A lot of people have asked if I have a masterpost, and I did not, so I decided to finally make one before things got even more out of hand lol
My discord server!
An introduction to me and my blog!
Link to the order these stories are set in!
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Collabs:
Through the Cracks (of Time and Space) - (a collab with @borrowedtimeandspace that blends my borrower AU with her BTaS universe— 25/25 chapters posted)
Multi-part stories:
The Party Was Crazy Last Night - 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 - (Sammy is a borrower, which sucks because she's pretty sure she's falling in love with a human; the very beings responsible for the suffering of so many of her kind…Oscar is a human, which is a little difficult to deal with when you're in love with a girl the size of your thumb.)
New Perspectives - 1 / 2 / 3 / (what if?) - (Borrower Oliver and James switch sizes)
James Finds a Child - 1 / 2 - (James finds a borrower child and Oliver isn't there to help)
Failed Meeting - 1 / 2 - (James meets borrower Sammy for the first time)
Fetch - 1 / 2 - (Borrower Tanner is found by James whilst the human is walking a dog)
Romantic and Hopeless - 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 - (Oscar and borrower Sammy are soulmates. A story based on @tinyundercover's soulmate mechanics from their story 'Pepper and Felix' (except it's 18, not 21))
Pursuit of Gnosis - 1 / 2 - (A renowned magic researcher called Ryker leaves the city of Nirgend, discovers a forest spirit the size of a mouse, and he wants to know more.)
Oliver's Daycare - 1 / 2 - (Borrower Oliver finds a human toddler crying alone and decides to entertain her until her parents return)
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One-part stories:
Friends in High Places - (James and borrower Oliver meet for the first time)
Stay a Little Longer - (Semi-continuation of 'Friends in High Places'. James and borrower Oliver bond more)
Doesn't Change a Thing - (Size-shifter James is assured by Oliver that this doesn't change their friendship)
Soggy Cereal - (Oliver meets borrower James when he falls into his bowl of cereal)
Crow Army - (Borrower Oliver shows James his army of crows)
Injured - (James has to help an injured borrower Oliver) + bonus
Disaster Strikes - (Freddie meets his best friend's crush for the first time! Wait why is she so small?)
First Time - (James lets borrower Oliver drink some alcohol, not realising the borrower has never drank before)
Something's Off - (Oliver is reunited with Tanner! But this version of his cousin is a borrower..?)
Oliver Finds a Child - (Oliver finds a borrower child whilst working and helps them get home safe and sound)
Accidents Made in Anger - (James is angry and borrower Oliver tries to comfort him, but gets hurt by James in the process)
A Whole New World (literally) - (Borrower Sammy and Oliver find themselves magically transported into the forest of a ferocious dryad named Jamai...but perhaps he's more gentle than he appears?)
Jarred - (Oliver gets frustrated over borrower James's stunts and decides to put him in a jar)
Herbicide - (Ren is injured by an angel and Jamai takes care of her)
Movie Night - (Borrower James accidentally drops in on Oliver whilst the human is watching TV)
Newborn Spirit - (How little Ren was born and how Koten got his name)
Pixie In Need - (Jamai finding an injured pixie)
Cody Adopts Cynbel - (How Cynbel came into Cody's (and later Jael's) life)
Jael Meets Cynbel - (Jael meets Cynbel, and the meeting isn't as smooth as planned)
Panic At The Masquerade Ball - (wlw where Orna is invited to and crashes a royal masquerade ball)
A Helping Hand - (Cody, literally larger than life, checks on Earth and the humans living there)
Under His Eye - (Ryker after having just kidnapped Sammy and Tanner is suddenly greeted by a giant eye in the sky)
Under His Eye (what if?) - (An alternate ending to Under His Eye in which Ryker is recognised by Cody)
Have Faith - (Sammy is having a crisis but luckily Jael is there to help)
Meeting Bishop - (Cody is curious about other universes and ends up meeting Bishop; another version of himself.)
Firing Squad - (After Jael's friend and follow squad member is found guilty of rebelling, he is put in charge of their execution to prove his loyalty)
Different Doesn't Mean Bad - (Cody reassures his daughter Charlie that her lack of magic isn't a flaw)
She's Still There On Your Coat - (Sammy accidentally gains the wrath of angels, but luckily one fallen angel is here to help her out)
Silent But Friendly - (Kid Oliver finds kid borrower James in a tub of oats and tries to befriend him)
Fear and Familiarity - (Ferrin and Rhys meet in dire circumstances for the first time. But something feels familiar...)
I'm Not Afraid - (Oscar and Cody have a one on one and Oscar definitely isn't scared of the god)
Painted Faces - (Amado (evil Cody) confronts Orna and it doesn't go in her favour)
Lily in Wonderland - (A human ends up shrunk in Iavoros, but luckily Cody and Jael are here to help)
Just A Man - (Ryker's beginning descent into the morally questionable scientist he became)
Family Dinner - (James gets invited to a family dinner, but he wasn't exactly prepared to find god at the table)
Reunion - (Ryker finds himself in Gortoa forest, and reunites with a familiar but changed Kriegerin)
Why did you decide to give your characters Pakistani roots do you have have Pakistani roots yourself too I guess you don't need a reason but still I'm just curious as a Pakistani myself we don't get a lot of representation 🥲 also loving there new name they are so classy
I'm not Pakistani myself, I'm actually white (sorry 😔), but I grew up in an area that is predominantly Asian and Muslim. My school was also like that, so a lot of my friends growing up were Pakistani themselves.
I think that's why they ended up like that in my head when I was younger, since it was just what I saw a lot and gravitated towards since I found the parts of the culture I was shown and included in to be really cool.
When I was younger Sammy and Tanner existed pretty casually. I knew they were supposed to be Pakistani, but I didn't really think of portraying that because accurate portrayal didn't mean much to me at the time (since I was 10). Then as I've gotten older and seen the lack of representation and understood a lot more about the world and why accurate representation means so much to people it just became more and more important for me to do that myself.
I volunteer in schools and as an art mentor, so I've also seen how happy it makes a lot of young people seeing themselves represented firsthand.
Their parents are Charlie Rosa-Qureshi and Haris Rosa-Qureshi
Oliver is now Yusuf Qureshi
Abigail is now Maryam Qureshi
Their parents are Zubeda Siddiqui and Zakariya Qureshi
In the borrower AU their surnames will stay as Button and Oakwood respectively.
Sorry for changing things up so late, but it's been nagging me for a while— if anyone has any criticisms of the names or opinions then send me a message or an ask!
I'm thinking of changing Sammy, Tanner, and Oliver's names to be more reflective of their Pakistani heritage. I came up with their original names when I was 10 soooo I think they're due for it
The ideas are:
Sammy = Samiah (Sami)
Tanner = Tariq
Oliver = Yusuf or Idris
Their surnames (not in the borrower au) would be Rosa-Qureshi for Samiah and Tariq and Qureshi for whichever name Oliver is changed to.
every time i listen to ‘trolley problem’ by cricket! (exclamation mark included in his name) i think of ryker. am i crazy or based.
I can kind of see it, although only slightly ^^"
Songs I associate with Ryker are:
Placing the Blame - sELF (this one is definitely number one)
House - Charli xcx ft. John Cale (I know it gog turned into a meme song but it's peak, and I can imagine it as a conversation between him and Sammy through his notebooks)
This is a long one... enjoy a canon-compliant oneshot ^^
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He couldn't remember what brought him back to the forest after so many centuries. Ever since Suiren’s death Ryker had been too afraid to enter Gortoa properly; unable to face her absence. It was just another reminder of his failure to protect what was important to him, and the list of failures was growing longer with each aching minute he remained alive.
Perhaps it was the only place he thought he could hide after being on the run for so long. Ever since the Kriegerin Project fell through and people discovered his name was attached to it the manhunt he had hoped would die down rekindled in an instant.
A part of him knew that whatever suffering he was put through was deserved, but the other part was deeply fearful of death.
Seraphina gave me her blessing. I cannot die— not until I’ve fixed everything.
Or, that's what he told himself. Deep down he knew Lou was right about him. He was a coward; a weak coward with no power and nothing to show for his mission other than regrets.
Selfish. You're running away again— you would be better off dead at this point.
Still, seeing the golden leaves in the distance made him walk faster, desperate for some kind of reprieve.
You've only made everything worse. You don't deserve to rest.
He shook off the invading thoughts, blinking mist from his eyes at the sight. His pace picked up the closer he got, ignoring the sharp pain in his side even as fresh wounds reopened.
As he crossed the first trees signifying the edge of the forest, the air that hit him suddenly felt different. The air of Gahenn had long been filled with dust, ash, and blood— but here the air was fresh. He breathed in deeply until it felt like his lungs might burst, then quickly regretted it when the breathlessness sent him stumbling over.
He winced; stab wounds that had barely healed irritated at the slightest pressure; and yet all that pain faded the moment he focused his gaze upwards.
Sunlight filtered in through the thick canopy, yellow leaves sparkling like gold as they rustled in the light. Birds sang and brooks babbled, a gentle breeze rocking the soft grass beneath him like the wind over waves.
He lifted a hand up towards the light like he might catch it between his finger tips, a relieved laugh escaping his lips. Allowing himself to fully collapse into the ground below he closed his eyes, just for a moment.
“If you're going to bleed out, may I ask that you do so away from here?”
Ryker sat up sharply in surprise at the sound of the blunt, dry voice that had suddenly spoken from so close. His heart raced in his chest, terror gripping him nearly as hard as his hands gripped the dirt ready to propel himself to his feet and run. Eyes wide, he breathed heavily and locked eyes with a tall, masked…familiar…stranger.
He stood at least eight feet tall with a body that was hidden beneath a large dark green cloak; giving him an even more intimidating silhouette. The top half of his face was also hidden, but rather than fabric he seemed to be wearing a mask carved to mimic the great Kitsune that once populated Gortoa before extinction. At his back were a pair of strong, red-scaled wings, with a wingspan that was likely twice his already shocking height. Messy, teal-coloured hair hung around his shoulders, unkempt but still cared for.
Ryker's breath hitched, his shaky hands releasing the dirt he had been clutching onto so hard. Bile rose to his throat as memories of the facility came rushing into his head.
“O-oh gods, I'm seeing ghosts now…” He stammered,shutting his eyes tightly and burying his head in his hands. His fingers twitched anxiously as he sat there on the grass, mentally praying for his mind to return to him.
His spiral was interrupted just as suddenly as before as the ghost cleared his throat.
“I am not a ghost. Whatever that should mean… I am the guardian of this forest, and I do not allow trespassers. Even the…bleeding kind.” The ghost’s lip curled up into a wince that showed off his sharp teeth. Swallowing nervously, Ryker opened his mouth to respond.
“Y-you… you died. I— I carried you here, you were bleeding— how…?” He brushed a hand through his hair, not caring if he was getting dirt between the strands. His hair was so caked in sweat and dried blood anyway that it hardly made a difference.
The ghost's expression pulled into a confused scowl, wings raised defensively.
“The blood loss must have made you delirious. As you can see, I am very much alive.” His frown deepened as he hesitated. “...I will heal you. Just enough so you have the strength to leave. Now stay still.”
Ryker watched in horror as his looming figure took a step closer, not taking any notice of the flowers blooming from where he tread and instead focused solely on the hand that had begun moving towards him.
His mind flashed with image after image of other hands, holding sharp objects that glistened under cold light. He felt like he couldn't breathe, weakly scooting himself backwards, his own hands coming up to paw at his throat as if to detach the phantom grip still choking him. The bruises were old but the memory was just as fresh as all the other hundreds of hands that had held him down; sometimes multiple at a time whilst he desperately fought to escape.
Every time it was too close. So many incidents he had come away from with wounds that should have been fatal; patching himself up with whatever materials he could find. Nothing befitting of a doctor, but his title mattered very little when he was fighting for his life. He felt more like a feral animal than a person half the time now.
I deserve it I deserve it I deserve it—
“No!” He yelled out, breaths shaky and eyes glazed over as terror took over his mind. He couldn't even see the tall figure’s approach anymore through his blurred vision yet it felt so viscerally impending. “N-no don't touch me..! Don't— don't come any closer!”
His hands felt frantically around him for something to defend himself with, snatching a stick off of the ground and holding it out in front of himself like it was a weapon. He barely found his grip on the stick before his wrist was suddenly smacked, causing him to drop his pitiful defense.
“Really?” The apparition—who felt strangely solid—huffed.
Before he could try to grab something else to uselessly wave around in front of himself, a strong clawed hand suddenly lunged towards him. He shielded his face, breathing heavily, not noticing how the roots beneath him had lifted out of the ground in his defense.
“What..?” A confused murmur rang out above him, but Ryker still didn't raise his head until a hand locked itself around his forearm.
Ryker panicked, trying to pull away only to jolt when his gaze suddenly met blood red; a familiar pair of eyes staring back at him even whilst obscured by the mask. They were just as vibrant and overwhelming as Lou’s were. He was so focused on the familiar fear that gaze caused him that he failed to notice the gentleness of the grip on his arm.
The chills rippling across his body also caused his hidden scales to surface, his form becoming less and less stable the more terrified he became. His eyes watered, trying to protest again but a wheeze was all that left his lips; dry and quivering.
“I said stay still.” The masked ghost growled softly. Ryker gasped as a large hand pressed against his forehead.
Then, suddenly, his body felt weightless.
The distress was still there but felt more distant; like a buzzing beneath the skin rather than swarming in his skull. A warmth filled his soul that caused all of his muscles to relax at once, the sharp pain in his side disappearing. He lay back down on the grass, his breathing finally starting to slow with his heart rate. The hand pressed against him followed, never breaking contact even as the hand holding his forearm released.
“I would've mistaken you for a rabbit with a heartbeat so quick…” The gruff voice above murmured. Ryker, still dazed by whatever magic was being pumped into him, could barely process the observation let alone find any humour in it. He just lay there, looking up at the canopy for the second time, the scales that had sprouted from his skin disappearing into his disguise again.
“You know him, Mother Spirit?” The voice continued, seemingly talking to himself since Ryker couldn't make out any other side to the conversation.
A shadow blocked his vision as the ghost leaned over his face, his frown ever-present but this time with a hint of confusion. Ryker was struck again by the certainty that this person was the very same one he was thinking of; albeit larger and marked with green patterns that hadn't been there before.
“Calm yourself. I'm no predator.” He commanded. It was an attempt at reassurance, but it served only to prod further at the doctor's memories.
Images of that sweet child popped into his mind; remembering how gentle and curious he had been and how kind his nature was. He was a sensitive, quiet child who clung to his older siblings and looked up to them with such bright admiration. The ability he developed; healing, was a perfect fit for his temperament.
Ryker remembered then how paranoid and isolated he later became. He remembered what it felt like— coming across the boy on the floor, bleeding badly after getting caught up in the rubble. Cold shame filled him in that moment and he decided to carry him out of the building and lay him to rest in a place of peace. It was the least a child like him deserved after so much suffering.
The teal-haired boy had barely been conscious when Ryker set him down on the grass, and he was almost certain that he couldn't be saved without magic.
And yet…
“Jamai..? Y-You're…really alive..?”
The hand pressed against his forehead snapped back as if burned, and Ryker was struck with pain and fear once again; though not as all-encompassing as before.
“How do you know my name? You shouldn't know it. I don't know you.” He snarled, keeping Ryker pinned with only a glare.
Struggling to find his words for several moments, he stammered first. He already missed that warm, calming energy he had been filled with earlier that had now been replaced by a cold, red stare.
Taking a deep breath to steady his heart, he responded.
“I’m…I'm Ryker... You don't r-remember? I…I carried you here when you were dying. I-I thought you had died— I'm glad you didn't but gods I was a-almost convinced that I'd lost my mind, seeing you again.” He sat up on his forearms, scooting back nervously.
Jamai's wary gaze was unwavering, searching him for something. It felt just as invasive as his father's stare, yet it was softer; less violent. He leaned in closer and Ryker fought to not flinch away from the intrusion on his space.
“Hm. The Mother Spirit says you aren't lying.” Jamai relented, finally pulling back away and letting the trembling man below sit up straight. He stood up to his full height again, one hand holding his chin in thought. “You must be from my past life. I only remember small parts. Nothing pleasant.”
Ryker winced, nodding.
“No…nothing pleasant.”
In fact, he was sure that Jamai's experience of the facility was almost as bad as Kiran’s. He had seen the way Lou’s ability clung to the boy and watched as he fell further and further into insanity as a result. He had tried to find a way to help the children affected resist the brainwashing and delusions that came from being under Lou’s influence; but before he could find a solution the whole building ended up consumed in flames.
Just another failure.
“What do you mean by…past life?” He asked, then averted his gaze as he rambled about his own research into the subject. “Reincarnation is just a theory— unsubstantiated by any real evidence. In all my research on souls I never found any reason to believe it was possible to come back to life. Quite the opposite, in fact.”
Jamai looked him up and down before suddenly dropping to a crouch, once again leaning in far too close for comfort. Ryker couldn't help but lean back.
“The energy that flows through this forest is constantly dying and renewing itself. That is the circle of life. I wasn't born into a new body— but I was reborn all the same.” He explained cryptically.
His frown reappeared as he observed the blood all over the man's clothes and hair, nose wrinkling at the smell.
“Were you caught in an angel attack? I don't smell ash.” He tilted his head, voice as gruff and authoritative as ever despite the seriousness of the subject.
Ryker's hand instinctively lifted to feel the scar on his cheek at the mention, but he shook his head.
“No. No… Not angels— not this time at least…” He looked down, feeling his side where the reopened stab wounds had now closed. There was still a dull pain underneath but he was at no risk of blood loss. “I'm being hunted. It's…complicated.”
Jamai's tail lashed out behind him at that phrase, a growl rippling from his throat.
“I don't like hunters…” His wings flexed in frustration, and although Ryker couldn't help but feel intimidated by the display he didn't feel any real hostility coming from Jamai. Now that he thought back there had never been any hostility, just his own memories clouding his judgement. Jamai had Lou's piercing red eyes, but his gaze was much less threatening.
“Why come here? This is my territory. People are not allowed inside without my permission— even dying men. It's hard enough defending Gortoa from angels without distractions like you.” His tail thumped impatiently behind him.
That statement had indignation fluttering in Ryker's chest as he remembered the many things Suiren had taught him about Gortoa.
“Your territory? This is an ancient forest, the territory should belong to a forest spirit.” Given how much the forest was flourishing even amidst the Celestial War, he had to assume that a new forest spirit had appeared to replace Suiren by now.
Jamai's tail stilled, looking surprised by the notion that someone even understood that much. Most people alive now didn't even know what a forest spirit was, let alone understand that the entire forest was their territory. Often he had to force people out because they had no respect for the spirits.
“Yes, that's correct. I am the forest spirit.” He growled softly.
Ryker blinked.
As far as he knew from his time with Suiren, forest spirits were born from plants that accrued magical energy over time. He knew for a fact Jamai was not born from a plant. He may not have witnessed the birth but he had seen his mother.
Yet…he could also see that the aura of green magic surrounding him was now speckled with bits of gold, swirling with magenta that hadn't been there when he was a child. Not only that but without panic obscuring his vision he now noticed the flowers blooming from beneath Jamai's feet and the way there was a constant flow of energy cycling through him; never-ending.
His energy reserves…they're like nothing I've ever seen.
“That's…” He shook his head slowly, meeting Jamai's gaze with a glimmer of fascination in his eyes. “Remarkable. How did that come to be?”
Jamai stared at him for several moments, his tail slowly swishing to one side across the grass as he debated telling the story or not. His eyes flickered over to the trees, then back to Ryker and he sighed, lifting his hands to his face.
As he removed his mask, Ryker couldn't help but think that without it he looked much softer; Jamai had always had a kind face even if his expression was intense. He had grown up into a fine man; not the sickly boy he carried from the flames many years ago. His chest swelled with pride.
Undeserved pride. You are not his father. You were his warden.
“The Mother Spirit says you are trustworthy.” Jamai admitted, once again striking Ryker with confusion over who the mother spirit was. He glanced around to see if there was anyone else there— a pixie, a wisp— but with nothing in sight he fixed his gaze on Jamai as he continued.
“As you said, I was found bleeding out in the outskirts of Gortoa. I was found by a forest spirit and a kistune. They decided that because the situation was dire and they were struggling to defend the forest to test something…so, Ren bonded her soul to mine, keeping her body but passing her title and abilities on to me.” He explained. “In order to adapt to the change I reverted back to being a baby, and as a result of the rebirth I have very few solid memories of my past life.”
