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“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon!” He shouted at her as she scrambled to put on boots, bleary-eyed and panicky.
“What’s wrong?! What’s happened?” She throws a coat over her pajama vest and grabs her keys.
“Just hurry up!” He whispers as she tries to lock the door with shaking hands.
“You’re scaring me, Matthew. I wish you’d tell me what’s going on.” Matt just smiles and pulls Alex by the hand.
Both of them ride side by side on a small plane—Matt nervously chewing at his nails, Alex fast asleep on his shoulder. They were finally back in the same place for a few days and Matt hadn’t told her he’d decided to leave Who. Sure, they’d talked about the possibility, when would be the right time, but he just couldn’t bring himself to admit that their relationship as they knew it would be over.
They had been—…whatever they had been, they’d been it for two and a half years now. It wasn’t a traditional relationship, both of them knew that. And almost no one knew they were seeing each other. Was that it? Were they seeing each other, Matt wondered? It was more of an accident than anything. They started out spending their days, and sometimes their nights together filming, each making the other dinner after wrapping for the day. They gossiped and laughed and stayed in each other’s trailers just because it was too exhausting to go home. And being a couple, loving each other, was so easy, so natural.
There was no moment he could point to and say, that’s when Alex and I hooked up. The kisses came like hellos and the sex like a daily shave. Ordinary in the most wonderful and comfortable way. The way sometimes normalcy can take your breath away in how lucky it makes you feel to be alive, to do trivial tasks and worry about whether you had clean socks that matched. They just fell into being with other and hadn’t really changed since.
But there wouldn’t be any more trailers or midnight frozen dinners or falling asleep together. He was leaving soon and she had her life in LA. But the thought of losing what they had, whatever it was, had kept him up for months. There was nothing he could do. She had never asked for anything more from him and god knows she had enough on her plate. And he had other offers. His career seems to be blossoming and it would be idiotic to throw that away.
So he sits, thinking, on a plane, huddled next to a sleeping Alex, nervously chewing at his nails, anxious about what he has to do tonight.
Matt leads Alex over rocks and sticks, up a small, dirt path through the woods. The night was getting lighter every minute they walked.
“Matt, where are we going? What the hell is going on? And where in god’s name are we?!”
“Shh!” Matt hisses. She doesn’t stop grumbling, so he stops, quiets her with his mouth on hers. He can feel her relax and he does, too. “We’re nearly there now. Hush, love.”
Alex doesn’t make a peep, walks with her hand in his until they reach the top of the hill, and suddenly light hits them.
She gasps. Eyes wide, her hands flies to cover her mouth.
Matt smiles and scratches his head.
“Oh my god.” She whispers.
“So…what do you think?” He asks, suddenly shy.
Alex grabs his arm tight and gasps again.
“It’s beautiful!!” Alex tears up.
In front of them is a massive wisteria vine, as tall as the tallest trees, branches reaching as far as you could see, each of them heavy with small purple flowers, all backlit and glowing in the sunrise. The giant canopy shed red and purple and yellow shadows everywhere, like a giant stained glass window, and the sky was nowhere in sight. Just perfect purple blossoms by the millions.
“How did you—what..what is this??” Alex stammers.
“It’s the largest wisteria vine in the whole world. And if you come at just the right moment, the sun lights up the whole canopy in purple.”
Alex laughs. “I can see that.”
They watch the colors grow brighter and start to fade into normal sunlight.
“You know, this reminds me of something the Doctor would do.” She says with a hint of playfulness. “A few more seasons, and I expect a trip back in time, as well.”
She laughs, but looks to him when he doesn’t. She touches his cheek lightly.
“Matt, why did you bring me here?”
“Because how can we miss out on this? It’s too amazing to miss out on!” She eyes his suspiciously.
“Yes, but why right now. We have a call time in the morning and I’m fairly certain we’re not going to make that. Why did you sweep me up in the middle of the night and fly me to the middle of nowhere?”
“Because I’m the Doctor.” He adjusts an imaginary bowtie. “That’s what I do.”
“Matt.” He looks at her, finally meeting her eye.
“Did you try to be the Doctor tonight because you’re scared of losing him?” She strokes his cheek lovingly.
Matt scowls and steps back. “What?”
“I know you asked Steven about leaving and it seems like you’re taking it pretty hard. For months you haven’t sounded right. Since I’ve been here you haven’t been sleeping or eating. I was-“
“You know. About me leaving. You know.” Matt stares at her, stunned and confused.
“Of course I know. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because I didn’t want…I, I didn’t tell you.” Matt chokes on his words, suddenly filled with incredible sadness. “But you’ve been acting normal, as if nothing- you’re just ok with it?”
Alex nods, confused. “It’s not a great surprise, dear. We’ve discussed about as much as we’ve ran lines.”
Matt sinks. Of course she’s ok with it. She’s got her life to get back to, her daughter. She might have had fun with him, but she’s clearly relieved now that it’s ending. “I thought if I brought you here, if for just one night, we were as good as River and the Doctor…”
“Don’t worry. You’re not going to forget him. You’ll always have the Doctor, my love.”
“Forget him?” He looks at her, lost.
“Plus, we’re better than River and the Doctor. We won’t have to travel the world to see each other. At least, not anymore.”
“We won’t?” Matt’s eyes well up.
“Well, I know we haven’t talked about details, but with you working in Chicago, and then who knows where, it seemed to make sense that you’d move in. But we can figure it out later.”
“You mean, in LA?” He whispers, afraid to believe what she’s saying.
“Yes, LA, silly. Unless you really wanted to be in Britain. Most of my offers have been coming from there anyway.”
“Shh.” Matt coos, pulling Alex into a firm, loving kiss. He kisses her mouth, her cheeks, her neck, her forehead.
“What was that for?” Her voice is husky and deeper than before.
“I don’t have to lose you.” He says, still not willing to believe it.
“Lose me? It sounds awful, but I’ve been waiting for you to leave Who so you can finally have me.” They both smile.
Matt kisses her again with intensity, but Alex pulls away. “Any chance we can make that call time?”
Matt shakes his head. “Definitely not.”
“Good.” Alex smiles, dropping her coat and stepping close to kiss Matt and wrap her arms around him.
They both fall to the ground giggling, the sound muted by the wisteria blossoms smiling above them.