Firefly/Doctor Who Crossover: Lending a Hand (2/?)
Title: Lending a Hand (2/?)
Authors: goldy_dollar and hjea
Characters/Pairings: Tenth Doctor, Rose, implied Ten/Rose, Firefly crew with Mal/Inara and other canon pairings.
Disclaimer: We don’t own DW and/or Firefly. But we do secretly think that RTD is the evil genius offspring of Joss Whedon.
Spoilers/Timeline: Doctor Who: Post-Fear Her, pre-AoG/Doomsday, Firefly: post-Serenity
Summary: Wherever they’d ended up, it was definitely not Sihnon.
Rating: PG13
Words: 1,200
Chapter Two
The kitchen was certainly warmer than the rest of the ship and was painted a cheerful yellow colour that would have been positively inviting, if not for the disarray that happened during the crash landing. A large wooden table was missing a leg and had been propped up by a pile of boxes, and cans and containers of food were strewn across the floor.
Rose followed closely behind the Doctor as he stepped briskly down the stairs and grinned at the two new people, a man and a woman, who were sitting side by side, waiting expectantly.
“Hello!”
Rose winced slightly from her place behind him, as the Doctor’s exuberant greeting was met with blank stares.
Captain Reynolds gestured over his shoulder at the two of them. “These folks heard our distress call and came to see if they could lend a hand. This here’s the Doctor and uh-“
“Rose.” Rose supplied.
The Captain shot a glance at her. “Right, sorry ‘bout that. Little preoccupied at the moment. Anyway-”
He turned back to his crew and seemed to focus on the woman particularly, who was holding a bandage to her forehead. “-Apparently she’s his companion.”
“Really?” The woman ran an appraising eye over Rose’s jeans and t-shirt.
“Uh, not that kind remember?” the Doctor jumped in, “Just, she’s uh… we-“
“We just travel together, yeah?” Rose cut in again, as her cheeks began to burn.
The first mate - Zoe - raised an eyebrow. “You two from Dyton colony?”
The Doctor paused and quickly glanced at Rose, who shrugged discreetly. “Um... yes, yes we are.”
“Long way to be out.” Zoe observed.
“Yes, well.” The Doctor waved his hands, “Call of the stars, lots to see, plenty to do, you know how it is. Really that’s enough about us - we need to see what we can do to get this beautiful ship back in the air.”
The Doctor swept his gaze over the crew once more. “Do you have a mechanic, or an… an engineer, or-“
“-yeah, our mechanic’s around here somewhere.” The Captain looked at the young man, who was checking another bandage on the woman’s arm.
“She’s with River on the bridge.” The man explained. “Trying to fix… I don’t know - something. Little good it can do now if-“
“-yes, thank you, Doc.” The Captain glared quickly at the other man and then turned to the Doctor and Rose once again. “If you think you can help, best start now. Sooner we get off this rock the better for all of us.”
The Doctor nodded and rubbed his hands together excitedly. “Excellent!”
***
Mal was liking this plan less and less.
Not like he had the right to be picky, stuck in the situation that he was, but there was something about the two of them that rankled him. The girl seemed nice enough, young and innocent and looking eager to help (though looks could be deceiving), but there was something about that man, the Doctor, that Mal couldn’t put his finger on. He was a little too loud, a little too… enthusiastic, in a way likely to draw too much attention in this day and age. Man didn’t seem too be carrying a piece on him for one, nor seemed the violent sort, but if nothing else; Mal trusted his gut - and his gut told him this man was dangerous.
Kaylee and River were elbow deep in the bridge’s wiring, just like Simon had said, but both turned around when Mal and the two strangers entered behind them.
“Captain?” Kaylee turned tired eyes to him, but was then immediately drawn to the Doctor and his companion.
“Kaylee, these two heard our distress call an’ came to help.”
Mal stepped aside and let the two of them step forward.
“Doctor, Rose - this here’s my mechanic, Kaylee, and River, who pilots this ship. When she’s in space, anyway.”
The girl offered a smile to match Kaylee’s on her best day, as did the Doctor, before his eyes began roaming greedily over the nav-control. His mechanic visibly relaxed, and shook both their hands happily, all ready to make friends and beginning to talk a blue streak.
“Really nice to meet you. ‘Specially if you know much ‘bout Fireflys or wiring or anything. It’s not that I don’t know Serenity’s workings like the back of my hand, but she got real shook up in the landing, jumbled up her insides real good, and that along with any physical damage she’s got along her hull mean’s it’s gonna be a while ‘fore she’s in the air again.”