Struck by the realisation that he was facing someone who did have memories of that life, he suddenly reached forward and grabbed Ryker by his shoulders tightly. The man tensed under his grip, clearly unnerved by the contact but not panicking like before.
“You can teach me. About my past. I've heard of a mother and father, but the only ones I've known are my Mother Spirit and Koten.”
Ryker winced, shaking his head slowly and gently pushing Jamai's hands off of his shoulders.
“Believe me, Jamai, that past has nothing good to remember. You've never even met your mother, and your father was…a bad man. I've seen enough of your life to know it is something best left in the past…” He frowned, guilt crossing his expression as he caught the disappointment hidden in Jamai's expression. Large as he was, Ryker still saw a child.
He offered a hesitant smile.
“Don't spend your energy grieving a bad past. Being able to forget your suffering is a gift you shouldn't take lightly.” I would do anything to forget— to be relieved of this weight. But people like me are not deserving of second chances.
Jamai narrowed his eyes in contemplation, and despite the internal conflict he released his own tension with a sigh.
“You are right. Maybe it's best I don't know more…it would distract me from my duty.” He agreed. Even so, with the distant look in his eyes it was clear that the thought was still playing on his mind.
He hesitated, removing his large hands from their firm grip on Ryker’s shoulders. He folded his hands under his armpits and looked down at the grass. The flowers at his feet had stopped blooming, like they sensed his closed-off emotions and were mirroring them in kind.
Ryker hesitated at the sight.
It's for the best…
He frowned internally.
For the best? When have I ever managed to make a sound decision on what's best? He looks so…lost.
His hand twitched towards the towering guardian to offer a comfort in hand only to pull it back when he started to speak again.
“I have been…affronted by my lack of memory recently. A trader came through this area and he was extremely disrespectful…but he implied we had the same mother. He told me I was born from suffering. I felt…confused.” His eyes met Ryker’s seriously. “I could not offer any information but I allowed him to leave intact. Now the memory plagues me.”
A brother? Of course, Ryker knew it made sense. He remembered very little about the women Lou had involved himself with. For a long time he has lived under the delusion that so many were willing to give up their babies— until he saw one inside the walls of the facility.
He had been so bewildered by her presence and she was crying so much he couldn't make out what she was saying exactly. Then Lou appeared and he never saw her again.
I should have done something… I'm a coward.
Shaking away the spiralling thoughts that were quickly turning into self-hatred, he tried to focus on Jamai again. Right. Jamai's mother.
“Nothing… nothing good will come of you knowing. Do you understand that?” His brows furrowed. “But whatever happened wasn't your fault. It…it was mine. Alright?”
Jamai nodded, his typically unreadable expression clear to see, but with a sparkle of intrigue in his eyes. Ryker sighed and took a deep breath.
“In an attempt to create hope at the beginning of the war, I ended up working with a very…powerful man, in order to work on creating super soldiers. Things got out of hand… My…’partner’, I suppose, was not content waiting for people to give up their children to our cause.”
He wrung his hands together nervously. He had never confessed about any of his terrible failings outside of prayers and journaling. It felt ten times worse to be talking to a victim of the crimes he was complicit in.
“I-I didn't know— I swear to you and on my faith to Seraphina I didn't. Your father, my partner, had been kidnapping women. Mostly from the more secluded areas of Xyth— where your mother came from. I…I saw her once and didn't think much of it. But then I connected the dots and... I presume she was killed not long after your birth.”
He dragged a trembling hand through his hair, unable to meet Jamai's gaze.
“Really I should have asked more questions. Why did we need a giant incinerator? Why was it always in use right after a new baby was brought in? I…I had tunnel-vision. I was thoughtless. Then it was too late and I was trapped.”
It was silent for several moments, aside from the breeze rustling golden leaves overhead. They swirled delicately in the air, surrounding Ryker for a moment before falling to the grass below. Delusionally, he wondered if the forest was offering him comfort.
Jamai looked to be in deep thought. He wasn't surprised by the tale; how could he be surprised when he never had an expectation of who his parents were in the first place? Instead he felt frustrated that he couldn't remember.
“Red eyes…” He muttered. Ryker's gaze quickly snapped to focus. “My father had red eyes, didn't he? I remember that. Whenever I see them I feel this massive weight pressing down on my chest… I always wondered why.”
He paused.
“I…don't like to look at my reflection…”
His clawed hands clenched and unclenched around his cloak a few times, seeking comfort but unable to ask for it. Just like he had been as a child; so stubborn and so obviously in need of connection.
Ryker sighed.
“Your eyes are much kinder than his were. Believe me about that if nothing else.” He tilted his head, a fondness growing in his eyes as he gazed at the soft green aura surrounding Jamai's body. His soul was calm but dangerous; like the ocean. Fitting for a descendant of the water dragons.
He winced as he remembered the fate of the woman that gave him that blood; guilt weighing heavy again The feeling of hands holding him down was constant, pinning him to the ground and making him accept eternal punishment. Familiar and unfamiliar hands. He knew he deserved it but he was still just a man; a coward; afraid of death.
“Jamai?” A deep voice rumbled from behind Ryker, sending a shiver down his spine as every fiber in his body stood on end. He felt a hot breath on the back of his neck and fear kept him from turning around to see whatever fate had in store. He found himself praying to Seraphina internally; instinct. She never answered.
Jamai didn't seem startled by the sudden appearance of a new person, although he stood up straighter when addressed.
“Yes, Koten?” He fastened his fox mask back onto his face.
“I thought I taught you not to play with your prey. Be quick, be ruthless, but do not be cruel.” The voice growled.
Just entering Ryker's periphery he noticed the giant muzzle of a fox; one much larger than the ones typically found in Gortoa. He shuddered as the rumbling tone washed over him, managing to will himself to move finally. He was quick to spin around, stumbling backwards from the new threat and nearly tripping, only for Jamai to hold him up.
The figure before him was a great kitsune, lesser gods thought to be extinct along with most other magical beasts. Its fur was a pure white with red and gold markings, and nine tails behind it. Its aura was a magnificent gold to match; ethereal in its beauty and power much like the beast itself. The sight of its sharp teeth sent Ryker's heart racing.
“He is not prey. Mother Spirit knows him and he knows me from before my rebirth.” Jamai responded with a frown, no hint of fear in his tone. If anything there was respect, reverence, but his words were still firm. “He is being hunted. I want to offer him sanctuary.”
Ryker looked up at Jamai's face in surprise at the statement. He thought he would be offered the same fate as the trader; leaving the forest with limbs intact. Not sanctuary. It made it sound like he was an endangered species.
Which…I suppose I am.
His gaze settled once again on the towering Kitsune, swallowing his nerves as he faced judgement.
“Is that so?” The old fox hummed, appraising him with a gruff but not completely unsympathetic gaze. His eyes focused on the blood staining his shirt and they softened almost imperceptibly. Lowering his head in understanding, he relented. “Very well. I trust your instinct, Jamai.”
Ryker let out an audible sigh of relief at that, his jittery heart finally starting to settle in his chest. He recovered his strength as he watched the Kitsune turn to leave.
Wait…Kitsune? I thought they were hunted to extinction…
He cleared his throat and stood up straighter in an attempt to regain some composure. It was an incredibly rare and mesmerizing opportunity to be in the presence of such a divine creature; especially one of his age.
His mind circled back to Jamai's Kitsune mask. The gold speckles he had seen in his aura suddenly made more sense when he remembered what the guardian had said earlier.
“I've heard of a mother and father, but the only ones I've known are my Mother Spirit and Koten.”
“You…you must be uhm— Jamai's father, Koten?” He instinctively reached out a hand to shake before realising there was no hand to shake back. His hand retreated with a twitch, his expression a mix between wary and sheepish. As he received an unimpressed look in reply he swiftly lowered his head, hands clenched tensely at his sides. “...s-sorry. I mean no disrespect.”
Koten turned back around without hurry; his movements the perfect balance between elegance and power. He sat down and looked down at Ryker questioningly.
“I raised him as a cub. It was the Mother Spirit’s will for him to have my guidance in becoming guardian.” He responded, thinly veiled pride hiding behind neutrality. Ryker could see the resemblance; both Koten and Jamai's faces were pulled into a subtle frown most of the time.
He didn't miss how Jamai's tail began to swish contentedly along the grass at Koten’s words. He remembered a distant time where he used to do the same when looking at him.
The heaviness grew, discomfort crawling under his skin at the knowledge that he never deserved it. A smile so pure was one he craved constantly with the desire to be loved and needed; but the thought also filled him with such a sickening dread. Bile rose to his throat but he swallowed it down and tried to pay attention to the conversation happening overhead.
“—I’ve never seen a soul as broken as his. He needs regular healing to recover or the damage may become irreversible.” Jamai insisted, frowning deeply as he stood his ground. Ryker couldn't help but wonder what they were talking about—surely not me, if I was broken I'd notice—he dazedly noticed his legs had collapsed and he was now sitting on the grass looking up at the powerful beings before him.
Despite the fear he also felt a great sense of awe. He had always held an admiration towards the divine and it was clear that he was in the presence of just that, old memories be damned.
“I understand you sparing him, but taking him under your wing is unwise. You've always been sentimental— this ‘Ryker’ will only become a burden to your duties.” The fox responded sternly. “And what of Ren? You know she's scared of outsiders after the last incident.”
Jamai groaned, rolling his eyes and folding his arms as his tail flicked out with irritation.
“Ren is overdramatic, she'll be fine. She doesn't even have to show herself if she doesn't want to.” He pointed out, firm in his resolve to get his own way. “This is an opportunity for me to learn more about my past. It's important to me. You and Ren don't understand.”
Ryker couldn't help but feel like this was all becoming very personal. He focused his gaze down on the blood staining his clothes. He wasn't sure what he wanted. Originally he had hoped to find peace in Gortoa; but just looking at Jamai sent him spiralling with guilt. At the same time, he was sick of being constantly hunted and chased down on the outside.
Noticing a mage lily beside one of his hands his heart suddenly felt light again. Reaching delicately towards it he didn't even think about how odd it was for one to bloom in the grass rather than by the water. His fingers delicately brushed against the petals, a fond smile on his face at the memory it conjured.
Suiren humming to herself and inspecting his clawed finger curiously. She felt his scales and was fascinated rather than disgusted. He remembered once how she had compared the light bouncing off his scales to ripples in a lake; no one had ever complimented him for his appearance before. Anderna were filthy creatures after all.
“Suiren…” He murmured dreamily, closing his eyes and trying to imagine her voice responding. Zorro…
The attention was immediately focused on him again. His delusions faded quickly, leaving behind the lone mage lily that had triggered them.
“You really do know the Mother Spirit…” Jamai breathed, bright-eyed and bewildered.
“Why do you know one of Her names?” Koten demanded, his lips curled into an apprehensive growl.
Ryker looked up, bristling when he noticed all eyes were on him again.
“Well— I did research in Gortoa quite a long time ago. I-I became acquainted with Suiren… At first I would just come to the forest for the purpose of studying the magical flora and fauna, b-but then I found myself coming just for her company…” His shoulders bunched up slightly, even that memory tainted with guilt.
“If…If I had just stayed away from everything, kept to myself in Nirgend, perhaps she'd still be here. But I didn't. And she died. And I wasn't there to help.” He lamented, his hands trembling as they gripped his knees tightly. “I-I think I loved her. However capable I am of feeling love at least.”
Koten's expression softened slightly, recognising his confession as the truth. He recalled a time when Suiren had spoken fondly of a man coming to Gortoa. He had warned her against speaking with outsiders but she was too curious to stay away.
Jamai frowned, not at the content of Ryker's words but at what it implied.
“You are not meant to live this long.” He pointed out bluntly. Ryker met his gaze in surprise. “No wonder your soul is so broken. It's tied together with nothing but a blessing. Preserving your physical body, yes, but not your mind or soul.”
He hummed, crouching down and inspecting the man closely, tilting his chin this way and that with a strong but gentle hand. His hand stilled again as he leveled Ryker with a serious expression.
“You need healing. If you do not heal you will lose yourself. I can tell your mind is already sparse as it is— please allow me to help you.” The wind whistled encouragingly overhead as Jamai spoke. He was patient and kind; but still insistent on helping.
Ryker wasn't even sure when in the past millennia he had been offered help by another person, other than Suiren rescuing him from the lake. It was such a foreign idea to him that for a moment he wasn't sure whether he was awake or not.
The last person you deserve to be saved by is him.
He shook away that thought quickly, biting his lip in contemplation. He had come to Gortoa seeking peace, and this was it— but now that he was facing a living ghost he couldn't help but recoil from the outstretched hand.
Sensing the refusal hanging on the tip of his tongue, Jamai continued.
“Mother spirit wants you to stay.” His fingers twitched subtly towards the grass at Ryker's feet; where delicate roots had started to cling to his shoes. They weren't enough to restrict movement, but they were enough to remind Ryker that Suiren was watching over him, even now.
Even after everything I've done.
He was silent for several more moments. His sage eyes remained focused on the roots at his feet, heart fluttering whenever he noticed further growth. She's here. She's alive. Finally, looking up at Jamai again he reached out and took his hand into a hesitant grip and nodded.
“I'll…I'll stay.” He agreed, voice barely above a murmur.
Koten huffed from his nose, turning away.
“If it's Her will, then so be it.” As he spoke he waltzed off into the shadows of the forest. For a creature so large and captivating, Ryker couldn't help but wonder how he was able to conceal himself so well. It was like he could just melt into the treeline.
Jamai watched the giant fox disappear, a spark of admiration in his eye. His firm grip on Ryker's hand released to form a gentle cradle as he beckoned him to follow deeper into the forest.
“Come. I have a bed of moss prepared for unexpected guests already…. usually orphan children from the village nearby. It might be slightly too small for you, but it will be comfortable.”
Ryker couldn't remember the last time he'd slept on anything but rubble. He nodded, unable to keep the flicker of hope from his anxious gaze. Jamai squeezed his hand once.
The smell of dust was quite familiar to Zepheera, no matter how long it had been since she'd spent significant time inside the walls of a human home. She hurried a few steps away from the hole she'd found at the back of a cabinet, where she was consumed by musty darkness.
Only then could she let herself completely relax, leaning wearily against the inside of the wall to catch her breath. Despite the years she spent avoiding such places, she couldn't help being comforted by it. She'd grown up in them, born and raised. People like her had done for generations, making use of all the warm and dark nooks and crannies the bigger folk left unused in their homesteads.
Except that the humans in question were usually unaware of the borrowers present not so far away from them, blissfully ignorant of the tiny homes constructed in the walls and under the floors. They would write off all the little things going missing as a lapse in their own memory or forgetting to buy more of whatever thing they were after before it could run low. So long as they stayed unknown and unseen, borrowers were safe and comfortable living alongside human beings.
Zepheera's case was different. These ones brought her to their flat, and expected her to stay close by. And on any other day, she would have taken this fine opportunity to get far away from them and hope they wouldn't go to extreme lengths to find her or other borrowers.
Today, no matter which way she looked at it, that was no longer an option.
If she hadn't experienced that statue…that Weeping Angel for herself, she'd have a hard time believing a word they said to her, let alone trusting them in the slightest. Bizarre as their story was, Zepheera had to acknowledge that they appeared honest. She at least counted herself lucky that they wanted to genuinely help and were willing to listen to her, rather than cage her up like an oddity or do away with her like vermin.
Not that that meant she trusted them wholeheartedly, or that she'd put herself in a position to let them take care of her however they saw fit. She only needed them to get her out of 1969 and back to the present day. And as a plus, it seemed that they didn't know anything about what she was.
She reckoned it was better to keep it that way.
For now, Zepheera did need to find a place she could safely sleep, and that wasn't going to happen if she stood around. So she heaved a deep breath and forced her feet forward, knowing she had a lot of work ahead of her.
~~~
The next few hours were spent exploring the walls of the Doctor and Martha’s flat, checking for weak points that Zepheera could use to access it. It wasn't a difficult task, but a long one since she made sure to search the place thoroughly.
She did find a few signs of prior borrower occupation which gave her pause– things like makeshift stairs and ladders leading to crucial, well hidden entrances into and out of the walls– but they looked like they hadn't been used in quite some time, to her relief. Putting aside Zepheera's personal reservations about living with her own kind, it would be difficult to hide the fact that the humans there knew she existed and was sticking around. Empty walls meant that she wouldn't have to deal with inevitable panic, and nobody would feel the need to abandon their home on Zepheera's account.
Mapping the place out from bottom to top, she quickly ruled out any space under the floorboards as an option for her temporary home– for several reasons. Traditionally, that space was more used for long-term established homes, and Zepheera would have a difficult time making herself comfortable without a lot more work than she was willing to put in for something temporary.
Not to mention that, after the night's events, she’d prefer to be far from underfoot.
The passages in the walls were efficient for getting around, but not ideal for living. The open spaces weren't very secure without a means to close them off, and the aged state of the building made them a bit more weak than Zepheera was comfortable with. Still, she made note of every natural crack and hidden door that her predecessors had established, taking a quick peek out of each one to understand where they led.
A few of them let out in the bedroom that Martha occupied, the only one available in the small flat. Even though Martha was asleep, Zepheera backed out once she saw where those entrances led. She'd have very little use for them, she decided, since she didn't plan to borrow from people who already knew she was there. They might not take so kindly to her if she got caught taking from their things.
The rest of the entrances led to the common area, in out-of-sight places like the kitchen cabinets or behind the sofa. Zepheera had a bit of a harder time determining exactly where those ones let out because, as he'd told her plainly earlier, the Doctor was still awake and active. She could feel him pacing around, hear the distant rumble of him muttering to himself. The most Zepheera was able to do was glance out, then quickly move on; even if her presence wasn't a secret, she wasn't a fan of being spotted sneaking in and out of the walls.
The last place Zepheera checked turned out to be the most promising: a crack that opened up onto one of the exposed rafters near the ceiling.
She actually risked walking out into the open to take stock of the surroundings. The wooden beam ran up and down the common space, plenty wide enough for Zepheera to walk about with comfortable room on either side, and thick enough to securely support the weight of a few lighting fixtures. Those lights were off, which meant the exposed ceiling was cast in nice, safe shadows. Looking down, Zepheera had a good view of the entire kitchen and sitting area– even better than she'd had earlier.
A creak in the distance made Zepheera crouch instinctively, sharp violet eyes quickly finding the Doctor settling in on the worn-out couch under the far window. In the light of a small lamp, she could see that the floor around him was littered with various appliances, some of which looked gutted out. Though the man was still fully dressed, Converse and all, he lay across it with his ankles crossed over one another and his arms folded behind his head. He wasn't asleep, but staring out the window up toward the sky.
Zepheera let herself relax, standing up straight again when it seemed like the Doctor wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Her decision was basically made, and she shrugged off her knapsack and looked around for the least dusty spot on top of the rafter.
It wasn't the most hidden of places, but it was also far from a long-term home. Zepheera did have a decent view of half the flat from up there. So long as she stayed over their heads and kept quiet, it was less than likely that the humans would spot her while she kept an eye on what they were up to. Not to mention that any warmth that the run-down flat managed to generate rose and made the ceiling a decent temperature. Warmer than Zepheera would have been on the streets, for sure.
Exhaustion hit her the moment she picked a spot and set her pack down, and she all but threw herself down to use it as a pillow. It was about as comfy as a dusty slab of wood could be, and yet Zepheera managed to drift off almost immediately.
So deep was Zepheera's sleep that she took no notice when the Doctor's attention slid away from the window and darted around. Normally he might have overlooked a sound so faint, but now that he knew someone incredibly small might be there…
He sat up slightly, propping himself up on an elbow as he murmured an almost hopeful, “Hello…?”
Only silence answered him. He didn't particularly expect an answer, given how cagey Zepheera had been so far, but it was worth a try.
The Doctor truly hoped they could work on it. For now, he simply reached over and clicked off his little side lamp, letting darkness settle over his corner of the flat, too.
Note: Thank you everyone for following our story to the end!
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Zepheera sat at the edge of her bed, carefully wrapping her freshly washed teacups in fabric and placing them in a drawer. It was almost a shame, she thought. She kept a small collection of teacups mainly for the sake of having spares, rather than actually hoping to use more than one at a time. Having backups was always a good idea for a borrower, especially one leading such an active lifestyle as Zepheera did. And they did come in handy this time, if not in the way she'd expected.
