"Hah! Smell that air, will you? "

The Doctor pushed open the doors of the TARDIS, nearly jumping up and down in excitement.
But he stopped and turned, facing Jack. Jack was waiting; he inspected the dark velvety surrounding from a safe distance. He wasn't just sceptical – he knew that something bad was going to happen.

It always did.
The Doctor never failed to kill him by accident. And Jack was fed up with dying.
Some things just shouldn't become routine...

The Doctor twirled, his arms flailing in the cold night air.
"Come on, Jack. You'll like it here. There's nothing to be afraid of."
Jack snorted. "I'm fine right here, safe and sound in the TARDIS" he said, adding with an undertone that suggested nothing but bitterness "as long as I'm far away from you..."

The Doctor sighed, putting his hands akimbo.
"Look, I'm sorry that you got killed by Koschei..."
"...twice..." added Jack.
"...twice" the Doctor went on without missing a beat "but that won't happen ever again, I promise." He smiled at Jack, a heart-warming and edifying smile, used to bring forth trust and forgiveness in every soul. Well, at least remotely human soul.

And to Jack's annoyance it worked again.

He folded his arms, stepping out of the TARDIS.
The Doctor's smile broadened as he danced around Jack, his teeth glistening in the soft light.
Jack stared at the sky, thousands of stars twinkling back at him.
And the Doctor was moving gracefully, gliding over the ground, barely touching the dark and chilly grass beneath his feet.

Eventually he found something resembling a fallen tree trunk and sat down, or in fact floated down, pulling Jack along.
His head rested on Jack's shoulder; as Jack turned the Doctor's eyes glistened with never-before-seen child-like fascination.

He pointed at the sky; a giant hazy orb caught his eye.

"That's the Violet Moon of Kh'shyo. A beauty, isn't it? At least twice as big as the earth and... just look at its pattern! All these whirls and movements changing the surface continuously..."

Jack stroked the Doctor's back as he let out a deep sigh.
"Do you know what Kh'shyo means?" asked the Doctor but in that certain voice that indicated that the Doctor was somewhere, far away, lost not only in thought but time and space as well.
Nevertheless Jack shook his head.

"It means Eternal Darkness. The violet moon is the only source of light on this planet. Strange, isn't it? A stellar constellation without a sun... no day, no night, no seasons just... soft and silky darkness, covering this quiet planet...shielding it from every change... from every disturbance..."

Jack didn't fail to notice the strange shimmer in the Doctor's eyes as he stared at the violet sphere that covered most of the horizon.
And with every moment the Doctor got dragged deeper and deeper into his thoughts.
Jack nearly flinched as he felt the Doctor's cold hand resting on his shoulder.

"Just think of it, Jack. One night. One night that never ends, one eternal moment... frozen in time and space... forever the same night..."
Jack turned his head, backing away as he caught sight of the Doctor's glistening eyes.
The Doctor smiled mildly, smiling in a way Jack hadn't seen before.
And he knew that the smile wasn't intended for him.

"If you had one night, one eternal night... what would you like it to be like?"

A soft breeze arose, brushing over the chilly fields.
And the Doctor leaned back and watched the fireflies soaring up into the dark velvet sky.

There was the wind.
A warm breeze; a breeze so soft and tender that you could only find it on one planet:
Gallifrey.

A Gallifreyan summer night.
Hot but not stuffy; airy but not stormy; lively and yet...

And of course there was a camp fire; there had to be.
Somewhere in the distance there was the camp fire's light and the shadows of those who had sought one another's presence.
There was Ushas, giggling and drinking from a flask she had obtained during chemistry class; she wasn't only swaying but singing out of tune.
And there was a tune; of course there was, it was a lively night and some young students had gathered around a campfire, and one of them had brought along an old Thoijink*that couldn't be tuned as much as be made tolerable. And so they sat around the fire, singing and drinking**, giggling, laughing and shouting.
And no one stopped Romana from standing up, or getting closest to a standing position after taking a sip out of Rani's flask and singing "The Lord President's staff got a knob on the end"***.
And the lot actually laughed at the jokes about Voleyard and how he got that name; on those nights there isn't such a thing as 'poor taste'.
And nobody listened to the sound of the crickets or the sound of the wind, or even noticed the smell the breeze carried, the smell of Th'alijha Bijhura, Gallifrey's famous Ruby Bay.

