Firefly/Doctor Who crossover fic: A Different Kind of Companion: A Lesson in History (1/9)
“Aha!” The Doctor’s proclamation was followed by the creak of the TARDIS doors as he pushed them opened. He quickly herded Inara inside. The moment they were both over the threshold, he slammed the doors shut and flicked a simple latch.
“Will that keep them out?” Inara leaned against the railing of the ramp, slightly out of breath from all the running. Her heart beat was frantic and with their pursuers outside, she was reminded of a recent incident on a planet with a secret long buried.
“Nothing can get past the TARDIS doors once they’re locked,” the Doctor stated proudly. His assertion was suddenly proved right as the doors shook from an impact outside. More pounding followed but the doors held. “Better than Fort Knox.” The Doctor started up the ramp, but paused as he caught sight of Inara. “Are you all right?”
She straightened up and wiped off some dirt on the skirt of her dress. The pounding continued; she forced herself to look away from the doors. “I’m just a little tired. Running for my life usually only happens in the accompaniment of Mal.”
“I bet he never had to flee from a pack of Fetelfaim.” Tossing off his brown coat, the Doctor made his way to the console.
Inara wandered over to the jump seat and sat down with a grateful sigh. “I’ve certainly never met a man who wanted to devour me, let alone six.”
The Doctor began prepping the TARDIS for their departure, setting the assortment of controls on the console. “I hadn’t realized they migrated to this sector. I would have taken you to Morsac Five if I had known. Lovely tropical planet. They have fruit like pineapples but blue on the inside and the size of your head.”
A visit to a tropical planet would have definitely been an improvement, but Inara kept the thought to herself. “Do you know why the, uh…” She tried to recall the word the Doctor had used.
“Fetelfaim,” he instantly supplied.
“Why are they like that?”
The central column, the time rotor as Inara had learned a few days ago, sprang to life and began to rise and fall. A shudder that shook the console room was the only indication that they were leaving the planet.
“The Fetelfaim are an asexual species. They don’t need females to procreate; they just see them as food.” The Doctor leaned against the edge of the console across from Inara and crossed his arms. “A neighbouring solar system to the Fetelfaim’s home planet found a way to imprison them, but like all good prisoners, they found a means of escape.”
“It doesn’t seem fair to cage a species simply because of their biology. Thinking you can change an inherent trait, that’s like playing god.” And she personally had seen that never went well. The gnashing of rotten teeth and the smell of fetid flesh still invaded her dreams some nights.
The Doctor uncrossed his arms, a slight frown on his face. “Are you sure you’re all right?” He paused and then added quietly, “Do you want to stop?”
Inara’s gaze had wandered a bit during their conversation but she looked up sharply at the Doctor’s suggestion. “We agreed on one adventure… If you want me-”
The Doctor’s eyes widened. “No, I don’t want… I meant, do you want to make a stop, tell your friends where you are?”
She had entered the TARDIS without much thought back on Persephone. Before she knew it, the Doctor had taken her to Earth and then to the Monarch Cluster. In a few hours, she had travelled beyond the established boundaries of the human population. But if time was relative, then Mal and the others were still on the job and she had left them only minutes before.
Taking a breath to regain her composure, Inara gathered a smile for the Doctor. “I’ll be fine. I was reminded of something. It’s just a memory.”
“Do you ever let others look after you?”
The sudden tangent, while nothing new for the Doctor, did catch Inara off guard. She stared at him, unsure whether to commend his insightfulness while she tried to come up with a response. He sat down beside her before she got the chance.
“The well-being of others. It’s a large part of a Companion’s life. I promised you one adventure, Inara Serra, and that’s what you’ll have. No running for our lives, no alien plots to foil. Just us and wherever the TARDIS can take us.”
It had been a mutual promise. One adventure to see the universe, to share the unknown. But this trip was quickly becoming more than that. When Inara smiled this time, it was a genuine smile. “What did you have in mind?”
* * *
The TARDIS landed with what could only be described as a sputter, the time rotor letting out a wheeze before coming to a rest. The Doctor really only had himself to blame. After his daring excursion down a London motorway to rescue Donna, it was no wonder why the TARDIS blew a few fuses. The poor girl deserved a good maintenance overhaul, but no one in the universe had spare parts for a Type 40 anymore. The last of her kind; how ironic.
The Doctor reached up and placed his hand on the glass column. It was warm to the touch, like the TARDIS had a fever. At least the time machine would get a few hours rest while he and Inara were out.
A distorted reflection in the glass caught his attention. He wondered how long Inara had been standing in the doorway to the console room before he had noticed her. “Did you find everything?” he asked, turning to face the Companion. Anything else he wanted to say came to a halt when he laid eyes on her.
Gone was the Asian style dress Inara had been wearing since Persephone. Instead she wore a slim sleeveless black dress with a low neckline and white beaded trim. To match the style of the period of the dress she had pinned up her hair to make it appear shorter. In her right hand she clutched a white cloche hat. She was out of time even before stepping out of the TARDIS.