Part of her wished she'd been able to give Oliver one of the cups from the Tertatian tea set. She reckoned he'd get a kick out of a souvenir from the borrower-sized aliens she'd told him about back at his burrow. With everything going on earlier, Zepheera just didn't think of it in time.
She shook that thought away as she closed the drawer. That moment had passed, and the Doctor had already parked the TARDIS behind the moon “for a bit of a breather”, whatever that meant. Soon they'd be moving on to some other time and place for the next adventure.
It'll have to wait for next time, she decided, hopeful that it wouldn't be too long before they came back to visit.
When she stood, she paused to smooth out the blanket she'd carefully folded and laid out at the foot of her bed. Her fingertips traced the embroidered flowers once again, still taken aback by how deeply Oliver had unintentionally touched her with the gift. With his friendship in general. There weren't many people that Zepheera met during her and the Doctor's travels that she could trust so quickly and would be so eager to see again. It was a very odd feeling indeed.
Zepheera tried to clear her head of it all as she changed into a fresh set of clothes, threw on her candy-wrapper vest, and tossed her knapsack over her shoulder as she made to stroll out of her room. She very nearly succeeded, but then hesitated just before she could duck through the crack. After a moment she gave a small sigh, reached out to her shelf for the box of biscuits Oliver had made, and left with it tucked under her arm.
~~~
“There we go. That's better, isn't it?” the Doctor cooed as he slowly circled the console and brushed one hand against its center column. Almost in response, an ambient hum echoed through the room like a sigh of relief.
He could hardly blame her. As much as Tanner enjoyed being inside the TARDIS, the feeling was unfortunately not mutual. It wasn't his fault, not really. He was just…an impossible thing. Coexisting in symbiosis with an embodiment of the complete antithesis of reality. The Doctor could only imagine Tanner's presence was less than comfortable for his poor ship; though the inner workings of the TARDIS were incredibly complex, the closest approximation he could even vaguely equate it to was indigestion.
The Doctor followed her lead and all but tossed himself onto the worn yellow seat nearby with a soft groan, draping his arms along the back and propping his feet up on the edge of the console. For the first time in about a day, he was able to sit back with nothing pressing to do.
He'd kept himself occupied during the time Zepheera and their guests were sleeping, and took the opportunity to return to the Laundry Spot to, ironically enough, clean out the place. It wasn't too likely that anyone would find Ryker's hidden laboratory anytime soon, but given Oliver's descriptions of his deteriorating mental state of late, it seemed better to not take the risk that he left anything behind that someone might be able to misuse if it was discovered.
On the one hand, the Doctor didn't have much to confiscate in the way of technology. It seemed that Ryker either arrived with the bare minimum or simply didn't operate with high tech. He still took the computer from the very back room and had plans to comb through its files later on, just in case.
What Ryker lacked in the tech department, he rather overcompensated with literature. Specifically journals and notes, in nearly every nook and cranny the Doctor thought to check. Ordinarily he wouldn't have bothered with collecting every single scrap of paper he could find; anyone who stumbled upon it all might simply write it off as the scribblings of a madman like Oliver did initially, There was always the chance that the wrong eyes could find some meaning in his words, but that still wouldn't warrant such a thorough sweep.
Then the Doctor caught a few glimpses in his writing that he simply couldn’t overlook.
References to angels were to be expected, given what little the Doctor knew about Ryker’s past. The Doctor wrote most of those off at first as ancient history, expressions of the trauma he must have endured in the midst of the Celestial War. Until he happened to look a little closer at one entry that also mentioned Earth– not a known territory for a skirmish in the war, as far as the Doctor was aware.
At first he wanted to believe that it was simply Ryker’s own inner demons haunting him and fueling his paranoia that brought this notion on. That he’d simply been so used to being surrounded by enemies that he couldn’t stop seeing them.
Then he remembered things that Ryker had said to him almost in passing. Things he could see that others couldn’t, like the aura of darkness emanating from the void substance, or the wings of an angel hidden from sight. It also wasn't in a particularly recent journal, so Ryker's mental state couldn't be completely blamed.
That was when the Doctor resolved to collect every single thing Ryker had written down. He couldn’t afford to miss a single detail.
He almost regretted that decision when he made his way up to the flat above the launderette. It was even more of a mess than the lab or the office. Scrawled green eyes stared at him from the walls, just as Oliver had said, only now the Doctor had some more context as to what they depicted.
Jade Eye… another mystery Ryker left behind. What exactly could an entity like Ryker described have to do with him specifically? Why did he feel Jade Eye would be after him, and how did the void come into all of that?
The Doctor shook off those questions and continued cleaning out the flat. He couldn't waste time speculating on every bizarre aspect of Ryker's life, as that well seemed nearly bottomless.
It took most of the night for the Doctor to bring everything he found back to the TARDIS and even begin to organize it. Time ran too short for him to look too deeply into each point of interest, but by the time the night cycle began to transition to day, he'd formed a few messy piles and filed them away separately.
One file was packed with personal notes and journals of Ryker's that, as far as the Doctor could tell, were simply to do with his own life, his thoughts and feelings. One day, he thought, he might go through all of that for posterity's sake, and to ensure that nothing in there had to do with anything else uncovered.
Any mentions of angels or the war went into another file. As much as he didn’t like the sound of angels infiltrating Earth, he had to put it on the backburner. He had no intentions of getting himself and Zepheera wrapped up in the Celestial War, but if it was beginning to affect Earth even subtly, then he couldn’t ignore it forever. And in order to deal with it safely, he’d need to be as informed as he could possibly be.
Much of the rest had to do with Ryker's experiments, and quite a bit involved a particular endeavor that left a sour taste in the Doctor's mouth.
The Kriegerin Project. He could recall the name in passing, mostly tied to the Kriegerin Massacre, but never heard of anything as detailed as what he found among Ryker's belongings. He was evidently a major player behind the scenes, treating it at least in part as yet another experiment.
From what little the Doctor could stomach to skim through as he locked everything away, he would administer a serum to his subjects, all children, to draw out special abilities from them. Only to pit them against each other in horrific battles royale every half-century.
There probably wasn’t a pleasant way for the Doctor to be reminded of what exactly an Eschaton was, but that didn’t make him feel any better about it. All those children…
He did notice references to a particular subject, a boy called Kiran, and the extraction of his blood to make a serum Ryker stored away for later experiments. That sounded awfully familiar, but the Doctor had to make the decision to look into that another time. He was running out of time to finish cleaning the whole place out before the others woke up.
The Doctor breathed deeply as he lounged in his seat, running one hand down his face to massage all the tension out of it. It had been a long night for him, and based on the sheer amount that Ryker had written down, he predicted it wouldn’t be his last for a while.
A light tug at the shoulder of his jacket broke the Doctor out of his swirling thoughts, and he glanced over to find Zepheera climbing into view. Evidently he'd been so wrapped up in his head that he'd missed her return to the console room, and she'd made her own way up the back of the seat to join him.
“Alright?” he murmured as she got settled right where his shoulder met his arm.
Zepheera gave a nod and said, “Fine, yeah.” He could tell she also had things on her mind, but let it go for the moment. After all, he didn’t plan on dumping everything he’d learned about Ryker onto her, not until he had a better idea of what exactly to do with all that information.
Then something went crunch in his ear, and he looked more closely to find she'd let a tiny box rest in her lap and was holding something up to her mouth, but she was too close for him to properly make out what it was
“What're you eating?” he asked.
“Biscuit. Oliver made ‘em,” she mumbled as she swallowed. She reached into the box with her free hand and stretched her arm out long in front of her. “Here, try one.”
Arching an eyebrow, the Doctor lifted a fingertip up to receive the offered biscuit. It was quite big by borrower standards, but still had room to spare on the pad of his first finger.
“He baked these in that tree? Like–?”
“Like Keebler, yeah. Made that joke already,” Zepheera chuckled breathily.
With a bemused yet fond smile, the Doctor popped the tiny cookie onto the tip of his tongue where it quickly lost integrity. That didn't stop the flavor from lingering, though. “Mm! Wow, that is good.”
“That boy…” Zepheera suddenly mused, drawing the Doctor's attention again. He could see her staring ahead in deep thought, almost worried to say what was on her mind. “He's going to be like that forever, isn't he?”
The Doctor blinked at this abrupt change of subject, but pondered aloud now that it was brought up. “The void– or…Aleph, I suppose they go by now…changed Tanner's physiology completely. He'll be alright, so long as they've got each other. Wouldn't be shocked if at this point Tanner needs Aleph to survive.”
“You know what I mean, Doctor,” said Zepheera in a slightly firmer tone, more pointed as he danced around the subject. For his part, the Doctor met her gaze only briefly before turning away as a courtesy while he let out a long breath.
“The void isn't a place where anything is meant to survive. Based on Aleph's descriptions…I don't think Tanner did, either. I don't believe in miracles, but I'll say that he was incredibly lucky that the void was conscious enough to revive him in any capacity.” As he reached the point that he knew Zepheera was needling him about, he looked back to her. “Aside from Tanner, though, it would have no frame of reference for what exactly life entails. And at this point…it's hard to say whether or not Aleph has the capacity to adapt further, even if they can learn what it means to be alive. To be mortal.”
“To age…”
The Doctor's lips pressed into a thin line. “It's hard to say,” he repeated evenly. “All of this is unprecedented, to say the least. We don't know what Aleph is capable of, so…we'll see.”
He held her gaze until she nodded in return. “Yeah… Time will tell, I guess.”
Though the Doctor could tell she wasn't completely convinced, she sounded reassured at least. More optimistic for the kid. Reaching up to poke at her dangling foot, the Doctor insisted, “They'll be alright.”
“I know,” she said as she gave his finger a half-hearted kick. Sensing the end of their serious talk, Zepheera packed away the box of biscuits and scooted more towards the center of the Doctor's shoulder.
Once she had more stable seating, the Doctor hopped out of the seat and turned his attention to the console, circling around to each panel and manipulating a few controls as he moved. “Right! So… Where to next?”
Zepheera moved even closer to the Doctor's neck, clinging to his collar in anticipation of the usual chaos that unfolded when he began to pilot in earnest. “Honestly? You were talking up that dragon planet and it did make me curious.”
“Ahh, Unktenari! Well, I definitely won't say no to that one. We'll have some better stories to tell Tanner and the others about it, then!” He quickly punched in the coordinates and braced his hand against the main lever. “Ready?”
“Always,” Zepheera smirked, gripping the fabric even tighter.
The Doctor grinned widely and threw the lever back with an enthusiastic “Allons-y!”
~~~
Oliver would be back any day now, according to James’s calendar app. It had been a boring month and a half, with his hours filled by the monotony of writing crime reports and keeping documents up to date.
He had joked that he and Oliver had a similar career in the past, though he couldn’t help but feel envious of the smaller man’s passion and motivation. It had almost driven him to work harder himself— for a day or two, before the boredom of talking with his coworkers made him revert to wanting to shut himself away from society again.
Seeing Mackenzie on the weekends was the only reprieve he got from his own thoughts, so every other day he tried to stay focused on updating reports and going on patrol, responding to calls at the drop of a hat just to have something to do. Since meeting Oliver, making conversation with anyone else just felt intolerable; he hadn’t realized how much he hated small talk until he was brought into Oliver’s world.
In his restless state Oliver’s voice played in the back of his mind with the usual light scoldings: “I don’t see why you let the washing up pile up so much before doing it”, “you ought to keep your shoes by the door rather than simply kicking them off”, “the fridge has different shelves for a reason. I can help you organize if you need help”.
Now the house was tidier than ever before.
So when James heard a familiar knock against his rear window he couldn’t help leaping up from the couch, almost tripping over the coffee table in the process, and opening the spotless window with a large grin smeared across his expression.
“Oliver..! Hey mate, how are you? Let me get you inside, it’s still a bit chilly out there, ent’it?” He reached down with calloused hands, fingers twitching with a suppressed desire to scoop the borrower up after missing him for so many weeks. Even so, his palms turned upwards instinctively as he offered his friend a lift, trying not to seem too eager.
Oliver smiled back up at him, removing his fur cloak from where it hung over his broad shoulders and stepping onto the offered hand with the same graceful and unbothered energy James had missed.
“I’m alright, thank you. A little worn out— my rounds didn’t go exactly as planned…” he replied, leaning casually against one of James’s fingers to stay upright as the human stood up straight again and closed the window, carrying them both back over to the sofa. His deep brown eyes focused on Oliver, giving the borrower his undivided attention as he sat down and lowered his hand to the coffee table.
“What happened? Nothing bad I hope.” Once his hand was no longer occupied he opened the drawer in the coffee table, removing a tiny sofa and ottoman he had bought almost a year ago and setting them down. Oliver collapsed onto the cushions before James’s hands had even fully retracted, laying across the sofa with his hands interlocked over his stomach.
“Overall, it’s quite the opposite. I…made a new friend— a borrower very similar to myself, and acquired two new lodgers in my burrow.” Despite his claim, James could see the troubled expression on his friend's face and leaned forward onto his knees with concern. “The new lodgers in question are Sammy and Tanner.”
It took a moment for those names to fully process in his brain, but as soon as they did James could feel his heart jump into his throat. Oliver rarely brought up his family; when he did whatever pleasant memory he was recalling to James would quickly turn to grief, so both men chose to avoid the topic most of the time. But James knew that Oliver had been alone for years, and he knew that he had started coming to terms with the fact that his missing cousins and aunt were dead.
Clearly not.
James inhaled sharply as he sat up, scratching at his stubble.
“Shit, Oliver. That’s…yeah I can imagine what a mix of emotions this must be. Are they okay? How did you find them anyway? I presume your ah..borrower friend helped,” he murmured, keeping his tone tactful as he stared down at his friend with a sympathetic wince. Oliver let out a hum, turning his gaze from the ceiling in order to meet James’s eyes.
He sat up and cleared his throat; an obvious sign of an incoming ramble that James was fortunately used to at this point.
“Well, on the very first day of my rounds I ended up crossing paths with an alien time traveler who happened to be friends with a borrower, and they requested my help with tracking down an energy that their ship had been picking up. I obliged, and although it turned out my help wasn’t necessarily needed I’m certainly grateful that I came along because we ended up in a secret underground lab and Sammy was in one of the rooms.” He paused to take a breath, but James quickly interrupted.
“Wait wait— what the hell do you mean alien time traveler?? Where were you??” he blurted, brows furrowed with confusion because he knew that Oliver didn’t usually lie but it definitely felt like a joke of some sort. Giving him a mildly scolding look for the interruption, Oliver readjusted his glasses and waved his hand dismissively at the questions, as if he could make them disappear by simply batting them away.
“I will explain properly in time, just…let me get my thoughts out please.” He waited for a nod from James before clearing his throat and continuing. “Right…so. It turns out Ryker, the one I kept asking for wellness checks on, he’s also an alien. Not a time traveler though, as far as I’m aware. And he had this…void…goo in his secret lab, which then turned out to be sentient and it was attached to Tanner, so it brought him out of the void and back into this dimension, though I’m almost certain he’s turned into some kind of undead being. I’m…suspecting that he won’t even age, and the implications of that are worrying.”
James allowed the silence that followed to hang in the air for several moments this time as Oliver caught his breath. Regaining some level of composure, Oliver looked up at him and let a soft breath fall from his bitten lips, hand rubbing at the back of his neck in an attempt to relieve some of his tension.
“I am overjoyed to have them both back— every morning it is a delight to wake up and see them both and know they are now safe. But I didn’t think it would feel this difficult— I was not prepared for the state they were both in, and the thought of what either of them have been through just breaks my heart. They both have nightmares regularly, and Sammy in particular keeps crying out in her sleep.” His brows knitted together, green eyes cast downwards at his lap as his hands shook slightly. “If I could take all of their pain and fears away even if it meant feeling everything myself in turn, I would do it in a heartbeat…”
Logically of course, James knew that it would have been almost impossible for Oliver to find his cousins in an untraumatized state given the circumstances of their capture from what he recalled. But even so, he and Oliver had been holding out hope that they might be okay; just out of reach, living out their lives as borrowers in another city. From the sounds of things though it was clear that Oliver’s aunt was presumably not in the picture, and that his cousins had been through something worse than hell.
“Awh mate…” James couldn’t help but bite the inside of his cheek nervously as he tried to think of something to do. It wasn’t often that Oliver needed comfort, but it was clear that this was one of those instances. He reached down and cupped his hands together slowly, nudging Oliver with his fingertip, silently asking his permission to continue. After receiving a short nod, James let his fingers connect under his friend’s tiny form, lifting him off of the couch and holding him in his lap. “Sounds like you need a proper relax. You sore or anything?”
Oliver shifted uncomfortably at the suggestion; resistant to the idea as always. James found it endearing what a hard worker the man was, but he could also be frustratingly stubborn about not letting anyone else take care of him.
“I’m…fine. It’s out of my system now.” he assured, laying back against the calloused palms cradling him.
Now that James got a second look, Oliver looked even more exhausted than normal. Raising an eyebrow to call his bluff, James pressed one of his fingers against the smaller man’s back, rubbing it in a repetitive soothing motion. As he suspected, even such a simple back rub was enough to make Oliver’s shoulders droop.
“Out of your system, my ass… I think you at least deserve a massage and a cuppa while you're here. And while we’re at it, I’m gonna need context on all this alien shite before it drives me mad.” Making sure not to be too forceful and watching Oliver carefully to gauge whether he was just being stubborn or if he was genuinely uncomfortable, James turned the borrower onto his stomach so that he could massage his back more effectively. Saltily, he added, “I thought you said you didn’t believe in any of that sort of ‘conspiracy stuff’.”
Begrudgingly the borrower relaxed into the gentle motions against his stiff back, shoving down his embarrassment with a sigh.
“Well…I didn’t. And I still don’t think aliens have interacted with earth in the way you think— but I certainly can’t deny that I did become entangled in alien activity,” he explained in a matter-of-fact tone. “I met the Doctor, who told me he was a Time Lord— a species that coincidentally looks very human despite having a different physiology. He was joined by Zepheera, a borrower, although afflicted with immortality. They were rather pleasant company.”
“Rather pleasant company,” James scoffed in disbelief, but tried hard to focus on the pressure he was applying; very aware of how fragile the body he was handling could be even if Oliver acted like he was made of solid steel. “You’re lucky they didn’t abduct you. 5-6% of people get abducted by aliens, you know!”
Oliver shook his head, letting it rest in his folded arms as James focused on his tense shoulders.
“We’ve spoken about this before. Those studies are hardly substantiated, and even if it were the case that those numbers were true, that wouldn’t make 5-6% the likelihood of being abducted.” He turned his head to one side so that his voice wouldn’t be muffled by his forearms, although he didn’t bother trying to look up at James at this angle. “Regardless, yes they were pleasant company. I have…never really been able to act as myself around other borrowers, as you know. It was nice to meet one as open-minded and intelligent as Zepheera.”
James at least had enough tact not to make any retorts about it this time, though he felt a mix of happiness for Oliver meeting someone of his own kind who was like-minded, and a hint of jealousy at the way he spoke about her. He knew that his friendship with Oliver couldn’t be the same as it was between him and other borrowers; simply because of the size difference and cultural differences, but it still stung to hear him hurl praises at this ‘Zepheera’ lady.
To distract himself, he changed the subject.
“And the guy running that laundry place turned out to be an alien too? What do you know... It seems obvious in hindsight, the guy seemed to have a few screws loose,” James remarked, before grimacing as he recalled Oliver’s cousins’ involvement with the man. “...I mean…you’d have to, if you’re willing to kidnap a couple of kids.”
Oliver simply nodded to that point. His eyes closed when James’s finger reached a particularly knotted area, tensing at first before relaxing once he managed to rid him of it. He always found himself surprised by what a delicate and precise touch James could have at times, considering how clumsy he was in other areas. He was trying not to fall asleep, his tired brain latching onto the conversation to claw himself back to consciousness.
“It wasn’t obvious. You and I both believed he was simply a man suffering with severe mental health issues, and I believe that is still the case, regardless of his species.” He let out a weary sigh, subtly rubbing at his eyes from under his glasses. “The Doctor took care of him anyway, so I can just be glad that monster can’t touch my cousins ever again. Among…other people. It seems that the shootings were his doing— he had a hit list, although I’m not sure why exactly.”
