Crossover Fic: Lending a Hand (8/?), Firefly/Doctor Who
Title: Lending a hand (8/?)
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: In this chapter, Mal and the Doctor begin to find some common ground, and the crew realizes they didn’t disappear quite as well as they hoped.
Rating: PG-13
Words: 2, 350
Previous Chapters
Captain Reynolds stood with his thumbs hooked under his suspenders, his gaze slowly wandering around the control room.
“Alright, so it’s a mite bigger on the inside,” he muttered. “Give you that.”
Rose reluctantly dropped the Doctor’s hand. He took a few steps back and shoved his hands in his pockets, looking decidedly unhappy at the interruption.
Rose would have laughed, had the tension not been so thick. They both looked so alike, standing with their brows all furrowed up in suspicion, long brown coats trailing past their knees.
“Give you a tour, if you’d like,” Rose finally said, catching the Captain’s eye and smiling encouragingly. “The TARDIS has got all sorts of rooms. Don’t think I’ll ever see them all.”
“Rose,” the Doctor said warningly. In what was clearly a dismissal, he bent over to tinker with the engine, humming vaguely to himself.
Rose refrained from pointing out he was being rude, if only because she knew he was doing it on purpose.
“No, I-uh, don’t need a tour,” the Captain said. “Just… thought I’d see what everyone was all starry-eyed about. Ain’t much.”
There was a crash from underneath the console, and the Doctor yelped in pain.
Rose rolled her eyes. Honestly, like he’d react any better if someone mysteriously popped up onboard the TARDIS. Probably run himself hoarse from hollering.
Besides, Captain Reynolds had been perfectly nice to her (except, of course, when he’d pointed that gun at them, but the Doctor got her into far worse trouble than that on a daily basis). And there was something about him. Reminded Rose of the Doctor when she first met him-back before he regenerated. All angry and gruff because he lost his people in the-Time-War-they-rarely-talked-about. The Doctor had just been… lonely. Thought he didn’t need anyone, but of course he did.
“You must have loads of questions,” Rose said, nodding along with her words. “I’ll just leave you two alone, then.”
The Doctor sprang up from underneath the console, looking… sulky. Well, he could sulk all he wanted. It wasn’t going to work on her. “Rose, there’s no need to-”
“Hungry, remember?” Rose said. “Sides, I’m sure the Captain here’s got an interest in knowing how it is you’re fixing up his ship. Wouldn’t like it if someone mucked about with the TARDIS, would you?”
“Yeah, not so much my area of expertise,” the Captain said. “Best be talkin’ with Kaylee when it comes to Serenity. No, I… gotta know, Doctor. This ship-it can really travel through time?”
The Doctor studied the Captain for an inordinate amount of time, and finally said, “Yes.”
“Huh.”
Rose cautiously backed away, slipping out of the TARDIS before the Doctor could call her back.
***
Hot chocolate made out of protein.
Jayne could list a whole manner of other things that sounded like more fun, including facing down a ship of hungry Reavers.
“C’mon, Jayne,” Kaylee said, “you know you wanna.”
Weren’t fair that she could get everyone on this ship to do stupid things just by smiling all prettily like so.
Well, at least she’d roped the doc (the prissy one with the fancy Core schooling, not the one just showed up in a blue box) into it, too.
And Simon was, at that moment, staring into the mug like it was liable to bite him. “Uh, Kaylee… what are…?”
“Marshmallows!” she said, leaning over Simon’s shoulder and sticking her nose in the mug. “Protein marshmallows. Ain’t that something? Shepherd Book used’ta say you could turn protein into anything, you had the right spices.”
Simon gulped. “Spices?”
“Drink up!” Kaylee said. “And I’ve got more should you be needin’ it.”
Simon and Jayne shared a horrified look, for once in total agreement.
“You’re the one she’s ruttin’!” Jayne hissed, with a that-means-you-have-to-go-first look.
Simon looked appalled by his language, but only said, “At the same time.” Jayne grunted in acquiescence. “One, two-”
“Oh, hello!” said a new voice. “You’re all still up.”
Jayne and Simon slumped in relief, and Kaylee’s attention was diverted elsewhere.
“Heya, Rose,” Kaylee said. Simon and Jayne hastily dumped out their hot chocolate under the table. “Couldn’t sleep. Ain’t every day we get time travelers on Serenity. ‘Sides, I ain’t used to sleeping when Serenity’s broke. Don’t sit right. Hot chocolate?”