There was just the night, one of the most beautiful nights of them all.
And flowing over the fields was nothing but darkness; darkness and the soft whistling of the wind.
And the wind knew the tunes.

Further in the distance, having left the Academy's soil and territory without even noticing it, were two shadows.
Moving in complete darkness and yet moving with unusual grace they seemed to dance across the grain fields, the dark red ears of corn swinging gently in the breeze.

And they did move with unearthly lightness and elegance, stirred on by the charm of the night, enchanted by its spell.

Two shadows, both young and slim, chasing each other dreamily whilst neither catching one another nor ever losing sight of each other.
This apparition could be described as incarnated youthfulness.
And yet it was far more beautiful than you could ever imagine.

They moved as if caught in a dream, a dark yet enthralling moment of infinity.
They ran; they laughed; rushing, panting and shouting, their words getting lost in the wind.
Their loose robes flapped as they rushed past a small grove, bramble bushes pulling at their clothes.
And they never stopped laughing.
They moved across the empty red fields in waist-high grass in some sort of dance... swirling around... encircling one another... following a path, a pattern, only they would know.
Swarming around like this they didn't give the impressions of being two individuals but two stirred initial parts waiting to become one entity once and for all.

Their dance was a play; and they played along so well.

The first one of the slim figures slowed down, halting in front of a large Khajihla tree and lifted its head.
The second one was by its side in an instant, following its gaze up into the sky.
Their silhouettes were outlined against the flickering horizon, a sky illuminated by innumerable brilliant stars framing the hot soil beneath it.

Shadows played across their faces, moonlight chasing dark silhouettes, as the wind whirled past the giant tree. Khajihla leaves floated almost weightlessly to the ground, showering the two young Time Lords in what looked like pure gold.

Gazing past the glistening leaves their eyes met.
One of them smiled while the other tried to withstand the smiling one's penetrating stare.
Eyes melded with one another while their breathing intensified.

Theta and Koschei –an entity that should never be separated.
Equally young with a similar physique.
Both of them charmed by the glamorous evening, excitement radiating from their faces.
Both of them caught in the same dream of never letting go.
Both of them caught in the circle of going too far.

Theta stood still and listened, the wind combing through his dark hair.
The rustling of the withered golden leaves filled the air and there was still the air playing, the tunes carried by the wind...

Koschei's smile broadened as he examined Theta, their eyes meeting over and over again.
And he leapt while Theta blinked.

There was no sound but a rustling noise – Koschei had pushed Theta down onto a pile of leaves.
Their eyes locked once more, clothes were removed or torn apart while they moved and pushed and rolled through the leaves.

There was giggling and sighing and some quietness before lips parted and met.
Theta chuckled, his smile revealing his overjoyful happiness.
He stroked Koschei's back while his neck was covered with warm kisses. He stared at the sky, the moon mirroring in his eyes.

Enthralled by the evening hands dared to reach further than ever before, touching and caressing warm and tender flesh.
Soft spots were traced, moans were elicited; tongues moved across smooth skin, savouring the sweet taste mixed with sweat; lips closed, were forced open, formed into a smile, parted for tender words, words displaying more than affection. More than love.
Moments of pure, delightful ecstasy passed unnoticed while both Theta and Koschei were caught in a world of their own, fusing, merging...

Becoming one.

Koschei moved unsteadily while Theta flinched beneath him. He gripped his cooling shoulders, pressing down the quivering figure beneath him as he thrust in, exploring his delicate inexperienced body.
Theta held his breath as sensations rushed in; an unknown warmness was spreading throughout him, trembling beneath his skin, glowing inside of him. The meadow was dancing, the leaves swirled up and floated away as a soft breeze arose.

