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“I’m not a Chuldur. I’m something much older and far more powerful. I’m a Lord of Time from the lost and fallen planet of Gallifrey. Now, let me go, bounty hunter. We have work to do.”
“Wow,” Rogue breathed, taking in the man in front of him, his charming face haloed in the echoes of his past lives. They stood in silence for a beat before Rogue’s awe shifted into a soft smirk.“Dramatic. Did you practice that in the mirror?”“Shut up and get me out of this thing” the Doctor huffed, his face breaking out into another one of his megawatt smiles that made Rogue feel a little wobbly on his feet. A few button presses later and the tri-form was disabled, the Doctor shook his legs once the triangle beneath his feet faded.“So, ‘Lord of Time’ huh?”“Time-lord.” the Doctor corrected, unconsciously holding himself a little taller. Rogue snorted.“Fitting” He trailed his eyes up and down the Doctor’s velvet regency outfit. “I thought I picked up a slight hint of aristocracy”“Puh-lease I’m about as aristocratic as you” the Doctor gasped, mock offended, hand grasping at invisible pearls around his neck before dropping the act and shrugging, “It's just my species. I’ve always been more of a nomad than a lord anyway, as much as I love the pomp and pageantry, staying in one place for too long, it makes me itchy” he shuddered. With that, the Doctor picked up the 3 corners of the tri-from from the floor around him and brushed past Rogue as he headed back towards the ship’s exit. He glanced back over his shoulder, “You coming?”. Setting off across the garden before Rogue could even respond.“To your shed?” Rogue questioned, jogging slightly to catch up with the handsome alien currently powerwalking across the grass.“Uh, to my Ship thank you very much, your ship may be more impressive on the outside but at least mine is tidier.”“Tinier.”“Oh, just you wait” the Doctor slowed his pace as the blue box neared, turning again towards his new accomplice. “You ready for this?”“It’s not my first shed”
“Oh my god!”
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“Ruby- 2024, Rogue- outer space bounty hunter, Nice lady-” “Emily” “Emily- 1813, The duchess- shape-shifting Chuldur. Okay?”
“I know the word okay”“Ookaay. Rogue right? Nice to meet you.” Ruby smiled, taking in the close proximity between the two men in front of her and waggling her eyebrows at the Doctor.“Shut up”“I said nothing!” she laughed, watching her friend’s face warm as the other man smirked at her.“You didn’t have to,” he muttered. “Arent we a little too busy for this??” the Doctor complained, his eyes scanning the room for any sign of the Duchess. Rogue sobered, joining the Doctor in his search before gently tapping his shoulder and pointing to the far end of the room where the woman in question stood.“Apparently not.” Ruby teased, before glancing at Emily. “But what does anyone get out of killing these people? I mean, I know they're posh nobs and all that, but we found the housekeeper, dead. I mean, why would anybody do that?”The Doctor turned back out towards the mass of whirling bodies, spinning and twirling in perfect synchronicity. “The dance. The drama. The emotion. Oh, man, it's cosplay! All of this! The Chuldur is cosplaying!” the Doctor whirled around to face Rogue, “You said that a Chuldur comes to a planet and tries on people-like outfits, all for the fun of it! Exactly like cosplay!” his eyes were bright, shining with a mystery well solved.Ruby gasped. “Wait, so you mean it's literally dressing up and playing at Bridgerton?”“Could be. Those TV signals beam out across the stars.”“What are these T-V signals?” asked Emily, looking more and more lost as the others kept talking.“No time. Uh, we need to get the Duchess outside, on her own, and if there's one thing that attracts her, it's scandal.” The Doctor looked up at his newfound handsome stranger. “And outrage, and plot twists” he held out his hand. “So come on Rogue, shall we?” Rogue gaped, staring at the hand offered in front of him before flicking his eyes over to Ruby.She smiled softly and nodded. Watching fondly as they walked away hand in hand, voices fading into the din of the music and voices around them.
