”
When Maz’s eyes
darted towards the empty spot where the second TARDIS stood earlier, the
Doctor’s brow furrowed.
“Do you know who he
was?”
“Said he was the
Master. Didn’t say what he was the
Master of though. Just laughed when I
asked him...a scary laugh. A little
psychotic.”
The Doctor gave a
brief nod and ran his fingers through his hair.
“Yeah, he’s a bit psychotic. He used to be a friend of mine...when we
were very, very young. What did he tell you
about the migration?”
Maz opened his mouth
to reply, but then closed it when the Doctor quickly continued.
“Because what he
didn’t tell you...or what I’m sure he didn’t tell you...was that things change
during the migration.
Things...people...don’t necessarily die
during the migration. Change
happens. And change is good...change is
what has kept your civilization alive for...well, forever. Without change...without the migration...your
atmosphere will degrade until nothing can survive. It’s the way your planet...your people...were
created. It’s the way it must be.”
Rose looked at him,
her eyes shining with love and wonder.
He had never failed to amaze her...until he uttered his next statement.
“Search your
feelings, young Maz...you know it to be true.”
Rose rolled her eyes
and made a mental note to ban him from watching anything related to Star Wars
for the next year. This was the fourth
time in as many weeks that he’d quoted one of the films during negotiations.
Apparently, the Star
Wars series wasn’t known in this solar system...because Maz just shook his head
and tightened his hold on the weapon in his hand.
“I know that’s what
we’re taught...from such an early age.
But...take a deep breath. You can
feel the thickness, taste the decay in the air.”
The Doctor glanced up
and heaved a deep sigh. “You need to let
the Lamborions pass, Maz. It’s starting
now...look at the leaves.”
Maz looked up and
narrowed his eyes in confusion. “What’s
wrong with them?”
The Doctor reached up
and carefully plucked one from a branch.
Rose tilted her head quizzically as she watched a cloud of orange-tinted
dust fall from the tree.
“They’re...oxidizing...rusting. The air is changing, you’re right about
that. But, the trees can’t change...you can’t
change...until the Lamborions push the old atmosphere out of the way. That’s why the air feels thicker to you.”
“What about
you?” Maz asked and then gestured to
Rose. “And her? How come you aren’t affected by this change?”
“Yeah...how
come?” Rose chimed in.
The Doctor gently
took hold of her hand, lacing their fingers together as he sighed. “We’re not Aterians, Maz. Things will change as the Lamborions
migrate...and some of the changes, you might not like. Some of them, you won’t remember. Most of them will keep you alive, though. The
Master was successful in heightening your fear...and look what’s happened so
far. You don’t have much time left, Maz. None of you do. And when the last Lamborion has taken its
last breath and this planet turns cold and orange as the rust takes
over...that’s when the Master will have won once more.”
The Doctor took a
deep breath and stood straight, his eyes darkening as his jaw clenched and
released.
“I won’t let that
happen, Maz. I can’t let him destroy a
planet just because he can. And I won’t
let you stop me. The last thing I want
to do is to hurt any of you...but, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of
the few.” He cast a quick glance at Rose
and grinned. “Told you I’d work Spock in
at some point!”
“Yay...good for
you...can we get this migration started now?”
Rose asked, not nearly as happy about his use of quotes as he apparently
was.
Maz’s voice
interrupted the Doctor’s response.
“You’re telling the
truth, aren’t you?”
The Doctor looked
back to find Maz watching the rust spread along the branch of the tree. “Yeah, I am.
You can help me stop this, Maz.
We just need to get the Lamborions on their way.”
“Purple glows light
the sky, the Lamborions in flight wash away yesterday...tomorrow is brand
new.” Maz quoted softly.
“Yeah...not the best
piece of poetry I’ve ever heard, but that’s the gist of it all.” The Doctor stated, his voice tinged with
impatience. “Now, if you don’t
mind...I’d like to get the migration started and then get back to the TARDIS so
that we can go find the Master, yeah?”
“But...didn’t the
Master take it?” A soft voice asked from
the Doctor’s left.
Rose shook her head
quickly and smiled at the Aterian who had spoken. “No...our TARDIS is just on the other side of
that line of trees over there.” Her
smile faded as she continued. “Not
really sure how he got hold of the TARDIS, but...it’s a time machine, you see? I mean, it’s a space ship...and a time
machine and...well, it’s – ”
“This is the
wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey part that no one really understands.” The Doctor interjected, sounding a little
more frustrated and anxious than he did just a few moments earlier.
Maz grinned
brightly. “And from the stars, he shall come...ice
and fire...breathing life of eternity.
Time will slow, for but a moment, and then he’ll be gone...as if he’d
never come. But, life will march
on...because of him.”
Rose’s eyes widened
as she nudged the Doctor. “Hey...that’s
you.”
“If you knew
that...then why try to...” The Doctor
waved his hand and blew out an exasperated breath. “Oh, never mind...do we have a deal
then? You let the migration happen, we
get to watch... ‘cause we’re actually here on a date, after all...and then we
go take care of what needs to be taken care of while you lot live long and
prosper and...”
He grinned at Rose
again. “See what I did there? Worked itself right in, didn’t it?”
“Shut up...”
Maz shook his head in
slight amusement. “You’re a little
strange, aren’t you?”
“Oh, I’m a lot
strange.” The Doctor replied with a
smile. “Deal?”
Maz nodded and
extended his hand towards the Doctor, grinning as they shook hands. “Deal.”
* * *
“Impressive.” The Doctor stated as he looked around the
large warehouse that the group of Aterians had led him and Rose into.
Rose groaned and
pointed her finger at him. “I swear, if
you say ‘most impressive’ I’ll...”