And he was staring, the Doctor quickly realized. With a change of clothes, Inara had jumped eras. It just looked like she belonged in that time.
“We’ve arrived, I take it?” Inara joined the Doctor at the console.
He quickly turned his attention to the TARDIS screen, though the display only showed the equivalent of “Stand By” in Gallifreian. Not that Inara would know that. “So we have,” said the Doctor, though more loudly than was needed. From the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a knowing smile flash across Inara’s features.
Nine hundred years old and he felt like a flustered teenager. It was Inara’s job to make men stare. Why should he be immune just because he had two hearts?
But her earlier apprehension was gone, or at least forgotten for the time being, and that was certainly worth any embarrassment. Something had happened to Inara in the months gone by since he had last seen her and their encounter with the Fetelfaim had no doubt drudged up some memories. It was unintentional of course, but the Doctor didn’t wish to cause anyone anymore pain.
“And our destination is…?” Inara trailed off, a hopeful tone in her voice. The only hint he had given her so far was to change clothes.
“Don’t forget a coat,” the Doctor replied instead. He ran over to retrieve his from the railing and slipped it on. He smiled at Inara when he noticed her bemused expression. Moving to the hat stand by the doors, he grabbed the white coat he had found earlier in the TARDIS wardrobe.
“You’re not changing to match the era?”
Very astute that Inara Serra was. Handing her the coat, the Doctor grabbed a grey trilby off the hat stand and placed it on his head. “What do you think? The real McCoy?”
“Depends on where we’re going,” Inara said playfully. She slipped on her own hat, completing her outfit.
The Doctor backed up to the doors and flung open the one to his right. Bright sunlight spilled into the TARDIS and in the distance one could hear the sound of water lapping against the shore. At the top of the ramp, Inara watched in amusement. “Chicago, Illinois. 1924. We, Miss Serra, are spending a night on the town.”
“Earth.” The Doctor didn’t miss the slight awe in Inara’s voice. The planet was just a story to her.
“Right out these doors.” Without any hesitation, Inara headed down the ramp and stepped outside. He could imagine he could bring her back to Earth time and time again and it would never get old. “So,” said the Doctor as he followed, taking a moment to lock the TARDIS doors, “dinner at the Moulin Rouge Café, a moonlit stroll along the Loop, and to top it all off, dancing at the-”
He turned, ready to take in the sight of Lake Michigan.
“- Palace of Westminster.”
And saw the Houses of Parliament instead.
“Is that the name of a club?” asked Inara.
It would have been an amusing question had the Doctor been paying full attention to Inara. Instead, he ran over to the barrier separating the walkway on which they stood from the River Thames. Across the way, the familiar government buildings stood tall. So familiar. And so very much in the wrong country.
“London. We’re in London.”
“Will that keep them out?” Inara leaned against the railing of the ramp, slightly out of breath from all the running. Her heart beat was frantic and with their pursuers outside, she was reminded of a recent incident on a planet with a secret long buried.
“Nothing can get past the TARDIS doors once they’re locked,” the Doctor stated proudly. His assertion was suddenly proved right as the doors shook from an impact outside. More pounding followed but the doors held. “Better than Fort Knox.” The Doctor started up the ramp, but paused as he caught sight of Inara. “Are you all right?”
She straightened up and wiped off some dirt on the skirt of her dress. The pounding continued; she forced herself to look away from the doors. “I’m just a little tired. Running for my life usually only happens in the accompaniment of Mal.”
“I bet he never had to flee from a pack of Fetelfaim.” Tossing off his brown coat, the Doctor made his way to the console.
Inara wandered over to the jump seat and sat down with a grateful sigh. “I’ve certainly never met a man who wanted to devour me, let alone six.”
The Doctor began prepping the TARDIS for their departure, setting the assortment of controls on the console. “I hadn’t realized they migrated to this sector. I would have taken you to Morsac Five if I had known. Lovely tropical planet. They have fruit like pineapples but blue on the inside and the size of your head.”
A visit to a tropical planet would have definitely been an improvement, but Inara kept the thought to herself. “Do you know why the, uh…” She tried to recall the word the Doctor had used.
“Fetelfaim,” he instantly supplied.
“Why are they like that?”
The central column, the time rotor as Inara had learned a few days ago, sprang to life and began to rise and fall. A shudder that shook the console room was the only indication that they were leaving the planet.
“The Fetelfaim are an asexual species. They don’t need females to procreate; they just see them as food.” The Doctor leaned against the edge of the console across from Inara and crossed his arms. “A neighbouring solar system to the Fetelfaim’s home planet found a way to imprison them, but like all good prisoners, they found a means of escape.”
“It doesn’t seem fair to cage a species simply because of their biology. Thinking you can change an inherent trait, that’s like playing god.” And she personally had seen that never went well. The gnashing of rotten teeth and the smell of fetid flesh still invaded her dreams some nights.
The Doctor uncrossed his arms, a slight frown on his face. “Are you sure you’re all right?” He paused and then added quietly, “Do you want to stop?”