“Wait what?” James’s finger stopped for a moment, hovering above Oliver’s shoulders as that realization hit him like a tidal wave. His mouth opened and closed a few times in shock, then coughed awkwardly and added under his breath. “That is uh….that’s gonna be a difficult crime report to make. If I mention anything about aliens to the department they’ll definitely laugh me out of the workforce.”
Oliver slowly forced himself to sit back up, stretching before reclining back as he met James’s gaze, giving his hovering finger a reassuring pat.
“Apologies, I…perhaps should have kept that fact to myself.” He offered a soft smile, one that instantly eased James’s worries. The human huffed from his nose and leaned back against the sofa cushions, glancing towards the kitchen in consideration, debating whether he could be bothered to get up and make tea given all of the huge revelations that were suddenly being brought to his attention.
“Nah, mate. You’re fine.” He turned his gaze back down towards Oliver and quirked a lopsided grin. “Ya know…all this information is making me thirsty. Fancy a cuppa while we chat some more?”
Oliver’s own expression brightened at the suggestion, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he nodded.
Note: Thank you everyone for following our story to the end!
┌────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆⋆⋅☆⋅⋆⋆⋅☆⋅⋆⋆⋅☆⋅⋆⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────┐
Zepheera sat at the edge of her bed, carefully wrapping her freshly washed teacups in fabric and placing them in a drawer. It was almost a shame, she thought. She kept a small collection of teacups mainly for the sake of having spares, rather than actually hoping to use more than one at a time. Having backups was always a good idea for a borrower, especially one leading such an active lifestyle as Zepheera did. And they did come in handy this time, if not in the way she'd expected.
Part of her wished she'd been able to give Oliver one of the cups from the Tertatian tea set. She reckoned he'd get a kick out of a souvenir from the borrower-sized aliens she'd told him about back at his burrow. With everything going on earlier, Zepheera just didn't think of it in time.
She shook that thought away as she closed the drawer. That moment had passed, and the Doctor had already parked the TARDIS behind the moon “for a bit of a breather”, whatever that meant. Soon they'd be moving on to some other time and place for the next adventure.
It'll have to wait for next time, she decided, hopeful that it wouldn't be too long before they came back to visit.
When she stood, she paused to smooth out the blanket she'd carefully folded and laid out at the foot of her bed. Her fingertips traced the embroidered flowers once again, still taken aback by how deeply Oliver had unintentionally touched her with the gift. With his friendship in general. There weren't many people that Zepheera met during her and the Doctor's travels that she could trust so quickly and would be so eager to see again. It was a very odd feeling indeed.
Zepheera tried to clear her head of it all as she changed into a fresh set of clothes, threw on her candy-wrapper vest, and tossed her knapsack over her shoulder as she made to stroll out of her room. She very nearly succeeded, but then hesitated just before she could duck through the crack. After a moment she gave a small sigh, reached out to her shelf for the box of biscuits Oliver had made, and left with it tucked under her arm.
~~~
“There we go. That's better, isn't it?” the Doctor cooed as he slowly circled the console and brushed one hand against its center column. Almost in response, an ambient hum echoed through the room like a sigh of relief.
He could hardly blame her. As much as Tanner enjoyed being inside the TARDIS, the feeling was unfortunately not mutual. It wasn't his fault, not really. He was just…an impossible thing. Coexisting in symbiosis with an embodiment of the complete antithesis of reality. The Doctor could only imagine Tanner's presence was less than comfortable for his poor ship; though the inner workings of the TARDIS were incredibly complex, the closest approximation he could even vaguely equate it to was indigestion.
The Doctor followed her lead and all but tossed himself onto the worn yellow seat nearby with a soft groan, draping his arms along the back and propping his feet up on the edge of the console. For the first time in about a day, he was able to sit back with nothing pressing to do.
He'd kept himself occupied during the time Zepheera and their guests were sleeping, and took the opportunity to return to the Laundry Spot to, ironically enough, clean out the place. It wasn't too likely that anyone would find Ryker's hidden laboratory anytime soon, but given Oliver's descriptions of his deteriorating mental state of late, it seemed better to not take the risk that he left anything behind that someone might be able to misuse if it was discovered.
On the one hand, the Doctor didn't have much to confiscate in the way of technology. It seemed that Ryker either arrived with the bare minimum or simply didn't operate with high tech. He still took the computer from the very back room and had plans to comb through its files later on, just in case.
What Ryker lacked in the tech department, he rather overcompensated with literature. Specifically journals and notes, in nearly every nook and cranny the Doctor thought to check. Ordinarily he wouldn't have bothered with collecting every single scrap of paper he could find; anyone who stumbled upon it all might simply write it off as the scribblings of a madman like Oliver did initially, There was always the chance that the wrong eyes could find some meaning in his words, but that still wouldn't warrant such a thorough sweep.
Then the Doctor caught a few glimpses in his writing that he simply couldn’t overlook.
References to angels were to be expected, given what little the Doctor knew about Ryker’s past. The Doctor wrote most of those off at first as ancient history, expressions of the trauma he must have endured in the midst of the Celestial War. Until he happened to look a little closer at one entry that also mentioned Earth– not a known territory for a skirmish in the war, as far as the Doctor was aware.
At first he wanted to believe that it was simply Ryker’s own inner demons haunting him and fueling his paranoia that brought this notion on. That he’d simply been so used to being surrounded by enemies that he couldn’t stop seeing them.
Then he remembered things that Ryker had said to him almost in passing. Things he could see that others couldn’t, like the aura of darkness emanating from the void substance, or the wings of an angel hidden from sight. It also wasn't in a particularly recent journal, so Ryker's mental state couldn't be completely blamed.
That was when the Doctor resolved to collect every single thing Ryker had written down. He couldn’t afford to miss a single detail.
He almost regretted that decision when he made his way up to the flat above the launderette. It was even more of a mess than the lab or the office. Scrawled green eyes stared at him from the walls, just as Oliver had said, only now the Doctor had some more context as to what they depicted.
Jade Eye… another mystery Ryker left behind. What exactly could an entity like Ryker described have to do with him specifically? Why did he feel Jade Eye would be after him, and how did the void come into all of that?
The Doctor shook off those questions and continued cleaning out the flat. He couldn't waste time speculating on every bizarre aspect of Ryker's life, as that well seemed nearly bottomless.
It took most of the night for the Doctor to bring everything he found back to the TARDIS and even begin to organize it. Time ran too short for him to look too deeply into each point of interest, but by the time the night cycle began to transition to day, he'd formed a few messy piles and filed them away separately.
One file was packed with personal notes and journals of Ryker's that, as far as the Doctor could tell, were simply to do with his own life, his thoughts and feelings. One day, he thought, he might go through all of that for posterity's sake, and to ensure that nothing in there had to do with anything else uncovered.
Any mentions of angels or the war went into another file. As much as he didn’t like the sound of angels infiltrating Earth, he had to put it on the backburner. He had no intentions of getting himself and Zepheera wrapped up in the Celestial War, but if it was beginning to affect Earth even subtly, then he couldn’t ignore it forever. And in order to deal with it safely, he’d need to be as informed as he could possibly be.
Much of the rest had to do with Ryker's experiments, and quite a bit involved a particular endeavor that left a sour taste in the Doctor's mouth.
The Kriegerin Project. He could recall the name in passing, mostly tied to the Kriegerin Massacre, but never heard of anything as detailed as what he found among Ryker's belongings. He was evidently a major player behind the scenes, treating it at least in part as yet another experiment.
From what little the Doctor could stomach to skim through as he locked everything away, he would administer a serum to his subjects, all children, to draw out special abilities from them. Only to pit them against each other in horrific battles royale every half-century.
There probably wasn’t a pleasant way for the Doctor to be reminded of what exactly an Eschaton was, but that didn’t make him feel any better about it. All those children…
He did notice references to a particular subject, a boy called Kiran, and the extraction of his blood to make a serum Ryker stored away for later experiments. That sounded awfully familiar, but the Doctor had to make the decision to look into that another time. He was running out of time to finish cleaning the whole place out before the others woke up.
The Doctor breathed deeply as he lounged in his seat, running one hand down his face to massage all the tension out of it. It had been a long night for him, and based on the sheer amount that Ryker had written down, he predicted it wouldn’t be his last for a while.
A light tug at the shoulder of his jacket broke the Doctor out of his swirling thoughts, and he glanced over to find Zepheera climbing into view. Evidently he'd been so wrapped up in his head that he'd missed her return to the console room, and she'd made her own way up the back of the seat to join him.
“Alright?” he murmured as she got settled right where his shoulder met his arm.
Zepheera gave a nod and said, “Fine, yeah.” He could tell she also had things on her mind, but let it go for the moment. After all, he didn’t plan on dumping everything he’d learned about Ryker onto her, not until he had a better idea of what exactly to do with all that information.
Then something went crunch in his ear, and he looked more closely to find she'd let a tiny box rest in her lap and was holding something up to her mouth, but she was too close for him to properly make out what it was
“What're you eating?” he asked.
“Biscuit. Oliver made ‘em,” she mumbled as she swallowed. She reached into the box with her free hand and stretched her arm out long in front of her. “Here, try one.”
Arching an eyebrow, the Doctor lifted a fingertip up to receive the offered biscuit. It was quite big by borrower standards, but still had room to spare on the pad of his first finger.
“He baked these in that tree? Like–?”
“Like Keebler, yeah. Made that joke already,” Zepheera chuckled breathily.
With a bemused yet fond smile, the Doctor popped the tiny cookie onto the tip of his tongue where it quickly lost integrity. That didn't stop the flavor from lingering, though. “Mm! Wow, that is good.”
“That boy…” Zepheera suddenly mused, drawing the Doctor's attention again. He could see her staring ahead in deep thought, almost worried to say what was on her mind. “He's going to be like that forever, isn't he?”
The Doctor blinked at this abrupt change of subject, but pondered aloud now that it was brought up. “The void– or…Aleph, I suppose they go by now…changed Tanner's physiology completely. He'll be alright, so long as they've got each other. Wouldn't be shocked if at this point Tanner needs Aleph to survive.”
“You know what I mean, Doctor,” said Zepheera in a slightly firmer tone, more pointed as he danced around the subject. For his part, the Doctor met her gaze only briefly before turning away as a courtesy while he let out a long breath.
“The void isn't a place where anything is meant to survive. Based on Aleph's descriptions…I don't think Tanner did, either. I don't believe in miracles, but I'll say that he was incredibly lucky that the void was conscious enough to revive him in any capacity.” As he reached the point that he knew Zepheera was needling him about, he looked back to her. “Aside from Tanner, though, it would have no frame of reference for what exactly life entails. And at this point…it's hard to say whether or not Aleph has the capacity to adapt further, even if they can learn what it means to be alive. To be mortal.”
“To age…”
The Doctor's lips pressed into a thin line. “It's hard to say,” he repeated evenly. “All of this is unprecedented, to say the least. We don't know what Aleph is capable of, so…we'll see.”
He held her gaze until she nodded in return. “Yeah… Time will tell, I guess.”
Though the Doctor could tell she wasn't completely convinced, she sounded reassured at least. More optimistic for the kid. Reaching up to poke at her dangling foot, the Doctor insisted, “They'll be alright.”
“I know,” she said as she gave his finger a half-hearted kick. Sensing the end of their serious talk, Zepheera packed away the box of biscuits and scooted more towards the center of the Doctor's shoulder.
Once she had more stable seating, the Doctor hopped out of the seat and turned his attention to the console, circling around to each panel and manipulating a few controls as he moved. “Right! So… Where to next?”
Zepheera moved even closer to the Doctor's neck, clinging to his collar in anticipation of the usual chaos that unfolded when he began to pilot in earnest. “Honestly? You were talking up that dragon planet and it did make me curious.”
“Ahh, Unktenari! Well, I definitely won't say no to that one. We'll have some better stories to tell Tanner and the others about it, then!” He quickly punched in the coordinates and braced his hand against the main lever. “Ready?”
“Always,” Zepheera smirked, gripping the fabric even tighter.
The Doctor grinned widely and threw the lever back with an enthusiastic “Allons-y!”
~~~
Oliver would be back any day now, according to James’s calendar app. It had been a boring month and a half, with his hours filled by the monotony of writing crime reports and keeping documents up to date.
He had joked that he and Oliver had a similar career in the past, though he couldn’t help but feel envious of the smaller man’s passion and motivation. It had almost driven him to work harder himself— for a day or two, before the boredom of talking with his coworkers made him revert to wanting to shut himself away from society again.
Seeing Mackenzie on the weekends was the only reprieve he got from his own thoughts, so every other day he tried to stay focused on updating reports and going on patrol, responding to calls at the drop of a hat just to have something to do. Since meeting Oliver, making conversation with anyone else just felt intolerable; he hadn’t realized how much he hated small talk until he was brought into Oliver’s world.
In his restless state Oliver’s voice played in the back of his mind with the usual light scoldings: “I don’t see why you let the washing up pile up so much before doing it”, “you ought to keep your shoes by the door rather than simply kicking them off”, “the fridge has different shelves for a reason. I can help you organize if you need help”.
Now the house was tidier than ever before.
So when James heard a familiar knock against his rear window he couldn’t help leaping up from the couch, almost tripping over the coffee table in the process, and opening the spotless window with a large grin smeared across his expression.
“Oliver..! Hey mate, how are you? Let me get you inside, it’s still a bit chilly out there, ent’it?” He reached down with calloused hands, fingers twitching with a suppressed desire to scoop the borrower up after missing him for so many weeks. Even so, his palms turned upwards instinctively as he offered his friend a lift, trying not to seem too eager.
Oliver smiled back up at him, removing his fur cloak from where it hung over his broad shoulders and stepping onto the offered hand with the same graceful and unbothered energy James had missed.
“I’m alright, thank you. A little worn out— my rounds didn’t go exactly as planned…” he replied, leaning casually against one of James’s fingers to stay upright as the human stood up straight again and closed the window, carrying them both back over to the sofa. His deep brown eyes focused on Oliver, giving the borrower his undivided attention as he sat down and lowered his hand to the coffee table.
“What happened? Nothing bad I hope.” Once his hand was no longer occupied he opened the drawer in the coffee table, removing a tiny sofa and ottoman he had bought almost a year ago and setting them down. Oliver collapsed onto the cushions before James’s hands had even fully retracted, laying across the sofa with his hands interlocked over his stomach.
“Overall, it’s quite the opposite. I…made a new friend— a borrower very similar to myself, and acquired two new lodgers in my burrow.” Despite his claim, James could see the troubled expression on his friend's face and leaned forward onto his knees with concern. “The new lodgers in question are Sammy and Tanner.”
It took a moment for those names to fully process in his brain, but as soon as they did James could feel his heart jump into his throat. Oliver rarely brought up his family; when he did whatever pleasant memory he was recalling to James would quickly turn to grief, so both men chose to avoid the topic most of the time. But James knew that Oliver had been alone for years, and he knew that he had started coming to terms with the fact that his missing cousins and aunt were dead.
Clearly not.
James inhaled sharply as he sat up, scratching at his stubble.
“Shit, Oliver. That’s…yeah I can imagine what a mix of emotions this must be. Are they okay? How did you find them anyway? I presume your ah..borrower friend helped,” he murmured, keeping his tone tactful as he stared down at his friend with a sympathetic wince. Oliver let out a hum, turning his gaze from the ceiling in order to meet James’s eyes.
He sat up and cleared his throat; an obvious sign of an incoming ramble that James was fortunately used to at this point.
“Well, on the very first day of my rounds I ended up crossing paths with an alien time traveler who happened to be friends with a borrower, and they requested my help with tracking down an energy that their ship had been picking up. I obliged, and although it turned out my help wasn’t necessarily needed I’m certainly grateful that I came along because we ended up in a secret underground lab and Sammy was in one of the rooms.” He paused to take a breath, but James quickly interrupted.
“Wait wait— what the hell do you mean alien time traveler?? Where were you??” he blurted, brows furrowed with confusion because he knew that Oliver didn’t usually lie but it definitely felt like a joke of some sort. Giving him a mildly scolding look for the interruption, Oliver readjusted his glasses and waved his hand dismissively at the questions, as if he could make them disappear by simply batting them away.
“I will explain properly in time, just…let me get my thoughts out please.” He waited for a nod from James before clearing his throat and continuing. “Right…so. It turns out Ryker, the one I kept asking for wellness checks on, he’s also an alien. Not a time traveler though, as far as I’m aware. And he had this…void…goo in his secret lab, which then turned out to be sentient and it was attached to Tanner, so it brought him out of the void and back into this dimension, though I’m almost certain he’s turned into some kind of undead being. I’m…suspecting that he won’t even age, and the implications of that are worrying.”
James allowed the silence that followed to hang in the air for several moments this time as Oliver caught his breath. Regaining some level of composure, Oliver looked up at him and let a soft breath fall from his bitten lips, hand rubbing at the back of his neck in an attempt to relieve some of his tension.
“I am overjoyed to have them both back— every morning it is a delight to wake up and see them both and know they are now safe. But I didn’t think it would feel this difficult— I was not prepared for the state they were both in, and the thought of what either of them have been through just breaks my heart. They both have nightmares regularly, and Sammy in particular keeps crying out in her sleep.” His brows knitted together, green eyes cast downwards at his lap as his hands shook slightly. “If I could take all of their pain and fears away even if it meant feeling everything myself in turn, I would do it in a heartbeat…”
Logically of course, James knew that it would have been almost impossible for Oliver to find his cousins in an untraumatized state given the circumstances of their capture from what he recalled. But even so, he and Oliver had been holding out hope that they might be okay; just out of reach, living out their lives as borrowers in another city. From the sounds of things though it was clear that Oliver’s aunt was presumably not in the picture, and that his cousins had been through something worse than hell.
“Awh mate…” James couldn’t help but bite the inside of his cheek nervously as he tried to think of something to do. It wasn’t often that Oliver needed comfort, but it was clear that this was one of those instances. He reached down and cupped his hands together slowly, nudging Oliver with his fingertip, silently asking his permission to continue. After receiving a short nod, James let his fingers connect under his friend’s tiny form, lifting him off of the couch and holding him in his lap. “Sounds like you need a proper relax. You sore or anything?”
Oliver shifted uncomfortably at the suggestion; resistant to the idea as always. James found it endearing what a hard worker the man was, but he could also be frustratingly stubborn about not letting anyone else take care of him.
“I’m…fine. It’s out of my system now.” he assured, laying back against the calloused palms cradling him.
Now that James got a second look, Oliver looked even more exhausted than normal. Raising an eyebrow to call his bluff, James pressed one of his fingers against the smaller man’s back, rubbing it in a repetitive soothing motion. As he suspected, even such a simple back rub was enough to make Oliver’s shoulders droop.
“Out of your system, my ass… I think you at least deserve a massage and a cuppa while you're here. And while we’re at it, I’m gonna need context on all this alien shite before it drives me mad.” Making sure not to be too forceful and watching Oliver carefully to gauge whether he was just being stubborn or if he was genuinely uncomfortable, James turned the borrower onto his stomach so that he could massage his back more effectively. Saltily, he added, “I thought you said you didn’t believe in any of that sort of ‘conspiracy stuff’.”
Begrudgingly the borrower relaxed into the gentle motions against his stiff back, shoving down his embarrassment with a sigh.
“Well…I didn’t. And I still don’t think aliens have interacted with earth in the way you think— but I certainly can’t deny that I did become entangled in alien activity,” he explained in a matter-of-fact tone. “I met the Doctor, who told me he was a Time Lord— a species that coincidentally looks very human despite having a different physiology. He was joined by Zepheera, a borrower, although afflicted with immortality. They were rather pleasant company.”
“Rather pleasant company,” James scoffed in disbelief, but tried hard to focus on the pressure he was applying; very aware of how fragile the body he was handling could be even if Oliver acted like he was made of solid steel. “You’re lucky they didn’t abduct you. 5-6% of people get abducted by aliens, you know!”
Oliver shook his head, letting it rest in his folded arms as James focused on his tense shoulders.
“We’ve spoken about this before. Those studies are hardly substantiated, and even if it were the case that those numbers were true, that wouldn’t make 5-6% the likelihood of being abducted.” He turned his head to one side so that his voice wouldn’t be muffled by his forearms, although he didn’t bother trying to look up at James at this angle. “Regardless, yes they were pleasant company. I have…never really been able to act as myself around other borrowers, as you know. It was nice to meet one as open-minded and intelligent as Zepheera.”
