Hand in the Dark [RP for aces_are_rare]

[timewill_tell]

It was nearing dusk as the Doctor and and Ace walked away from the small village, home to the Trelek people. It was a small planet, harboring only that small village, and a diverse variety of flora and fauna, but as planets went, it was one of the more unremarkable ones the Doctor had encountered. In fact, he was certain he'd never even been there

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[aces_are_rare]

"Of course it will," she agreed. She wouldn't allow anything else to be true, but the fact that he didn't believe the words himself sent a chill down her spine. He was always so sureWhen he began to tremble she brushed his hands aside, unknotting his tie for him and pulling it free from his collar before undoing the top two buttons and the ones at the cuffs. His pulse, when her fingers brushed his wrist, was too fast

[timewill_tell]

He berated himself for a few seconds, for voicing such a possibility aloud. He should have kept it to himself, knowing Ace would react that way. Certainly, whenever she had been hurt or ill in any way, it was enough to worry about her on his own, without someone else reminding him that things could get worse. He still thought of that time she'd been shot, and he'd been made to wait in the hospital, thinking the worst. Unconsciously, his hold on her tightened as much as it could, and he turned his face to bury his mouth against her hair

[aces_are_rare]

Ace remembered the pain that had ripped through her when Manisha had died, and knew that it would be even worse if the Professor fell to this disease. She could tell him that, though. She refused to say anything that would make him worry about her, and he would worry if he understood what his dying would do to her. And it would be a death, no matter what he'd explained to her about regeneration. The Doctor would still exist but the Professor would be dead and that might be even harder to cope with

[timewill_tell]

The Doctor's smile was melancholic, full of understanding. Desperately, he thought of anything he could do to make their present situation better, to soothe both of them. He wished he could talk; he was good at talking about anything, rambling on for hours, and maybe Ace would like that now, just to hear his voice, but it was too hard for him to speak for any length of time. He wanted to read her poetry, to tell her all the things in his hearts right now, all the things he wanted to see and do with her, but he couldn't find breath enough. There had to be something. He wished he could show her things, communicate with her in a way that didn't involve speech, if they could link their minds...but it was an invasive thing, something he wasn't sure she would welcome or want, and something he wasn't even certain he had the strength to sustain. But it would be...wonderful. He'd never done that with a human, never had any desire to

[aces_are_rare]

Once upon a time Ace had been horrible with words. She'd shouted small eloquent phrases like 'toe rag' and 'bilge bag' and hidden inside anger and behind explosions. Over the years she'd learned how to work around her emotions, using words in a pale echo of the Professor's skill, talking and making plans and convincing people to do what she wanted on the merits of her speech alone. Now, though, she was falling backwards into old habits, her words lost inside her fear and anger

[timewill_tell]

Her answer was almost a relief to him; it was something he could do, simply lay there and hold her. There were so many things he wanted to do right now, but they seemed so intangible, so impossible. And he hated believing that anything was impossible. The Doctor had no idea how much time had passed since they'd first returned to the TARDIS, and now, but it had very likely been quite some time. And knowing Ace, she hadn't slept, which bothered him deeply. He had no thought for himself as he held her closer, only concerned with doing what he could to allow her some much-needed rest

[aces_are_rare]

Ace rested with her head against his hearts, their pulse a comforting rhythm. As long as they continued to beat everything - or at least the most important things - in her world were as they should be. Her eyes, already half closed, lowered completely and she snuggled closer to him. I little rest, just a bit of a kip, wouldn't be a bad idea. If his breathing worsened she would be the first to know

[timewill_tell]

The Doctor had remained awake while Ace slept, feeling it was the least he could do for her. And for this brief interim, he didn't feel quite as tired as he had been. His hand had continued stroking through her hair, down her back, and he felt her stiffen, her sleep becoming more troubled.

"I'm here, Ace," he assured her in a quiet voice, when she started awake. He soothed her brow with his thumb, trying to coax her back to sleep. "Not leaving you. Go...back to sleep."

He was quite worried about her lack of sleep, and briefly contemplated using his mind to induce sleep for her, if she tried to resist. He realized by doing that he might incur a great deal of anger from her, but it was a possibility nonetheless. His other thought was trying to stumble his way to the console and see if the TARDIS had any news for him. He was tired of being helpless, he had to do something for himself, and he didn't want to continue to rely on Ace so much. It wasn't fair to her, it was wearing her out

[aces_are_rare]

"Naff catapillers," she muttered, already slipping back into sleep again. "Maybe I should dump milkshakes on their heads. Worked last time."

Her hand fell slightly, finding a resting place on his side, just at the bottom of his rib cage. Subconsciously, perhaps, she picked that as the best place to feel his lungs expand and contract, monitoring him even in her sleep. It might have been the slow stroking of her hair or the promise in his words but she was able to get a few hours of good sleep before the dreams seeped into her mind again.

