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saiilorstars · 4 years

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Star Crossed

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Chapter 2: Partners in Crime

Fandom: Doctor Who

Pairing: 10th Doctor x Female OC

Taglist: @ocfairygodmother

(Minerva’s face claim: Victoria Camacho)

(Kaeya’s face claim: Michelle Trachtenberg)

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Chapter summary: It’s Christmas on the Titanic, the perfect setting for Minerva’s and the Doctor’s first date..until there’s a count-down for the ship to crash land on Earth.

"I've really got to go," Minerva giggled endlessly as she received yet another kiss on her lips by her dear Martian.

"Why?" the Doctor nearly whined, refusing to let her go anywhere for the moment.

The two were in Minerva's room, Minerva just having woken up and moved down to the bed's foot, still laying on her back with the Doctor beside her. He was propped up on his side with an elbow to support his head. She'd been greeted as usual with her milkshake the moment he had walked inside her room.

The Doctor had finally learned how to use that blender and was allowed to freely use it, but only the blender. Minerva wasn't very fond of him being in the kitchen alone and had practically forced him to sit down while she explained each and every button on the blasted blender. Though it took a little longer than she expected due to the Doctor's lack of attention. In his defense, he was busy staring at her instead of the blender...but really, could he be blamed? Minerva simply elbowed him and forced him to listen again...and results arose a few months later.

He always had a breakfast milkshake ready to go for when she woke up. It conflicted him having to spend some hours alone because he didn't need as much sleep as Minerva did. So when the time she usually woke up neared, he'd go in and make her the milkshake. And now that she was awake and wanted to leave...well...he wouldn't stand for that. Especially when there was a James Mulvoy involved.

The Doctor severely disliked him.

"Come with me instead," he insisted.

Minerva put a hand in front of her mouth before he leaned down to kiss her again. "I just graduated," she reminded him, "And I still need to go pick up my diploma. Gotta have some proof I finally finished, right?"

"Well, yes, but that would imply you having to go see that guy again," the Doctor grumbled.

She giggled again, watching his face turn into a frown and a pout in less than a second. She knew exactly who he was talking about and why he didn't like the guy...James Mulvoy.

James Mulvoy was truly her favorite friend from high school. She joined a club of self-defense where he was an assistant to the actual teacher. The two had immediately hit it off and become close friends, even sharing some of the courses Minerva took on her Independent Studies. As soon as the Doctor had heard about this guy...he had expressed his dislike of the man. In reality, James had no other interest in Minerva except for friendship, as stated repeatedly by Minerva. But the Doctor wouldn't take a chance on him, no sir. He nearly punched Jerome back in 1969 but had to remember Minerva wasn't technically his and had to force himself to calm down. But now that they were finally together and could openly show his dislike for any other men that tried to make a move on her, he took great action.

"Come with me, then," Minerva offered, seeing it as a very easy way to solve the Doctor's silly jealousy feelings.

"I wish, but I've got to go to that Adipose institution, remember? Why don't you come with me and we go pick up the diploma tomorrow, instead?"

"I said I would stop by today, remember? I promised James."

And another round of frowns came from the Doctor, "So? blow him off."

"Okay, just because you're jealous, doesn't mean I have to be rude. I said I was stopping by today and I'm gonna, so button it up and let me get dressed."

The Doctor opened his mouth to make another attempt when she grabbed his tie and pulled her down to plant a big kiss on his lips. She giggled when she pulled away and saw his dazed look, taking advantage and jumping off the bed as fast as she could before he snapped back to reality.

"That...that was cheating!" he sat up, frowning as he saw her going to her closet.

"No, I call it simply kissing my Martian boyfriend. It's not my fault you're very easily distracted," she winked at him.

"Please don't go," he sighed, genuinely asking her because he truly didn't want to take the chance of her and James.

Minerva chuckled, pulling out a green dress and studying it, "I told you, come with me."

He stood up and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind and stopping her from studying her dress, "Okay, tell you what, you come with me to the Adipose and I'll accompany you after to get your diploma."

"Will you be done by five? Because James said he'd only be there until five."

"Mm...yes," he rested his chin on her shoulder. There was a small smirk on his face that Minerva was unable to see yet she guessed it was there.

"I mean it, Doctor. I worked severely hard for this and I really want to hold my diploma and see my work pay off," she turned around, the Doctor's smirk fading when she saw her genuinely pleading him.

The pair had desisted many trips over the course of several months so that Minerva could focus more on her schoolwork, the woman tired of being unable to graduate due to the lack of credits. So the Doctor had offered to help her, stopping many of their trips until she finished a certain amount of work to where she could finally make some progress. Finally, after five months, she finished. She finally finished, took her exit exams and graduated. Minerva worked so hard for it and the Doctor would not allow his jealousy get in the way of her happiness.

"Okay, I'll be done by five and if not, then you go on without me to pick your diploma," he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Really?"

"Yes, really, you deserve it."

"Thank you!" she beamed, leaning up and pecking his lips, "Now get out! I gotta change!"

He smiled, leaning down to kiss her more deeply, "I'll be waiting."

She blinked as he pulled away, "Okay..." she mumbled, "...get out, now, please."

The Doctor, satisfied with his effect, turned and walked out of her room. Minerva slowly came around, remembering the task of taking out her clothes. She hated when that happened...and yet she liked it. Every time she forgot what to do it was because she had been kissed by her Martian and that was a lovely feeling that she would never give up.

~0~

Elsewhere, Donna Noble walked down a crowded street of London, carrying a red clipboard. She stopped at a high building, looking up at it. Before going towards it, she looked around. She needed to. She always did when she was up to these sorts of things because perhaps, just maybe...a certain pair would be around as well, doing the same thing she was doing...

~0~

"You know, grandma said Marisol is taking those pills," Minerva was saying as she and the Doctor, hand-in-hand, walked up to the same building of Adipose Industries, "And apparently, the woman has lost twelve pounds. Maybe I should try them..."

"Don't you dare," the Doctor warned, shaking his head.

"Oh c'mon, ever since I've tried teaching you how to cook I've gained some weight," she mumbled, looking down to her stomach, "If the industry turns out to be okay I don't see why not..."

"Bring a weight-loss product into the TARDIS and I'll chuck it out to a black hole," he gave her a sharp look. He looked her over, finding her just perfect as she usually was, "You're fine."

"You're just saying that," she rolled her eyes, "Bet if you take a look at Marisol you might reconsider your relationship choices."

"Your snooty cousin has got nothing on you, dear," he kissed her cheek, "Personality wise and physically," he used the sonic on the fire exit of the industry building.

"Subtle," Minerva remarked after sparks flew out from the door, "But I'm serious! You've never met Marisol in person-"

"And I don't want to," he cut her off with haste, pulling her inside the building.

Marisol Souza was probably the most snooty, conceited, rudest person he had ever heard of. And that was just what he picked up from Minerva's and Isadora's stories. Marisol was two years older than Minerva and was apparently lurking her way into Minerva's home, specifically to her mother. While Minerva still hadn't seen her parents, nor talked to them via phone, Minerva was well informed of everything that went on with them. Apparently, her mother had recently taken a great like to Marisol, trying to morph her into what Minerva had rejected years ago. The Doctor knew that despite Minerva's assurances she wasn't bothered her mother had taken what could be called a surrogate daughter, she was very hurt. Hurt that her mother had chosen to take a girl that wasn't even her own to treat as a daughter better than Minerva. She was hurt that when her mother did make a call it was only to inform her of what Marisol had done and how Minerva should be doing it as well.

That mounted another layer of hatred the Doctor felt for Sophia.

Minerva wasn't letting it go, she felt she had to work to earn her mother's forgiveness, something he had just barely gotten her to let go with Isadora. After the traumatizing experience with the Master, Minerva felt like she could lose her family at any moment and for some inexplicable reason had decided to try and earn her mother's forgiveness, despite the Doctor continuously telling her Olivia's death wasn't her fault. But unlike Isadora who never blamed Minerva, Sophia did not care how she affected her only daughter.

And the Doctor despised the woman for it.

~0~

Donna Noble sat inside a lecture room, listening to Miss Foster, head of Adipose Industries, who was stood on a platform.

"Adipose Industries. The 21st century way to lose weight. No exercise, no diet, no pain. Just lifelong freedom from fat. The Holy Grail of the modern age. And here it is," Miss Foster held out a red and white capsule to the listeners, "You just take one capsule, one capsule, once a day, for three weeks. And the fat, as they say..."

"The fat just walks away."

"Excuse me, Miss Foster, if I could?" a young woman, a journalist, raised her hand, "I'm Penny Carter, science correspondent for The Observer. There are a thousand diet pills on the market, a thousand con men stealing people's money. How do we know the fat isn't going straight into your bank account?"

"Oh Penny, if cynicism burnt up calories, we'd all be as thin as rakes. But if you want the science, I oblige," Miss Foster gestured to the computer who began to speak and explain.

"Adipose Industries. The Adipose capsule is composed of a synthesized mobilizing lipase, bound to a large protein molecule. The mobilizing lipase breaks up the trigycerides stored in the adipose cells, which then enter..."

~0~

Meanwhile, the Doctor and Minerva were hearing everything from above inside a projector room. The Doctor showed the psychic paper tow the handler of the projector, "Health and Safety...Film department."

~0~

"100 percent legal, 100 percent effective," Miss Foster finished the presentation.

"But, can I just ask, how many people have taken the pills to date?" Penny asked.

"We've already got one million customers within the Greater London area alone. But from next week, we start rolling out nationwide. The future starts here. And Britain will be thin."

~0~

Later on, Donna walked down the call center of the industry, plopping down in an employee's, Craig, section where he was currently speaking on the phone, "That's a three-week course of pills for a special price of 45 pounds."

"Donna Noble, Health and Safety. Don't mind me," the ginger whispered.

Not too far away, Minerva and the Doctor approached another employee, Clare, who was also speaking on the phone, "We deliver within three working days."

"John Smith, Minerva Souza, Health and Safety. Don't mind us," the Doctor whispered as they took a seat beside the woman.

Clare nodded, giving the Doctor a rather longer look for Minerva's taste.

~0~

"The box comes with 21 days' worth of pills, a full information pack, and our special free gift, an Adipose Industries pendant," Craig went on with his current phone call, Donna watching him intently.

~0~

"It is made of 18 carat gold, and it's yours for free. No, we don't give away pens, sorry. No, I can't make an exception, no," Clare also continued with her phone call except she was still looking at the Doctor.

Minerva crossed her arms, her face beginning to turn into a glare, all unnoticed by the Doctor of course. His obliviousness hadn't really changed much...

~0~

Donna was putting a pendant into her pocket, "I'll just need to keep this for testing. And I just need a list of your customers. Could you print it off?"

"Suppose so," Craig said.

"Where's the printer?"

"Just over there, by the plant."

Donna stood up, looking for the printer, "Which plant, that plant?"

"Yeah, that's the one."

"Lovely," and she sat down...when the Doctor stood up from Claire's cubicle.

"That's the printer there?" he searched for the printer.

"By the plant, yeah," Clare nodded.

"Brilliant," he sat down.

Then Donna stood, "Does it need a code? Last place I worked, the printer needed a code."

"No, I can do it from here," Craig said and she sat down again...

The Doctor stood right back up, "Has it got paper?"

"Yeah, Jimbo keeps it stocked."