James at least had enough tact not to make any retorts about it this time, though he felt a mix of happiness for Oliver meeting someone of his own kind who was like-minded, and a hint of jealousy at the way he spoke about her. He knew that his friendship with Oliver couldn’t be the same as it was between him and other borrowers; simply because of the size difference and cultural differences, but it still stung to hear him hurl praises at this ‘Zepheera’ lady.
To distract himself, he changed the subject.
“And the guy running that laundry place turned out to be an alien too? What do you know... It seems obvious in hindsight, the guy seemed to have a few screws loose,” James remarked, before grimacing as he recalled Oliver’s cousins’ involvement with the man. “...I mean…you’d have to, if you’re willing to kidnap a couple of kids.”
Oliver simply nodded to that point. His eyes closed when James’s finger reached a particularly knotted area, tensing at first before relaxing once he managed to rid him of it. He always found himself surprised by what a delicate and precise touch James could have at times, considering how clumsy he was in other areas. He was trying not to fall asleep, his tired brain latching onto the conversation to claw himself back to consciousness.
“It wasn’t obvious. You and I both believed he was simply a man suffering with severe mental health issues, and I believe that is still the case, regardless of his species.” He let out a weary sigh, subtly rubbing at his eyes from under his glasses. “The Doctor took care of him anyway, so I can just be glad that monster can’t touch my cousins ever again. Among…other people. It seems that the shootings were his doing— he had a hit list, although I’m not sure why exactly.”
“Wait what?” James’s finger stopped for a moment, hovering above Oliver’s shoulders as that realization hit him like a tidal wave. His mouth opened and closed a few times in shock, then coughed awkwardly and added under his breath. “That is uh….that’s gonna be a difficult crime report to make. If I mention anything about aliens to the department they’ll definitely laugh me out of the workforce.”
Oliver slowly forced himself to sit back up, stretching before reclining back as he met James’s gaze, giving his hovering finger a reassuring pat.
“Apologies, I…perhaps should have kept that fact to myself.” He offered a soft smile, one that instantly eased James’s worries. The human huffed from his nose and leaned back against the sofa cushions, glancing towards the kitchen in consideration, debating whether he could be bothered to get up and make tea given all of the huge revelations that were suddenly being brought to his attention.
“Nah, mate. You’re fine.” He turned his gaze back down towards Oliver and quirked a lopsided grin. “Ya know…all this information is making me thirsty. Fancy a cuppa while we chat some more?”
Oliver’s own expression brightened at the suggestion, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he nodded.
Note: Hope my fellow USAmericans had a good Thanksgiving, and have a safe Black Friday!
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As the Doctor made his way almost gingerly around to the other side of the bed, Zepheera got up to start gathering her things. She made sure everyone had their fill of the granola before packing it away, and insisted they leave their teacups when they were done with them, saying, “I’ll clean them up later.” With the extra room in her pack, she tossed in the small tube of burn ointment; part of it stuck out the top, but it was secure enough that she paid it no mind.
The Doctor had crossed to the other side of the bed by then, and picked up the larger cup of tea from the floor to set aside high up and out of the way. Then he mindfully lowered into a crouch and waited for Zepheera’s signal to lay his upturned hand near the borrowers.
Zepheera shook off the bittersweet feeling in the air as she took her previous position on top of the Doctor’s wrist to allow the others more room in his palm, offering her hand to help them up if needed.
The other three moved as a unit, with Oliver ushering Sammy forward and Tanner still holding onto her arm as they walked up to the open hand. Sammy collected herself much better this time around, though she couldn't help how her heart instinctively raced the closer she got to the Doctor.
Once they were all on board they sat down, Oliver looking relieved by the lack of a fuss, and Tanner just seeming content to be held. The warmth radiating up from the Doctor's palm was pleasant for his cold body, relaxing as the heat seeped into his muscles. Sammy was still tense but managed to focus more on her brother than on being carried.
Once his cousins seemed to be settled, Oliver looked towards the Doctor and Zepheera, giving them a polite nod to signal that they were all ready to go.
This time, Zepheera took a seat with everyone else. There was just enough room for her to sit cross-legged along the heel of the Doctor’s palm. He then lifted the lot of them as he did the night before, using his other hand for extra stability as he stood and walked out into the corridor.
The Doctor prioritized having a smooth stride over speed, so it took a few good minutes before the path opened up into the console room. Very glad he’d had the foresight to pilot the TARDIS beforehand, which would be significantly more difficult with one hand full of borrowers (not to mention intense for the kids), he started straight for the door. He paused at the threshold when a thought occurred to him.
“Oh…! Nearly forgot,” he muttered under his breath as his unoccupied hand fell away to dig through his chest pocket. When it came back up, it held Oliver’s cloak pinched between two fingers; slightly rumpled from the less than ideal storage, but overall in good condition. He gave it a gentle shake to straighten it out, then held it within Oliver’s reach, careful to not come too close to the siblings. “There you are. Sorry I didn’t think of it sooner, things got a bit… Well, y’know.”
Oliver blinked, almost forgetting about his cloak himself amidst all the chaos of the previous day. He graciously retrieved his fur cloak from the Doctor's fingers with a nod, before choosing to drape the warm fabric over the shoulders of his cousins instead.
“It has been a rather… hectic time. You've done more than enough though, Doctor, thank you,” Oliver assured, giving the giant finger beside him a calm pat to acknowledge his appreciation towards the time lord. Every time his gaze was drawn back to Sammy and Tanner his heart just swelled with relief to have both of his cousins back and safe. He was already planning out exactly how he would expand his burrow to give them each a room to sleep in.
Tanner nuzzled into the fluffy fabric, running his fingers over the soft hairs in fascination. He couldn't remember feeling anything quite as fluffy in his life before, and the texture was incredible. He pulled it around himself a bit more, leaning into Sammy so they could both wrap themselves up in the large cloak. He could see that she seemed to be in deep thought of some kind, but she was present enough to hug up to him and hold the cloak shut with anticipation for the winter air.
The Doctor smiled softly to see Oliver's gesture toward his cousins and the way they so readily accepted it, before he reminded himself to focus. Their home was so close. He just had to get them there.
With that in mind, he pulled the door open with his newly freed hand and stepped out into the brisk woods.
“Right,” said the Doctor as he looked around the immediate area. Even though there was truly no way for him to know what to look out for, his head was still on a swivel to take in the new surroundings. “Really hoping I got the coordinates at least somewhat accurate…”
In an attempt to be helpful, Zepheera skimmed the trees, a thoughtful frown pinching her brow. “I think we're close… that patch of trees looks familiar…sort of.” Her tone quickly lost confidence. The circumstances of her brief visits to Oliver's burrow didn't give her the best impression of its exact location in the sprawling forest, against which the blue wood finish of the TARDIS stood out like a sore thumb.
“We are close,” Oliver assured with a nod, pointing towards the east. “It's about 10 meters that way. There's a blackberry bush growing right beside the oak, so it shouldn't be too difficult to spot.”
“Blackberries?” Tanner perked up. He recalled the taste from the few times Ryker would bring him and Sammy a treat and it was definitely his favourite food. He wasn't entirely sure why they were in a bush, but he hoped they would be easy to get to so he could eat some later.
Oliver chuckled, understanding where the younger borrower's enthusiasm was coming from immediately. The few times he had been able to visit after moving out he had heard stories from his aunt and uncle about Tanner's love for berries and how he would beg for them just about every borrowing trip.
“They aren't quite in season yet, but I have blackberry jam you can try,” he offered with a fond expression, a smile playing at his lips. Tanner nodded along, though it was very obvious he didn't know what ‘in season' meant.
Following Oliver's finger, the Doctor's gaze quickly fell on an oak tree with a nearby berry bush. His expression brightened immediately, and he made his way there as quickly as he could manage without disrupting the borrowers in hand.
He stopped about a pace away and once again slowed his movements down as he lowered himself into a crouch. The back of his hand flattened a small patch of grass near the roots while he waited for all the smaller folk to disembark.
Zepheera's chin lifted to properly take in the tree and its surroundings for the first time. Though there was very little to distinguish it from any other oak in the woods at first glance, knowing that it was Oliver's home gave it an air of importance. It stood mightily in place, and would be more than sufficient to keep him and his cousins safe. Zepheera appreciated that, and hoped that she could remember what it looked like if she and the Doctor came back to visit.
Oliver stepped off of the Doctor's hand elegantly as always, the casual manner in which he was able to move from palm to grass showcasing just how often he got rides from larger hands. Sammy and Tanner on the other hand were still a little wobbly on the uneven surface, steadying themselves by taking Oliver's offered hand as they stepped off.
Once they were steady on the ground, Tanner couldn't help but stare at all of the colours and the light coming from high above despite the lack of ceiling. The sun, I think. The grass blades were about as tall as him. He reached out to poke it, surprised by the almost rubbery texture. After feeling the grass for a few more moments, he retracted his hand to stay huddled up in the fur cloak, as much as his eyes wandered.
Sammy cast a wary glance up at the Doctor, a puzzled look spreading across her expression. So close to safety and yet he still hadn’t dropped the facade. Even when she had made a deal to not complain once Tanner was safe, even though he had agreed she couldn't see any of the telltale signs that he was about to snatch her up. She observed his large hand more critically, frowning in thought and staring as if that would somehow make his fingers twitch in her direction.
Her heart rate increased the longer she anticipated something, before her eyes snapped up to meet the Doctor's.
“Y-you…” She cleared her throat awkwardly to get the stammer out of her words, shoulders bunching up. “You're really…just gonna let us go? Even though I said I wouldn't complain..?” She averted her gaze, brows furrowing with a mix of confusion and a reluctance to accept that she was being released. “You…you agreed to the deal too.”
“I did,” the Doctor agreed evenly. As he held Sammy’s gaze, he somehow managed to smile with his eyes more than what he let show in the slightest upturn of the corners of his lips. “The deal was, no complaints about anything I might do. So…this is what I’m doing.”
Glancing up towards the Doctor, Sammy inspected his expression for any deceit but only found sincerity. She shifted her weight side to side with discomfort before nodding in acceptance. “...thanks.”
The second Zepheera hopped down from his palm to join the others, the Doctor’s hand lifted and turned over without moving any closer. He waved a few fingers in the smallest shooing motion he could muster. “Well? Go on, off you pop. Gotta be warmer in there than it is out here,” he insisted with a more prominent grin.
Zepheera shook her head good-naturedly at him before turning to Oliver and removing the tube of burn ointment from her pack. It was hardly full, but plenty to last a borrower for a good while if used sparingly.
“Thought this might be good to have for Sammy’s burn while it heals,” she said as she offered it to Oliver. “I know it wasn’t too bad, but I didn’t know if you had anything to help with the pain.”
Oliver took the offered ointment with a smile.
“Ah, thank you, Zepheera. I believe I have some herbs, but this will probably be much more effective.” He placed it in his pack before letting out a small hum of thought. After all that the Doctor and Zepheera had done for him and his cousins it felt impolite to see them off with nothing. He held up a finger in the universal sign of ‘one moment please’, entering his burrow and leaving the door ajar.
After rummaging around in one of the boxes he kept in the living room, he finally found what he was looking for; a knitted blanket. It was one of his first successful knitting projects in which he had decided to embroider the green blanket with purple flowery patterns. It was lined at the bottom with silk. He brushed off any fluff that might be clinging to it, shifting to hold it in one arm as he went into the kitchen and filled a small box with various biscuits he had baked, as well as a tiny glass bottle of cordial.
Waltzing back outside, Oliver held the gifts towards Zepheera.
“A parting gift. As thanks for all of your help.” He looked up at the Doctor and offered an apologetic smile. “Apologies. I don't have much to offer that would be of any use to you, but I can promise that you and Zepheera are always welcome here. Whether that's because you need help or you'd just like to stop by for tea.”
Remembering to keep his motions small, the Doctor waved off Oliver’s concerns. “Nah, don’t worry about it. Just happy to be of help.”
Zepheera, meanwhile, was speechless. Parting gifts were certainly a first, and these… She ran a hand delicately, almost reverently over the knitted fabric of the blanket, lingering on the embroidered flowers. Oliver had no way of knowing the resemblance they bore to the flowers of a weed she'd been partial to in her youth. Memories of exchanging them with someone she'd loved dearly sparked through her mind’s eye so quickly that her body couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry.
Before a consensus could be reached, she shifted everything under one arm and reached the other up behind Oliver’s neck to pull him down into a tight hug.
“Thank you,” she whispered, barely finding her voice after such a touching gesture. She and the Doctor weren’t usually ones to stick around for goodbyes, let alone thank-yous; they didn’t do anything for praise or recognition. Zepheera in particular often went unsung, which she was more than fine with since most folk bigger than her were a risk by nature, and most of the universe was much bigger than her. It was quite rare for her to interact with someone even close to her own size, let alone make a connection with them. Something about Oliver was always just right, no matter what.
At first Oliver was slightly startled by the sudden hug he was pulled into. As he registered her hushed gratitude he soon hugged back, sensing that the gifts clearly meant more to her than he had expected.
Zepheera swallowed thickly, not wanting to get overly emotional in front of everyone. “I don’t… You’re a good friend,” she said with a few fond pats to the back of Oliver’s shoulder before she finally let him go.
Smiling softly at her words, Oliver took her free hand into his and gave it a reassuring pat.
“It's not difficult to be good to someone who is a good friend themselves. It's been a delight to meet you and be in your company.” He bowed his head in a gesture of goodwill and fondness, then released her hand and let his own fall back to his sides.
While he sat quietly to let them have their moment, the Doctor did consider Oliver’s offer of hospitality. “Can’t say I won’t pop by once in a while to check in,” he mused as his gaze slid toward Tanner. He gave the kid a playful wink to hopefully take out any serious air lingering around that statement, then glanced back toward Oliver. “Might not be terribly often, though, seems like you’ve got things well in hand here.”
Tanner giggled when he spotted the wink, glad to know that this wasn't a goodbye forever, as much as he was still reluctant to lose two new friends so quickly. He glanced up at Sammy for a moment, debating whether to leave the fur cloak they were both huddled up in or not. His indecisive staring seemed to catch her attention as he found himself suddenly meeting her gaze, averting it swiftly like he had been caught doing something wrong.
Sammy knew exactly what he was thinking with one look, and as reluctant as she was to allow it she also began to accept that maybe—just maybe—the Doctor wasn't like the larger folk she had interacted with in the past. With a sigh, she opened up the cloak and nodded her head in the giant's direction.
“...Go on then.”
Tanner brightened up once he got his sister's approval and, unable to contain his desire, he disappeared in an instant and reappeared standing on the grass just beside one of the Doctor's hands still planted on the ground. He leaned forwards and hugged one of the fingers within his reach, ignoring the awkward angle necessary for it.
“Next time you visit I'll be really good at using my new powers. Promise..!” he chirped enthusiastically, before his tone changed to be quieter, almost hesitant. “P-please don't be gone for too long…”
The Doctor blinked, then chuckled lightly to see Tanner's attempt at hugging his finger. Moving slowly, he lifted his hand– and Tanner along with it– to allow for the room to curl his finger down to be at a better angle for the boy's embrace.
“I'll try not to,” he promised in return, reaching down with his other hand to gently ruffle Tanner's curly hair. “Just keep a cool head, and don't push yourself. You've got plenty of time to figure it out.”
Fascinated as he was by Tanner's very existence, he and Sammy had been through far too much for their ages to subject them to any more stress. The new abilities the kid was beginning to manifest, while intriguing, weren't exactly worrying so far. Certainly something to follow up with down the line, but not monitor all that closely.
It was highly unlikely that Tanner would end up a threat to others or himself, based on the way Aleph seemed to frame their connection with him. And with Oliver and Sammy around, he imagined that was a fairly neutral and safe environment to test those waters.
Tanner beamed in response to the hair ruffle, letting out a soft giggle before finally releasing the Doctor's finger. He hopped backwards with a little salute, then ran over to Zepheera next and hugged her around the waist once Oliver stepped out of the way.
“I hope you have lots of fun adventures and missions with the Doctor..! I'll miss you.” He buried his face in her vest before peering up at her and tilting his head, pitch black pools meeting violet.
“I-I haven't really said goodbye before… I've never gotten to…people just go away someday. But it's nice, because I know you'll come back.” He smiled as he spoke that final sentence, content with the goodbye even though he felt sad too.
Though she hadn’t expected such an enthusiastic goodbye from Tanner, seeing him run up gave Zepheera enough time to anticipate it. She chuckled softly as she gave his smaller shoulders a squeeze with her free arm.
“I’ll miss you, too,” she admitted with a small smile. As she turned it to Sammy and Oliver in turn, she added, “All of you. You’ve no idea how glad I am that you can be together.”
Looking back down to meet Tanner’s inky gaze, Zepheera shifted her grip on him to lay a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “And hey. Since you know we’ll be back, it’s not really ‘goodbye’, is it? It’s just ‘see you later’, and that’s not so bad.”
Tanner's face lit up, nodding enthusiastically.
“See you later! That definitely sounds better…” He stepped back away finally, to return to Sammy's side now that she had moved to stand beside Oliver, his boundless energy causing him to rock on his feet, hands clasped behind his back. “You're so smart, Zepheera, no wonder you're a space borrower.”
Sammy shook her head in amusement, ruffling Tanner's hair as she met Zepheera's gaze with some hesitation. Not out of fear or dislike, just unsure if it was her place to even say goodbye when she felt like all she had been doing this whole time was acting paranoid. Over nothing, apparently. She shoved her hands into the baggy pockets sewed to the sides of her trousers, glaze flickering between the ground and up at Zepheera.
“You’re… nice. Thanks for your help. I'm sorry for..being rude and all.” She lifted a hand to rub the back of her neck awkwardly. “Without you and the Doctor, I don't think I'd ever have gotten Tanner back. Or..even left the lab…”
Tanner's compliment made Zepheera smile so widely, heart swelling to see the boy in such high spirits after everything. Her expression softened as she listened to Sammy and regarded the siblings in turn. They had been through hell and back (quite literally in Tanner's case) and their experiences had obviously changed them inside and out. Truly healing from their experiences would take time.
“No worries at all, love. I get it,” she gently insisted. “It's…not easy to trust that things can be okay when they haven't for so long.”
Sammy managed to force herself to look up at the Doctor, as weird as it felt to do so whilst intentionally pushing down all of the instincts that had built up over the years. “You're not so bad either, space man. Just…you know. Really bloody massive,” she remarked, gesturing vaguely in his direction and wincing slightly at her poor attempt to be more friendly.
“Oh, I've been told. Repeatedly,” the Doctor assured her, briefly cutting his warm gaze toward Zepheera who shot back a smirk. “Not so bad yourself, Sammy.”
His grin remained in place, unfazed by her stilted words; he hardly took it personally, having some sort of idea of what she'd been put through at the hands of people much bigger than her. A fear response was only natural, and it would only do her and her brother some good to have space from things that might harm or trigger them. From what little he could glean about Oliver's burrow out in the peaceful forest, it seemed like the ideal place to achieve that.
A thought occurred to the Doctor, and he pushed himself up to sit on his haunches and dig through the pocket inside his jacket. He quickly extracted a small notepad and pen, jotting something down on the bottom margin and tearing it off.
“And this is for you,” he said as he carefully pinched the paper between two fingers and held it out where Oliver could reach it. “You can reach us here if anything goes wrong, or if you spot any kind of trouble that we might be able to help with.”
Spotting the series of numbers he'd written down, Zepheera remembered Oliver's limited experience with human technology and explained, “Your, erm…friend will know what to do with that.” She chose her words carefully, not wanting to give away that she wasn't the only one in the group who had a giant friend.
Oliver took the note and looked it over, readjusting his glasses only to be snapped out of his thoughts by Zepheera's words. His eyebrows raised in realization of which friend she was referring to, briefly glancing towards his cousins then back to her with a nod. He folded it neatly and placed it in his pack.
“Thank you.” He took a moment to straighten his collar before clearing his throat and offering a solemn smile. “Right. Well… I should get these two settled in and get to work on sleeping arrangements and such… But I wish you luck on your travels.”
He gestured to the burrow, leading his cousins to the door and turning back to look at the two time and space travelers once more and giving a polite wave. Sammy waved more stiffly as Tanner enthusiastically waved to them both.
“Bye bye for now..! I'll tell Aleph you said see you later too!” The boy called out, holding onto his sister's arm with his other hand, huddled under Oliver's fur cloak once again.
The Doctor gave the boy a two fingered salute, and a small, respectful nod to the other two. Down in the grass, Zepheera gave a small wave back, then hesitated briefly before locking eyes with Oliver.
