Save Me [somewhere in spacetime]
The smell of warm butter heralded the arrival of one Amelia Pond, sauntering gracefully into the console room bearing a gigantic bowl of popcorn. "Would you like some?" she asked in a singsong tone, flouncing elegantly onto the upper deck and leaning against the rail.
"No, thank you," the Doctor said, intent on the strangely-shaped levers in front of him. "I'll be content to smell it. How much butter did you put on it, anyway?"
Amy popped a few kernels into her mouth and licked the grease from her fingers. "Enough," she answered vaguely. She relaxed against the rail, munching on her snack as she watched the Doctor work. There was an elegant illogic to his actions, flipping switches on and then right back off again, responding to some of the sounds the TARDIS made while ignoring others.
On the side of the console facing Amy, a light was blinking in a way that looked somewhat frantic. "Doctor, what's this flashy bit here?" she wondered aloud.
"What flashy bit?" he asked, still focused on the controls in front of him.
"Blinky light over here. Just started flashing a moment ago," she told him.
"What colour is it?"
She frowned at it--for a simple question, it was unduly difficult to answer. "Sort of...mauve," she decided at last.
The Doctor's head snapped up. The look of horror on his face might have been comical if it weren't so alarming. He nearly leaped over the console rather than go around, slapping his hand down on the button next to the flashing light. A voice filled the room, cold and mechanical, rattling off a string of numbers and letters.
"Doctor, what is it?" Amy asked.
His hands were already flying over the controls, changing course. "Coordinates," he declared. "It's a distress call. Hold on, here we go--" The TARDIS rocked beneath them, engines screaming, and Amy grabbed hold of the rail with the hand that wasn't holding her bowl of popcorn, fighting to stay upright.
On the floor in front of the police box doors, a man materialised. Strictly speaking, the TARDIS materialised around him, but from the perspective of those inside, it seemed as though the man appeared out of thin air. He lay prone and still. Even from here, Amy could tell something was wrong; his skin was pale, tinged with blue. She drew in a breath and yelled, "Rory!"
The Doctor jumped. "What? No! What're you doing that for?"
"Rory's a nurse. That man needs help!" Amy gestured at the man on the floor. "Doctor, I think he might be dead!"
"No," the Doctor said, "well, yes, but it's all right. Stay back." He ignored his own advice and knelt beside the man, leaning over him.
Rory sprinted into the console room, wearing only a towel. His hair was wet, plastered to his forehead. "I heard you yell, what's going on?" he demanded, breathless.
"Everybody, calm down!" the Doctor ordered loudly.
The man on the floor chose that moment to gasp loudly as his eyes snapped open, limbs flailing for a moment. Amy screamed, startled, and dropped her popcorn bowl; Rory caught it.
"Where am I? Who are you?" the clearly-not-dead man demanded, looking frantically about, his eyes meeting each of theirs in turn. His eyes were blue, Amy saw; now that she wasn't worried about him being dead, she realised he was quite handsome. Actually, really handsome, with thick brown hair and a well-muscled body.
"I said calm," the Doctor chided.
The gorgeous man looked up at him, then glanced toward the central console. His eyes narrowed; he looked toward the doors with their police-box windows, then reached up to grab the Doctor by the front of his shirt, pulled him down and kissed him.
The Doctor made a muffled squeaking noise, his hands flailing for a moment before settling on either side of the other man as he kissed back.
"Oh," said Amy.
Rory silently reached into the popcorn bowl, grabbed a handful, and brought it to his mouth.
They were still kissing, making little happy noises that might have made Amy uncomfortable if it wasn't so hot. She sat down on the deck, legs crossed, and reached up to take the popcorn bowl back from her husband, setting it in her lap. Rory sat down beside her, carefully arranging his towel, so as to still be able to easily reach the popcorn.
"I think they've forgotten we're here," Amy whispered after a minute or so.
"Looks like it," Rory agreed.
"Should we maybe, you know...say something? Before this gets indecent?"
Rory shrugged. "I dunno...I would hate to interrupt," he hedged. Amy elbowed him, hard. "Ow!" he yelped.
The Doctor's head snapped up at the noise. "What? Oh! Sorry," he mumbled, red-faced. He scrambled back off the man on the floor, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. "Er. Jack, these are my companions, Rory and Amy Pond. Ponds, this is Captain Jack Harkness."
