Beyond The Void || doctor who

Chapter Twelve: The Doctor Dances

Jess' hand flew across the bleached paper at such a rate that she was probably going to feel it in the morning. But there was something profoundly enthralling about pouring her emotions out into a notebook. No one would ever see it, of course, but it was reassuring to know that not everything she ever thought was trapped inside her lonely mind.

Violins and pianos and all sorts of classical instruments played softly in her ears, their harmony giving her inspiration to scrape more slightly incoherent words with a broken pen she'd found in a drawer. Her bare feet slid against each other in hopes for warmth, as the air was quite chilly. Her left hand was keeping warm between her knees, and her right was clammy against the thin plastic.

There must have been a knock on her door, but she wouldn't have heard it. She could feel the Doctor's presence, however, and quickly slid her journal under her pillow.

"Uh, hi," she stammered, sliding her reading glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"What's that?" he asked, peering behind her back for the leather-bound secret keeper.

"Uh – it's, um, nothing." She smiled sheepishly, careful not to reveal the book. Her hands slid it further away from his curious eye, deeper into the abyss of pillows surrounding her head.

"Sure didn't look like nothing," he muttered, walking towards her.

"Doctor, I'm sure you didn't come in here just to be a creep and read my stuff. So, what's up?" She swung her legs around to the edge of her bed and looked up at him, waiting for his answer.

"You're right. I'm not here to read your stuff, I'm here to ask you if you'd like to see something." He gave a shy smile, one that was seldom to Jess's eyes.

"You know, that's just the kind of thing kidnappers say right after they ask if you'd like candy."

"Well, you're already in my home, so there's no point in taking you somewhere else," he playfully retorted, holding out his hand.

"Hm. I guess so," she muttered, grasping his and following him out the door.

They arrived at the archway before the main control room not too long after, but the walls and the floor seemed to be reflecting a soft light from the contiguous room. Jess then felt a pair of warm, gentle hands cover her eyes, and her lips parted to reveal a curious smile. "Doctor," she whispered, bringing her hands up to his, "what are you doing?"

"You'll see," he replied, beginning to walk towards the faint light.

 She followed – difficultly – and the Doctor placed her in what seemed to be the center of the room. She could smell something familiar, and the temperature seemed a bit cooler ....  

"Okay, are you ready?" he asked in an undertone. She nodded, his hands still covering her eyes, his lips inches away from her ear.

He let his arms fall limp, but she didn't open her eyes immediately. When she did, however, she was definitely taken aback.

"Oh – Doctor," she muttered, her eyes absorbing the beauty. There were tiny Christmas lights hung around the console and the railings, tinsel winding and swaying in a synchronized manner, ornaments of snowmen and presents and other festive things hanging from a small Christmas tree over by the door. There was even a wreath hung on a window that wasn't there before, but instead showing her backyard, it revealed a beautiful blanket of snow.

"So," he said, grinning, "you like it?"

"Are you kidding? It's beautiful." Her eyes wandered upwards, where she saw a gravity globe shedding white flakes. One landed on her nose, and she realized it was snow. Real, cold, snow that disappeared before it touched the ground.