FIC: Crisscrossing Stars
Title: Crisscrossing Stars
Summary: The Doctor crosses paths with a lady searching for a companion of her own making.
Characters: The Eleventh Doctor, Drusilla, River Song
Fandoms: Doctor Who, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~1100
Author's Note: This is my first DW fic, so feedback is much appreciated. It's mostly a crossover lark that was inspired by rewatching 5.06 "The Vampires of Venice" with ladyofthelog . ;-)
1880
The streets of London were bustling tonight, full of drunken revelers, pickpockets, cabbies, prostitutes, and ruffians. So much to see, so much to experience, and so much to avoid: he was the first to admit he was absolute rubbish at that last one.
“Excuse me,” the Doctor asked a passing gentleman escorting two ladies, “would you direct me to the Tower of-oomph!”
“Watch where you're going!” sobbed the man who'd crashed into him, so caught in his upset that he never paused in his impassioned stride.
Having landed flat on his back, the Doctor propped himself up on his elbows and called after the man, “Sorry, so sorry!”
One of the ladies in the group he'd first addressed approached him, wafting closer till she stood above him. Her features shone clear in the moonlight. Maybe it was the era, so close to the age of the Romantics, but he found himself cataloging her features thus: skin as pale as milk, raven tresses adorned in plump neat curls, and her eyes - oh, what eyes! They were dark and deep; he resisted the urge to swim in them. She was thin, incredibly thin, delicate even. Not that he was one to judge, being on the thinner side of thin himself.
Clambering to his feet, he shook himself free of the road. “Excuse me”-he spun around, first right, then left, his fingers pointing at all the fairways as he tried to correct his sense of direction-“but you wouldn't happen to know the way to the Tower of London?”
She smiled and turned on her heels, her skirts trailing behind her. At the corner, she paused, glanced at him over her shoulder, and disappeared into the dark.
“Right, then,” the Doctor said, nodding to himself before hastening to follow. He found her waiting for him a dozen paces deep into the alley, her back still turned. Standing near her, he searched the alley, looking for threats hiding in the shadows. “Perhaps I should escort you back to the main road. Who knows what manner of...” He trailed off; she faced him now, her fangs descended, bony ridges gracing her once smooth forehead. “What manner, indeed.”
“Hold still, brave knight,” she said, her voice clear as a bell and dangerous all the same. She circled him, dancing around him in an ever tighter orbit. Standing behind him, she nipped at the air a hairsbreadth above his shoulder. “It'll only hurt for a moment.”
He whipped around to face her, brandishing his sonic screwdiver in his sweaty palm. "Oh, no, no! No holding still. And no turning for me, either. You are a vampire? A Victorian vampire, no less, and not a fish from space?" He examined her fangs and brow ridges more closely. "You do appear to be the genuine article though I'd have to inspect further to be certain. Fascinating. But you see, I don't so much die as, well, I regenerate. So really, we're not a good fit. But I'm very flattered. You're quite charming in an ethereal, carnivorous sort of way."
Her tongue snaked out, caressing the curve of her lips and the tips of her fangs. “You're always searching yet you've never thought to look here.” Her fingers skipped across his chest, playing notes á pianoforte, drumming a song into his heart. “I'll turn you inside out and upside down till the sweet poison snares your heart.” Her eyes loomed large, a swirling pool of black shining bright, whispering mysteries and vowing promises. “Together forever.”
“I'm afraid you're, uh, barking up the wrong tree.” The Doctor gulped, then ducked his chin and hunched up his shoulders till they pressed against his ears. “There's no hope of persuading me.”
She sighed. “So alone. All the stars cannot warm you.”
“Oh, you'd be surprised.”
“Here you've fallen into my arms, knight of Gallifrey.” She pouted her lips. “Give us a kiss?”
His eyes shuttered and he tightened his jaw. “How do you know where I'm from?”
