FIC: Time Enough and Space 4/5: A Firefly/Doctor Who Crossover AU

[ashinae]

Time Enough and Space: A Firefly/Doctor Who Crossover AU - chapter 4
by ashinae and linden_jay
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5


When faced with dealing with grumpy-because-he-slept-too-late Mal, and grumpy-because-he's-too-tired Mal, the former was always a better idea. Which was what Zoe'd informed him--politely, of course--when she woke him up after eight hours. Still, he was grumpy as he followed after the Doctor, who talked a lot, and Simon, who lied a lot.

Simon wandered around the TARDIS' console. His hand fluttered once or twice as if he wanted to touch. He seemed more comfortable here than Mal had ever seen him on board Serenity.

The Doctor moved with a kind of exhausting, frenetic energy. He moved swiftly around Mal and Simon and kept himself somehow between them at all times.

"Okay, now--see here's the part I don't get," Mal said, turning on Simon as he continued on with a conversation he'd only been having in his head up until that point. "If you'd told me that you were an alien, and she was an alien, and you were both a couple of time travelling aliens from a different time than ours, okay. Yes. I would have thought you were both crazy--not just River--and I'd have tossed you out the back of my boat before you had a chance to bring down all the trouble you've brought down on me and mine. You had to lie about that, and I ain't disputing it."

Simon stiffened, and turned to him. "Fair enough," he said. "What is it you're going to tell me you don't understand, Captain?"

"You lied about her," Mal said. "About you and her, this whole brother-sister act you put together. That's what's hurt people. That's the lie that didn't have to happen. If this whole love story that you told us about is really true, then why isn't that the story you told us?"

Simon took a breath. "Have you ever looked at her, really looked, Captain?" he asked. "She's a teenager. The woman that I travelled with--the Time Lady--looked to be my own age. How was I supposed to pass a sixteen-year-old girl as my wife?"

Mal opened his mouth to argue back, then stopped to think about that, closed his mouth again, and frowned. "Suppose you have a point there," he admitted, very slowly.

The Doctor looked between them. "Well. All right then," he said. "Are you done, Captain?"

He thought about it for a few more moments, then nodded. "Suppose I am," he said. He looked over at Simon. "You lie to me again, I'll let Jayne throw you out the airlock."

Simon lifted his head. "Understood."

"All right then," Mal said. "Now I'm done."

The Doctor looked between them, then shook his head before bounding down the walkway to the TARDIS doors. "Now that we all have that out of our system," he said, "Simon, let's go get your key."

As the only person on the landing party who was both able and willing to carry a gun, Mal insisted on going first, checking the area before he'd let the Doctor and Simon leave the TARDIS.

*

They were quiet a while after they started walking. The Doctor fell into step with Simon. He didn't watch him in any overt sort of fashion, but Simon wasn't entirely fooled. The Doctor was waiting.

The grass under their feet became lush and vibrant. Trees began to spring up around them. Simon could hear water ahead.

"The TARDIS--our TARDIS--landed just over there." Simon pointed. The Doctor's gaze followed, but he said nothing. Just waited.

"We ran, but River wasn't lucid. It was hard to keep her quiet. We were pursued here, into this forest. She was scared and fell quiet soon enough. It was dark, but I had a few items on me. This."

Simon lifted what Mal and Serenity's crew had always assumed was his encyclopedia; it was close enough, but there was a reason he kept it safe in his room.

"I buried my TARDIS key. I could hear the Feds and I knew it was only a matter of time before they found us. I wish--" Simon sighed. "I wish I knew how they'd followed us so closely, right from the time we arrived in this time. In this solar system."

"The powers that be here have spent a very long time, and a rather impressive amount of effort, keeping the presence of aliens a secret," said the Doctor. "Would you honestly be surprised to know they have safeguards in place against what they might consider an alien incursion?"

"No," said Simon, "I suppose not."

Mal muttered something rude and incoherent under his breath. "Just something else that I'm gonna have to put up with Jayne bitching about. If it's not the Reavers, it's gonna be aliens."

There was a short pause, then the Doctor said, "You won't have to worry. You'll both be dead by the time the Alliance can no longer keep aliens a secret."

