ignite ➝ Doctor Who¹

XVIII

It was hard to breathe in the black dress, but Penelope didn't seem to notice. She was watching the rain falling, hating how perfectly it fitted her mother's funeral. Although - she supposed - after all Jena had been through it would be a crime if something went wrong here as well. Her mother was being laid down to rest, and Penelope would not let anything go wrong.

Not even as Ryan stumbled through the door, 3 minutes late and soaking wet, did she plan on letting anything else go wrong. She stormed over to him, having one of her rare moments where she could tear through anyone without any thought.

"Where the hell have you been Ryan? We were supposed to start already."

"I'm sorry look-"

"You're sorry? That doesn't fucking cut it. I wanted one thing in this damn world to go right for my mum and then you do this. I don't give a damn as to why you're late."

"Penelope I-"

"No! Considering you were so eager to flirt with a married woman as she's planning her mother's funeral you'd think that you'd bother to actually be on time." He looked so downcast, but for once she didn't care, this man had ruined the one thing she had actually wanted to go well.

"I'll just go and- uh- I'll change." She nodded and he sulked off into a back room, knowing that his already non-existent chance had gone out the window.

She took in a deep breath, a hand against her chest as she finally realised how tight the dress was. There was a pounding behind her eyes, something she had grown accustomed to after crying so much these last weeks. She watched the rain, tracing a pattern into her chest to try and calm down.

A figure suddenly blocked her view and she looked up, ready to go off at someone else today. The anger stopped in her throat as she looked up at her Doctor for the first time in almost two months.

He started to say something but she flung her arms over his shoulders and pulled him down to her level. Holding him close, as if he would disappear if she were to hold him the wrong way.

"This was a mistake. I don't know why I left, I shouldn't have gone. Please don't let me go again, I don't know what to do when you aren't there."

"I won't let you out of my sight for as long as you're with me, Penelope. I promise." He holds her back at arms length, taking a moment to wipe the few stray tears from her face, before taking her hands. His smile is small as he looks down at their entwined hands and Penelope feels her own face begin to light up again.

"What is it?"

"You're still wearing the ring." She laughs a little, the sound throttled by the tears she had just shed.

"Of course. You gave it to me, plus Ryan kept trying to flirt with me." He looks up sharpish, and sees the look on her face, full of adoration, knowing that nothing was reciprocated.

"Ryan, eh? Think I'd like to meet this Ryan." As if speaking about him made his ears burn, the man in question entered the room again. Spotting the Doctor holding onto Penelope's hands, he stood up straighter - to make himself look taller - but he didn't really compare to the Doctor's height in the slightest.

"You must be Penelope's husband, Mr.." He gestured for one of us to give him a name, and the Doctor took a step forward, a dangerous glint behind his eyes. He let go of Penelope's hands, placing one of the small of her back as he held out a hand for Ryan to shake.

"Doctor, actually. Doctor John Smith. I take some international clients, so I wasn't able to be here with my wife, but someone was. Thank you for that." Ryan lets out a strangled smile as he steps back after shaking hands with the Doctor, seemingly grateful that he hadn't bought up the fact that he had been trying to flirt with his 'wife'. "And Penelope was just telling me about you. I wanted to meet you because I wasn't sure what kind of man would flirt with a married woman." He paled and backed up, opening the door to the chapel.

"We s-should start the funeral now. Please enter when you're ready." He scampered off and the Doctor looked very proud of himself, turning to Penelope who was watching the door to the chapel swing.

He asks if she's ready, but she isn't really paying attention. He asks again and she looks up, nodding and taking his hand, walking into a chapel to say goodbye to her mother for the last time.