two - three.

could you at least "guard" me from over there? why do you have to stand so close?

but the doctor is perplexing with his reply to jack's line of questioning , the way he immediately brushes it off . jack doesn't know what that's like -- not just to have restraint , so to speak , but not to have that kind of raging and passionate desire most of the time . he hopes it's part of what the doctor likes about him ; but he knows it's a huge difference of theirs , and it shows in moments like these . ❝ i dunno , you could -- i'm sure that's worked before , right ? ❞ jack tilts head and watches the other curiously , intrigue plain on features . ❝ you mean you really don't care that she's interested ? ❞

he  turns  back  to  catch  jack's  eye,  disbelief  plain  to  read  on  his  face  as  he  studies  the  other's  expression.  "  no,  jack,  i  really,  really  don't  care.  simple  as  that.  "  and  he  gives  a  shrug,  glances  towards  the  person  that  had  -  according  to  jack  -  been  ogling  him.  sure  enough  she  was  still  looking  and  the  doctor  quickly  turned  away,  cheeks  a  little  flushed.  he's  never  been  the  biggest  fan  of  that  sort  of  attention  (  save  for  his  tenth  and  fifteenth  face)  and  had  perhaps  subconsciously  made  an  effort  not  to  notice  it.  but  that's  a  problem  for  another  day.  "  why're  you  so  interested  in  what  i  do  about  it,  anyway  ?  i  mean  -  if  you  wanna  try  your  luck,  be  my  guest.  maybe  it  was  you  she's  been  eyeing  all  along.  "

" you've got to keep lookin' at them. if not they'll get you! they-- " she exhaled heavily, attempting to calm her frantic self. " they got everyone. everyone's gone. " // @twcntythree

a  deep,  steadying  breath,  he  tries  to  calm  himself  enough  to  hold  off  the  adrenaline  rush  until  later.  lord  knows  they  were  going  to  need  it.  "  i'm  going  to  need  a  little  help  getting  to  you  -  can  you  tell  me  where  you  are  ?  "  step  by  step,  he's  painstakingly  aware  of  his  surroundings.  what  lays  in  front  of  him  as  nervewracking  as  what  might  be  creeping  up  behind.  "  i'm  the  doctor,  by  the  way.  i  assume  you're  what's  left  of  the  crew  ?  what's  your  name  ?  "

' what 'bout you though ? are you happy ? ' she squeezes his hands . ' how long has it been for you since manhattan ? '

"  i'm  so  glad  to  hear  that.  "  and  he  squeezes  her  hand  in  return.  and  he  really  was  so  very  glad.  -  she  returns  the  question  and  he  should've  seen  it  coming,  should've  had  some  answer  ready.  it's  not  like  he  can  fool  her,  though.  she'd  always  see  right  through  him.  so  he  tries  to  skip  past  her  first  question  as  inconspicious  as  possible,  a  short  "  oh,  you  know,  same  old,  can't  complain  "   before  tackling  the  next.  "  i  don't  really  think  in  years  anymore,  because  -  well,  i  lost  count.  "  he  gives  a  shrug  and  a  sheepish  smile.  "  well  -  it's  been  about  ...  oh,  twelve  ?  yeah,  twelve  faces.  since  manhattan.  "

･ .  ✶ ━━       head falls back against the couch. she's been in the library for pretty much the whole day. reading. finding bits and pieces about old companions. about the people the doctor used to run with. it made ellie's stomach feel like it was falling out through her butt. they had all left. they weren't here anymore. some of course were living their own lives. but many weren't alive. it worried ellie , that maybe she'd end up the same. cause there was no way that ellie would ever want to stop traveling. not that she really could anyhow. so the only way she would , is if she died. ❛ i won't leave. ❜ she replied , moving then - turning around so that she was sitting up on her knees , leaning her stomach against the back of the couch. hands wanting to grab a hold of the doctor's but she didn't want to be too forward. ❛ i'd probably have to die first. ❜

