strong enough [crossover]

viii. mj threatens a billionaire's life (as she should)

trigger warnings: none

*

They go a week without any adventures. MJ uses that time wisely.

She splits her time between exploring the TARDIS with Rose, working on her projects, and reading. On day one, she and Rose find the library. It's absolutely massive — it stands three stories tall and stretches back as far as the eye can see. The towering mahogany bookshelves are intricately carved and absolutely packed with books. On every shelf is a silver plaque denoting what the genre is. The midnight blue wallpaper is patterned with silvery mythical creatures, storybook characters, and constellations. There are plenty of seating areas with cushy loveseats and armchairs, but MJ knows exactly where she'll be spending all of her time here — on the couch opposite a gorgeous marble fireplace. After a few hours of perusing, MJ and Rose go back to their rooms with tall stacks of books in their arms.

On day four, the girls find a garden with purple grass and an array of flowers that sing softly if you listen closely. There's a greenhouse draped with climbing ivy; inside grows fruits and vegetables MJ doesn't recognize. The soil glitters as if there's diamond dust mixed in. They decide to have a picnic there for lunch. Rose packs a basket with sandwiches, chips/crisps, some fresh fruits, bottles of water, and cookies she'd made the night before for dessert. MJ gets them a blanket and throw pillows.

After their picnic, on their way back to their rooms, they stumble upon a music room with a domed ceiling and across the hall, an art room with rows and rows of easels. On one of the easels sits an abandoned canvas. It's a half-finished painting of a young woman with dark brown hair in a short, shaggy haircut and a kind smile. Behind her swirls a galaxy with stars that could never shine as bright as her big brown eyes.

"Who do you think it is?" Rose whispers as if worried the Doctor could possibly overhear.

"Maybe someone he traveled with before us?" MJ guesses.

"I didn't even know he paints," Rose says.

"He's nine hundred years old," MJ reminds her. "He probably has a lot of random skills."

She moves closer to it and picks out a symbol hidden in the stars — it's circular Gallifreyan, like the sticky note on the monitor. She wonders if he'd be willing to teach her the language someday.

MJ loves learning how to speak new languages. She's only fluent in Greek, English, Spanish, and (kind of) Latin, but she's picked up some things over the years from having such diverse family and friends. For instance, Intan's second language is actually Indonesian, not English, and it's easy to tell when Dani's frustrated because she starts ranting in Tagalog. When Luna was learning Korean to reconnect with her heritage, it was MJ who would run through dialogues with her so she could practice speaking it. Silena's taught MJ some French, and thanks to Priscilla, MJ can curse out anybody in two different dialects of Arabic: Lebanese and Palestinian. She's also heard words in other languages that she could repeat if she wanted to, but chooses not to since she doesn't know the actual meaning of them.

But an alien language? MJ's never learned an alien language. With the Doctor's help, she could definitely change that.

"We should go," Rose says, arms crossed over her chest and a crease in her brow. "I don't think the Doctor would want us in here. Whoever that is...I dunno. It just seems...private."

MJ nods even as her eyes scan the painting, trying to absorb every detail. "You're right. Let's go."

Rose cooks dinner that night. When she returns to her room, leaving MJ and the Doctor to clean up, MJ can't help but blurt out, "Rose and I found the art room."