He arched an eyebrow
at her as she trailed off, his grin dancing in his bright eyes. “You’ll what?
Roll your eyes and smack me?”
“No.” She replied, narrowing her eyes
slightly. “I’ll watch the migration with
you and then I’ll go back to the TARDIS with you.”
His eyes darted to
her lips as he cleared his throat.
“Sounds like a horrible punishment to me...”
“And then I’ll go to
bed...by myself.” She continued, smiling
as his eyes snapped back to hers.
“Rose!”
“Stop it with the
Star Wars quotes. Seriously!”
“But – ”
“I’m serious,
Doctor. Stop. It’s driving me crazy!”
The Doctor opened his
mouth, shut it, opened it again and paused before sighing heavily and giving
her a nod. “Fine. No more Star Wars quotes...even if they’re
perfectly applicable to the situation. I’ll resist...for you.”
“Good.” Rose lowered her hand and offered him a warm
smile. “Now, where do we start?”
The Doctor scratched
the back of his head and then gestured towards a machine in the corner. “Maz said that this is the key. We unlock the loft, the Lamborions take
flight...as long as we can keep the rebels from attacking them, everything
should just...fall into place rather quickly.”
“And what if we can’t
stop them from attacking the fireflies?”
The Doctor glanced at
her and then averted his eyes just as quickly.
“Let’s see about figuring how this key
works, yeah?”
Rose ran her fingers
through her hair and exhaled a deep breath.
“I really hate it when you don’t answer questions...”
He ignored her
exasperated statement and rubbed his palms together as he stared at the machine
in front of him. “Now...how do you work?”
He searched for a few
seconds and then gave a triumphant cry as he held up what looked to be a
primitive computer mouse. He rubbed the
bottom of the object against his jacket to clean it of dust and grime and then
grinned as he lifted it up to the level of his mouth.
“Hello,
computer...” He said in a nearly perfect
Scottish accent.
Rose groaned and
turned her back to him. “That’s it! I’ve had enough!”
The Doctor looked
over his shoulder at her, more than a little surprised to see that she was walking
towards the door. “What? Rose...where are you going? Rose!”
He dropped the
mouse-like object and ran after her, the soles of his shoes squeaking lightly
against the concrete floor.
Rose stopped, but not
of her own accord. She stopped because the
Doctor had reached her...and then had grabbed her wrist, forcing her to
stop.
“Rose...”
She took a deep
breath and clenched her jaw for a moment before turning her eyes to him. “Seriously.
I’ve had enough of the quotes. Seriously.”
“But...that was Star Trek.
The Voyage Home to be precise...the fourth film. It wasn’t Star Wars...” He proceeded to explain, pausing when she
narrowed her eyes dangerously at him.
“But, you, uh...you weren’t really just talking about Star Wars quotes,
were you?”
“No...” She drawled, doing her best not to smile.
She was annoyed with
him, but the fact that he was honestly confused about her frustration made her
realize that that was one of the many
things she loved about him. He was
brilliant, and scary clever, but once in a while...not very often...he had a
boyish cluelessness about him that was stupidly charming.
“I’m sorry.” He whispered, offering her a small smile as
he rubbed his thumb along her inner wrist.
“No more quotes...of any movie.
Just...don’t go, okay?”
“Where am I going to
go, Doctor? We’re on a planet in a
different solar system...thousands of years in the future...with a rebellion
going on. And we have to free the
fireflies so that things can fall back into order here.” She tilted her head towards the door and
allowed her smile to be seen. “As if I’m
going out there on my own.”
“Never know with
you.” He replied, leaning down to brush
his lips across hers.
She returned his kiss
with a gentle one of her own, sighing as they parted a few seconds later. “Can we just take ten minutes to ourselves
right now?”
The Doctor scoffed,
turning and leading her back to the machine in the corner of the room. “Ten minutes?
When have I ever taken as little as ten minutes?”
“Um...” Rose started, a grin appearing on her
face. “I was actually talking about
spending some time just kissing...”
“Oh. Well...”
He looked at her and gave her a wink.
“You know where kissing leads.”
She pulled her bottom
lip between her teeth, chewing lightly at it as she glanced at his mouth. When he cleared his throat, she released her
lip and met his gaze.
“Why can’t you have
superpowers?” When he arched an eyebrow
at her, she continued. “You
know...like...pausing time or something.
Shouldn’t a Time Lord be able to control
time instead of just bouncing around it?”
“What?” He asked, chuckling softly.
“Well, if you could
control time...we could just...stop things around us for a while. You know?”
He nodded slowly and
scratched the back of his head with his free hand. “But, then I’d just abuse my powers, wouldn’t
I? Because...as much as I love the
running and the adventure and the danger and all that comes with time
travel...I’d just keep us in one spot, in one time for as long as I possibly
could.”
“You would?” She asked, sounding more surprised than she
thought she actually was. “Really?”
“Yep. But, I have no time control superpowers so
we’ll just have to make do with...waiting.”
He kissed her once more and then let go of her hand to turn his
attention to the machine. “You’d just
get bored after a while anyway.”
“Doubt it.” She responded quietly, smiling when he
coughed.
“Alright...where were
we? Oh, right...” He grinned as he picked up the object that
reminded him of an old computer mouse.
“Click or scroll?”
Rose chuckled and
made her way to his side. “Turning the
thing on would be my first option.”
“Obviously, yes. But...what happens if we turn it on and it
gives us three seconds to continue before imploding? Or exploding...that’d
probably be worse.” When she merely
stared at him, he shrugged a shoulder.
“It’s been known to happen, you know.”
She looked at the
object in his hand and sighed. “I’d
probably scroll...what about you?”
“Oh, there’s a button
right here...just begging to be pushed.
