#IT WAS IMMEDIATELY OC TIME SO I HAD TO COOK UP SOME NEW SILLY LADIES

[you-may-call-me-meme]

Woe, Ghoulettes Be Upon Ye

[beni-draw-ikemen-please]

Kintsugi ~ Repairing with Gold

Kintsugi ~ Repairing with Gold  ◆ Ikemen Vampire Fanfiction ◆

CHAPTER 3 - TWO SUNS

Words: 4, 596

TW: Angst and Hurt ◆ References to Depression ◆ Mental Instability ◆ Mental Health Issues ◆ Implied/Referenced Suicide ◆ Suicidal Thoughts ◆ Graphic Depictions of Sex/Intercourse ◆ Vaginal Sex/Fingering ◆ Rough Sex ◆ Non-con

Pairings: M/F  Leonardo Da Vinci x Seiya Amanogawa [OC] / Comte de Saint-Germain x Seiya Amanogawa [OC]

Chapter Index [ 1 ]  [ 2 ]  [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ] [ 7 ] [ 8 ] [ 9 ] [ 10 ]

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A/N: This work of fiction is Canon x OC. For some reason everything is coming to me but I have no idea how to structure this properly, let alone beta >.< But still, if you made it this far, thank you for reading! Here’s chapter 3, fresh from AO3. 

                                             KINTSUGI - CHAPTER 3

                                                         Two Suns

                                      ━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

Seiya couldn’t remember why, but she remembered being fully awake on a Tuesday, 3:32 am and she just hauled herself yet again across the globe. 

A new apartment, a new life, another clean slate. For the fifth, or was it sixth, time in her life. 

She remembered her empty apartment, just outside Amsterdam, barely a futon and any cooking pans in possession. It was cold, but it was a new beginning and new beginnings settled her nerves. It was familiar. 

The moving, the starting -- she accustomed herself to these things, sort of like a reversed coping mechanism. Adjusting and adapting to a new place, a new environment, a whole new country was something she could do without even trying.

She was exhausted. Tired from all the big cities. 

She remembered booking a last-minute flight to Paris, and then visiting the Louvre for the sole reason of finding inspiration. She had been working non stop, and she came to Paris hoping to revive whatever creative soul or confidence she had before the past five years. 

It felt like the crowd never ceased and it took almost all of her strength and willpower to go around the people who were barely looking at the paintings. 

She remembered being exhausted, and securing a bench just outside the Da Vinci hall. 

And she remembered stopping, not particularly minding or observing a piece but stopping to draw something down her notebook. 

And the next thing she knew, the bright museum day turned into a star-lit sky. Darker than what she’s accustomed to, behind widows that stretched as high as the ceilings, wine red curtains framing the peculiar view in sight. A thick dark forest just outside what looked like a giant mansion gate. 

She forgot a whole list of things as the man clad in gold explained the rules and basics of the mansion, and her month-long wait before she could go home. 

It wasn’t particularly different from what she’d experienced before. 

Another place? Another move? Only now, it’s another time. 

Seiya didn’t really remember much, she barely got acquainted with her new apartment, and she wasn’t particularly attached to anything yet after she prepared herself to move and leave everything that’s been established in her life. A career that barely sustained her creativity; wore her energy and self-esteem down. People who only hung around because of her work, or because it was convenient at that exact place, exact time. There were no farewell parties on her behalf. 

It was as if she quietly slipped through the back door, continued to run and run and run until she was on the other side of the world. Not knowing anyone, not receiving any other calls as to why she left, no emergency contact in her wallet. Nobody. Nothing new, really. 

And yet, for the briefest moment, as she focused on him — lush locks of gold that seemed to glow and shine under the masterful lighting of the museum, and the meticulously-placed lamps within the mansion — she saw a man whom she’d hoped to be someone in her life. 

The count smiled at her, careful with his words but never mincing them around her. She felt no threat, no ill intent coming from him, and immediately, she told her heart to settle down. She could  — at least, she really hoped to  — trust this man who called himself Le Comte. Maybe, this was the reason why she followed him that day, in the Louvre. When he chuckled faintly and softly behind her back as she scribbled what she thought would be a fitting portrait of Leonardo Da Vinci himself, all tension that accumulated in her neck and shoulders seemed to melt away at the sound of his voice. 

He complimented her, saying Leonardo himself would approve of the portrait, however silly and childish her scribble looked. He said it was an accurate depiction of him. Seiya didn’t know if he was being honest, or if he was just making fun of her. But she didn’t peg him, a man dressed like a gentleman —an elegant light mohair suit and golden cufflinks — as someone who would go by so casually only to make fun of ladies wandering inside museum halls. But she had to admit, making small talk with him felt pleasant and comforting. Her first conversation in days. 

She wasn’t the type to open up so easily to strangers, let alone, let them peak inside her pocket Moleskine. But something about him, the gold of his eyes, something that reminded her of time, and something forgotten —something old and true and important—called to her and swept her off her feet. 

Enough to lure her into opening the door to an alternate timeline. An alternate universe. Where creatures of the night were made up of the greatest names in history. This was their domain. His domain and she was a visitor. And yet he was gracious enough to provide for her, much to her surprise. Why would someone like him care about someone like her? She always questioned it. And, as she learned more and more about the mansion, the household and the residents, she found herself watching the count. Anticipating when he’ll be back, what he’ll be needing next, and how she can be a part of it. 

Seiya remembered when she felt the need to draw something. For the first time in a long time, to actually sit down and make something for herself. Make something that’s not dictated by some middle-aged, kitsch cretin. Just something for herself. Something she could hold on to, whilst she lived the dream of being scooped up from her own reality and into a world of vampires, enchantment, and time travel. Who could have thought? Who could have imagined? She most certainly did, many times, many days, all those years. 

Seiya didn’t feel like anyone wanted her, really. A home was something her parents once paid for; allowance usually automatically being credited to her account. Holidays that were empty, birthdays without anyone, achievements unrecognised. It didn’t take long for her to realise that these people, who were supposed to care for her, were simply waiting for her to be old enough so they can let her be without being frowned upon by society. She quickly learned that all those years of moving and adjusting, readjusting and adapting— her so-called talent— left her with almost no one to turn to. 

No foundations. 

No shared experiences that forged true friendships. 

Nobody. 

You leave, and people feel sad, and they forget about you. 

People move on.

Or people just leave.

People move on.

They forget about you, and they move on.

A mantra she’d recite every time she decided to move again and again and again. 

The beginnings excited her, and opportunities were always present for those who were willing to take the risk. Opportunity was this haughty goddess she was now very much acquainted with. But she had no one to call to share the good news. No one to celebrate the good days with. And the bad days — the bad days were heavy and ruthless — bad days would stay for days, weeks, years. 

So, when the count explained that she’ll have to stay for a month, maybe more, Seiya felt relief seep through her veins. The tension on her shoulders and back dissipated, and for a while, she almost fully stopped clenching her jaw.

Being around him helped her feel at ease. She never had anyone to rely on, up until Leonardo. When he promised he'd look out for monsters and watch her door until she fell asleep, she felt something she never felt before. A sense of security. 

 Leonardo offered more than just a brief sense of security. For Seiya, he felt like a safe room, and she, though she does not notice it herself, was acting more and more like herself around him. Truer to herself than she could ever imagine herself to be. Because of Leonardo, and those days they spent quietly together, the evenings when they both retire together, she began to see a clearer image of who she really is and how she can live her life without the restrictions and the prejudice of the modern world she was so used to.  

The modern world is filled with mannerly empty phrases, words that seem to zigzag away further from the truth. Communication was done in a blink of an eye, but all other meanings— meanings that truly mattered— were lost even before the button was pressed. 

He must have felt uncomfortable sleeping outside her door, though. She thought. 

Seiya wasn’t sure why and what force of nature brought it back, but she felt an ounce of confidence lift her hand to catch the hem of his coat just as he was leaving. How beautiful he looked, she thought. Not at all close to that chibi drawing she did whilst sitting by that bench in the Louvre. But just as her glass-blue eyes were focusing on him and how the golden light seemed to amplify his innate glow, she saw the count’s face, clear as day, flashing before her eyes.

She felt her throat dry, at the sight of Leonardo’s eyes. The same gold as Comte’s. The same distant, unearthly, gold smoked by time, and maybe eternity herself. 

Was that the reason why she invited him to her bed?

Because his eyes resembled the count’s? 

Seiya remembered Leonardo’s weight shifting her bed as she waited for him to settle down. It had been years since she slept with someone. And the last time she did, she became incredibly attached. When you get used to living and being content with your own company, anyone else who breaches your space feels uncomfortable, until you unlearn the true meaning of solitude, until you start leaning onto that person, until you start being attached, dependent. 

Seiya knew what it was like to be alone with her own thoughts. She kept most things to herself and barely interacted. But when one person tried to get past her defenses, she gave in. She let down her guard and soon enough, she was crumbling, ready to give anything, her everything to this person at any given word. 

She knew what it was like to give her everything only to be left alone. 

She knew better. People won’t reciprocate. 

She should have known better. And yet,

And yet, she allowed herself the comforts of Leonardo’s company. The rhythm of his husked breathing was a lullaby she so desperately memorised, so once he is gone—by the time she is to return home—once the spell is broken and she is back to her own world, her own reality, she can sing herself to sleep. With his face in mind. With the image of his dark brown locks slowly fading into an ashen hue, locks that covered and framed his face that slept so serenely next to her. As if she wasn’t a stranger to this house.

