Timeless [Doctor Who/11th Doctor]

33. Safe (For Now)

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

I awoke from dreams of that little cell in the year 6012. Where I collapsed into the Doctor's arms, and he spat at the King bitterly "I once had so much mercy."

"I never heard of a time you did, Doctor. The Destroyer of Worlds."
"I will not just destroy your world, I will destroy you," he was speaking through gritted teeth. The rage on his face was scarier than anything the King could say at that point.
"Why?" the King cackled. "Because I hurt your precious little human? You and I both know it won't be long before you lose her too."
The Doctor's jaw clenched. "No. I won't let that happen." Despite the fact it was a dream, I could almost feel his fingers gripping my unconscious body tighter.
"Because you've always done so well at preventing it before..." the royal mused mockingly at the Doctor's previous companions. "Don't think you're getting away from me."
"Likewise," was all he responded, the anger replaced by a slight arrogance. "I could have let you go, I could have given you a simple warning to never cross me again... but you put the people I love at risk, and that is not something I take lightly."

"You better pray that Charlotte Thorne is okay, because if she isn't..." he took a sharp breath, tone changing from a furious shout to a menacing murmur. "If she isn't, I will find you. And I will make you spend every day, living in hell, wishing you never laid a finger on her."

His voice faded out, replaced by a machine humming in my ears.
Surrounding me were unfamiliar walls, as pristine and white as those in the palace had been.
I shot up from the mattress I appeared to be lying on, panicked eyes darting around the room.
That was when I caught sight of a tweed jacket, slung messily over a chair beside my bed. I was safe.
There also appeared to be a pile of my own clothes, folded neatly in preparation. The thoughtfulness of that small gesture made my heart swell.

I limped over to the door on the left. Outside, the metal arched corridors let me know I was inside the TARDIS. That must have been the medical bay.
Voices were bouncing around upstairs, where the Doctor, Noah and Xander were gathered around the console. They didn't seem to be talking about anything of importance, the Doctor chattering on about some far away planet, and the two other men letting out occasional gasps of wonder. I smiled at the comforting normality.

Noah was the first to catch sight of me as I pushed myself up the metal staircase to the glass floor. His face lit up, and I couldn't help but grin back.
The Doctor had his back to me, still rambling away. When he saw Noah's smile, he turned around and blinked at the sight of me. I didn't have time to try and register the emotions on his face as he ran forward, lifting me in his arms and spinning us around. His hold was stronger now, leaving me to wonder how long it had been since that day in the palace. In that moment, though, I didn't care; I buried my nose into his shoulder and treasured the cozy embrace.

Finally, he put me down, my toes touching the ground again. We were both laughing like nothing had ever kept us apart. Not a hint of the empty man I had seen sitting in a prison cell was visible - his green eyes were back to their forest fires and his cheeks were dusted pink. I imagined I looked a little more worn than him.

"You guys are okay," I breathed in relief as I let myself get swept off my feet again in Noah and Xander's hugs.
"We're professionals, Charlie," the former beamed. I rolled my eyes at the way he turned the serious situation into a joke, gently punching him on the shoulder.
"How did you do it? How did you get out?" I looked over to the Doctor, who was standing back from our reunion with a soft smile on his face. "What happened?"

"They didn't care about us," Xander started. "When they, uh... kidnapped you, we were just left outside."
"That's when he gave me the sonic," Noah interjected, gesturing at the Doctor. "We were useless to them. They were using soldiers' memories, not two gays from Warkworth."
"So, when we broke in to find you... and the Doctor, obviously, they just threw us straight back out," Xander added. "Apparently that's where the empties go. The, um, people the process doesn't work on. A little offensive, if you ask me. If that's what the future looks like, it's seriously screwed up."
"I'm just glad you're okay," I sighed happily.

