On the Hunt (Open):

[lucie_bleeding_miller]

This was seriously starting to bother her. Ever since she and the Doctor had arrived here, she'd barely seen him.

He looked different since they'd arrived. He wore different clothes -- no more of the poncy coat he'd been wearing in their previous adventures, and more of a... darker look. Shorter hair, too. And his attitude was... different. He was from somewhere in her future; he'd experienced things she hadn't yet.

And he was avoiding her. She was sure of it now. Whenever she thought she found him, he found some excuse to leave and ditch her, sometimes before she even showed up.

And as soon as she found him, she was going to kick his time-traveling tail almost as hard as she'd kick Q's if she saw him.

So she traveled the various portions of the Enterprise where she was allowed, peering in dark corners, trying to find her best friend: the infuriating ponce who kept avoiding her right now. Sure, both she and the Doctor tended to treat "forbidden" areas as "gentle suggestions" more than laws as a general rule, but she liked Picard so far, and was willing to obey his edicts for the time being. But if she couldn't find the Doctor soon, she'd start poking around wherever she could get to.

Comments

[thelasttimelord]

That's his girl. Even with the sharp note heaved right in there, in the center of her voice, he smiles. "I wouldn't dare."

Maybe he had before. Maybe he'd let himself. Maybe he had to. Forget her. Forget them all. When he'd been alone and he thought his adventuring days with companions as long gone as his own people. When he hadn't deserved to be surrounded by even long dead, good memories of the past, not with what he'd done.

Before Rose and Jack. Before the Tardis was once again filled with the noise of laughter. Running feet. Impossible bravery.

[lucie_bleeding_miller]

"Alright," she sniffed, holding back any more emotions. "So what's the plan? How are we gonna get this Q bastard?"

[thelasttimelord]

"Still working on that." He was. All of his selves were, and a good portion of the ship, too.

That was one of the bonuses of having an insider view on watching everything the crew was attempting and investigating, too. Every new twist and turn, from this side or their side. So that there was never a need to rework something that was already done, unless it was to do it in a better way not yet known here.

[lucie_bleeding_miller]

"Well, I'm sure we'll get there eventually. When you think what just you and me managed before, and you think we've also got two more of you, and more of your friends..."

She grinned at him, honestly, openly.

"Q'd better watch out, is all I'm saying. He picked the wrong people to mess with."

[thelasttimelord]

"More and less," The Doctor corrected. Since at least two of their companions seemed to have melted back out again, as seamlessly as they arrived. One of them that he really didn't know at all and that it was dangerous to attempt knowing here in this place, in this way, and the other. Well. The next time he saw Q there would be words about that.

"But quite so." Ten bounced a little, nodding. Light and fast. "Nothing we can't manage if we put our heads together on it all."

[lucie_bleeding_miller]

"We've been in worse spots." She paused and began listing them off as they came to her. "Morbius." A beat. "The Eight Legs." A shrug. "The Daleks." She pursed her lips. "The Cybermen." Another shrug. "That time you parked the Tardis in the middle of the M25."

[thelasttimelord]

When was? Oh. He remembers that. He does.

"It's a perfectly sound landing place," The Doctor said, his grin gone brightly goofy. Though his expression was far more teasing and blank than it was anywhere near concern. Things so far back, the best of it stuck, and the rest blew away with the dust.

[lucie_bleeding_miller]

"It caused a four hour traffic jam!" she pointed out. "And it was most certainly not Rodeo Drive!"

[thelasttimelord]

"Picky, picky." Ten says smart, but is grin has lost no brightness. "Where's your sense of adventure gone?"

[lucie_bleeding_miller]

"Well, at that moment, it had been in Rodeo Drive, wanting to pick up a new set of shoes," she replied with a smirk.

She sighed contentedly, and shoulder-bumped him. "You really are you, despite everything different, aren't you?"

[thelasttimelord]

"Anyone-" The Doctor clarifies, looking teasingly affronted at the mundanity of it. "-can buy shoes."

"Well," He drags out out to the word with the shoulder bump. "The hair is new. Terribly new. But nice. I like it. Do you like it?" But it's not entirely a question. Because he keeps going. Even if maybe he doesn't not want to answer. He's been futzing with it. There is ever so much of it, you see. "And the teeth." His arms go out. "Blimey. The teeth were the shock in the change this time. Thirty two, all pearly white, but it's been a while, you see, since the last time."

"Definitely weird. Something always is, even this many times in." It's a new body after all. He could have been green. He'd so like to be green. Or blue. And ginger. He's always wanted to be ginger. But no luck this time. It's just brown-ish. Again. "It's like a present. The paper might be awfully shiny--" The Doctor beams at her, arrogant about complimenting his own looks, tossing an arm around her shoulder, on impulse. "--but on the inside. Yes. It's still me."

Beat. "I'm still me." He raising his other hand and waves at waggles his fingers in the air at her. A small wave. "Hello."

Because he's still him, and for just a few minutes or days longer, he's allowed to see Lucie's own shining face.

[lucie_bleeding_miller]

She can't help it. She throws her arms around him in a warm hug. "Oh, Doctor. You might act different, and look different, but you don't really change, in the heart... er, hearts of you, do you?"

She pulled back, hands still on his shoulders, and gave him an accusatory look.

"But trainers? Bright red trainers? Really? If anyone can buy shoes, then maybe you should have someone buy some for you."

Besides. No one can shop for shoes the way Lucie shops for shoes.

[thelasttimelord]

The Doctor laughs. A warm, friendly, surprised and adoring sound. The kind of brilliant light that doesn't sound like darkness has ever touched it. The hug going right along with it. Miracles happened through out space and time, but not one like this. Not even to him. There was no spliced second in time when he would not have hugged Lucie back so long after any ability for her to do that at all had long gone.

For another second longer, she's still Lucie Miller. The same weight, the same smell, the same impulsive quickness, the same same bright voice. Leaving him grinning ear to ear, when she pulls back, all judgement on her face but still bright joy in her eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey." The Doctor pulled back himself, dusting off the trenchcoat edges and looking down at his shoes. "These are great. Totally springy." There's a roll of a smirk right into it. "Great for running." There was always so much running. It didn't matter who he was, or when. There was so much running. He loved the running. "It was about time I finally broke out a pair of these again. You wouldn't believe how long it's been."

"Well-" He grinned, indulgently, rolling that word long. "You might."