Just so she wouldn’t have to rely on anyone, ever again. Not ever. 

But Seiya underestimated the romance that 19th century Paris brought, and along with it came the renaissance man. 

He was especially good with his hands, she noticed. And she found comfort in them. They were warm and larger than her own, and they easily found hers whenever she was unsure where to go, what to do, what to say. Her fingers found safety and solace between his gloved ones, and slowly, very slowly, she caught herself able to touch him freely. Leonardo touched her often, too. And Seiya did not mind, no. 

It was new, at least to her. It was different. It was a treasure she was adamant to keep around her. A soothing companion, a calming presence, a safe haven, all these things meant Leonardo in her heart’s dictionary. But something inside her doubted this dream. Doubted the comfort of his touch and if she was the one who was deserving of it. She felt, at times, like a fraud. 

Odly enough, they could communicate well, though she felt confused and uncomfortable whenever he would grumble, maybe even curse in Italian. But after a while, she grew accustomed to his quirks, even picked up a few Italian swear words. It made the count frown, but it made Leonardo smile the biggest smile she ever saw him smile. Leonardo, at least to her, was like the sun. 

A radiant and roaring presence, even if he tried his best to lay low, even often slouched when he walked, but no one could deny the presence that was Leonardo. Seiya liked that about him. Her life, for the longest time, felt like a dark room with just her in it. And she— at least to herself— believed she liked being in the dark. She was able to convince herself, throughout the years that it was cool, and calming, and no one could touch her there. It’s safe there. No one could hurt her. No one could leave her. No one could disrupt this oasis she’s built for herself, albeit the lack of light. Everything she needed, she could buy, she could get her hands on. Except for a warm, inviting and soothing source of light. 

Comte, to her, looked and felt like the sun, too. Far away, unreachable and untouchable. The brightest treasure to everything it supports, everything it touches. A gem on the horizons that pull her to her feet in the morning, and one that gently whispers goodbye as it hides itself back.

 But Leonardo was a different kind of sun. Leonardo was the sun you could embrace. The sun on midday, that dries the white sheets hanging behind the mansion. The crisp scent of cleanliness and warmth all tangled together inside the consumable, describable word of fabric. 

The sun that keeps your heart warm. Like the stained glass colourless sun that would seep between the leaves of the trees as you walk along the forest. Like the warmth you feel while you’re immersed in a novel, laying by the grass without a care in the world. 

The sun that kissed your cheeks pink, planting loving marks on the bridge of your nose and your shoulders.That sun is now slowly bringing that warm light inside her dark room. 

There was no way for Seiya to stop the light. She tried to, half-heartedly. Something inside her wanted that light, wanted that warmth. But she already made up her mind and her heart, not to yearn and not to ask for things she cannot have. In this case, in Leonardo’s case, something shifted within Seiya’s world. And it all came together with the lingering scent of velvet cigarillos, the faint smell of leather, and wood, and something metallic but sweet when it hits the tongue. Something dark, and something light, all at the same time. Everything that made up the renaissance man and more— indescribably luscious and sensuous even to someone who has their guard actively up. 

                                             ══════ ∘◦❁◦∘ ══════

Sebastian would notice how their new resident would ask if she could bring Comte’s meals up to his study. And, when given the chance, if she could be the one to welcome him home. Sebastian noticed the smile on her face whenever she was tasked to take Comte’s coat. Or, when he finds her with some free time in the afternoon, the blush on her cheeks when he would invite her to share some sweets over a fresh pot of tea. 

Sebastian thought it was adorable of Seiya to follow the count around whenever she had the chance. And, Sebas being himself, would reward Seiya for finishing her chores with more tasks - picking up things Comte asked for. Getting his favourite macarons and picking new tea leaves so she and Sebastian could blend a new flavour for the next day. 

When she could, she would bring back flowers for his room and his study. Yellow chrysanthemums, sometimes white. They reminded her of home, but also reminded her of him.   And she would make sure there were always fresh flowers whenever Comte was around. It was for him, though she would not say anything in words, Sebastian knew she was putting them up for the count. 

And he would notice this red leather book wrapped in black lace whenever she was working in the kitchen or carrying the residents’ meals. It would be next to her by the counter, or at the bottom of her trolley whenever she lunged it around the mansion. 

Sebastian too, had his own secret notebook where he writes his observations, the quirks he’s learned from the residents and research. But something about Seiya’s book intrigued him. But he would always brush it off, telling himself that a lady is entitled to her own privacy. 

Seiya didn’t say much around the other residents, except for Isaac and Vincent, but to Sebastian’s dismay, he was stuck with all her questions. 

Sometimes, she would just throw them at him like a curveball. With a straight face, whilst they polish the silverwares or refill the blanc bottles. 

“Why do they have to eat so much food?”

“If I sliced a finger off, would it grow back?” 

“Why do they sleep? Aren’t they supposed to be nocturnal?”

“Can they smell us like how other animals can?” 

Sebastian then learned that Seiya was simply curious and to her, she was entitled to answers if her means of travel home was inoperable, prolonging her stay in the mansion. 

She didn’t seem too displeased with that fact. And now, it had been more than a month since she travelled through the door. 

“Can they,” Seiya paused for a moment, a new question at the ready. Sebastian’s skillful hands kept with the polishing of the silverware. It was quiet as they both slowly settled the objects down. “Can they feel pleasure, like how humans do?” 

Her eyes stayed on the shine of the fork she’s been polishing. And Sebastian’s eyes focused on her hands as he waited for a follow up question. She’s heard Arthur mention this before. How a vampire’s bite can be nothing like any kind of pleasure humans can fathom. But she wanted to know, truly, if a kiss, an embrace, or just being against someone’s back gave the same kind of satisfaction and pleasure as it would give a normal human. 

“Vampires are not so different from us, Seiya-san.” Sebastian’s hands continued the work as he cleared his throat. Continuing his sentence made Seiya’s curious eyes look up at him, her pale hair, now tied into a loose bun behind her, gave him a better view of the expression on her face. 

A childlike curiosity blinked several times before he could finish his sentence. And the colour of the sky slowly widening before him as he assured Seiya that yes, vampires do feel pleasure like humans do. Not entirely the same, but it’s there. 

Seiya wore a meek and triumphant smile as she continued with her work. Sebastian was happy to teach, and help her, any way he could though they are from different timelines from the future, they grew incredibly closer. They spoke Japanese to each other, and when Dazai fancied joining in on their traditional tea ceremonies. 

She felt at home around them. Somehow, they accepted her, jaded and broken as she was, she was welcomed by the most unusual crowd. But she liked that. How they were all patched together, irregularities and quirks and all. Somehow, it all works out, and everyone lives in harmony and comfort. 

She saw it first hand, the warmth within the mansion, albeit the frequent tension. Everyone, somehow, accepted one another. Perhaps being brought back to life by Comte proved to be a necessary common ground. Perhaps, he was the one who kept the household together. 

Seiya didn’t understand it, until she started attending society balls and parties as Le Comte’s companion. 

The brilliance and radiance that is Le Comte de Saint-Germain is not limited to the walls of the mansion. Everyone wanted to meet him. Everyone wanted a moment of his time. Everyone wanted to shake his hand. The women so desperately asked and waited for a chance to dance with him. 

She remembers it well, that night. When the light of the lamps burned somewhat brighter for them, Leonardo asked about the meaning behind her name. Seiya never saw anyone so excited whilst she wrote these characters that make up her name. 

 As she settled her pen and showed him the characters, his gold eyes slowly shifted from the characters she’s written down, to her face. 

Her lips. 

She wasn’t able to notice the shift in weight, but his hand, somehow, ended up on her neck. She could feel herself trembling. 

Him, a creature of the night, with his hand on her sweet spot—the place where vampires sunk their teeth in movies she’s watched over and over again. Her eyes found herself in his as they closed the gap between them. Something about the way he pressed his weight down her neck and shoulders that tempted her to surrender her heart, even though she was in fact warned through a dream, an apparition, not to. 

“Leonardo,” her lips barely forming his name as a whisper, a prayer, a wish perhaps. She wanted to know why he was so eager to tend to her needs and why he would reach out to her, at random times during the day or mid conversation. Why his eyes felt so heavy whenever they settled on her. And why, he was holding her like this right now. 

Why now, Leonardo? She thought. 

All thoughts and questions seemed to disappear when their lips met. The taste of him, entirely new and yet somewhat expectedly familiar to her. Cigarillos, and somehow, sweet like apples. Lips so light on hers, she even questioned if they were really there. But, after a moment, his hesitation dissolved into a deeper, hotter, heady kiss. His mouth was rough, and yet smooth as his lips glide with hers. Tongue licking her lips down, and then down her chin and then back up, back to her lips and finding its way entwined with hers. She felt hunger from him, and she felt a chill down her spine. 

But Leonardo pulled away, panting. His eyes hesitated to look at her after leaving her in that state. Lips so desperately kissed and flushed. Cheeks red as his favourite apples and eyes misted with unanswered questions. 

He managed to mutter an apology, but Leonardo was surprised when he felt Seiya tug his collar and soon, her lips were once again crashing with his, only this time, she was able to show him that there was no need for hesitation. Not from him, not from her, ever. 

