Sleeping Beauty.
1/1 - 2,947 words.
The Doctor swore up and down that he knew precisely where they were going.
“Space Vegas!” He exclaimed with a wide grin, pulling down a lever that still had Alice completely baffled as to how it worked. “Lots of fun, with a bit of violence,” he said, adding that last bit with a frown and a quick shrug of the shoulders.
He'd gone on for hours about how great Space Vegas was; the food, the lights, the music, etc. He'd told her – in detail – just how the interiors of the buildings were so vastly ahead of anything on Earth. The food was so much more delicious there, although that could hardly count for anything considering the fact that they added so much to their food to make it that way.
“Are you ready to travel down the rabbit hole?” He asked her, a smirk on his face that made it evident that he thought he was being clever. He always managed to make at least one Alice In Wonderland reference when they were on an adventure.
“It's Space Vegas, Doctor. Not Wonderland,” she told him, still smiling faintly at the sheer excitement on his face. He shook his head adamantly, frowning as he reached over, patting her shoulder.
“Space Vegas is more of a Wonderland than anything else you've seen,” he said, grinning widely as he motioned for her to step forward. She slipped in front of him, opening the door of the TARDIS and taking a step out. She froze, staring at the scenery in front of her. “Well, what do you think?” His voice floated behind her, slightly muffled by the door that was blocking his view of the exterior.
“Doctor...” Alice's voice trailed off as she stared, completely baffled by what she was seeing. “I don't think this is Space Vegas,” she said, speaking her words slowly as she looked across the dark, dingy wasteland in front of her. If this was Space Vegas, it was far beyond its heyday. What appeared to be ruins of buildings were decaying and rotting, their outlines barely visible in the dark. It was a mess of damp and dark. It seemed like nothing could penetrate the darkness that seemed to be everywhere. She stepped back closer to the TARDIS, the only light around was the small one from the blue box itself.
“What do you mean, I don't think this is Space Vegas?” He asked, his voice fading by the last word as he stepped out, instinctively moving to stand in front of her. “This is. . . This is wrong,” he murmured, shaking his head slowly. “Something's not right here.”
It didn't take Alice much to realize that by the way he frowned. He looked sad, as though he realized that something was very, very off and he couldn't fix it by just being clever. “Are you alright, Doctor?” She asked quietly, reaching up to put a hand on his shoulder in an attempt of comfort. He tensed at the touch, giving a terse nod of the head.
“I'm fine. Just fine.”
They stood there for awhile, Alice didn't know how long. All she knew was that the longer they stood there the more nervous she felt. She was growing antsy, the need to move around or explore or something starting to grow in her. She looked around, wondering what he was thinking. She opened her mouth to ask him just that when she heard the unmistakable tinny voice that reminded her of the first time she'd met the Doctor.
Daleks.
Alice froze. She looked over to the Doctor, who seemed to be frozen just where he was standing.
“THE DOCTOR'S TARDIS.”
“THE DOCTOR MUST BE NEAR.”
“When I tell you, I need you to run do you hear me? If you don't run, something will happen. Something terrible. They'll get you, do you understand?” The Doctor suddenly whispered, an urgent tone to his voice. Alice nodded her head, her heart feeling as though it would pound out of her ribcage.
He'd told her about the Daleks, how they had committed terrible crimes against him and his race. He'd told her what they would do if they ever got a hold of them. If the Docto had any enemy, it would be the Daleks.
She had been surprised when the Doctor had told her about them at all. On the surface he acted as though he was an excited, open young man. But once she'd gotten to know him, she realized the truth – that the Doctor was very old, and very closed off to talking about many things of his past.
“Run!” He shouted suddenly. The darkness was suddenly permeated by a bright, white light. It lit up everything. Alice went to run, but only managed to get a couple of steps before she felt something prodding into her back.
“EXTERMINATE,” it said, causing shivers to run down Alice's back.
