moragmacpherson (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
moragmacpherson) wrote2008-03-28 06:07 am
moragmacpherson) wrote2008-03-28 06:07 am
Fic: Better With Two (4/??) (Buffy/DrWho)
Title: Better With Two (4/??)
Series: Tempus Frangit
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
moragmacpherson
Rating: PG-13
Timeline: True sequel to Another Side of the Sky. Takes place during AU Buffy season 8 "The Long Way Home," approximately two months post Another Side for the Doctor.
Disclaimer: I make no claim to any characters contained herein, who are actually owned by big corporations filled with highly paid attorneys who know that suing me would be idiotic based on the fact that all I own are student loans and they wouldn't even be able to recover costs.
Archive: Here, TtH. If you'd like it, let me know.
Betas: Depending on the chapter, some combination of Arkaeus, LiastraLee, MissJulie, and/orbooster17
Summary: Great muppety Odin, Buffy misses the Doctor. She decides the time has come to do something about it.
Chapter Four - Personal Space
“Explain to me again why this is a good idea?” Buffy was wearing leather trousers again. Back in his universe, she never wore leather trousers. Well, except for that one time with the buckskins. The Doctor’s thoughts drifted back to those memories and despite her glare a smile crossed his face.
“Buffy, it’s been ten years of demons, sewers, vampires, giant bugs, bug men, witches, and every other damn thing. I have earned myself a space ship trip. It is time to be terrorized on my own terms. With lasers even.” Xander was helping load suitcases into the TARDIS.
The Doctor held his hands up to Buffy. “I’ve got no problem taking Xander along. He’ll keep an extra eye on the girls.”
“Six of them. You’re dragging seven people off to God only knows where.”
“Brief tour of the galaxy. No place too dangerous. Teclexhecfivven, Women Wept, Barcelona. It’ll be fun. Educational even.”
“Don’t let them within twenty light years of the Tau Ceti.”
The Doctor scowled. “We’re already within twenty light years of Tau Ceti.”
“You know what I mean.”
“What’s in Tau Ceti?” Xander, once again, was lost in their conversation.
“You don’t need to know!” Both of them snapped, then looked at each other and giggled.
“Maybe you should take them to Transjilon X too.” Buffy arched her eyebrows at the Doctor. “That’s a pleasure planet Xander, the only one we haven’t found a dirty secret on.”
“Excellent. Hey Renee, we’re gonna go to a pleasure planet, did you pack a bathing suit?” He disappeared into the ship
“He’ll be fun.” The Doctor winked and slid his hands into his pockets. Buffy stepped out of the way to allow the girls into the ship.
“Okay, this is not going to end in disaster. Adelle, no magical artifacts. Not even a little. That’s the last thing we need, spreading magic and probably demons throughout the galaxy.” Buffy looked around then drew in close to the Doctor and whispered. “Rona, Renee and Heather will be fine. But be careful with Lisa, Mu, and Adelle. They’re… young.”
“I’ve had young companions before.” He allowed one hand to sweep over the soft leather at her hips. Maybe he could put off departure for an hour or so.
“Not like these girls though.”
“Don’t worry. And I know about Mu. You’ll notice I didn’t mention any place with sentient plants. No chaos demon nightmares are going to come up.” The Doctor grinned. “We’ll be fine. And back before you even know it. It’ll be ten minutes.”
“Ha. I’ll believe that when I see it.” She gave him one last hug. “Remember, whichever alien chick seduces Xander, that’s the one that’s gonna try and eat you.”
“I heard that!” came the call from within the TARDIS.
Buffy and the Doctor smiled at each other, then he stepped back into the TARDIS. “It’ll be fine. I’ll be right back. And I won’t let anything happen to the girls. Or Xander.” With a final salute, the doors shut, and in a few moments, the engines whirred and the box disappeared. Buffy lingered a few minutes after, then sighed and turned around.
“I’m stunned you didn’t have a scarf to tie around his scrawny wrist.”
“Spike!” Buffy shook for a second, then raised her fist. “Dammit. You can’t do that around here. Two hundred heavily armed Slayers all around, remember?”
The vampire shrugged. “Ain’t been staked yet. But look at you, he’s got you all wound up. Don’t trust him?”
Rolling her eyes, Buffy brushed past him. “I trust him with everything. I also trust his ability to find trouble wherever he goes. It’s why we’re so good together.”
“But he’s off there, and you’re here.”
Buffy glared, to little effect. “What’s so wrong with me being happy? And with him being happy. I’m happy he thinks of this as home base, he’s happy that he can keep traveling.”