And so it began. This peculiar thing they did. A comforting ritual, perhaps. They would retreat in her room, sometimes his. And more often than not, the library. Seiya could imagine the scowl on Mozart’s face whenever they knocked a pile of books as they kissed. Or whenever they’d forget to fold the blankets they brought with them whenever they felt like reading by the fire. But in a sense, she felt happiness in his arms. A shriveled sort of happiness that came with the comfort and security that was Leonardo da Vinci himself. His hands always behind the small of her back, guiding her through; hands and arms pulling her close to him whenever he felt like, not that she mind, no. 

There was solace and tranquility in his voice whenever he spoke to her and reassured her he was around. She never had anyone in her life that guarded her like a prized jewel. Not anyone who made sure she knew they were around. Not anyone, unfortunately, to treat her the way Leonardo treated her. 

And everyone noticed. 

The special treatment wasn’t intended to be kept a secret. Somehow, Leonardo now can’t be found half-dead or asleep like a log someplace where people could step on him. Oddly enough, to Mozart’s satisfaction, and in the very rare occasion he would peek through Leonardo’s room, he found not chaos but a semi-organised mess. He would be where Seiya was. And he would be watching her, attending to her, making sure she was safe, comfortable and smiling. 

They were quiet. A quiet couple who barely said words to each other. But what couldn’t be said with words, they made up for with their hands and lips and sighs. Vincent would often be the last person she would be hanging around with before Leonardo finally picked her up for the evening. 

“I thought you liked Leonardo,” Vincent’s voice was hesitant, as he sat down with her by the bench near the gate of the mansion. It was dark and dusk already gnawed the day away, the glow of the moon reflecting on her pale hair. Vincent almost always found a way towards her. Their eyes seemed like signals to one another, the same crystal-clear kind of blue. The bluest of spring blue sky. 

He didn’t like seeing her like this, tears rolling down her cheeks. 

He truly believed that Seiya was fond of Leonardo. Until of course, they would have these episodes. He would walk in, and he would take her notebook away. And they would argue. It happened twice already, and until now, Vincent is unsure if he should be used to these antics already. 

He was most certain that Leonardo only wanted what’s best for Seiya. At least when they are together, that’s how it looked like. To him, to any of the residents. To Sebastian, to Comte. 

Seiya took a deep breath, after a moment of silence as Vincent asked her the question. Her hands willingly opening the book that had been thrown, and picked and wrapped in black lace. 

“I do love Leonardo,” her voice was hoarse and her lips trembled as she slowly spoke those words. It was as if they were only revealing themselves to her now, with him. The priced treasure that was the contents of her dear leather-bound book and her confession caught Vincent off guard. His hands gently picking up the book as she handed it to him. Her head lowered, pale hair falling down the side of her face like a shimmering sheer curtain against the backdrop of the night sky and moon. 

Vincent’s eyes focusing on the pages, his hands tracing over illustrations, sketches and sketches and sketches of him. Vincent took a deep breath, and Seiya waited for him to take in everything. He could’ve sworn he heard her whisper an apology in between sobs. 

Vincent did not say anything, but he sat closer to her and listened as she cried the last bit of tears she could that night. Vincent understood now, why. And he felt his heart full at the thought of Seiya, drawing away her feelings for this man. 

The way her cheeks lifted every time she finished a drawing. The blush on her cheeks as she tucks a small piece of folded paper in one of those makeshift paper pockets. His heart ached for her, and all he could offer was his hand. Seiya squeezed his hand, and he understood, somehow, it was her thank you. The most unusual person he ever met, even more unusual than Gaugin, and all those eclectic peculiar artists. 

His friend loved this man. And he could really only hope for the best. 

-To be continued-

[cycat4077]

Changes: Chapter 5

I’m on a roll!

Title: Changes Ship: Sonny x Reader (OC female character)

Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | AO3 | Chapter List |

Chapter 5: HBD - You and Sonny find more common ground and you laugh and smile until it hurts.

Notes: Pure fluff (finally). I've been sitting on this chapter and I'm so happy I got to flesh it out! (Also, the reader cusses once...whoops!)

Today is a difficult day for you. You barely managed to drag yourself into work. It’s a day that you had never been away from your family on ever before and it is truly getting you down. Your performance at SVU is sluggish but you try your best to cover it up. Finally, lunch time allows you to get away and receive a call.

You’re sitting alone in the breakroom smiling as you talk quietly on the phone. All of a sudden Carisi steps in just when you’re ending your call. “Love you, too” you say, before quickly hanging up. You notice Sonny go rigid in the doorway.

He stiffly nods at you as he enters, turning a chair around and planting himself across from you, sandwich in hand. You neatly set your phone down on the table. “Getting all mushy on breaktime?” he says coldly, gesturing towards your phone as he takes a bite of his lunch.

You hug your arms to your middle in your seat. “My mom, actually,” you state truthfully but don’t offer any elaboration.

You watch as Sonny’s brow eases and he settles his focus on you.

Just then your phone lights up. A text from your friend is scrawled across the screen: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Sonny’s eyes flash to the notification and then back to yours. His expression is unreadable. Shit. I prefer people just not knowing.

His brow knits once more and frankly, he looks offended. “It’s your birthday?!” he blurts.

“Yeah,” you manage sheepishly.

Sonny’s features break into excitement. “Well, happy birthday! Why didn’t you tell us?!” He looks as if he’s about to get up and shout it to the entire squad.

You reach out towards him with pleading eyes. “Thanks, but please don’t make a big deal of it. SVU has bigger fish to fry today. It’s busy out there and I’m not one to make a scene.”

Sonny repositions himself back in his chair. “Okay. The judge has overruled,” he jokes while imitating a gavel with his palm on the table. His forearm flexes and your eyes follow a tendon upwards until it disappears underneath his rolled-up sleeve. “You doin’ anythin’ this evening?” he asks, with a tilt of his head.

“Yeah,” you reply automatically, but immediately notice a slight slump in the detective’s shoulders as you answer.

“That’s good,” he says, distantly. “Always good to have someone to spend your birthday with.” The left corner of his mouth bunches in an attempt to form a smile.

Then it dawns on you that he thinks you’ll be with someone tonight. He jumped to that conclusion himself! Your heart skips a beat and your lips part, about to speak your inner thoughts: would that have been an offer? But you catch yourself and quickly squash the absurd idea back down into the depths of your mind. Instead, you blink hard and tell him the truth: “Actually, I’m ordering in and Skyping my mom ‘n dad during dinner.” As you say it, you realise how embarrassing it is. A young woman in her late 20’s, staying home on her birthday so she can Skype her parents. You expect Sonny to be looking at you with pity or disgust, but instead he somehow appears relieved. It’s the same type of look he just had when you told him it was your mom on the phone.

A few seconds of silence goes by and Sonny must sense your self-consciousness, because he offers you a genuine grin while he reassuringly says that he understands. That family means everything to him too. Your mind drifts for a moment and you find yourself wondering if he has a girlfriend. If there’s no significant other, then somehow this crush you’re developing on the Italian detective would be safe to admit to yourself.

Nevertheless, the thought is forgotten as the two of you fall into a conversation about your families. You find more common ground regaling how you both love your parents. Sonny is from a big family, yet he still manages to get along with them all. His home-life is such a contrast to your own where it has always been just you and your folks. Regardless, you’re filled with warmth knowing the Carisis love and look out for one another.

You enjoy how Sonny’s cheeks get rosy as he praises his mother’s cooking and how she insists on feeding everyone. You watch his blue eyes sparkle as he humble-brags his niece who’s a “sophomore with stellar grades”. You also adore how his voice fills with excitement as he tells you that his sister has a new bundle of joy on the way. He confides in you that he’s nervous and hopes that the baby will “love uncle Sonny”. What’s not to love? you think. Sonny has a gentle soul despite coming off as a little rough around the edges sometimes.

You continue to swap stories with one another. Everything from the silly things your parents insist on doing, to embarrassing tales about yourselves as kids. You talk and laugh until your break is over and your faces hurt from smiling. You forget that you’re so far away from home on your birthday and are grateful for Sonny’s company.

For the remainder of the day you every now and again notice Sonny looking your way. You’ll have been sitting there with your tongue poking out of your mouth in deep focus only to feel his gaze upon you. You’ll look up, but find Sonny quickly moving his hand to his forehead as he drops his head down. It’s a bit strange, but at the same time it makes your tummy twirl. It’s nice to know that someone is stealing glances your way. Is that it though? Was he looking at you? Stop. You tell yourself. Stop overthinking things. Still, your heart betrays your brain and it beats a little faster at the possibility.

At quitting time, you make your routine pit stop to the ladies’ room before leaving. Upon exiting, you remark that some have already gone home, including Sonny. Your heart sinks a bit, wanting to have at least said goodbye. As you make your way back to your desk, you notice there’s a little white box sitting there. It has the logo on it from the bakery nearby. You delicately unfold the top and are greeted by a whiff of chocolate from a cupcake holding a single candle. There’s a sticky note tucked on the side that reads:

HBD

     -S

You quickly look up to scan around the squad room, but Sonny’s nowhere to be seen. Nonetheless, you find yourself smiling with the overwhelming feeling of warmth in your chest.

Chapter 6 here

[saiilorstars]

The Beginning of Everything

Ch. 18:  The Medicine Man

Fandom: Doctor Who

Pairing: Female OC x 10th Doctor

(OC Renata’s Face claim: Marjorie de Sousa) (Gabby’s face claim: Victoria Moroles)

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DISCLAIMER: This chapter’s plotline is from Doctor Who’s comic stories. Most of the dialogue is directly written from the comic. The plot is NOT mine.