“Alright, alright,” she mumbled, attempting to give off an air of nonchalance. It wasn't working.
The Doctor was nervous. He stared helplessly as a Dalek came up behind Alice, effectively stopping her in her tracks. He felt the familiar prickle of anger at the sight of his enemies, but there was something else. He didn't want Alice to get hurt. He was concerned for her. He'd been noticing it lately, how he would take the extra moment to keep his eye on her while they were off on their adventures. But now he couldn't do anything to save her. He felt his anger begin to grow, a scowl on his face as he glared them down.
“Alright then. Tell me what you want,” he snapped, scowling at them.
“THE DOCTOR MUST RELIQUINSH THE TARDIS.”
“THE DOCTOR MUST TEACH US HOW TO USE THE TARDIS.”
“THEN THE DOCTOR AND THE HUMAN WILL BE EXTERMINATED.”
Their voices came as an electronic chorus, coming one right after the other as though they had rehearsed it. The Doctor watched them with a bored expression, as though he had gone through this a hundred other times.
“That's horrible incentive,” he began, shaking his head slowly. “What do you want with a dusty, old TARDIS anyway? More than half the time she gets the destination wrong.”
“THE TARDIS IS TIMELORD TECHNOLOGY. TECHNOLOGY SUPERIOR TO OUR OWN.”
The Doctor glanced over to Alice, watching her for a moment longer. She looked scared, as much as she was trying to appear as nonchalant as he seemed. He looked back to Daleks, staring at them for a long moment before speaking.
“You must free my companion, take her to a safe place of my choosing – under my supervision, too – and then you can have my TARDIS, and exterminate me all you like,” he told them.
“Doctor, no.” Alice's voice was strong as she stared at him, an incredulous expression spreading across her face. The Doctor simply cocked his head, his teeth clenching. “You can't do this.”
“She's a stupid human, nothing more to me than a companion. She's of no use to you and her opinion doesn't count,” he said, his voice strong and emotionless. He couldn't look over at her, guilt raging through him.
The Daleks stayed quiet for a moment, as though they were silently conversing with one another.
“WE AGREE UPON YOUR TERMS.”
The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief, carding a hand through his hair. He let his hands fall to his sides, sighing softly. He finally looked over to Alice, who was glaring at him with such anger he felt as though he might wilt right under her gaze. He forced himself to continue to watch her, to commit all of her features to memory. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, jostling his clothes slightly. That's when he felt it.
The sonic screwdriver in his breast pocket.
He glanced around at the Daleks, knowing that his plan was feeble at best. But there was a possibility that it would work, and the Doctor lived off of possibilities. He began to move as the Daleks prodded their backs, jerkily guiding them to the TARDIS. He walked slowly, trying to decide when the best time to act would be.
He didn't have to wait long. All of a sudden Alice darted to the side, running as fast as she possibly could. The Doctor wasted no time in whipping out his sonic, pressing the button as he momentarily paralyzed the Dalek behind him. He turned around, getting ready to sonic the other Dalek when he heard the familiar shot of their blast. He pressed the button, watching as the Dalek froze. But it was too late. Alice was lying on the ground.
The Doctor hurried over, his heart beating erratically as he ran over, his eyes never leaving her unmoving body.
“You stupid human,” he growled as he reached her, falling to his knees as he bent down to pick her up. “Always so stupid and self sacrificing,” he mumbled, making sure to gently pick her up. He looked down at her, quickly realizing that she was unconscious.
He managed to get her quickly on the TARDIS, sparing one glance behind him to see that the Daleks were slowly beginning to move once more. The doors of the TARDIS shut behind him as he hurried forward, placing her gently onto the ground.
“You'll be fine,” he whispered, giving her a longing look before standing back up and hurrying over to the center console. “C'mon, girl. Get us out of here,” he murmured softly, pulling levers and pressing buttons to get her out there as fast as possible. He stroked the side of the console lightly, as though he was trying to comfort the TARDIS – and himself.
