A LEAP IN TIME

Chapter Four

Sam waited until they were out of earshot before he looked over his shoulder at Al who was calmly smoking his cigar.

"What took you so long?" he muttered to him. "I've never been on an alien planet before and I was scared this Doctor would catch on that I'm not Rose. He's a lot smarter than he appears."

"You ain't just whistlin' Dixie, pal. According to his pissed off, sweetie, he's some sort of alien super genius who travels time and space righting wrongs, much like you do, only he travels around in a time machine called a TARDIS. T…A…R…D…I…S, stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space, catchy name, actually. But yes, the man is one of the most brilliant minds who has ever lived, so you better watch your p's and q's with this one."

"Great," Sam said, throwing up his hands. "How am I supposed to compete with that?"

"Talk to him about quantum theory. He might actually stay awake, unlike the rest of us who used to be bored by your long, passionate orations on why quantum theory was so damn cool."

"Ha ha," Sam said as Al gave him an impish grin. "What else did Rose say?"

"If this Sam hurts the Doctor, I'll kill him, her words," Al said.

"Yes, you told me that before along with how sexy she was."

"That she is. If the Doctor ever tires of her, I'll certainly take her on the rebound," Al said, wagging his eyebrows.

Sam rolled his eyeballs.

"What about their relationship?"

"Well…" Al said after taking a long drag on his cigar, "she was a bit tight lipped on that but from what she did tell me, I get the feeling that it's not as intimate as you think. I think it's more of a semi-serious thing, although I think Rose really does love him. From what she's told me, the Doctor can be both warm and loving and aloof and distant, depending on mood, I guess. He seems to be a complicated person at best."

"Yeah, tell me about it. Just as long as I don't have sex with him, I'll be happy."

"If he's not having sex with ya, the man's a total idiot. He may be the biggest brain in the universe but even brainiacs can be brain dead down there, if you catch my drift."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Sam said, trying not to encourage a sexual discussion about Rose. "What about why I'm here?"

"Well, that's also a bit iffy. Rose says that they run into evildoers and monsters all the time so there's no telling what's gonna happen while you're here."

"So…what you're telling me is a bellhop could leap out at me and stab me in the throat with a knife."

Al punched that into his computer.

"Ziggy says there's a 3 percent probability of death by bellhop."

"Gee, thanks, Al," Sam said while his friend sniggered. "So what you're telling me is I basically need to be on my guard at all times because anything can happen."

"Yeah, pretty much, buddy. This time, you could be savaged by a hundred eyed alien or stabbed in the gut by a wacko human rooming next to you. Rose told me that since she's traveled with the Doctor, she's seen amazing, incredible things that you wouldn't believe. Personally, I think her tits top any amazing, incredible thing she's seen but then again, that's just me."

"You know, there are times when I'm glad I'm doing the leaping and not you. Because I can just picture you lying on bed in your hotel room, stroking yourself until an alien monster really did leap out of the closet and kill ya."

"Yeah, but…what a way to go, eh?" Al said with a wistful smile. "Anyway, Ziggy's still working on finding out what the exact threat is. In the meantime, I suggest doing what any vacationer would do at an alien resort on a distant planet and relax. Rose seemed confident and self-assured and if she's faced half the things she's said she's faced and still has her sanity, I say follow her lead and have some fun. Keep alert but don't be paranoid of every little thing. Especially since we don't know if the threat is here. I'll get back to you on that but in the meantime, just…act natural around Martian Boy and don't jump his bones at the first moment you and he are alone and I think you'll do just fine."

Sam nodded. He watched as Al took another puff on his cigar and went back through the doorway that opened up behind him. Sam let out a deep sigh when the doorway closed and he was left alone.

"Relax. Yeah, right, Al. You try relaxing when you're a gazillion miles from Earth on a strange planet with a possible death by alien waiting for ya right around the corner."