Chapter Summary: The Doctor and Renata have brought their companions to the very early days of Earth. While the Doctor tries to get back in Renata's good graces -- after pulling a very small bit with her -- he suffers and injury that renders him unconscious, leaving Renata fully in charge.

When Renata woke up, she was almost immediately swept away from her room by Donna. It was breakfast time but Renata kept pointing out that she hadn't yet made breakfast for anyone. Donna didn't seem to mind as she brought the Time Lady down the hallway until they reached the kitchen...where breakfast had already been served.

"What...is going on?" Renata's eyes were wide as she took in the table set up with different breakfast plates. She saw a few pancakes stacked in the middle of the table, a neat file of toast on another plate, fresh strawberries, apples and berries in a bowl. There were even a few crepes in the corner that, while oddly shaped, did look pretty good. The Doctor and Gabby stood beside the table seeming far too innocent for Renata's liking. "What did you do?"

"Breakfast!" the two chorused together with the same grin on their faces.

"What?" Renata glanced at Donna for some additional information, but the ginger shrugged.

"Don't look at me. They already had this done when I came in."

Renata shifted from one foot to the other. "I don't understand..."

The Doctor smiled at her and walked up to her. "What's to understand? Gabby and I thought you always make breakfast for us-"

"And delicious dinners!" Gabby added with a raised finger in the air.

"-and we just thought it was time we made something for you," the Doctor took Renata's hand and led her to the table. He watched her study the plates with such a shock on her face. It was almost as if nobody had ever done something like that for her. "Renée?"

"Hmm?" she raised her head, meeting his gaze to show sparkling eyes. "Oh, um...thank you." She brought her other hand to cover his hand holding hers. "Really, thank you."

The Doctor wouldn't admit to himself the strange rush he felt when Renata touched his hand, much less when she smiled at him. He would also not admit to the feeling he got when Renata pulled her hands away from him, even when she'd only done it to thank Gabby next. He was being too weird, even for himself.

"You two are wonderful," Renata gave Gabby a hug. "I didn't think the Doctor was capable of cooking-"

"Hey!" went the man in question, frowning while the others giggled.

"But I should've known you, Gabriella, would have inherited your family's cooking abilities. Well done."

"Well, Mom taught me a few things here and there but it's just breakfast," Gabby shrugged. "Mom knows how to do the best stuff though."

"Still, I'm really thankful for this sweet gesture," Renata looked between the two responsible for the meal, though it lasted very short because of the blush that'd run through her face. It's just breakfast don't twist things, she berated herself.

"Sit," Gabby ushered Renata to take the open seat in front of her.

"Don't mind if I do," Donna gladly said and grabbed a seat for herself.

As Renata looked over the plates, she admitted that most of it - if not all of it - smelled pretty good. Her eyes perked up even more at the sight of her favorite ingredients for the best breakfast ever. She grabbed a piece of toast then spread butter over it to finally top it off with sugar.

"I guess now I know where you got that from, huh?" the Doctor quietly asked her.

Renata froze just as she was about to take a bite out of the toast. Zuriah had loved this precise breakfast and so now it was only logical for the Doctor to believe that 'Zuriah' taught Renata about it.

"Y-yeah," Renata ultimately nodded.

"My Mom eats toast like that," Gabby pointed happily when she noticed Renata's plate. "I love it too." Renata nodded, grateful that Gabby was unknowingly moving the subject along.

"Alright, so where are we going today?" Donna then asked in-between bites of her pancakes.

"I dunno, where do you want to go?" the Doctor returned the question and watched the ginger consider her many, many options. She ultimately chose the past.

"But none of that New York or ancient Greece thing! I want something different!"

The Doctor thought about the possible places he could bring them. He crossed gazes with Renata who, like Donna and Gabby, was patiently waiting for him to make a decision. "How's about we turn it into a real life lesson?"

Gabby perked up knowing he meant her. If this trip would be a chance for her to learn something, it gave ample chance for Renata to tell the Doctor about her fate's prediction. Gabby really hoped Renata would reconsider the idea of keeping it all a secret because, frankly, it wasn't working for Gabby. In fact, it was driving her crazy.

And the worst part was that the Doctor and Donna were beginning to suspect there was something going on with Gabby. Twice she had come very close to spilling the secret. She understood Renata wanted to keep it away in case it meant nothing but...there was also the chance that this meant something and that something would lead to Renata's death. The Doctor already discovered that Renata had been contaminated with alien energy. That was something alright, and still Renata hadn't told the Doctor what the Ood predicted for her. Maybe, just maybe, if Renata spent some time with the Doctor, she would be more inclined to tell him what was going on.

Gabby could only hope.

~0~

Things had started off nicely. A calm - yet very cold and snowy - Earth landscape was the exterior of the group's latest adventure. It wasn't as cold as the Ood planet, but Gabby and Donna did have to bundle up a bit more than usual. When Gabby wondered why neither Renata nor the Doctor seemed that bothered by the cold - since the former had only a thin pink coat while the latter had his usual brown trench coat - Renata explained they were less susceptible to cold and heat.

One new thing Gabby learned.

They spent the entire day wandering through the forest, gazing upon odd ancient creatures roaming around.

"It's so weird seeing a woolly mammoth in person," Gabby chuckled, though it was strained on account of her having to peer over a small rocky hill. "The only ones I know of are from that movie the Ice Age."

Donna scoffed beside her. "That kiddie movie?"

"...I'm 19 Donna." Gabby's cold cheeks flamed with embarrassment but Donna didn't make of the remarks her family usually would. She still liked watching kids' movies and there honestly shouldn't be anything wrong with it! They were quite funny!

"They're pretty huge though," Donna remarked. "Although I thought they would be bigger than your usual elephant."

"That's a misconception," called Renata from below. She and the Doctor were standing right in front of the cliff Gabby and Donna were on. She had her arm wrapped around the Doctor's and it'd been like that ever since they stepped out of the TARDIS. Each time she thought about how long they'd just been casually linking their arms but she felt quite comfortable, very...at home.

"What?" called Donna.

"I, uh, said that was a misconception. Woolly Mammoths are no bigger than your typical African Elephants," Renata clarified and was immediately subjected to bemused looks from the trio. "What? I read. Plus, ancient creatures on Earth are fascinating."

"Oh, so now you think this planet's fascinating?" the Doctor couldn't help the smirk that played on his lips.

"Don't get started," Renata held her free hand at him, motioning that he better stop right there. "I think some things are fascinating. I pick and choose. Woolly Mammoths are one."

Gabby snorted from her spot, choosing to ignore Renata's scolding huff as she gazed back to the snowy field. "They're really beautiful."

"Yeah," Donna agreed with a content sigh. Sometimes it was nice to stop all the running about in space and the future. It gave them a chance to admire the beautiful sceneries they had the privilege to see. The Doctor and Renata brought her and Gabby to a real past trip - the Neanderthal era or the 'Pleistocene Epoch' as the Doctor said (but she couldn't pronounce it).

"C'mon down," Renata instructed to the two after a few more minutes of watching the mammoth herd. "And be careful please."

The women climbed back down and offered the Time Lords to take their chance but Renata flatly refused.

"With my luck, I'd fall," she shook her head and told them they should keep walking. "Evening is going to come by soon so whatever we're going to see, we better do it now so we can start heading back for the TARDIS."

So, they walked again.

"I keep thinking a dinosaur's going to pop in on us," Donna shivered after a particular cold breeze hit them.

"Don't be silly Donna. Dinosaurs are extinct by this point in time," the Doctor said, stopping by a fallen, thick branch. "Oh look at that!" Gabby and Donna hurried around him and Renata but the latter let out a shriek that made a spiky little creature run to the other side of the branch.

"Don't be alarmed, Renée," the Doctor straightened up and patted her hand curled around his arm. "It's an ancestor of hedgehogs. A tenrec!"

Gabby and Donna were quick to snicker behind the Time Lady. Hearing them, Renata snapped her head at them. "Shut it!"

"It's harmless," the Doctor assured her.

"Yeah? Then you go pick it up," Renata said without thinking, because if she had been thinking about it she wouldn't have said such a foolish thing. The Doctor would take it as a challenge.

"I will," he, predictably, said.

"No, wait, Doctor!" Renata said as he was already pulling his arm out of her hold. "Doctor, I didn't mean it - get back here!"

The Doctor smirked at her and hopped over the branch. He followed the branch to the edge and squatted down in front of the tenrec which, in all honesty, couldn't have been bigger than his palm.

"Doctor, maybe Ren's right," Gabby crinkled her nose at the spiky creature. "You might get poked. We should leave it alone."

"Let him touch it, see what happens," Donna smirked similarly to the Doctor.

Renata almost smacked her forehead - those two were definitely a good match when it came to being reckless. At least her companion seemed to have caught onto sensibility. Gabby was right at her side while Donna drifted towards the Doctor.

"There we are, hi there!" the Doctor had the tenrec on his palm. He straightened up and moved around the branch to show the women the harmless creature. "You wouldn't hurt anyone, would you?"

"He's kind of cute," Donna admitted when the Doctor had come beside her. "Though you can't make me hold it!"

"Gabby, Renata, come see," the Doctor carefully let the tenrec crawl to his other palm.

"I am not getting close to it," Renata crossed her arms, almost sounding like she was huffing.

"No reason to be afraid of it-"

"I am not afraid of it!"

"Then come look at it."

"I don't want to."