sharp  inhale,  his  voice  is  a  little  shaky,  despite  his  best  attempts  to  get  out  a  firm,  coherent  answer.  "  and  that's  the  problem.  "  jaw  clenched  so  tight  it  gives  him  a  headache.  from  the  corner  of  his  eye  he  can  see  her  turned  'round  to  him  on  the  sofa,  but  he  just  can't  bear  to  look  at  her.  he  scolds  himself  for  not  telling  the  tardis  to  hide  those  artefacts  and  books  better  -  he'd  intended  for  them  to  be  anchors.  if  the  time  ever  came  when  he  decides  he's  better  off  with  his  memory  in-tact,  and  the  pain  that  came  with  it.  he's  never  meant  for  her  to  find  them.  by  avoiding  to  meet  her  eye,  he's  forced  to  settle  his  gaze  on  something  else.  (  the  something  else  in  question  ?  the  very  purple  patch-y  shirt  that  donna  noble  had  picked  up  from  the  handrail  accusingly  on  her  first  trip  )  he  presses  his  lips  together  for  a  moment,  focuses  his  all  his  energy  to  banishing  that  little  glimpse  of  the  past.  shutting  that  door.  "  i  don't  talk  about  the  past  much,  as  you  know  "  never,  more  like.  he  sits  down  on  an  armchair  opposite  the  sofa  -  anything  so  that  damned  shirt  is  out  of  his  line  of  vision  -  fingers  beginning  to  pick  at  loose  threads  in  the  armrest.  "  the  reason  being  that  i  -  i  made  the  ...  concious  decision  to  forget.  "  a  nod,  fingers  now  drumming  an  insignificant  beat.  "  i  don't  recall  the  details,  of  course.  but  i  know  ...  it  all  just  became  too  much  to  bear.  the  -  the  leaving.  "  stated  rather  matter-of-factly,  and  he  gives  a  shrug.  "  they  never  ...  left  by  choice.  not  really.  "

a smile forms upon her lips &. shoulder shrugs to meet her chin. eyes finally landing on the doctor . ' do you ever ... get sick of all this ? ' ruby looks upwards and then around . ' i don't think i could ever be . '

the  doctor  takes  a  seat  next  to  her,  gives  her  a  little  nudge,  as  if  to  ease  the  tension.  "  well,  i'd  sure  hope  you  won't  get  sick  of  this  !  there's  so  much  left  to  see  -  oh,  rubes,  you  haven't  even  seen  the  half  of  it.  "

' i wouldn't change any of it y'know . ' she smiles as she speaks, and she genuinely means it . if amy was given the chance for a do - over she wouldn't do a single thing different . ' those years with you ... they were everything i could have ever dreamed of . '

"  i  think  ...  crashing  into  your  shed  was  one  of  the  happiest  days  of  my  life.  "  sometimes  he  thinks  of  it  as  the  dawn  of  a  new  age,  a  new  beginning.  new  face,  new  doctor,  new  tardis.  new  year,  new  him,  etc  etc.  it's  so,  so  long  ago  (  and  he  is  so,  so  old  now  )  but  he  still  remembers  it  as  if  it  was  yesterday.  leave  it  to  the  ponds  to  leave  a  mark  on  your  very  soul,  so  that  you  may  never  forget  them  (  no  matter  how  hard  you  may  try  )  "  can  i  ask  ...  are  you  -  are  you  happy  ?  now,  i  mean  ?  are  you  doing  okay  ?  "  an  incredibly  selfish  question  -  the  doctor  doesn't  think  he  could  live  with  himself  should  the  answer  be  no.  still,  when  would  be  the  next  time  he  could  ask  her  ?  would  there  be  a  next  time  ?  merely  seeing  her  again  is  beyond  his  wildest  dreams.

alternatively, send in " you're coming back. " for the receiver to be the one who's about to go on a particularly dangerous journey, and the sender to try and reassure them or avoid the conversation entirely.