He sighed and shook his head. The TARDIS was already on to him. He kept that from Al for the moment since he wasn't sure if the TARDIS would blow his cover or not and he didn't want his friend to worry. So far, the TARDIS seemed to be keeping her part of the bargain but if the spaceship could figure it out almost instantly, how long would it be before the alien caught on. He couldn't hide in the restaurant forever, nor could he hide in his room with something threatening Rose Tyler. He had to find out what the problem was and fix it so he could get the hell out of this body before the Doctor did something to pull him out of it and given that he supposedly had the greatest mind in the universe, he didn't doubt that the Doctor might have something that would do just that. He glanced down at the credit stick in his hand, studied it for a moment and then decided to see what the bar had. He suddenly needed a stiff drink, very, very badly.

The Doctor sat on his bed, frowning as he stared the communicating door separating his room from Rose's. Something was wrong, very, very wrong. He could sense it. Somehow, Rose wasn't herself but he couldn't put his finger on why. All he knew that something was different about his companion. The way she acted and moved seemed to suggest possible possession. After Cassandra, he didn't harbor any doubts that someone could take over Rose's body and his mind burned with anger that it might have happened again. But he couldn't be absolutely sure and he didn't want to endanger Rose in case this intruder could torment her mind or cause her to injure herself. For the moment, he thought it best that he pretended nothing was wrong so the entity would let his or her guard down and he could observe and see if he could suss out if Rose was being possessed or controlled and figure out by whom and how.

"Whoever you are, whatever you are," he muttered to himself. "If you're possessing or controlling Rose and you end up hurting or killing her or damaging her mind beyond repair, you better be on the other side of the universe because I'll find you and make your life a living Hell!"

Sam sat at the bar, sipping a beer while he tried to collect his thoughts. The beer was not from Earth, something called Saturn Select, but it was pretty good and he ordered another one before he decided that two was his limit. He might already be under suspicion without him stumbling around and puking into the Doctor's lap. He finished off the second beer, gave the barkeep the credit stick so he could run off a small tip and when he got it back, he put it in the pocket of his jeans before he walked out of the bar. He froze when he saw the Doctor getting out of the lift across the way. At first, he hoped the Doctor wouldn't notice him but his hopes were dashed when the Doctor's eyes locked on his and he headed over towards him.

"There you are. You…were in the pub?" he said.

"Yeah, had a couple of beers, they tasted pretty good. Saturn Select."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow.

"Saturn Select is a pretty strong beer. The Saturnians have almost no taste buds."

Sam did wonder why the beer had a strong taste to it, but he had to admit he liked it, not to mention it had quite a kick to it as well.

"How many did you drink?" the Doctor asked.

"Two. Just two."

The Doctor let out a sardonic laugh.

"You better hope you don't end up on your knees in front of the toilet then. Those beers are quite potent. The Saturnians liked getting pissed any chance they got. Comes from living on a planet with almost nothing to do."

Sam wondered if he meant Saturn or a planet named Saturnian or Saturnia because he was under the impression Saturn had no life on it. He dared to mention that fact to the Doctor.

"Nah, the Saturnians live underground. Voyager never saw them when it went past. Anyway, are you done visiting the pub?"

"Um…yeah, I am."

"Good, come with me then. Let's take a walk. They have a zoo near here with all sorts of alien animals. Fancy a stroll through it?"

Sam had to admit the thought of seeing alien wildlife was thrilling to him. He nodded eagerly.

"Good, come then, we'll spend a few hours in the menagerie."

Sam looked down at the Doctor's hand when he held it out and opened it. He hesitated a moment and then put his hand in the Doctor's. The Doctor closed his hand around Sam's and smiled warmly at him but Sam swore for a second he could see that spark of distrust in his eyes before the cheerful face masked it.

"Shall we?" the Doctor said to him before they walked towards the front entrance.

Back                         Home                              Doctor Who Main Page                          Next

Your Name or Alias:      Your E-mail (optional):

Please type your review below. Only positive reviews and constructive criticism will be posted!