For the first time in over a year she dreamt of a cold stone cell, of being alone and helpless. She saw a leering grin and felt the touch of hands making her dirty. Dark eyes glowed with promises to be kept, favours owed.

Ace struggled against the arm that had her pinned down, forgetting until she fell against the bed that it was the Professor holding her.

"Sorry," she apologised sheepishly.

[timewill_tell]

"Hmm?" He rumbled, starting to drift towards sleep once more himself. Nightmares, he realized, trying to open his eyes further. The Doctor turned his head to cough violently, trying to move the fluid in his lungs, to no avail. He drew a sharp, deep breath, regulating it somewhat, though it remained uneven, a harsher rattle beneath his ribs.

"I can...help you sleep," he murmured drowsily. "No bad dreams...only sleep. You...need it."

His fever had remained at a steady level for the last few hours, which he'd been grateful for. It was rising again, he could feel, and his thoughts were beginning to lose coherency. He almost didn't want Ace to be conscious for this anymore, as he continued to get worse. Maybe it would be better for her to sleep, so she didn't have to be witness to his spiking temperature, his gasps for breath. It was the only comfort he could give her now. His fingers stroked against her brow, already trying to induce sleep, to quiet her mind so the nightmares fled and she could slumber peacefully. He hoped she wouldn't

[aces_are_rare]

She sat still, concentrating on the Professor's fingers, letting the dream fade away until it receded to the back of her mind where it crouched in the shadows. She knew it was there, that it would come back again, but not soon. She never had that particular nightmare very often, though it generally threw her off for days when she did. Now she had other things to worry about.

She leaned against him, drowsy once again. It was only when she noticed that his gentle touches were not confined to her brow that she pulled away. She could feel him in her mind, lulling her into sleep.

"Oi! Don't do that." Once she might have accused him of being manipulative, but now she understood that he was only trying to help. That didn't mean she had to like it

[timewill_tell]

By the time she'd returned, the Doctor had drifted further into the chaos of his mind, away from reality once more. He was more agitated and restless than he'd previously been, thinking he needed to get to the console room for some reason. Though he didn't have the strength to make it there, he still tried to sit up, almost tumbling out of the bed as he rolled sideways. He was mumbling nonsensically, his words occasionally cut off by lack of breath

[aces_are_rare]

"Professor, what the...." Ace raced to the bed, reaching for him as he struggled. She tired to hold onto his hand, frightened by his protest that something was trying to take hm away. She wouldn't let it.

"Don't..." Something suddenly felt familiar. Maybe it was the fact that he had just tried to do the same thing to her, but it felt as if he had been fighting sleep. He was asleep not, still breathing, resting easier then he had been. He no longer thrashed on the bed, coming close to falling.

"Was that you? Do you play those Jedi mind games too?" Though she knew the TARDIS was surrounding her she looked up the the ceiling. "I get it, if it was, but can you let me know for sure?"

[timewill_tell]

In response, the TARDIS flashed the lights in the bedroom, her way of answering, 'Yes' to the question. The problem, the TARDIS realized, was getting Ace to the console room; she was fairly certain that Ace wasn't eager to suddenly leave the Doctor's side for an extended length of time, but it was imperative, in order to save him. She would have to make use of everything available to her, to convince Ace that the Doctor would be safe for now, and to help guide her to the console room

[aces_are_rare]

"Is this your subtle way of trying to get me to go somewhere?" Ace didn't leave the bed immediately. She hadn't been away fomr the Professor for more then a few minutes since he had fallen ill, but she knew that what ever the TARDIS wanted her to do - and she desperately hoped that it was to mix up some sort of anti toxin - it would mean being gone from his side for a longer amount of time. In the darkness she felt for his hand, squeezing it.

"Alright, I'm coming. But if he needs me you make sure I understand, you get me back her, or else..." There was nothing she could threaten the ship with, so she let the sentence dangle. She knew, though, that she was understood. She rose from the bed, pausing at the doorway to look back into the shrouded room. "We're gonna fix this, Professor."

Ace followed the flashing lights down the corridor to the console room.

[timewill_tell]

On the display screen in the console room, the TARDIS presented a step-by-step diagram on how to create the blend of herbs (the leaves of two different plants, the bark of a small shrub, and the roots of a rare flower--all of which were in the TARDIS garden; it was one of the first times the TARDIS thought to appreciate the Doctor's predilection for acquiring samples of plant life from other planets, otherwise this entire anti-toxin might not be able to come to fruition). All of the plants had to be crushed, and then boiled, and served to the Doctor. The TARDIS was thankful the process wasn't too complicated, which meant the Doctor could begin to heal as quickly as possible