“Stay for takeoff,” she insisted with a warm yet ever so slightly mischievous grin toward him and the young siblings. “It's quite the sight from the outside.”
Clutching Oliver's parting gifts securely to her chest, Zepheera hopped up to stand in the center of the Doctor's waiting palm. They both now found it feeling quite empty without all the extra passengers. As the Doctor lifted her to his shoulder and she settled down alongside his collar, he slowly rose to his feet and took a few careful steps back before turning on his heel and strolling back to the blue box. It was hard to miss in all the greenery, unlike Oliver's cleverly hidden burrow.
Not long after the travelers vanished behind its doors, the light atop the police box began to glow, intensifying in time with a low thrum that the borrowers began to feel pulsing through the ground even at such a distance. A light wind kicked up the foliage just around the box, and it all but heaved an otherworldly noise; a wheezing groan that, in spite of everything, seemed to leave something hopeful in the air.
The intensity of the light fluctuated with each groan, and little by little it all began to fade out of sight. What was once an almost obnoxious blue box standing out in the lush forest slowly became translucent, and then transparent. The noise grew distant until there was nothing left but the dissipating winds muttering in the canopy.
Before long, the woods settled into place as though nothing had been out of place at all.
Oliver watched the takeoff with a sense of awe. He was grateful for the new friendship and for his cousins’ return, feeling a deep sense of admiration towards the Doctor and Zepheera for all they had given him. Internally wishing them well on their future (or past) travels, he gave a small nod of respect to the TARDIS as it faded from view.
Even with such an extraordinary view, his eyes were drawn to watch Sammy and Tanner’s expressions as they stared forward and watched the police box fade. His chest swelled with warmth at the sight, relieved once again to know that they were safe.
Tanner’s face lit up with awe as he watched the TARDIS disappear like a warm breath in the winter air. He smiled and waved until the blue box was completely gone, enjoying the fantastical sight despite his uncertainty about what would follow. It was hard to imagine what it would be like living outside of Ryker’s influence.
Sammy folded her arms around herself as she watched it play out, the weight of everything that had happened and what it meant still feeling heavy even when most of the reasons behind her anxiety were disappearing before her eyes. She sighed when the TARDIS turned completely transparent, a puff of steam escaping her lips.
A cold hand tugged on the threads of her sweater, startling her from her thoughts. She looked down and met Tanner’s bottomless gaze, seeing his own anxious expression and softening instantly. Her arms unfolded, reaching down to pat his head wordlessly. They didn’t need them to understand.
“Come along then you two. Let’s get you back inside where it’s warm.” Oliver’s calming voice spoke up, ushering Sammy and Tanner into his burrow.
As he did, he couldn't help but take one last glance over his shoulder. He had always been cordial with other borrowers when on his rounds or helping people out, but the only real friend he had was James. As a result he had simply accepted that making friends with another of his kind would be almost impossible.
Reluctant as he was to part so soon, he knew they couldn't stay forever. He could only hope that next time they met things would be less chaotic, but for now he had lots of work to do. With one final fond smile he closed the door gently, the warm light that had been pouring out from his burrow disappearing with the view of the inside.
Note: Hope my fellow USAmericans had a good Thanksgiving, and have a safe Black Friday!
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As the Doctor made his way almost gingerly around to the other side of the bed, Zepheera got up to start gathering her things. She made sure everyone had their fill of the granola before packing it away, and insisted they leave their teacups when they were done with them, saying, “I’ll clean them up later.” With the extra room in her pack, she tossed in the small tube of burn ointment; part of it stuck out the top, but it was secure enough that she paid it no mind.
The Doctor had crossed to the other side of the bed by then, and picked up the larger cup of tea from the floor to set aside high up and out of the way. Then he mindfully lowered into a crouch and waited for Zepheera’s signal to lay his upturned hand near the borrowers.
Zepheera shook off the bittersweet feeling in the air as she took her previous position on top of the Doctor’s wrist to allow the others more room in his palm, offering her hand to help them up if needed.
The other three moved as a unit, with Oliver ushering Sammy forward and Tanner still holding onto her arm as they walked up to the open hand. Sammy collected herself much better this time around, though she couldn't help how her heart instinctively raced the closer she got to the Doctor.
Once they were all on board they sat down, Oliver looking relieved by the lack of a fuss, and Tanner just seeming content to be held. The warmth radiating up from the Doctor's palm was pleasant for his cold body, relaxing as the heat seeped into his muscles. Sammy was still tense but managed to focus more on her brother than on being carried.
Once his cousins seemed to be settled, Oliver looked towards the Doctor and Zepheera, giving them a polite nod to signal that they were all ready to go.
This time, Zepheera took a seat with everyone else. There was just enough room for her to sit cross-legged along the heel of the Doctor’s palm. He then lifted the lot of them as he did the night before, using his other hand for extra stability as he stood and walked out into the corridor.
The Doctor prioritized having a smooth stride over speed, so it took a few good minutes before the path opened up into the console room. Very glad he’d had the foresight to pilot the TARDIS beforehand, which would be significantly more difficult with one hand full of borrowers (not to mention intense for the kids), he started straight for the door. He paused at the threshold when a thought occurred to him.
“Oh…! Nearly forgot,” he muttered under his breath as his unoccupied hand fell away to dig through his chest pocket. When it came back up, it held Oliver’s cloak pinched between two fingers; slightly rumpled from the less than ideal storage, but overall in good condition. He gave it a gentle shake to straighten it out, then held it within Oliver’s reach, careful to not come too close to the siblings. “There you are. Sorry I didn’t think of it sooner, things got a bit… Well, y’know.”
Oliver blinked, almost forgetting about his cloak himself amidst all the chaos of the previous day. He graciously retrieved his fur cloak from the Doctor's fingers with a nod, before choosing to drape the warm fabric over the shoulders of his cousins instead.
“It has been a rather… hectic time. You've done more than enough though, Doctor, thank you,” Oliver assured, giving the giant finger beside him a calm pat to acknowledge his appreciation towards the time lord. Every time his gaze was drawn back to Sammy and Tanner his heart just swelled with relief to have both of his cousins back and safe. He was already planning out exactly how he would expand his burrow to give them each a room to sleep in.
Tanner nuzzled into the fluffy fabric, running his fingers over the soft hairs in fascination. He couldn't remember feeling anything quite as fluffy in his life before, and the texture was incredible. He pulled it around himself a bit more, leaning into Sammy so they could both wrap themselves up in the large cloak. He could see that she seemed to be in deep thought of some kind, but she was present enough to hug up to him and hold the cloak shut with anticipation for the winter air.
The Doctor smiled softly to see Oliver's gesture toward his cousins and the way they so readily accepted it, before he reminded himself to focus. Their home was so close. He just had to get them there.
With that in mind, he pulled the door open with his newly freed hand and stepped out into the brisk woods.
“Right,” said the Doctor as he looked around the immediate area. Even though there was truly no way for him to know what to look out for, his head was still on a swivel to take in the new surroundings. “Really hoping I got the coordinates at least somewhat accurate…”
In an attempt to be helpful, Zepheera skimmed the trees, a thoughtful frown pinching her brow. “I think we're close… that patch of trees looks familiar…sort of.” Her tone quickly lost confidence. The circumstances of her brief visits to Oliver's burrow didn't give her the best impression of its exact location in the sprawling forest, against which the blue wood finish of the TARDIS stood out like a sore thumb.
“We are close,” Oliver assured with a nod, pointing towards the east. “It's about 10 meters that way. There's a blackberry bush growing right beside the oak, so it shouldn't be too difficult to spot.”
“Blackberries?” Tanner perked up. He recalled the taste from the few times Ryker would bring him and Sammy a treat and it was definitely his favourite food. He wasn't entirely sure why they were in a bush, but he hoped they would be easy to get to so he could eat some later.
Oliver chuckled, understanding where the younger borrower's enthusiasm was coming from immediately. The few times he had been able to visit after moving out he had heard stories from his aunt and uncle about Tanner's love for berries and how he would beg for them just about every borrowing trip.
“They aren't quite in season yet, but I have blackberry jam you can try,” he offered with a fond expression, a smile playing at his lips. Tanner nodded along, though it was very obvious he didn't know what ‘in season' meant.
Following Oliver's finger, the Doctor's gaze quickly fell on an oak tree with a nearby berry bush. His expression brightened immediately, and he made his way there as quickly as he could manage without disrupting the borrowers in hand.
He stopped about a pace away and once again slowed his movements down as he lowered himself into a crouch. The back of his hand flattened a small patch of grass near the roots while he waited for all the smaller folk to disembark.
Zepheera's chin lifted to properly take in the tree and its surroundings for the first time. Though there was very little to distinguish it from any other oak in the woods at first glance, knowing that it was Oliver's home gave it an air of importance. It stood mightily in place, and would be more than sufficient to keep him and his cousins safe. Zepheera appreciated that, and hoped that she could remember what it looked like if she and the Doctor came back to visit.
Oliver stepped off of the Doctor's hand elegantly as always, the casual manner in which he was able to move from palm to grass showcasing just how often he got rides from larger hands. Sammy and Tanner on the other hand were still a little wobbly on the uneven surface, steadying themselves by taking Oliver's offered hand as they stepped off.
Once they were steady on the ground, Tanner couldn't help but stare at all of the colours and the light coming from high above despite the lack of ceiling. The sun, I think. The grass blades were about as tall as him. He reached out to poke it, surprised by the almost rubbery texture. After feeling the grass for a few more moments, he retracted his hand to stay huddled up in the fur cloak, as much as his eyes wandered.
Sammy cast a wary glance up at the Doctor, a puzzled look spreading across her expression. So close to safety and yet he still hadn’t dropped the facade. Even when she had made a deal to not complain once Tanner was safe, even though he had agreed she couldn't see any of the telltale signs that he was about to snatch her up. She observed his large hand more critically, frowning in thought and staring as if that would somehow make his fingers twitch in her direction.
Her heart rate increased the longer she anticipated something, before her eyes snapped up to meet the Doctor's.
“Y-you…” She cleared her throat awkwardly to get the stammer out of her words, shoulders bunching up. “You're really…just gonna let us go? Even though I said I wouldn't complain..?” She averted her gaze, brows furrowing with a mix of confusion and a reluctance to accept that she was being released. “You…you agreed to the deal too.”
“I did,” the Doctor agreed evenly. As he held Sammy’s gaze, he somehow managed to smile with his eyes more than what he let show in the slightest upturn of the corners of his lips. “The deal was, no complaints about anything I might do. So…this is what I’m doing.”
Glancing up towards the Doctor, Sammy inspected his expression for any deceit but only found sincerity. She shifted her weight side to side with discomfort before nodding in acceptance. “...thanks.”
The second Zepheera hopped down from his palm to join the others, the Doctor’s hand lifted and turned over without moving any closer. He waved a few fingers in the smallest shooing motion he could muster. “Well? Go on, off you pop. Gotta be warmer in there than it is out here,” he insisted with a more prominent grin.
Zepheera shook her head good-naturedly at him before turning to Oliver and removing the tube of burn ointment from her pack. It was hardly full, but plenty to last a borrower for a good while if used sparingly.
“Thought this might be good to have for Sammy’s burn while it heals,” she said as she offered it to Oliver. “I know it wasn’t too bad, but I didn’t know if you had anything to help with the pain.”
Oliver took the offered ointment with a smile.
“Ah, thank you, Zepheera. I believe I have some herbs, but this will probably be much more effective.” He placed it in his pack before letting out a small hum of thought. After all that the Doctor and Zepheera had done for him and his cousins it felt impolite to see them off with nothing. He held up a finger in the universal sign of ‘one moment please’, entering his burrow and leaving the door ajar.
After rummaging around in one of the boxes he kept in the living room, he finally found what he was looking for; a knitted blanket. It was one of his first successful knitting projects in which he had decided to embroider the green blanket with purple flowery patterns. It was lined at the bottom with silk. He brushed off any fluff that might be clinging to it, shifting to hold it in one arm as he went into the kitchen and filled a small box with various biscuits he had baked, as well as a tiny glass bottle of cordial.
Waltzing back outside, Oliver held the gifts towards Zepheera.
“A parting gift. As thanks for all of your help.” He looked up at the Doctor and offered an apologetic smile. “Apologies. I don't have much to offer that would be of any use to you, but I can promise that you and Zepheera are always welcome here. Whether that's because you need help or you'd just like to stop by for tea.”
Remembering to keep his motions small, the Doctor waved off Oliver’s concerns. “Nah, don’t worry about it. Just happy to be of help.”
Zepheera, meanwhile, was speechless. Parting gifts were certainly a first, and these… She ran a hand delicately, almost reverently over the knitted fabric of the blanket, lingering on the embroidered flowers. Oliver had no way of knowing the resemblance they bore to the flowers of a weed she'd been partial to in her youth. Memories of exchanging them with someone she'd loved dearly sparked through her mind’s eye so quickly that her body couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry.
Before a consensus could be reached, she shifted everything under one arm and reached the other up behind Oliver’s neck to pull him down into a tight hug.
“Thank you,” she whispered, barely finding her voice after such a touching gesture. She and the Doctor weren’t usually ones to stick around for goodbyes, let alone thank-yous; they didn’t do anything for praise or recognition. Zepheera in particular often went unsung, which she was more than fine with since most folk bigger than her were a risk by nature, and most of the universe was much bigger than her. It was quite rare for her to interact with someone even close to her own size, let alone make a connection with them. Something about Oliver was always just right, no matter what.
At first Oliver was slightly startled by the sudden hug he was pulled into. As he registered her hushed gratitude he soon hugged back, sensing that the gifts clearly meant more to her than he had expected.
Zepheera swallowed thickly, not wanting to get overly emotional in front of everyone. “I don’t… You’re a good friend,” she said with a few fond pats to the back of Oliver’s shoulder before she finally let him go.
Smiling softly at her words, Oliver took her free hand into his and gave it a reassuring pat.
“It's not difficult to be good to someone who is a good friend themselves. It's been a delight to meet you and be in your company.” He bowed his head in a gesture of goodwill and fondness, then released her hand and let his own fall back to his sides.
While he sat quietly to let them have their moment, the Doctor did consider Oliver’s offer of hospitality. “Can’t say I won’t pop by once in a while to check in,” he mused as his gaze slid toward Tanner. He gave the kid a playful wink to hopefully take out any serious air lingering around that statement, then glanced back toward Oliver. “Might not be terribly often, though, seems like you’ve got things well in hand here.”
Tanner giggled when he spotted the wink, glad to know that this wasn't a goodbye forever, as much as he was still reluctant to lose two new friends so quickly. He glanced up at Sammy for a moment, debating whether to leave the fur cloak they were both huddled up in or not. His indecisive staring seemed to catch her attention as he found himself suddenly meeting her gaze, averting it swiftly like he had been caught doing something wrong.
Sammy knew exactly what he was thinking with one look, and as reluctant as she was to allow it she also began to accept that maybe—just maybe—the Doctor wasn't like the larger folk she had interacted with in the past. With a sigh, she opened up the cloak and nodded her head in the giant's direction.
“...Go on then.”
Tanner brightened up once he got his sister's approval and, unable to contain his desire, he disappeared in an instant and reappeared standing on the grass just beside one of the Doctor's hands still planted on the ground. He leaned forwards and hugged one of the fingers within his reach, ignoring the awkward angle necessary for it.
“Next time you visit I'll be really good at using my new powers. Promise..!” he chirped enthusiastically, before his tone changed to be quieter, almost hesitant. “P-please don't be gone for too long…”
The Doctor blinked, then chuckled lightly to see Tanner's attempt at hugging his finger. Moving slowly, he lifted his hand– and Tanner along with it– to allow for the room to curl his finger down to be at a better angle for the boy's embrace.
“I'll try not to,” he promised in return, reaching down with his other hand to gently ruffle Tanner's curly hair. “Just keep a cool head, and don't push yourself. You've got plenty of time to figure it out.”
Fascinated as he was by Tanner's very existence, he and Sammy had been through far too much for their ages to subject them to any more stress. The new abilities the kid was beginning to manifest, while intriguing, weren't exactly worrying so far. Certainly something to follow up with down the line, but not monitor all that closely.
It was highly unlikely that Tanner would end up a threat to others or himself, based on the way Aleph seemed to frame their connection with him. And with Oliver and Sammy around, he imagined that was a fairly neutral and safe environment to test those waters.
Tanner beamed in response to the hair ruffle, letting out a soft giggle before finally releasing the Doctor's finger. He hopped backwards with a little salute, then ran over to Zepheera next and hugged her around the waist once Oliver stepped out of the way.
“I hope you have lots of fun adventures and missions with the Doctor..! I'll miss you.” He buried his face in her vest before peering up at her and tilting his head, pitch black pools meeting violet.
“I-I haven't really said goodbye before… I've never gotten to…people just go away someday. But it's nice, because I know you'll come back.” He smiled as he spoke that final sentence, content with the goodbye even though he felt sad too.
Though she hadn’t expected such an enthusiastic goodbye from Tanner, seeing him run up gave Zepheera enough time to anticipate it. She chuckled softly as she gave his smaller shoulders a squeeze with her free arm.
“I’ll miss you, too,” she admitted with a small smile. As she turned it to Sammy and Oliver in turn, she added, “All of you. You’ve no idea how glad I am that you can be together.”
Looking back down to meet Tanner’s inky gaze, Zepheera shifted her grip on him to lay a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “And hey. Since you know we’ll be back, it’s not really ‘goodbye’, is it? It’s just ‘see you later’, and that’s not so bad.”
Tanner's face lit up, nodding enthusiastically.
“See you later! That definitely sounds better…” He stepped back away finally, to return to Sammy's side now that she had moved to stand beside Oliver, his boundless energy causing him to rock on his feet, hands clasped behind his back. “You're so smart, Zepheera, no wonder you're a space borrower.”
Sammy shook her head in amusement, ruffling Tanner's hair as she met Zepheera's gaze with some hesitation. Not out of fear or dislike, just unsure if it was her place to even say goodbye when she felt like all she had been doing this whole time was acting paranoid. Over nothing, apparently. She shoved her hands into the baggy pockets sewed to the sides of her trousers, glaze flickering between the ground and up at Zepheera.
“You’re… nice. Thanks for your help. I'm sorry for..being rude and all.” She lifted a hand to rub the back of her neck awkwardly. “Without you and the Doctor, I don't think I'd ever have gotten Tanner back. Or..even left the lab…”
Tanner's compliment made Zepheera smile so widely, heart swelling to see the boy in such high spirits after everything. Her expression softened as she listened to Sammy and regarded the siblings in turn. They had been through hell and back (quite literally in Tanner's case) and their experiences had obviously changed them inside and out. Truly healing from their experiences would take time.
“No worries at all, love. I get it,” she gently insisted. “It's…not easy to trust that things can be okay when they haven't for so long.”
Sammy managed to force herself to look up at the Doctor, as weird as it felt to do so whilst intentionally pushing down all of the instincts that had built up over the years. “You're not so bad either, space man. Just…you know. Really bloody massive,” she remarked, gesturing vaguely in his direction and wincing slightly at her poor attempt to be more friendly.
“Oh, I've been told. Repeatedly,” the Doctor assured her, briefly cutting his warm gaze toward Zepheera who shot back a smirk. “Not so bad yourself, Sammy.”
His grin remained in place, unfazed by her stilted words; he hardly took it personally, having some sort of idea of what she'd been put through at the hands of people much bigger than her. A fear response was only natural, and it would only do her and her brother some good to have space from things that might harm or trigger them. From what little he could glean about Oliver's burrow out in the peaceful forest, it seemed like the ideal place to achieve that.
A thought occurred to the Doctor, and he pushed himself up to sit on his haunches and dig through the pocket inside his jacket. He quickly extracted a small notepad and pen, jotting something down on the bottom margin and tearing it off.
“And this is for you,” he said as he carefully pinched the paper between two fingers and held it out where Oliver could reach it. “You can reach us here if anything goes wrong, or if you spot any kind of trouble that we might be able to help with.”
Spotting the series of numbers he'd written down, Zepheera remembered Oliver's limited experience with human technology and explained, “Your, erm…friend will know what to do with that.” She chose her words carefully, not wanting to give away that she wasn't the only one in the group who had a giant friend.
Oliver took the note and looked it over, readjusting his glasses only to be snapped out of his thoughts by Zepheera's words. His eyebrows raised in realization of which friend she was referring to, briefly glancing towards his cousins then back to her with a nod. He folded it neatly and placed it in his pack.