"When we touched, everything in your head was transferred back to me," the Doctor explained the rest. "The King has nothing left, he was taken away by the Shadow Proclamation."
"The space police?" I raised my eyebrow. This caused him to break into laughter, shaking his head at the floor. "Sure," he chuckled.
"And everyone made it out?"
His lips twitched into a different kind of smile, a nod of admiration. "Everybody's safe. You saved the day, bookshop girl."
I leaned back against the TARDIS console beside him, our shoulders brushing. "Technically, it was you. In my head, you know."
Seriousness etched across his features, he lowered his gaze to me and shook his head. "It was all you, Lottie. You shouldn't have even been able to survive that transfer," he muttered; half confused, half amazed.

"But I'm okay, right?" I worried aloud.
For a second, he studied me. "Yes," he decided on, though I wasn't sure yet whether to trust it. "I don't know how... but yes. It's all gone? My memories?"
I pondered on it for a moment, trying to remember the scenes I had seen in my mind. The thoughts that had intruded my brain. There was nothing there. Though a small part of me wished something remained, just a piece of the Doctor for me to understand.

I nodded at him, earning a far wider grin.
"Good," he leaned forward to plant a lingering kiss on my forehead.
That was when I decided to trust him; though sometimes, his intentions seemed fuzzy and his emotions confusing at best, this time I could tell he meant it. Somehow, I just knew. Despite the memories having disappeared, reading him seemed to be much clearer now. My eyes flickered across his face, like there was something else that I had to say; something that I wanted to remember but couldn't quite.
Noah cleared his throat loudly before the thought could come to me.

"So, what now?" he hinted. I recognised the look all too well, the taste of danger dancing dangerously in his golden eyes. The thirst for more.
"Whatever you want," the Doctor replied joyfully. "Wherever you want."
"I think we should stop off home," Xander interjected.
Noah shot him a glare. "What?"
The blond glanced nervously between the two other men, his frown juxtaposing their joy. "I just... what about my job, huh? I have classes to teach. You have books to sell. We can't just... fly away and forget about that, Noah."
"Hello! Time machine!" the Doctor retorted childishly.
Still, Xander's stare was hard. "I can't do this thing that you two do," he gestured between the Doctor and I disapprovingly. "I wanted to see space. I didn't want... this."

When I looked back over to the Doctor, his eyes were now staring down at the TARDIS controls, his head hanging low. "Okay," he whispered knowingly. "Okay, back home."
I chewed on my lip, glancing up at Xander. "I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry," he gulped. "I just can't."
As I nodded in understanding, the lever clicked against the console in the Doctor's hand and Xander couldn't help but gaze up to the colourful cylinder in the centre, admiring it the way you look at someone's face the last time you see them.

"Home," the Doctor introduced the landscape as he stepped out of the wooden doors.
"Uh... not quite," I leaned my head over his shoulder, my eyes meeting a busy fish and chip shop.
He frowned, jogging back to the console and tapping away on the screen that hung from it. "Okay, well, I got the right time frame. Scarborough is close enough, right?" he spoke worriedly, tiptoeing around Xander.
Instead of being cross at the Doctor, he narrowed his eyes in thought.
"You know, I wouldn't mind a little seaside getaway."
"We literally live by the sea," Noah let out an exasperated sigh.
"But they have arcades here!" they began to squabble.

The Doctor and I shared a smirk, before he threw his arms around the two men to lead them out of the blue box. I could tell how smug he was that his mistake had worked out for the better - if it had, in fact, been a mistake.
"I love video games," he grinned adorably as the four of us ventured into the crowds. The TARDIS blended in perfectly amongst the other quirky statures across the coastline.
"Seaside holiday with the kids then," Noah reached out to ruffle mine and the Doctor's hair. I swatted his hand away.
"I am 900 years older than you!" the Doctor pouted.
"Seaside holiday with the kids," Xander agreed, much to his dismay.

The sun was blazing against my paled skin, the skies that cold, bright blue you only get on winter mornings. As we skipped along the pier, the Doctor's hand slipped into mine, the warmth contrasting the harsh ocean breeze.
Around us were people oblivious to the adventures we had just had; unaware of the twisted future and the beautiful planets and constellations. And as I squeezed my fingers around the Doctor's, I smiled to myself the way you do when you have a secret, or an inside joke. I wasn't sure I'd ever get used to this.