The Doctor couldn't help the small smirk tugging at his lips. "Renata, it's not bigger than my palm. You're a grown woman, I promise you that it will not hurt you. Don't be afraid."

Renata's eyes blazed with anger at his disbelief. "I am not afraid!"

Donna shared a knowing smile with Gabby. She was too afraid.

"I'm not standing for this!" Renata exclaimed and, with an actual huff now, she started walking in the direction they'd come in.

"Oh, Renata!" the Doctor chuckled and carefully set the tenrec back on the branch. "Take care dear," he said to it then rushed off behind Renata. "Renée, come back."

"I'm going back to the TARDIS!"

But as much as she would've liked to stomp quickly, the snow-covered ground had another thing to say. It eventually led to the Doctor being able to grab her arm and stop her.

"Very mature for a 700 year old Time Lady," his mouth twitched as if he was restraining himself...and he was. He wanted to smirk at her for her behavior but doing that would just make her want to keep walking away. "How's about we get some snacks?"

Renata pulled her arm from his grip and huffed. "There's no snacks around here you idiot."

"Yeah there are, look!" the Doctor pointed up above them. Renata raised her head to see dangling apples from the trees. "I bet I can get some down for us."

"Please don't," Renata returned her gaze to him, now clear of anger but with concern quickly filling her features.

"I can do it, no problem!"

"Do what?" Donna asked once she and Gabby caught up with them.

"The Doctor wants to get some apples down for us," Renata wearily eyed the man heading for the closest tree.

"Oh! I could do with an apple!" Gabby's eyes gleamed at the idea of a fresh apple after so much walking.

"Doctor, these are some very tall trees," Renata warned but the Doctor was already climbing his way up a tree.

"I have climbed trees, you know," he calmly called from above. She rolled her eyes. "Get ready to catch some apples." He reached for a branch on his left side and started shaking it as much as he could.

"They're not falling!" Donna frowned, unimpressed with his hunting skills. "We'd starve if food was up to you."

The Doctor paused to glower down at her. "Thanks." He sucked in a deep breath and attempted to entirely move to the branch.

"Doctor, please be careful," he heard Renata's pleas. She honestly worried too much over them, but that was just her.

He successfully got on the branch but he could feel it wobbling with his weight. He needed to be quick about it so he started pushing the apples off its roots so they could fall. He smiled when he started hearing Gabby's gleeful cries after catching an apple.

"Doctor, get down now!" came Renata's cry.

"Yeah, alright!" He managed to stand up and, for a minute, paused to admire the snowy land. "You know, the sight is pretty beautiful from up here."

"DOCTOR!"

He winced. He better get down or Renata might self-combust one of these days. It was fairly amusing how quickly her rosy face would redden whenever he would irritate her, but sometimes he wondered if she would actually burst from all their episodes.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," he stepped towards the stump he'd have to climb down on but the branch wobbled and sent his right foot to the side. "Ah!" he cried and scrambled to grab onto another. His hands flailed for the stump but in his attempts to grab it, his forehead hit the bark instead and down he went.

"Doctor!" Renata cried when she saw the Doctor's body falling down. Their companions screamed when he crashed onto the ground, splashing snow bits all over them. "No, no, no, no!" Renata hurried to his side, letting her knees fall to the ground next to his head. Straightaway she could see an ugly gash across his forehead. Renata's hands trembled as they checked him for any other injuries.

"Is he going to be alright?" Donna worriedly watched Renata pull her hand from under the Doctor's head. She, and Gabby, gasped when they saw blood dripping from Renata's fingers.

"Oh my God!" Gabby's hands flung to her mouth. "What do we do!? What do we do!?"

"Shush," Renata hissed. She was about to push some of her hair out of her face when she remembered the blood on her fingers. With a sigh, she flapped her hand to get rid of it. "He's out could and the TARDIS is too far away to carry him to.

"Okay, so what do we?" asked Donna. Her eyes were scanning their immediate area with fear. "We we can't exactly stay here can we? It's the olden ages - there could be dinosaurs!"

Renata rolled her eyes. "For the last time, we are not in the dinosaur age, Donn! There are no dinosaurs!"

"Renata, what do we do?" Gabby bent down beside the Time Lady. She could Renata was afraid as well, perhaps not on the same level as Donna, but she was still afraid. They needed to help her, not add more to her problems.

"We need some extra muscle," Renata decided after a few minutes of pondering. "Go find anyone - literally anyone - and get them here. If we're lucky we might be near some type of civilization we can camp out at before the cold really strikes."

"Okay," Gabby straightened on her feet and moved towards Donna.

"What are you going to do?" Donna inquired from the Time Lady.

"What I need to do: stay with him," Renata looked down at the Doctor and smiled softly. "I can't leave him alone." Not again.

~0~

It was nearing sunset when Gabby and Donna returned with help. It was one lone man but he was strong enough and, apparently, a doctor as well.

"Is that a wolf?" Renata panicked the moment she saw the gray creature roaming around them.

"He's good, Ren," Donna made a nod at the man with them. "Comes with him."

"I know of none like you," the man remarked as he studied the group one by one. "But I have seen many strange things over the past few moon tides."

"I'll file that under 'explain later'. Right now, would you please help us?" Renata rose from the ground. "He really is-" she gestured to the Doctor, "-a smart man but he just does...incredibly stupid stuff." And said stupid stuff could be stemmed back to her because he'd gone off climbing trees to get apples down for her in an attempt to get back on her good side.

The man bore no expression that would indicate whether or not he would definitely help. He bent down beside the Doctor, checking on the two injuries he sustained but he never made a comment. It made Renata nervous. What she was supposed to do if he refused in the end?

"I have fresh water and healing herbs," the man suddenly said. "We'll bathe your friend's wounds."

Donna loudly sighed in relief. "Oh thank God. For a second I thought you said 'bathe him'! I did not sign up for that!"

Renata shook her head, wanting to be upset for Donna's imprudence but she found it hard not to laugh instead.

"Your friends said he is a medicine man," the man looked directly at Renata. "You did not leave him. I assume you are you his wife?"

Renata's eyes widened, comically if Gabby had to describe it. "I am not not."

"You sure act like a married couple," Donna mumbled behind her.

"Stop talking," Renata hissed and addressed the man instead. "I am not his wife, but I am a very close friend. You will help us, then?"

The man nodded. "Of course. Your friend needs rest. My home is far but I know a place we can shelter."

"Please lead the way," Renata urgently said.

The man easily picked up the Doctor's body and led the way through the woods. At least it seemed like he knew the area because in two minutes he had led them out of the maze of trees and onto a clear plain.

"I too am a healer, a Shaman," the man began to share with them. Perhaps it was a way to warm up to the three women who continued looking nervous. "Though some would say I am not a wise man."

"Then you would definitely get along with the Doctor," Renata was the first to respond.

"What's your name?" Gabby peered in front of Renata to see the man.

"I'm Munmeth, of the Wolf Tree Clan."

"Nice to meet you," Gabby grinned and even waved. "I'm Gabby. That's Donna and this is Renata."

"What were you doing so far into the woods?" Munmeth asked.

"Gabby thought it would be a fun idea to explore the woods," Donna tugged her coat closet to her. "It was not."

"What - we did see some cool stuff!" Gabby exclaimed. "Remember that bee hive? Those could not be just bees!"

"They weren't," Renata confirmed. "Ancestors of bees."

"Bees?" mused Munmeth. "Ah, like the makers of honey? That's why you are scented so. Longclaw - my wolfhound - she likes your smell."

Renata's eyes widened when she noticed the wolf right behind them. "Oh... that's nice." She wasn't really one for animals in this incarnation.

"She's kinda cute," Gabby admitted but Renata immediately scolded her.

"Don't touch her!"

Munmeth brought them into a deep cave and carefully settled the Doctor on the ground. He started using some herbs for the cuts on his forehead and under his head. Renata was right behind him, watching every movement of his as if to make sure he wasn't further hurting the Doctor.

"He should be fine," Munmenth declared after what seemed like an eternity for Renata.

"Really?" Renata didn't waste a moment and quickly bent down beside the Doctor.

"He will probably sleep for the night but he will wake up," Munmeth assured her and the others. "I will bring something to eat for you all. Do not leave the cave."

"No problem," promised Donna as she scuttled into a deeper crook of the cave to get some warmth.

Before he left, Munmeth created a fire so they could keep warm. Donna and Gabby settled around it while Renata remained by the Doctor's side.

"So, what exactly is our plan now?" Donna asked Renata a few minutes after they were left alone.

The Time Lady did not answer as she was tending to the Doctor on the ground. Her fingers gingerly grazed the deep cut across his forehead but even that still left her fingertips with some blood. Munmeth had helped the injuries dry up but still seeing the cuts made Renata feel like there was still something wrong with the Doctor. She couldn't stand it.

"Sorry Doctor, she whispered when she had made her choice. She wasn't sure how the Doctor would react to it but why debate when it was the only sensible, reasonable thing to do?

She readied her right hand and let it hover over the Doctor's forehead. As soon as it started glowing orange, Gabby and Donna went wide eyed.

"What's happening!?" Gabby was concerned and, first and foremost, scared now Renata was getting hurt too.

"I'm just helping the healing process go quicker," Renata said quietly. She could feel her regeneration energy oozing from her fingertips and she was mighty relieved to see the cut on the Doctor's forehead closing up. She then slid her hand under his head and let her fingers search for the second cut. In another moment, she would've blushed like mad raking her fingers through his hair. But right now, she just wanted him to be okay. In a matter of seconds, he was completely healed.

