Happy Holidays, settiai!
Title: Something Blue
Author: elistaire, aka They Call Me Mr. Snow.
Written For: settiai
Characters/Pairing: Ten, Rose, Amanda
Warnings: none, really, gen story, a bit flirtacious
Summary: He just needed to borrow it for a bit. But how to get a hold of something that is always kept locked up tight? Find a small window of opportunity when it isn't.
A strong rat-a-tat-tat knock came at the door and Amanda gave it a side-long glance, made a face, and ignored it for the moment. "Hold on!" she called out, "Be right there."
She refocused her concentration on the trick lock in front of her. It was always a bit fussy, but very secure. She wanted to put this little beauty to bed in a safe place before she dealt with the badly-timed visitor at the door. The lock clicked open and she slipped the velvet pouch into the hidey-hole and then quickly closed the fake floor panel over it. She'd been out all night getting that little bit of bric-a-brac. It felt immensely better to have it tucked away safely. The knock came at the door again and Amanda kicked the rug back down and pulled the trunk over the top of it. She gave it a practiced eye, fixed an errant cobweb that gave away it had been recently moved, and grabbed up a slinky bathrobe to answer the door in.
"Can I help you?" The first person Amanda saw was a young blonde girl with a tentative smile, but then she saw the jack-in-the-box man behind her and she flung the door open with a delighted squeal. "I should have guessed it'd be you. You always show up at inconvenient moments." She pulled the two of them into the room, giving a last look over the hallway. "Trouble?" She raised an eyebrow at him. Whether trouble followed him or he was trouble, she never could figure out, but things were always entirely more interesting when he was around.
"Not today," said the man she'd first known as Dr. Smith, but had later come to realize she should drop the Smith part. "I thought I could show Rose the sapphire."
"Sapphire?" Amanda shook her head guilelessly, even as her pulse gave a jump. "What sapphire?" She widened her eyes, but it did little good. It was as if he could pluck her thoughts right out of her head. She'd buy herself a very good bottle of champagne if she ever managed to pull a fuzzy wool sweater down over his eyes for even just a moment.
"Oh, come on," he said brightly, and produced a thick-rimmed pair of ridiculous looking glasses from his pocket. "Let's have a look." He rotated on his heels, giving the room a scan while looking over the top edge of his glasses. "Here we are!" He made a beeline for the hidey-hole.
Even though her insides were live-wire hot with the excitement of having the Doctor whisking about her apartment, Amanda put one hand to her chest and demurely shook her head. Adopting a perplexed tone, she asked, "What's this about?" She looked to Rose, who gave a noncommittal shrug.
"I was told it's quite exquisite," Rose said quietly. "We just need a look."
Amanda frowned. "Look? But--"
The Doctor had bumped the trunk aside, flipped back the rug, and was running his fingers over the plank, examining it keenly. "This is it," he said and the panel gave a click and sprung up.
"Oh, you're never any fun. You always know all my secrets." Amanda pouted, but she wasn't too worried. He still had to get through the lock.
He gave her a look that should have been sultry, but was too tinged with boyishness to be pulled off. "Only because your secrets are the most fun."
Still, Amanda glowed a little at the compliment--and found that Rose was staring at her meaningfully, as if she fully expected Amanda to come clean about the secrets. Amanda just gave her best wouldn't-you-like-to-know smile. Rose's mouth dropped open, then she caught herself and stiffened up, concentrating her attention on the Doctor.
He'd pulled out a little penlight and aimed it at the lock. A moment later, it sprung open as if it'd been greased.
"How'd you do that?" she asked, but her gaze was on the little penlight-that-wasn't-a-penlight. She hadn't seen that little toy before. She needed one of those. Wanted. Her fingers started to itch as she watched him place it carefully away in his pocket.
"This sapphire," he said as he pulled the velvet bag out and opened it. The dark blue cabochon sparkled in his hand, the star shining on the curved top of it like a beacon.
"Oh, that sapphire." Amanda gave a nonchalant wave. "Why did you come barging in here and need to see it?" She put her hands on her hips. "How did you know I had it, anyway? I just got it last night."
"And you'll give it back by the end of the week," he muttered as he peered down at it. He pulled a jeweler's loupe out of his pocket and stuck it in one eye.
