Snow and the 13 dwarves

Chapter 39: The Waiting Begins

wHAT??  8K+ READS???? YOU GUYS ARE TOO MUCH.  BLESS.  Thank you.  This book is a year and a month old now, so here's another chapter.  :)))

(Sarah's POV)

-------*earlier*-------

I lied about the Doctor getting boring.  He was actually very interesting, especially since I was such a big fangirl.  But as he ranted about things having to do with science, I was getting more and more concerned as to why Erin had left so quietly.  From what I gathered, his past was a difficult subject.  I decided not to bring it up until he wanted to talk about it.  With some reluctance, I politely excused myself from the Doctor's conversation and started to search for Erin in the library.  

"Erin?" I called out, quickly walking by the shelves of parchment paper.  My brow furrowed as I thought of all the reasons as to why he could've left.  "He isn't here," I said, scanning the rest of the library for where he could be.

The Doctor followed me as I stood there, my hands on my hips.  "I don't even know where he could've gone," I admitted, shrugging and shaking my head.  The Doctor picked up a piece of parchment paper off of a shelf and looked it over as he asked, "Nine months?"  I paused and then realized that he was asking how long I'd been in Middle Earth.

With a nod, I said, "Yeah, I've been here for about nine months."  I felt like a war veteran when I said it.  You basically are a war veteran, I told myself.   "How was it?" he asked, putting the parchment paper back on its place the shelf.  I looked up at him and shrugged.  "It was okay," I replied, scratching my nose, "Other than the running and death everywhere...  yeah it was relatively okay.  No major damage." 

With a frown, I shrugged and continued to say, "I mean, I almost died once or twice, but yeah it was fine."  He chuckled at that last part, and I couldn't help but chuckle too.  "So," he started, clapping his hands, "As soon as I can find my TARDIS, I'll be off."  I grinned happily and added, "Oh yeah!  Off to time and space!  Next stop; everywhere."  He chuckled and started to return to the table, talking about where he would go to next after leaving Middle Earth.

"Did you know that the only living things on the planet Alici are fish?" he asked, turning to me and then around once again.  Before I could reply, he added, "No, of course you wouldn't.  But!"  The Doctor looked down me and smiled excitedly.  "All of the fish are slowly disappearing, more so than usual," he continued quietly, as if it were a secret for only us to hear. 

He pulled out a wallet and showed me a piece of paper with a message on it in a language I didn't understand.  "I received a message from their leader, Queen Bubbles," he explained, putting it back into his pocket.  "Queen Bubbles?" I chuckled.  "Yes, Queen Bubbles," he replied, giving me a serious look before shrugging and saying, "Well, after all, she is a fish...  A rather foxy looking one as well."  He grimaced, and I frowned as I said, "Ew."  "Ew is right," he continued, shaking his head and picking up a piece of bread from the table.  

He bit into it, and continued talking with his mouth full.  I would've cringed if I hadn't gotten used to the dwarves doing it.  "I've been planning for some time to go and figure out why they're disappearing," he continued,  "As soon as I find my TARDIS, I'll be off to go and meet the Bubbles the foxy fish."  I laughed, and he smiled, but it struck me as odd when I noticed he once again said 'I'll ' instead of 'we'll be off'.  

"Wait, I'm going with you, right?"  I asked worriedly, hoping that it was just a mistake.  He nodded quickly and said, "Oh yes of course..."  He paused before saying, "After I bring Mr. Tolkien home." 

Disappointment settled inside of me.  "Oh okay..." I replied quietly, picking at my fingers, "But... I thought you were taking me with you."  The Doctor made motions with his hands as he said, "Now, now let me explain-"  "I actually thought you were taking me with you," I interrupted quietly, holding my temple with my hand.  He could see my disappointment.