Mal paused. "I can't tell you how comforting that's not."

The Doctor pushed his hands in his pockets. "I'm here to help," he said with a grin.

Simon led them deeper into the forest, consulting his not-an-encyclopedia every now and then and adjusting the path he took after he tripped over a large tree root.

The Doctor helped him to his feet. "Thanks," he mumbled, embarrassed. He stepped over the tree root this time. He fell silent again, then suddenly stopped walking.

"How did you manage to do this?" Mal asked. "Being chased by the Alliance with your crazy not-sister?"

"Do you mean, hiding the key?" Simon looked up at him. "She was very quiet for a moment, like I said. I had time. Just enough time. They found us as soon as we started running again. But I figured--I thought, if they couldn't find my key on me, they wouldn't be able to get inside. All I can hope is that they still haven't managed to get inside."

Mal didn't look all that confident that a key would have kept the Alliance out of, well, anything.

The Doctor glanced sidelong at him. "All we can do is hope, Captain."

"I'm not big on hope and faith, Doctor," Mal said, leaning against a tree. He looked casual, but he was on alert... watching for anyone, or anything, that might be coming.

"Really? Love them myself," the Doctor said, rocking back on his heels as Simon pressed some buttons on the not-an-encyclopedia.

"This way," Simon said, turning and leading them off again. "No... wait." He stopped, frowned, and pressed a few buttons again.

The Doctor reached out and plucked it from Simon's fingers. "This is an interesting piece of technology, Simon," he commented, pulling something from his pocket. One end of it glowed blue when he pointed it at the device.

"It was River's," Simon explained. "We ran into a Gallifreyan scientist at some point and he modified it for me. River was never really a scientist herself. She didn't have the passion for it. Not like art, culture, music, dancing..."

"Swinging knives at people..." Mal said in an undertone.

They ignored him.

"She was certainly brilliant in her own right. But didn't quite have the drive for it. Ah, see, here's your problem," the Doctor said, his voice tinged with sadness. "It needs her TARDIS, and her TARDIS is going to sleep."

"Oh," said Simon. "But that's... that's a good sign, isn't it? If it's going to sleep, it means that the Alliance hasn't done anything to it, doesn't it?"

"More than likely," the Doctor agreed. "There. I've linked it in to my TARDIS for now."

"Thank you, Doctor," Simon said. "I wish we'd been able to get someone else to modify the Chameleon Arch for River, too. But she--we couldn't risk it. We were getting messages almost constantly, demanding that she return to Gallifrey."

"What sorts of modifications?" the Doctor asked. He sounded ever-so-cool, but when he looked at Simon, his eyes were sharp.

"The idea was for us to hide the Time Lady, not remove her completely," Simon said. "We didn't want to lose River's memories of me. That would defeat the purpose. We wanted her to know who I was--to love me. I'd be her husband. Then everything went so wrong. I think--we'll never know for sure, but I wonder if we were attacked by Daleks. I tried--I couldn't get us away, I--"

The Doctor put a hand on his shoulder. "It's all right. I understand. But listen to me, Simon. The war is over. You won't have to hide anymore."

Simon looked up at him. "Of course," he said, softly. "Thank you, Doctor."

The Doctor grinned. "You're welcome." He handed Simon's device back, tossed his... blue-glowy... thing in the air, and caught it again. He watched as Simon turned away from both him and Mal to read the screen on his not-an-encyclopedia.

"She's not a scientist. Not a soldier," Mal said. "Why would they even want her to return?" He didn't wait for an answer as something else distracted him. "Okay, what the hell is that?" he asked, pointing at the... whatever it was that the Doctor was flipping around.

The Doctor pretended not to have heard Mal's first question. "This? It's a sonic screwdriver," he said.

Mal gave him a look. "A sonic screwdriver?"

*

The Doctor leaned in the doorway to River's room. "Hello, Dancer," he said.

She didn't look at him, but she smiled and swayed from one side to the other, light on her feet.

"Where's Simon?" the Doctor asked.

River looked over at him, and placed her hand over her heart. "Here. Always."