You know how I am about pushing buttons.” He paused as she snorted in amusement. “So, I’d click...click the red button. Because red buttons should be pushed...or
clicked...or...”
“Just push the button,
Doctor.”
He grinned brightly
at her and reached over to flip the switch, his eyes shining with excitement as
the machine roared to life. He waited a
few minutes, staring intently at the machine, and then gave an appreciative
nod.
“Well...no implosion,
that’s good. No explosion, that’s even
better. Not even a skerrick of smoke...”
He stated in a satisfied tone.
“A skerrick? No one says ‘skerrick’ – ”
“I say ‘skerrick’...”
“ – except for old
people...”
“Oi!”
“Nine hundred years
old...I guess you’re entitled to say ‘skerrick’ if you want...” She allowed her gaze to drop, her eyes
following the blue pinstripes down his right leg. “ ‘Course...you don’t look like you should be entitled to say ‘skerrick’ if you want...”
“How did that
happen?” He asked suddenly, causing her
to dart her eyes back to his.
“What?”
“Just a few minutes
ago, you were threatening to leave ‘cause I was annoying you. And now...”
He gestured vaguely, casting a quick glance at her chest. “...you’re...aroused. Sexually
aroused and looking like...”
She took a step
closer to him as he trailed off.
“Looking like what?”
“Rose...don’t. Not right now. We...we have things to do. Important
things to do. And...if you don’t stop
right now, right this second, I’m...well, I’m not sure I’ll be able to. So, I’m asking...begging, if you want...you
to stop.”
Rose took a deep
breath and exhaled slowly as she nodded, glancing up towards the loft when she
heard a flurry of sounds...wings struggling to flap, excited squeaks, large
bodies shuffling about. “Free the
fireflies...yeah?”
“Lamborions.” He corrected without thought, turning back to
the machine to read the digital display.
“Looks like it’s time...click, yeah?”
“Yeah...click...” She replied, moving to his side and slipping
her left hand into his right.
He looked over at
her, smiling warmly as he positioned his left thumb onto the red button. “Buttons were made to be pushed...”
Before Rose had a
chance to respond, he pushed the button and cast his eyes upwards. She squeezed his hand tightly as the sound of
gears grinding resonated within the large warehouse. As the ceiling began to part and a sliver of
the dusky sky could be seen, the Doctor grinned.
He stopped himself
from commanding the Lamborions to ‘fly, fly, fly!’...as he was fairly certain
that ‘no movie quotes’ meant none. And not even Wizard of Oz was exempt from
that.
Instead, he tightened
his hold on Rose’s hand and watched as the ceiling continued to open.
“We might want to
head outside soon, Rose.”
“Why?” She asked, mesmerized by the sight of the
giant fireflies stretching their wings in preparation for flight.
“I promised you a
front row seat at the migration...” He
replied, tearing his eyes away from the Lamborions to look at her. “If we don’t leave soon...we’ll miss it. And...I still can’t wait to see how the
purples will look reflected in your eyes.”
“There’s a rebellion
going on out there, you know...”
“Yep.” He sighed, running his fingers through his
hair. “But...once these guys are in
flight, the rebellion will be over.”
“But what if they
attack them? The little guys, I mean...”
“The Aterians?” The Doctor asked, smiling as Rose nodded
emphatically.
“Yeah, them. They have weapons. Maz had one...and so did his friends. And they were just a small group of
rebels...with small weapons. What if the
older ones – ”
“It was mainly
us. The 58th generation, we
call ourselves.” Maz interrupted from
the doorway.
He looked up at the
loft as the gears continued to groan and grind, forcing the ceiling open. “There were a few oldies, but...mainly it was
just us. Not wanting to let go of what
we have... ‘cause we’ve never had this much before.”
“You’ll have
more...” The Doctor stated, walking across
the room towards Maz...with Rose right at his side. “You may not remember what you had, but – ”
“What?” Rose interrupted, brows knitting together as
she looked up at the Doctor. “What do
you mean, ‘you may not remember’?”
“The Lamborions take
things with them...things change, so people have to change. Memories go as well...”
“What?! You mean...they won’t remember anything?” Rose shook her head as she let go of the
Doctor’s hand. “You said...well, you
didn’t really explain much at all, now that I really think about it. But – ”
“I said that
technically they wouldn’t die. Their
memories, not all of them...they’ll remember who they are, their friends and
families...most of those memories will stay, and change with them. Other things...well, they lose them during
the migration. And that’s the fear that
the Master was playing on.” The Doctor
explained patiently.
“But – ”
“They won’t remember
the migration, Rose. They won’t remember
the rebellion, they won’t remember the state of the planet, they won’t remember
who was rich and who was poor...but, they’ll live on. It’s the way of the system here. If that’s thrown out of balance...you saw
what would happen. They will die without the migration.”
“Most of us...the 58th,
I mean...we don’t like change.” Maz
added with a smile. “But, things could
be better...”
“Could be
worse.” The Doctor stated in a tone that
was obviously meant to be helpful. Even
if it wasn’t.
“Well, thanks...
‘cause we didn’t think about that.” Maz
sighed heavily.
Rose elbowed the
Doctor in his ribs, glaring at him when he grunted. The Doctor rubbed at his side and gave Maz an
apologetic smile.
“Probably will be
better. Things here have only gone
backwards once...and that was fifteen thousand years ago. And they only went backwards because they’d
gone forwards too fast...” He smirked
when Maz tilted his head in thought.
“Don’t think about it too much, you’ll get a headache. Just trust me...”
“I do.” Maz admitted as he rubbed the side of his
neck. “I don’t know why though.”
