Fic: The Flight of the Lamborions (1/2)
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.
Part Two
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.
Part Two