Simon widened his eyes and vehemently shook his head. Rose frowned at him, but only hooked her thumbs into the loops on her jeans and said, “Sure. Love some.”
Jayne leaned back and folded his arms across his chest. Hell, this was sure to be good. He half-grinned, half-leered at Rose as she sat down.
Kaylee plopped a mug of hot chocolate down in front of Rose and then waited expectantly. Rose took a sip, a pinched look coming into her face. Simon winced in sympathy.
“S’good,” Rose managed, and Kaylee beamed. “I’ll just let it sit for a while, yeah? Nearly burned the roof of my mouth off.”
Which would be the ideal time for Jayne to lean in and offer her a drink back in his bunk. Said she was human, hadn’t she? And, hell, even she weren’t, she was cute. And there was no way that Doctor could take him on in a fight. Even if he was an alien. And talked real fast with whole string of words Jayne didn’t exactly understand.
Jayne closed his mouth. Tzao-goa, there were cute girls all over the ‘verse he could pay good coin for and not have to worry about no liabilities.
Simon’s accusing glare suggested he knew what Jayne was thinking, which wasn’t overly fair. Jayne grinned.
“Kaylee, doc’d like a refill of his hot chocolate,” he said. “Done drunk the whole thing in one gulp.”
Simon’s mouth dropped in horror. “No, Kaylee-that’s not, I mean…” Simon loosened his collar, and finally said. “We should leave some for the others.”
“Got plenty,” Kaylee said, planting a kiss on his cheek and grabbing his mug for a refill.
Rose snorted into her hand.
“It can’t be that bad,” Simon protested.
“Whatever makes you feel better doc,” Jayne said, slapping him on the back.
Simon eyed him for a moment, and then said loudly, “Jayne, done already? I’ve never seen anyone polish off a drink so quickly.”
“Shut your gorram hole,” Jayne snapped. “Else you want me to shut it for you.”
Opposite them, Rose sat up suddenly, her hands clutching the mug. “Uh, guys…” she whispered.
There was something about her tone; something Jayne knew could only mean trouble. Kaylee turned around from the stove and shrieked, her hot chocolate cascading from the stove and splashing to the floor.
Jayne went straight for his gun; even knowing it was too late. He and Simon turned around, and came nose to nose with about a dozen local law officers, the sheriff standing at the head of the pack.
“I wouldn’t,” the sheriff said, nodding to Jayne’s gun. He spoke into his com. “We’ve got more in the galley.”
***
Inara was not having a good night.
Certainly, there were certain things on Serenity she’d learned… to adapt to. Life was dangerous, uncertain, with molded protein for food, and rarely enough fuel to keep warm. Yes, she accepted all those things-preferred it, in fact, to a life at one of the Guild’s finest training houses.
However, when she was roused by local law enforcement in the middle of the night, and then herded into the cargo bay at gunpoint, she wanted to find Mal and kick him. Hopefully somewhere it would hurt.
“Appears to be the last of ‘em, sir,” said one of the officers, addressing the sheriff.
It only took Inara one glance to tell it wasn’t everyone. Zoe, Simon, Jayne, Kaylee, and Rose all stood with their hands up and not-quite-impassive looks on their faces, but Mal, River, and the Doctor were conspicuously absent. Provided Mal and the Doctor hadn’t killed each other yet, Inara hoped there was still a chance for a last minute rescue.
Rose’s eyes jumped nervously from the TARDIS to the officers. Zoe nudged her in the back of the foot, giving a small shake of her head.
The officers milled idly about the cargo bay, pulling out compartment and shining their flashlights into corners. Most of them completely ignored the blue phone box.
Kaylee hugged close to Simon’s side, eyebrows drawn tightly together. “River?” she mouthed. Simon shrugged, clearly trying to be strong for her, but he shot Inara a helpless look.
She raised her eyebrows slightly, but otherwise kept her face tranquil. Better not to give anything away. Stay quiet, unconcerned. Nothing to hide. Just crash-landed, that’s all.
“There a problem, Sheriff?” Zoe finally said.
The sheriff was a large man with a bright bald spot and tiny eyes. The gun strapped to his side looked like it didn’t quite belong, and he flipped through a tiny cortex screen, not bothering to look up as he answered Zoe.
“Landed on this here piece of rock without a permit.”
“We crashed,” Zoe said. “Getting a permit weren’t exactly high up on our list of priorities.”
