θ 24

[bit_impossible]

[twenty-four hours has passed, the proverbial timer in the universe goes off, and much in the way that riku appeared, so does he, but mere feet away from the hole he jumped in the previous day. his clothes are even worse for the wear than when he first went in, small tears and cuts all over his beloved coat and suit.]

[but he's alive and starts to cough, his face tight as all at once pain shoots through every cell in his body. again his voice is strained, but he sounds happy despite it all.]

Fun ride. Don't think I'll be repeating that one again. [he tries to sit up, but immediately collapses right back on the ground and begins to laugh slightly, ignoring the pain. then suddenly stops.]

Hang on...same voice, [tentatively feels his face] same nose, sideburns, hair, mole between shoulder blades--Oh! And both hands! I like that! Glad that worked out!

[whispers to himself] But...I thought I'd died... I felt it! And yet I didn't regenerate... [his eyebrows furrow] How odd.

Comments

[bit_impossible]

[he laughs weakly, not surprised to hear her nearby] Wish I could. You planning to give me another walloping?

[xxlaracroftxx.livejournal.com]

It's not me you should be worrying about.

[bit_impossible]

Oh? [is slightly confused.] Who then?

[xxlaracroftxx.livejournal.com]

[without facing the Doctor, she points at Oliver]

[oliverplus]

[is actually rather speechless at the moment, just staring at the Doctor] Doctor...?

[bit_impossible]

[waves with his new left hand, though he doesn't move to see where ollie or lara are.] Hello!

[oliverplus]

[swallows, still quite speechless] Doctor, you... [pauses; he's been thinking about this for the last 24 hours but still finds that now he has no idea what to say] ...you're hurt, aren't you.

[bit_impossible]

[he nods] Just a bit, but everything's in working order! [waves his left hand again.] Give me a mo' and I'll be good to go soon.

[oliverplus]

[nods, unable to say anything else at the moment]

[bit_impossible]

So... [he can't miss that uncomfortable silence.] What'd I miss?

[oliverplus]

[quietly, his voice very measured] You missed talking to us before you did that.

[bit_impossible]

Ahhh. [sighs] Right, sorry 'bout that...

[oliverplus]

Sorry!? You... [trails off, closing his eyes for a moment and clenching his fist; darkly] Don't lie to me. You know you did it on purpose. You spent a day planning to jump in that hole, and you...you wouldn't even have let us know if your sphere hadn't decided to!

[bit_impossible]

[softly, his voice calm.] It's not like I planned to lose my hand, Oliver. Did it ever occur to you that I didn't want you to worry about me?

[oliverplus]

And if I'd called your sphere and gotten only static, I wouldn't have worried at all.

[bit_impossible]

[forces himself to sit up, twisting around so he can face ollie and lara, but doesn't look them in the face.] You wouldn't have had to see what happened to me.

[oliverplus]

[eyes wild, gets up and comes over to the Doctor, seething, hands clenched into fists] Did it ever occur to you that I would've wanted to!? That I would've wanted to help!? But you...you wouldn't even let us know!

[xxlaracroftxx.livejournal.com]

[she stands, ready to get in-between them if it gets a little too nasty but then something's not quite right because her left foot hasn't hit the ground yet and now her entire body seems off balance...

...And then she's falling into the abyss]

[bit_impossible]

[didn't notice lara's fall since he's still looking away.] What could you have done, huh? Dived in for my hand yourself?! You can want to help all you want, but you can't help me regrow a hand!

[oliverplus]

I could've helped stopped the bleeding! I could've...I could've at least been there for you this time!

[stops, looking down; quietly] Do you think that was kind, Doctor? No word at all, and then you're without a hand, and suddenly I get to watch you die.

[bit_impossible]

Ollie... It wasn't kind of me to do it that way; to hurt you, Lara, the TARDIS--everyone. That wasn't my intention. I had to see for myself if what happened to Riku would happen again. What's on the other side? Would the reverse of this planet be an all red one? Would I get my hand back?

I couldn't chance asking you or anyone else to help. It was something I had to do myself. You would only fret and worry and probably stop me from doing what I did and if we did get off this planet and I missed my chance to get my hand back? If I died and regenerated far away from Eos, would my hand grow back with me? Or would it remain gone? I was 99% positive of my coming back in one piece.

And if I didn't, I'd be happier to die knowing that all of you were still alive.

[oliverplus]

It's not the fact that you went, Doctor. I get why you did that. Stupid, but I get it. But I would've rather gone with you. Or at least known, talked to you, something!

[pauses for a moment, swallowing hard to try to get past the lump in his throat] I'm sure you, more than anyone, know how it feels. There one instant and gone the next.

Don't you dare do that ever again.

[bit_impossible]

I didn't want you going with me, Ollie, not this time. I didn't want you to get hurt or wind up dead in case it didn't work out. It very well could've been a one time deal and that's that. I couldn't risk you making the same mistake. In fact, I'm pretty sure you almost went in after me, didn't you?

I'd rather die in your place. Well, actually I did and I'm not keen to repeat that again just yet, so no, I won't be jumping into any more holes. Not on this planet.

[oliverplus]

You don't understand, Doctor. Without you...

[trails off, taking a breath] But you're back. You're okay. You're staying. [smiles, and while his sadness and frustration is still there, the expression is definitely genuine] It's good to see you.

[bit_impossible]

[he returns the smile, for ollie's sake.] I'm not going anywhere, not without you and everyone else. I promise.

And it's good to see you too.