As soon as they'd made it into space he left the controls, hurrying over to Alice.
“Oh you stupid humans and your stupid anatomy,” he murmured, shifting her jacket aside to check for wounds. He felt his heart drop at the sight of blood on her shirt. “Couldn't you just evolve enough to heal yourselves, or have two hearts, or something?” He stared at her desperately, trying to figure out what he could give her.
He was starting to grow nervous. She wasn't waking up. She wasn't doing anything. He shifted her shirt up to see the wound, thankful that it was only her side. He stood up and began to run down a hall, searching frantically for where he kept the medical supplies. With the help of the TARDIS he found it quickly, being able to run back within minutes, medical tape, healing balm, and antibiotics practically falling out of his arms.
He began to bandage her up, his eyes darting to her face every couple of minutes as he worked. He watched for something; an eyelid flutter, a difference in her breathing, something.
Once he'd finished patching her up, he pulled his shirt back down, watching her with baited breath. His thoughts began to get the best of him.
What if she died? What if she died because of him? She wasn't supposed to do anything. He'd been the one that was supposed to save them both. What if she died, died, died?
The word 'death' and any synonym of it began to circle through his mind, starting to increase his concern.
“Alice, I love you. Would you just wake up?” He said suddenly, leaning down and pressing his lips against hers abruptly.
He knew it was stupid, a trite wish that wouldn't work. He thought of the earth tale of Sleeping Beauty, and hoped that there was some truth to it. That a kiss would wake her up. That a kiss would make everything better.
He sat back on his haunches, watching her closely. He was surprised at what he had admitted. He had loved all of his companions, but this was different. She was different. She always had been. From the moment that he'd bumped into her while running away from a cyberman, he'd known. There was just something in her eyes when she saw it lumbering towards them and then grinned widely at him.
He ran a hand over his face slowly, jerking it away when he heard a gasp. He looked down at her, watching her closely. He watched as she cracked her eyes open, looking up at him with a frown on her face. She shifted slightly, wincing at the pain.
“Did you just kiss me?” She asked softly. His eyes widened as his cheeks began to redden.
“Kiss you? No. Of course not. I thought you'd stopped breathing and that you needed mouth-to-mouth. Why would I kiss you?” He stuttered out, staring at her. He immediately moved forward, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder as she tried to sit up. “Just stay there. I'll get you to bed soon enough. Just rest there for a moment.” She rolled her eyes, but continued on with the topic from before.
“Right. Of course not. Because I'm just some stupid human who doesn't mean anything to you,” she muttered, scowling at him. The Doctor made a face at her words, shaking his head slowly.
“Alice, you of all people should know that you're not just some stupid human. You mean so much to me,” he said, his voice quiet as he spoke.
Alice stayed quiet, staring at him as he gathered his thoughts.
“I was going to die for you, Alice.”
After that, it grew quiet. Alice resting on the floor, the Doctor sitting next to her as he leaned back against the railing. Every so often he would look over to her, only to see that she was staring right back at him every single time.
He wasn't sure how long they'd remained there like that when she moved. She reached up slowly, her hand moving out and grasping his. Their fingers became intertwined as their hands rested against his leg.
“I was going to die for you, Doctor.”
The Doctor stared at her incredulously. He shook his head, a frown on his face.
“That's stupid. You could've - “ He cut himself off, not wanting to even imagine the pain of losing her.
“You would've died for me.”
“That's different. I've lived longer than you have. Besides, you could go on without me. I don't think I could go on without... Without you,” he said, his words trialing off until they came back, merely a whisper.
“You're wrong, Doctor,” Alice told him, her voice just as quiet as his. “I don't think that I could go on without you.”
They stared at each other awhile, their double meanings coming across loud and clear to each other. They watched, blank faced until a weary smile appeared on the Doctor's face.
“When you're back to running around, I'll take you some place even better than Space Vegas,” he told her, nudging his foot against hers lightly enough so as not to disturb her wound.