“Funny,” the sheriff said. “Alliance contacted us just a few hours ago. Said a ship they was trailing crashed on this very moon. Asked me and my team to check it out, bring in any survivors.”
“I see,” Zoe said. “They give any indication what sort’a trouble we’re in?”
“Didn’t ask.”
Inara made eye contact with Zoe and cleared her throat, stepping forward to play her Companion card.
“Gentlemen, please,” she said. “I’m certain there’s been some sort of error. If you’ll be so kind as to wave the Guild, they’d tell you this ship is perfectly legitimate. I’m sure you’re aware Companions only choose the best.”
“I know who you are,” the Sheriff said, glancing up from his com. “Inara Serra. You were fired for treason about a month back.” He gave a ghost of a smile. “Suppose we have the right ship, after all.”
“You was fired?” Kaylee said. “Why didn’t you say so, ‘Nara? Thought you weren’t taking on clients ‘cause of the Cap-ow!” Simon stepped on her toes, and Kaylee continued in a strained voice. “Just could’a told us, is all.”
The Sheriff barely glanced at Kaylee. Instead he studied Inara, who remained expressionless despite the heat in her cheeks. “Of course,” he drawled. “If you’d like to… mitigate your sentence, I’m sure that can be arranged.”
“Oi!” Rose burst out, seemingly forgetting all the guns pointed at them. “You keep your dirty old man paws to yourself, yeah? Bet you’ve never even had a good sha-”
“Rose,” Zoe said, warningly, one hand coming down to rest on the girl’s shoulder. “Don’t antagonize them. Trust me.”
Rose hesitated, but then pushed her mouth together in a firm line, glancing hopefully at the TARDIS again.
“Cuff ‘em,” the sheriff said, shoving his com link in his pocket. He nodded at Rose. “And make sure it hurts.”
***
Mal didn’t know how long he moved around the console room, bending over every few paces to examine something, but the Doctor left him to it, seeming content to flash his blinking screwdriver over his vidscreens and mumble to himself.
“And what exactly do you… do with a time machine?” Mal finally asked, trying very hard not to stare at anything too long. “Seems like a it’d be a mighty powerful temptation to use for your own gain.”
“I travel,” the Doctor answered, leaning back against the console. “Backwards, forwards, any planet I want. This ship is my home. The only one I’ve got left. She takes me where I need to go.”
Mal nodded; like it made perfect sense. Like the man wasn’t completely off his nut. He swallowed. “What about changing… changing history?”
The Doctor’s eyes sharpened. “My people, they had rules for that sort of thing. Strictly non-intervention. Though… I don’t suppose it matters anymore.”
“There are more like you?” Mal said. “All of ‘em, just traveling around the ‘verse in a… what is it? A public call box?”
“Nobody else, not anymore,” the Doctor said, flicking a switch on the console, and then giving Mal a strained smile. “I’m the only one left.”
Mal got a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. “What happened?
Instead of answering, the Doctor paced around the console, speaking animatedly. “But as a rule, changing history’s not a good idea. Mucking about with personal timelines, saving the dead, small changes, little things - those are the worst. The big things, nah, don’t matter as much-saving the world from destruction, who’s going to call you out? But a personal timeline, the history of a person, just one person, that’s not something you want to get in the middle of. Causes a rift in time.”
“A rift?”
“Bad,” the Doctor said. “Very bad.” He shivered. “Nearly died the last time.”
“Yeah,” Mal said, scratching at his nose. “Reckoned as much. Zoe, she…” he sighed, trailing off. “This crew’s been through its fair share of hardships, these last few months.”
“Who did she lose?”
“Husband,” Mal said, after some hesitation. “She’s strong, but she…”
The Doctor waved that away. “Hear the word ‘time machine,’ of course that’s the first thing you think about,” he said. “But I can’t help her.”
“She might not be overly partial to taking ‘no’ for an answer,” Mal said, already feeling the weight of Zoe’s grief. Ai ya, he didn’t want to be the one to kill that final hope for her.
The Doctor held up one hand to silence him, a fact that made Mal more than a little ornery. He was still a guest on Mal’s ship, and a little bit of respect wouldn’t exactly be remiss.
“Do you hear that?” the Doctor said, one finger held over his lips.
Mal strained to listen, but only received ringing silence for his efforts. “Doctor, ain’t nothing there.”
“Exactly,” the Doctor said, springing up and heading towards the door. “And nothing is never good, Captain. Nothing is decidedly very bad. And Rose is out there.”