And there was this feeling.
The feeling of perfection and security.
He was lying underneath Koschei, a Koschei who seemed as anxious and excited just as he was – and yet he was alive with felicity.

After some rough testing thrusts Koschei found his rhythm and with impassionate pushes moved deeper and deeper.
Theta stared at him with unbelieving eyes, his mind overloaded with indescribable sensations.

Koschei picked up the pace, squeezing and shoving in, harshly moving against Theta, keeping on pushing and pushing until the air was filled with moans and lover's oaths.

Theta panted, gasping for air, struggling, running a risk of shattering and crushing underneath the weight of this ineffably beautiful moment.
He grasped Koschei, embracing him, his head brushing against his head, moving deeper, closer, closer and closer, panting, yelping and whispering, his eyes firmly shut he hugged him, drew him nearer and nearer, groaning, pleading and swearing, holding his breath while moving against each other, getting closer and closer, deeper and deeper...

The darkness vanished as the silence rolled in.
Hot-white bliss surrounded Theta as he drew his next breath.
And he felt nothing but boundless exaltation...

There was the sound. The tunes of the wind.
The wind knew the tunes...
Theta opened his eyes. Koschei leaned over him, smiling, and brushed his hair out of his face.
Peacefully resting in Koschei's arms Theta stared at the sky.
The warm wind was brushing past him, whispering quietly as if trying to tell the stories that were never to be told.

Theta smiled. He brushed his head against Koschei's and nibbled on his ear.
As he sagged back exhaustedly Koschei sealed his lips with a kiss.
A soft breeze stirred the last leaves before blowing them away.

As they neared the boisterous figures around the camp fire they were greeted with shouting and smutty jokes.
Sitting side by side they stared into the fire; the air was thick, smelling strongly of acid and alcohol and the unpleasant sounds of Romana violating the Thoijink topped it off.

And still Theta and Koschei smiled as their eyes met once more, two pairs of eyes shining with warm empathy.
And Theta smiled; smiling a smile worth a thousand words.
And as the wind blew past the laughter grew distant, somehow shielding the two of them from the rest of the frolicsome crowd. Among the others they still were alone.

And they just sat there, arm in arm, smiling and exchanging their views...

Jack leaned closer, waving a hand in front of the Doctor's eyes.
"Doctor?"
The Doctor didn't blink; but he answered nonetheless.
"Gallifrey."
Jack's brow furrowed.
"What?"

The Doctor sat up and stretched before he sighed and smiled at Jack.
Jack knew that smile. It was a pitiful smile found only in a race called Time Lords. And it held pity for everything that wasn't Time Lord itself.

"Gallifrey, Jack. That's just all you need to know."
"That's not answering my question" replied Jack as the Doctor started moving into the direction of the TARDIS.
The Doctor waved a hand dismissively in his direction: "Gallifrey is always an answer."
"For Time Lords that is" snorted Jack before following the Doctor "And I may never know what this is all about, will I?"

"No" replied the Doctor bluntly as he opened the TARDIS' doors "And hurry up Jack, there's a supernova heading towards the Tri-Thorned Octahedron constellation and I don't want to miss it's destruction; not again."

"Again?" asked Jack as he pushed past the Doctor, sitting down on the settee.
"Long story" replied the Doctor wearily.
"Doctor" Jack's earnest voice induced the Doctor to look at him. "I wish you'd tell me what this is all about. With the violet moon, and the stars, and the endless night...and... Gallifrey..."

A soft and warm breeze caressed the Doctor's face as he turned around, reaching for the doors.
He smiled at the violet moon before closing his eyes.
The doors slammed shut.
"Maybe some other time Jack."

The TARDIS disappeared, slowly melding with the velvety surrounding.
And as the wheezing sounds abated silence reigned the lone planet of Kh'shyo once more.

Only now the wind knew the tunes...

*Named after the sound it makes, no matter which way round you play it.
**Possibly rat poison, judging by the taste.
***A very popular song amongst students.

Author's Notes: Hope you liked it! Let me know what you think!