for magicalskeptic: A trip to the ocean

[rude_not_ginger]

"You wanted an ocean, have I got an ocean for you."

The Doctor darted around the console and scooped his jacket up from where it hung on one of the TARDIS pillars. He absolutely loved this bit. The first trip to an alien world with someone who didn't even believe in other worlds until now. Very little was more exciting.

"Now! We've got breathable atmosphere, low radiation, and a beautiful summer day. The waters of the Greeio Malgoon are purple in the summer, which is when they're the warmest and the safest. I'd have taken you to them in the winter when they're blue, but the water's acid content gets a bit high and ends up spewing out strange creatures with eyes that shoot lasers. Green lasers, they disintegrate you without much warning. Very technicolor world, the Greeo Malgoon."

He shrugged. "Still! In the summer, peak of tourist season, it's the most brilliant place for a visit."

Comments

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

Morgana is silent as she waits for something, anything to explode, or attack, or something equally as deadly.

She only speaks when she's sure the current crisis has passed. "We did need the sword, after all, Doctor." It is supposed to be teasing, but Morgana's tone does not quite get past the seriousness of it all.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, this time without abandon, she's relieved neither of them have been killed, and hugs him, tightly. "Next time, you do not get to judge my decision to carry such things."

This time, she is teasing.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

He doesn't reply, he just hugs her tightly back. And grins.

After all, she's just said there will be a next time.

After a moment, he finally backs up and gives her another grin.

"Shall we inform the tourists that they can return?"

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

When he pulls away, she is relieved he makes no mention of the wound. The mood is too buoyant and she would rather not be fussed over, and all she wants to do is grin in response.

"What about all the regular inhabitants? Should they not be told their home is safe again." Morgana is hoping they cannot all be dead.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"The galactic police'll do that," the Doctor says. He winces as he gets to his feet, and offers her a hand.

"When we get back to the TARDIS, I'll send them a message that we've cleaned this place up. Considering they've been looking for me for a while, they won't waste their time coming here, and then the locals can get back to enjoying their city, and the people who love it can come back."

He nods to the computer. "And we'll keep the recording here. Then they can see what happened. Make sure it never happens again."

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

"The intergalactic police have been looking for you?" Morgana's aware he calls himself a criminal but now she's confused. "You will contact them, but they will not come here?"

When the Doctor speaks of the recording, it reminds her of something else. "We have to return something, before we leave. It would not be right to take it."

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Okay," he says with a serious nod. He extends his hand for the diary.

"I'll leave it here. To complete the story."

And avoid going back into that place. Not that he'd admit that part, of course.

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

Morgana holds out her hand. "May I have the book?"

She also needs something else. "Do you have a pen?"

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

He sniffs, cautious, then hands over the book. After a moment of fumbling through his pockets (handkerchief, paper clip, sonic screwdriver, satsuma), he found a ballpoint pen, clicked it open, and hands it over.

"What're you writing?" he asks.

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

She takes the pen, and starts writing. It is a brief message and a crudely drawn map on the page after the last entry.

"No one could find her. They did not know where to look when she needed to hide."

Once finished, she gets to her feet and takes something out of her own pocket -- which contains only one thing. Morgana holds out her sonic screwdriver.

"Could you repair this while I return the book to its proper place?"

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

He wants to ask her if she's sure she wants to go in there alone. But the turrets are down, the illusions have been destroyed. In all truth, it's probably perfectly safe.

And he doesn't understand human psychology. He knows this. She may need the moment, and he should let her have it.

"Of course," he says, taking the sonic. "I'll wait for you outside the building."

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

Morgana leads the way, assuming the Doctor is following, but she's on a mission, so isn't paying as close attention as she usually would.

She does spare a moment to look about the city, and the creatures -- all looking like they were traveling towards the Doctor and Morgana's locations -- are slumped throughout the streets.

Once at the building, she gingerly reaches out to touch the door handle. She can't quite feel as confident after the shock earlier.

She still does not look at him when she pulls open the door. "I will just be a moment."

Morgana is, of course, assuming he's behind her.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

He is. Even though she doesn't look around, he nods.

"I'll be here."

