FIC: Flipped, Book 2 (1/10)
Title: Flipped, Book 2
Rating: heavy T for most contents, but it earns an M for occasional scenes and subject matter
Author: tkel_paris
Summary: David Noble has the biggest challenge of his life ahead - taking care of the new Tenth Doctor. Of course, it's harder because his male friend who was in love with him is now a gorgeous ginger woman... who's caught his eye. Sequel to Flipped, Book 1. Written for tardis_mole.
Required Disclaimer: The summary should be enough to tell you I own nothing.
Dedications: My good friend tardis_mole, for helping me discover my talent at editing and for being an inspiration. You've challenged me to go beyond what I previously thought I would like, and so this is the farthest I've gone from my comfort zone so far. Who knows where I'll go next?
And another important shout-out: sykira, whose LJ post about John Barrowman's comments about how Doctor Who could eventually go was the ultimate spark for this idea. So I suppose that means the ultimate blame for this lies with the Barrowman. I can only imagine what he would think, although I suspect he would heartily approve. :P
Author's Note: Originally spawned from a different idea that split into three, this is a new version of one of those ideas revived as a birthday present. And it's spawned a slightly AU version as a future present. The original prompt from TM boiled down to this: “The Doctor and Donna in a situation that's never been done before.” Ask and ye shall receive, my friend. Enjoy the sequel. :D Happy Belated Birthday, TM! :DDD I really jope you like this. I finally had to start posting because the uncertainty of whether I did well enough was getting to me.
Oh, and if you haven't read Flipped, please go back and do so. As in right now. :)
Special Disclaimer: I refuse to be held responsible for any $2000/₤2000 lattes, spit-takes, fainting spells, workplace/school gaffes, or falling against/from things that might happen if you're not careful while reading this story. Especially in certain chapters. Read at your own risk. (I put this in because I was warned by one of my betas, cassikat, that my emails should come with a spit-take warning. So I'm looking out for y'all. ;D)
Flipped, Book 2
Started October 29, 2012
Finished December 2013
CHAPTER ONE: COPING MECHANISMS
It was very quiet inside the house owned by David Noble. The computer was turned off, with a note next to it. In a code that was meant for one Mickey Smith to decipher, if the name on the upper left corner was a clue. All the equipment that might have been on, wasn't. Letters in envelops addressed to various people in David's life were on the table downstairs.
Curie paced restlessly. It seemed like an age since her human left. He'd been so down, but determined. What was he doing, and why had he left her here instead of taking her in the blue box?
The lock at the front door turned, and then it opened, ever so slightly. Curie raced for it, barking joyfully. She could smell her human and the Doctor!
“Sh-sh-sh!”
She stopped short at her human's whispered command, but she went taller at the sight of him carrying a strange ginger woman inside, wrapped in a blanket and unconscious. Curie managed to sniff at the woman's feet, and froze in shock.
David managed to close and lock the door behind him. He was stronger than he generally looked, but this moment was not something you usually thought might be the worst case scenario that would give a person additional strength. He looked at his friend, thinking fast. “Blimey, the other bedrooms are full of things! Where can I put hi-her without anyone possibly seeing?”
Curie tilted her head and barked in reply.
He spared a glance at her. “Well, at least she smells like the person you knew. Really not wanting to think about that - not right now.” Especially since he had a nose-full of the newly born ginger Tenth Doctor's scent... which was making him very uncomfortable. He didn't want to examine that. Not yet. Exhaling sharply, he walked to the stairs. “Only one thing for it...”
David managed his way through his home and completed the first tricky task: getting the Doctor under more covers - she was shivering, every so often. Laying her on top of his bed, he sighed. “I can only imagine what regeneration takes out of a Time Lord.” He looked back at Curie, who'd followed him. “I wish the Doctor trusted me with some texts on the subject.”
But that left the harder part: getting the remainder of the now constricting attire off her. He cleared his throat. “Maybe she'll wake and be able to finish this... if I start it,” he decided nervously.
The biggest problem was that this was his bedroom, the only space where there was a bed where the Doctor could rest in privacy. Now he was alive, but his friend... was sick.
Clearing his throat, David slowly tugged the bedding out from under the Doctor so he could cover her better. He left the blanket around her, not sure how cold she might get. Its edges pulled apart, exposing bare legs - pale and freckled. He flushed immediately.
The Doctor's joy over being a ginger now was cut short as she cried out suddenly, tripping to the floor. It dragged David out of his stupor. “Doctor!” He rushed over, concern overtaking his shock.
“Oh, help me get these trousers off! They're cutting off the circulation to my legs!”