"I'll do what?" Amanda prodded him with a finger to his side. "Why would I do that?"
He skittered a few steps away, not answering her questions, and squinted even harder at the stone. Then, seemingly satisfied, put away the loupe and waved it under Rose's nose. "Isn't it a beauty?"
Amanda could see Rose's breath fog up the curve of it as she admired the star sapphire.
"It's as flawless as a jewel can get," Amanda told her. "Just under a hundred carats."
Rose was captivated by it and took it into her own hands to turn against the light, setting the star inside it to flashing and vanishing.
Amanda tipped her head. "So why the sudden interest in it?"
The Doctor shrugged. "Oh, you know. Invading hordes. Power converters. Desperate need for crystal structured corundum. The usual."
"Hmm." Amanda plucked it out of Rose's hand and slid it back into the velvet bag. "You can't have it."
"We don't want it." He gave her a cheeky grin. "We just want to borrow it for a bit. Say, maybe, twenty minutes? You'd be saving the world."
Amanda thought it over. She slid up to the Doctor, dancing her fingers over his chest, clutching momentarily at his lapels. The velvet bag dangled from the cord in her hand. She could hear Rose catch her breath behind her. "After you dispatch the bad guys, you could come back for dinner."
He gently took the velvet bag from her hand. "That'd be nice. I haven't had a roast in a long time. Some new potatoes would be lovely." He handed the velvet bag over to Rose, who made for the doorway.
"I'll order in," Amanda offered as he waved her fingers at them in a little coquettish good-bye.
He made it to the door before he turned back and held out his hand. "Amanda."
With a sigh, she gave him back his little penlight. "You've got my sapphire," she countered.
"Which wasn't yours to begin with."
Amanda gave him a glare, and he softened. "Which I'll bring right back. Promise."
The door shut with a bang behind them and Amanda ran her hands through her hair. She was such a sucker for that man! He made her insides all gooey whenever he turned that unfathomable gaze her way.
Taking a deep breath to force her molten insides to solidify a bit, she scrutinized her hidey-hole. Well, that wasn't going to be safe anymore. Considering his unpleasant warning, when she got her sapphire back, she'd need a better place to hide it. And definitely a better lock.
Author: elistaire, aka They Call Me Mr. Snow.
Written For: settiai
Characters/Pairing: Ten, Rose, Amanda
Warnings: none, really, gen story, a bit flirtacious
Summary: He just needed to borrow it for a bit. But how to get a hold of something that is always kept locked up tight? Find a small window of opportunity when it isn't.
A strong rat-a-tat-tat knock came at the door and Amanda gave it a side-long glance, made a face, and ignored it for the moment. "Hold on!" she called out, "Be right there."
She refocused her concentration on the trick lock in front of her. It was always a bit fussy, but very secure. She wanted to put this little beauty to bed in a safe place before she dealt with the badly-timed visitor at the door. The lock clicked open and she slipped the velvet pouch into the hidey-hole and then quickly closed the fake floor panel over it. She'd been out all night getting that little bit of bric-a-brac. It felt immensely better to have it tucked away safely. The knock came at the door again and Amanda kicked the rug back down and pulled the trunk over the top of it. She gave it a practiced eye, fixed an errant cobweb that gave away it had been recently moved, and grabbed up a slinky bathrobe to answer the door in.
"Can I help you?" The first person Amanda saw was a young blonde girl with a tentative smile, but then she saw the jack-in-the-box man behind her and she flung the door open with a delighted squeal. "I should have guessed it'd be you. You always show up at inconvenient moments." She pulled the two of them into the room, giving a last look over the hallway. "Trouble?" She raised an eyebrow at him. Whether trouble followed him or he was trouble, she never could figure out, but things were always entirely more interesting when he was around.
"Not today," said the man she'd first known as Dr. Smith, but had later come to realize she should drop the Smith part. "I thought I could show Rose the sapphire."
"Sapphire?" Amanda shook her head guilelessly, even as her pulse gave a jump. "What sapphire?" She widened her eyes, but it did little good. It was as if he could pluck her thoughts right out of her head. She'd buy herself a very good bottle of champagne if she ever managed to pull a fuzzy wool sweater down over his eyes for even just a moment.
