Living In Time And Space (Book Six of The Bad Wolf Chronicles)

The Girl Who Waited

I think this is one of my less amazing chapters. I loved the story . . . but it was so difficult to do since Jessie couldn't venture out with Rory and FitzSimmons.

Let's just get right to it. Here's "The Girl Who Waited!"

***

"Apalapucia!"

Even Jemma, who was normally excellent with words, was surprised when the Doctor suddenly announced the name. "What?"

"Say it again?" Amy tilted her head.

"Apalapucia," the Doctor repeated.

"Apalapu - "

"Chia."

"Apalapucia?" Rory tried.

"Apalapucia!"

"I think they've got it," Jessie smirked.

"Apalapucia," Jemma smiled. "That's pretty."

"Beautiful word," Amy nodded.

"Beautiful word, beautiful world," the Doctor nodded. "Apalapucia, voted number two planet in the top ten greatest destinations for the discerning intergalactic traveler."

"Why couldn't we go to number one?" Rory frowned.

"It's hideous!" the Doctor cringed, which made Jessie frown. Wasn't number one - ? "Everyone goes to number one. Planet of the coffee shops."

"I thought Gemsamoria was number one?" Jessie asked.

"It is," he looked at her. "I lied."

"Why?"

"Gemsamoria is our place."

"And you wonder sometimes why I love you," she smiled.

"Apalapucia," the Doctor repeated, going to the doors to hide his goofy grin, but as Fitz looked at the smile on Jessie's face, he could guess he was grinning goofily. "I give you sunsets, spires, soaring silver colonnades. I give you - "

He opened the TARDIS door, and everyone blinked at the white space beyond with a single door. "Doors," Fitz deadpanned.

"Doors," the Doctor repeated, heading out. "Yes, I give you doors, but on the other side of those doors, I give you sunsets, spires, soaring silver colonnades."

Amy patted herself over before frowning. "Have you seen my phone?"

"Your mobile telephone?" the Doctor scowled. "I bring you to a paradise planet, two billion light years from Earth, and you want to update Twitter?"

"Sunsets, spires, soaring silver colonnades," Amy reminded him.

"Everyone on the TARDIS has a camera phone, Doctor," Jemma reminded him.

"On the counter, by the DVDs," Jessie supplied.

"Thank you," Amy nodded, going back into the TARDIS.

"How do we get in?" Rory asked, looking at the door.

"Push a button?" Jemma suggested.

Rory chose the green anchor button, and they entered another stark white room, this time with a glass table and three chairs, a huge magnifying glass on the table. "OK, so rain check on the soaring silver colonnades," the Doctor winced.

"What's a magnifying glass doing here?" Jemma asked.

***

Amy walked out of the TARDIS, carrying her phone, then headed for the door. She tried opening it, then scowled. "Hey?" she knocked. "Hey, it's locked."