David froze mid-step as the Doctor struggled to get her trousers undone. The belt and fastens released, she struggled to push them off. He flushed as he moved to help. His fingers brushed her legs as he tugged the trousers off - and his mouth fell when he realised the Doctor's pants came off with them. His eyes flickered up and he nearly turned scarlet when he noticed that the jumper was barely covering the Doctor's hips... and only her legs being still together kept everything else concealed.
She exhaled, rolling on her back. “Oh god, that's relief personified!” She took several deep breaths and seemed thoughtful. “Okay, this body has some weaknesses in the limbs. Maybe a healing sleep and some treatments in the infirmary will help that-” She gasped.
David flinched. “What?”
But the Doctor just rolled her eyes into her head, and they closed as her head drooped to one side. She'd passed out.
David stared at the motionless alien for a long moment. Unconscious. And the TARDIS' humming was much quieter than usual. But his eyes strayed to the bare legs, showing freckles and looking very... touchable.
He shook his head. “Blanket,” he stammered. “Must... must find a blanket.”
He gulped as he shook off the memory and covered the Doctor's legs with the blanket and his bedding. Exhaling sharply, he felt his fingers practically burn from the memory of touching the Doctor's bare skin - albeit accidentally. He railed silently at himself - this was his best friend, who had just moments before been a man! Was his body really that stupid?!
Evidently. He was male, and he knew his gender's weaknesses. It had also been a while for him. Yeah, maybe he should put the blame on that. Not that it was really useful.
Here came the hard part. The Doctor's jumper. It no longer fit, and had to come off. Taking a deep breath, David thought about how to handle this part. He decided that, as much as he wanted to keep his eyes closed, he had to keep aware of what he was doing so he didn't hurt his friend even accidentally. Let alone keep his hands away from everything that didn't concern him. Which left him no choice.
Slowly, he tugged the shirt from the sides up to just below the breasts, and then he pulled the sheets over them. “Must not look,” he breathed. He carefully lifted her arms above her head. “This is your friend, who trusts you.” He reached under to tug the jumper up, blushing as he realised he had to bring his hand closer to get the final constricting item off. He did so, and began moving. “You're a grown man, and you've seen patients before...”
His voice quieted to nothing as the sheet slid. He froze. “Oh my god,” he whispered. Right below him were the most beautiful breasts he'd ever seen or imagined could exist.
He stared for a long moment, unable to move or look away. Across his mind raced a slew of indecent thoughts of things his body wanted to do to and with the gorgeous ginger under him.
David managed to snap himself out of the lustful stupor, barely, and - with rather jerky motions - finished removing the top before putting the Doctor's arms back down and re-covering the distractions. He stumbled backwards, unaware that it forced Curie to move aside. He stared at the still form in his bed, and felt his way toward the door. “Shower,” he muttered. “Very... very... cold... shower.” He fled the room, leaving the door open... just in case the Doctor woke and he had to explain things.
Curie looked in that direction, until she heard the Doctor take a deep breath. She startled when the Doctor exhaled a pale golden cloud that seemed to fly into the air and out of the house. She barked once, but no one paid any attention. Nor did the Doctor react.
David had never peeled his clothes off so quickly. He couldn't think at all, let alone straight. So to speak. He needed to get this out of his system. Although he had read the literature and knew intellectually that a cold shower was the last thing that would probably work, he wasn't willing to go near the... known path for clearing his mind. So into the shower he went, cringing against the arctic temperature.
Well, for him. He was only willing to set it to a certain temperature before his medical knowledge forbade him from risking himself.
He rushed through cleaning himself, taking the opportunity to scrub off his day. He hurriedly did the same for his hair, very much aware that he'd probably ripped some strands out. Soon his skin was a bit red and his hair squeaky clean.
And still his problem remained. Stubbornly refusing to go away. He groaned loudly, and lightly bumped his head twice against the shower wall. It'd be wrong to wank to the memory of the Doctor's body - his friend had been a man until about thirty minutes earlier! There was something just... ugh... about the thought.
Unfortunately, it seemed that some sights were just instant triggers for a red-blooded male, and the sight of someone whose body could've been a model for those paintings in the museums - which had fascinated him since he started puberty - was obviously one of them. And fighting it wasn't working. Which left only one option... as disturbing as it was.
He sighed and let his imagination drift. If he'd met this Doctor under other circumstances... say he'd never met the Ninth Doctor at all and never heard of the previous Doctors? Then he could've lived in ignorance, having never known... maybe.
Gulping, David took himself in hand. His imagination drifted into a haze as he imagined that the Doctor was someone he had no qualms about seeing naked... and was awake. A fantasy quickly took shape...