The handsome no-longer-dead man propped himself up on an elbow and offered a rakish grin. "Pleased to meet you, Ponds," he said cheerfully. He stretched, joints popping audibly, and stood, offering a hand to help the Doctor to his feet.
"So you two know each other, then," Rory surmised, eyes darting between the two of them, an odd expression on his face.
"Not biblically," said Captain Jack Harkness, with a certain smugness that suggested he intended to change that. He was still holding the Doctor's hand.
Amy cleared her throat, setting the popcorn bowl aside. She wiped her fingers on her skirt and stood. "I didn't even know you...you know," she gestured vaguely at the Doctor, "swung that way."
"Neither did I," Jack said. His smirk, on anyone else, might have been annoying; on a man as gorgeous as him, it was only endearing.
"You're the one who kissed him," Rory pointed out. He was still seated on the floor, legs folded strangely to keep the towel covering everything it ought to.
"True," Jack agreed. "I took a chance. Last time I kissed the Doctor, he didn't really kiss back."
"Well, you rather took me by surprise," the Doctor protested.
Jack frowned, letting go of his hand. "No, this time I took you by surprise, and you sure as hell kissed me back. That time, you had just seen me kiss Rose. How could it possibly have been a surprise?"
"You just kissed Rose! I didn't think you were going to turn around and kiss me too!"
"Who's Rose?" Amy asked.
"Is that what that was about? Because I kissed Rose first?" Jack demanded.
"Hey!" Rory shouted. Everyone turned to look at him, and he blushed. "My wife asked you a question," he said, more quietly. He made an abortive movement as though to stand up, then seemed to think better of it. He rearranged his towel, eyes still flickering between the Doctor and Jack.
"Rose was a companion of mine, several years ago. It's a long story," the Doctor said, oddly brusque.
Jack cleared his throat. "So," he said. "Where were you headed, before you stopped to rescue me, Doctor?" The transition was clumsy, but it was clear that Rose was a touchy subject, best avoided at the moment.
"Earth!" the Doctor answered, instantly more cheerful. He fairly bounded back to the console. "Fancy tagging along, Jack?"
"Depends," Jack responded. "Where and when?"
"Venice, 1753," said the Doctor. "I've got an old debt to settle."
"Sounds good," Jack declared, relaxing against the rail.
"Fantastic!" the Doctor cried, throwing a lever that caused the entire TARDIS to buck beneath them as her engines roared to life, and they dematerialised into the time vortex once more.
"No, thank you," the Doctor said, intent on the strangely-shaped levers in front of him. "I'll be content to smell it. How much butter did you put on it, anyway?"
Amy popped a few kernels into her mouth and licked the grease from her fingers. "Enough," she answered vaguely. She relaxed against the rail, munching on her snack as she watched the Doctor work. There was an elegant illogic to his actions, flipping switches on and then right back off again, responding to some of the sounds the TARDIS made while ignoring others.
On the side of the console facing Amy, a light was blinking in a way that looked somewhat frantic. "Doctor, what's this flashy bit here?" she wondered aloud.
"What flashy bit?" he asked, still focused on the controls in front of him.
"Blinky light over here. Just started flashing a moment ago," she told him.
"What colour is it?"
She frowned at it--for a simple question, it was unduly difficult to answer. "Sort of...mauve," she decided at last.
The Doctor's head snapped up. The look of horror on his face might have been comical if it weren't so alarming. He nearly leaped over the console rather than go around, slapping his hand down on the button next to the flashing light. A voice filled the room, cold and mechanical, rattling off a string of numbers and letters.
"Doctor, what is it?" Amy asked.
His hands were already flying over the controls, changing course. "Coordinates," he declared. "It's a distress call. Hold on, here we go--" The TARDIS rocked beneath them, engines screaming, and Amy grabbed hold of the rail with the hand that wasn't holding her bowl of popcorn, fighting to stay upright.
On the floor in front of the police box doors, a man materialised. Strictly speaking, the TARDIS materialised around him, but from the perspective of those inside, it seemed as though the man appeared out of thin air. He lay prone and still. Even from here, Amy could tell something was wrong; his skin was pale, tinged with blue. She drew in a breath and yelled, "Rory!"
The Doctor jumped. "What? No! What're you doing that for?"
"Rory's a nurse. That man needs help!" Amy gestured at the man on the floor. "Doctor, I think he might be dead!"
"No," the Doctor said, "well, yes, but it's all right. Stay back." He ignored his own advice and knelt beside the man, leaning over him.