“I think I'd like that.”
It took Alice a month before she was practically back to normal. She was still wincing at the vague sensation of pain from her side, but she'd been deemed by the doctor – a certified one from New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York – that she was able to start going on adventures.
Alice stood there, leaning against the console as the Doctor occasionally pulled a lever or pressed a button as he navigated them to some place that he swore was the greatest planet for relaxation.
“Better than Space Vegas,” he'd said.
She watched him for a moment before walking over to him, looking up at him as she paused to stand beside him.
“Doctor,” she began. He looked up at her, cocking a brow. He gave her a hum of acknowledgment before she continued. “That night that I almost died...” Her voice trailed off. They hadn't even talked about it since then.
“Did you really give me mouth-to-mouth?”
The Doctor felt his throat go dry as he watched her. The past month had solidified his feelings. If he hadn't been sure about it then, then he was sure about it now. He opened his mouth before promptly closing it, unsure of what to say. He continued to do that a couple of more times before he found his voice.
“No.”
Alice nodded her head slowly, her eyes slipping over his expression carefully. She waited a moment before standing up on her toes, and pressed her lips against his. She felt the Doctor tense before relaxing almost instantaneously.
It was better than either of them had imagined.
Their lips moved in sync, both of their stomachs filling with butterflies as they moved in closer to one another. The Doctor pulled away for just a moment, grinning widely down at her.
“A girl usually likes it when a guy kisses her while she's awake.”
“You know, I've heard that,” the Doctor said, still grinning before he pressed his lips to hers once more, backing her up into the console.
They stayed like that until the TARDIS began to make her familiar noise, causing them to pull apart.
“Looks like we're here,” the Doctor announced, swallowing as he tried to get his bearings.
“How much do you want to bet that we're at the wrong place at the wrong time?” The Doctor made a face at her, shaking his head “You lose and you have to show me how to fly her,” she said, patting the edge of the console lightly.
“You lose and you have to actually do what I say for an entire day.”
“You're on.”
“Space Vegas!” He exclaimed with a wide grin, pulling down a lever that still had Alice completely baffled as to how it worked. “Lots of fun, with a bit of violence,” he said, adding that last bit with a frown and a quick shrug of the shoulders.
He'd gone on for hours about how great Space Vegas was; the food, the lights, the music, etc. He'd told her – in detail – just how the interiors of the buildings were so vastly ahead of anything on Earth. The food was so much more delicious there, although that could hardly count for anything considering the fact that they added so much to their food to make it that way.
“Are you ready to travel down the rabbit hole?” He asked her, a smirk on his face that made it evident that he thought he was being clever. He always managed to make at least one Alice In Wonderland reference when they were on an adventure.
“It's Space Vegas, Doctor. Not Wonderland,” she told him, still smiling faintly at the sheer excitement on his face. He shook his head adamantly, frowning as he reached over, patting her shoulder.
“Space Vegas is more of a Wonderland than anything else you've seen,” he said, grinning widely as he motioned for her to step forward. She slipped in front of him, opening the door of the TARDIS and taking a step out. She froze, staring at the scenery in front of her. “Well, what do you think?” His voice floated behind her, slightly muffled by the door that was blocking his view of the exterior.
“Doctor...” Alice's voice trailed off as she stared, completely baffled by what she was seeing. “I don't think this is Space Vegas,” she said, speaking her words slowly as she looked across the dark, dingy wasteland in front of her. If this was Space Vegas, it was far beyond its heyday. What appeared to be ruins of buildings were decaying and rotting, their outlines barely visible in the dark. It was a mess of damp and dark. It seemed like nothing could penetrate the darkness that seemed to be everywhere. She stepped back closer to the TARDIS, the only light around was the small one from the blue box itself.
“What do you mean, I don't think this is Space Vegas?” He asked, his voice fading by the last word as he stepped out, instinctively moving to stand in front of her. “This is. . . This is wrong,” he murmured, shaking his head slowly. “Something's not right here.”