Her fingers darted forward to touch his chest, but he batted her hand away. Frowning, she replied, “Cross. Crisscrossing stars. They whisper.” She tilted her head to the side, angling for his neck. “Will you leave stardust in your wake?”
His nostrils flaring, he squeezed his hands into fists. “No, I think not.”
She clucked her tongue and curled her fingers into hungry claws. “I'll be a good girl, don't you worry.”
His expression gone stone cold, he warned, “Come closer, my dear, and I will make no such promise.”
“Won't even promise to hurt me just right?” She shivered and clutched her hands to her heart. “Too much or not at all when the fun's all in between.” She snarled and hissed at him. “Extermination's more your game.”
“So you have heard of me. From whom, I wonder.” He snatched her up by the shoulders in a punishing grip. “Who's been whispering in your ear?”
The sound of a pistol cocking echoed through the alley, and the Doctor looked up to find the most delectable River Song aiming the barrel of her gun at back of his mysterious and monstrous companion's head.
“Are you going to make a fuss if I shoot her?” River asked. “She is a vampire, after all.”
A reply about the possibility of reformed vampires hovering on the tip of his tongue, the Doctor found himself unceremoniously tossed into a stack of crates lining the alley. By the time he'd shaken off his disorientation, his vampire maiden had slipped away into the shadows. “So much for forever, eh? Fickle creature.”
“Honestly!” River said, grabbing him by the wrist and yanking him up. “I turn my back for ten minutes and you're busy being seduced by the locals.”
“I was handling it!” he protested, brushing off the muck from the back of his trousers.
“No, sweetie, you were being handled.” She smirked. “I should know.”
“What can I say? She obviously was attracted to my, my-well, actually, I'm not sure what she was attracted to. Not in a specific sense. She wasn't much for specifics.” His gaze goes distant. “Odd girl.”
River snapped her fingers between his eyes. “Need I remind you that Amy and Rory are being held against their will?”
“Amy and Rory! Yes, right!” He shot his index finger up as the light dawned in his eyes. “Off we go!”
***
Summary: The Doctor crosses paths with a lady searching for a companion of her own making.
Characters: The Eleventh Doctor, Drusilla, River Song
Fandoms: Doctor Who, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~1100
Author's Note: This is my first DW fic, so feedback is much appreciated. It's mostly a crossover lark that was inspired by rewatching 5.06 "The Vampires of Venice" with ladyofthelog . ;-)
1880
The streets of London were bustling tonight, full of drunken revelers, pickpockets, cabbies, prostitutes, and ruffians. So much to see, so much to experience, and so much to avoid: he was the first to admit he was absolute rubbish at that last one.
“Excuse me,” the Doctor asked a passing gentleman escorting two ladies, “would you direct me to the Tower of-oomph!”
“Watch where you're going!” sobbed the man who'd crashed into him, so caught in his upset that he never paused in his impassioned stride.
Having landed flat on his back, the Doctor propped himself up on his elbows and called after the man, “Sorry, so sorry!”
One of the ladies in the group he'd first addressed approached him, wafting closer till she stood above him. Her features shone clear in the moonlight. Maybe it was the era, so close to the age of the Romantics, but he found himself cataloging her features thus: skin as pale as milk, raven tresses adorned in plump neat curls, and her eyes - oh, what eyes! They were dark and deep; he resisted the urge to swim in them. She was thin, incredibly thin, delicate even. Not that he was one to judge, being on the thinner side of thin himself.
Clambering to his feet, he shook himself free of the road. “Excuse me”-he spun around, first right, then left, his fingers pointing at all the fairways as he tried to correct his sense of direction-“but you wouldn't happen to know the way to the Tower of London?”
She smiled and turned on her heels, her skirts trailing behind her. At the corner, she paused, glanced at him over her shoulder, and disappeared into the dark.