Kaylee smiled apologetically at Mal. “But she’ll get there, Captain. Serenity won’t let us down.”
Mal shook his head. “You’re doing just fine, Kaylee. You just - tell these people what they can do to help and use that genius mind of yours, dong ma?”
The Doctor turned towards him with an unreadable expression on his face.
“Serenity?” He asked.
Mal nodded. “Name of my ship. There a problem?”
“Oh, uh… no.” The Doctor shook his head and turned his back on Mal, but not before he noticed the man’s friend shooting him a curious look.
Standing there, shifting uncomfortably, Mal suddenly realized that River hadn’t moved. Hadn’t budged an itch except to stare with widening eyes at the Doctor. Just as soon as he noticed and opened his mouth to say something, River took off - brushing past Mal and running down the hall to the galley with hardly a word.
“Oh, sorry ‘bout River.” Kaylee was biting her lip as she talked to them. “She’s just been feeling kinda guilty, even though she knows it were the right thing to do to get away from the feds. She also smacked her head something fierce coming down. Simon - he’s our doctor, said she should be fine, but maybe she’s feeling a mite sick now.”
“Quite all right,” said the Doctor, as he bent to look under the display panel. “Lot’s of work to be done here though, reckon we should start making a crack at it?”
Kaylee grinned widely, and Mal couldn’t help feeling glad that at least one person was happy these two were there.
The girl, after one initial glance over the bridge’s blinking instruments, gestured behind her shoulder.
“Maybe I should go check on that girl, River. See if she’s okay?”
Mal shook his head, though he couldn’t say why. “No, that’s okay. You stay here, do uh… whatever you two do.”
He walked over to the comms and spoke briskly into them. “Zoe, you there?”
Zoe’s crackling voice answered immediately. “Yes, sir?”
“I think Little River could use some checking on, see if she’s got anything to say.”
“Understood, sir.”
When Mal turned back to face them, Kaylee and the Doctor’s top-halves had disappeared completely, and Rose was sitting at their feet, waving a blinking tool over something she was holding, a piece of metal Mal was fairly certain was supposed to be attached to something important.
Again, Mal felt… disconcerted over this man’s presence on his boat, a feeling he couldn’t quite put his finger on.
Mal really didn’t like that feeling.
Authors: goldy_dollar and hjea
Characters/Pairings: Tenth Doctor, Rose, implied Ten/Rose, Firefly crew with Mal/Inara and other canon pairings.
Disclaimer: We don’t own DW and/or Firefly. But we do secretly think that RTD is the evil genius offspring of Joss Whedon.
Spoilers/Timeline: Doctor Who: Post-Fear Her, pre-AoG/Doomsday, Firefly: post-Serenity
Summary: Wherever they’d ended up, it was definitely not Sihnon.
Rating: PG13
Words: 1,200
Chapter Two
The kitchen was certainly warmer than the rest of the ship and was painted a cheerful yellow colour that would have been positively inviting, if not for the disarray that happened during the crash landing. A large wooden table was missing a leg and had been propped up by a pile of boxes, and cans and containers of food were strewn across the floor.
Rose followed closely behind the Doctor as he stepped briskly down the stairs and grinned at the two new people, a man and a woman, who were sitting side by side, waiting expectantly.
“Hello!”
Rose winced slightly from her place behind him, as the Doctor’s exuberant greeting was met with blank stares.
Captain Reynolds gestured over his shoulder at the two of them. “These folks heard our distress call and came to see if they could lend a hand. This here’s the Doctor and uh-“
“Rose.” Rose supplied.
The Captain shot a glance at her. “Right, sorry ‘bout that. Little preoccupied at the moment. Anyway-”
He turned back to his crew and seemed to focus on the woman particularly, who was holding a bandage to her forehead. “-Apparently she’s his companion.”
“Really?” The woman ran an appraising eye over Rose’s jeans and t-shirt.
“Uh, not that kind remember?” the Doctor jumped in, “Just, she’s uh… we-“
“We just travel together, yeah?” Rose cut in again, as her cheeks began to burn.
The first mate - Zoe - raised an eyebrow. “You two from Dyton colony?”
The Doctor paused and quickly glanced at Rose, who shrugged discreetly. “Um... yes, yes we are.”
“Long way to be out.” Zoe observed.
“Yes, well.” The Doctor waved his hands, “Call of the stars, lots to see, plenty to do, you know how it is. Really that’s enough about us - we need to see what we can do to get this beautiful ship back in the air.”