Rose slipped her hand
back into the Doctor’s and laced their fingers together. “ ‘Cause he’s the Doctor. There’s something...well, you just know he’s telling you the truth,
yeah? You don’t know why or how you
know, but...you know. And it’s
frustrating as hell, I know...but, deep down...you know he’d never do anything
to cause you pain. Not intentionally,
anyway.”
Maz thought about her
words and then smiled at Rose. “Is that
what happened to you when you first met him?”
“Oh, I thought he was
a complete nutter.” Rose replied,
pausing just a second before nodding.
“But, yeah...I knew he was telling me the truth.”
Maz smiled and then
gestured at the door with a jerk of his thumb.
“It’s not gonna be long now...there’s a spot on the hill, just behind
the warehouse. I reckon it’d be the
perfect place to watch the migration...no trees in the way or anything.”
“You’ll be fine,
Maz. And you’ll be a great leader one
day.” The Doctor reached out and placed
his hand on Maz’s shoulder. “Just...make
sure you’re leading the right people for the right cause, yeah?”
Maz chuckled and
glanced up as the Lamborions began to hum in anticipation of their
release. “Go on...you don’t want to miss
this.”
“Wow...” Rose breathed as a soft mauve glow was cast
within the warehouse. “That’s...that’s
amazing...”
“Even more amazing
against a night sky...” The Doctor
agreed.
Maz rolled his eyes
and shook his head in amusement. “Would
you two just go already? Thank you for
everything, but...I don’t do goodbyes.
And I probably won’t remember you afterwards...so, go...enjoy the lights
and each other.”
The Doctor merely
smiled brightly at Maz and then led Rose out of the warehouse. Maz leaned against a support beam and crossed
his arms over his chest as he watched the mauve glow become
darker...brighter...purpler.
He laughed softly at
the memory of an argument with his younger brother over whether or not
‘purpler’ was actually a word. He’d said
that it wasn’t. His brother had been
adamant that it was.
But, looking up right
now...he couldn’t think of a better word to use to describe the growing
intensity of the lights.
It was definitely
purpler.
* * *
Rose sighed softly as
she watched a giant firefly glide overhead.
“You’re missing it...”
“I’ve seen it
before.” The Doctor mumbled, pressing
another soft kiss to the side of her neck.
“I’m seeing what I wanted to see...”
“Doctor...” She giggled softly and smacked his hand as he
started fingering the collar of her shirt.
“I’m not doing this here.”
“Doing what?” He asked, lifting his head to look into her
eyes.
“You.” She replied with a smile before squinting her
eyes against the brightness of the purple glow.
“Not here, anyway. I mean...we’re
on a bloody hill where anyone could see us.”
“I hadn’t thought
about making love to you here.” He
stated, arching an eyebrow at her.
“Well, not until now. I just
wanted to see what the light looked like against your skin...because it’s just
as lovely as I’d thought it’d be reflected in your eyes. You’re sure I can’t persuade you?”
Rose laughed as she
shook her head. “Yeah, I’m sure. But...you know, once we get back to the
TARDIS...”
The Doctor thought
for a moment and then nodded. “I guess
it wouldn’t matter too much if we took some time for ourselves before we go
find the Master.”
“Find what?” Rose asked, furrowing her brow.
“The Master. We might be able to lock onto the altered
TARDIS’ flight path. Shouldn’t be that
hard, really.” When he noticed the utter
confusion in Rose’s eyes, he paused.
“What?”
“What the hell are
you talking about? Altered TARDIS? I thought we had the only TARDIS left. You said there wasn’t another one, I remember. I asked you about it ages ago. And...what is the Master?”
The Doctor felt a
wave of panic rush through him. Pushing
himself up, he knelt beside of Rose and placed his fingers against the side of
her face.
As he closed his eyes
in concentration, Rose smacked his thigh with the back of her hand. “Oi! Out of my head! We talked about that!”
His eyes snapped open
as he removed his hand from her face.
“You don’t remember. But...but,
how...how did...you were there. Just
earlier, you were there...before we went to the warehouse. You...you saw it...the altered TARDIS. You saw him...”
“What? Doctor...have you been into the burwold cider
again?”
“Cider? No...I...”
He stopped suddenly when he felt a gentle pull from deep within his
mind.
The purple glow grew
brighter around them and that’s when it hit him.
The Lamborions were
taking their memories of their time on the planet. The memories of the rebellion, the
Aterians...the Master.
“No! No, no, no!
That’s not how it works!” He
cried, staring up at the sky full of giant fireflies. “You don’t take the memories of visitors
during a migration!”
One Lamborion paused
in flight and sent one quick telepathic message to the Doctor.
In times of distress, not all should be remembered. And should those memories escape, they can
come back to haunt you. I’m sorry, not
all will be taken...only what is deemed for the greater good.
“For the greater
good? You’re stealing our memories for
the greater good of your planet? What
about her planet?” The Doctor asked heatedly, staring at the
Lamborion so intently that he didn’t notice the concern in Rose’s eyes.
Our concern is our world.
“And my concern is her!” The Doctor roared,
blindly grabbing Rose’s hand and jumping to his feet.
Rose followed him,
more out of necessity than anything else.
“Doctor! What’s going on?”
He shook his head,
the tug in his mind growing stronger as little details began to fade away. “We need to get to the TARDIS, Rose. Now!”
Instead of waiting
for a reply, he took off at a run, pulling Rose along with him. If he could get to the TARDIS in time, maybe
he’d be able to remember enough...all he had to do was remember that the Master
had returned. He was back...and he
needed to be stopped.
He clenched his jaw
and fought against the pull in his mind.
And he ran faster,
ignoring Rose’s continuous questions as to what was wrong.
There wasn’t enough
time to answer her...not right now.