***
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: In this chapter, Mal and the Doctor begin to find some common ground, and the crew realizes they didn’t disappear quite as well as they hoped.
Rating: PG-13
Words: 2, 350
Previous Chapters
Captain Reynolds stood with his thumbs hooked under his suspenders, his gaze slowly wandering around the control room.
“Alright, so it’s a mite bigger on the inside,” he muttered. “Give you that.”
Rose reluctantly dropped the Doctor’s hand. He took a few steps back and shoved his hands in his pockets, looking decidedly unhappy at the interruption.
Rose would have laughed, had the tension not been so thick. They both looked so alike, standing with their brows all furrowed up in suspicion, long brown coats trailing past their knees.
“Give you a tour, if you’d like,” Rose finally said, catching the Captain’s eye and smiling encouragingly. “The TARDIS has got all sorts of rooms. Don’t think I’ll ever see them all.”
“Rose,” the Doctor said warningly. In what was clearly a dismissal, he bent over to tinker with the engine, humming vaguely to himself.
Rose refrained from pointing out he was being rude, if only because she knew he was doing it on purpose.
“No, I-uh, don’t need a tour,” the Captain said. “Just… thought I’d see what everyone was all starry-eyed about. Ain’t much.”
There was a crash from underneath the console, and the Doctor yelped in pain.
Rose rolled her eyes. Honestly, like he’d react any better if someone mysteriously popped up onboard the TARDIS. Probably run himself hoarse from hollering.
Besides, Captain Reynolds had been perfectly nice to her (except, of course, when he’d pointed that gun at them, but the Doctor got her into far worse trouble than that on a daily basis). And there was something about him. Reminded Rose of the Doctor when she first met him-back before he regenerated. All angry and gruff because he lost his people in the-Time-War-they-rarely-talked-about. The Doctor had just been… lonely. Thought he didn’t need anyone, but of course he did.
“You must have loads of questions,” Rose said, nodding along with her words. “I’ll just leave you two alone, then.”
The Doctor sprang up from underneath the console, looking… sulky. Well, he could sulk all he wanted. It wasn’t going to work on her. “Rose, there’s no need to-”
“Hungry, remember?” Rose said. “Sides, I’m sure the Captain here’s got an interest in knowing how it is you’re fixing up his ship. Wouldn’t like it if someone mucked about with the TARDIS, would you?”
“Yeah, not so much my area of expertise,” the Captain said. “Best be talkin’ with Kaylee when it comes to Serenity. No, I… gotta know, Doctor. This ship-it can really travel through time?”
The Doctor studied the Captain for an inordinate amount of time, and finally said, “Yes.”
“Huh.”
Rose cautiously backed away, slipping out of the TARDIS before the Doctor could call her back.
***
Hot chocolate made out of protein.
Jayne could list a whole manner of other things that sounded like more fun, including facing down a ship of hungry Reavers.
“C’mon, Jayne,” Kaylee said, “you know you wanna.”
Weren’t fair that she could get everyone on this ship to do stupid things just by smiling all prettily like so.
Well, at least she’d roped the doc (the prissy one with the fancy Core schooling, not the one just showed up in a blue box) into it, too.
And Simon was, at that moment, staring into the mug like it was liable to bite him. “Uh, Kaylee… what are…?”
“Marshmallows!” she said, leaning over Simon’s shoulder and sticking her nose in the mug. “Protein marshmallows. Ain’t that something? Shepherd Book used’ta say you could turn protein into anything, you had the right spices.”
Simon gulped. “Spices?”
“Drink up!” Kaylee said. “And I’ve got more should you be needin’ it.”
Simon and Jayne shared a horrified look, for once in total agreement.
“You’re the one she’s ruttin’!” Jayne hissed, with a that-means-you-have-to-go-first look.
Simon looked appalled by his language, but only said, “At the same time.” Jayne grunted in acquiescence. “One, two-”
“Oh, hello!” said a new voice. “You’re all still up.”
Jayne and Simon slumped in relief, and Kaylee’s attention was diverted elsewhere.
“Heya, Rose,” Kaylee said. Simon and Jayne hastily dumped out their hot chocolate under the table. “Couldn’t sleep. Ain’t every day we get time travelers on Serenity. ‘Sides, I ain’t used to sleeping when Serenity’s broke. Don’t sit right. Hot chocolate?”