Miss Foster walked into the call center, two bodyguards behind her, "Excuse me, everyone, if I could have your attention," everyone stood up save the Doctor, Minerva and Donna, "On average, you're each selling forty Adipose packs per day. It's not enough. I want one hundred sales per person per day. And if not, you'll be replaced. Cause if anyone is good in trimming the fat, it's me. Now. Back to it," with that she turned on her heels and left.

"So could you print that out, please," Minerva ordered Clare, her arms still crossed and her attitude very cold as the woman's eyes had lingered far too much on the Doctor. She just wanted to get the hell out of there with her Martian.

"So if you could just print off that list, I'll get out of your way," Donna smiled and stood up, "Lovely! Thanks, then. See you!" she walked over to the printer.

Clare had also finished making the print, "Thanks, then," the Doctor was able to say as he stood up, only to have Clare push him back down to his chair, "Oh, what's that?" he took a small paper from Clare.

"My telephone number," Clare smiled.

"What for?" the Martian was genuinely confused, he most certainly didn't need her phone number nor Minerva.

"Health and Safety. You be health, I'll be safety," Clare smirked.

"That's it," Minerva stood to her feet, the Doctor immediately grabbing her arm.

"Aah. Aah. But. That contravenes ah, paragraph five, subsection C. Sorry," the Doctor also stood, his grip on Minerva tightening, "And plus, I've already got my own Safety," he shot a wink at Minerva who blushed in return, "And she's gorgeous so no thank you."

"I could've taken her down, you know," Minerva informed as they walked.

He smiled, kissing the top of her head, "I know."

~0~

"Stacy Campbell?" Donna asked when the door opened to one of the customers off the Adipose list.

A woman with brown hair and blue eyes, slightly confused, asked, "Who wants to know?"

"My name is Donna, I represent Adipose Industries," Donna flashed a card quite quick, "And you're on the list of our valued customers."

~0~

On another street, the Doctor knocked on a different door, doing his best to hide his frown when a man with grayish hair and blue eyes answered. Minerva had gone off for her diploma, on her own unfortunately. His mind was like a battle station with the red flags and alerts going off.

He severely disliked James Mulvoy.

"Mr. Roger Davey, I'm calling on behalf of Adipose Industries," he flashed the psychic paper to the man, "Just need to ask you a few questions."

~0~

"It's been fantastic. I've started the pills on Thursday. Five days later, I've lost eleven pounds!" Stacy Campbell was telling Donna while she checked her self in a mirror, Donna sitting across her.

"And no side effects or anything?"

"No, I feel fantastic. It's a new lease of life. Now, what d'you think of these earrings, do they work?" Stacy pulled back her hair to allow Donna to see purple, dangly earrings.

"Yeah, lovely."

~0~

"I've been on the pills two weeks now, I've lost fourteen kilos," Roger explained to the Doctor, the Martian pacing casually as he listened.

"That's the same amount every day?"

"One kilo exactly. You wake up, and it's disappeared overnight. Well, technically speaking, it's gone by ten past one in the morning."

The Doctor stopped pacing and looked up, "What makes you say that?"

"That's when I get woken up. Might as well weigh myself at the same time."

~0~

"You going on a date?" Donna asked, still watching Stacy fix herself in front of the mirror.

"I'm doing the opposite. I'm dumping him. I can do better than him now. Right, I won't be long. If the taxi beeps, give me a shout," Stacy rushed up the stairs.

~0~

The Doctor and Roger were outside Roger's home, looking up at the security alarm placed on top of his door.

"It is driving me mad. Ten minutes past one, every night, bang on the dot without fail, the burglar alarm goes off. I've had experts in, I've had it replaced, I've even phoned Watchdog. But no, ten past one in the morning, off it goes."

"But with no burglars?" the Doctor asked, not quite believing this was a 'burglary' dilemma.

"Nothing. I've given up looking."

"Tell me Roger, have you got a cat flap?"

A couple minutes later, the two were on the floor studying the cat flap of Roger's house.

"It was there when I bought the house. Never bothered with it. I'm not a cat person," Roger said, "They're nice and all but I never bothered."

"Kittens are nice," the Doctor said absently, "Very adorable," he thought back to the times he and Minerva had seen the adorable kittens, though poor Minerva couldn't get anywhere near them as she started with a fit of sneezing. He'd have to fix that allergy some time soon.

"It's that what it is then? Cats getting inside the house?" Roger asked.

"Well, thing about cat flaps is that they don't just let things in, they let things out as well."

"Like what?"

"The fat just walks away..." the Doctor reminded them, guessing it was probably more literal than the humans supposed.

~0~

"Won't be long!" Stacy shouted from the bathroom.

"That's alright!" Donna called from her spot in the living room. She pulled out the Adipose pendant she'd taken and started playing with it, twisting it.

Up in the bathroom, Stacy's stomach started moving, producing odd noises.

~0~

"Well, thanks for your help," the Doctor stepped out of Roger's home, "Tell you what, maybe you could lay off the pills for a week or so..." a device in his pocket started beeping. He took it out, "Ooh, gotta go, sorry," he ran off to follow the signal.

~0~

An Adipose broke off from Stacy's belly, the woman's eyes widening with horror.

"You all right up there?" called Donna from downstairs.

"Yeah..."

~0~

A second Adipose jumped out of Stacy and onto her sink, both it and the first waving at her.

"What? What are you? What are you?" Stacy could only stare at the little things on her sink. More bumps appeared and disappear all over her body, the odd noises emerging again.

Donna had started making her way up the stairs, "I like what you've done in the hall. Stacy? Are you all right? I wouldn't mind a little visit myself. Everything all right in there?" she knocked on the bathroom door, "Only me. Do you mind if I pop to the loo? Stacy?"

"Help me! Oh my God, help me!" Stacy cried, unable to control her body anymore.

"What is it, what's wrong?" Donna tried to get in but the door was locked, "Stacy!"

Stacy screamed before falling apart into little Adipose. By the time Donna was able to get into the bathroom, only Stacy's clothes were on the floor. However, she was able to see one last Adipose waving at her from the window before jumping out.

~0~

Outside, the Doctor was running along the street, still trying to figure out where the signal was coming from. He stopped and looked at the device, banging on it and blowing before holding it out in front of him and rushing off.

~0~

In another street, Donna was also running following the trashcans that were turned over to the ground.

~0~

The Doctor stopped yet again, looking for a signal. The device dinged and he ran off. He stopped in the center of a road, barely dodging a van with its sirens on as it passed him. But the device dinged as soon as the van passed and he hurried after it, though it made a swift turned and disappeared.

~0~

The same van passed by Donna who discarded it as she was on her search for the little blob.

"Stacy Campbell?" a taxi driver stopped by her.

"No, she's gone," Donna replied, still looking around.

"Gone where?"

"She's just gone."

"Aw great, thanks for nothing," the taxi driver drove away.

~0~

In the next street, the Doctor was holding up his device, disappointed he had let the van go. With nothing else to do, he walked away, hoping Minerva was already back in the TARDIS and away from James Mulvoy.

~0~

Donna arrived home...where not a second later her mother started to make her usual remarks.

"And what time is this?"

Donna rolled her eyes, "How old am I?"

Sylvia came out into the front hall, "Not old enough to use a phone," she returned to the kitchen where Donna made some tea and sat down at the table, listening to her mother's ongoing lectures, "I thought you were only moving back for a couple of weeks. Look at you, I mean you're never gonna find a flat, not while you're on the dole. And its no good sitting there, dressed up, looking like you're job hunting, you've got to do something! It's not like the 1980s, no one's unemployed these days except you! How long did that job with Health and Safety last? Two days, and then you walk out. 'I have other plans', well I've not seen them. And it's no good sitting there dreaming, no one's gonna come along with a magic wand and make your life all better."

"Where is Granddad?" Donna rolled her eyes, having enough of the nagging.

"Where do you think he is! Up the hill. He's always up the hill."

~0~

Donna walked up a hill, her granddad walking out of a tin shed, "Aye, aye here comes trouble. Ha."

"Permission to board ship, sir?" Donna asked, waving a thermos in her hand.

"Permission granted. Was she nagging you?"

"Ha ha. Big time," her granddad, Wilf, sat down on a camp chair in front of his telescope, " Brought you a thermos."

"Oh, ta."

"You seen anything?"

"Yeah, I've got Venus, there with an apparent magnitude of minus 3.5. At least that's what it says in my little book," Donna pulled out a tarpin and sat down beside Wilf, "Here, come and see, come on, here you go," Donna took a look into the telescope, "Right? That's the only planet in the Solar System named after a woman."

"Good for her. How far away is that?"

"Oh, its about 26 million miles. But we'll get there one day. In a hundred years time we'll be striding out among the stars. Jiggling about with all them aliens. Just you wait."

"You really believe in all that stuff, don't you?"

"It's all over the place these days. If I wait here long enough..."

"I don't suppose you've seen a little blue box?" Donna gazed up to the sky, perhaps one day she would see that little blue box again.

"Is that slang for something?" Wilf asked, glancing at Donna while she looked up.

"No, I mean it. If you ever see a little blue box flying up there in the sky, you shout for me, Gramps. Oh, you just shout."

"You know, I don't understand half the things you say these days."

"Nor me."

"No, fair dos. You've had a funny old time of it lately. There was poor old what's his name, Lance, bless him... and that barmy old Christmas. I wish you would tell us what really happened," despite assurances from Donna that everything was fine, Wilf just knew that her granddaughter wasn't happy. She hadn't been ever since that marriage fiasco. He wished he knew how to help her.

"I know. It's just... the things I've seen. Sometimes I think I'm going mad. I mean even tonight I was in a... doesn't matter," Donna pulled a fake smile, everything she did to try to find the Doctor and Minerva was a secret. It was her secret.

"Well you're not yourself, I'll give you that. You just... you seem to be drifting, sweetheart."

"I'm not drifting. I'm waiting."

"What for?"

"An Auton..."

"A what?"

Donna sighed, while she hadn't paid attention to Minerva's words with caution, she still awaited for the day she would see an 'Auton' because meeting one would mean she would meet Minerva, and in meeting Minerva she would meet the Doctor again. It didn't matter if it was in the past, as Minerva had said, because in doing that, she would have had to meet the pair again and that's what she wanted more than anything now. So bring on an Auton because she was more than ready for it.

"You say the oddest things," Wilf shook his head.

"No gramps, because if I see one, then I get to see them again."

"Who's 'them'?"

"Some people I just need to meet again. I met them just once...and then I let them fly away."

"Well there you are, go and find them, then!

"I've tried. But they're no where."

And indeed she tried. Since she figured the Doctor would be a little harder to find, she opted for Minerva's files. But it was odd, because despite the girl looking quite young, all her paperwork didn't list her parents' information. It was as if she was on her own..au

"Oi, not like you to give up. You know, remember when you were about six years old, your mother said no holiday this year. So off you toddled, all on your own and you got on a bus to Strathclyde! Hah! We had the police after you and everything! Ha, where's she gone then, where's that girl, hey?" Wilf chuckled, trying to cheer her up.

"You're right. Cause they're still out there, somewhere. And I'll find them Gramps, even if I have to wait a hundred years. I'll find them," Donna breathed, her gaze lifting up to the sky again.

~0~

In the TARDIS, the Doctor was busy looking at the golden Adipose capsule he took from Clare, through a magnifying glass, "Ohh, fascinating. Seems to be a bio-flip digital stitch, specifically for..." he looked up and frowned at his solitude.

Minerva wasn't back yet.