It didn't take Alice much to realize that by the way he frowned. He looked sad, as though he realized that something was very, very off and he couldn't fix it by just being clever. “Are you alright, Doctor?” She asked quietly, reaching up to put a hand on his shoulder in an attempt of comfort. He tensed at the touch, giving a terse nod of the head.
“I'm fine. Just fine.”
They stood there for awhile, Alice didn't know how long. All she knew was that the longer they stood there the more nervous she felt. She was growing antsy, the need to move around or explore or something starting to grow in her. She looked around, wondering what he was thinking. She opened her mouth to ask him just that when she heard the unmistakable tinny voice that reminded her of the first time she'd met the Doctor.
Daleks.
Alice froze. She looked over to the Doctor, who seemed to be frozen just where he was standing.
“THE DOCTOR'S TARDIS.”
“THE DOCTOR MUST BE NEAR.”
“When I tell you, I need you to run do you hear me? If you don't run, something will happen. Something terrible. They'll get you, do you understand?” The Doctor suddenly whispered, an urgent tone to his voice. Alice nodded her head, her heart feeling as though it would pound out of her ribcage.
He'd told her about the Daleks, how they had committed terrible crimes against him and his race. He'd told her what they would do if they ever got a hold of them. If the Docto had any enemy, it would be the Daleks.
She had been surprised when the Doctor had told her about them at all. On the surface he acted as though he was an excited, open young man. But once she'd gotten to know him, she realized the truth – that the Doctor was very old, and very closed off to talking about many things of his past.
“Run!” He shouted suddenly. The darkness was suddenly permeated by a bright, white light. It lit up everything. Alice went to run, but only managed to get a couple of steps before she felt something prodding into her back.
“EXTERMINATE,” it said, causing shivers to run down Alice's back.
“Alright, alright,” she mumbled, attempting to give off an air of nonchalance. It wasn't working.
The Doctor was nervous. He stared helplessly as a Dalek came up behind Alice, effectively stopping her in her tracks. He felt the familiar prickle of anger at the sight of his enemies, but there was something else. He didn't want Alice to get hurt. He was concerned for her. He'd been noticing it lately, how he would take the extra moment to keep his eye on her while they were off on their adventures. But now he couldn't do anything to save her. He felt his anger begin to grow, a scowl on his face as he glared them down.
“Alright then. Tell me what you want,” he snapped, scowling at them.
“THE DOCTOR MUST RELIQUINSH THE TARDIS.”
“THE DOCTOR MUST TEACH US HOW TO USE THE TARDIS.”
“THEN THE DOCTOR AND THE HUMAN WILL BE EXTERMINATED.”
Their voices came as an electronic chorus, coming one right after the other as though they had rehearsed it. The Doctor watched them with a bored expression, as though he had gone through this a hundred other times.
“That's horrible incentive,” he began, shaking his head slowly. “What do you want with a dusty, old TARDIS anyway? More than half the time she gets the destination wrong.”
“THE TARDIS IS TIMELORD TECHNOLOGY. TECHNOLOGY SUPERIOR TO OUR OWN.”
The Doctor glanced over to Alice, watching her for a moment longer. She looked scared, as much as she was trying to appear as nonchalant as he seemed. He looked back to Daleks, staring at them for a long moment before speaking.
“You must free my companion, take her to a safe place of my choosing – under my supervision, too – and then you can have my TARDIS, and exterminate me all you like,” he told them.
“Doctor, no.” Alice's voice was strong as she stared at him, an incredulous expression spreading across her face. The Doctor simply cocked his head, his teeth clenching. “You can't do this.”
“She's a stupid human, nothing more to me than a companion. She's of no use to you and her opinion doesn't count,” he said, his voice strong and emotionless. He couldn't look over at her, guilt raging through him.
The Daleks stayed quiet for a moment, as though they were silently conversing with one another.
