As they entered the Tardis, the Doctor was rambling away, causing both girls to smile at how happy he was. It was rare they had days that everyone survived. It was nice, and if it caused the Doctor to get all giddy, Mei would try and have more adventures like this.
"The nano genes will clean up the mess and switch themselves off, because I just told them to. Nancy and Jamie will go to Doctor Constantine for help, ditto. All in all, all things considered, fantastic!"
Rose giggled, leaning on the console as her sister climbed into the jump seat, "Look at you, beaming away like you're Father Christmas."
"Who says I'm not, red bicycle when you were twelve?" he spoke fast, pointing at Rose, who gasped.
Mei's own eyes widened, she remembered that bike. It had come out of no where, just as her set of books on Astronomy had. That had been the Doctor? When had he done that? She remembered Jackie panicking because they didn't have much money that year, she was worried she wouldn't be able to get the girls anything. And then those gifts just turned up out of nowhere.
"And everybody lives, girls! Everybody lives! I need more days like this."
"What about Jack?" Mei asked, suddenly thinking on him disappearing with the bomb.
The Doctor just grinned at her, and set the Tardis into motion. Rose and Mei shared a confused look, then shrugged. The blonde beamed a few seconds later when Moonlight Serenade started playing.
"Okay, what were you saying about Dancing?" he asked, looking at Rose.
Mei watched the two, laughing every time the Doctor stepped on Rose's toe, or he twisted her arm up her back or around her throat. Even the Tardis seemed to be humming in amusement. When they connected with Jack's ship, she hurried over and opened the door to see him at the captain's chair with a martini in hand.
"Oi!" she called, making him jump, "Hurry up, you're ship's gonna blow!"
Jack grinned, throwing his drink down and hurrying toward her. Mei laughed, closing the door behind him, then watched his expression become one of awe as he took in the Tardis.
"I'm sure I used to know this stuff," the Doctor grumbled as he once again got the moves wrong. He then glanced at Jack, "Welcome to the TARDIS."
"Much bigger on the inside," he managed to comment, still looking around.
"You'd better be."
Mei snorted in amusement, and Rose shook her head and stepped toward Jack with a grin, "I think what the Doctor's trying to say is you may cut in."
The music changed suddenly to Glen Miller's In the Mood, and the Doctor grinned, "Mei, I've just remembered."
"What?" she asked, eyeing the hand he offered her, taking it cautiously.
"I can dance!"
He gripped her hand, spinning her into his embrace, and Rose and Jack watched with amusement as the two danced around the console in step with each other. Jack then offered his hand to Rose, and they joined in, dancing the opposite way around the console until the two pairs met in the middle, and both Tyler sisters were dipped.
Mei and Rose shrieked with laughter, the Tardis hummed loudly with her lights flashing. Jack immediately helped Rose up, but the Doctor kept his brunette there a little longer, only to press a kiss to her lips.
"Aww!" Jack and Rose cooed as the two straightened, still kissing.
Mei reached around the back of the Doctor's head to keep him close, deepening the kiss and he returned it with much enthusiasm. They heard Jack clear his throat and Rose giggle, but it didn't bother them.
"Oh get a room!" the blonde finally cried out, as she watched the Doctor's hands slip up the back of her sisters top, "I do NOT need to see this."
Mei pulled away laughing, the Doctor grinning himself as they looked at the pair, but his eyes quickly fell back on the brunette, adoration clear in his gaze. Rose shook her head, leaning against Jack who simply smirked in amusement at them.
"So, this is your ship?" the american asked as they all calmed down, "I like it."
The Tardis hummed and Mei grinned, "Seems she likes you too."
"She?" Jack clarified, "Ah, sentient time machine?"
"Well done!" The Doctor clapped him on the back, "Now, where should we go next?"
Mei glanced at him, then cleared her throat, "Could we go home for a bit? I think mum would love to meet Jack."
Rose was ready to question it, but one look from her sister made her realise what was going on and jumped up, agreeing, "Yeah, mum'll love Jack! Plus i kinda wanted to see her after - you know - dad."
"Sure," the Doctor agreed, suspicion obvious, but Jack was beaming.
"Rosie!" He exclaimed, wrapping an arm around her waist, "We've only had one date and i'm already meeting your mother?"
"Shut up!" she laughed, shoving him away. "Come on, i'll help you find a room. I think we could all do with a bit of rest before we get there."