“I’m not against you being happy Slayer. I just question your tastes sometimes. First the prat, then captain git, and now this… thing.” Spike wrinkled his nose.
“I even dated you. But what do you have against the Doctor?”
“Are you kidding? Can’t stand to be in the same room as him. That double heart thing drives me nuts. It’s distracting, that is.”
Buffy shook her head. “Okay, other than the fact that he’s an alien with two hearts, which is something he can’t help, what do you have against him?”
Spike put an arm around Buffy’s shoulder. “I’d’ve thought that was obvious. He’s with you and therefore, I’m not.”
“You ever heard that ditty about setting what you love free?”
“Yeah, but you never came back.” Spike released her and grabbed a cigarette, not meeting her eyes. “Listen, I’m glad you’re happy. But I’ve got one question.”
“I’ll answer it if you lean out the window while you smoke that thing.”
“Done.” He alighted on the nearest sill, and lit the cigarette, blowing the smoke towards the sky. “Sixty years together on that ship of his, shagging like rabbits for most of it?”
“Not exactly how I’d put it, but okay.”
“Where’s the little Time-twerps? Slayerettes? You two are all crazy for each other, why no kids? I mean, is he capable?”
Buffy stood still, her lips thin, for several seconds. Then she sat on the frame next to Spike. “You got another one of those?”
Spike whacked his head against the sill, ignored it, and pulled the pack out of his pocket, lighting the cigarette for her in one quick movement. She sucked on it, staring at the stars. “Let me tell you a story.”
~*~
You think he’s a flake, manic and silly, and just a little out of his mind. Or maybe more than a little. That’s good. It’s one of his most lovable parts. It was the first part of him I fell in love with, that endless energy, that delight.
Then you dig deeper and you find out how much he cares, about everything. He’s never cool, never tries to be cool, never wanted to be cool. Cool people don’t care. The Doctor always does. That was the part of him I fell back in love with, time and time again.
And then, later, you get to know the center of him. He’ll tell you the horrible truth, and you don’t realize how terrible it is until you experience it. It’s the final line under all that caring, because when you threaten what’s his, and remember, it’s all his, then you have to be dealt with. And that’s it. No appeal, no other judge. It’s just him.
He doesn’t want to, you know? But in the end, he will. He’s got no other choice. He lives in terror of making those decisions.
I’ve killed hundreds. Weird to say, but true. Most of them with good reasons, but the rest… sometimes it’s hard to sleep at night. He’s killed-- well, they’re countless. I can’t even imagine the number. Neither can you. But he’s done it, and he remembers Every. Single. One.
It was in the Selachia system. I must have been, maybe twenty-eight at the time? A bit older than I am now, and the queen of the Beaadeen Kibra. You’d have liked them. Desert nomads led by women, fierce and proud, always happy to follow the best warrior. Which of course, was me. Doc should have realized before he dumped me there, or maybe he did. I spent a long time learning and listening to the tribes. I really grew up that year. Learning to lead.
But I missed him, and he missed me, and after a year and a half, he finally came for me.
Don't roll your eyes, it’s not pathetic. And anyway, he came back because he needed me to bail his sorry butt out with the Torchwood folks, but that’s another story. Shut up and listen.
That night we made love. He started it. For the first time. He was so stuffy when we first met; of course, he wasn’t used to girls who knew what they wanted and took it. Don’t look at me like that. He’s since proven himself more than adequate, but when I met him, he was… a little out of practice. I just had to remind him how much fun it is.
Then we lay outside the tent, watching the sky, and I asked him about that. Kids. Time-tots, whatever you called them.
He got this look in his eye. Panic. Sheer terror. The last time I saw that look Daleks were chasing us through the corridors of Orrifan Seven.
He’s had family before. A wife, kids, a granddaughter. All dead. He feels responsible for each one. I knew all about it, but I, I wanted to give him a piece of me. I wanted to meet our family.
Our kids. They’ll be- they’d be, like him. Time Lord DNA is a powerful thing I guess.
He said he couldn’t do it to them. He knew what he was doing when he let himself love me. Knew one day I wouldn’t be there any more, that I would leave him alone. But to bring a child into the world, who would go on for however long, and know me for only a tiny fraction of its life. He couldn’t force losing me on anyone else.
I told him we all leave home sometimes.
The Doctor didn’t reply, just stared at the stars the rest of the night, clutching me against him a little too tight, and later I understood why. They’ll leave him too. We all leave him, eventually. It’s why I waited so long to bring him here, putting him through this. One day, I’m going to leave him again, and I’m running out of ways to come back.
I hate that in the end, I’m going to be just like all rest.