He smiled. "Just where he belongs. "We're almost ready out here. Zoe's going to come with us. The captain and Jayne will provide some distraction. We're going to get your TARDIS."

"She's calling us," River said, going over to the Doctor and taking his hand. "We have to go."

The Doctor squeezed her hand, just a little. "The war's over," he said. "You don't have to hide anymore."

River tilted her head to one side and looked up at him, deep into his eyes. She held his focus for a few long moments, and then just...went back into herself. She was still looking at him, but she really didn't see him.

"I'm sorry," he said, immediately. "It gets lonely out there sometimes." He took her arm in his as he led her off to meet the others. "It's a very big playground just for me."

It was awhile before River spoke again. "So fragile," she said. "Like tissue paper. So easily torn away, torn apart."

"It can all be gone in an instant," the Doctor agreed.

She looked at him and smiled, and for a moment--just a moment--she was the Dancer. "And isn't that what makes them so beautiful?"

"It's what makes them all so very worth it." He smiled back.

"Time to go," River said, tugging on his hand. "She's calling us."

Donna and Serenity's crew were waiting for them in the mess. The Doctor made sure River was settled next to Simon, then stood behind them, a hand on the back of each of their chairs. "So we're agreed?" he said. "We're doing this?" He looked across at Mal.

"Pretty sure we already decided that," Mal said.

"Just wanted to give an out to anyone who has changed their minds," the Doctor said. This time his gaze fell on Jayne.

"Why's he looking at me for?" Jayne asked Mal, scowling at the Doctor.

"Can't think of a single reason," Mal deadpanned. "Okay--we done? Let's go." He moved to get up.

"Now, wait a minute, Captain," said the Doctor. "We still have to work out what, exactly, we're going to do once we arrive at the Alliance facility."

"No we don't," Mal said. He reached for his cup once he stood, finished his water, then set it down.

The Doctor blinked a few times. "You and Jayne will be left on your own," he pointed out, "and I'd like to make sure we all make it back."

"Uh huh." Mal straightened up and looked at the Doctor. "You located River's ship. It's on the moon of a core planet, inside an Alliance controlled research facility," he said. "Have you ever been inside an Alliance facility?"

"Well, no," the Doctor admitted, "but it can't be all that different from other places I've been."

"But... you haven't," Mal said. "We have. Which means we make the plan. And since we've already done that," he clapped Zoe on the shoulder, "we're done. Let's load up."

"But," said the Doctor, "I had a plan."

Donna looked wildly, wildly amused. And she didn't hide it at all well. It was entirely likely she wasn't even trying.

"Oh, I'm sure it was a really good one," Mal said. "But we're gonna go with mine. Jayne? Go load up, be in the cargo bay in five minutes."

"On it," Jayne said, grinned at the Doctor, then got up and headed out.

"It was a good plan," said the Doctor. He looked a bit crushed.

Simon patted his hand. "Maybe next time," he said.

"Was it going to involve running?" Donna asked. "I bet it was going to involve running."

"Loads of running," said the Doctor. "You wouldn't believe the amount of running."

"I'm really sorry that I'm going to miss that part of your plan," Donna said. "Unless you were going to have Mal and Jayne running in front of us, in which case...."

"We might still be able to do some running," the Doctor said. "That'll be fun, won't it?"

"Of course it will," Donna said, looking amused. "You notice that they didn't actually tell you what their plan was, right?"

He opened his mouth to respond, closed it immediately, looked horribly concerned, and took off quickly for the cargo bay, shouting for Mal.

Simon watched him go, then turned to Donna. "Does he actually have a plan?" he asked. "Because I have a feeling he doesn't at all."

"Yeeeeah, the Doctor really doesn't do plans," Donna admitted. "Don't worry--it'll all go just fine," she said, patting his hand and getting up to follow after everyone else.

Simon watched her go, too, then turned to River. He ran his fingertips down her cheek. "Are you ready?"

She leaned into the touch and smiled at him. "I can hear singing."

*

The main part of Mal's plan:

Stand back and watch the feds try to figure out where all of Jayne's weapons were. He kept setting off the security sensors.

