Title: Maze of Shadows
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Ross Jenkins
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 4, 50ficlets
Prompt: 7, Dark
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the Tenth Doctor or Ross Jenkins, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

"Doctor?" Ross' voice rang out in the cavernous room, seeming to bounce off the walls around him. He should never have let himself get separated from the Time Lord, he told himself, a shiver flashing down his spine. He had no idea where the Doctor was.

And it wasn't likely that they would find each other, not in this stygian void of blackness. He shivered again, wondering if he should keep calling out. No, that wasn't a good idea. Sound seemed to move in every possible direction in this place.

Rather than leading the Doctor to where he was, sound might just confuse the other man. He could head in a direction completely opposite to where Ross actually was, and the two of them could become even more hopelessly lost than they already were.

What was this place? he asked himself, wishing that he'd thought to bring a flashlight with him. It was like Alice falling down the rabbit-hole; they'd walked into what they'd thought was a building, but it seemed to be more like an unending maze of shadows.

What was he going to do if he couldn't find the Doctor? he thought, panic starting to rise within him. What if this place really was a maze, and the Time Lord had managed to find his way into another part of it entirely? What if they didn't find each other again?

Ross had a vision of the Doctor being lost in this maze for eternity, and himself wandering around in it for years and years, until he dropped dead from exhaustion -- or old age. Oh, now he was just being silly. He tried to shrug away the fear with a cynical laugh.

He would die of starvation or thirst long before then. But it seemed that it could be a possibility, given the fact that he was lost in a void, stumbling around in an unrelieved blackness that seemed to have no end, the darkness surrounding him on all sides.

That darkness seemed to weigh down on him like a heavy blanket, pressing in and wrapping around him until he felt that he coudln't move. What was next? Would he feel hands wrapping around his throat, choking off his windpipe, taking away his ability to breathe?

That seemed like a definite possibility, too. Anything could happen in an impenetrable dark like this, Ross told himself, another shiver moving down his spine like a flash of lightning, this time leaving a trembling that wouldn't go away in its wake.

"Ross?" He saw a light flicker only a few feet away; feeling almost faint with relief, Ross made his way towards that light and the Doctor's voice. The darkness had been making him feel more and more uneasy, but at least now there was a light to guide him.

Groping his way through the darkness, Ross made his way in the direction of the light; it only took him a few moments to realize that the Doctor was holding the sonic screwdriver aloft, and that the light was coming from it, piercing the screening darkness easily.

Relief flooded through him; he'd completely forgotten about that marvelous little device. Of course the Doctor would use that to cast a light in the darkness! Ross almost wanted to laugh, and he would have if he hadn't felt so relieved and grateful.

It took what seemed like a lifetime to reach the Doctor's side; by the time Ross could feel the heat of the other man's body, he felt as though he'd crossed a minefield. He almost wanted to cry out in relief and joy as he grasped his lover's arm, pulling the Time Lord close.

"Are you all right, love?" The Doctor's gaze was searching his face in the dim light, and Ross almost felt ashamed of his own fears. Of course he should have known that the Doctor wasn't going to let him get irrevocably lost; his lover would make sure that he was safe.

Ross nodded, then realized that the Doctor would probably have to squint to see him, even with the sonic screwdriver shining a blue light all around them. "Yes, I'm fine," he said, groping for the Time Lord's hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Just a little spooked, that's all."

The Doctor nodded, looking around them at the dark void that seemed to spread out in all directions from the comforting circle of bright light that they were encased in. "I didn't expect this," he murmured, shaking his head. "I think we should try to find the door and leave."

"I couldn't agree more," Ross told him, breathing a sigh of relief. "I didn't expect this, either -- and it's giving me the creeps. The sooner we're out of here, the better. I just hope you know which way the door is, because I've got no idea."

"I think I do," the Doctor said, sounding hearty and cheerful. "It's that way," he said, pointing and then taking Ross' hand. The young man followed the Time Lord, hoping that the Doctor was right and that the direction they were heading was indeed their way out of the dark.

***