and now for something completely different

[makingsouffles]

[She hadn't even really thought about what she was doing when it had happened.

The abandoned starship they'd landed on had turned out to not be so abandoned as they'd thought, instead overrun with desperate humans who were utterly convinced they were hostile, no matter how hard Oswin and Jenny and the Doctor tried to persuade them otherwise. And now they'd been separated and Oswin had to find him, had to make sure he wasn't-

Oh.

He was.

Tearing around the corner, Oswin skids to a halt, her eyes widening as she catches sight of the Doctor pressed against a wall, the man nearby training a gun to his chest. She screams as the gunshot rings out, some instinct taking over, something so deep within her that even Oswin doesn't even know the source. Without a second thought, she throws herself between the bullet at the Doctor, causing it to find another target.

In Oswin's chest instead of his.

She crumples to the ground with a cry of agony, the man retreating once he's figured out he won't be able to get at what he came for.]

Comments

[mrcool]

Which is why I'm going to ask you to promise to never do it again.

[The Doctor sighs.] I'm not...trying to be harsh.

[makingsouffles]

[Huff] Second time in a row I've saved your life. [Honestly, Doctor, the least you could do is thank her.

Briefly, Oswin peeks out at him and nods before hiding her face again.

Not unless she absolutely has to.]

[mrcool]

[He smiles slightly and continues to brush his fingers through her hair.]

I suppose I owe you, don't I?

[makingsouffles]

[The tension building in her shoulders releases slowly, and Oswin finally turns her head out and sighs.]

...Crystal waterfalls? [Said as though she's expecting to get right out of bed the next day and go off adventuring.]

[mrcool]

[He chuckles and looks down.]

Actually, no. [His smile is sheepish.] That planet...well. I've...I'm not going back to that planet.

[makingsouffles]

[Oswin pouts for a grand total of five seconds, before tucking herself a little closer, her hand coming up to rest beside her face on his chest.]

Somewhere else, then?

[mrcool]

Somewhere else. [He agrees quietly.

...And now he's remembering Midnight. He shudders and tries to push it from his mind.]

[makingsouffles]

[Oswin knows that look in his eye, she's seen it in the mirror so many times before. Something happened on that planet, something that she's not sure she ought to pry into.

So, instead, she merely maneuvers around, pulling the covers out from underneath them and then pulling them close around both of them. Wrapping her arms around him, she rests her head back on his chest.]

Where?

[mrcool]

Hmmm...

[He's glad she doesn't pry. He wouldn't even tell Donna.]

Somewhere with open skies.

[makingsouffles]

[She smiles softly, unaware that she won't be leaving her bed for a good, long while in order to recover properly, and her eyes drift closed.]

Sounds perfect.

[mrcool]

[He watches her for a few moments, brushing another soft kiss against her brow.]

Why don't you get some rest? I'll stay here.

[makingsouffles]

[As if on cue, she yawns and settles into him a little more.]

Guess it couldn't hurt. [Oswin is still exhausted, despite her lingering fear of the nightmares Jenny had described after she regenerated.]

[mrcool]

[Regeneration nightmares are hardly fun, but the Doctor's promised to stay here with her and he means to uphold that. Giving her another light kiss on the brow, he smiles at her and ruffles her hair.]

No.

[makingsouffles]

[Can't be any worse than Dalek nightmares, right?

She's too tired to even protest as her hair's ruffled, and after just a moment or two, Oswin's out like a light, fast asleep against his chest. Even if he hadn't promised to stay, it's doubtful he'd be able to move now anyway.]

[mrcool]

[The Doctor watches her sleep, feels her breathe softly against him and he smiles. Stroking fingers absently through her hair, he closes his eyes. It takes a while, but eventually his fingers still, his head lolling to the side as he too falls asleep.]

[makingsouffles]

[Oswin sleeps peacefully for a few hours, but she can only evade the consequences of her regeneration for so long.

She stirs faintly, a shiver running down her spine and her fingers tighten in the front of the Doctor's shirt.]

[mrcool]

[The Doctor's fast asleep at this point, holding Oswin lightly in his arms and snoring softly with his face turned against the pillow. His floppy hair has fallen into his eyes, and for once, he looks relaxed.

Of course, that won't last for long.]

[makingsouffles]

[Oswin shivers again, this time pressing closer to the Doctor and letting out a soft noise that's half-murmur, half-whimper.

It's not the dark and the cold of death in her dreams that scares her, it's the loneliness. The last time she'd been so alone, she'd been that way for a year and the part of her that doesn't realize it's a dream is afraid it'll be longer this time.]

[mrcool]

[He stirs at the soft sound and the movement beside him. The Doctor is a light sleeper, always has been. Immediately recognizing that she's having a nightmare, he holds her close to him and strokes through her hair.]

Shhhh, it's alright.

[makingsouffles]

[Her eyes snap open and Oswin starts, tensed as she looks up at the Doctor.

She sighs in quiet relief as she realizes where she is and who she's with, resting her head back down. Her eyes want to close again, but Oswin won't let them, not now. The last thing she wants is to go back to sleep.]

...Didn't think it'd be that bad. [She admits, quivering faintly still.]

[mrcool]

Just breathe. [He kisses her forehead and gives her a small smile.] It's over now.

[makingsouffles]

[It's always when she thinks she's had the worst of her nightmares that another one hits her hard.

Oswin sighs again, this one more defeated.] Never really stop, does it? [Being with the Doctor usually works as nightmare repellent, but there are still times where one manages to sneak through.]

[mrcool]

[He shakes his head quietly.]

...No. Not really.

[makingsouffles]

[Her eyes finally close, but she doesn't sleep, despite the fact that she's still tired. It's so easy to put behind her sometimes, everything that's happened to her. Oswin can forget the Daleks, forget being alone, forget having her reality shattered into a million tiny pieces when they're out on some other planet, exploring and adventuring and running.

It's only at night that it all catches up to her and it surprises Oswin, just how old she feels. And she's not even twenty yet.]

...Wish it did.

[mrcool]

[The Doctor nods quietly. His own nightmares still have yet to fade after centuries of death and guilt. What he wouldn't give to forget all of that, but in doing so he'd be forgetting everyone that sacrificed something for him, and he can't do that.

He has to live with what he's done.]

Me too.