The other part of Mal's plan involved stealing as much stuff as possible before the Doctor and his big blue box arrived to retrieve them.

*

Once River was inside the Doctor's TARDIS, she couldn't stay still. She didn't touch anything, not quite. She ran her hand just over the controls; murmured softly as she moved about the space.

Whereas the Doctor moved at what Simon could only describe as a manic sort of pace. Simon felt like he needed a nap just from watching him move about, pulling levers, pressing buttons, asking Simon to hold down the inversion regulator--which he sort of figured the Doctor made up just to give him something to do so that he didn't watch him with such a concerned sort of expression.

"So... tell the truth." Donna alternated between watching River and leaning against the TARDIS wall, relaxed as though the Doctor weren't moving like an air molecule after an espresso. "Are you going to land us somewhere farther just to make us have to run, because you didn't get to use your plan?"

"I would do no such thing," the Doctor said with a look of indignation. And then he grinned like a madman.

With Mal and Jayne off creating a diversion to keep the Alliance security forces busy, the next step was to retrieve River's TARDIS while, hopefully, said security forces were entirely busy trying to deal with Mal and Jayne. At least, that's what Simon thought the plan was. He still wasn't entirely certain that the Doctor had any idea what he was doing and rather thought he was, in fact, flying by the seat of his pants.

The Doctor bounded down to the doors. "All right, now, when we step through, I expect we'll have to move quickly, so Zoe, if you don't mind, please, I would like you with me. Not that the two of us are sacrificial lambs, but I'd rather keep Simon, River, and Donna out of the line of fire."

Zoe nodded, cocking her shotgun and moving to stand next to the Doctor. "I'd feel a lot better if you were armed," she told him, holding out a pistol to the Doctor.

Donna snorted. "Good luck," she muttered under her breath. "Although, if you don't mind, maybe I'll just--"

"No," said the Doctor, sharply. "Only one person here gets to be armed, and she's the one who knows what the hell she's doing." He took a breath and said in a gentler tone, "Please, Donna. Just... stay with Simon and River. Please."

Donna rolled her eyes at him. "I can't decide if you're being patronising or chivalrous, so I'll do what you're asking, until I decide if I'm mad at you or not."

"We'll argue later, I promise." The Doctor gave her a quick grin, then looked at Zoe. "Ready?"

She nodded, game face on. "Ready." She raised her shotgun and flipped the safety off.

The Doctor pushed open the doors. He was ready for anything that the Alliance might throw at them, whether that meant he ran and dove for cover or took a stray bullet or actually was able to talk them out of--

"Oh."

There was one (rather charmingly cute) young lieutenant sitting in the middle of the room. He seemed to be playing mahjongg. The room held rather a number of computers and one (also rather charmingly cute) pale yellow garden shed.

"Hello there." The Doctor pulled something from his pocket and flashed it at the lieutenant, who had jumped to his feet. "At ease. Mysterious technology inspectors. We're here to inspect your mysterious technology."

The lieutenant looked baffled, staring at the group of them. "I... there's no such things as mysterious technology inspectors," he managed, after a few moments of stammering.

"And how would you know that, hmm?" Donna asked. "We're very mysterious," she added.

His mouth opened, then closed again. He didn't really have an answer for that.

River wasn't paying attention to any of them. Not the Doctor, not the young lieutenant, not even Simon. At that moment, the only thing that she had eyes for was the little yellow garden shed.

It sat there, seemingly untouched. According to the Doctor, when he spoke after poking at a computer terminal, it was indeed virtually untouched. No one had ever got inside it. Not a single scientist--the ones with appropriate security clearance, anyway--had been able to work out how to get inside or been able to understand the diminishing power signature. They had no idea what it truly was.

Simon could barely breathe.

"I don't like this," Zoe said, looking around, still holding her gun at the ready. "One guard? Why aren't there more of them? Is there any way they could be expecting us to come for it?"

"I don't think so," said the Doctor. "They've about given up on ever getting inside it without moving it to a Core facility. Though there is a proposal under committee review just to attempt to destroy it. The door there--" he pointed, "remains locked at all times, and there are more guards at the end of the hall, isn't that right, Lieutenant?"

