ashes ➝ Doctor Who²

XXIII

"I'm not leaving him."
- Martha, The Lazarus Project

The two men finally had a chance to breathe as Lazarus seemed to be taking his time chasing them for a moment. And the Doctor was rushing around, doing.. something.

"Anything I can do?" He was distracted - and still didn't really like Jasper - so the question went on ignored.

Which, truth be told, he really shouldn't have done. Sure the Doctor doesn't like Jasper, but Jasper had had to be talked down from shoving a glass into his face several times tonight.

But Penelope was here to stop him now. Besides, he could always blame Lazarus.

Unfortunately all the ways he was going to get back at the Doctor were halted when the alien finally turned to him.

"She wouldn't.. uh, she wouldn't talk to me earlier. I just want to see how she's been."

"She's good."

"Yeah she looks good. And.." the Doctor trailed off, fiddling with a gas valve, "earlier she also called you her partner. Been wondering how that's going."

"We're good, work puts us together more often than not. We work well together." The Doctor nodded, unsure how to take the relief in his chest that they weren't partner partners.

"Good, good. So she's good then."

"Actually, she's doing great without you, Doctor." He looked over and realised that he was getting glared at hard enough to set alight. Not something you partially want to do in a room you've just filled with gas.

"Have we got a problem?"

"You know, I used to think you were a hero, but after I watched Penelope kill herself for almost a year after you left I saw you for what you really are. A heartless bastard." Jasper quite literally didn't know where this had come from, but he wasn't going to stop.

"She had just lost her best friend and the only person that would understand that just left her behind and blamed her for it. Do you even know how hard I had to try to get her to where she is now? I would never leave her, for nothing. You were just a coward and you couldn't get it into your thick head that you were responsible for Rose. You destroyed her for no reason, and it doesn't ever matter to me what she thinks of you, I will never forgive you for what you did to her.." A wash of guilt hit him, purely from the look on the Doctor's face. And he fought the urge to shuffle in place. Adding on a measly, "..sir."

Although there was no time to unpack all that as Lazarus had found them both.

The Doctor jumps on a bench and starts to take a light fitting apart. Then he turns on a Bunsen burner and snuffs out the flame. He pulls another tube off a gas fitting and hides behind another bench. Jasper just watched all this before running over and hiding with him.

"More hide and seek with the Doctor and the soldier? How disappointing. Why don't you come out and face me?" The Doctor turns on as much gas as he can, with Jasper following suit. He let the alien do all the talking.

"Have you looked in the mirror lately? Why would I want to face that, hmm?" Jasper makes for the door, followed by the Doctor. The man slamming on the light switch as he left, hoping they both get far enough away before it blows.

As the walls rattled around them and a lick of heat hits their backs, they knew they'd made it out. Although they were brought to a halt as they slammed into Penelope and Martha.

The former bringing her partner into a hug.

"You're an idiot, like actually stupid. Do you know that Jamie."

"Yes ma'am." The two men shared a side eye conversation, nothing they said would be mentioned. "How did you know where we were?"

"Oh please," Penelope pulled back from the hug, grinning at him, "huge explosion in a building where we left you two, don't be daft."

To the left of them, Martha was returning the sonic and asking all kinds of questions about what happened. Then a guttural roar came from somewhere behind them, which in turn meant more running.

Penelope was speeding along in her heels, which again both frightened Jasper but also.. well, who isn't attracted to that?

They made it to the reception and Martha almost swore.

"What now? We've just gone round in a circle."

"Here," Penelope handed Jasper's car keys to Martha, the poor man having no idea when the hell she got them off him, "go to his car, I think I have a gun in my purse. It's on my seat, go." Neither of them could argue and quickly got out before Lazarus could see them. So she turned to the Doctor.

"What?"

"Well we're not just standing out in the open like a mutant's buffet I'm hoping."

"Uh.. no. And we can't lead him outside. Come on, get in." He gives her a - very hopeful - hand to get into the machine. And to his surprise, she takes it.

So now they're stood close enough to be breathing each other's air. Listening to the roar outside.

"You do have an idea besides 'get into an enclosed space with Penelope', right? Because he can turn this on from out there."

"Well." He looked at her sheepishly and she had to resist the urge to drag a hand down her face. Mainly because her hands were trapped behind her.

"Oh we are so going to die in here."