He could physically feel his blood boiling at the thought of James being with her. He really tried not to be so jealous because in a long shot it would only irritate Minerva and he didn't want to lose her. There was already so many things that were wrong and he didn't want to add something more to the list.

The doors opened, his head snapping over to see Minerva walking in, carrying a small bag in her arms, "Okay, it is freezing out there," she pointed back. She walked several steps forwards, stopping when he went around the console, "So guess what...?"

"What?" he raised an eyebrow, beginning to smile when she was practically forcing herself not to beam.

"I just..." she reached inside her bag, taking out a small folder, "...graduated!" she squealed, running over to him where she was met with open arms that took her into a spinning hug.

"That's is great! I'm so proud of you!" he set her down, allowing her to show him her diploma.

"Officially, eighteen and graduated," she waved it around, beaming brightly.

"Minerva Joycelin Souza," he read off, "Has completed her high school..."

"I did it, Doctor. I finally did it," she breathed in, taking the diploma from him, "Do you think my mom would be proud?"

He didn't reply for the moment and simply sighed. He really loathed how hard Minerva worked for something Sophia didn't deserve. He really needed Minerva to remain calm and not overwork herself. There were certain things she didn't know about just yet and he didn't want for those things to affect her even worse than they already were.

"She should be," the Doctor answered carefully, not wanting to ruin her happiness, "But most importantly, you should be proud of yourself. Forget her, forget everyone else. Are you proud of yourself?"

She considered it for a moment and nodded, "I made top twenty five, number five of the class...heck yes I'm proud of myself!"

"Top five?" he had missed that certain piece of information apparently.

"Oh yes," she grinned, "I was number five of the highest GPA of the entire senior class. I'm good like that."

"That you are," he nodded, leaning down to kiss her.

"So where's my gift?" she murmured as she pulled back.

"How do you know I was going to give you something?"

"Because Martha said you should," she set the diploma on the chairs by the console, "That's what a good boyfriend would do. So gimme, gimme, gimme!" she wiggled her fingers towards him.

"Ah, but an excellent boyfriend would do something better than give you a silly little object..." he pushed her hands down and used her wrists to pull her up against him.

"What are you planning, Martian?" she raised an eyebrow, noticing the mischievous look in his eyes.

"How would you like to go to somewhere special with me?"

"Will there be margaritas?"

"You are not allowed to have that," he reminded.

"It's not my fault I like them! Jack introduced them to me and I liked it...sue me..." she pouted for a second before reverting to her excitement, stepping closer to him and looking up with a sweet grin, "...so when exactly are we going? And where?"

"After we finish with the Adipose Industries problem, and the location is a secret," he tapped her nose.

"First of all, I'm gonna need more details on that location. Second of all, I was talking with Adela and James and she said she's been taking the pills and she's lost weight too so I was thinking maybe I could just take one little capsule-"

"That's it," he scooped her up into his arms.

"What are you doing you crazy Martian!?" she squealed.

"I'm getting you to a mirror because it's ridiculous you don't see your perfection."

"Yadda, yadda, I know I'm perfect, thank you very much, but I do need to lose some weight," she ran a finger along the side of his face and left a trail of kisses, the effect always getting her what she wanted from the Martian, "So c'mon, can't I get just one little bottle?"

"Mm, no, not even one little capsule," he snapped lightly, doing his best to ignore those lips of hers.

"You're mean," she pouted.

"And you're perfection, case closed," he grinned and walked towards the corridors, the human in his arms still complaining all the way.

~0~

The next day, Donna walked out of her house, her mother coming out behind dressed in a dressing gown and hair curler, "It's my turn for the car. What you need it for?"

Donna got into the car and started it up, "A quick getaway."

~0~

The Doctor was running around the console, pushing buttons while Minerva sat on the chairs, just watching him. She would've helped...if he had let her use those pills...

~0~

Donna parked her car in a small alley way, getting out and locking then walked away...unable to catch the TARDIS materializing a few feet behind the car.

"You coming or not?" the Doctor asked Minerva, waiting by the doors, the clever girl still on the chairs, her legs swinging back and forth like a child.

"Don't know..." she looked around.

"Minerva, I swear I will come over and throw you over my shoulders if I have to."

"And then what?"

"Are you really mad at me because I won't allow you to take the stupid capsules? You know they're bad for you, and these are severely bad for you," he walked over to her, taking her hands into his.

"I know, but..." she sighed, "...it's just, Marisol-"

"Dear, no offense, but who cares about her?"

"My mom does..."

"Okay, forgetting about Sophia, be honest with yourself...do you really want to take the capsules?"

"Honest, honest?" she looked up, the Doctor nodding and so she sighed, "No, I don't want to. It's true, I gained weight...but I don't think it was that noticeable."

"That's the Minerva I like to hear," he kissed her forehead.

"But, maybe if I looked as good as Marisol did, perhaps it could get me on my mother's good side and-"

He placed his finger over her lips, a stern look on his face, "Your mother should love you because you're her daughter, not cause you're trying to be what she wants you to be."

"But I can't help to try. I remember all the awful treatment the Master gave them and I..." she sighed and shook her head.

"Don't get sad, please," he kissed her forehead, "I can't stand those eyes of yours being sad."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, looking down in shame.

She was never one to doubt her looks. She wasn't conceited but she just had good self-esteem. She knew she wasn't that beautiful like a super-model but she didn't consider herself to be that ugly either. But in those last few months she had spent working on her diploma her mother had picked up a...a surrogate daughter...and it deeply hurt her. It truly did. No matter how angry she was with her mother for everything...she couldn't help her heart break knowing Sophia preferred another girl who wasn't hers as a daughter. So, subconsciously, nearly everything Minerva did was to try and garner her mother's affection, forgiveness. It was like her anger had been pushed aside as she realized the most important thing, Sophia was her mother and Minerva missed her deeply. She was trying, she was actively trying to forget her anger and try to work for Sophia's forgiveness...but so far, Sophia didn't seem to care.

"You don't have to be sorry for anything, clever girl," the Doctor took her hands and pulled her to her feet, "You're amazing, you're intelligent, bloody gorgeous," he kissed her cheeks, "Kind, unlike the snooty cousin you have, and you're generous, very, but very sweet," he lifted her chin and gave her a deep kiss, one that would prove just how much he thought of her.

"I like her too," she whispered.

"So now that we've established that, how's about we go infiltrate some Adipose Industries, eh?"

She smiled, "Is that a date?"

"Yup!"

"I gladly accept, Martian," she looked down at her clothes, tilting her head, "Are these clothes acceptable for a date?"

She wore black boots with small heels, black jeans tucked underneath them with a halter-top, dark purple blouse and a black jean jacket to cover her arms. Her hair was down with a small purple bow on the side of her head.

"Always," the Doctor smiled at her, taking her hand and leading her out.

~0~

Donna walked into the washroom of the industry, going into a stall and checking her watch...it would be a long day.

~ 0 ~

The Doctor and Minerva walked down the same corridor of the fire exit. They stopped at a storage closet where the Doctor used the sonic to open it up, allowing his "date" inside first. He followed and soniced it shut.

"So..." he turned to her, a playful smile on his face as he stepped closer to her, "...what shall we do on this date?"

Minerva raised an eyebrow, seeing exactly where he was going with it, "I've got a perfect idea," she announced, her own smirk forming, her hand reaching for her back pocket.

"Really?" he rested a hand on her waist, "Shall I begin?"

He closed his eyes and leaned down to kiss her...when he felt a finger on his lips. He opened his eyes and found her holding up her mp3 player, a broad smile on her face.

"I want to listen to my song," she announced, sticking in her two earphones and starting the song, humming as it started.

The Doctor sighed, oh he really needed to get rid of that mp3 player. He cursed Martha for giving it to her. That thing had been the cause of disruptions to many of his potential snogging sessions.

That thing would disappear one of these days...

"Minerva?" he whined, the woman bobbing her head as small 'oh's' came out of her. He frowned and stood straight, this time the mp3 would not win.

He plucked an earphone from her, Minerva blinking as she was startled, "Doctor, I was listening..." she began but the Martian had pressed his lips on hers, pulling out her other earphone a second later, "...you cheated," she smiled, stepping back with him, her arms going around his neck.

"I'm smart," he corrected, saving her mp3 in one of his pockets.

"Cheater," she murmured before he resumed their kiss.

~0~

At about 6:10, the building was emptied out as the employees had all gone home.

The door of the storage closet opened and out came Minerva, holding her mp3 play with a sly grin as she turned to the right. The Doctor came out a few seconds after, his face completely dazed and his hair all over the place...that woman sure knew how to make her arguments...

"Doctor, coming?" Minerva called, glancing back.

"Yeah, yeah," he cleared his throat, coming up beside her and taking her hand.

She wrapped an arm around his neck and fixed his messy hair with an innocent smile. She then pulled him down for another kiss, making it as loving as possible to re-establish she was keeping her mp3.

She loved that mp3...it always led to snogging in the end!

~0~

Donna flinched when her cellphone went off, still inside the stall of the washroom, "Not now!" she whispered.

"I need the car! Where are you?" Sylvia demanded.

"I can't. I'm busy."

"Why are you whispering?"

"I'm in church."

"What are you doing in church?"

"...Praying!"

"Bit late for that, madam."

"What's she in church for?" Wilf asked Sylvia, happening to be in the kitchen during the time.

"Hush, you. Go up the hill!" Sylvia waved him off and spoke into the phone again, "But I need the car. I'm going out with Suzette. Shes asked all the Wednesday girls, apparently she's been on those Adipose pills. She says she looks marvelous."

But Donna heard the doors of the washroom being opened and hung up. It was Miss Foster with her two body guards, "We know you're in here, so why don't you make this nice and easy and show yourself?" Donna pulled her legs up, "I'm waiting. I warn you, I'm not a patient woman. Now, out you come," but no one came out, "Right. We'll do it the hard way. Get her!"

The body guards started kicking open stall by stall...finding Penny, the journalist in the stall before Donna.

"There you are," Miss Foster said, the woman stepping out by the guards.

"I've been through the records, Foster, and all of your results have been faked. There's something about those pills you're not telling us," Penny spat.

"Oh, I think I'll be conducting this interview, Penny," Miss Foster turned around, the bodyguards pushing Penny after her.

Donna poked her head out the stall once they were gone, going after to follow them.

~0~

"You are so mad," Minerva declared as the Doctor helped her into a window cleaner's cradle and switched it to descend.

"And you so like it," he tapped her nose.

She opened her mouth to make an argument but shrugged, "Yeah, I do. What's a date without adrenaline?"

The cradle stopped outside Miss Foster's office, the pair ducking down before they were seen.

Inside, Penny was struggling for her freedom, but the bodyguards were too strong, "This is ridiculous!"

"Sit there," Miss Foster ordered.

"I'm phoning my editor."

"I said sit."

Penny was pushed down by the bodyguards and tied up, "You can't tie me up. What sort of a country do you think this is?"

"Oh, it's a beautifully fat country. And believe me, I've traveled a long way to find obesity on this scale."

"So come on then, Miss Foster, those pills. What are they?"

Donna had snuck over to the front door of the office, watching and listening with caution.

"Well, you might just as well have a scoop, since you'll never see it printed. This," Miss Foster lifted a capsule, "Is the spark of life."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Officially, the capsule attracts all the fat cells and flushes them away. Well, it certainly attracts them, that part's true. But it binds the fat together and galvanizes it to form a body."

"Well, what d'you mean 'a body'?" Penny stopped her struggle for freedom, that last bit sounding...scary.

