A WAY AROUND:


Jenny Flint, a gentle maid by day, and devious thief by night, stood in the drawing room of the home she lived in with her wife staring at the TARDIS that had just showed up. Without wasting time, she ran from the room, making her way to the green house where her love spent most of her time. “Ma’am, a matter has arisen in the drawing room.” Jenny said the moment she was through the doors.

Madam Vastra sat in her chair taking in the heat in her solarium that she filled with plants to remind her of the Earth she loved so much, back when she was a different person. She was nearly napping peacefully when the doors flung up, Jenny coming through them. Getting up she went to the small, dark haired young woman she loved more than anything, “What is it Jenny?” She asked shaking off the last remnants of heat induced slumber that had nearly claimed her.

“It’s the Doctor.” Jenny answered. “He’s here.”

“Then we best attend him.” Vastra said without needing more information.

Back in the drawing room, Jenny followed behind her wife seeing the doors to the TARDIS were open, but there was no sign of the Doctor except for a few angry mutters. “Ma’am?”

Vastra didn’t respond to her young love, instead choosing to go to the Police Box. “Doctor?” She called out, her head peeking inside the open doors. Suddenly she jumped back, her heart thundering in response. The Doctor had appeared, his brow furrowed with a determined expression on his face. “Are you in danger?”

“What?” The Doctor looked around the room her was in. The TARDIS had taken him to Vastra and Jenny. Somewhere around the little potato would be lumbering, probably playing with his grenades. “Danger? No. Help me.” He disappeared back inside to go to the body lying on the floor of the main control room.

Jenny looked to Vastra, before following the Doctor inside the TARDIS. She was accustomed to time travel after have a few jaunts to the future, but as always she felt a little zing of shock when confronted with technology from another world. “Help with what Doctor?” Jenny called out seeing the body on the floor. Jumping into action, she rushed over to see the face of one of the last people she ever thought see again. “Doctor, it’s…”

“Yes, yes, I know!” The Doctor snapped. He was running in over drive. So many things to do and so much time running out. “Act now, questions later.” He said, this time his tone was as even as he could make it.

Vastra moved around the Doctor, seeing just who was unconscious. Her heart sank at the sight. “Oh Doctor, what have you done?”

“I made a choice.” The Doctor answered before leaving Vastra and Jenny to get the last few things he would need.


In the kitchen, the Doctor busied himself with final preparations so he wasn’t staring at the body laid out on the long wooden table in the stone kitchen. Every day he thought about what he was doing. More than a few times he tried to talk himself out of it, but the heaviness in his hearts pushed him forward, pushed him to take drastic steps. With the last few calibrations made the Doctor held out the wire, “Jenny, attach this to the data port in the back of the neck.”

Jenny did as she was told. There was no sense in courting the wrath of the Time Lord. She went to the table, and fit the wire into place. The body reacted to the small jolt of electricity, forcing Jenny to jump back out of initial fright. “Is that supposed to happen?” She asked looking to her wife. Vastra only shrugged. “What now?”

“Now,” The Doctor gave his attention to Vastra where he handed her River’s computer. “When I say, hit download.” He moved around the table to stand at River’s side, at the new body he had procured for her. The Library’s core computer had stored her complete neural pattern, protected it from degradation, all she needed was a new body. “Do it.” The first burst of information had her body jolting, reacting like she’s been electrocuted. He watched with baited breath as her eyes moved back and forth beneath closed lids. Integrating her mind back into her body would take a few minutes, a few grueling, torturous moments. The Doctor wouldn’t leave her side until she opened her eyes, smiled that saucy smile at him, and called him ‘Sweetie’.

Oxygen filled her lungs in a sharp rush, her eyes opened, and she sat up gasping. Her mind couldn’t process the simple task of breathing. Then, hands cupped her face, and she saw who it was. “I can’t breathe….” She mouthed. The most basic human act and she couldn’t remember how to preform it. She was scared looking into the eyes of the man she loved.

The Doctor turned River’s face so she saw him. He then took her left hand to place it on his chest. “Feel how I breathe. In and out.” Her first few breaths were short gasping inhalations, then an even shorter exhalation. “In.” The Doctor said gently and River did as he told her. “And out.” She did with her fingers digging into the black t-shirt he wore. Then, because he couldn’t resist any longer, the Doctor wrapped his arms around River, bringing her in against him. She started to silently gasp, struggling to take in normal deep breaths. “In and out as gently as you can.” He whispered to her.

River concentrated on breathing as she brought her arms around him in return, her fingers digging into the jacket he wore. “What… happened… to me?”

“I rescued you from the Library.” The Doctor answered, his eyes falling on Vastra when the lizard woman rounded the table to watch him.

“How?” River buried her face in the crook of the Doctor’s neck, breathing in as he breathed, exhaling as he did. Each time she breathed out, she could feel herself falling back down into the darkness of sleep.

“Later,” The Doctor replied. He moved her hair to remove the wire connected to her data port. The download was done, River was saved. “It can all wait until later.” When she didn’t reply, he with Vastra’s help, laid her back down on the table so she could sleep.