“Thank you.” He took a moment to straighten his collar before clearing his throat and offering a solemn smile. “Right. Well… I should get these two settled in and get to work on sleeping arrangements and such… But I wish you luck on your travels.”
He gestured to the burrow, leading his cousins to the door and turning back to look at the two time and space travelers once more and giving a polite wave. Sammy waved more stiffly as Tanner enthusiastically waved to them both.
“Bye bye for now..! I'll tell Aleph you said see you later too!” The boy called out, holding onto his sister's arm with his other hand, huddled under Oliver's fur cloak once again.
The Doctor gave the boy a two fingered salute, and a small, respectful nod to the other two. Down in the grass, Zepheera gave a small wave back, then hesitated briefly before locking eyes with Oliver.
“Stay for takeoff,” she insisted with a warm yet ever so slightly mischievous grin toward him and the young siblings. “It's quite the sight from the outside.”
Clutching Oliver's parting gifts securely to her chest, Zepheera hopped up to stand in the center of the Doctor's waiting palm. They both now found it feeling quite empty without all the extra passengers. As the Doctor lifted her to his shoulder and she settled down alongside his collar, he slowly rose to his feet and took a few careful steps back before turning on his heel and strolling back to the blue box. It was hard to miss in all the greenery, unlike Oliver's cleverly hidden burrow.
Not long after the travelers vanished behind its doors, the light atop the police box began to glow, intensifying in time with a low thrum that the borrowers began to feel pulsing through the ground even at such a distance. A light wind kicked up the foliage just around the box, and it all but heaved an otherworldly noise; a wheezing groan that, in spite of everything, seemed to leave something hopeful in the air.
The intensity of the light fluctuated with each groan, and little by little it all began to fade out of sight. What was once an almost obnoxious blue box standing out in the lush forest slowly became translucent, and then transparent. The noise grew distant until there was nothing left but the dissipating winds muttering in the canopy.
Before long, the woods settled into place as though nothing had been out of place at all.
Oliver watched the takeoff with a sense of awe. He was grateful for the new friendship and for his cousins’ return, feeling a deep sense of admiration towards the Doctor and Zepheera for all they had given him. Internally wishing them well on their future (or past) travels, he gave a small nod of respect to the TARDIS as it faded from view.
Even with such an extraordinary view, his eyes were drawn to watch Sammy and Tanner’s expressions as they stared forward and watched the police box fade. His chest swelled with warmth at the sight, relieved once again to know that they were safe.
Tanner’s face lit up with awe as he watched the TARDIS disappear like a warm breath in the winter air. He smiled and waved until the blue box was completely gone, enjoying the fantastical sight despite his uncertainty about what would follow. It was hard to imagine what it would be like living outside of Ryker’s influence.
Sammy folded her arms around herself as she watched it play out, the weight of everything that had happened and what it meant still feeling heavy even when most of the reasons behind her anxiety were disappearing before her eyes. She sighed when the TARDIS turned completely transparent, a puff of steam escaping her lips.
A cold hand tugged on the threads of her sweater, startling her from her thoughts. She looked down and met Tanner’s bottomless gaze, seeing his own anxious expression and softening instantly. Her arms unfolded, reaching down to pat his head wordlessly. They didn’t need them to understand.
“Come along then you two. Let’s get you back inside where it’s warm.” Oliver’s calming voice spoke up, ushering Sammy and Tanner into his burrow.
As he did, he couldn't help but take one last glance over his shoulder. He had always been cordial with other borrowers when on his rounds or helping people out, but the only real friend he had was James. As a result he had simply accepted that making friends with another of his kind would be almost impossible.
Reluctant as he was to part so soon, he knew they couldn't stay forever. He could only hope that next time they met things would be less chaotic, but for now he had lots of work to do. With one final fond smile he closed the door gently, the warm light that had been pouring out from his burrow disappearing with the view of the inside.
Zepheera had just offered Sammy a clean cloth to dab her hand dry with, and was beginning to explain the burn ointment she wanted to apply would just help it heal and ease the pain. In the middle of her spiel about how it was actually mostly plant-based, hoping to ease any worries about putting more chemicals on her body, she noticed the darkness spreading over Tanner in the corner of her eye. By the time she looked, he had vanished.
“Tanner??” she cried as she jumped to her feet.
“Up here,” said the Doctor, who had seen the other half of Tanner's unexpected disappearing and reappearing act. Zepheera had explained to him what the boy said he'd dreamed, about the promise the void seemed to make with him. Though it was disquieting to learn that the void’s seemingly newfound consciousness remained connected to Tanner in a somewhat direct way, the Doctor was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt if it truly only wanted to protect him.
Pulling a stunt like this was…bizarre, to say the least.
“Tanner…” the Doctor's left eyebrow quirked as he regarded the tiny boy sitting on the bare mattress across from him. “Do you…know how that happened?”
Hearing the Doctor speaking to Tanner made Zepheera's shoulders slump with relief, and she caught her breath from the short burst of adrenaline. For a moment she was worried they'd lost him again, despite Aleph's supposed promise to not take Tanner back to the void.
Sammy was facing away from Tanner when it happened, jolting to attention when Zepheera suddenly exclaimed his name. She turned to see he wasn't there and went rigid, her breathing halting until the Doctor began speaking to Tanner. She relaxed at the same time as Zepheera did, although not fully since now he was out of sight and less easy to reach if in danger. Glancing in Oliver's direction he shook his head again, mouthing for her to take a deep breath. Sammy obliged, again reminding herself of the deal. And the Doctor seems to like Tanner so far at least…he's less likely to hurt him.
Tanner looked himself over, his expression beaming with wonder and curiosity as he processed the sudden transition. It had happened so fast that he didn't have time to be scared of what was happening before the blip was already over. His enthusiastic expression faltered hearing the more…careful tone that the Doctor was using. He shook his head slightly.
“...N-no… um.. but it didn't hurt..! I just thought about how I wanted to come up here, a-and then I was here already…” He had the decency to look sheepish, sensing that the new territory was perhaps not as exciting to everyone else as it was for him. He imagined it would scare him if Sammy suddenly disappeared and reappeared like that, though of course he'd also be curious.
Glancing down at his hands he watched as the darkness fully receded, opening and closing his fists experimentally and tilting his head with a hum. He wondered what else he could do now, coming up with dozens of ideas to try but recognising this wasn't the time.
“I-it must be Aleph…” His pitch black gaze flickered back up to the Doctor more warily, though not with outright fear. “Are you…mad at us..? I-I can tell them not to do that…” A pause. “Once I figure out how to talk to them…not in my sleep…”
“Oh! Oh, no no, sorry, no. I'm not mad at you,” the Doctor insisted as his brow jumped up and he actively softened his expression. He didn't often speak with others Zepheera's size, but she never hesitated to remind him that he could come across more intimidating than he intended just with a look. He offered Tanner a more lighthearted grin like he had when they were talking before. “I just didn't think this was something they might do, that's all. Seemed they were more inclined to interfere if you were in danger, but…acting based on your strong desire alone was unexpected.”
The Doctor tugged thoughtfully at an earlobe, struggling to keep his thoughts straight. The concern for Tanner's safety fought tooth and nail against his curiosity about what exactly this avatar of the void could do. And, more importantly, whether or not Tanner had any control over it.
Deciding to indulge a little, he held one hand palm-up about halfway between himself and Tanner. It was a good several inches away from the edge of the bed the boy was on, and in his weakened state he couldn't easily bridge the gap on his own. If he weren't symbiotically linked with the void.
“Can you come here?” The Doctor invited gently. He didn't want to risk giving Tanner the task of simply returning to the nest under the bed; aiming for a target out of his sight was risky, and if Tanner overshot he could easily end up in some remote corner of the TARDIS. The Doctor's hand was a smaller jump that was well within Tanner's sights.
Not wanting to put too much pressure on the boy, he insisted, “It's alright if you don't want to, or if you try but can't quite do it. I won't be upset, and I won't let anything happen.”
Tanner was quick to peek back up when the Doctor's expression softened, seeing the small grin and recognizing that meant he genuinely wasn't going to snap at him for what he did— it was an accident anyway. His mind quickly returned to wondering what exactly his capabilities were as he wobbled to his feet on the unsteady surface of the bed.
Seeing the Doctor bring a hand forward, Tanner was startled from his train of thought, face scrunching with confusion as he registered that the hand was too far to simply step into… the realization hit him moments later, a smile spreading on his face. He nodded eagerly but tried to focus on the task he had been assigned. The Doctor's reassurances certainly helped him put all of his focus towards willing himself to teleport into the man's open palm.
After several seconds of directing all of his thoughts towards learning this new skill, finally the darkness spread over his body and he disappeared. Now that he was actually in better control of the process he realized how much it really just felt like doing something as simple as blinking…but for now, because he was unpracticed it was like blinking whilst having an extremely dry eye and having to remind your body to do it.
He subconsciously closed his eyes during the teleportation, opening them to find himself successfully standing in the Doctor's palm. The boy cheered in celebration…then toppled over the side of his palm. He let out a short yelp as gravity hit him.
“Whoa, now!” the Doctor exclaimed. His free hand swooped in quickly to catch Tanner, having anticipated a tumble after seeing how precarious his landing had been. He caught the boy gently, fingers curling in over his head just enough to ensure he stayed safely in the center of his palm. They unfurled before too long as the Doctor lifted Tanner a little closer to eye level to make doubly sure that he didn't get hurt despite the relatively short fall.
Even with the slight scare, the Doctor’s friendly smile remained in place. “That was quite good,” he told Tanner, impressed that he seemed to have some level of control over the new ability after all. “For now, though, I think solid ground will be better for practice.”
Movement in the corner of the Doctor's eye caught his attention, and he glanced down to find that Zepheera had approached the edge of the blanket under the bed, peering up to see what he and Tanner were up to. She wasn't quite stern with him yet, but certainly concerned about what exactly was going on with the boy out of sight. Realizing he might have gotten a touch carried away, the Doctor gave a sheepish cough before turning back to Tanner.
A little shaken by the sudden fall, Tanner blinked in surprise when he realized the Doctor had caught him. His body relaxed again. He still wasn't completely used to the feeling of falling or gravity in general so it had been a lot more alarming than he thought it would be. He sat back up, beaming at the praise.
“C’mon. Let's getcha back down.” Letting his fingers curl slightly around Tanner to make sure he didn't slip off, the Doctor almost delicately unfolded his legs and let his feet touch down on the floor. Then he crouched down slowly and let his hand flatten just beside the blankets where Tanner had been sitting previously.
As reluctant as he was to leave the Doctor's hand, the boy climbed off onto the blankets and glanced towards the others. Sammy looked stiff, but she wasn't dragging him back away from the Doctor so that meant she had to have changed her views on him at least somewhat. She looked concerned, sure, but she was doing a better job at disguising it this time. On the other hand, Tanner couldn't really tell what Oliver was thinking; he could just tell that the man was thinking a lot.
“I-I'm okay..!” he called out as reassurance. Turning back to the Doctor's looming visage he offered a smile and patted the tip of his finger as a sincere gesture.
“I think Sammy does believe you're good…she's just…um… confused about why. Ryker was nice sometimes…a-and sometimes he wasn't…p-plus she's met way more humans than me.” He spoke in a slightly hushed tone, trying not to make his sister feel embarrassed.
The Doctor listened with a soft smile and gave an almost imperceptible nod to show he understood. He'd guessed that whatever Sammy had been put through had been incredibly traumatizing, which is why he'd elected to be as hands-off as he could manage. The last thing he wanted was to make anything worse, but he could also accept that it wasn't necessarily about him as much as Sammy's perception of him, and he could do very little to change that in a short time.
He gave Tanner's tiny shoulder a gentle poke and nodded in a silent ‘run along’ gesture. Leaning down just enough to spot Oliver, the Doctor sent him a wink and lightly half-joked, “Heads up there, Oliver, you're gonna have your hands full with this one.”
Tanner nodded back, and at the gesture he took a few steps back before walking back over to Sammy's side and settling down. He scanned Oliver over curiously again, still not entirely sure how to feel about him. He gave an odd sense of familiarity but for some reason that mixed with him being new and made him feel a bit shy towards the older borrower.
Catching that Tanner was looking at him he offered a polite smile before chuckling at the Doctor's words. “Yes… I believe so.” His gaze lowered to the boy and he raised an eyebrow. “I'd rather you don't teleport without supervision. My burrow is in a peaceful area, but there are still many dangerous creatures I don't think you want to come across alone.”
Tanner nodded, leaning against Sammy's side. “You’re an outdoor borrower..?” he asked, tilting his head. Oliver smiled, nodding right back.
“Yes. I understand you don't remember me, I lived with you and your parents only until you were three,” he explained gently. He could still remember what it had been like living with his younger cousins and getting to see them every day; simpler days. He still made sure to visit most years, but he had missed that life, when he wasn't so busy and could just enjoy being around family. “I used to bring you stories about space.”
Tanner perked up upon hearing that. “O-oh..! I…think I remember. I remember the bedtime stories at least. Did you learn them from the Doctor..?” he questioned. Oliver shook his head, smiling at the innocent question.
“Ah. No… I only met Zepheera and the Doctor yesterday. I encountered the Doctor whilst traveling and it led to…all of this.” He gestured around to the group gathered in the nest of sheets. “Something I am incredibly grateful for.”
As she returned to Sammy's side, Zepheera did a poor job of hiding a grin.
“Dunno what we would have done if we hadn't bumped into you,” she agreed, dropping to a seat next to the siblings and unscrewing the cap on the ointment tube. With hardly a glance down, she scooped out a tiny amount and let it spread across her fingertips almost absently to demonstrate that it wasn't harmful without making a show of it. “Couldn't have asked for a better guide, and that was before all this became a family matter.”
Zepheera's violet gaze turned to Sammy, and she offered a smile that dared to hold a little hope in it. Then she reached out her clean hand and nodded to Sammy's injured one, silently inviting the slightest show of trust.
Sammy watched the whole display with caution, but relented when it was apparent that the ointment was harmless. She hesitantly lifted her burned hand towards Zepheera, wincing again as the air irritated her stinging skin with the slightest movements. The burn didn't appear too bad, although the scar would probably be faintly visible. She rested her hand in Zepheera's, instinctively flinching from the contact with a wince before taking a breath and relaxing.
“If I had not bumped into you both, who knows when I would have gotten my cousins back. It makes me feel ill to even imagine that…” Oliver responded sincerely. The nausea he felt when picturing his cousins hurt and not within his reach or protection was only more tolerable because of the tea that he was still delicately sipping from. “I never stopped searching… not since the day I found the old den disheveled and destroyed.”
Tanner watched with curiosity as Zepheera coated Sammy's burn with a weird-looking gel, before looking up at Oliver with an equally inquisitive gaze.
“Really? You're like…a knight! In those stories— where they rescue someone and make friends with a dragon…” he pointed out. Oliver smiled gently and chuckled, nodding along to the innocent comparison. He recalled fond memories of having to change most of those kinds of stories because both Tanner and Sammy would always complain if the dragon was slain.
“I suppose in a way I am. Though I still had help,” Oliver responded slowly, not intending to correct the boy but just emphasizing his gratitude towards the Doctor and Zepheera.
“Just glad we could be of help,” Zepheera sighed in return. Once she applied a generous amount of ointment to Sammy's burn, she started to loosely wrap it in a trimmed-down bandage and secured it with a knot at her wrist. She backed off right away when she was done, knowing she'd probably barely earned enough trust for Sammy to let her dress her burn like that.
With a bit of a smirk towards Oliver, she said, “Although, I could definitely picture you in one of those stories where they fight off giants after yesterday.” Zepheera then turned that look, full of admiration as well as amusement, to Tanner. After hearing a little more about the complicated history they'd had with Ryker, she decided to leave out the details for now and simply told the boy, “Your cousin is very brave. If I know one thing, it's that you and Sammy are gonna be safe as houses in that burrow.”
Oliver scratched the back of his neck sheepishly at the praise, his expression softening again when he caught the awed look on Tanner's face.
“Well, that is my job as your cousin. And now as your guardian.” He reached forward and patted both of his cousins on the head with a smile. There was a determined, firm glint in his eyes. “Anything or anyone that wants to do you any harm will have to get through me first. And they'll quickly find I'm much tougher than you'd think.”
Sammy couldn't help but feel genuinely reassured by his words, her mind instantly flashing back to how he had behaved towards Ryker and what she already knew about Oliver. He had always been a smart and protective figure in her life; someone she looked up to as strong and capable and smart. This was no exception. If anything he had solidified that idea of himself further.
Tanner beamed back at the older borrower at his assurance, before turning to Zepheera.
“Oh oh! I wanted to ask… what do you and the Doctor do in space? I wish I could travel around space too… I feel like stardust would taste sweet, like berries— and...and the stars are super pretty. I think… I haven't seen them… Ryker showed me some pictures once,” he explained enthusiastically.
“Mostly, it is just travel,” she told him, more than happy to indulge his curiosity. “There's so much to see out there, so the Doctor and I like to take the scenic routes, or discover new places. And sometimes… Well, a lot of the time, actually, we find there's some kind of trouble, and we try to help out.”
Leaning in toward Tanner, Zepheera gave him an almost conspiratorial look as she said, “Haven't tried stardust yet. I'll have to see if I can get him to take me to try some, and I'll get back to you.”
“Well…” the Doctor chimed in, having sat back between the two beds pretending not to listen to their conversation until that point.
“Oh, hush up,” Zepheera rolled her eyes, sensing a correction coming from the Time Lord and cutting it off before he could inadvertently take away the magic for Tanner.
Tanner snickered in amusement overhearing the interaction, immediately engaged with the topic. He didn't know much about space but he could talk about it and listen to stories about it for ages— that and dragons, he loved both topics. He could faintly remember having a stuffed dragon when he was younger, though he wasn't entirely sure of what happened to it. Probably got lost in the den…
Thinking about that particular part of his childhood he perked up, another idea lighting up in his brain.
“Have you ever met a dragon before? Maybe there's a whole planet full of dragons..! Or…a planet that's just made of living stuffed animals— where the floor is all pillows and blankets.” He felt the soft floor beneath them as he imagined exactly that.
Zepheera blinked and hesitated, not quite sure how to respond. She couldn't confirm that anything Tanner imagined could be real, but she couldn't deny it either. She had seen some fantastical things while traveling with the Doctor, after all.
“Oh, there's definitely a planet full of dragons,” the Doctor confirmed, his grin audible despite being out of sight of the borrowers. “Unktenari, I think it was. Lovely place, should go back to visit sometime.”
“What, seriously?” said Zepheera incredulously. She certainly believed him, but hadn't expected such a direct answer about it.
“Oh yes! Where d'you think the fairy tales come from? Had a bit of an…incident in the dark ages a while back, some Unktenarians ended up where they shouldn't be. Not their fault they frightened the locals, and had to defend themselves when they started–”
A pointed cough from Zepheera cut the Doctor off from going into the darker details of whatever story he was about to dive into. He gave a sheepish chuckle and concluded, “Anyway. Did manage to get them home safe and sound in the end. Beautiful creatures…wickedly brilliant, too! Shame they had to get vilified in the legends.”
Oliver and Sammy both let out a collective sigh of relief when the Doctor avoided telling the boy the truth about what had happened. They both knew very well how upset Tanner would get if the dragon ended up slain, even though that was the traditional way those types of fairy tales were told.
“Unktenari…” Tanner breathed, infatuated by the information. His curiosity and enthusiasm seemed never ending; which was understandable, given how much of his life he had spent trapped in a glass box; of course his head was in the clouds.
Perking up again, he turned to look at the Doctor with a big smile on his face, head tilted to one side.
“What planet do you come from?”
It was the Doctor’s turn to hesitate. He carefully kept up a pleasant expression, even as certain memories flashed by in his mind’s eye. Memories, and some regrets… Shaking that off quickly, he leaned his elbows on his knees to have a better angle for Tanner.
“It’s a planet called Gallifrey.” Though the Doctor’s demeanor stayed bright, his words were weighed down by a quiet, somber undertone. “And it’s…very, very far from here.”
Sammy recognized the somber undertone and frowned to herself, not looking in the Doctor's direction and not asking further about it. Oliver also noticed and chose not to call attention to it, although he could formulate about a dozen or more reasons why the man had such a subdued explanation of his planet when he seemed so willing to rant about anything else.
Resisting the impulse to tap on his legs to segue from the topic, mindful of the more skittish smaller folk in present company, the Doctor gave the group a grin.
