"Wellll..." in that drawn-out tone that the Doctor gets. "Not exactly, no. Christmas is a chaotic time for here, either it passes by as just a whisper, or the whole sky's going to fall on everyone's heads, and that's when they need me. But I thought Jack could handle Cardiff on his own," with a tone that is completely missing what Mary is hinting at. Why would he come for Christmas, unless there was trouble? There appeared to be trouble, so here he is...
Somehow, the Doctor knows what is coming in the instant before it happens, but doesn't even raise a hand to stop it. POW! He has been slapped by people's mothers, boyfriends, commanding officers. He puts a hand to his jaw and reels back, and the first sound that comes out of him is laughter.
"I just got punched by Mary Read." Disbelief and amusement. His hand is still holding his face as he stands up. "I have never been hit by a pirate before. And on behalf of Jack Harkness, too. Ohhh." There's a wide grin on his face, even if it's lopsided. "He must be on the right track, if he's gotten this much loyalty out of you." He looks between Mary and Duster, shoots him another grin as if to tell Duster that it's all okay.
"I've always tried to do right by him. It's complicated. And it's better for us both if I stay away." More serious, and his hand drops from his face. "I told him to do things his way, didn't I? He needs to figure that out. Stop waiting on a fairy tale."
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Somehow, the Doctor knows what is coming in the instant before it happens, but doesn't even raise a hand to stop it. POW! He has been slapped by people's mothers, boyfriends, commanding officers. He puts a hand to his jaw and reels back, and the first sound that comes out of him is laughter.
"I just got punched by Mary Read." Disbelief and amusement. His hand is still holding his face as he stands up. "I have never been hit by a pirate before. And on behalf of Jack Harkness, too. Ohhh." There's a wide grin on his face, even if it's lopsided. "He must be on the right track, if he's gotten this much loyalty out of you." He looks between Mary and Duster, shoots him another grin as if to tell Duster that it's all okay.
"I've always tried to do right by him. It's complicated. And it's better for us both if I stay away." More serious, and his hand drops from his face. "I told him to do things his way, didn't I? He needs to figure that out. Stop waiting on a fairy tale."