"Is he going to wake up now?" Donna asked afterwards.

"No, it was still a pretty harsh fall but at least this way I know for sure he'll be okay," Renata smiled at the unconscious man. "He's had plenty worse without me and he's survived."

Donna watched the woman as she took off her pink coat and rolled it up into a pseudo-pillow to put under the Doctor's head. It was done in such a tender way that Donna just had to ask, "How long have you truly known the Doctor?"

The question was startling until Renata remembered that there was no way Donna could know anything about her first incarnation. "What do you mean, Donna? I've known him for about a year."

"Nu-uh," Donna wasn't afraid to scoff and correct her. "The way you treat him - especially right now - tells me that you have known him far longer than just a year."

"Well if you want to be technical then I guess it'd be 2 years what with the whole year-that-never-happened," shrugged Renata but once again Donna scoffed.

"Do you take me for an idiot?"

Renata blinked at the sudden snap and glanced to see the ginger giving her a rather sharp look. "I didn't mean to…"

Donna dramatically sighed and wrapped her coat closet to her body. "C'mon Ren, just asking a question. I bet Gabby's thinking about it too."

At the mention of her name, Gabby awkwardly smiled at the two. She didn't want to get in-between. Plus, she already had a lot in mind concerning Renata and the Doctor.

"Donna, it's really not that big of a deal. I, uh, happened to know a friend that was really close to the Doctor back on Gallifrey," Renata did her best to sound and even appear casual.

"What friend?" Donna narrowed her eyes on the blonde. She didn't know a lot about the Doctor's life on Gallifrey but she knew enough to know that he couldn't have many friends on that planet since he traveled a lot.

"Just...a friend. We worked together at a charity foundation," Renata looked away so that her widened eyes wouldn't be seen. She was really building lie after lie and it was becoming easier too. That scared her.

But suddenly Donna's own eyes widened. "You knew Zuriah!?"

"What!?" Renata nearly fell back from shock. "How do you know about her!?"

"Doctor told me a couple of days ago."

He was becoming very loose lipped on that subject. It was as if once she opened up about 'knowing Zuriah', the Doctor felt more comfortable bringing her out of the shadows.

"Who's that?" Gabby's question broke the silence in the cave. Her eyes were flickering between Renata and Donna.

Before Renata could come up with a practical explanation, Donna made it short and thorough.

"The Doctor's old flame."

"Donna!" went Renata soon after. She hid her face from them when she felt the damn heat return. Old flame? The words brought a wave of butterflies in her stomach whether she wanted them or not.

"What?"

Renata heavily sighed. She brought a hand to her forehead and rubbed circles over her skin before a headache formed. She couldn't believe she was really having this conversation with them. "She was...someone the Doctor really cared for and she's also someone I happened to know. Therefore, I didn't know the Doctor back then but I knew of him."

Donna tilted her head at the woman, almost looking like she was trying to decide whether or not to believe her. It concerned Renata, honestly, because why wouldn't Donna want to believe her? Had she done something to make Donna doubt her words?

"I guess that makes sense but it's just the way you act Ren," Donna's voice softened. Her eyes flickered from Renata to the Doctor and vice versa. "You are the complete opposite of the Doctor, yet sometimes you're so...soft with him."

Renata tried her best not to appear so nervous but her warm face was sure to give her up sooner or later. "I'm just a friend, Donna."

"Is that all you want to be?"

Renata practically froze. Gabby was sure that Renata's eyes would definitely pop from her head because of how wide they were. Renata turned her head away from the two companions, the unconscious Doctor, and took in a deep breath. "No, Donna," she surprisingly answered in one go and without sounding upset. "I am a friend, nothing more. Now I firmly believe it is time for us to rest."

"But we haven't had dinner yet," Donna said in confusion.

"I don't think you'll want to eat raw animal meat." Renata may not have expressed an angry tone but her hard face said it all. She made herself a spot near the Doctor's body and laid her head over her arms. If she was lucky, she would get a few hours of sleep and thus evade Donna's torturous questions.

"I don't think you should've asked Renata all those questions," Gabby spoke to Donna when Renata finally dozed off.

"Why not? Made her think, dinnit?" Donna replied with a proud smirk on her face.

"That was your point?"

"Not specifically but it was a bonus. Look," Donna shifted on her spot to better face Gabby, "I know it's not just me who sees these odd behaviors. You see it too but you don't want to say anything."

"I-I mean... it's not really my place," Gabby said. If it was then she would've told the Doctor herself about Renata's fate prediction.

"Sometimes we have to give a little push in order to get results, no matter how many ugly looks you get from the Time Lady," Donna nodded to Renata. "I've come to figure out Renata's type. She's proper, too proper to do anything. And the Doctor is the opposite. He'll do everything and sometimes that's scary for people like Renata."

"Okay...but what exactly are you trying to get another to do?"

"Whatever she needs to do but hasn't. I suspect Renata is hiding something but I don't know what."

Gabby wondered if Donna was talking about the prediction because, if not...what else did Renata have to hide? She glanced at Renata's sleeping form. Renata was pretty old (technically) so perhaps there were plenty of things to hide.

~ 0 ~

When the Doctor woke up, the first thing he remembered were apples. He'd been climbing a tree to get apples but now he was in a...cave? It looked like a cave. After a few minutes of him just blinking at the cave's ceiling, he started to remember what happened to him during his attempt to get apples.

'Renata is definitely going to kill me this,' he thought and as soon as he realized his thought his mind flashed to the Time Lady. "Ren!" He sat upright only to find Renata fast asleep a few inches from him. He spotted Donna and Gabby sleeping on the other side of fire that was no longer burning, but his eyes flickered back to Renata. She was so close to him - he wondered if she'd been like this all night and he didn't even notice!

Why would you have want to notice? A little voice in his head asked. There would be nothing to it.

The Doctor then noticed Renata's pink coat neatly folded on the ground. It'd been his pillow. Oh Renata. She was always caring for him and everyone else around her, even when the Doctor knew they drove her mad. It was such a kind quality that he didn't see in anyone else. He felt his hearts swell thinking about how she came to decide giving up her coat for him.

So, he made his own decisions. He took her coat and gently slid it under her head. She only shifted a bit and continued to sleep. Then, the Doctor took his own coat off and laid it over her body. As soon as she had felt the extra layer over her, Renata pulled it closer to her. The Doctor smiled at her and decided to figure out where they were...as quietly as possible.

A few hours later, Renata started stirring awake. She could feel the warmth of the sun on her face but she actually felt pretty comfortable where she was. Along with the warmth on her face, she felt an extra layer of heat over her body. Maybe she could stay right where she was for a bit more...

"...that lasts thousands of years and thousands of moon tides under the right conditions…"

Renata groaned. That was definitely an alarm. She snapped her eyes open and sat upright.

"Ah, Renée!" the Doctor was up and talking to Munmeth. "You're up!"

"Yeah and…" Renata yawned, "...so are you. Your head-"

"-all fine, see?" the Doctor pointed to the injured spot on his forehead that no longer bore any cut. "Thanks to our friend here, Munmeth!" He made a gesture at the man sitting near the campfire.

Renata needed a few more minutes to gather her bearings. She slept more than she'd planned to and her body wasn't really used to such a thing. "What is this…?" she lifted the familiar brown trench coat off her body and held it to the Doctor.

"You looked kind of cold earlier," he walked over to take it back then held a hand for her. She grabbed it and got up from the ground. "Thanks for the help yesterday. Donna and Gabby told me you stayed with me. They also told me that you used your regeneration energy on me."

Renata awkwardly nodded and looked around for the two blabbers. She spotted the two huddled near the fireplace and glared at them. They quickly dove their gazes to the fire. "Right, well, you would've done the same."

"Of course," the Doctor instantly said, momentarily startling Renata with his quickness to agree. There he went again making such statements. But it wasn't like he had to think about it, especially when he learned she'd willingly used her regeneration energy on him. That was limited, even more so now that it was just them and she'd chosen to use it on two petty injuries of his. "Thank you," he smiled softly at her.

Renata nodded her head and matched the Doctor's smile with her own. She silently screamed at her hearts to slow down though because at the rate they were going, they might burst from her chest.

Donna nudged Gabby and nodded towards the pair. "That's what I mean," she whispered to Gabby since neither alien had looked away from each other. They seemed stuck in their endless smiling. Gabby could agree in that moment, but she probably wouldn't be so outspoken like Donna.

"Well, thank you Munmeth," Renata turned to Munmeth with a warm smile. "I truly am grateful for your help." Munmeth gave an acknowledging nod. Renata looked around and noticed the cave drawings on a wall that most certainly wasn't there the previous night.

"I'm a signmaker," Munmeth said since he noticed where her looks were.

"Drawing...one of the first and oldest forms of technologies," Renata mused over the odd pictures. A lot of it seemed like a bunch of squiggles and circles but she was sure it meant a lot more to Munmeth.

"I make signs, or fire dances, to try to trap the things I see in memory," Munmeth explained.

"Symbolic thinking," hummed the Doctor.

"I see many things for which I have no words. Yet the way you both speak is as clear as running water. I begin to see your meanings, inside my head."

Renata had to chuckle as she said, "You're understanding the Doctor?" she pointed at the man. "That's a true talent."

The Doctor only briefly glared at her while both Donna and Gabby snickered behind. He shook his head at them and redirected his attention to Munmeth. "Munmeth, my friend, you are so ahead of your time!"