He immediately begins to work on her sonic. Battery's gone low. He should've given her a more powerful one, but he didn't think about it. A little rifling through his pockets and he produces something with more power, replacing it for her. It'll last a little bit longer this time, and he'll teach her about recharging it on the console.

He looks up to the building. He hopes she's all right.

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

Morgana intends to be quick. Once out of sight of the Doctor, she runs. Often, she doesn't indulge herself in such things, but she has excess energy from the battle, and it is a way to get it out.

The stairs have become stairs again. and the hallways are silent. There are not any voices, sirens, creatures, or odd precipitation.

Respectfully, she opens the door to the the little girl's room, and places the diary on the bed. She opens it to the last page. To keep it propped open, she takes one of the dolls to weigh it down.

There is little else she can do, but the thought of the little girl being lost, and the father unable to find her is distressing.

And it does not matter if things like this happen long ago. She knows as much as anyone, that time does not always make such things better.

Much longer than she intended, she gently shuts the door, and heads down the hallway towards the Doctor, lost in her thoughts.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Everything all right?" he asks. He's been hopping on the heels of his feet since she went inside, and he's ready to go, ready to move, ready to run. Also, ready to get some sort of medical attention for his shoulder. It aches and, he imagines, her head injury probably feels about the same.

As she approaches, he offers her his arm.

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

"Everything is fine," IT's a way of avoiding the answer. Morgana's feeling a little bereft, so she's not looking directly at him, until she composes herself.

She does though, see and take, the arm.

She spares a glance for the building. "That is a lot of carnage to keep people from seeing the ocean."

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Something we've stopped from ever happening again," he says. He gives her a little smile. "It's good, isn't it? Saved a world. Well, made the world so it can be safe again, at least. Starting over. Rather think everyone should be able to."

He leads her away from the city, now silent and desolate. But not for long, he reminds himself. Soon it'll be full again. People will live here, happy.

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

Now she looks at him. "We did." Morgana just wishes she could be as happy about that as he is.

"It is pleasant to think people will be able to return to their homes." She's thinking about hers, at the moment.

But she's trying to pull herself out of feeling maudlin. "Are you all right?" They're both a little worse for wear.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," he says. "We'll need to find a hospital, I think. All out of the nanogenes I kept in the TARDIS before."

As they leave the city, he nods over the horizon. Despite the warmth, the water this time is a bright wintery blue with icy white waves, stark against the black sky. It's almost like seeing a different ocean on a different world.

"Oh, I think I'm better than all right."

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

The Doctor has explained about the difference between summer and winter, and the ocean is a sight to behold.

"You were slightly off on your estimate of the start of winter." She's not criticizing, just teasing. To prove that, she leans her head against his arm, for just a second.

And, because she worries, and hasn't realized he knows about her head, "You have a hole in your shoulder. Once that has healed, I will feel better about your current state."

That also might translate to, he'll have to deal with a little bit of fussing until that is done.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, and you're one to talk," he says, giving her a little smile. "I'll feel better about you when someone looks at your head, eh? A proper doctor."

He looks back towards the ocean, sparkling and new out there, despite everything they left. A fresh start.

"It's your first alien world, Morgana," he says. He reaches into his pocket and produces a handkerchief. He offers it to her. "Take something to remember it by."

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

And because she can fuss, but is never one to want to appear weak, she pokes his arm and replies. "My head is much harder than any wall. People at home would attest to that."

The Doctor's suggestion though, produces nothing but a big, unrestrained smile. She takes the handkerchief, and steps back onto the white, crystalline sandy beach, and kneels down for a moment, taking a handful. Quickly, she ties the four corners of the handkerchief to keep it from escaping.

Standing back up, she brushes off the sand sticking to her now only slightly damp skirts.

She wants to say something, but can't think of anything. Instead, she stares at the Doctor for a moment, before slipping her arms under is, and hugging him.

It's a bit awkward, as it's something she's unaccustomed to, but it's the best idea she can come up with.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

He hugs her back, and places a gentle kiss to her head, avoiding where she's injured. It's not much, he thinks, but a hug on an alien beach is miles away from where they started.

And he rather likes it here, where they are right now.