Simon widened his eyes and vehemently shook his head. Rose frowned at him, but only hooked her thumbs into the loops on her jeans and said, “Sure. Love some.”
Jayne leaned back and folded his arms across his chest. Hell, this was sure to be good. He half-grinned, half-leered at Rose as she sat down.
Kaylee plopped a mug of hot chocolate down in front of Rose and then waited expectantly. Rose took a sip, a pinched look coming into her face. Simon winced in sympathy.
“S’good,” Rose managed, and Kaylee beamed. “I’ll just let it sit for a while, yeah? Nearly burned the roof of my mouth off.”
Which would be the ideal time for Jayne to lean in and offer her a drink back in his bunk. Said she was human, hadn’t she? And, hell, even she weren’t, she was cute. And there was no way that Doctor could take him on in a fight. Even if he was an alien. And talked real fast with whole string of words Jayne didn’t exactly understand.
Jayne closed his mouth. Tzao-goa, there were cute girls all over the ‘verse he could pay good coin for and not have to worry about no liabilities.
Simon’s accusing glare suggested he knew what Jayne was thinking, which wasn’t overly fair. Jayne grinned.
“Kaylee, doc’d like a refill of his hot chocolate,” he said. “Done drunk the whole thing in one gulp.”
Simon’s mouth dropped in horror. “No, Kaylee-that’s not, I mean…” Simon loosened his collar, and finally said. “We should leave some for the others.”
“Got plenty,” Kaylee said, planting a kiss on his cheek and grabbing his mug for a refill.
Rose snorted into her hand.
“It can’t be that bad,” Simon protested.
“Whatever makes you feel better doc,” Jayne said, slapping him on the back.
Simon eyed him for a moment, and then said loudly, “Jayne, done already? I’ve never seen anyone polish off a drink so quickly.”
“Shut your gorram hole,” Jayne snapped. “Else you want me to shut it for you.”
Opposite them, Rose sat up suddenly, her hands clutching the mug. “Uh, guys…” she whispered.
There was something about her tone; something Jayne knew could only mean trouble. Kaylee turned around from the stove and shrieked, her hot chocolate cascading from the stove and splashing to the floor.
Jayne went straight for his gun; even knowing it was too late. He and Simon turned around, and came nose to nose with about a dozen local law officers, the sheriff standing at the head of the pack.
“I wouldn’t,” the sheriff said, nodding to Jayne’s gun. He spoke into his com. “We’ve got more in the galley.”
***
Inara was not having a good night.
Certainly, there were certain things on Serenity she’d learned… to adapt to. Life was dangerous, uncertain, with molded protein for food, and rarely enough fuel to keep warm. Yes, she accepted all those things-preferred it, in fact, to a life at one of the Guild’s finest training houses.
However, when she was roused by local law enforcement in the middle of the night, and then herded into the cargo bay at gunpoint, she wanted to find Mal and kick him. Hopefully somewhere it would hurt.
“Appears to be the last of ‘em, sir,” said one of the officers, addressing the sheriff.
It only took Inara one glance to tell it wasn’t everyone. Zoe, Simon, Jayne, Kaylee, and Rose all stood with their hands up and not-quite-impassive looks on their faces, but Mal, River, and the Doctor were conspicuously absent. Provided Mal and the Doctor hadn’t killed each other yet, Inara hoped there was still a chance for a last minute rescue.
Rose’s eyes jumped nervously from the TARDIS to the officers. Zoe nudged her in the back of the foot, giving a small shake of her head.
The officers milled idly about the cargo bay, pulling out compartment and shining their flashlights into corners. Most of them completely ignored the blue phone box.
Kaylee hugged close to Simon’s side, eyebrows drawn tightly together. “River?” she mouthed. Simon shrugged, clearly trying to be strong for her, but he shot Inara a helpless look.
She raised her eyebrows slightly, but otherwise kept her face tranquil. Better not to give anything away. Stay quiet, unconcerned. Nothing to hide. Just crash-landed, that’s all.
“There a problem, Sheriff?” Zoe finally said.
The sheriff was a large man with a bright bald spot and tiny eyes. The gun strapped to his side looked like it didn’t quite belong, and he flipped through a tiny cortex screen, not bothering to look up as he answered Zoe.
“Landed on this here piece of rock without a permit.”
“We crashed,” Zoe said. “Getting a permit weren’t exactly high up on our list of priorities.”