The Lamborion that
had been communicating with the Doctor hovered over the hillside for a moment,
watching the Doctor and Rose run towards the blue box. The creature’s sadness emanated around him,
but the Doctor didn’t notice.
Rose thought she
caught a sensation of something, but
they had reached the TARDIS door just as she started to look back at the
Lamborion.
And then she forgot that
she’d caught a sensation of something.
* * *
The Doctor slammed
the door of the TARDIS shut and ran up the ramp. Rose arched an eyebrow at him as he raced
around to the opposite side of the console.
“What are you in such
a hurry for then?” She asked as the
Doctor reached up to tweak a knob on the monitor.
He furrowed his brow
as he stared at the monitor, slowly moving his hand to the back of his
head. He scratched at his scalp and then
shrugged a shoulder.
“Dunno. I’m sure that I had an agenda though...”
“Yeah, you did.” Rose chuckled as she ambled up the ramp,
unzipping her hoodie as she went. “But,
I’m pretty sure it didn’t have anything to do with that.”
He glanced over at
her, inhaling sharply as she draped her discarded jacket over the padded
railing. “I’m not. I mean...I’m not sure that it didn’t have
anything to do with...” He gestured
towards the monitor as he cleared his throat.
“Not sure it matters now though.”
“Is watching the
migration an aphrodisiac or anything?”
She asked as she stopped in front of him and pulled the button on his
jacket free.
“Not that I’m aware
of.” He responded in a tone that was
slightly deeper than normal.
“Must just be you
then, huh?” She grinned, leaning up on
her toes to press a kiss to his lips.
“Must be...” He murmured before sliding his arms around
her and deepening the kiss.
Rose pulled from the
kiss after a few long moments, grinning when the Doctor whimpered softly. “Do we need to leave right now? I mean...should we kinda...postpone this until we’re somewhere
else?”
“What?” He stared at her for a split-second and then
his eyes widened. “Oh! Oh, right, yes! We, uh…we should go. Because of the migration and…well, we don’t want
to get caught up in the changing atmosphere or anything.”
When he continued to
stand there, in front of her with his arms draped loosely around her, she
chuckled and gently stroked his chest.
“Go on, then…I’ll go grab a quick shower and meet you – ”
“In the bedroom?” He
interrupted with a hopeful questioning tone.
“Unless you want me
to come back here…” She replied with a
playful waggle of her eyebrows.
The lights dimmed
slightly in the room and he grinned.
“You know she doesn’t like it when we have sex in here…”
“And whose fault’s
that?” She asked, leaning up to give him
another quick peck on the lips before stepping out of his embrace.
“Oh, it’s mine…” The Doctor admitted with a chuckle, running
his hand through his hair as he took a step towards the console. “But, how was I supposed to know that you
were going to secrete all over the control panel?”
“Secrete? Did you really just
say ‘secrete’?”
He blushed lightly as
she laughed. “Would you rather me say
that you came so hard that a few circuits shorted out and the TARDIS refused to
help me do any of the repairs?”
Rose’s laugh stopped
abruptly and she bit her bottom lip. A
smile danced in his eyes when he recognized the act as her doing her best to
control her arousal. He gestured towards
the hallway with a flick of his hand and cleared his throat.
“Go on…I’ll get us
anchored somewhere safe and then…I’m all yours.”
“You won’t be long?”
“Ten quid says I’ll
be in the bedroom before you’re out of the shower.”
Rose grinned brightly. “You’re on!”
He watched her run
out of the console room and then turned his attention to the monitor. “All right…let’s head out, what do you say,
sweetheart?”
The TARDIS gave an
agreeable hum and the Doctor smiled as the rotor began to move.
* * *
Rose ran into the
bedroom, water dripping from the ends of her hair only to be absorbed by the
thick green robe that she was wearing.
She glanced at the bed and smiled triumphantly.
“He owes me ten
bloody quid!”
“Do I?” His deep voice asked from the other side of
the room.
She spun around to
find him leaning against the dresser with a smug grin on his face and his arms
crossed over his chest. His bare chest. She cast a quick glance over his body and
quickly determined that he was, in fact, very nearly bare everywhere…and
would’ve been completely bare had he
not been still wearing his underwear.
Underwear that did absolutely nothing
to conceal his state of arousal.
“You cheated! You had to have cheated!”
He scoffed as he
pushed away from the dresser. “I did
not! Have you ever known me to cheat?”
When she arched an
eyebrow at him, he rolled his eyes.
“Okay, that time on
Traclodis, yeah…but technically that wasn’t cheating. I didn’t know the rules of the game…and I had
to get across the river. All they said
was that I had to be dry…they didn’t say anything about not using a sonic
screwdriver to – ”
“You cheated…”
The corner of his
mouth twitched in amusement. “Yeah, I
suppose I did…then, not now. I won this
little wager honestly…you owe me ten quid.”
She batted her
eyelashes at him and licked her lips.
“No pockets…can I give it to you later?”
“Buy me a cake with
edible ball bearings on it the next time we’re in
“Where are we?” She asked, doing her best to not shiver as he
pulled the belt on the robe free.
“Does it
matter?” He sighed, parting the material
of the robe to expose her freshly showered body.
“Well, yeah…if we’re
stuck in the path of an asteroid or something.”
He stared into her
eyes and chuckled softly. “You watch far
too much telly…when have you ever known me to put us in the path of an asteroid?”
“Well…” The robe fell to the floor and she finally
shivered as his hands smoothed down her sides to rest on her hips. “Um…never?”
“Not going to start
now.” He whispered, lowering his mouth
to her collarbone.
She slid her arms
around him and clutched at his back as he nibbled his way to the base of her
throat. “Where…where are we?”