Mei watched her sister and Jack go, before meandering to the Doctor's side, giving him a sheepish smile.
"So why do you really want to go home?"
"I told you, back on Jack's ship," she shrugged, "Something i want to show you."
The Doctor nodded, hitting a few switches, "We can stay here in the vortex till we get some rest, then when we're all up and ready we can go."
"Sure," she stepped back, then offered her hand, "Join me?" he raised an eyebrow and she rolled her eyes, "Not like that."
The Doctor laughed, "I know," he took her hand, "But sure."
-
When Mei woke, she found the Doctor still beside her, but his attention was on the book he was reading. She snuggled closer, gaining a smile and managed to keep herself silent for at least a few minutes. But upon thinking where she was going and what she would be telling the Doctor today, she decided it was only fair to ask her own questions.
"You told Constantine you could relate to him losing his kids and grand kids," she stated softly, looking at the Doctor through her eye lashes. His expression immediately became one of panic. "I mean i kind of gathered, you know, nine hundred years and two ex wives that there would also be some kids. But do you - would you tell me about them?"
The Doctor was surprised, he honestly thought the idea of him being a grandfather would put her off. But here she was, eyes twinkling with genuine interest. So he cleared his throat, putting the book down, "What do you want to know?"
"Honestly?" Mei grinned at him, "I want to know everything, all your companions, your regenerations, your family. All of it, but only what you're comfortable sharing. I know it must not be easy telling me stuff like this, having to think back on what you lost, but i want you to know that you can talk to me about anything."
The Doctor looked away, his expression suggesting he was considering what to tell her. When he looked back at the brunette, he smiled.
"My Granddaughter Susan was my first companion, you know I've travelled with others, but she was the one who kind of introduced me to the idea of travelling with humans. I uh, kidnapped her school teachers."
Mei laughed, "You KIDNAPPED her teachers? Oh i bet she loved you for that. So what happened to her? Why did you stop travelling with her?"
"She settled down, fell in love, wanted to start a life," he shrugged, "Of course, when we were all called back for the war she probably had to up and leave it all behind. I'm not sure, i never saw her again, for all i know she could have refused to fight and died out with her family from old age."
"Sorry," the brunette frowned, reaching up to hold his hand, "What about your other companions, what were they like?"
The Tardis hummed and an image popped up on her wall like a projector screen, showing an older man with slicked back white hair and a young woman at his side.
"Thanks girl," the Doctor patted the wall above the bed, "That's the first me and Susan. Let's see, after Susan it was Barbara, Susan's history teacher, then Ian, her science teacher. Vicki was a survivor we rescued from a crashed spaceship on the planet Dido."
"Dido?" Mei asked, watching the image on the wall change with each name to give her a visual image. At least now she could put faces to names. "Like the singer?"
"Yeah, she got married to an ancient warrior of Troy, but sent a Trojan girl Katarina to take her place, she was nice. She was also the - the first companion i lost."
Mei gripped his hand tightly, knowing that reflecting on his history was causing some bad memories he probably didn't want to think about again. The girl that popped up on the wall looked like a kind one, someone she would have liked to know. But she was also grateful he was telling her and showing her, it gave her more confidence in sharing her own story soon.
Clearing his throat, he said, "There was Steven, but he was only with us briefly. Sara wasn't exactly a companion, but she gave her life for me so i count her, Dodo wandered into the Tardis by accident, Polly and Ben came next, again briefly. That was my first incarnation, the First Doctor. He - i - was slow to trust but mischievous, short tempered too and always wore a blue signet ring. He - i - died after a fight with an enemy called Cybermen, where his - my - life force was drained."
"If it's easier referring to your past selves as other people," Mei smiled as she examined the image of the First Doctor, "That's fine, i'll know what you're talking about."
The Doctor nodded, thankful as another image came up, "The Second Doctor was a warm one with a wise personality, used to wear large shoes and a giant fur coat. My past regenerations used to refer to him as a clown. He was exiled to Earth and forced to regenerate. Not fun. James and Zoe were his next companions, but eventually my people took their memories away and returned them to their own times. Victoria stayed a brief time, she was the daughter of a scientist."
Mei grinned at him, tearing her eyes from the images briefly, "Lots of pretty women, something you're not telling me?"