Inara’s gaze had wandered a bit during their conversation but she looked up sharply at the Doctor’s suggestion. “We agreed on one adventure… If you want me-”
The Doctor’s eyes widened. “No, I don’t want… I meant, do you want to make a stop, tell your friends where you are?”
She had entered the TARDIS without much thought back on Persephone. Before she knew it, the Doctor had taken her to Earth and then to the Monarch Cluster. In a few hours, she had travelled beyond the established boundaries of the human population. But if time was relative, then Mal and the others were still on the job and she had left them only minutes before.
Taking a breath to regain her composure, Inara gathered a smile for the Doctor. “I’ll be fine. I was reminded of something. It’s just a memory.”
“Do you ever let others look after you?”
The sudden tangent, while nothing new for the Doctor, did catch Inara off guard. She stared at him, unsure whether to commend his insightfulness while she tried to come up with a response. He sat down beside her before she got the chance.
“The well-being of others. It’s a large part of a Companion’s life. I promised you one adventure, Inara Serra, and that’s what you’ll have. No running for our lives, no alien plots to foil. Just us and wherever the TARDIS can take us.”
It had been a mutual promise. One adventure to see the universe, to share the unknown. But this trip was quickly becoming more than that. When Inara smiled this time, it was a genuine smile. “What did you have in mind?”
* * *
The TARDIS landed with what could only be described as a sputter, the time rotor letting out a wheeze before coming to a rest. The Doctor really only had himself to blame. After his daring excursion down a London motorway to rescue Donna, it was no wonder why the TARDIS blew a few fuses. The poor girl deserved a good maintenance overhaul, but no one in the universe had spare parts for a Type 40 anymore. The last of her kind; how ironic.
The Doctor reached up and placed his hand on the glass column. It was warm to the touch, like the TARDIS had a fever. At least the time machine would get a few hours rest while he and Inara were out.
A distorted reflection in the glass caught his attention. He wondered how long Inara had been standing in the doorway to the console room before he had noticed her. “Did you find everything?” he asked, turning to face the Companion. Anything else he wanted to say came to a halt when he laid eyes on her.
Gone was the Asian style dress Inara had been wearing since Persephone. Instead she wore a slim sleeveless black dress with a low neckline and white beaded trim. To match the style of the period of the dress she had pinned up her hair to make it appear shorter. In her right hand she clutched a white cloche hat. She was out of time even before stepping out of the TARDIS.
And he was staring, the Doctor quickly realized. With a change of clothes, Inara had jumped eras. It just looked like she belonged in that time.
“We’ve arrived, I take it?” Inara joined the Doctor at the console.
He quickly turned his attention to the TARDIS screen, though the display only showed the equivalent of “Stand By” in Gallifreian. Not that Inara would know that. “So we have,” said the Doctor, though more loudly than was needed. From the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a knowing smile flash across Inara’s features.
Nine hundred years old and he felt like a flustered teenager. It was Inara’s job to make men stare. Why should he be immune just because he had two hearts?
But her earlier apprehension was gone, or at least forgotten for the time being, and that was certainly worth any embarrassment. Something had happened to Inara in the months gone by since he had last seen her and their encounter with the Fetelfaim had no doubt drudged up some memories. It was unintentional of course, but the Doctor didn’t wish to cause anyone anymore pain.
“And our destination is…?” Inara trailed off, a hopeful tone in her voice. The only hint he had given her so far was to change clothes.
“Don’t forget a coat,” the Doctor replied instead. He ran over to retrieve his from the railing and slipped it on. He smiled at Inara when he noticed her bemused expression. Moving to the hat stand by the doors, he grabbed the white coat he had found earlier in the TARDIS wardrobe.
“You’re not changing to match the era?”
Very astute that Inara Serra was. Handing her the coat, the Doctor grabbed a grey trilby off the hat stand and placed it on his head. “What do you think? The real McCoy?”
“Depends on where we’re going,” Inara said playfully. She slipped on her own hat, completing her outfit.
The Doctor backed up to the doors and flung open the one to his right. Bright sunlight spilled into the TARDIS and in the distance one could hear the sound of water lapping against the shore. At the top of the ramp, Inara watched in amusement. “Chicago, Illinois. 1924. We, Miss Serra, are spending a night on the town.”
“Earth.” The Doctor didn’t miss the slight awe in Inara’s voice. The planet was just a story to her.
“Right out these doors.” Without any hesitation, Inara headed down the ramp and stepped outside. He could imagine he could bring her back to Earth time and time again and it would never get old. “So,” said the Doctor as he followed, taking a moment to lock the TARDIS doors, “dinner at the Moulin Rouge Café, a moonlit stroll along the Loop, and to top it all off, dancing at the-”
He turned, ready to take in the sight of Lake Michigan.
“- Palace of Westminster.”
And saw the Houses of Parliament instead.
“Is that the name of a club?” asked Inara.
It would have been an amusing question had the Doctor been paying full attention to Inara. Instead, he ran over to the barrier separating the walkway on which they stood from the River Thames. Across the way, the familiar government buildings stood tall. So familiar. And so very much in the wrong country.
“London. We’re in London.”