He smiled against her
skin and glided his lips down the slope of her right breast. “On the outer rim of the Ramseria galaxy…”
She shuddered as his
tongue flicked against her nipple.
“We’re…um…we’re safe?”
“Completely.” He replied, lifting his head to look into her
eyes. “Would you like to see?”
Rose shook her head
and slid her hands down to his waist.
“Only want to see you right now…I’m naked and you’re not. That’s not very fair, is it?”
“Depends on your
view…” His eyes roamed over her body and
his fingers tightened against her hips.
“My view happens to be quite lovely…”
She grinned and
hooked her fingers into the waistband of the briefs he was wearing. “Mine could be lovelier…”
His hold on her
loosened, allowing her to lower herself to her knees in front of him. “Rose…”
She looked up at him,
smiling softly as she slid the briefs down his thighs. “Yeah?”
“I…” He paused as she leaned forward and placed a
tender kiss on the underside of his erection.
“Oh…”
She continued to work
his underwear down his legs, smiling as he obediently lifted first one foot and
then the other so that she could remove the briefs completely. She placed a line of kisses along the length
of his cock…stopping when she reached the head.
When he slipped his
left hand into her hair, she looked up at him and took a deep breath. “Can I?”
He hesitated for a
moment, not because he didn’t like what she was proposing. In fact, it was the complete opposite. He loved the sensation of her mouth on
him…loved how it felt to briefly slip into her throat.
He just wasn’t fond
of her being on her knees…it seemed too subservient to him. Even if that wasn’t how she saw it.
“Doctor?”
His fingers twitched
against her scalp as he swallowed hard.
“Rose…”
They had discussed
his feelings about this before…on more than one occasion. She was working on pushing through the ‘wall
of subservience’, as he had called it…she’d been working on it for a while and
had been able to make some headway…
She nearly chuckled
at that thought, but successfully stifled it.
The point was…he
still wasn’t completely comfortable with her on her knees in front of him with
his cock in her mouth. And so she placed
a warm, open-mouthed kiss on the head of his erection and then gestured towards
the bed.
“Help me up?”
He reached down and
took her hand, smiling softly as he pulled her up. “Sorry, I just…not yet, yeah?”
“You know you don’t
have to apologize…” She stated, pressing
a kiss to his chest.
“You…like doing it though.” He sighed, running his hand through her hair
in an effort to brush the blond tresses back from her face. “And I don’t exactly hate it, you know?”
“Yep…” She grinned and kissed his chin, lightly
scraping her teeth against his skin.
“So, let’s go to bed and – ”
He interrupted her
with a sudden kiss, pushing his tongue into her mouth as he easily lifted her
into his arms. He turned slightly and took
two steps forward…until her back was resting against the nearest wall. When he felt her nails scratch at the back of
his neck as she curled her legs around him, he pulled from the kiss and took a
deep, shuddering breath.
“I love you.”
Rose’s eyes widened
slightly in surprise. She knew that he
loved her, there was no question about that.
He showed her every single day how much he loved her, he just didn’t say it very often. She had asked him about it at one point, when
it had been weighing on her mind, and he had explained that he didn’t want
those words to become only
words. He had wanted them to mean
something each time he said them.
And they did...they
meant so much when they tumbled from
his lips.
“I love you
too.” She whispered in reply, gently
rubbing her thumb along his jaw.
He gave a soft, happy
sigh and brushed his lips across hers once more...refusing to let the kiss slip
out of control again. “Do you realize
how close you just came to being fucked against the wall?”
Rose chuckled and
stroked the hair covering the nape of his neck.
“Do you realize how much I don’t care where we are?”
“Yep...” He replied with a grin before turning and
quickly walking the short distance to the bed. His grin faded slightly as he
lowered her to the mattress and gently brushed the hair back from her
face. “But, you deserve more,
Rose. Tonight it needs to be more than
that...”
Rose’s brow furrowed
with concern. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. At least, I don’t think anything’s
wrong. Well, something may be wrong
somewhere, but...right here, nothing’s wrong.
Why?”
“You just
sounded...serious.”
“Well, loving you is
a serious thing...” He replied, smiling
as she rolled her eyes at him. “I just
want to make love with you, that’s all.
And holding you up against the wall while I...well, that’s not what I
really want tonight. Is that okay?”
“Yeah...” She breathed as she reached up to run her
fingers through his thoroughly mussed hair.
“Yeah, that’s really okay.”
He smiled and ghosted
his fingertips over the smooth skin between her breasts, clucking his tongue
when she arched her chest up towards him.
“Humans...so impatient...”
“Time Lords...such
teases...” She countered, bending her
right leg and resting her knee against his hip.
He raised an eyebrow
at her and moved his hand from her chest to her knee, making sure to brush his
long fingers along the underside of her breast as he did. “Time Lord,
not Lords...”
She ran her hand down
his chest, pausing to lightly scrape her nails over his nipple, and licked her
lips. “That just means that one hundred
percent of the Time Lord population tease their girlfriends...and only about
seventy percent of the human population has trouble with impatience. Humans win...”
He gave her a crooked
grin as he slowly rubbed his thumb along her inner thigh. “Interesting statistics...come up with those
on your own?”
“Not much thinking
involved with yours...” She mumbled,
eyes fluttering closed as his hand made steady progress towards her aching centre. “Doctor...”
He inhaled sharply as
his thumb encountered her soft, damp curls.
“You make it so hard...”
She blindly reached
between their bodies and easily found his thick erection. “Mm-hm...”
His hips jerked
involuntarily as she curled her fingers around the shaft. “Oh...oh, that’s...well, that’s not what I
meant really.”
He cleared his throat
as she opened her eyes. “But, you do...I
mean, yeah...you make it, that...um...me, you make me hard, but...I meant that you make it hard to take things
slowly.”