“Funny,” the sheriff said. “Alliance contacted us just a few hours ago. Said a ship they was trailing crashed on this very moon. Asked me and my team to check it out, bring in any survivors.”
“I see,” Zoe said. “They give any indication what sort’a trouble we’re in?”
“Didn’t ask.”
Inara made eye contact with Zoe and cleared her throat, stepping forward to play her Companion card.
“Gentlemen, please,” she said. “I’m certain there’s been some sort of error. If you’ll be so kind as to wave the Guild, they’d tell you this ship is perfectly legitimate. I’m sure you’re aware Companions only choose the best.”
“I know who you are,” the Sheriff said, glancing up from his com. “Inara Serra. You were fired for treason about a month back.” He gave a ghost of a smile. “Suppose we have the right ship, after all.”
“You was fired?” Kaylee said. “Why didn’t you say so, ‘Nara? Thought you weren’t taking on clients ‘cause of the Cap-ow!” Simon stepped on her toes, and Kaylee continued in a strained voice. “Just could’a told us, is all.”
The Sheriff barely glanced at Kaylee. Instead he studied Inara, who remained expressionless despite the heat in her cheeks. “Of course,” he drawled. “If you’d like to… mitigate your sentence, I’m sure that can be arranged.”
“Oi!” Rose burst out, seemingly forgetting all the guns pointed at them. “You keep your dirty old man paws to yourself, yeah? Bet you’ve never even had a good sha-”
“Rose,” Zoe said, warningly, one hand coming down to rest on the girl’s shoulder. “Don’t antagonize them. Trust me.”
Rose hesitated, but then pushed her mouth together in a firm line, glancing hopefully at the TARDIS again.
“Cuff ‘em,” the sheriff said, shoving his com link in his pocket. He nodded at Rose. “And make sure it hurts.”
***
Mal didn’t know how long he moved around the console room, bending over every few paces to examine something, but the Doctor left him to it, seeming content to flash his blinking screwdriver over his vidscreens and mumble to himself.
“And what exactly do you… do with a time machine?” Mal finally asked, trying very hard not to stare at anything too long. “Seems like a it’d be a mighty powerful temptation to use for your own gain.”
“I travel,” the Doctor answered, leaning back against the console. “Backwards, forwards, any planet I want. This ship is my home. The only one I’ve got left. She takes me where I need to go.”
Mal nodded; like it made perfect sense. Like the man wasn’t completely off his nut. He swallowed. “What about changing… changing history?”
The Doctor’s eyes sharpened. “My people, they had rules for that sort of thing. Strictly non-intervention. Though… I don’t suppose it matters anymore.”
“There are more like you?” Mal said. “All of ‘em, just traveling around the ‘verse in a… what is it? A public call box?”
“Nobody else, not anymore,” the Doctor said, flicking a switch on the console, and then giving Mal a strained smile. “I’m the only one left.”
Mal got a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. “What happened?
Instead of answering, the Doctor paced around the console, speaking animatedly. “But as a rule, changing history’s not a good idea. Mucking about with personal timelines, saving the dead, small changes, little things - those are the worst. The big things, nah, don’t matter as much-saving the world from destruction, who’s going to call you out? But a personal timeline, the history of a person, just one person, that’s not something you want to get in the middle of. Causes a rift in time.”
“A rift?”
“Bad,” the Doctor said. “Very bad.” He shivered. “Nearly died the last time.”
“Yeah,” Mal said, scratching at his nose. “Reckoned as much. Zoe, she…” he sighed, trailing off. “This crew’s been through its fair share of hardships, these last few months.”
“Who did she lose?”
“Husband,” Mal said, after some hesitation. “She’s strong, but she…”
The Doctor waved that away. “Hear the word ‘time machine,’ of course that’s the first thing you think about,” he said. “But I can’t help her.”
“She might not be overly partial to taking ‘no’ for an answer,” Mal said, already feeling the weight of Zoe’s grief. Ai ya, he didn’t want to be the one to kill that final hope for her.
The Doctor held up one hand to silence him, a fact that made Mal more than a little ornery. He was still a guest on Mal’s ship, and a little bit of respect wouldn’t exactly be remiss.
“Do you hear that?” the Doctor said, one finger held over his lips.
Mal strained to listen, but only received ringing silence for his efforts. “Doctor, ain’t nothing there.”
“Exactly,” the Doctor said, springing up and heading towards the door. “And nothing is never good, Captain. Nothing is decidedly very bad. And Rose is out there.”
***