"Oh, come on," he said brightly, and produced a thick-rimmed pair of ridiculous looking glasses from his pocket. "Let's have a look." He rotated on his heels, giving the room a scan while looking over the top edge of his glasses. "Here we are!" He made a beeline for the hidey-hole.
Even though her insides were live-wire hot with the excitement of having the Doctor whisking about her apartment, Amanda put one hand to her chest and demurely shook her head. Adopting a perplexed tone, she asked, "What's this about?" She looked to Rose, who gave a noncommittal shrug.
"I was told it's quite exquisite," Rose said quietly. "We just need a look."
Amanda frowned. "Look? But--"
The Doctor had bumped the trunk aside, flipped back the rug, and was running his fingers over the plank, examining it keenly. "This is it," he said and the panel gave a click and sprung up.
"Oh, you're never any fun. You always know all my secrets." Amanda pouted, but she wasn't too worried. He still had to get through the lock.
He gave her a look that should have been sultry, but was too tinged with boyishness to be pulled off. "Only because your secrets are the most fun."
Still, Amanda glowed a little at the compliment--and found that Rose was staring at her meaningfully, as if she fully expected Amanda to come clean about the secrets. Amanda just gave her best wouldn't-you-like-to-know smile. Rose's mouth dropped open, then she caught herself and stiffened up, concentrating her attention on the Doctor.
He'd pulled out a little penlight and aimed it at the lock. A moment later, it sprung open as if it'd been greased.
"How'd you do that?" she asked, but her gaze was on the little penlight-that-wasn't-a-penlight. She hadn't seen that little toy before. She needed one of those. Wanted. Her fingers started to itch as she watched him place it carefully away in his pocket.
"This sapphire," he said as he pulled the velvet bag out and opened it. The dark blue cabochon sparkled in his hand, the star shining on the curved top of it like a beacon.
"Oh, that sapphire." Amanda gave a nonchalant wave. "Why did you come barging in here and need to see it?" She put her hands on her hips. "How did you know I had it, anyway? I just got it last night."
"And you'll give it back by the end of the week," he muttered as he peered down at it. He pulled a jeweler's loupe out of his pocket and stuck it in one eye.
"I'll do what?" Amanda prodded him with a finger to his side. "Why would I do that?"
He skittered a few steps away, not answering her questions, and squinted even harder at the stone. Then, seemingly satisfied, put away the loupe and waved it under Rose's nose. "Isn't it a beauty?"
Amanda could see Rose's breath fog up the curve of it as she admired the star sapphire.
"It's as flawless as a jewel can get," Amanda told her. "Just under a hundred carats."
Rose was captivated by it and took it into her own hands to turn against the light, setting the star inside it to flashing and vanishing.
Amanda tipped her head. "So why the sudden interest in it?"
The Doctor shrugged. "Oh, you know. Invading hordes. Power converters. Desperate need for crystal structured corundum. The usual."
"Hmm." Amanda plucked it out of Rose's hand and slid it back into the velvet bag. "You can't have it."
"We don't want it." He gave her a cheeky grin. "We just want to borrow it for a bit. Say, maybe, twenty minutes? You'd be saving the world."
Amanda thought it over. She slid up to the Doctor, dancing her fingers over his chest, clutching momentarily at his lapels. The velvet bag dangled from the cord in her hand. She could hear Rose catch her breath behind her. "After you dispatch the bad guys, you could come back for dinner."
He gently took the velvet bag from her hand. "That'd be nice. I haven't had a roast in a long time. Some new potatoes would be lovely." He handed the velvet bag over to Rose, who made for the doorway.
"I'll order in," Amanda offered as he waved her fingers at them in a little coquettish good-bye.
He made it to the door before he turned back and held out his hand. "Amanda."
With a sigh, she gave him back his little penlight. "You've got my sapphire," she countered.
"Which wasn't yours to begin with."
Amanda gave him a glare, and he softened. "Which I'll bring right back. Promise."
The door shut with a bang behind them and Amanda ran her hands through her hair. She was such a sucker for that man! He made her insides all gooey whenever he turned that unfathomable gaze her way.
Taking a deep breath to force her molten insides to solidify a bit, she scrutinized her hidey-hole. Well, that wasn't going to be safe anymore. Considering his unpleasant warning, when she got her sapphire back, she'd need a better place to hide it. And definitely a better lock.