“Oh...” She ran her tongue along her bottom lip as
she gave his cock a firm stroke. “Is
that a bad thing?”
“What? No...no not really. Or...not at all. It’s just...”
He swallowed thickly, his eyes darkening a shade as his fingers easily
found her swollen and fairly wet clitoris.
“I’d be happy simply touching and tasting you until six in the
morning...”
“Why six?” She asked before giving a soft moan as his
fingers explored her sensitive flesh.
“At six we’ll have a
brilliant view of the star shower…it’s pretty amazing. Not as amazing as the migration of the
Lamborions, but…it’s something worth showing you.” He rambled, glancing down and licking his
lips as he watched his middle finger slip inside of her. “But…you’re so warm and…wet. Soaking, actually…so very ready for me…”
“Uh-huh…” She murmured, letting her hand fall from his
erection as she arched her hips towards him.
“Really…really ready…”
“When you’re this
ready…I just want to be inside of you.”
He lifted his eyes to hers, holding her gaze as he pushed a second
finger into her. “And as much as I want
to touch and taste you for the next three hours and twenty-two minutes, I…think
I need to…”
Rose gripped the sheet
beneath her, whimpering as the Doctor removed his fingers and leaned over
her. She felt his wet fingers circle her
left nipple as his lips brushed over her temple.
“Doctor…”
He easily recognized
the frustration in her voice and fought back a smile. Instead, he gently pinched her nipple and
moved his mouth to her ear as she gasped.
“Rose…” He breathed, allowing his lips to graze the
cartilage. “Three hours is far too long
to wait to fuck you.”
She shifted
underneath him, letting go of the sheet and moving her hands to his sides. “Then don’t wait...”
“But, see…I don’t
want to fuck you either.” He pulled back
just enough to look into her eyes. “I
want…need, actually...I need
you. I need to be inside of you…I need –
”
She interrupted him by
catching him by surprise and flipping him onto his back. She straddled his hips and placed two fingers
over his lips.
“You need to stop
talking. Or…slow down your talking. I don’t mind the talking, really…as long as
you’re talking about – ”
His eyes sparkled as
he pressed a kiss to her fingers and took his turn at interrupting her. “I like it when you’re on top.”
“Yeah, see? That’s good
talking…” She grinned and leaned forward
slightly, taking her fingers from his lips and resting her hand on his
chest. “Why do you like it when I’m on
top?”
“Well…”
Rose furrowed her
brow as a thought occurred to her. “If
you say something about me doing all the work, I’m not going to be happy.”
“What?” He asked, sliding his hands up her thighs to
rest on her hips. “No, I love the way
your hair falls across your eyes as you look down at me…I love watching you
throw your head back when you come…and I love watching the beads of sweat roll
down between your breasts…and…your breasts…”
She offered him a
smile, reaching down to guide his erection through her wet folds. “What about my breasts?”
He swallowed hard as
she lowered herself onto him, surrounding his thick cock with her heat. “They…bounce.
It’s very…very, um…oh, Rose…”
“Know what I like about
being on top?” Rose asked, slowly
beginning to move.
He shook his head,
fingers tightening on her hips as he moved with her. “Tell me…”
“I can feel
you…deeper…completely…” She sighed,
sitting up straighter and covering his left hand with her right. “All I feel is you…and it’s like nothing else
matters…just us…”
His eyes drifted to
her breasts and he groaned softly as they jostled with their movements. He’d heard the term ‘breast man’ during one
of their trips to a pub with Mickey and his mates…but, he hadn’t been sure of
what it meant until he asked Rose later.
When she explained it to him, he had automatically glanced at her
chest…and knew instantly that he was a ‘breast man’.
As long as they were
Rose’s breasts.
“I love you,
Doctor.” She whispered, increasing her
speed as she felt her orgasm quickly approach.
He looked back up in
time to see her throw her head back as she moaned. He watched a small bead of sweat roll down
the side of her neck and muttered something in his native tongue when he felt
her inner walls begin to spasm around him.
And then he heard
it…his name on her cry. He smiled as he
felt her come…her fluid gushing around him as she literally screamed in
pleasure.
He moved quickly,
pulling her down to his chest and then rolling their bodies. She gasped as he hooked his right arm under
her left knee and resumed his long, hard thrusts.
“God…Doctor!”
As much as he wanted
to take his time, he knew that he’d come with her next orgasm. He knew that without a doubt. When he felt her curl her right leg around
him and her hands clutch at his back, he pressed his forehead against hers.
“Rose…tell me…”
“Huh?” She murmured, arching her hips as much as she
could to pull him deeper within her.
“Tell me you know…”
His breath was hot
against her face and the tremble in his voice was nearly enough to make her
come again. “Know what?”
He felt his hearts
pound in his chest as he struggled to keep his orgasm at bay for just a few
more moments. “That I love you…tell me
you know that I love you…”
With a bit of effort
she was able to move her right hand from his back to the side of his face. The first time they’d made love she had been
a little surprised at just how much he had perspired, considering how much
lower his normal body temperature was than a human’s. She inhaled a shaky breath as she ran her
fingertips through his sweat-soaked hair.
“I do know, Doctor. I know you love me...and I know how much you love me.” She whispered emphatically, pressing warm
kisses to his cheek and then along his jaw.
“I know.”
He held himself above
her and stared into her eyes. Suddenly,
a vision of an old childhood friend appeared in his mind for the briefest of
moments. His pace faltered, almost as if
he’d stumbled, and she gave a soft moan.
“Sorry...” He mumbled, shaking his head in
confusion.
“What happened?” She asked, her eyes fluttering closed as he
quickly resumed his thrusts.