We haven’t spoken about it since. That look in his eye, the thought of it, always stops me. I’d love to meet our child. But he’s… stubborn. He has to be. And when you learn to love that last part, that’s when he has you. Forever.
Next
Series: Tempus Frangit
Author:
moragmacpherson Rating: PG-13
Timeline: True sequel to Another Side of the Sky. Takes place during AU Buffy season 8 "The Long Way Home," approximately two months post Another Side for the Doctor.
Disclaimer: I make no claim to any characters contained herein, who are actually owned by big corporations filled with highly paid attorneys who know that suing me would be idiotic based on the fact that all I own are student loans and they wouldn't even be able to recover costs.
Archive: Here, TtH. If you'd like it, let me know.
Betas: Depending on the chapter, some combination of Arkaeus, LiastraLee, MissJulie, and/or
booster17 Summary: Great muppety Odin, Buffy misses the Doctor. She decides the time has come to do something about it.
Chapter Four - Personal Space
“Explain to me again why this is a good idea?” Buffy was wearing leather trousers again. Back in his universe, she never wore leather trousers. Well, except for that one time with the buckskins. The Doctor’s thoughts drifted back to those memories and despite her glare a smile crossed his face.
“Buffy, it’s been ten years of demons, sewers, vampires, giant bugs, bug men, witches, and every other damn thing. I have earned myself a space ship trip. It is time to be terrorized on my own terms. With lasers even.” Xander was helping load suitcases into the TARDIS.
The Doctor held his hands up to Buffy. “I’ve got no problem taking Xander along. He’ll keep an extra eye on the girls.”
“Six of them. You’re dragging seven people off to God only knows where.”
“Brief tour of the galaxy. No place too dangerous. Teclexhecfivven, Women Wept, Barcelona. It’ll be fun. Educational even.”
“Don’t let them within twenty light years of the Tau Ceti.”
The Doctor scowled. “We’re already within twenty light years of Tau Ceti.”
“You know what I mean.”
“What’s in Tau Ceti?” Xander, once again, was lost in their conversation.
“You don’t need to know!” Both of them snapped, then looked at each other and giggled.
“Maybe you should take them to Transjilon X too.” Buffy arched her eyebrows at the Doctor. “That’s a pleasure planet Xander, the only one we haven’t found a dirty secret on.”
“Excellent. Hey Renee, we’re gonna go to a pleasure planet, did you pack a bathing suit?” He disappeared into the ship
“He’ll be fun.” The Doctor winked and slid his hands into his pockets. Buffy stepped out of the way to allow the girls into the ship.
“Okay, this is not going to end in disaster. Adelle, no magical artifacts. Not even a little. That’s the last thing we need, spreading magic and probably demons throughout the galaxy.” Buffy looked around then drew in close to the Doctor and whispered. “Rona, Renee and Heather will be fine. But be careful with Lisa, Mu, and Adelle. They’re… young.”
“I’ve had young companions before.” He allowed one hand to sweep over the soft leather at her hips. Maybe he could put off departure for an hour or so.
“Not like these girls though.”
“Don’t worry. And I know about Mu. You’ll notice I didn’t mention any place with sentient plants. No chaos demon nightmares are going to come up.” The Doctor grinned. “We’ll be fine. And back before you even know it. It’ll be ten minutes.”
“Ha. I’ll believe that when I see it.” She gave him one last hug. “Remember, whichever alien chick seduces Xander, that’s the one that’s gonna try and eat you.”
“I heard that!” came the call from within the TARDIS.
Buffy and the Doctor smiled at each other, then he stepped back into the TARDIS. “It’ll be fine. I’ll be right back. And I won’t let anything happen to the girls. Or Xander.” With a final salute, the doors shut, and in a few moments, the engines whirred and the box disappeared. Buffy lingered a few minutes after, then sighed and turned around.
“I’m stunned you didn’t have a scarf to tie around his scrawny wrist.”
“Spike!” Buffy shook for a second, then raised her fist. “Dammit. You can’t do that around here. Two hundred heavily armed Slayers all around, remember?”
The vampire shrugged. “Ain’t been staked yet. But look at you, he’s got you all wound up. Don’t trust him?”
Rolling her eyes, Buffy brushed past him. “I trust him with everything. I also trust his ability to find trouble wherever he goes. It’s why we’re so good together.”
“But he’s off there, and you’re here.”
Buffy glared, to little effect. “What’s so wrong with me being happy? And with him being happy. I’m happy he thinks of this as home base, he’s happy that he can keep traveling.”
“I’m not against you being happy Slayer. I just question your tastes sometimes. First the prat, then captain git, and now this… thing.” Spike wrinkled his nose.
“I even dated you. But what do you have against the Doctor?”