"Yes... they only unlock it when we switch shifts," he said, nodding. "Are you really mysterious technology inspectors?"

Donna rolled her eyes so hard it looked like it hurt.

"Yes, of course," said the Doctor. "Why else would we be here? On my word, we'll decide what we're going to do with this... that." He gestured at the shed.

"It's in committee right now," the lieutenant said. "They're having meetings, but they keep being tabled."

"Alliance bureaucracy in inaction, what a shock," Zoe murmured.

"Yes, I know," said the Doctor, very patiently, to the lieutenant. "That's why I'm here. We can't keep wasting resources if it's completely unnecessary. Hence--inspection." He glanced at Simon.

Simon took that as good enough confirmation as any. The Doctor seemed to have the lieutenant's attention. He gave River's hand a squeeze.

"She's calling," River whispered, looking up at Simon, then starting to move toward the TARDIS.

He went with her, pushing his hand into his vest pocket. His fingers closed around the key; it was very warm to the touch. It knew. He was sure the TARDIS knew. And River--his Dancer--knew, too. They were almost there. Almost home.

He fumbled with the key, hands shaking terribly as he tried to unlock the door.

Zoe shadowed them while Donna helped the Doctor snow the lieutenant, always keeping her eye on the (supposedly) locked door.

River placed her hands against the door of the TARDIS and smiled, just the very tips of her fingers touching the wood. She closed her eyes then, without opening them, reached out and took the key from Simon's hand and unlocked the door. Her smile got bigger as she pushed the doors aside, stepped into the TARDIS, opened her eyes, and looked at Simon over her shoulder. "Home," she whispered.

The TARDIS came to life all at once. It recognised River. Lights came on and Simon was certain, absolutely certain, that he could hear it singing inside his head. Welcoming them home. He closed his eyes for a moment, then peeked his head out the door. "Zoe!" he called.

"Hey! What do you think you're--oh my GOD!" Even the Doctor wasn't able to keep the lieutenant distracted from the sound of River's TARDIS opening up and welcoming them back, particularly once he saw the doors open for the first time ever. He tugged his arm away--Donna'd been holding him, and she was very distracting, what with her... red hair, and all--and started to go for his weapon or his radio, one or the other.

He didn't make it very far once the butt of Zoe's shotgun impacted against his jaw. Just as far as the floor.

"Now that wasn't at all called for!" the Doctor exclaimed, but he didn't get a response. Zoe hurried for River's TARDIS, and Donna had his arm.

"Go--we'll see you back on Serenity!" Donna called back to Zoe, who just nodded and followed after River and Simon without another word.

*

The Doctor made noises of protest, but let Donna drag him back to his TARDIS anyway. He stared at the closed doors for a moment, then turned, all manic energy and business again. "Right! Off to collect the captain and Jayne." He reached the console in a few long strides.

"You're sure they'll be able to fly River's shed?" Donna asked. "She's still pretty... you know." She said made the universal sign for crazy.

"Simon knows how to get from point A to point B, if nothing else. I gave him the exact co-ordinates to use. He's a clever young man." He paused a moment, and looked at Donna. "She doesn't have to hide anymore," he said. "Maybe they'll come with us. Won't that be brilliant? All four of us, time and space, everywhere, everywhen we want to go. You could see Simon's homeworld. Those beaches, Donna. You'll love it."

Donna frowned and looked like she was about to say something, then changed her mind. "You know... you keep promising me beaches, and not delivering on them," she said lightly, watching the Doctor very, very carefully. "Just because you'd look rubbish in a bathing suit isn't a reason to keep denying me."

"I don't keep denying you," the Doctor said, grinning as he punched in a command to track down Mal and Jayne in the facility. They certainly moved fast. "She's one of the good ones, Donna. The Dancer. You'll just adore her once you meet her--properly meet her, I mean. At least, you should. I never met her in this regeneration--it's been centuries, but someone like her doesn't ever change. Not really. She's brilliant, just brilliant."

