Chase The Wind: Doctor Who/Studio C [Book 1]

The Runaway Actress (Part 4)

A/N: So it did end up being four parts... ish... four and a half, truthfully, since the tail end of this episode was tagged on to the interlude of next chapter. I wrote a bunch yesterday so enjoy two updates in a row.

"Ah, now," the Doctor started. "Except..."

"Take aim!"

"Well, I just want to point out the obvious," the Doctor continued.

"They won't hit the bride. They're such very good shots," the Empress said.

"Just... just... just a tick... hold on, just a tiny... just a little... tick," the Doctor chattered on. "If you think about it, the particles activated in Mallory and drew her inside my spaceship." He pulled the test tube of Huon particles from his pocket. "So, reverse it... the spaceship comes to her."

"Fire!" the Empress ordered... but the TARDIS was already materializing around them. "My key!" they heard the Empress shout, before the ship disappeared into the Time Vortex, carrying them away.

"Right, so there's something I ought to mention about this lovely ship of mine," the Doctor said, spinning around the console. "It's a time machine. And we're going to use it."

Matt didn't have time to dwell on the fact that they'd been attacked by a crazed alien spider-woman, or that one of their crew members was working with said crazed alien spider-woman, or that they were on the freaking TARDIS, because at that moment Mallory launched herself into his arms and clung to him.

His arms went to her waist automatically and he tried to ignore his racing heartbeat as she pressed against him. It was rather nice, hugging her, he realized. Hopefully next time would be under less harrowing circumstances.

He moved one hand to cradle the back of her head as she pulled away a little bit after a few moments. "You all right?" he said thickly.

"Might be," she said with a small laugh. "Not quite sure yet."

It occurred to him then exactly what position they were in, with her arms around his neck and one of his around her waist. He could kiss her right now, easily. Just a slight tug of his arms and a tilt of his head and he could taste her, take a few languid moments to discover her outside the bounds of a sketch.

And he wanted to.

It was that fact that surprised him more than anything else.

"We need to find out what the Empress of the Racnoss is digging up," the Doctor said, and the moment was abruptly lost as they both remembered what was going on and Mallory pulled fully away from his grasp. "If something's buried at the planet core, it must've been there since the beginning. That's just brilliant. Molto bene! I've always wanted to see this. You two, we're going further back than I've ever been before."

"Right, then," Mallory said softly.

The Doctor almost seemed to realize what he'd interrupted, but he pushed on without acknowledging it. "We've arrived. Want to see?" He swings the monitor on the console around toward them, before frowning. "Oh, that scanner's a bit small. Maybe your way's best, Mallory." He headed toward the door and the two followed him. "Welcome to the creation of the Earth," he said, flinging the door open.

Rocks and dust and gas floated past the bigger-on-the-inside spaceship, causing their eyes to widen at the beauty.

"There's no solar system, not yet," the Doctor said, his voice hushed and nearly reverent. "Only dust and rocks and gas." A grin came to his face as he pointed. "That's the Sun over there, brand new. Just beginning to burn."