“I don't see how us dancing will create a scene”
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“Find me”
The Doctor gaped, eyes swimming with tears and the tingle of the other man’s kiss still clinging to his lips as the floor once again reappeared as the tri-form disabled.“You okay?” he whispered softly to Ruby, pulling her into a gentle hug, never taking his eyes off of the spot where Rogue stood not a minute before.He felt her nod against his chest.“Are you?” she looked up at him, taking in his tear-stained face and devastated expression.He sniffed loudly and let her go, “Fine, yeah.” he gently placed the bouquet on the floor and gathered up the three fragments of the transporter. “Just need a minute” he muttered before walking out into the new morning.Ruby stared at the flowers placed lovingly where she nearly met the same fate as the man who saved her. Her mind swam with guilt and gratitude as she touched the already forming bruise on her side where she hit the floor after he shoved her. But she knew, he didn’t do it for her. She glanced behind her, taking in the mournful silhouette of her best friend, sitting just outside the doorway. “Thank you “ she whispered. Hoping, that somehow, Rogue heard her. The Doctor was fiddling with his Sonic when she joined him, sitting down on the cold concrete beside him. “Just sending his ship into orbit. Around the moon. So it can wait.”. He let out a sigh. “As long as it takes”“Can’t we use the TARDIS to go and find him?”He chuckled drily, “There are as many dimensions as there are atoms in the universe. Don’t even know his real name.”“I’m sorry.”“Any... way! It is what it is, so onwards, fine, next. Off we go. Where shall we go? Anywhere!” he jumped to his feet, painting on a cheerful grin that didn't reach his eyes.“Doctor, you don't have to be like this.”The Doctor shook his head, “I have to be like this ‘cos this is what I'm like, this is my life Ruby, live this long and the only fact is that you’ll lose everyone. Just thought I’d have a bit longer than that you know?” his eyes filled with tears again and he threw his hand up in exasperation, letting out a wet chuckle. “I don't even know why I’m this upset, it wasn't like I knew him that long.”Ruby pulled him into a hug, rubbing his back softly as he rested his head on her shoulder. “Yeah, but there was potential. You liked him, and he liked you back”The Doctor pulled back, “You know how rare that is? That sorta thing doesn't usually happen to me, that was- it was whirlwind! I’ve never fallen for someone that fast! I mean my last wife? That took decades, centuries even!” he wiped his eyes frustratedly, “I don't get it!”“This was special then yeah?” she asked gently, putting the “Wife” revelation on the back burner for a time he was less emotional.He nodded. “I think so.”“Right, so let's go find him.”“I told you-”“When have you ever given up that fast? If I know anything about you Doctor it's that you're stubborn. C’mon, you're not even gonna try? Why are you giving up so fast?”“The odds-”“When have you ever cared about the odds?! Don’t you think that you deserve this?”The Doctor paused at that, why was he sabotaging himself? She was right, just because it was unlikely, didn't mean it was impossible. “Okay. any ideas? Because that thing was quite literally set to random.” he sighed, heading back towards the TARDIS. They walked in contemplative silence, each trying to come up with a plan that didn't involve spending the next century working their way through every possible dimension the TARDIS could access. “What about DNA?” Ruby asked, once she returned to the console room, changed and showered, finding the Doctor exactly where she left him, leaning against a railing, stood in his velvet suit, still staring at the center console, eyes tracking its slow oscillation.His eyes snapped to her, pulling him back into the room. “And where exactly would I find his DNA? His ship was filthy, AND he was a bounty hunter, the amount of lifeforms that have been in there, I'd never be able to isolate his DNA from the rest of them. Seriously, it was a MESS, he-”“Doctor, rambling-”“Maybe from a glass in the ballroom, did you see him drink anything?”“No, you don't need a glass anyway, we’ve definitely got his DNA.”The Doctor furrowed his brows looking at her confused before she pointed to his mouth, barely concealing her smug smile as he blushed again. He rolled his eyes, untying his crevatte and using the fabric to wipe his mouth, before depositing it down a tube in the TARDIS console.“This won't be enough to find him, but it might help us scan for him when we reach each dimension. Even then, this could take forever.”Ruby nodded as the TARDIS analysed the sample, “I figured as much, has this really never happened before? You've never had to track someone?” she asked, head tilted slightly. “I’d have thought it would be common.” she mused.Circular Gallifreyan swirled around on the screen in front of him, “taking a while to load” he muttered to himself. Leaning back on the railings he looked up at the ceiling, “I mean, it's happened a couple of times yeah.”“And what did you do then?”
“Clara, I'm terribly sorry but I'm exactly what you deserve. Think about Danny. Think about the man you lost. Let it hurt. Let it burn. But don't bleat.”
“you really need to feel it, Madge. Everything about home that you miss until you can't bear it. Until you almost burst.” “Till it hurts. Is that what you mean, Caretaker? Till it hurts.”
“Doctor?”The man in question had gone silent, his eyes fixed on a random speck on the floor but he wasn't in the room. Ruby had seen him lost in memory a few times now, she supposed it was just a consequence of living that long. a few seconds passed, no noise but the time rotor whirring gently before he sprang into action.“IM AN IDIOT!” he shouted, darting around the console, “Oh Rubes you genius! The telepathic circuits!” he grabbed her head, planting a wet kiss on her forehead and grinning down at her manically.“What??”“THATS what I did before! All I need to do is close my eyes and think! Every little detail I can, everything I knew about him, that combined with the sample, and these-" he waggled the three corners of the triform in his hand, "might just be enough to hone in on a signal!”. once again dashing to the other side of the console, flipping switches and pressing buttons before pulling a metal panel from the center console and throwing it aside. Ruby leaned around him and peered into the now exposed interior of the tardis, clear fleshy gel-like cells rippled with a faint golden glow.“Ew.”“Hey! Don't ew the tardis! She's gorgeous, aren't you girl?” the Doctor grinned at the ceiling, his smile growing even wider when the ship hummed beneath their feet.“Right, sorry!” Ruby apologised, glancing upward before clapping her hands, “So! Let's go save your man!”The Doctor laughed, "not quite."“Not yet!” she laughed, nudging him with her shoulder before nodding towards the telepathic circuits. “Go on then”The Doctor took a deep breath and plunged his hands into the cold gooey surface. “Alright, then Rogue. Where are you?”