“Are you kidding? Can’t stand to be in the same room as him. That double heart thing drives me nuts. It’s distracting, that is.”
Buffy shook her head. “Okay, other than the fact that he’s an alien with two hearts, which is something he can’t help, what do you have against him?”
Spike put an arm around Buffy’s shoulder. “I’d’ve thought that was obvious. He’s with you and therefore, I’m not.”
“You ever heard that ditty about setting what you love free?”
“Yeah, but you never came back.” Spike released her and grabbed a cigarette, not meeting her eyes. “Listen, I’m glad you’re happy. But I’ve got one question.”
“I’ll answer it if you lean out the window while you smoke that thing.”
“Done.” He alighted on the nearest sill, and lit the cigarette, blowing the smoke towards the sky. “Sixty years together on that ship of his, shagging like rabbits for most of it?”
“Not exactly how I’d put it, but okay.”
“Where’s the little Time-twerps? Slayerettes? You two are all crazy for each other, why no kids? I mean, is he capable?”
Buffy stood still, her lips thin, for several seconds. Then she sat on the frame next to Spike. “You got another one of those?”
Spike whacked his head against the sill, ignored it, and pulled the pack out of his pocket, lighting the cigarette for her in one quick movement. She sucked on it, staring at the stars. “Let me tell you a story.”
~*~
You think he’s a flake, manic and silly, and just a little out of his mind. Or maybe more than a little. That’s good. It’s one of his most lovable parts. It was the first part of him I fell in love with, that endless energy, that delight.
Then you dig deeper and you find out how much he cares, about everything. He’s never cool, never tries to be cool, never wanted to be cool. Cool people don’t care. The Doctor always does. That was the part of him I fell back in love with, time and time again.
And then, later, you get to know the center of him. He’ll tell you the horrible truth, and you don’t realize how terrible it is until you experience it. It’s the final line under all that caring, because when you threaten what’s his, and remember, it’s all his, then you have to be dealt with. And that’s it. No appeal, no other judge. It’s just him.
He doesn’t want to, you know? But in the end, he will. He’s got no other choice. He lives in terror of making those decisions.
I’ve killed hundreds. Weird to say, but true. Most of them with good reasons, but the rest… sometimes it’s hard to sleep at night. He’s killed-- well, they’re countless. I can’t even imagine the number. Neither can you. But he’s done it, and he remembers Every. Single. One.
It was in the Selachia system. I must have been, maybe twenty-eight at the time? A bit older than I am now, and the queen of the Beaadeen Kibra. You’d have liked them. Desert nomads led by women, fierce and proud, always happy to follow the best warrior. Which of course, was me. Doc should have realized before he dumped me there, or maybe he did. I spent a long time learning and listening to the tribes. I really grew up that year. Learning to lead.
But I missed him, and he missed me, and after a year and a half, he finally came for me.
Don't roll your eyes, it’s not pathetic. And anyway, he came back because he needed me to bail his sorry butt out with the Torchwood folks, but that’s another story. Shut up and listen.
That night we made love. He started it. For the first time. He was so stuffy when we first met; of course, he wasn’t used to girls who knew what they wanted and took it. Don’t look at me like that. He’s since proven himself more than adequate, but when I met him, he was… a little out of practice. I just had to remind him how much fun it is.
Then we lay outside the tent, watching the sky, and I asked him about that. Kids. Time-tots, whatever you called them.
He got this look in his eye. Panic. Sheer terror. The last time I saw that look Daleks were chasing us through the corridors of Orrifan Seven.
He’s had family before. A wife, kids, a granddaughter. All dead. He feels responsible for each one. I knew all about it, but I, I wanted to give him a piece of me. I wanted to meet our family.
Our kids. They’ll be- they’d be, like him. Time Lord DNA is a powerful thing I guess.
He said he couldn’t do it to them. He knew what he was doing when he let himself love me. Knew one day I wouldn’t be there any more, that I would leave him alone. But to bring a child into the world, who would go on for however long, and know me for only a tiny fraction of its life. He couldn’t force losing me on anyone else.
I told him we all leave home sometimes.
The Doctor didn’t reply, just stared at the stars the rest of the night, clutching me against him a little too tight, and later I understood why. They’ll leave him too. We all leave him, eventually. It’s why I waited so long to bring him here, putting him through this. One day, I’m going to leave him again, and I’m running out of ways to come back.
I hate that in the end, I’m going to be just like all rest.
We haven’t spoken about it since. That look in his eye, the thought of it, always stops me. I’d love to meet our child. But he’s… stubborn. He has to be. And when you learn to love that last part, that’s when he has you. Forever.
Next