As Brittle As Quicksilver (Fourth in The Creators Saga)

Midnight

 . . . well, let's just say the end of this is not going to be pretty.

And I hate writing this chapter. It's decent, but . . . it's so boring. Same scene, no change in characters, no running . . . meh.

Anyway, here's "Midnight!"

***

"I said no."

The Alchemist couldn't help but laugh at the Doctor's exasperated face at Donna's words, he speaking into a phone. 'Sapphire waterfall," he tried again, the Alchemist still laughing. "It's a waterfall made of sapphires! This enormous jewel, the size of a glacier reaches the Cliffs of Oblivion, and then shatters into sapphires at the edge. They fall a hundred thousand feet into a crystal ravine!"

"Is that what you said to get that Bonded of yours?"

That just made the Alchemist laugh even harder. "Oh, come on!" the Doctor whined, giving his Bonded a pout. Why was she making fun of him? That wasn't necessary! "They're boarding now."

"Doctor, you two need a date," Donna said sternly. "What did you say it was, four hours there and four hours back? You two need that. I'd rather go sunbathing."

The Doctor sighed, conceding the point. "You be careful. That's Xtonic sunlight."

"Oh, I'm safe. It says in the brochure this glass is fifteen feet thick."

"All right, I give up. We'll be back for dinner. We'll try that anti-gravity restaurant." He gave the Alchemist a look. "With bibs."

The Alchemist looked down at her usual attire of white and pale yellow and gave a sheepish grin. "I would get messy otherwise," she admitted.

"That's a date," Donna said before pausing. "Well, not a date. Oh, you know what I mean. Oh, get off!"

"See you later," the Doctor chuckled.

"Oi, and you be careful, all right?"

"Nah," the Doctor looked around with a grin. "Taking a big space truck with a bunch of strangers across a diamond planet called Midnight? What could possibly go wrong?" He heard a dull thunk from next to him as he hung up, then rolled his eyes when he saw the Alchemist banging her head against the side of the booth. "Oh, come on," he sighed, walking off.

The Alchemist just rolled her eyes to the sky as she jogged to catch up.

***

"I can't remember the last time we had a trip to ourselves, now that I think about it," the Alchemist mused as they took their seats.

"Well, the Titanic certainly stands out," the Doctor grinned as the hostess approached.

"That's the headphones for channels one to thirty six," she said as she handed them packages. "Modern link for 3D vidgames. Complimentary earplugs. Complimentary slippers. Complimentary juice pack and complimentary peanuts. I must warn you, some products may contain nuts."

"Well, gee, I wonder which ones," the Alchemist said sarcastically, eyeing the peanuts.

The Doctor snickered as the hostess gave her a stink-eye. "Enjoy your trip," the woman said stiffly, turning to leave.

"Oh, I can't wait," the Doctor grinned. "Allons-y!"

The hostess stared at him. "I'm sorry?"

"It's French, for let's go," he explained.

"Fascinating."

The Alchemist watched her as she left before turning to the Doctor. "Wonder what's got her acting like there's a dead rat under her nose."