The Doctor swept his gaze over the crew once more. “Do you have a mechanic, or an… an engineer, or-“
“-yeah, our mechanic’s around here somewhere.” The Captain looked at the young man, who was checking another bandage on the woman’s arm.
“She’s with River on the bridge.” The man explained. “Trying to fix… I don’t know - something. Little good it can do now if-“
“-yes, thank you, Doc.” The Captain glared quickly at the other man and then turned to the Doctor and Rose once again. “If you think you can help, best start now. Sooner we get off this rock the better for all of us.”
The Doctor nodded and rubbed his hands together excitedly. “Excellent!”
***
Mal was liking this plan less and less.
Not like he had the right to be picky, stuck in the situation that he was, but there was something about the two of them that rankled him. The girl seemed nice enough, young and innocent and looking eager to help (though looks could be deceiving), but there was something about that man, the Doctor, that Mal couldn’t put his finger on. He was a little too loud, a little too… enthusiastic, in a way likely to draw too much attention in this day and age. Man didn’t seem too be carrying a piece on him for one, nor seemed the violent sort, but if nothing else; Mal trusted his gut - and his gut told him this man was dangerous.
Kaylee and River were elbow deep in the bridge’s wiring, just like Simon had said, but both turned around when Mal and the two strangers entered behind them.
“Captain?” Kaylee turned tired eyes to him, but was then immediately drawn to the Doctor and his companion.
“Kaylee, these two heard our distress call an’ came to help.”
Mal stepped aside and let the two of them step forward.
“Doctor, Rose - this here’s my mechanic, Kaylee, and River, who pilots this ship. When she’s in space, anyway.”
The girl offered a smile to match Kaylee’s on her best day, as did the Doctor, before his eyes began roaming greedily over the nav-control. His mechanic visibly relaxed, and shook both their hands happily, all ready to make friends and beginning to talk a blue streak.
“Really nice to meet you. ‘Specially if you know much ‘bout Fireflys or wiring or anything. It’s not that I don’t know Serenity’s workings like the back of my hand, but she got real shook up in the landing, jumbled up her insides real good, and that along with any physical damage she’s got along her hull mean’s it’s gonna be a while ‘fore she’s in the air again.”
Kaylee smiled apologetically at Mal. “But she’ll get there, Captain. Serenity won’t let us down.”
Mal shook his head. “You’re doing just fine, Kaylee. You just - tell these people what they can do to help and use that genius mind of yours, dong ma?”
The Doctor turned towards him with an unreadable expression on his face.
“Serenity?” He asked.
Mal nodded. “Name of my ship. There a problem?”
“Oh, uh… no.” The Doctor shook his head and turned his back on Mal, but not before he noticed the man’s friend shooting him a curious look.
Standing there, shifting uncomfortably, Mal suddenly realized that River hadn’t moved. Hadn’t budged an itch except to stare with widening eyes at the Doctor. Just as soon as he noticed and opened his mouth to say something, River took off - brushing past Mal and running down the hall to the galley with hardly a word.
“Oh, sorry ‘bout River.” Kaylee was biting her lip as she talked to them. “She’s just been feeling kinda guilty, even though she knows it were the right thing to do to get away from the feds. She also smacked her head something fierce coming down. Simon - he’s our doctor, said she should be fine, but maybe she’s feeling a mite sick now.”
“Quite all right,” said the Doctor, as he bent to look under the display panel. “Lot’s of work to be done here though, reckon we should start making a crack at it?”
Kaylee grinned widely, and Mal couldn’t help feeling glad that at least one person was happy these two were there.
The girl, after one initial glance over the bridge’s blinking instruments, gestured behind her shoulder.
“Maybe I should go check on that girl, River. See if she’s okay?”
Mal shook his head, though he couldn’t say why. “No, that’s okay. You stay here, do uh… whatever you two do.”
He walked over to the comms and spoke briskly into them. “Zoe, you there?”
Zoe’s crackling voice answered immediately. “Yes, sir?”
“I think Little River could use some checking on, see if she’s got anything to say.”
“Understood, sir.”
When Mal turned back to face them, Kaylee and the Doctor’s top-halves had disappeared completely, and Rose was sitting at their feet, waving a blinking tool over something she was holding, a piece of metal Mal was fairly certain was supposed to be attached to something important.
Again, Mal felt… disconcerted over this man’s presence on his boat, a feeling he couldn’t quite put his finger on.
Mal really didn’t like that feeling.