13 Novella 2

Seen

"Get back! Get back now!" The Doctor screams desperately, but you really can't move.

You have no idea what's happening, and your eyes remain glued to bright glow engulfing Jenny's entire body.

"(Y/N)!" The Doctor calls again, and right then you watch the glow reach your hand.

You scream in agony as fire burns out your veins, spreading through your body like wildfire.

You are blind and deaf, Jenny has long since been absorbed by the light, and you can feel white hot energy destroying your body.

Your mind is blank of thought, but suddenly you are seeing beauty, and wonder, and hope and love and pain and sorrow and universe upon universe bleeding into each other, crippling and forming, planets dying and stars being born.

Sensation means nothing to you. You are gone and distant and unreachable.

And in so much pain.

You are aware of nothing but the burning images behind your eyelids until everything turns black.

                       *               *              *

"(Y/n)? (Y/n) come on open your eyes please"

You scrunch your face up and groan, but don't open your eyes.

"Come on everything's alright, wake up".

Obediently, you blink awake and meet a warm pair of troubled hazel eyes.

"Ok easy now, how do you feel?"

"Like shit" you respond appropriately, trying to regain memory from what happened.

"Mmm I'll pretend I didn't hear that" she says fondly, tapping your forehead and scanning a monitor with her sonic.

"I'm in the med bay again?" You say.

"Yes we should really make it your room at this point" says The Doctor with a weak smile. She was in pain, you could see that, and then it hits you.

"Jenny!?" You gasp, sitting and attempting to get up.

"Oh no you don't" replies The Doctor quickly, pushing you firmly back down onto your pillow stack.

"But she's- is she alive?" You swallow desperately.

The Doctor looks at you for a long moment, blonde hair falling forwards over her face as though she were ashamed.

"Yes" you smile but she shakes her head. "The thing is (Y/n)" she pulls her lilac coat over her shoulders a little and takes you hand, making you wince at the warm contact.

She lets go.

"Well, she must not have died the last time I left her"

Guilt riddles her face but she smiles and presses on "We didn't realise she could regenerate, it took us all by surprise". You register what she is saying and try to see past your thumping headache to understand.

"So she's changed?" You conclude and The Doctor nods slowly. "How much?" You say surprisingly calmly.

"(Y/n) I heard everything you said to her before she regenerated, and I'm going to help you through this, I promise."

You don't understand until she continues.

"Jenny, is no longer a woman" she says slowly and clearly, recognising you weren't really with it.

It takes an extra second to register, but you are determined not to hyperventilate.

"Ok" you simply say instead, but the time lady isn't fooled. "I want to meet- him? them?"

The Doctor nods, "him" she says rising and heading to the door.

"You're safe (Y/n), I got you away from her before the energy could do any serious damage" she says before leaving. "I won't let anything happen to you".

You attempt another smile but sense you fail given The Doctor's own pitiful responding expression.

You lie back and try to think of what you are going to say to her- him. Just the thought of a man being near you was scary, but this was Jenny- he would never hurt you.

The Doctor returns some time later with an unremarkable man following.

He is taller than The Doctor, with broad shoulders and hair the colour of bracken. His eyes are wary and sad, but he looks strong. You try to associate this man with the young blonde woman you had seen die only hours before, and fail to make the comparison.

You have since moved yourself to an armchair where you sit in joggers and a hoodie, hood pulled low over your face, hiding you.

The man stops five feet away when he sees you visibly tense, and draws up a chair. The Doctor glances uneasily between you two, hands clasped in front of her.

She catches your eye and she raises her eyebrows. You nod that you are fine.

For now.

"Hello (Y/n)" Jenny says slowly and measuredly. You take a breath as you respond to the gravelly masculine voice.

"Hello" you say cautiously. Then, feeling rude, ask, "are you... do I still call you Jenny?" You ask.

The Doctor frowns and turns to Jenny too, apparently not having thought of this.

"Um well I guess I'd better change it" he says good naturedly. You like the nervous stutter in his voice. It makes him seem more human. Or less like he was going to lunge and kill you at any moment.

You tense.

You're safe (Y/n), I'll keep you safe. Says The Doctor but you don't respond. She seemed to say it quietly anyway.

"(Y/n), it's still me in here" he says quietly and you look away. He blinks, fidgeting uncomfortably. You recoil in slight panic and he stills and sighs.

Instantly you feel bad.

"So, what are you changing it too?" You ask after an awkward pause. Of course he had noticed your fear. He was still Jenny inside.

"I haven't really thought about it. Something beginning with J I guess" he says with a shrug and you nod. God this was weird.

"James?" Says The Doctor with a suppressed grin, finding this quite amusing.

"J....John? No that doesn't fit" he contemplates and you grin.

You smile slightly until the next words come out of his mouth.

"What about Jay?"