"I am surprised you never asked about my name. I chose it well. Foster, as in foster mother. And these," Miss Foster put an Adipose on the table, "Are my children."

"You're kidding me. What the hell is that?" Penny's eyes widened.

The trio in hiding, in their respective hiding places, rose up to look through the windows.

"Adipose. It's called an Adipose. Made out of living fat. Stripped from ordinary human..." Miss Foster said proudly.

"Oh my god..." Minerva tilted her head, nudging the Doctor, "...I spy a ginger!"

He looked ahead and saw Donna across from the, all three gaping with shock.

"Donna?" he mouthed.

"DOCTOR!" Donna mouthed right back.

'But... what? Wha... What?!'

'OH MY GOD!'

'But... how?'

'It's me!'

'Well, I can see that!'

'Oh this is brilliant!'

'But what are you doing there?'

Minerva looked from one to the other, propping her elbows on the rails of the cradle, amused by the miming that was actually very well done. Her Martian was just brilliant at that too.

'I was looking for you!' Donna continued to mouth.

'What for?!' the Doctor asked.

"I, came here, trouble, read about it, internet, I thought, trouble = you! And this place is weird! Pills! So I hid. Back there. Crept along. Heard this lot. Looked. You! Cos they..."

"Doctor," Minerva nodded towards Miss Foster, who had caught on, "We should go..."

"Are we interrupting you?" Miss Foster asked mighty loud so both sides would hear.

"Run!" Minerva shouted, Donna able to catch the mouthing.

"Get her!" Miss Foster ordered, the Doctor soniced the office door with the screwdriver, allowing Donna some time to run. He used it on the cradle next to go back to the roof, "And them!" Miss Foster watched the pair go up.

~0~

The trio met up by the alcove of the stairs, Donna encasing both of them in a big hug, "Oh my god, it's you!"

"Donna Noble, I thought we'd never see you again," Minerva chuckled.

"Oh my God! I don't believe it! You've even got the same suit!" the ginger looked the Doctor over, completely aghast, "Don't you ever change?"

"He does," Minerva nodded, "I send him myself."

The Doctor rolled his eyes, "Yeah, thanks, but not right now!" he looked down and saw the guards coming, "Just like old times!" he grabbed Minerva's hand and started back up the stairs, Donna quickly after them.

They returned to the roof where Donna had started to babble excitedly, "Cause I thought, how do I find the Doctor? And then I just thought, look for trouble and then he'll turn up!"

"Good start," Minerva remarked.

"You're no easier to find!" she frowned, "You're human and you're records are all screwed up!"

"How do you mean?" Minerva became confused.

"So I looked everywhere, you name it," Donna had continued her babble, not catching the question, "UFOs, sightings, crop circles, sea monsters. I looked, I found them all. Like that stuff about the bees disappearing, I thought, I bet he's connected. Cause the thing is, Doctor, I believe it all now. You opened my eyes. All those amazing things out there, I believe them all. Well, apart from that replica of the Titanic flying over Buckingham Palace on Christmas Day, I mean that's gotta be a hoax!"

"Not really, we were there," Minerva replied.

The Doctor had gotten busy working on the cradle's controls with the sonic, catching about one sentence, "What d'you mean, the bees are disappearing?"

"I don't know. That's what it says on the internet," Donna shrugged, the Doctor climbing up the cradle, "Well on the same site, there was all the conspiracy theories about Adipose Industries, I thought let's take a look!"

"In you get!" he helped Minerva inside again.

"What, in that thing?" Donna blinked.

"Yes in that thing!"

"It's a bit more fun than it looks," Minerva shrugged.

"But if we go down in that, they'll just call us back up again."

"No no no, cause I've locked the controls with a sonic cage. I'm the only one who can control it. Not unless she's got a sonic device of her own. Which is very unlikely."

And then Minerva smacked him upside the head, "Why do you gotta say things like that? Your mouth is 95% jinx-magnet."

"What's the other 5%?" he frowned, genuinely wanting to know.

"Sweet talk," she nodded, admitting it always got her, though that didn't stop her from elbowing him in the ribs due to his smirk.

Miss Foster approached the edge of the roof, looking down to see the trio descending, "Oh, I don't think so," she used her sonic pen to accelerate the cradle.

The Doctor then stopped it with the screwdriver before he and the women fell to the floor. He quickly stood up and tried opening the nearest window with the sonic.

"Hold on. Hold on, we can get in through the window."

Miss Foster spoke to her wrist communicator, "Deadlock the building."

"Can't get it open!"

Donna lifted a large spanner from the cradle, "Well smash it then!"

Minerva crossed her arms and stared at the pair, Donna simply tapping the window with the spanner while the Doctor continued using the screwdriver. She bit her laugh and shook her head, "You two are just geniuses."

Miss Foster pointed her sonic to the cradle's cable, making them spark and smokey.

"She's cutting the cable!" Minerva had looked up at the sound, "Doctor!" she grabbed onto the rails, the Martian doing the same...

...Donna not having the same luck.

"Donna!" they shouted, poor Donna hanging onto the broken cable below, "Hold on!"

"I AM!" she cried.

They tried to pull her up by the cable but it wasn't working and they were running out of time.

"And now, for the other one," Miss Foster used the sonic on the second cable but the Doctor used his screwdriver on her pen, making it sparkle until she dropped it down, "Ah!"

The Doctor caught the pen, and climbed up the cable, "Minerva?"

"I'm coming!" she shouted, though she gave a quick glance below to see Donna, "But hurry!"

He managed to open the window as Minerva neared up. He climbed inside, falling to the floor on his back. Minerva poked her head inside, laughing at him, "Stupid Martian," she was going to make her swift entrance when he pulled her down as well.

"I don't think I'm that stupid," he smirked, pecking her lips.

"Oh, hello," she blinked, giving him one more peck but they got up from the floor.

~ 0 ~

"This is all your fault. I should've stayed at home!" poor Donna yelled, still clinging on for her life.

~ 0 ~

The Doctor and Minerva ran into Miss Foster's office where Penny was still tied up, "Is anyone gonna tell me what's going on?" she demanded as they opened the window.

"What, you're a journalist?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes."

"Well, make it up!" he tried grabbing Donna's legs.

"Oi, not all journalists make things up," Minerva exclaimed, "Sarah Jane Smith does a fantastic job and she's honest!"

"Fair enough," he nodded, concerned more with the fact Donna wasn't allowing him to help her.

"Get off!" she shouted.

"I've got you! I've got you. Stop kicking!" he managed to pull her inside.

"I was right. It's always like this with you, innit?" she breathed, looking between them.

"Kinda," Minerva nodded, "But it's more fun like this."

"And off we go!" the Doctor said, the trio running out.

"OI!" Penny shouted, the Doctor popping back inside.

"Sorry!" he used the sonic to release her and ran off, popping back a second alter, "Now do yourself a favor, get out."

He and Donna ran across the call center, the Doctor a bit alarmed to see Minerva going around the edge of the room, partially hidden by the small cubicles. However, his attention was diverted to Miss Foster and her body guards who were across from them.

"Well then," Miss Foster took her glasses off, "At last."

"Hello," Donna greeted.

" Nice to meet you, I'm the Doctor."

"And I'm Donna."

"Partners in crime. And evidently off-worlders, judging by your sonic technology," Miss Foster said, not too pleased.

"Oh yes, I've still got your sonic pen. Nice, I like it. Sleek, it's kinda sleek," he showed it to Donna, quickly looking around, even more alarmed now that he didn't see Minerva anymore.

"Oh it's definitely sleek," Donna nodded.

"Yeah, and if you were to sign your real name that would be...?" the Doctor asked the woman.

"Matron Cofelia of the Five-Straighten Classabindi Nursery Fleet. Intergalactic Class."

"A wet nurse, using humans as surrogates."

"I've been employed by the Adiposian First Family to foster a new generation after their breeding planet was lost."

One body guard went down all of a sudden, Minerva dusting her hands off behind him, looking up to see everyone staring at her, "James is awesome!" she grinned, her self-defense moves coming in handy even with pressure points. The Doctor cleared his throat, evidently clear he disliked that statement, "Oh but not as much as you," she ran over to him, pecking his lips.

"Hold on..." Donna's eyes widened, pointing at the pair.

"Right, back to the point," Minerva fixed herself, "Sorry, looks like one body guard is down, probably will be for a while. But I couldn't help to listen about a planet being lost...how does one lose a planet?" she raised an eyebrow, "I mean, misplace a book, glasses...sure...but a planet?"

"Oh, politics are none of my concern. I'm just here to take care of the children on behalf of the parents," Miss Foster replied.

"What, like an outer space super-nanny?" Donna asked.

"Yes, if you like."

"So... so those little things they're, they're made out of fat yeah, but that woman, Stacy Campbell, there was nothing left of her."

"Oh, in a crisis the Adipose can convert bone and hair and internal organs. Makes them a little bit sick, poor things."

"What about poor Stacy?"

"Seeding a level 5 planet is against galactic law," the Doctor reminded.

"Are you threatening me?" Miss Foster raised an eyebrow.

"I'm trying to help you, Matron. This is your one chance; cos if you don't call this off, then I'll have to stop you."

"I hardly think you can stop bullets."

"No, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, one more thing, before... dying. Do you know what happens if you hold two identical sonic devices against each other?"

"No..."

"Nor me, lets find out!" he pointed the screwdriver and pen together, creating an awful noise.

Everyone held their hands to their ears, the noise too much. Minerva pushed the Doctor and stopped him, reminding him to run,

Miss Foster spoke into her communicator, "I'm advancing the birth plan. We're going into premature labor."

~0~

The trio arrived at the storage cupboard where the Doctor started throwing its supplies out.

"What happened between you two?" Donna just needed to ask.

"How do you mean?" Minerva had joined in on the supply throwing.

"Wedding day, you two were friends, today...you...kiss?"

"Oh that..." Minerva considered explaining it but there was small time to do so, "...long story!"

The Doctor had opened up the back of the cupboard to reveal a green machine built into the wall, "Hacking in to this thing, cos the matron's got a computer core running through the center of the building. Triple deadlocked. And now I've got this," he held up her sonic pen, "I can get into it."

~0~

Back in Miss Foster's office, however, was another green machine built into her wall.

"What does that thing do?" Penny asked, having been tied up yet again.

"It's the inducer. We had planned to seed millions, but if that man's an alien then he's alerted the Shadow Proclamation, so the first one million humans will have to do," Miss Foster turned to her body guards, "Find him, and the women. Don't waste time, just kill them."

~0~

"She's wired up the whole building. We need a bit of privacy," the Doctor held two sparkling plugs, making lightning emerge from the walls which stunned the guards, "Just enough to stop them. Why's she wired up the tower block? What's it all for?"

"Inducer online."

"Anything I can help with?" Minerva stepped beside him, seeing the possibility of that being very slim.

"Not really, love, sorry."

She nodded, internally wishing she could be just as smart as he was so she could help him. This was one of the consequences of their different origins...no matter how clever she claimed to be, she would never compare to what a woman of his species could be, a Time Lady. The Doctor held her hand, kissing the back of it to assure her it was alright she couldn't help, he understood and he didn't mind. Minerva faintly smiled, thanking the heavens he could look past her human defects.

Donna studied the pair, the thing of them being an actual item still not settling in her mind, "I noticed things have changed between you two," she said quietly, afraid this change could affect her possible chance of coming on-board the TARDIS.