"You're an artist," Gabby said with a grin. "And I identify with that. I want to be an artist too."

Munmeth nodded but he seemed preoccupied with his drawings, as if something perturbed him.

"You alright?" asked Donna.

"These curved things...almost as a full moon…" he traced his fingers over the circles on the wall, "...but flat like a river pebble, each one riding upon the wind itself. They're hunters from the sky. They took some of the river people as they speared fish."

"Speared fish?" repeated Renata. She glanced at the Doctor to see if he'd caught on as well. "The fishing village we saw before the mammoths."

"Mhm," he agreed. It had looked like a pleasant, normal village.

"So, what are these?" Gabby had gotten up from the ground to go point at the red circles on the wall.

"Others," answered Munmeth. "Not the sky hunters. I have seen these only once."

"But we haven't," Donna muttered and looked up at the pair of aliens. "Right?"

"They're fighting…?" the Doctor presumed.

"When they came, they follow the sky hunters and I heard noises like A storm. Little fires burst across the air. The spearfishers called me as they were taken. I know them - Kria, Meerok, Nekma. They called out for help...and I ran." There was a deep sorrow laced with guilt etched across Munmeth's face. It was clear he regretted his actions but even then it probably wouldn't have matter if he'd stayed or not. What he saw was not of this world.

"There is no shame in that, Munmeth," the Doctor said as a means of comfort. It was understandable.

"I ran," Munmeth repeated himself with more harshness. "I am Munmeth of of the Wolf Tree Clan. I've faced lions, hyenas, long tusks! I do not run away! The River people's clan Elder asked me for help, to find others to aid them against the sky hunters. But, none will help or they have been taken. I want to protect my own clan from the sky hunters too."

"Well, lucky we ran into you then!" the Doctor declared happily. "We'll help you, Munmeth!"

Munmeth stared at him like he was crazy. "You will?"

The Doctor didn't falter. "Of course! Right?" he checked for Renata's opinion then Donna's and Gabby's. They all seemed on board, including Renata.

"Of course," Renata smiled kindly at the stunned Munmeth. "You helped us when we needed it. It's only fair we return the favor."

~0~

Munmeth led the group into the River Clan's village only to find it desolate. Despite searching through the tents and even in the immediate area, they found no one.

"We must hurry! I want to make sure my own clan are safe!" Munmeth took charge again and hurried out of the village.

"What do you think happened to them?" Donna whispered to the Doctor and Renata.

"Maybe it's just extinction," Gabby's uncharacteristically sour answer gathered the attention of the group quite fast. She did a double take when she noticed their reactions. "What? I just…" she sighed, "I don't like using the word neanderthal to describe Munmeth but that's what he is. And we all know what happens to them...they die. We, Sapiens, drive them to extinction, right?"

"Gabby," Renata smiled sadly at the girl full of unnecessary guilt. "I don't really think it's because of 'Sapiens'. I think it's just evolution that does it all." She checked her facts with the Doctor, while also silently begging for his help. The last thing she wanted was for Gabby to blame herself of something she had no control over.

"Honestly, no one really knows," the Doctor said. "It didn't happen suddenly. It occurred slowly, over thousands of years. In the end, I think they just got out-competed by your lot. You can overtake evolution by rapidly modifying yourselves and the way you think."

"But we're not better," Gabby shook her head. "I mean...Sapiens... we're... we're aggressive, violent...my lot and a whole bunch of other species out there in the cosmos, right?"

"I mean...she does make a point," Donna quietly inputted her opinion on the matter. She wasn't as animated as Gabby but she did agree on most of what she was saying. "We developed but...are we any better? The way Munmeth thinks... he's a lot better than most of the blokes I've met."

"I think we're getting a little bit agitated over the wrong things," Renata sighed.

"When you-" Gabby pointed a gloved finger at the Doctor, "-go on about how great humanity's potential is, what you really mean is how great Homo Sapiens' potential is."

"Now that is not true," Renata said before the Doctor even opened his mouth. Her eyebrows had furrowed together in irritation. "You have no bloody idea how much this idiot loves this planet and all of its people. And I do mean all."

The Doctor smiled at Renata in wide grin. "Well thanks for that, Renée." The blonde Time Lady rolled her eyes playfully. The Doctor then turned his attention to Gabby who was still distraught. "Time travelers, it gets to you sometimes. Nothing you feel is bad, just...perhaps out of proportion."

Gabby could agree there. These were thoughts she that she would've never had of she hadn't met the Doctor and Renata. But even then she didn't regret anything. She'd rather be here than stuck at home in the laundromat and the restaurant. She would just have to learn to take things in a better way.

"Noomin!" Munmeth's sudden cry pulled the group's attention ahead. Munmeth had found an elderly woman climbing down from a higher ground. "Noomin! What are you doing here!?"

"Oh Munmeth, you've returned!" the woman cried and hurried to Munmeth.

"Noomin, where is Muthmunna?"

"I'm sorry-"

"-sorry? Where is she?" Munmeth asked again, though more urgently. "I told you to go with her to the Shaman's caves!"

"The whole clan did as you said!" Noomin promised. She seemed far too distraught for someone wandering alone in the woods. "Then the Sky Hunters came. They flew over us as we walked. Like great birds, and everyone ran and…" she trailed off when she saw the travelers catching up.

"Is everyone alright!?" Renata quickly asked and looked around for any obvious danger zones.

"Newcomers," Noomin blinked. "So strange…"

"They are friends," Munmeth clarified. "Now where is Muthmunna?"

Noomin got lost in anger. She pushed Munmeth away from her and exclaimed, "I'm sorry Munmeth! No one can help against death! Muthmunna was taken by the Sky Hunters! They were all taken! They didn't take me or old Rigro. He fell and smashed his head and I ran for my life."

"That sounds...gruesome," Donna whispered to Gabby who quickly nodded in shared fear.

"I thought they'd be safe at the Shaman's caves," Munmeth said in confusion. He seemed lost, hope dwindling as the reality set.

Noomin shook her head. "You should all run too!" And she took off into the woods.

"Who is Muthmunna?" asked Gabby, but Munmeth didn't answer.

The Doctor took in a deep breath and exhaled with a "Right!" coming out of his mouth. He pulled out his sonic and started examining the area. "Now this might look very strange to you Munmeth, but this is just a special kind of fire to protect us."

"Doctor, what are you doing?" asked Donna.

"I'm giving us a fake biometric signature. Those Antigrav discs that are kidnapping people are very picky about who they are choosing, so I'm making sure they'll be taking us next time they appear."

Donna stared at him for a few seconds, only blinking as a reaction, then turned to Renata. "What's he doing?"

"The Sky Hunters are aliens," Renata shrugged. "He's making us look very appealing."

"Well I think it's working cos look over there!" Gabby cried out with a finger pointed up at the sky.

The group turned their heads up to the sky to see spaceships zooming by.

"This is going to be a rough ride, everyone," the Doctor warned them as he put away his sonic. "And don't run."

"Are you kidding me!?" Donna exclaimed.

One of the spaceships released two yellow string-looking pieces.

"Energy nets!" the Doctor recognized them first. "Hang on-" Said yellow strings wrapped him up in two seconds.

"Doctor!" Renata called after him as he was yanked up into the sky.

"Renata, we're seriously not supposed to run!?" Gabby cowered behind the Time Lady. She didn't want those string things to take her too.

Munmeth was next on the list and went up to the sky. Renata breathed heavily but she knew this was the Doctor's plan. If they wanted to know what was happening, they needed to be taken away.

"Yes, don't run," Renata hated the answer, but no one more than Gabby.

"Ren, you better be right about this - AAAH!" Donna screamed when the nets wrapped her body like a present.

Renata closed her eyes and allowed herself to be taken as well. Gabby was the last one, but she did try to run for a few seconds before she pulled into the sky.

"Gabby, don't fight it!" the Doctor called from his next prison. Each spaceship now had butterfly nets underneath it, carrying each prisoner like a butterfly.

Gabby squirmed as the strings moved her around to trap her in a net like the others. But one wrong (or perhaps right) move ripped one of the next around her waist.

"GABBY!" Renata screamed when she saw the young girl fall from the net's hold. She shook her own net urgently as if ripping hers would somehow help Gabby.

A different type of spaceship - resembling - a rocketship - zipped by in time to catch Gabby in a blue field. As soon as it had Gabby captured, the spaceship fired against the Sky Hunter ships.

"Doctor, we have to get to Gabby!" Renata cried but their concern was short-lived because each of their nets released two more 'strings' that attached to their temples.

Gabby was horrified (and terrified) to see all of her friends scream in pain until they were out cold. The war between the Sky Hunter ships and the rocketship went on for a bit more until one Sky Hunter ship went down.

"You disgusting impostor," Gabby suddenly heard a voice insult her. Gabby hadn't realized when she was brought into the spaceship, but there was an eerie blue surrounding her.

"I-I thought I was getting rescued here," she said, trying to find courage she did not own in that moment.

"Rescued?" the same voice scoffed. "What a filthy trick "

"Let's just atomize her and be done with it," went a second voice.

Gabby almost squeaked in terror. "There is no trick, possibly a misunderstanding but definitely no trick!" She wanted to stand but the field was still around her and she couldn't very well see outside of it. "My name's Gabby."

"You are not a native to this place. Explain," the first voice commanded.

"Kind of wrong there," Gabby nervously smiled. "I am a native here. Trust me."

"No!" roared the second voice, making the girl flinch. "We already exposed your fraudulent biometric cloak."