“Am I physically okay?”
David looked up from folding the clothes shed earlier, and the green eyes that fixed on his face captured his attention. “Um... well, I haven't... checked. But you react just fine.”
She smiled gratefully from lying down. “Thank you. I had nowhere else to go.”
He walked over and knelt next to her, taking her free hand in what he intended as a respectful gesture. “A lady should always be helped.”
Pushing herself upright, she laughed. “Aren't you a gentleman,” she teased.
His eyes widened as the sheet slid a little, almost exposing her breasts despite her arm covering them.
She looked down, and smiled coyly as she looked back up. “Is it okay to admit that I find you handsome?”
“You... do?” He could barely speak, his eyes transfixed on her chest.
“Yes.” She leaned closer, and the sheet slid to her waist. “I don't mind if you touch...”
That did it. He groaned and kissed her, hands flying to cup her breasts. Her answering moan inflamed him, and he willingly let her guide him to lie on top of her, kicking the sheet completely out of the way.
Oh, her skin! So cool to the touch, but oh so touchable! Her body was meant to be pleasured, and he was powerless to not do it.
Before long, she'd disrobed him, touching him just as much as he was her, and he was sliding inside her. He broke the kiss on a hiss. “Oh, God, we need a condom!”
She grabbed his bum, forcing him to thrust. “Don't you dare stop!” she gasped. “I'm melting, and I don't want this to end.”
That did it. He began thrusting, slow at first and then harder as her moans increased their pitch. He adjusted so he could lick her breasts at the same time, and her wanton cries of delight kept driving his own need to a higher and higher plane. Higher still, until his body released his seed inside her, making her cry even louder as her body struggled to draw him in deeper...
David collapsed to the floor, still holding himself, but feeling his mind start to clear. Gasping for breath, he noticed the ejaculate against the opposite wall. He tapped his head again. He would never jump into bed with someone he'd just met! He always waited, got to know them, and... was this what waiting as long as he had since his last relationship did to him?
God, he felt a like pervert.
Now fully dressed in clean clothes, David slowly strolled back into the bedroom. Curie was still standing guard, and looked at her owner for her next command.
He was silent, staring at the Doctor's motionless... and very distracting... covered body. He cleared his throat. “What am I going to do? What can help the Doctor?” He kept the distance, not wanting to chance losing his recovered equilibrium. “The TARDIS isn't working right, so I can barely access her files - and they're all in Gallifreyan. God, I wish I'd started learning the language sooner! I don't care if I can't speak it, but it'd be damned handy to read it!”
Suddenly two woman screamed downstairs.
He blanched. “Oh, no! Nerys! Emily!” He rushed out of the room, Curie on his heels.
The sound of his feet racing downstairs drew two women to the entrance. One was a blonde with a sharp frown on her face, and the other was a brunette with a heart-shaped face and green eyes. The later was holding an open letter, and both were pale. “David!” the blonde cried, her frown melting in relief as she grabbed him into a hug. “Don't you dare! Whatever you're doing, don't you dare!”
Blimey, he'd forgotten about the envelopes he'd put out! “Nerys!” he snapped, trying to pat her reassuringly and loosen her iron grip on him. “I'm fine. It's already happened, and I made it through.”
“What?!” shouted Emily. “What do you mean 'already happened'? This note makes it sound like you didn't expect to come back!”
He cringed. Oh, God... he had to take them into his confidence. “Swear you'll never repeat this to anyone except my parents and grandparents! And when I say my grandparents, I mean the Mott side.”
That drew Nerys back to stare at him with a bigger frown. But she slowly nodded as her face relaxed slightly. “Fine. Emily and I won't tell anyone. Now you tell us what's going on!”
He drew them into the kitchen for tea. Lord knew he needed some. What he really needed was a dose of something a little stronger added, but he had to avoid that. It would cloud his head, and Nerys did not do so well when exposed to someone else drinking. That they figured out while they were dating, and he had to help her become sober.
A while later, he'd managed the story. From meeting the Doctor at Henrick's to time travel to discovering that Time Lords apparently could flip genders during regeneration. He left out what he'd done after getting the Doctor inside, save for a short mention that the clothing had had to come off to prevent damage from loss of circulation. But he knew he hadn't been able to keep his face from turning utterly red.
The two women, who knew more about him than anyone else in his age range, exchanged a long look - the kind that only passed between a couple that managed to be in good synchrony with each other. Such bonds required a lot of work, and they had managed it. “Show us,” Emily demanded. “Show us this Doctor. You obviously need help, and it sounds like... she's... going to need new clothes. Some of my pregnancy things might fit her, but I'd have to see first.”