"Right, I was angry with you at the time," Minerva said to the Doctor.

"What? What had I done?" the Doctor asked, sounding defensive and a child.

Minerva crossed her arms, "You called me Rose...twice. I nearly walked out of your life."

He looked back to his work, trying to forget that day. It had been the most horrific day since the Time War. He lost Rose and nearly lost Minerva as well and both were his fault.

"Hey, I'm not mad anymore," Minerva turned his head to her.

Truly, she wasn't. She understood now, the Doctor had cared for Rose not loved her. His feelings were all mixed up, his head jumbled with Rose, saving Donna from the Racnoss and keeping Minerva and himself safe. It was an outburst of everything. It didn't mean it didn't still hurt her, but it didn't mean she was angry that something happened out of a genuine mistake. She tried not to talk so much of that time, especially of Rose. She still didn't feel comfortable talking about the blonde, her guilt for taking the man Rose loved and because of attitude Rose had given in the end. The Doctor had no idea what Rose had become to Minerva during their last months together and Minerva intended to keep it that way. It was the least she could do after taking him...

"Never again, though," the Doctor whispered to her, his hand reaching to her cheek, "You're my Clever Girl. Mine."

"You're my Martian," she smiled softly, nuzzling to his touch.

"My Minerva, Minerva," he gently leaned to kiss her.

Donna looked away at the small moment, feeling a big change had truly happened since the last time she'd seen them.

Minerva suddenly remembered they weren't alone anymore and turned to Donna, "Sorry about that. We're not used to having another person with us," she rubbed her neck out of embarrassment.

Truly, they hadn't. They had been on their own since Martha left them, occasionally dropping by to see only Minerva's grandmother, Isadora. Martha had been far too busy for a visit and Minerva really didn't want to be imprudent especially after hearing she was nearly done with her studies. Other than that, it was the Doctor and Minerva. They had their small moments that went on for hours, uninterrupted.

The only other person they'd stopped by to see was Astrid from the Titanic. After the Doctor told Minerva of Astrid's refusal to travel in the TARDIS thinking Minerva was dead, Minerva immediately made the Doctor take them to the blonde and Mr. Copper. Astrid had literally cried of joy upon seeing the walking and talking brunette. She'd apologized endlessly to Minerva, still believing it had been her fault Minerva had been close to death in the first place. Minerva would have none of that and explained about the blue light that had mysteriously saved her from the engine's wrath. If anything, Minerva was the one that felt awful for putting her and the Doctor through so much angst. As an apology, she and the Doctor had taken her and even Mr. Copper for a nice trip to any place Astrid wanted.

"It's just...well," Donna looked from one to the other, truly no words coming to mind, well save these three, "You look older."

"I'm eighteen, now," Minerva shrugged, "The Doctor just always looks older."

"Watch it," he warned as he worked.

"You know it's attractive," she kissed his temple.

"Thanks!" he beamed.

"Still on your own, then?" Donna asked, though the answer was pretty clear after Minerva's words.

"Yup," the Doctor answered without actually thinking.

"No," Minerva corrected, "We had this friend, Martha she was called. Martha Jones. She was brilliant...she was my best friend."

"...and I destroyed half her life," the Doctor had to put in a comment.

Minerva sighed, tired of hearing that from him. But the Doctor maintained his stance on Martha's family. The Master was his responsibility and had hurt Martha, Martha's family, Minerva's family and Minerva. He was responsible for it and partly the reason for Martha's departure. Worse than that, it was his fault for what was happening to Minerva as well...

"No, you didn't," Minerva shook her head, "Martha is just fine, she's just gone to make her own life."

"What about Rose?" Donna asked, both pair stiffening with silence.

"Still lost," the Doctor said quietly, pausing, wanting to change the subject before Minerva became upset. He knew that topic wasn't easy for Minerva's based on her previous thoughts of his affection for the blonde. He'd rather not talk about her at all, "I thought you were going to travel the world?"

Donna sighed at her failure, "Easier said then done. It's like I had that one day with you and I was gonna change. I was gonna do so much. Then I woke up next morning, same old life. It's like you were never there. And I tried. I did try, I went to Egypt. I was gonna go barefoot and everything. And then it's all bus trips and guidebooks and don't drink the water and two weeks later you're back home. It's nothing like being with you. I must have been mad turning down that offer."

"What offer?"

"To come with you."

"You'd come with us?"

"Oh yes, please!"

"Right..." the Doctor quickly looked at Minerva, unsure how Minerva would take Donna's sudden arrival.

Martha's departure was hurtful. She was Minerva's best friend, and she had already lost Mickey, twice. Would she dislike Donna if she came with them?

"Inducer activated."

"What's it doing now?" Minerva asked.

"She's started the program! So far they're just losing weight, but the Matron has gone up to emergency pathogenesis," the Doctor ran a hand through his hair, helpless with the machine in front of him.

"That's when they convert..." Minerva whispered, thinking back to her cousin, Marisol. She might dislike her but she sure didn't wish for her cousin's death!

"Skeletons, organs, everything. A million people are gonna die!"

"Then cancel the signal!"

He pulled out the golden capsule and pulled a side off to reveal a chip inside, "This contains the primary signal. If I can switch it off the fat goes back to being just fat," he hooked up the capsule to the machine.

~0~

"A nice try. Double strength," Miss Foster pushed down the lever completely.

Inducer increasing.

~0~

"No no no no no, she's doubled it, I need... Haven't got time! It's too far, I can't override it! They're all gonna die!" the Doctor cried.

"Is there anything I can do?" Donna offered.

"Sorry, Donna, this is way beyond you! Gotta double the base pulse, I can't..."

But Donna wouldn't have any of that, "Doctor, tell me what do you need."

"I need a second capsule to boost the override, but I've only got the one. I can't save them!"

While he fiddled with the switches, Minerva watched Donna hold up her own gold capsule, "Oh you are good," she remarked, the Doctor looking over and seeing the capsule, "Doctor, she is so coming with us!"

Donna beamed at the woman's approval. Minerva wouldn't mind having her around!

The Doctor took the second gold capsule and plugged it in to the machine, the green lights going off, "It's stopped! They've gone!"

~ 0 ~

Miss Foster flicked on the switches but nothing was working anymore. Everything was shut down.

"What's happened?" Penny tried peering around the woman from her chair.

"I think the Doctor happened. But we've still given birth to ten thousand Adipose. And the nursery is coming," Miss Foster moved to the windows when a loud horn rang, "It's my lift home!"

~0~

"Fine. When you say nursery you don't mean a creche in Notting Hill..." Donna looked from the Doctor to Minerva.

"Nursery ship," the Doctor reminded.

"I think he meant that quite literally," Minerva put a hand on the ginger's arm.

The comp unit lighted up again, "Incoming signal," and an alien language started playing.

"What's it saying?" Minerva asked as the Doctor leaned to the machine.

"Instructions from the Adiposian First Family."

~0~

Miss Foster stood on the street, at the head of all the Adipose babies, "Children! Oh my children, behold. I am taking you home," the Adipose cheered, "Far across the galaxy, your new mummies and daddies are waiting. And you will fly!" a blue light levitation beamed down from the ship, levitating everyone including Miss Foster, "Up you go, babies. Up you go! That's it, fly away home!"

~ 0 ~

"She's wired up the tower block to convert it into a levitation post," the Doctor was still listening to the instructions, "Oh. Ooh. We're not the ones in trouble now. She is!"

"How do you mean-Ah!" Minerva yelped when he yanked her out of the room, Donna running after.

They returned to the roof, watching the Adipose babies flying up to the nursery ship. Minerva, in awe, walked up to the edge, resting her arms on the rails, smiling and waving at the little babies. They were kinda cute, she thought, they looked like little marshmallows!

"What you gonna do then? Blow them up?" Donna asked the Doctor, both of them remaining back.

"They're just children. They can't help where they come from," he replied, his gaze landing on Minerva as he thought.

She and the small Adipose babies did have one similarity. The Adipose babies were innocent who were born out of an woman's wrongful actions. Minerva was the sweetest thing in the world and was the product of a horrible woman with no warm feelings for her daughter.

"Oh, that makes a change from last time," Donna remarked, following his gaze to Minerva, "Wonder how that happened..."

He smiled softly, "She kept her reigns real good. She and Martha, anyways."

"Mm, but it looks like Minerva might have completely let go of hers," Donna smirked.

"Oh quiet. She's actually kept them, for your information."

Minerva, despite their newly found relationship, was still as strict as ever with her principles. Sure, he might have a new way of escaping her lectures...a few kisses here...a few sweet words there...but she always knew how to keep him on check.

And he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Bye, bye," Minerva waved at the Adipose, "Fly back to your mommies and daddies. I'm sure they'll love you..." her smile faded a bit as her mind wandered back to her own parents.

Miss Foster soared up to the level of the trio, the Doctor and Donna running over to Minerva's side, "Matron Cofelia, listen to me!" the Doctor yelled.

"Oh, I don't think so, Doctor. And if I never see you again, it will be too soon," she smiled.

"Oh, why does no one ever listen? I'm trying to help! Just get across to the roof. Can you shift the levitation beam?"

"What, so that you can arrest me?"

"Just listen. I saw the Adiposian instructions - they know it's a crime, breeding on Earth. So what's the one thing they want to get rid of? Their accomplice!"

"I'm far more than that. I'm nanny to all these children."

"Yeah, but children don't want a nanny, they want their mom," Minerva said, speaking from her own experience. She loved her grandmother, she did, but a mother was a mother and it was something a child would always need.

The light vanished, Miss Foster having only a mere second before plummeting down. The trio looked away in sorrow for the dead woman.

~0~

The Doctor threw Miss Foster's sonic pen into a bin, lost in his thoughts. Minerva took his hand, offering a comforting smile even if she wasn't exactly well either.

"Oi, you three!" Penny the journalist crept out of the building, still tied to her chair, "You're just mad. Do you hear me? Mad! And I'm gonna report you... for madness!"

"You see, some people just can't take it," Donna observed, a hint of pride in her tone.

"No," the Doctor shook his head.

"But some people can. So, then - TARDIS! Come on!" she pulled them away to the alleyway where her car was parked...and the TARDIS, "That's my car! That is like destiny! And I've been ready for this," she open the trunk of her car which was full of suitcases, "

"I packed ages ago, just in case. Cause I thought, hot weather, cold weather, no weather..." she loaded her luggage on the Doctor's arms, Minerva stepping away and watching with amusement, "...they go anywhere, I've gotta be prepared," she threw a hatbox on top.

"You've got a... a... hatbox?!" Minerva chuckled, going to the trunk of the car to see what else the ginger had brought.

"Planet of the Hats, I'm ready!" Donna rushed to the TARDIS doors where she babbled like crazy, the Doctor following, "Do I need injections though, do I? Like when you go to Cambodia, is there any of that? Cause my friend Veena went to Bahrain, and..." Donna noticed the Martian's serious look, "You're not saying much."

"No, it's just..." the Doctor set down the luggage beside, thinking of a delicate way to explain his uneasiness of her coming along.

"You don't want me," Donna said with realization.

"I'm not saying that," he pointed out.

It's not that he didn't want her to come along, he thought she was fantastic! But his mind wandered back to Rose for some reason...the uneasiness Minerva felt all last year about the blonde. It pained him that he had put her through all that doubt, along with Kaeya. He didn't want some of that uneasiness to flow to Donna.

"But you asked me..." Donna whispered, glancing at Minerva who had found another hatbox in the car.