"Oh, that was just a disguise to confuse the, we, Sky Hunters. You know, the big frisbees, the Antigrav Discs."

"I knew it!" a third voice exclaimed. "She's in league with them!"

Gabby shivered when the field began to drop around her. Her chest heaved hard once she saw the group that'd been talking to her. A team of...aliens?

"We have to kill her right now!"

[unchartedterritoria]

Dangerous (Sam Drake x OC) - Chapter 7

In case you don’t want to read it here, the whole work can be found on A03:

AO3 Chapter 7 Link

Previous Chapters: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6

Chapter Summary: Sam and Faith head off on their journey and someone else is soon on their heels.

Faith glanced at the wall clock in her apartment. 4:35PM. Sam and Faith had agreed to meet back at her apartment by 5 PM, each of them had things to do and provisions to get before setting out for Illinois. Nathan had assured both of them Faith would be safe running a couple of hours of errands now that the Laginas had agreed on a ceasefire and Jasper Nox had seemed to have crawled back into whatever Georgia hole he crawled out of.

As she stuffed the last of her clothes in an oversized backpack, she heard the key in the lock of her apartment door. She glanced up as Sam walked in, swinging the metal door shut with a kick of his foot causing a loud thunk. Faith recognized the large green army duffel Sam set down on the couch from the motel room but not the smaller black one he put on top of it. Sam put a hand on the back of his neck, giving the tense muscles a rough squeeze and stretch.

“You get everything?” He asked.

She cinched the neck of her backpack closed and dropped it next to the smaller one on the floor.

“Snacks, clothes, cash, and Bible,” Faith announced as she pointed to each backpack and her green army medic bag she used as her purse that sat on her bed. “How about you? You get everything?”

Sam unzipped the black duffel and threw a small flip phone at Faith. “Burner phone for you, burner phone for me. Sent Nathan the numbers already so we can get a hold of him. Each one has the others number programmed in that way we're set in case we get separated. Leave your phone here, pull the battery and the SIM card.”

Faith nodded, storing the new phone in her purse and taking out her old one. She popped out the battery and SIM card, throwing the whole works on her bedspread.

“What else...whoa. Whoa. Hey now.” Faith stammered as she turned to see Sam holding out a handgun to her.

“Wrap it in a shirt, throw it in your bag. It's just in case,” Sam gently insisted. Faith stepped back with her arms wrapped around herself tightly, shaking her head no.

“Sam, no, I don't do guns.”

“Take the gun, Faith.”

“No, I don't do guns. I've never shot one, I don't like holding them, I don't like being near them. Nope, nuh uh. I don't do it,” She said, still furiously shaking her head.

“You wanted treasure hunting 101? Here ya go. Lesson one, be prepared in case shit goes down now take the goddamn gun,” Sam said with frustration. Faith reached out and carefully took it from his outstretched hand. She grabbed an errant gray t-shirt that was thrown over the back of her computer chair and wrapped it, taking great care to avoid touching anywhere near the trigger. She reopened her pack and nestled the gun in a hidden inner pocket and closed it again quickly.

“That it?” Faith asked Sam.

“Rental car's parked out back. Good to go?” He questioned. Faith nodded and grabbed up her gear, slinging what she could over her shoulders and headed towards her door. She shut it tight behind her and Sam, the click a little louder to her than normal, as if the universe was giving her signal, some subtle nod that it would be quite a while before she would be back and hear that sound again. Faith shoved the keys in her jacket pocket and headed towards the buildings set of elevators.

“You give the rental guy a fake name?” She asked as she walked down the hallway of apartment doors.

“Yeah.”

“Justin Case?” she asked over her shoulder.

“Too obvious, Russell P. Bell.”

“You really like the letter P for a middle initial don't you?” She questioned as she stopped in front of the elevators.

“Not really.”

The elevator dinged, announcing its arrival as the doors slid open. “I bet it's your real middle initial.” Faith said as she stepped into the elevator. Sam let out a chuckle, “No, it's not my middle initial.”

Faith pressed the button for the main floor. She gasped, a thought striking her. “Your middle name is Phineas, isn't it?” She said as she looked at Sam, nodding with a goofy smile that made her look like she had just figured out a deep, cool secret of the world. Sam stared at her strangely at a complete loss for words as the elevator doors slid closed in front of them.

Sam turned the key to the small SUV, the engine kicking over and roaring to life. Their gear safely stored in the back seat, Sam put it in drive and turned out the gravel parking lot. Faith slid down a little in her seat, adjusting her seat belt snug across her chest. She watched Sam fiddle with the radio, scanning for a station across the FM band that came in clear. She slid her seat back and propped her feet up on the dash of the rental. “Better,” Sam proclaimed, finally stopping his search as Creedence Clearwater Revival came through the surprisingly decent speaker system of the car. Faith cozied herself down against the door of the car, watching the world go by her in the mirror. She caught a glance of her apartment building. This was it, everything that was comfortable, every known in her life was in that building and she was watching it get smaller and smaller. She glanced beside her and saw her mother sitting in the driver's seat instead of Sam, John Fogherty's voice mixing in her head with hers and her mothers as they sang. Her mom turned to her and told her, “Sing out Faith! Don't be afraid. Be bold, be brave! That's where the fun is Baby!” A smile beaming at her as her mother leaped right back into the chorus of the song. Faith blinked, the sight of her mother replaced with Sam. He sang under his breath as he fished around in a jacket pocket for a lighter. She smiled and looked back into the mirror, seeing the last of her building fade out of her sight.

Be bold, be brave! That's where the fun is Baby!

LYONS, GEORGIA

Jasper Nox sat perched with perfect posture on an ornate white wicker veranda chair. The screened in porch let the gentle breeze of the warm, humid day through while keeping out the pesky bugs that came along with it. The sprawling high society farmhouse sat on 75 acres of well-kept land filled with corn, onions and peach trees. He held a well-worn paperback in his good hand. Jasper had read this tawdry romance novel many times and each time he reread it, it became funnier and funnier with its absurdity. Jasper considered all manner of romance and love absolutely ridiculous, it created unnecessary complications in one's life.

“Mr. Nox sir?” A man said as he approached Jasper, carrying a glass full of crushed ice and Dr. Pepper.

“Ah, thank you, Wallace!” Jasper said, setting his book down on the glass top coffee table in front of him. Wallace handed him the glass, making sure to put it in his fully functioning hand. Jasper took a sip, drops clinging to his red mustache. “Wonderful, wonderful,” He muttered to himself in satisfaction and set the glass on a coaster next to his novel.

“Sir, I heard from our man we left on the ground. Victor Sullivan made it,” Wallace said, trying to keep the undercurrent of nerves out of his voice.

“Yes, yes I heard. Unfortunate. Marty Lagina must be losing his touch. Well, a thorn in my side to be removed on another occasion. Anything else?” He asked, fiddling absentmindedly with the wedding band on his right hand.

“Sam Drake and the girl are on the move. They set out by car yesterday. Car rental agent didn't know exactly where they were headed, but Drake estimated the added mileage to be 500 for one way.”

“And what do we know about the girl?”

“Faith Evelyn Spencer. 29. Cook with a Bachelors in Communications, only child, mother passed six months ago from kidney failure, no other living immediate family.”

“Have Bixby look into this girl a little more. Nathan Drake might be a pompous wisenheimer but he knows his relics. If he says this girl has the second Lincoln Bible in her possession, I am inclined to believe him. I want to know who she is and how she came to acquire it before they do. Then, have him and his men head to Springfield,” Jasper ordered Wallace in his southern Georgia drawl.

“Springfield, sir?” Wallace questioned.

“If you want information on Lincoln, you head to where the man was born and raised. Make sure he knows retrieving the Bible is the top priority. Bringing in Drake and the girl alive would be preferable, I do love a good bargaining chip, but tell Bixby it's not a necessity,” He said, his instructions came across as a man talking to a toddler and not a middle aged man.

“Very good sir, will there be anything else?”

Jasper looked out the side of the screened in porch towards a large magnolia tree that preceded the acres of peach trees.

“The magnolia is looking a little peaked. Make sure Mrs. Nox tends to it. I think she's around the side of the house. That will be all Wallace, thank you,” He said, taking his hand away from his wedding band and picking up his book again. Wallace left to find Mrs. Nox as Jasper straightened his back in his chair, smoothing his linen shirt down his large frame. He flipped open his book to the marked page where he left off. The hero was about to swoop in and rescue his lady love and proclaim his everlasting love any page now and Jasper was anxious for the absurdity to begin. A door on the side of the muted yellow house banged shut while Jasper flipped the dogeared corner of the book up and turned the page. Wallace pushed a wheelbarrow of dirt towards the magnolia, a small flowerbed surrounding it of cardinal flowers. Jasper's eyes flew over the lines of type with the expertise of a person that had read the book many times over. An amused smile spread across his thin lips and a gleeful chuckle came from deep in his barrel chest. His laughter grew as his hero professed his feelings for his love line after line. The silliness of how useless a feeling but yet how important it was thought to be. Wallace took a shovel and spread the dark fertilizer over the growing flower bed. Wallace took another shovel full out of the wheelbarrow, a small metal plate attached to the inside back wall of the tub. Inscribed on it was a name, DOROTHEA NOX, in perfect script.

Jasper continued to giggle as sipped his Dr. Pepper, stole a glance outside to the flowering tree. At least my wife is useful, he thought gleefully and flipped another page forward in his book.