“Not sure...not
important though...” He replied,
brushing his lips across hers.
“Sure?” She gasped as he pushed her even closer to
orgasm, her hand falling from his head to land on the bed.
“Positive.” He grunted, grabbing her hand and lacing
their fingers together. “Rose...”
“Yeah...I’m close
too...almost there, Doctor...” She panted,
curling her fingers around his as he pressed the back of her hand against the
mattress.
He wasn’t sure why
he’d just thought of the Master, but had to admit that at this moment, he
didn’t really care why. Maybe he would
later, but...
Rose arched her back,
screaming his name as she came for the second time.
He watched her thrash
beneath him and with one final thrust, allowed himself release. He shuddered almost violently, her name
leaving his lips on a guttural groan as he came deep within her.
He shifted as she
gasped for breath, carefully pulling out of her and moving to her side. He sighed happily as she rolled to face him,
gliding her trembling lips over his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.
“Did I ever tell you
about the Master?” He asked, pressing a
soft kiss in her hair.
Used to his bizarre
choices of post-coital conversation, she chuckled and snuggled closer to
him. “Nope...sounds ominous though...the
Master.”
“Just the name he
chose for himself...like I chose ‘Doctor’ for myself.”
“Oh...friend of yours
then?” She asked, sliding her hand down
to his hip as she tilted her head enough to look into his eyes.
“Before he lost his
mind, yeah...not so much afterwards.” He
ran a hand through his wet hair and narrowed his eyes. “Not sure why he came to mind...been years
since I’ve thought about him.”
“Hard to
tell...” Rose offered, gently pushing
him onto his back and resting her head on his shoulder. “Wanna talk about him?”
“No...not
really.” He curled his arm around her
and took a deep breath. “I think I want
to tell Jackie about us.”
She lifted her head
and widened her eyes at him. “What?”
“She should know,
shouldn’t she?”
“That we have sex?”
“Oh, I think she
already knows that.” He stated calmly,
rubbing her back as he continued as though she wasn’t staring at him in
shock. “I meant that I’d like her to
know that we’re in love. I think she
should know, don’t...”
He trailed off,
finally recognizing her flustered expression.
“What? You don’t think she should
know? It might put her mind at ease...I
mean with the travelling and everything...”
“How would she know
that we have sex?” Rose finally
asked.
“Um...” The Doctor reddened slightly and took a deep
breath.
“You told her?” She asked, her tone rising in panic. “Why...why would you tell her that we – ”
“I didn’t tell her,
Rose. Why would I willingly subject
myself to...” He sighed and reached up
to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
“She saw me come out of your room the time before last...when you wanted
me to stay instead of going back to the TARDIS.
Remember?”
“Oh. But we were quiet...I made sure that I was
quiet.”
“Yep...” He agreed with a grin. “But, how did you make sure?”
“I bit your...” She glanced at his shoulder, her mouth
dropping open. “Oh my God...when you
went to the loo, you didn’t put your shirt back on...”
“Nope...which
probably would’ve been enough to make her question it. The bite mark was just confirmation of her
suspicions, I would assume.”
“What did she say?”
“Nothing. That was weird, I thought. I don’t think she was all that shocked...but,
I would’ve expected her to hit me...or at least give me a lecture on human
biology. As if I don’t already know all
about it.”
Rose thought for a
second and then chuckled. At the
Doctor’s raised eyebrow, she laid back down next to him.
“She knows...that we
love each other, I mean. I think she’s
known that I’ve loved you since before you regenerated...and you’re not really
all that good at hiding your feelings, you know?”
“I’m not?” He asked, genuinely surprised that she would
even suggest that he couldn’t hide his feelings.
She laughed and shook
her head, draping her right arm over his abdomen as she slipped her leg over
his. “How long until the star shower
thingy?”
“An hour and a half,
give or take...”
“An hour and a
half?” She asked, glancing at the clock
on the bedside table. “What happened to
the three hours we had when we came to bed?”
He grinned and ran
his tongue over his teeth. “We had
sex...”
“Really great
sex.” She amended, sighing as he gently
stroked her breast. “Just didn’t realize
it was that much really great sex...”
“Any ideas on how to
spend the next little while?” He asked
teasingly.
Her eyes sparkled as
she allowed her hand to drift down to his quickly re-emerging erection. “A couple...”
There was a niggling
sensation in the back of his mind...something that had to do with the
Master. Something that he should
probably think about...write down...discuss with the TARDIS...or something.
He bit his lip, a
smile in his eyes as he watched her place a loving kiss on the head of his
cock.
The Master was
gone. He’d been lost years ago...decades
ago. Centuries, even...depending on
where in time they were.
He had plenty of time
to think about that later. Right now,
there was something else he’d rather concentrate on.
He groaned as Rose
stared into his eyes as she pulled his erection into her mouth.
And just like that,
he pushed all thoughts of his one-time friend from his mind. No reason to think about someone who couldn’t
possibly cause any problems...not when Rose Tyler had her lips wrapped around
his cock and was pouring her love for him into her eyes for him to see.
He wasn’t sure when
he’d had a better day than the one he’d had this day.
The migration of the
Lamborions...time spent with Rose with no hint of danger. He wished that he could give her more days
such as this.
He made a silent vow
to work on that.
* * *
A few thousand years
behind the Doctor and Rose, Harold Saxon married a young woman named Lucy.
Harold had
ambitions. Dreams that wouldn’t be
stopped by anyone. It just might take
some time to see them come to fruition.
He grinned and leaned
over to give his new bride a kiss.
“I’m going to be
Prime Minister one day.” He whispered to
her.
Lucy grinned and ran
her fingertips along his jaw. She just
married a man who would one day lead
Who wouldn’t be happy
about that?
~ End