"Look, Donna, it's a bit complicated, you remember Rose right?" the Doctor sighed, Donna nodding silently, "I made a mistake last year, and the year before...and they both hurt Minerva. I won't ever make those mistakes again," he said firmly, "Minerva's a bit insecure because of my indecision from last year..." Donna nodded again, following so far, "Rose was someone I cared for but only as a friend, Martha was a best friend to Minerva, and I'd like for you be a friend as well. I want to make it clear, I just want a mate."

Donna's eyes widened with horror, "You just want to mate?"

"I just want a mate!" he quickly corrected, but Donna was more than horrified, going as far as hiding behind the TARDIS doors.

"You're not mating with me, sunshine! What about Minerva? MINERVA!" she shouted with fear.

Minerva quickly ran over, noticing Donna's fear and her hiding back behind the door, "What's up?"

"Your boyfriend wants to mate with me!" the ginger hid entirely behind the doors, only her finger visible as it pointed to the Doctor.

"I-I don't!' the Doctor was in a fit of stuttering as Minerva turned to him, "I-I don't, honest I d-don't!"

"Is there something we need to talk about?" the brunette raised an eyebrow.

"No! I didn't say that! She misheard me!" he pointed at Donna, her head poking out of the door, "I don't want to mate with her! I'd only want to mate with you!"

"Think real hard of what you just said," Minerva bit back her smile, blushing lightly.

It didn't take long for him to realize that and shook his head, blinking rapidly and blushing like mad, "Well, n-n-not that...not yet, well, no, not if you don't want to, but not yet-" he was forced to stop when Minerva had leaned up to kiss him.

Upon hearing quietness, Donna poked her head out the door again, breathing a sigh of relief at the two kissing. She stepped put of the box, fixing herself, "Well, nice to see that's been clarified."

Minerva was the first to pull away, her hands resting on the Doctor's face, "Yeah...my Martian is an idiot," she laughed at his pout, "But he's a handsome, harmless idiot."

"Minerva, in all seriousness though, I don't want anything to do with your boyfriend," Donna stepped up, just needing to clarify that for all of their sake's, "I'm not having any of that nonsense. I mean he's just a long streak of... nothing. You know, alien nothing."

Minerva busted out laughing, the Doctor frowning at Donna, "That's not nice," he declared.

"Well it's the truth!" Donna looked him over, not backing down from her statement.

Minerva wiped a tear from her eye due to her laughter, "Aw, but don't worry," she turned to the Martian, putting her hands on his chest, "I for one think you're something."

"Not a long streak of nothing?" he pouted.

"Well you are a long streak..." she looked him over, both laughing when Minerva got on her toes to kiss him again. Next to him, she was exceptionally short. Though Minerva claimed he was just so freakishly tall and she was average height.

"Grow a few more inches," Donna joked.

"Right?" Minerva pulled back, leaning her head on the Doctor's arm, "Too bad I can't magically change like he can."

"How do you mean?" Donna tilted her head.

"Well he regenerates," Minerva shrugged, "See, he..." she paused and smiled, glancing up at the Doctor who nodded, both thinking of the same thing, "C'mon then, I'll explain it in the TARDIS."

Donna blinked, had she understood? "I can...I can come?"

"Let's see, you think my boyfriend is a long streak of nothing, you're bloody brilliant and I like you, oh yeah you're coming!"

Donna gasped and ran to give them a big hug, "Oh thank you!" but she remembered something important and pulled away, "Car keys! I've still got my mum's car keys! I won't be a minute!" she ran away to go make a call.

"Well, c'mon, we've gotta get these inside," Minerva grabbed the hatbox.

"Are you okay?" the Doctor asked suddenly, making her stop.

She looked at him and lowered the box, "Why do you ask?"

"Martha...Rose..." he mumbled.

She understood now and so set the box on the ground, "I miss Martha, I do...but, she's happy and so as her best friend I'm happy. Donna is amazing and I think after everything she went through, she deserves to see some stars. And about Rose..." she strode up to him, "...Donna's nothing like her."

Donna was warm, joyful, friendly and loving. True, Rose had been the same for some time but it had changed for the worst and she doubted Rose would ever be a friend for her again.

"I just don't want you to get those silly ideas again," the Doctor took her hand, "Because I know how your mind works. I know how you feel..."

"Look, my feelings about Rose might be screwed up but I can't help it. But I know that Donna doesn't see you like that, she's just a friend."

"I swear to you, you are first. You dominate my hearts. There is no more doubt. I chose you, I always did and I never realized it. And if Rose ever came back, when Kaeya comes back, the only one I would want in my arms is you," he kissed her hand and then her lips.

Minerva wore a small smile afterwards, her heart skipping a beat at his words, at his assurance, "Really?".

"Yes, really," he cupped her face, "And I will make you see that, okay? You've lived a long life with rejection, no stability and uneasiness. That stops with me. And you know what? Perhaps Donna will be good for us. She'll show you that just because there's another woman, besides Martha, no one else can turn my head nor sneak into my hearts. You'll see it's just you."

Minerva nodded, truly wanting to feel secure of herself for the first time, "Show me then, Martian."

He leaned down, kissing her and showing the truth in each of his words.

~0~

Donna was walking through the crowded street next to the alleyway where her car and TARDIS were. She was talking to her mother over the phone, "I know, Mum, I saw it, little fat people. Listen, I've got to go. I'm going to stay with Veena for a bit. Yeah. I know. Spaceship. But, I've still got the car keys. Look. There is a bin on Brook Street, about thirty feet from the corner, I'm going to leave them in there," she threw the car keys into the bin beside her.

"What? A bin?"

"Yes, that's it, a bin."

"You can't do that."

"Oh, stop complaining, the car's just down the road a bit. Got to go, really got to go. Bye."

"But Donna, you can't..."

Though Donna hung up, just wanting to get back to the TARDIS and start her adventures! She looked around, spotting a blonde woman who stood by a fence. She ran over to her, "Listen, there is this woman that's going to come along, a tall blonde woman called Sylvia, tell her that bin there. Right, it'll all make sense. That bin there," Donna laughed and headed back to the TARDIS.

The blonde woman remained silent and watched Donna go. She took a look around and walked away from the fence.

It was Rose Tyler.

Worn, depressed, guilty, she walked in silence...vanishing into thin air.

~0~

"Off we go, then!" Donna popped back into the TARDIS.

The Doctor leaned back on the console, arms crossed, "Here it is, the TARDIS. It's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside..."

"Oh she knows that," Minerva walked around the console, "Honestly, I think the whole world knows that."

"Frankly, you could turn the A.C. on," Donna looked around, her stomach churning at the familiar room. She just couldn't believe she was finally there, she had finally found them again...

"Sorry, that's my fault," Minerva made a face.

"Why?" Donna asked absently.

"Know what heat flashes are?" she asked and Donna nodded, "I've been having these cold flashes for months now. My Martian has graciously turned the heater on for me."

"Have you seen a doctor about that?"

"Mhm, my own personal Doctor," Minerva rested her head on her Martian's arm, unaware of the guilty face the man wore, "But it's nothing, just a temporal side effect of a crystal, nothing big."

But by the face the Doctor had Donna would have to disagree. She wondered why he was lying, cause it was pretty obvious that's what he'd been doing...she'd have to look into that.

"Just temporal," the Doctor kissed Minerva's had, wrapping an arm around her waist while he looked to the side.

He severely disliked the way he was lying to her about her health but he didn't want to scare his clever girl. She had enough problems with her family to add on the newest problem of a Monsoon princess and her crystal.

"One good thing out of this cold issue is that it gives my Martian the excuse to cuddle," Minerva smirked and looked up at him, seeing a small smile from him instead of his guilt.

"You do it to cuddle?" Donna raised an eyebrow, really unable to believe that was the reason why the man had looked so guilty, "That's so cliché!"

"He just wants an excuse to be in my room at nights," Minerva add, tilting her head up at him, "Or whatever the time is when I go to sleep. You think you're so sneaky! Bet if I go lock my room with a deadlock you'll be crying to let be in."

She slipped from his arm ran for her room. The Doctor shook his head and chased after her, grabbing her by the waist before she made it into the corridors, "Gotcha!"

Minerva squealed as they spun around, "Put me down! Put me down!" she ordered in the midst of their laughter.

Donna watched the pair, smiling softly. She could just see how happy they were now. They were nothing like the last time they'd seen each other. Minerva's eyes had changed, her entire attitude. The Doctor didn't look like the cold murderer she'd seen the last time. They were different, and she guessed that Martha woman had a big role in that, along with their new found relationship. She would never stand in the way of that.

"C'mon, Martian, put me down, we've gotta take Donna somewhere fantastic!" Minerva continued to struggle for her freedom, the Doctor refusing to set her on the floor.

"So? She could drive the TARDIS while we continue over here," he shrugged.

Minerva smirked, "Think real hard of what you just said."

Tick, tock, tick, tock...

The Doctor immediately let go of her and ran back to the console, "No driving, Donna Noble," Donna simply raised her hands in surrender, "So, whole wide universe, where do you want to go?"

Donna only thought for a minute when she knew of the exact place she needed to go to, "Oh, I know exactly the place. Two and a half miles, that way," she nodded to the left.

The Doctor and Minerva glanced at each other, confused on what could be only twenty miles away from them...

~0~

Wilf was sat in the hill again, looking up at the sky...when he saw a blue box, "There! Donna! It's... it's the flying blue box!" he shouted, quickly looked into the telescope and saw Donna waving at him from the box, "Huh - what?! That's Donna! Yeah, that's Donna."

Donna stood at the doorway of the TARDIS, waving excitedly at her granddad, Minerva and the Doctor behind, also waving.

"And that's him! That's him! Hey! That's him! Ha-ha-ha! Go on girl! Go on, get up there! Hey!" Wilf did a little merry dance as he watched the TARDIS fly away, his granddaughter finally happy.

~0~

"Doctor? Doctor? Where are you?" Donna's voice rang around the console room, startling the Martian who had been busy "fixing" something on the console.

Her loud voice would surely take some getting use to for sure.

"What is it Donna?" he stood up and fixed himself, turning just as the ginger walked in through the corridors, "Did she hide your room? Because that's completely normal," Donna shook her head, looking a bit serious and concerned, "What's wrong?"

"I was trying to find Minerva, you know, to kinda get to know each other and all, but..." she trailed off.

"But what?"

"...I heard her crying," she whispered, "At least I think I heard her crying..."

"Crying? There's crying?"

Donna nodded and was going to reply but by the time she opened her mouth, the Doctor was already out of the console room, running for Minerva's room. Donna shook her head, something told her this new life of time traveling was going to have a lot of bumps in the road. She only wished she would be able to help Minerva and the Doctor when the time came.

~0~

"Minerva? Open up!" the Doctor soniced her door, bursting inside to see the brunette on the floor, leaning on her side to her against her bed..quietly weeping, "Hey, what's wrong?" he knelt down beside her.

"I did something stupid..." she sniffled, her gaze locked on the floor, her hands put together...holding Martha's cellphone.

"Like what?"

"I called my mother."

"Oh no," the Doctor sighed, immediately seeing the conversation between Minerva and Sophia and all its bearings.

"I thought maybe she'd be a little proud that I graduated," Minerva explained, looking down at the cellphone in her hands, "...but she just yelled and said I could've graduated early like Marisol did," and she burst into tears again.

The Doctor took her into his arms and sat down on the foot of the bed, "Minerva, I'm all for family reunions, but don't you think Sophia has no right for one?"