“Talking of home: I reckon that’s a place where we ought to get you lot very soon! I took the liberty of piloting the TARDIS to the location Gail helped me triangulate, though I dunno exactly how close I ended up parking her.” Looking between the kids and their cousin, he prudently offered, “I can give you another lift if there’s a hurry. If there isn’t, you’re more than welcome to make your own way to the front, Zepheera can show you how to get there. Makes no difference to me, whatever's preferable…” He trailed off when he caught himself about to start rambling.
“Aww.. so soon? Okay…” Tanner whined. He still felt a little hesitant to leave, not only because he liked the TARDIS and the pair living inside, but also because he felt anxious to go outside. It would be the first time he could remember— he didn't even know what grass looked like. He wasn't sure what to picture, so his mind automatically filled in the uncertainty with a void. He fidgeted at the thought, although he knew logically that wasn't what the outside world looked like.
“You'll like it at Oliver's burrow, Tanner. He kept your old dragon stuffy too— do you remember?” Sammy asked softly, noticing his nervousness and sympathizing with the reaction. She had felt the same when leaving Ryker's lab at first. It all felt so alien, and she expected it would be doubly so for her brother because she knew he hardly remembered much besides the occasional memory before Ryker.
Tanner nodded, perking up at the idea of seeing his old friend again. His blackened gaze returned to his hands as they fidgeted in his lap, wanting to ask if they could get a ride from the Doctor whilst simultaneously not wanting to upset his sister. She saw his hesitant expression and sighed, glancing towards the Doctor.
“Fine. We'll…we'll have a lift. Just don't try anything funny, alright spaceman?” She shot him a look, able to manage her anxiety about his presence enough to keep the trembling out of her voice.
The corner of the Doctor’s lip twitched slightly to hear the nickname yet again, used more directly this time– more like how he got used to hearing it. “Loud and clear,” he agreed, then slowly pushed himself up to stand.
Zepheera had just offered Sammy a clean cloth to dab her hand dry with, and was beginning to explain the burn ointment she wanted to apply would just help it heal and ease the pain. In the middle of her spiel about how it was actually mostly plant-based, hoping to ease any worries about putting more chemicals on her body, she noticed the darkness spreading over Tanner in the corner of her eye. By the time she looked, he had vanished.
“Tanner??” she cried as she jumped to her feet.
“Up here,” said the Doctor, who had seen the other half of Tanner's unexpected disappearing and reappearing act. Zepheera had explained to him what the boy said he'd dreamed, about the promise the void seemed to make with him. Though it was disquieting to learn that the void’s seemingly newfound consciousness remained connected to Tanner in a somewhat direct way, the Doctor was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt if it truly only wanted to protect him.
Pulling a stunt like this was…bizarre, to say the least.
“Tanner…” the Doctor's left eyebrow quirked as he regarded the tiny boy sitting on the bare mattress across from him. “Do you…know how that happened?”
Hearing the Doctor speaking to Tanner made Zepheera's shoulders slump with relief, and she caught her breath from the short burst of adrenaline. For a moment she was worried they'd lost him again, despite Aleph's supposed promise to not take Tanner back to the void.
Sammy was facing away from Tanner when it happened, jolting to attention when Zepheera suddenly exclaimed his name. She turned to see he wasn't there and went rigid, her breathing halting until the Doctor began speaking to Tanner. She relaxed at the same time as Zepheera did, although not fully since now he was out of sight and less easy to reach if in danger. Glancing in Oliver's direction he shook his head again, mouthing for her to take a deep breath. Sammy obliged, again reminding herself of the deal. And the Doctor seems to like Tanner so far at least…he's less likely to hurt him.
Tanner looked himself over, his expression beaming with wonder and curiosity as he processed the sudden transition. It had happened so fast that he didn't have time to be scared of what was happening before the blip was already over. His enthusiastic expression faltered hearing the more…careful tone that the Doctor was using. He shook his head slightly.
“...N-no… um.. but it didn't hurt..! I just thought about how I wanted to come up here, a-and then I was here already…” He had the decency to look sheepish, sensing that the new territory was perhaps not as exciting to everyone else as it was for him. He imagined it would scare him if Sammy suddenly disappeared and reappeared like that, though of course he'd also be curious.
Glancing down at his hands he watched as the darkness fully receded, opening and closing his fists experimentally and tilting his head with a hum. He wondered what else he could do now, coming up with dozens of ideas to try but recognising this wasn't the time.
“I-it must be Aleph…” His pitch black gaze flickered back up to the Doctor more warily, though not with outright fear. “Are you…mad at us..? I-I can tell them not to do that…” A pause. “Once I figure out how to talk to them…not in my sleep…”
“Oh! Oh, no no, sorry, no. I'm not mad at you,” the Doctor insisted as his brow jumped up and he actively softened his expression. He didn't often speak with others Zepheera's size, but she never hesitated to remind him that he could come across more intimidating than he intended just with a look. He offered Tanner a more lighthearted grin like he had when they were talking before. “I just didn't think this was something they might do, that's all. Seemed they were more inclined to interfere if you were in danger, but…acting based on your strong desire alone was unexpected.”
The Doctor tugged thoughtfully at an earlobe, struggling to keep his thoughts straight. The concern for Tanner's safety fought tooth and nail against his curiosity about what exactly this avatar of the void could do. And, more importantly, whether or not Tanner had any control over it.
Deciding to indulge a little, he held one hand palm-up about halfway between himself and Tanner. It was a good several inches away from the edge of the bed the boy was on, and in his weakened state he couldn't easily bridge the gap on his own. If he weren't symbiotically linked with the void.
“Can you come here?” The Doctor invited gently. He didn't want to risk giving Tanner the task of simply returning to the nest under the bed; aiming for a target out of his sight was risky, and if Tanner overshot he could easily end up in some remote corner of the TARDIS. The Doctor's hand was a smaller jump that was well within Tanner's sights.
Not wanting to put too much pressure on the boy, he insisted, “It's alright if you don't want to, or if you try but can't quite do it. I won't be upset, and I won't let anything happen.”
Tanner was quick to peek back up when the Doctor's expression softened, seeing the small grin and recognizing that meant he genuinely wasn't going to snap at him for what he did— it was an accident anyway. His mind quickly returned to wondering what exactly his capabilities were as he wobbled to his feet on the unsteady surface of the bed.
Seeing the Doctor bring a hand forward, Tanner was startled from his train of thought, face scrunching with confusion as he registered that the hand was too far to simply step into… the realization hit him moments later, a smile spreading on his face. He nodded eagerly but tried to focus on the task he had been assigned. The Doctor's reassurances certainly helped him put all of his focus towards willing himself to teleport into the man's open palm.
After several seconds of directing all of his thoughts towards learning this new skill, finally the darkness spread over his body and he disappeared. Now that he was actually in better control of the process he realized how much it really just felt like doing something as simple as blinking…but for now, because he was unpracticed it was like blinking whilst having an extremely dry eye and having to remind your body to do it.
He subconsciously closed his eyes during the teleportation, opening them to find himself successfully standing in the Doctor's palm. The boy cheered in celebration…then toppled over the side of his palm. He let out a short yelp as gravity hit him.
“Whoa, now!” the Doctor exclaimed. His free hand swooped in quickly to catch Tanner, having anticipated a tumble after seeing how precarious his landing had been. He caught the boy gently, fingers curling in over his head just enough to ensure he stayed safely in the center of his palm. They unfurled before too long as the Doctor lifted Tanner a little closer to eye level to make doubly sure that he didn't get hurt despite the relatively short fall.
Even with the slight scare, the Doctor’s friendly smile remained in place. “That was quite good,” he told Tanner, impressed that he seemed to have some level of control over the new ability after all. “For now, though, I think solid ground will be better for practice.”
Movement in the corner of the Doctor's eye caught his attention, and he glanced down to find that Zepheera had approached the edge of the blanket under the bed, peering up to see what he and Tanner were up to. She wasn't quite stern with him yet, but certainly concerned about what exactly was going on with the boy out of sight. Realizing he might have gotten a touch carried away, the Doctor gave a sheepish cough before turning back to Tanner.
A little shaken by the sudden fall, Tanner blinked in surprise when he realized the Doctor had caught him. His body relaxed again. He still wasn't completely used to the feeling of falling or gravity in general so it had been a lot more alarming than he thought it would be. He sat back up, beaming at the praise.
“C’mon. Let's getcha back down.” Letting his fingers curl slightly around Tanner to make sure he didn't slip off, the Doctor almost delicately unfolded his legs and let his feet touch down on the floor. Then he crouched down slowly and let his hand flatten just beside the blankets where Tanner had been sitting previously.
As reluctant as he was to leave the Doctor's hand, the boy climbed off onto the blankets and glanced towards the others. Sammy looked stiff, but she wasn't dragging him back away from the Doctor so that meant she had to have changed her views on him at least somewhat. She looked concerned, sure, but she was doing a better job at disguising it this time. On the other hand, Tanner couldn't really tell what Oliver was thinking; he could just tell that the man was thinking a lot.
“I-I'm okay..!” he called out as reassurance. Turning back to the Doctor's looming visage he offered a smile and patted the tip of his finger as a sincere gesture.
“I think Sammy does believe you're good…she's just…um… confused about why. Ryker was nice sometimes…a-and sometimes he wasn't…p-plus she's met way more humans than me.” He spoke in a slightly hushed tone, trying not to make his sister feel embarrassed.
The Doctor listened with a soft smile and gave an almost imperceptible nod to show he understood. He'd guessed that whatever Sammy had been put through had been incredibly traumatizing, which is why he'd elected to be as hands-off as he could manage. The last thing he wanted was to make anything worse, but he could also accept that it wasn't necessarily about him as much as Sammy's perception of him, and he could do very little to change that in a short time.
He gave Tanner's tiny shoulder a gentle poke and nodded in a silent ‘run along’ gesture. Leaning down just enough to spot Oliver, the Doctor sent him a wink and lightly half-joked, “Heads up there, Oliver, you're gonna have your hands full with this one.”
Tanner nodded back, and at the gesture he took a few steps back before walking back over to Sammy's side and settling down. He scanned Oliver over curiously again, still not entirely sure how to feel about him. He gave an odd sense of familiarity but for some reason that mixed with him being new and made him feel a bit shy towards the older borrower.
Catching that Tanner was looking at him he offered a polite smile before chuckling at the Doctor's words. “Yes… I believe so.” His gaze lowered to the boy and he raised an eyebrow. “I'd rather you don't teleport without supervision. My burrow is in a peaceful area, but there are still many dangerous creatures I don't think you want to come across alone.”
Tanner nodded, leaning against Sammy's side. “You’re an outdoor borrower..?” he asked, tilting his head. Oliver smiled, nodding right back.
“Yes. I understand you don't remember me, I lived with you and your parents only until you were three,” he explained gently. He could still remember what it had been like living with his younger cousins and getting to see them every day; simpler days. He still made sure to visit most years, but he had missed that life, when he wasn't so busy and could just enjoy being around family. “I used to bring you stories about space.”
Tanner perked up upon hearing that. “O-oh..! I…think I remember. I remember the bedtime stories at least. Did you learn them from the Doctor..?” he questioned. Oliver shook his head, smiling at the innocent question.
“Ah. No… I only met Zepheera and the Doctor yesterday. I encountered the Doctor whilst traveling and it led to…all of this.” He gestured around to the group gathered in the nest of sheets. “Something I am incredibly grateful for.”
As she returned to Sammy's side, Zepheera did a poor job of hiding a grin.
“Dunno what we would have done if we hadn't bumped into you,” she agreed, dropping to a seat next to the siblings and unscrewing the cap on the ointment tube. With hardly a glance down, she scooped out a tiny amount and let it spread across her fingertips almost absently to demonstrate that it wasn't harmful without making a show of it. “Couldn't have asked for a better guide, and that was before all this became a family matter.”
Zepheera's violet gaze turned to Sammy, and she offered a smile that dared to hold a little hope in it. Then she reached out her clean hand and nodded to Sammy's injured one, silently inviting the slightest show of trust.
Sammy watched the whole display with caution, but relented when it was apparent that the ointment was harmless. She hesitantly lifted her burned hand towards Zepheera, wincing again as the air irritated her stinging skin with the slightest movements. The burn didn't appear too bad, although the scar would probably be faintly visible. She rested her hand in Zepheera's, instinctively flinching from the contact with a wince before taking a breath and relaxing.
“If I had not bumped into you both, who knows when I would have gotten my cousins back. It makes me feel ill to even imagine that…” Oliver responded sincerely. The nausea he felt when picturing his cousins hurt and not within his reach or protection was only more tolerable because of the tea that he was still delicately sipping from. “I never stopped searching… not since the day I found the old den disheveled and destroyed.”
Tanner watched with curiosity as Zepheera coated Sammy's burn with a weird-looking gel, before looking up at Oliver with an equally inquisitive gaze.
“Really? You're like…a knight! In those stories— where they rescue someone and make friends with a dragon…” he pointed out. Oliver smiled gently and chuckled, nodding along to the innocent comparison. He recalled fond memories of having to change most of those kinds of stories because both Tanner and Sammy would always complain if the dragon was slain.
“I suppose in a way I am. Though I still had help,” Oliver responded slowly, not intending to correct the boy but just emphasizing his gratitude towards the Doctor and Zepheera.
“Just glad we could be of help,” Zepheera sighed in return. Once she applied a generous amount of ointment to Sammy's burn, she started to loosely wrap it in a trimmed-down bandage and secured it with a knot at her wrist. She backed off right away when she was done, knowing she'd probably barely earned enough trust for Sammy to let her dress her burn like that.
With a bit of a smirk towards Oliver, she said, “Although, I could definitely picture you in one of those stories where they fight off giants after yesterday.” Zepheera then turned that look, full of admiration as well as amusement, to Tanner. After hearing a little more about the complicated history they'd had with Ryker, she decided to leave out the details for now and simply told the boy, “Your cousin is very brave. If I know one thing, it's that you and Sammy are gonna be safe as houses in that burrow.”
Oliver scratched the back of his neck sheepishly at the praise, his expression softening again when he caught the awed look on Tanner's face.
“Well, that is my job as your cousin. And now as your guardian.” He reached forward and patted both of his cousins on the head with a smile. There was a determined, firm glint in his eyes. “Anything or anyone that wants to do you any harm will have to get through me first. And they'll quickly find I'm much tougher than you'd think.”
Sammy couldn't help but feel genuinely reassured by his words, her mind instantly flashing back to how he had behaved towards Ryker and what she already knew about Oliver. He had always been a smart and protective figure in her life; someone she looked up to as strong and capable and smart. This was no exception. If anything he had solidified that idea of himself further.
Tanner beamed back at the older borrower at his assurance, before turning to Zepheera.
“Oh oh! I wanted to ask… what do you and the Doctor do in space? I wish I could travel around space too… I feel like stardust would taste sweet, like berries— and...and the stars are super pretty. I think… I haven't seen them… Ryker showed me some pictures once,” he explained enthusiastically.
“Mostly, it is just travel,” she told him, more than happy to indulge his curiosity. “There's so much to see out there, so the Doctor and I like to take the scenic routes, or discover new places. And sometimes… Well, a lot of the time, actually, we find there's some kind of trouble, and we try to help out.”
Leaning in toward Tanner, Zepheera gave him an almost conspiratorial look as she said, “Haven't tried stardust yet. I'll have to see if I can get him to take me to try some, and I'll get back to you.”
“Well…” the Doctor chimed in, having sat back between the two beds pretending not to listen to their conversation until that point.
“Oh, hush up,” Zepheera rolled her eyes, sensing a correction coming from the Time Lord and cutting it off before he could inadvertently take away the magic for Tanner.
Tanner snickered in amusement overhearing the interaction, immediately engaged with the topic. He didn't know much about space but he could talk about it and listen to stories about it for ages— that and dragons, he loved both topics. He could faintly remember having a stuffed dragon when he was younger, though he wasn't entirely sure of what happened to it. Probably got lost in the den…
Thinking about that particular part of his childhood he perked up, another idea lighting up in his brain.
“Have you ever met a dragon before? Maybe there's a whole planet full of dragons..! Or…a planet that's just made of living stuffed animals— where the floor is all pillows and blankets.” He felt the soft floor beneath them as he imagined exactly that.
Zepheera blinked and hesitated, not quite sure how to respond. She couldn't confirm that anything Tanner imagined could be real, but she couldn't deny it either. She had seen some fantastical things while traveling with the Doctor, after all.
“Oh, there's definitely a planet full of dragons,” the Doctor confirmed, his grin audible despite being out of sight of the borrowers. “Unktenari, I think it was. Lovely place, should go back to visit sometime.”
“What, seriously?” said Zepheera incredulously. She certainly believed him, but hadn't expected such a direct answer about it.
“Oh yes! Where d'you think the fairy tales come from? Had a bit of an…incident in the dark ages a while back, some Unktenarians ended up where they shouldn't be. Not their fault they frightened the locals, and had to defend themselves when they started–”
A pointed cough from Zepheera cut the Doctor off from going into the darker details of whatever story he was about to dive into. He gave a sheepish chuckle and concluded, “Anyway. Did manage to get them home safe and sound in the end. Beautiful creatures…wickedly brilliant, too! Shame they had to get vilified in the legends.”
Oliver and Sammy both let out a collective sigh of relief when the Doctor avoided telling the boy the truth about what had happened. They both knew very well how upset Tanner would get if the dragon ended up slain, even though that was the traditional way those types of fairy tales were told.
“Unktenari…” Tanner breathed, infatuated by the information. His curiosity and enthusiasm seemed never ending; which was understandable, given how much of his life he had spent trapped in a glass box; of course his head was in the clouds.
Perking up again, he turned to look at the Doctor with a big smile on his face, head tilted to one side.
“What planet do you come from?”
It was the Doctor’s turn to hesitate. He carefully kept up a pleasant expression, even as certain memories flashed by in his mind’s eye. Memories, and some regrets… Shaking that off quickly, he leaned his elbows on his knees to have a better angle for Tanner.
“It’s a planet called Gallifrey.” Though the Doctor’s demeanor stayed bright, his words were weighed down by a quiet, somber undertone. “And it’s…very, very far from here.”
Sammy recognized the somber undertone and frowned to herself, not looking in the Doctor's direction and not asking further about it. Oliver also noticed and chose not to call attention to it, although he could formulate about a dozen or more reasons why the man had such a subdued explanation of his planet when he seemed so willing to rant about anything else.
Resisting the impulse to tap on his legs to segue from the topic, mindful of the more skittish smaller folk in present company, the Doctor gave the group a grin.
“Talking of home: I reckon that’s a place where we ought to get you lot very soon! I took the liberty of piloting the TARDIS to the location Gail helped me triangulate, though I dunno exactly how close I ended up parking her.” Looking between the kids and their cousin, he prudently offered, “I can give you another lift if there’s a hurry. If there isn’t, you’re more than welcome to make your own way to the front, Zepheera can show you how to get there. Makes no difference to me, whatever's preferable…” He trailed off when he caught himself about to start rambling.
“Aww.. so soon? Okay…” Tanner whined. He still felt a little hesitant to leave, not only because he liked the TARDIS and the pair living inside, but also because he felt anxious to go outside. It would be the first time he could remember— he didn't even know what grass looked like. He wasn't sure what to picture, so his mind automatically filled in the uncertainty with a void. He fidgeted at the thought, although he knew logically that wasn't what the outside world looked like.
“You'll like it at Oliver's burrow, Tanner. He kept your old dragon stuffy too— do you remember?” Sammy asked softly, noticing his nervousness and sympathizing with the reaction. She had felt the same when leaving Ryker's lab at first. It all felt so alien, and she expected it would be doubly so for her brother because she knew he hardly remembered much besides the occasional memory before Ryker.
Tanner nodded, perking up at the idea of seeing his old friend again. His blackened gaze returned to his hands as they fidgeted in his lap, wanting to ask if they could get a ride from the Doctor whilst simultaneously not wanting to upset his sister. She saw his hesitant expression and sighed, glancing towards the Doctor.
“Fine. We'll…we'll have a lift. Just don't try anything funny, alright spaceman?” She shot him a look, able to manage her anxiety about his presence enough to keep the trembling out of her voice.
The corner of the Doctor’s lip twitched slightly to hear the nickname yet again, used more directly this time– more like how he got used to hearing it. “Loud and clear,” he agreed, then slowly pushed himself up to stand.
