Touch The Sky: Doctor Who/Studio C [Book 3]

Cardiff and Geneva

Cardiff and Geneva

(Original Interlude)

Though it was Mallory who had to leave early, it was Matt who woke first. The sun hadn't even started peeking over the horizon yet, but sleep eluded him. On top of that, his son hadn't even deigned to grant him a single nudge to keep him entertained.

C'mon, Meeseling, he thought to himself, moving slowly to avoid waking Mallory. He bent over, unable to help nuzzling at her bump, eventually choosing to simply rest his cheek against the swell.

A few minutes passed and he was nearly in a doze again when the soft rake of her hand through his hair startled him fully awake again. "You're adorable," she murmured.

"I—" He sat up abruptly, fighting the tangle of blankets that kept him pressed against her. "Sorry, I didn't mean—"

"Matt, I just woke up to the cutest thing I have ever seen, don't you dare apologize for it,"she told him flatly. He felt his cheeks flush a little, and the next thing he knew her lips were on his.

They had only been at it for a moment when Mallory's alarm blared and a groan escaped her. "On a scale of one to ten, how dead do you think I'd be if I missed this stupid event?"

"Very," Matt admitted with a sigh. She echoed him, flinging aside the blankets and getting to her feet.

Forty minutes later, she stood dressed at the counter with a container of yogurt in hand, and he stumbled out, still in pajamas. "I thought you were going to sleep in," she said.

"Couldn't," he answered,hoping she didn't see past the half-truth. "Do you not want me to say goodbye?"

In answer to that, she set down her yogurt, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him hard for the second time that morning. "Have fun at home," she mumbled against his lips.

"I'll try," he answered,realizing he was finding each fib easier than the last. He gave a contented hum when she pulled away and wondered if this is what the Year had been like, with the exception of a lot more death and destruction.

He dwelled on the thought long after she left, eventually turning away to start packing.

~~~

Mark found Mallory at the gate, chewing on a bagel. There were several other UNIT faces in the crowd—apparently they weren't the only ones forced to get up at oh dark thirty to catch a flight—but it was her he dropped down across from. "Long time, no see."

She glanced up at him, a smile spreading over her face. "Hey." She reached for the handle of her bag, tugging it slightly closer. "How was Japan?"

"I've been on better vacations," he said dryly.

"Mace said you got replaced,"she said.

"Mace also said you'd been gone six weeks," he responded, glancing down at her stomach. "Guess he wasn't kidding." She shrugged and he continued, "The Drast didn't care for my negotiation style. The rest is, well..." He gestured to the rows of seats and the people occupying them. "Not for the public."

Mallory nodded. "Fair enough." She settled a little deeper into her seat, small talk eventually falling away into silence. The first boarding call came soon enough, leaving Mark reaching for his bag. "That's first class," she told him.

"I know. Come on."

"We are not first class," she said, even as she reached for her own bag. He looked over his shoulder and shot her a grin that, for a moment, looked so much like Matt's her breath caught. "Since when does UNIT pay for first class tickets?"