Spring Cleaning, Round 2 [Backdated to just after podpop]

[fantastix]

Who: The Doctors, their assistants and friends, some visitors [Open], and the Master.
Where: The TARDIS, the blue police box located in the Hangar.
Summary: Somebody's made a mess of the old ship. The Doctors are very unhappy. Time to dig in and clean up! Also, there's some necessary hashing-out of titles and ownership between three men who happen to be the same person. And a bit of a problem arises...
Warnings: Possibly mild swearing on Nine's part.


The Doctor and his immediate successor with the long coat had run straight from the Observation Deck when they'd learned where the TARDIS was and gotten their bearings. They'd been whisked through the uncomfortable transport tubes, spilled into an arsenal of ships, and been left to search. Luckily, as diminished as their abilities were, they could still sense the old girl. It wasn't long before she was found.

They wasted no time in opening the door, winding up in a console room that could never fit inside the seemingly small exterior of the police box without some serious dimensional shifting. It was a wide space, well-lit, but definitely not the room the two new arrivals were used to.

Here, they'd finally find this other Doctor the other crew members have told them so much about. And with any luck, they'll have some answers too.

Comments

(feel free to threadjack, Docs!)

[fantastix]

"You're just in time for spin the bottle!"

This Doctor opens the door for her, clearly unhappy about something or other. It was that name vote, wasn't it. Why can't he be 'the Doctor'? He's the freshest, clearly it should be his title.

"Or maybe it's hide and seek. Keeping track of 'em's been a horrible time."

(feel free to threadjack, Docs!)

[hullo_sweetie]

"Oh lovely, I just put a fresh coat of lipstick on." River teases with her trademark coy grin. This one seemed pretty surly compared to the others. It was amazing how much a regeneration or two could change someone.

"So, how did the meeting go? Are we giving the old girl some proper spring cleaning or what?"

[fantastix]

"So long as we don't have to keep the marks." He wasn't too worried about it. River loved the him with the bowtie and the excitability that was doing a fine job of ruining his reputation. What unfortunate taste!

"Somewhat, yeah! I've just been rounding up some help. We're tackling the safer spots first."

[hullo_sweetie]

"I'd be offended if you didn't walk around with my lipstick on for awhile. At least it's not hallucinogenic!" River is positively grinning from ear-to-ear. Yes, she loved bow tie Doctor, but this version was interesting and new, she had to tease him. "Oh, I suppose that's a bit of a spoiler then." This was a woman that not even the eldest Doctor here quite knew what to do with her. It was in his awkward movements around her. "Ah well, not a big one."

[fantastix]

"You know, if you want me to kiss you in a few regenerations you're not doing a great job of convincing me," he noted with a little smirk. Should he be afraid, or just amused? "Nice trick, though."

He looked up at the dimly glowing console beside her, still marveling at the other Doctor's changes. "Was any of this your idea?"

[hullo_sweetie]

"Oh hush, you'll like it. I have that on good authority." If Nine even knew the trouble this woman was bound to cause, he'd probably avoid her altogether. River song is a lot of trouble, she's been trouble since the day she was born until the day she died, but eventually he'll figure out that she's worth it.

"My idea? Oh no. She keeps changing according to the whims of her owner. You'll have to take the decorations up with her, that sly old girl."

[fantastix]

"Do you now." He almost sounded like he didn't believe her. Nope! He couldn't really see himself kissing anyone.

Ah, that was true about the TARDIS. He walked up to touch the console, wishing that he'd make her better soon. "She's been through enough. Attacks from all sides."

Oh, he could definitely relate to her there! "And you said you could take care of her?"

[hullo_sweetie]

"Believe me, your future self didn't relish any of the damage that came her way." River could still hear him pouting in the midst of a ship-wide Ohm attack. "Oh, I try. I know her as well as you do. It's not easy, but I've been trying to get her back in shape. Trading for parts here and there."

[fantastix]

"We're not entirely different," the Doctor was forced to concede. "We'll always worry about our ship."

He was reminded that he'd sent the ship and Rose away not too long ago, relatively speaking. The ship was alive and...not exactly well, but he'd never heard news about Rose. Had she lived. He probably wouldn't be that lucky.

Pulling himself away from that train of thought, he shook his head. "Nah. You couldn't've known her for hundreds of years."

[hullo_sweetie]

"Yes you will." River fully agrees with him on that. If she didn't have such a close, personal, child-of-the-TARDIS relationship with the old girl, she might have been jealous.

"You don't think it's possible I could be hundreds of years old?" River eyebrow rises, flashing him a sly grin that lets him know she's just teasing him. "I'm flattered, really. Not that I can say, spoilers and all that."

[fantastix]

"Course not. You're...nice-looking enough, I suppose. And not a Time Lady." Or anything close to one, right? He and the Master were the last ones, and they certainly weren't having children any time soon.

That was the most she'd get out of him for a compliment. "Have you been with that Doctor for a while? Domesticated him?"

[hullo_sweetie]

"You're so sure I'm not a Time Lady? As if you know every single Gallifreyan born woman...."

His question coaxes laughter from her, like she hadn't laughed in a very long time. Her body was practically heaving with it! "Me? Domesticate you? Oh I suppose I've done my fair share, but I never forced anything on him - you." Tenses are rather confusing at the moment.

"We're not together, here or now." She feels she should stress this. Even if it seemed they were constantly flirting with one another these days. The Doctor held a deep respect for her and obviously found her fascinating, but that was as far as it went at the moment.

"In the past, my past, maybe. Still, you know I can't say as much. Spoilers." It seemed every other word she said was a spoiler. No doubt it was getting on his nerves.

"I know I'll be someone you trust completely, someday...."

[fantastix]

"...They're gone. For the most part. You'd've have to escape before, but...no. Never mind." That was his final word for the moment. Something did feel strange about her, but she'd never tell. He knew that much.

"Oh, well that's good then! Getting together's a right mess, it really is." Even if he'd felt something with Rose. No, Rose was more than likely dead. Better to repress and forget that bit. Getting involved was bad news and he was going to act the part.