“WE AGREE UPON YOUR TERMS.”
The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief, carding a hand through his hair. He let his hands fall to his sides, sighing softly. He finally looked over to Alice, who was glaring at him with such anger he felt as though he might wilt right under her gaze. He forced himself to continue to watch her, to commit all of her features to memory. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, jostling his clothes slightly. That's when he felt it.
The sonic screwdriver in his breast pocket.
He glanced around at the Daleks, knowing that his plan was feeble at best. But there was a possibility that it would work, and the Doctor lived off of possibilities. He began to move as the Daleks prodded their backs, jerkily guiding them to the TARDIS. He walked slowly, trying to decide when the best time to act would be.
He didn't have to wait long. All of a sudden Alice darted to the side, running as fast as she possibly could. The Doctor wasted no time in whipping out his sonic, pressing the button as he momentarily paralyzed the Dalek behind him. He turned around, getting ready to sonic the other Dalek when he heard the familiar shot of their blast. He pressed the button, watching as the Dalek froze. But it was too late. Alice was lying on the ground.
The Doctor hurried over, his heart beating erratically as he ran over, his eyes never leaving her unmoving body.
“You stupid human,” he growled as he reached her, falling to his knees as he bent down to pick her up. “Always so stupid and self sacrificing,” he mumbled, making sure to gently pick her up. He looked down at her, quickly realizing that she was unconscious.
He managed to get her quickly on the TARDIS, sparing one glance behind him to see that the Daleks were slowly beginning to move once more. The doors of the TARDIS shut behind him as he hurried forward, placing her gently onto the ground.
“You'll be fine,” he whispered, giving her a longing look before standing back up and hurrying over to the center console. “C'mon, girl. Get us out of here,” he murmured softly, pulling levers and pressing buttons to get her out there as fast as possible. He stroked the side of the console lightly, as though he was trying to comfort the TARDIS – and himself.
As soon as they'd made it into space he left the controls, hurrying over to Alice.
“Oh you stupid humans and your stupid anatomy,” he murmured, shifting her jacket aside to check for wounds. He felt his heart drop at the sight of blood on her shirt. “Couldn't you just evolve enough to heal yourselves, or have two hearts, or something?” He stared at her desperately, trying to figure out what he could give her.
He was starting to grow nervous. She wasn't waking up. She wasn't doing anything. He shifted her shirt up to see the wound, thankful that it was only her side. He stood up and began to run down a hall, searching frantically for where he kept the medical supplies. With the help of the TARDIS he found it quickly, being able to run back within minutes, medical tape, healing balm, and antibiotics practically falling out of his arms.
He began to bandage her up, his eyes darting to her face every couple of minutes as he worked. He watched for something; an eyelid flutter, a difference in her breathing, something.
Once he'd finished patching her up, he pulled his shirt back down, watching her with baited breath. His thoughts began to get the best of him.
What if she died? What if she died because of him? She wasn't supposed to do anything. He'd been the one that was supposed to save them both. What if she died, died, died?
The word 'death' and any synonym of it began to circle through his mind, starting to increase his concern.
“Alice, I love you. Would you just wake up?” He said suddenly, leaning down and pressing his lips against hers abruptly.
He knew it was stupid, a trite wish that wouldn't work. He thought of the earth tale of Sleeping Beauty, and hoped that there was some truth to it. That a kiss would wake her up. That a kiss would make everything better.
He sat back on his haunches, watching her closely. He was surprised at what he had admitted. He had loved all of his companions, but this was different. She was different. She always had been. From the moment that he'd bumped into her while running away from a cyberman, he'd known. There was just something in her eyes when she saw it lumbering towards them and then grinned widely at him.
He ran a hand over his face slowly, jerking it away when he heard a gasp. He looked down at her, watching her closely. He watched as she cracked her eyes open, looking up at him with a frown on her face. She shifted slightly, wincing at the pain.