"But she's my mom," she rested her head on his chest, "I just want her to forgive me. But Marisol has taken my place...she graduated early and-"

"It's okay, it's okay," he rubbed soothing circles on her back, "Look, it's been a good and fantastic day, don't you let someone ruin it for you. Especially people who aren't worth it."

"But she's my mom, she's supposed to care of all these little things," she wiped her face dry of tears, "But she cares more about Marisol."

"You know what, give me that," he took Martha's cellphone from her and started dialing.

"Who are you calling?" she lifted her head.

"Someone who will definitely cheer you up," he grinned. Minerva stared in confusion, hearing another voice on the other line, "Oh, hello! Yeah, listen, Minerva's having a bit of a bad moment thanks to Sophia...but I bet you can help her with that."

He handed the phone to Minerva, "But who is it?" she whispered.

"Take the call and see," he shrugged.

She placed the phone on her ear, looking at the Doctor while she answered, "Hello?"

"Minerva? Sweetie, what's wrong?" Isadora, her grandmother, questioned.

"Grandma..." Minerva started to smile, and even if it was a small one, it still relieved the Doctor that she was starting to get out of this moment Sophia had cursed her to be in.

"What did Sophia do now?" Isadora demanded.

"Grandma, it's...it doesn't matter, now. But listen, I have some news...I did it grandma, I finally graduated."

"Really?" Isadora gasped, "That is fantastic! Congratulations!"

Minerva smiled, hearing a praise from one of her family members making her cry of joy this time, "Yeah?"

"Of course!" Isadora chuckled, "And when you stop by I'm gonna bake you some brownies!"

"Thank you," Minerva sniffled, "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Mhm, congratulations and I'll see you later."

Minerva hung up and looked at the Doctor who had been staring in silence at her face, "You are wonderful!" she threw her arms around his neck.

"I take it you're feeling better, now?" he rested his chin on her head.

"Much, thank you so much. I guess mom just doesn't care about me anymore...well, she never did but, now I know."

"Don't think about that, okay? Sophia doesn't deserve the love you offer to her. Don't waste it on her."

He knew that was her mother he was talking about, but after everything...how could he not say that? He had seen and heard many of the conversations Sophia and Minerva had in the last couple of months. The woman truly had no ounce of motherhood in her. He was actually surprised that Minerva hadn't turned bitter after living fourteen years with that woman.

"I can't help it," Minerva sighed, "I'm her child. I love her."

He rubbed some tears off her cheek then kissed her, "And that shows your big heart. You shouldn't love someone like that."

"I'm tired...and kind of cold," she whispered, wanting to stop the tears that were building up in her eyes and the only way to do that was to stop talking about her mother and Marisol and get to bed. Plus, whenever she felt cold it was just best to sleep it off.

"Alright, I'll be in later with your milkshake," he smiled, softly kissing her.

"No," she held onto his lapels when he tried to move her off his lap, "Stay with me."

"Stay?" he raised an eyebrow.

She nodded, "Stay with me tonight."

"Minerva, think real hard of what you're saying," he warned, both smiling at the words.

"I am," she focused on his lapels as she started blushing, "I don't want to sleep alone tonight. Please stay with me? I'm cold and I need someone to cuddle with."

"Well if I couldn't deny you before we were together, how can I deny you something now?" he recalled his determination before Martha and Jack had gone and now that he looked back on it he really had no idea how hard it was going to be to say 'no' to something his clever girl wanted...except when it harmed her of course like those weight-loss capsules.

Minerva flashed a cheeky smile, "You can't," she said innocently.

He sighed, pretending to be forced to agree, "Well, I suppose I'll have to stay now..."

"Oh admit it, you've been wanting to stay with me for several weeks now..." she trailed a finger down his chest, smirking at the way he stiffened, "...don't think I haven't noticed."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he looked away, his hearts picking up on their speed.

Minerva giggled, pecking his lips, "Time for sleep, Martian," she pushed his coat off his shoulders.

"You definitely know how to make me nervous," he mumbled.

She became serious for one, "You definitely know how to make me feel better, thank you," she pecked his lips again.

"You know I'll always strive to do that."

She nodded and stood up from his lap, going up to her bed, "I know you do, and you always succeed," she pulled the covers down, "That's why I need you in here tonight. I'm cold and I don't feel like crying over my mother," she pulled her jacket off her and threw it to a chair nearby.

"Not on my watch you won't," he came up to her. She smiled and sat on her bed, patting the spot beside her, "You don't want to change, first?"

She shook her head, "Nah, I just want to feel your arms around me tonight."

He nodded and, nervously, went around the bed to lay on her left, wrapping his arms around her. Minerva turned to face him, scooting closer and resting her head on his chest, closing her eyes.

"Minerva?"

"Mm?"

"I'm proud of you."

She smiled, keeping her eyes closed, "And that means more than my mother's words."

With a kiss to her head, the Doctor closed his eyes, both of them falling asleep in each other's arms for the first time.

#ocappreciation #doctor who #10th doctor #doctor who fics #10th doctor fics #dw imagine #10th doctor imagine #doctor who imagines #oc: minerva souza #fic: star crossed

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hypersexualhyperlexia-blog · 4 years

Text

Michelle having grown up in this small town still had some bad habits, even though she tried to educate herself and not be a "yokel" type. She admonished herself even as she tried to watch unnoticeably as the new neighbors moved in next door.

There was a slim man who seemed to have a bit of a flashy fashion sense, wearing a black leather jacket with gold studs on the black jeans black shirt gold glitter covered boots with stop sign red hair short in the back long on top and dangerously handsome for the cut. There was also a lady seem a more quiet type apparently into that vintage look, with her handbag matching her petticoats which matched her heels. They hovered around the movers truck, the man jumping in now and again to help things keep going, the woman going inside to direct where all their things would go. Yet time and time again the pair ended up standing side by side again as if used to gravitating towards each other.

She had to look closely at first but the two moving in appeared to be siblings, since over the breathing masks they wore, were the same grey eyes. She thought it a little strange but not by much. The way her mom told it, it was the gen X folks who stopped getting a place when moving out of their family home with siblings very frequently. Apparently in the old days that had been normal not matter the genders. Indeed Michelle and her brother had shared an apartment for a few months before she found a place and moved out on her own. It's just with these two... something was strange.

-(^_-)-

They didn't do anything odd but they seemed to be so in tune like newlyweds, bubbly and laughing lots, affectionate in a way she could only describe as them not seeming as dysfunctional enough to be family to each other. She knew that was rude as all hell but, working in psychology she could tell a lot about people and knew even when a pair of siblings love each other, they still will have some difficulty with each other.

She tried to go work on her case management files but she found herself making up reasons to go past the window and take another look. Soon she knew she couldn't do anything for it but go outside. And she knew it was gonna be cheesy but she slapped a tube of tollhouse cookie dough on a bakingsheet and let them bake before having a shower and getting properly dressed arranging them on a cute plate. All so she could go be a nosey neighbor.

The 26 year old checked her dress and hair making sure it wasn't too much just for going next door, honestly it wasn't more than what she's used to wearing to work just with a little make up and shoes she'd never make it in a day of her job in, just because they were a little cuter than her work shoes, also a bonus conversation topic she and the lady might have to talk more about. But since she's been working from home so much she has forgotten the right level of business casual for going anywhere. She put on a face mask and headed to the window for one last peek.

Finally satisfied and just before the movers leave giving herself the perfect chance to talk to them without having to ring the doorbell and feel a moment of anxiety where she may well scurry back across the street leaving the cookies behind, Michelle went over keeping the right amount of social distance greeted the pair. "Hello, welcome to the neighborhood!" she said in a cherry voice only possible because having half her face being covered all the time now have her a little more confidence.

"Ooh are those for us?! How lovely, you shouldn't have but now you've given this big lug a reason to bake something in return." The lady said. Her hair raven black and down to her hips, only decorated with a pair twists from the sides of her hair pinned back and now that Michelle was up close saw she was an equally slim figure to the man which gave her a very elegant look, probably because her style of dress wasn't wrapped around the idea of showing off the girls which she clearly had very little of to show.

"Yes precisely. I will indeed use any excuse to bake. I mean, it's gotta be better then building 40 model airplanes and getting hopped up on the glue. I for one am delighted my special interest is so delicious and can not be hoarded. Hi there, nice to meet you." He spoke up to be heard through his mask.

Michelle found herself a bit startled by the statement, it seemed he may have been implying himself to be on the autism spectrum. But since she firmly believed that far more people then researchers or doctors knew were also on the spectrum she was not startled to find out a person had ASD traits. But his style of dress made a bit more sense now, he seemed so into his image he might be mistaken for a fashionably gay man.

Which she realized with how similar the two looked might be the odd thing. The longer she looked at them the more sure she was they were siblings. So maybe he was also gay which lent him more emotional freedom to be affectionate to his sister.

"Michelle Flannery, it's nice to meet you too. My, I must say if you find yourself with 40 cakes you definitely can drop one off at my place, he he he. I'm that little ranch style across the way." She laughed.

The movers stopped over and had the woman sign something then they took off in the truck their work apparently over. As this happened the man said "I wouldn't have it any other way and as a matter of fact, I will be sure you're the first person we bring something over to. I'm Kai Donaldson by the way and that's Kita."

"Well, Michelle if you have been keeping yourself healthy for everyone, not having any fever or other symptoms and are willing to wash you hands inside then, please come on in, let's have some tea and get better aquianted." Kita said.

"Oh no, you guys must be so busy already-" She began

"It's alright, I can say we've been tested and you won't be at risk in our house. Plus, I'm going a bit nuts hanging out with just him, please I insist, it is rather hard as an adult to make new friends after moving so I won't let the chase get away." Kita said with a blush Michelle could see even with a mask on.

"Ah, oh alright then. So you must be siblings? I think those are the only people you can be so totally annoyed with but still be perfectly comfortable and loving with too. I have a brother myself, Henry. I still call him a doofus to his face, but if I'm in a jam he's also the first person I tell." Michelle said accompanying as they walked up the walkway to the 3 family house.

"I know exactly what you mean. Kai is the smartest and dumbest person I have ever met and I say that entirely with love." Kita said smiling up to her eyes as Kai led the way.

Into the first floor apartment they went and the pair instructed Michelle to the bathroom down the hall and past the kitchen while they went to wash hands in the kitchen and set a kettle to boil. Michelle took the opportunity to use the toilet as there were toiletries out already. She thought perhaps they had been staying there at times before their items showed up she had noticed signs of the place being sold over a month ago and last week sometimes thought someone was in the house. She was thinking these mundane things when she heard a strange noise like a table shifting in the kitchen. She exited the bathroom and walking on the quiet carpet peeked into the kitchen and happened on a sight which shocked her to hell and back.

Kita was laying on the dining room table her legs open and Kai standing between them bent over her a little with one hand braced on the table his other arm about her lower waist as his hips rocked against his sister.

"Do it." she heard him murmur quietly.

To this Kita began to moan softly as quietly as she could in an obviously sexual euphoria. Her voice quivered as she trembled in bliss "Oh, ohn oh fuuuck, unfff~!"

Michelle leaned back out of the doorway the little bit she had been peeking in at and also heard Kai speak again.

"All better?"

"Yes, thank you. Thank you for taking care of me." Kita replied in what would be a casual tone but seemed full of genuine gratitude and breathless lust. There was some kind of shifting sounds again, this time in such a way Michelle could not for the life of her tell what happened.