Rory sprinted into the console room, wearing only a towel. His hair was wet, plastered to his forehead. "I heard you yell, what's going on?" he demanded, breathless.
"Everybody, calm down!" the Doctor ordered loudly.
The man on the floor chose that moment to gasp loudly as his eyes snapped open, limbs flailing for a moment. Amy screamed, startled, and dropped her popcorn bowl; Rory caught it.
"Where am I? Who are you?" the clearly-not-dead man demanded, looking frantically about, his eyes meeting each of theirs in turn. His eyes were blue, Amy saw; now that she wasn't worried about him being dead, she realised he was quite handsome. Actually, really handsome, with thick brown hair and a well-muscled body.
"I said calm," the Doctor chided.
The gorgeous man looked up at him, then glanced toward the central console. His eyes narrowed; he looked toward the doors with their police-box windows, then reached up to grab the Doctor by the front of his shirt, pulled him down and kissed him.
The Doctor made a muffled squeaking noise, his hands flailing for a moment before settling on either side of the other man as he kissed back.
"Oh," said Amy.
Rory silently reached into the popcorn bowl, grabbed a handful, and brought it to his mouth.
They were still kissing, making little happy noises that might have made Amy uncomfortable if it wasn't so hot. She sat down on the deck, legs crossed, and reached up to take the popcorn bowl back from her husband, setting it in her lap. Rory sat down beside her, carefully arranging his towel, so as to still be able to easily reach the popcorn.
"I think they've forgotten we're here," Amy whispered after a minute or so.
"Looks like it," Rory agreed.
"Should we maybe, you know...say something? Before this gets indecent?"
Rory shrugged. "I dunno...I would hate to interrupt," he hedged. Amy elbowed him, hard. "Ow!" he yelped.
The Doctor's head snapped up at the noise. "What? Oh! Sorry," he mumbled, red-faced. He scrambled back off the man on the floor, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. "Er. Jack, these are my companions, Rory and Amy Pond. Ponds, this is Captain Jack Harkness."
The handsome no-longer-dead man propped himself up on an elbow and offered a rakish grin. "Pleased to meet you, Ponds," he said cheerfully. He stretched, joints popping audibly, and stood, offering a hand to help the Doctor to his feet.
"So you two know each other, then," Rory surmised, eyes darting between the two of them, an odd expression on his face.
"Not biblically," said Captain Jack Harkness, with a certain smugness that suggested he intended to change that. He was still holding the Doctor's hand.
Amy cleared her throat, setting the popcorn bowl aside. She wiped her fingers on her skirt and stood. "I didn't even know you...you know," she gestured vaguely at the Doctor, "swung that way."
"Neither did I," Jack said. His smirk, on anyone else, might have been annoying; on a man as gorgeous as him, it was only endearing.
"You're the one who kissed him," Rory pointed out. He was still seated on the floor, legs folded strangely to keep the towel covering everything it ought to.
"True," Jack agreed. "I took a chance. Last time I kissed the Doctor, he didn't really kiss back."
"Well, you rather took me by surprise," the Doctor protested.
Jack frowned, letting go of his hand. "No, this time I took you by surprise, and you sure as hell kissed me back. That time, you had just seen me kiss Rose. How could it possibly have been a surprise?"
"You just kissed Rose! I didn't think you were going to turn around and kiss me too!"
"Who's Rose?" Amy asked.
"Is that what that was about? Because I kissed Rose first?" Jack demanded.
"Hey!" Rory shouted. Everyone turned to look at him, and he blushed. "My wife asked you a question," he said, more quietly. He made an abortive movement as though to stand up, then seemed to think better of it. He rearranged his towel, eyes still flickering between the Doctor and Jack.
"Rose was a companion of mine, several years ago. It's a long story," the Doctor said, oddly brusque.
Jack cleared his throat. "So," he said. "Where were you headed, before you stopped to rescue me, Doctor?" The transition was clumsy, but it was clear that Rose was a touchy subject, best avoided at the moment.
"Earth!" the Doctor answered, instantly more cheerful. He fairly bounded back to the console. "Fancy tagging along, Jack?"
"Depends," Jack responded. "Where and when?"
"Venice, 1753," said the Doctor. "I've got an old debt to settle."
"Sounds good," Jack declared, relaxing against the rail.
"Fantastic!" the Doctor cried, throwing a lever that caused the entire TARDIS to buck beneath them as her engines roared to life, and they dematerialised into the time vortex once more.