“Did you just kiss me?” She asked softly. His eyes widened as his cheeks began to redden.
“Kiss you? No. Of course not. I thought you'd stopped breathing and that you needed mouth-to-mouth. Why would I kiss you?” He stuttered out, staring at her. He immediately moved forward, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder as she tried to sit up. “Just stay there. I'll get you to bed soon enough. Just rest there for a moment.” She rolled her eyes, but continued on with the topic from before.
“Right. Of course not. Because I'm just some stupid human who doesn't mean anything to you,” she muttered, scowling at him. The Doctor made a face at her words, shaking his head slowly.
“Alice, you of all people should know that you're not just some stupid human. You mean so much to me,” he said, his voice quiet as he spoke.
Alice stayed quiet, staring at him as he gathered his thoughts.
“I was going to die for you, Alice.”
After that, it grew quiet. Alice resting on the floor, the Doctor sitting next to her as he leaned back against the railing. Every so often he would look over to her, only to see that she was staring right back at him every single time.
He wasn't sure how long they'd remained there like that when she moved. She reached up slowly, her hand moving out and grasping his. Their fingers became intertwined as their hands rested against his leg.
“I was going to die for you, Doctor.”
The Doctor stared at her incredulously. He shook his head, a frown on his face.
“That's stupid. You could've - “ He cut himself off, not wanting to even imagine the pain of losing her.
“You would've died for me.”
“That's different. I've lived longer than you have. Besides, you could go on without me. I don't think I could go on without... Without you,” he said, his words trialing off until they came back, merely a whisper.
“You're wrong, Doctor,” Alice told him, her voice just as quiet as his. “I don't think that I could go on without you.”
They stared at each other awhile, their double meanings coming across loud and clear to each other. They watched, blank faced until a weary smile appeared on the Doctor's face.
“When you're back to running around, I'll take you some place even better than Space Vegas,” he told her, nudging his foot against hers lightly enough so as not to disturb her wound.
“I think I'd like that.”
It took Alice a month before she was practically back to normal. She was still wincing at the vague sensation of pain from her side, but she'd been deemed by the doctor – a certified one from New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York – that she was able to start going on adventures.
Alice stood there, leaning against the console as the Doctor occasionally pulled a lever or pressed a button as he navigated them to some place that he swore was the greatest planet for relaxation.
“Better than Space Vegas,” he'd said.
She watched him for a moment before walking over to him, looking up at him as she paused to stand beside him.
“Doctor,” she began. He looked up at her, cocking a brow. He gave her a hum of acknowledgment before she continued. “That night that I almost died...” Her voice trailed off. They hadn't even talked about it since then.
“Did you really give me mouth-to-mouth?”
The Doctor felt his throat go dry as he watched her. The past month had solidified his feelings. If he hadn't been sure about it then, then he was sure about it now. He opened his mouth before promptly closing it, unsure of what to say. He continued to do that a couple of more times before he found his voice.
“No.”
Alice nodded her head slowly, her eyes slipping over his expression carefully. She waited a moment before standing up on her toes, and pressed her lips against his. She felt the Doctor tense before relaxing almost instantaneously.
It was better than either of them had imagined.
Their lips moved in sync, both of their stomachs filling with butterflies as they moved in closer to one another. The Doctor pulled away for just a moment, grinning widely down at her.
“A girl usually likes it when a guy kisses her while she's awake.”
“You know, I've heard that,” the Doctor said, still grinning before he pressed his lips to hers once more, backing her up into the console.
They stayed like that until the TARDIS began to make her familiar noise, causing them to pull apart.
“Looks like we're here,” the Doctor announced, swallowing as he tried to get his bearings.
“How much do you want to bet that we're at the wrong place at the wrong time?” The Doctor made a face at her, shaking his head “You lose and you have to show me how to fly her,” she said, patting the edge of the console lightly.
“You lose and you have to actually do what I say for an entire day.”
“You're on.”