“Right, then,” the Doctor said, nodding to himself before hastening to follow. He found her waiting for him a dozen paces deep into the alley, her back still turned. Standing near her, he searched the alley, looking for threats hiding in the shadows. “Perhaps I should escort you back to the main road. Who knows what manner of...” He trailed off; she faced him now, her fangs descended, bony ridges gracing her once smooth forehead. “What manner, indeed.”
“Hold still, brave knight,” she said, her voice clear as a bell and dangerous all the same. She circled him, dancing around him in an ever tighter orbit. Standing behind him, she nipped at the air a hairsbreadth above his shoulder. “It'll only hurt for a moment.”
He whipped around to face her, brandishing his sonic screwdiver in his sweaty palm. "Oh, no, no! No holding still. And no turning for me, either. You are a vampire? A Victorian vampire, no less, and not a fish from space?" He examined her fangs and brow ridges more closely. "You do appear to be the genuine article though I'd have to inspect further to be certain. Fascinating. But you see, I don't so much die as, well, I regenerate. So really, we're not a good fit. But I'm very flattered. You're quite charming in an ethereal, carnivorous sort of way."
Her tongue snaked out, caressing the curve of her lips and the tips of her fangs. “You're always searching yet you've never thought to look here.” Her fingers skipped across his chest, playing notes á pianoforte, drumming a song into his heart. “I'll turn you inside out and upside down till the sweet poison snares your heart.” Her eyes loomed large, a swirling pool of black shining bright, whispering mysteries and vowing promises. “Together forever.”
“I'm afraid you're, uh, barking up the wrong tree.” The Doctor gulped, then ducked his chin and hunched up his shoulders till they pressed against his ears. “There's no hope of persuading me.”
She sighed. “So alone. All the stars cannot warm you.”
“Oh, you'd be surprised.”
“Here you've fallen into my arms, knight of Gallifrey.” She pouted her lips. “Give us a kiss?”
His eyes shuttered and he tightened his jaw. “How do you know where I'm from?”
Her fingers darted forward to touch his chest, but he batted her hand away. Frowning, she replied, “Cross. Crisscrossing stars. They whisper.” She tilted her head to the side, angling for his neck. “Will you leave stardust in your wake?”
His nostrils flaring, he squeezed his hands into fists. “No, I think not.”
She clucked her tongue and curled her fingers into hungry claws. “I'll be a good girl, don't you worry.”
His expression gone stone cold, he warned, “Come closer, my dear, and I will make no such promise.”
“Won't even promise to hurt me just right?” She shivered and clutched her hands to her heart. “Too much or not at all when the fun's all in between.” She snarled and hissed at him. “Extermination's more your game.”
“So you have heard of me. From whom, I wonder.” He snatched her up by the shoulders in a punishing grip. “Who's been whispering in your ear?”
The sound of a pistol cocking echoed through the alley, and the Doctor looked up to find the most delectable River Song aiming the barrel of her gun at back of his mysterious and monstrous companion's head.
“Are you going to make a fuss if I shoot her?” River asked. “She is a vampire, after all.”
A reply about the possibility of reformed vampires hovering on the tip of his tongue, the Doctor found himself unceremoniously tossed into a stack of crates lining the alley. By the time he'd shaken off his disorientation, his vampire maiden had slipped away into the shadows. “So much for forever, eh? Fickle creature.”
“Honestly!” River said, grabbing him by the wrist and yanking him up. “I turn my back for ten minutes and you're busy being seduced by the locals.”
“I was handling it!” he protested, brushing off the muck from the back of his trousers.
“No, sweetie, you were being handled.” She smirked. “I should know.”
“What can I say? She obviously was attracted to my, my-well, actually, I'm not sure what she was attracted to. Not in a specific sense. She wasn't much for specifics.” His gaze goes distant. “Odd girl.”
River snapped her fingers between his eyes. “Need I remind you that Amy and Rory are being held against their will?”
“Amy and Rory! Yes, right!” He shot his index finger up as the light dawned in his eyes. “Off we go!”
***