Shocked further by the exchange she peeked in to the kitchen again and jerked backwards stumbling and losing her footing falling backwards. Somehow the incestuous pair had separated and were on opposite ends of the kitchen fully engrossed in two different tasks. Kai had been digging out mugs from a box which looked mostly unpacked that Michelle would have sworn was unpacked and closed seconds ago. Kita was across the room by the sink measuring out hot cocoa ingredients with an apron on she had not been wearing before. She processed the impossible images she saw as she went down on her ass with a light small sound "Oof!" realizing she twisted her ankle stepping back. She was immediately terrified as she was startled enough by their behavior and that impossible scene to want to leave that crazy house but didn't want them to know she saw them making out then teleporting and somehow badvancing time itself. Or had she? Had she been hallucinating all of it?

A moment later there were obvious footsteps as Kita came to the doorway and peeked out her faint polite expression changing to one of concern. "Oh, are you alright? Here, I'll help you up. Let's get you to the recliner and I'll grab an ice pack. You're looking a bit pale dear, it will be safe to remove you mask once we get settled on the sofa with a bit of distance.That way you can get a good breath of air."

"Y-yes, I- alright. There was maybe a little dip in the hall floor there." She lied trying to look calmer and allow herself to be helped up. There was nothing for it, she had seemed to reinjure an old wound in her left ankle and was stuck at least for the next 10 minutes so she would have to play along tiplease she could limp her way back across the street. She tried putting those lusty moans out of her head and ignore the feeling that was almost fright (which was actually fright that she was making light of for her sanity) at the odd way they seemed to go from the center of the room to the opposite ends deeply busy with their tasks.

Kita sat her in the chair and Kai brought in the tray of mugs to see what was going on. Already Michelle's ankle had swollen up and was developing a bruise. Kita and Kai gave each other concerned looks.

"I used to be a medic in the military, would you like me to wrap that with ace bandage for you?" Kai said. He looked genuinely shaken by someone else's pain and as strange as the whole scene in the kitchen had been Michelle could tell he just wanted to help so she nodded.

"Oh I'm so sorry this has happened! That looks so very painful." Kita moved to recline the chair and put Michelle's legs up which while a little awkward in a dress she thought would be fine if Kai kept himself professional while putting the bandage on.

He left the room and returned with a small first aid kit and sat beside her facing away so she looked at his back, apparently thinking ahead to keep her modesty in tact. Michelle blushed hoping she hadn't made him feel he must do that or be accused of assault. She reminded herself she had not witnessed him forcing himself on his sister but doing something she had wanted him to. This brought up a worrisome thought which she had to put out of her mind off shudder was to play ingnorance to their sexual relationship. It was 'Maybe she is older and has been sexually abusing him since they were children, using his disability against him...'since sadly in her line off work she had to think often this way off people.

He rubbed on some kind of ointment that maybe was tiger balm then he set about the bandaging, letting his gentle hands work quickly speaking softly over this shoulder to her while Kita reheated the cocoa. "It should be a little tender to walk on for maybe the next week but swelling or pain worsens please don't hesitate to give us a call and I'll take you to the hospital. I suppose once you're ready to go back home I'll walk you too. Honestly if you need to be carried I'll do that instead. There. Kita, how's that ice pack coming along?"

Returning from the kitchen Kita came with the drinks pain reliever cookies and the ice pack. Kai set it against the side of Michelle's ankle gently and in perfect position to ease the pain. Now over the shock of things she had more time to look at the two and when he stood went to the sofa 10 feet away and sat he tugged down his mask and let of a slightly flustered breath. Kita sat beside him and set a hand on his shoulder pulling hers down too. "You good?" she asked. "Yeah, trigger doesn't hit as hard when there's no blood, you know? As calm as the training keeps me inside it's still feels like life or death. But I'm okay. I'm okay." Kai said with a soft smile looking directly at Kita.

Michelle about to reach for her cocoa simply stared a moment looking at their uncovered faces. They looked possibly Latinx or maybe Aboriginal to the Americas. Both were rather beautiful and she felt herself blushing about finding what pretty face Kai had. And how absolute the resemblance was between them. 'Well, that explains a even more, twins sometimes do have inappropriate relationships with each other to either one or the other extreme of either hating each other or loving each other. I suppose as adults they function a lot better than other sets of twins with such dysfunction. He has battle induced panic disorder and she's got separation anxiety, I'm sure of it.' She thought. It was now far less unnerving seeing proof the two have an incestuous relationship. It wasn't very odd now to think how codependent the two were as it seemed in all consideration good for the two to have made the choice of staying close to each other. She blinked and made her self stop staring and took up the mug pulling her own mask down. "Thanks the both of you, Kai and Kita. And goodness, you're identical? That must be interesting."

Kita giggled and took up her mugs. "Yeah we do kind weird stuff sometimes, like walk or breath in sync with each other. We even have a weird telepathy caused by the fact we think almost exactly a like."

Kai brightens up again with a broader smile. "We're long lost actually. Ophaned at two different places but in that time both married red heads, both got tattoos in the same area, both worked as chemists. Finding each other was weird too."

"So true. I lost my husband and then Kai came along moving to the same place with no awareness of my being there and for a while it turns out we were operating opposite schedules in even the same city and finally came together at a grief counseling group at the local hospital." Kita said. She apparently still held pain about her husband's death and paused to sip her cocoa as her mouth went a bit dry and she looked as if she blinked away a tickle that could turn in to tears if she let it.

Kai continued from there. "I lost my wife Alice and she lost her man Alex. So the very first time we met we were in our own heads not really seeing each other till she and I went for cocoa and reached for the same cup. I... thought I was going crazy looking at my own face like that."

"He was not sleeping well back then, hallucinating often so he..." Kita began to giggle.

Kai crossed his legs and sat back bringing his mug to his lips while blushing.

"He raised a hand and just reached out thinking he would put his hand through something that wasn't there. He was so confident he put a lot of momentum into it to do it quick before anyone saw... but he ended up slapping me in the middle of the face and almost got the cops called on him. So I told them it was okay he just needed to get home and sleep and bustled out with him and ever since we've been the best of friends who are also siblings who never met till about 4 years ago."

"I wasn't trying to- and I could immediately tell I screwed up, and God it was so disorienting..." Kai said shaking his head.

Michelle found the story of the pair so amusing and romantic in a way she found herself forgiving entirely the fact they were brother and sister. Maybe if she were her own mom and this was the 60s this would be unacceptable and be indeed a reason to try and run the two out of town, but seeing how obviously happy they were, she knew she would never tell anyone what she saw. And still what was it she had seen? Immediately those highly experienced gyrating hips, his eyes taking in every ounce of erotic expression on the face that looked so much like his, the deeply satisfied moans all came flooding back and she had to work to push the image away. 'None of my business, none at all except...what? did I lose time long enough between peeks in the kitchen or something? How had they gone from doing something so strange lewd and almost wholesomely to something totally normal unexpected and frightening?' She damned her nosey self for asking.

"Ah, wow, you must have married young." She asked continuing the conversation in a normal way.

"Yep, both to someone we dated in high school. I went in to pharma, he went into the Marines. We both were only married less than five years but hope to have each other far longer in our lives." Kita said reaching out to ruffle Kai's hair in a playfully annoying way.

"And you?" Kai asked almost absent-mindedly picking up a lock of Kita's own hair and tickling her over the nose with till she quit and gave a little shiver with a giggle.

"I don’t have anything so serious yet, I guess my job is a bigger part of my life than dating is." She answered. It was the truth all told but she didn't bother telling them she has a friend with benefits as that might get a bit awkward. Somehow more so than a pair of long lost siblings who fell in love with and have sex with each other. Two grown adults who obviously love each other but both too avoidant to commit to each other for good? Shifty as a 2 dollar bill.

"Well, as long as your work makes you happy. I suppose, right? We both reassessed our lives and decided to be happy we needed careers in a field we love and will do even unpaid. So now we have a bakery which is also half library specializing in comics and manga. This is also why we live together. We recognized we found what we went to that group counseling for, just one other person who knew what the loss was like, who needed what strength we could offer in exchange for a little help, in each other." Kita said leaning in a little and resting her head on Kai's shoulder.

"How's the ankle feeling?" Kai asked gesturing with his hand as he held a cookie.

"It's not much better, I'm afraid I might take you up on the offer for a ride to the hospital." Michelle said aware there maybe be something really wrong with it as even with the cold the swelling went down only a little but it was not entirely pain free.

"Perhaps we'll go now then?"He suggested.

"I... hmm... maybe I'll see how it does overnight? I have had an injury there before and this feels the same just far less intense. For that I had crutches and an immobilizer. Maybe using them again for a few days will help?" She thought out loud.

"And we'll be here to help in any you need, as a matter of fact... we have a room maybe stay over and that way you have someone to help out till you can be up and about yourself?" Kita said clearly worried about how Michelle would cook or go to the grocery.

"I hate to say it but, I might need lots of help for the next two days. Henry stayed at my place three weeks the first time I hurt my ankle. Are you certain it's not asking too much?" Michelle asked she was starting to feel guilty for coming to nose about and ending up with the new neighbors waiting on her hand and foot.

"Not at all, not at all. I was actually thinking, " Kai said "I could give you a piggyback ride across the street we can help gather up what you will need and transport it over here and when you're ready we'll help take your stuff back home. Sound good?"

"That actually makes a lot of sense. And hah, well I can work from here on my laptop. Okay, yeah." She answered.

And so they finished up the drinks and had a few cookies each and went with the proposed method which she was well aware Kai suggested so A) she wouldn't have strangers roaming around in her house while she was helpless to oversee them B) she would be able to give clear direction and help them pack up what she would need. It took about 30 minutes, during which the twins seemed to be actively cheering her up as well as reassuring each other about the sudden new addition to their dynamic.

Kita helped her into a bath proving to be quite strong physically herself then dressed in her pajamas Michelle was ushered to bed like a sick child to rest while Kai made dinner for them all. It turned out he was making chicken and dumplings soup and while the meat cooked he came to re-apply the ointment and bandage once again facing away from her. She realized he was purposely hyper focusing on the medical application rather than the person and the pain they were in, perhaps aware of a trigger in it.

She was able to use her crutches to get herself to the table to eat but found she had difficulty sitting in a chair as she had to stretch her legs in an odd way with her foot up on a chair under the table. They chatted over the food and she took the offered pain reliever again and was once more ushered off to bed. The apartment had 3 bedrooms the one she was sleeping in was Kai's while he took the sofa since the 3rd room was meant to be a home office and had only a desk an chair in it.

She fell asleep rather early and while dreaming shocked herself for the fourth time. She dreamed the two were sleeping in Kita's bed and she was watching them through a cracked door. The two were making love in slow passionate way Kai thrusting into Kita pausing and panting his pleasure for a few breaths before withdrawing and thrusting again. Kita moaned loud not quietly as she had during the day but as if she didn't give a damn who heard. Michelle felt herself becoming more and more aroused and for some reason unable to look down knew her hand was in her pajamas rubbing her clit fast. She found herself cumming in ather sleep as she watched, and woke with a gasp. 'I... do I like that they are siblings? I would never see Henry like that but... The way they are... the way Kai's arm had held around Kita's waist as she arched her back and came from him grinding against her...' I a pervert? Since when did I like incest.?' She thought in a vague splintered fashion.

Michelle drifted off again after thinking it over for a while and in the morning didn't even remember the wet dream.

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