locker_monster | Firefly/Doctor Who crossover fic: A Different Kind of Companion (13/20) (Reply)

Title: A Different Kind of Companion (13/20)
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Ten, Rose, Ten/Rose, Mal, Inara, Mal/Inara
Timeline: A week after "Heart of Gold" for Firefly, and just before "Army of Ghosts" for Doctor Who
Summary: After an encounter in the 26th century, Inara and Rose find themselves in unfamiliar settings.
Disclaimer: Firefly and Doctor Who belong to their respective creators and showrunners. Too much awesome would happen if Joss Whedon and Russell T Davies ever worked on something together.
A/N: The biggest thank you goes out to

browncoat_2x2 for betaing this story and helping with the minor changes. A short chapter this time around.

Chapter One. Chapter Two. Chapter Three. Chapter Four. Chapter Five. Chapter Six. Chapter Seven. Chapter Eight. Chapter Nine. Chapter Ten. Chapter Eleven. Chapter Twelve.

The TARDIS guided Inara back to the console room. It hadn’t happened in a physical sense, nothing appeared to show her the way, but it felt as if the corridors had shifted so she would walk down the correct ones. It seemed unlikely of course, but she was starting to understand that while in the presence of the Doctor, the unlikely found a way of being true.

If the others could have seen this. She knew Kaylee would have been thrilled beyond imagination to wander around the TARDIS. No doubt the mechanic could have questioned the Doctor about the time machine for hours on end.

Again, Inara wondered if she would ever get the chance to return to Serenity. She couldn’t claim to understand the science of it, but it did truly feel like she and the Doctor would be stuck here forever. Her haste to leave Serenity seemed so pointless now. As amazing as the TARDIS was, it wasn’t hers.

She approached the console room doors and pushed them open. At first she didn’t see the Doctor but then she spotted him sitting on the lone seat in the room.

“Companion,” he said without turning to look at her. Walking over to him, Inara sat down beside him. It was then that he met her gaze. “Oldest profession in the universe. Mind you, it’s not called that everywhere in the universe, but a surprising number of planets each has their own concept.”

Inara leaned back against the jump seat, letting the blue-green light of the central column wash over her. “You seemed like a man who needed to talk but had no one who could listen to him.”

The Doctor’s expression grew sombre. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I chose this life. The burden should be no one else’s.”

“But you don’t choose to travel alone. There have been others, but Rose is the first you’ve–” Her words were cut off as the Doctor got up from the jump seat and began to walk around the console. “The life you lead is far from safe but she’s prepared to stay as long as possible. It scares you.”

The heartbeat of the TARDIS pulsed in the background as the Doctor continued to make his way around the console. When he came upon Inara again, he stopped with one hand on the console. He seemed so old in that moment despite his youthful appearance. Inara felt she could see years of wisdom in his eyes.

“You promise yourself you won’t become attached but you find yourself being drawn in. Soon you can’t picture your life any other way. It’s at that point you know you should leave, cut all ties, but it’s harder than you think.

“Some things can’t be changed, Doctor. Enjoy what you have.”

The words were said so knowingly, a painful existence wrapped around them so tightly. The Doctor looked to Inara. “You’re so much more than a Companion,” he said.