Sighing and taking his tea, David slowly led them upstairs and, reluctantly, let them into his bedroom. He'd left the door open in his haste, so he just walked them inside.
Nerys and Emily walked to either side of the bed, eyeing the woman lying there. “Hmm.” Nerys pursed her lips. “She used to be a man?”
“Ask my parents when we next see them!” He facepalmed himself. “Oh, God, I have to tell them what happened. Oh, that's going to be shaming.”
“Why, because you like this one?”
David turned crimson. “Emily!”
Nerys waved him off. “Well, she is good-looking. Definitely will need a good bra. That we'll have to shop for, but I think a few of Emily's maternity tops might fit her respectably. Trousers, however... I think we'd best get some dresses, too. She has bigger hips than either of us - even with pregnancy.”
Emily nodded. “I should have a winter dress or two that would work. You said she's been unconscious. Have you checked her yet?”
He blushed, which caught Nerys' eye. “Yeah. Lungs are fine, both hearts working.”
“Two hearts?” Nerys eyed the Doctor again. “Anything else she's got two of? Besides the knockers?”
“Nerys!”
“What?! You expect me to know anything about alien biology?!”
Emily laughed. “Like you're surprised she'd say such a thing? Didn't you grow up together? And what did you talk about after you two stopped dating and you were acting as her beard?”
David rubbed his neck before placing the tea on the bedside table, near the Doctor's head. “Look, I'm feeling out of my depth here, as much practice as I've had travelling with the Doctor. A little help and compassion would be nice.”
Nerys sighed and reached over to pat his arm. “Okay, we'll help, you tall skinny berk. But how are you going to help her wake? Is there any medicine you can give her?”
“I don't know. She's got a completely different biology. Medicines you and I take for granted for help could kill her outright, and I can't read her language well enough to tell what to do for her. The Doctor is... completely different and yet so like us. It's easy to forget sometimes that you're talking with an alien, and other times it's impossible to ignore.”
One moment that came to mind was when he first wore his favorite glasses around the Doctor. Admitting that he called them his brainy specs made the Doctor grin like a maniac. Learning that the Doctor had his own pair, and they were quite similar, was an annoying moment. He could only imagine what it would've been like had he been a woman.
Although the Doctor wearing them now... No, best not think about that!
Emily shook her head. “I'll go get the clothes.”
David blinked. “Where are the kids?”
“With the sitter. We were going to bring them around later, but if it's not okay-”
“No, I need to see them.” He knew it came out more forcefully than he liked to be around them, but nearly dying and the rest of his day had left him needing the comfort of seeing those wonderful kids. “Bring them with the clothes, unless that puts the sitter out a lot.”
“She won't mind getting to go home early on Christmas Eve. I'll still pay her the original amount.” Emily hugged him before she left the room.
Nerys eyed David. “You're not telling us everything.”
He cringed. “No, but there are things that I swore I wouldn't tell. And some things are too... fantastical to be believed right now.”
Oh, that word. The Doctor's favorite word. But what would his friend be like now?
They could hear Emily exiting in a rush downstairs.
Nerys rolled her eyes. “Fine, you can keep your secrets. I'll make more tea. You collect all you know about her biology and we'll discuss what might work.” Then she frowned. “Is she breathing more deeply right now than she was before?”
David turned and watched a moment. The Doctor's breaths did seem more deliberate, like she was trying to breathe something in. “Oh my God, she is.” He looked at the cup. “Tea. That's the change. The presence of hot tea. Brew a new pot, and let's bring it up here! Maybe the steam's the key!”
Sighing, Nerys shook her head and hurried to follow instructions. David kneeled at the bedside, grabbed the cup and held it closer to the Doctor. He swore he saw the nostrils flare slightly. “Is this it? Is this what you need? Please, God, let it be what she needs.”
He waited like that for longer than he knew. Finally, Nerys returned with the kettle. “Same tea, but fresh pot.”
David waved her to put it on a hot pad on the bedside table. He opened the lid, and waited.
The Doctor's body seemed more relaxed, but she wasn't waking.
David groaned. “Maybe if we... I've got it!” He rushed downstairs.
Nerys frowned and looked at Curie. David's habit of talking to her like she was a person seemed useful at that instant. “Great. He leaves me with the alien ginge with the huge boobs. Remind me to thank him. What am I to do if she wakes? She won't lash out at seeing someone new, will she?”
Curie made no answer.
Chapter Two: Mirrors, Dining Habits, and Introductions