"I'm sure she is," Donna said. Still watching him. Still not letting herself say what she really wanted to say. Not very 'Donna' of her, but somehow... somehow she just knew that he wouldn't hear her. Not even if she tried.

*

"What--what is--what did you--" The Doctor was stunned. He stared at Mal and Jayne, wide-eyed, disbelieving.

Jayne shouldered past the Doctor, complaining the whole way. "Why'd you come back so soon?" he bitched, dropping things across the floor as he walked.

"You were supposed to create a diversion, not rob them blind!" the Doctor exclaimed.

"Yeah, well, my boat doesn't fly on good deeds, Doctor, and we've had a couple extra mouths to feed for a few days now," Mal said, unloading his armful of goods into the Doctor's arms, then clapping him on the shoulder.

*

Kaylee emerged, beaming, from the little yellow garden shed. There was a lizard-like creature cradled in her arms. "Cap'n! You're back. Did you see River's TARDIS? It's so pretty inside."

Mal was a little bit focused on the-- "What the hell is that thing, and why is it on my boat?"

"What, this?" Kaylee raised her bundle. "His name's Chip. He's a miniature velociraptor. He seems to think Simon's his daddy, but Simon's awfully busy right now." She peered over her shoulder, then looked up at Mal again. "There are pixies. They were takin' care of Chip this whole time, them and River's TARDIS. Kept him fed and everything. Simon says Chip likes tea, so I'm gonna take him up and make him some tea. Isn't he cute?"

"No," Mal said. "He looks like what I imagine Jayne looked like as a baby."

"Hey!"

"Cap'n!" Kaylee admonished. She looked down at Chip. "You just ignore the mean old man. Let's go get you some tea." She stalked off to the stairs.

The entire time, the weird little creature peered over her shoulder and appeared to be glaring at Mal.

Mal just shook his head, and went back to unloading stolen merchandise from the Doctor's TARDIS. "That's just wrong," he muttered.

*

The Doctor stepped into River's TARDIS, arms loaded down with various tools and wires and bits of equipment. "Should have everything I need now," he announced. He moved at a swift pace, grinning broadly all the while. "We'll be ready to proceed in just a few moments. I have to make sure I get everything interfaced correctly so that we don't cause more harm when we get your Time Lady back, Simon."

Simon reached for River's hand. "I trust you, Doctor," he said.

River took Simon's hand, swinging it back and forth between them. She couldn't stop smiling. And she hadn't stepped out of her TARDIS since they'd landed back on Serenity.

The Doctor had explained to Simon, roughly six times, just how to get River's TARDIS back on Serenity. Yet it hadn't really been necessary; not that he'd ever been all that great about flying it on his own, but she'd had a moment of absolute clarity. That wall in her mind seemed to crack, just enough, just long enough, that she'd urged him out of the way and flew the TARDIS on her own.

Simon had just stepped back and watched, but it was the last time he'd left her side.

Donna wasn't much further away from the Doctor than Simon was from River. And unusually for Donna, she was being pretty quiet.

River looked at Simon and smiled. "She missed us," she whispered.

Simon slipped his arm around River's shoulders and kissed her temple. "She absolutely did. And I missed her. A lot."

The Doctor clapped his hands together and looked over at Simon and River. "I'm ready as soon as you are."

River squeezed Simon's hand, then let go and held her hands out to the Doctor. "Blow out the candles," she said. "Make a wish."

"Happy birthday," said the Doctor. He took her hands and guided her over to the console, then gave her a beautiful gold fob watch. "You should open your present now."

River smiled at the Doctor, looking at Simon one more time. "Coming home," she whispered, closed her eyes, and opened the watch.

Simon couldn't breathe. His hands were clenched tight at his sides; what if she was too broken? What if these two separated sides of her couldn't be whole again? What if this just made everything worse?

As what appeared to be gold dust spread from the face of the watch, Simon closed his eyes. His heart hammered against his ribs; echoed loud in his own ears. He was certain that everyone--here on the TARDIS and there on Serenity--must be able to hear it, too.

He waited for it all to end. Or maybe to begin. He couldn't know for sure.

He couldn't breathe.


| Chapter 5 |