"Oh shush you," he nudged her playfully, "The Third Doctor was a dandy, an inventor and skilled with martial arts. That was the one who worked for UNIT. He was exposed to radiation and had to regenerate. Liked wearing a fedora that one. He travelled with Elizabeth, Jo Grant and Sarah Jane Smith."
Mei tilted her head slightly, examining the women, and the Doctor continued, "Sarah Jane Smith travelled with the Fourth Doctor too. Along with Harry, Romana one and two, Adric who died, Tegan, Nyssa, Leela and K9."
"Aw, he's so adorable!" Mei cooed as the robot dog image popped up, then she pouted, "I want one."
"I left him with Sarah Jane, as a goodbye, sort of. She was a good friend to me at the time, Romana joked she fancied me but i doubt it. I mean she tried to kiss me once but i told her i was married. I had to leave her because i was called back. The fourth fell from a height, and had to regenerate. He wore a really long colourful scarf. Fifth Doctor was a nutter, he wore celery on his lapel."
Mei burst out laughing when the image came up, quickly covering her mouth when the Doctor scowled playfully at her, "Sorry."
"He died saving a companion, Perri, by giving her the only cure to a disease. He travelled with Vislor who was an alien from planet Trion. Kamelion was a shape changing android who was destroyed. And of course, Perri. Perri also travelled with the Sixth Doctor, along with Melanie. He was . . . different."
Mei gave the Doctor a worried look as his expression showed displeasure at talking about this certain regeneration. Though she couldn't see what was wrong with him in the picture, clearly there was SOMETHING.
"He had a lack of concern for little things, and could kill without remorse. Not one of my favourites. His death was weird one, kind of like suicide. Wore a patch work frock coat, he always dressed in bright colours.Seventh Doctor travelled with Melanie for a bit and then Dorothy, or Ace as she liked to be called. An actual doctor assumed his second heart was what was killing him, so that didn't end well. Frightened the guard when he regenerated into the Eighth, he was watching Frankenstein. So worth it!"
Mei laughed at that, then gestured for him to continue.
"Eight was a romantic, you'd have liked him. He died during the war, choosing to regenerate after being unable to save a life. Turned himself into a warrior. Surprisingly, the doctor who killed seven was actually eight's first companion. Then it was Lucie and Charlotte. And then came Nine, and here we are."
Mei furrowed her brow, sure that for a moment between the Doctor finishing telling her about Eight and mentioning Nine, there had been a flash of another man. But she had told him only what he was comfortable sharing, so she left it be.
"That's a lot of people," she breathed out in thought, "Sarah-Jane tried to kiss you so - Did - were any of them - i mean did you and them-"
"No," his reply was firm, "I was still married to my first wife, The Director as she called herself, until the second Doctor. Met and married my second wife, The Protector, while i was in my Second, and we were together until my Fifth when she died. She was part of Interstellar Relations and often ended up fighting wars. I made sure my companions at the time knew. The Protector and i had no children, but the Director and i had several sons and daughters who then went on to have their own families. I said my Eighth was a romantic, but i didn't mean - i mean i've never had anything more than a friendship with any companion other than you, and obviously Susan since she was family. I had always been very clear that, as a Time Lord, married or unmarried, i wanted nothing but friendship. I never thought it would work with a human. And i'd been very strict in keeping things platonic. I refused to travel with one girl because she fancied me."
"Then what about me?" Mei asked, confused, "I mean this - this isn't platonic in any way."
"I know," he replied softly, "But i can't help it. Ever since i met you, i just . . . i couldn't really stay away. And as you mentioned a while back, you can't spend forever with me, only the years you have left. But i want those years, and if that makes me selfish and greedy, i don't care. I don't want to be alone anymore. I don't think i'd manage without you."
Mei smiled at him, pushing herself up so she was hovering over him, "I'll do anything to make sure you're never alone again," she murmured, "I'll never leave you. We can travel anywhere and everywhere, surely at some point in time, somewhere in existence, we'll find the secret to - i dunno - longevity, eternal youth, slowed ageing, something. And even if we don't, i'm yours for as long as i have."
The Doctor smiled sadly, brushing a curl behind her ear. Mei just shook her head and leaned down, pressing her lips to his. She didn't want him to be sad. After a few minutes her arms started shaking with the strain of holding her up, so she lay back down beside him.
"Tell me about your adventures, all your funny stories."
"Oh where to begin!" he laughed.