I'm going to take a week or so off...just to let things settle in my head a bit.
But, this is ready to go...
Title: Earthlight
Author: Froxyn
Show: Doctor Who
Pairing: Rose/Ten
Rating: FRT
Timeline: Immediately following
Passing the Time.
Synopsis: While in London, Rose and the Doctor are caught up in another adventure…one that lands them in the last place they expected to visit.
Author’s Note: Part VII in the Unlocking Secrets series. Thanks to
fairygothmum for the beta!
The Doctor furrowed his brow as the technician squirted a clear jelly-like substance on Rose’s abdomen. Rose watched him, the corner of her mouth twitching as she tried to stifle her giggle. Suddenly, the Doctor swiped his finger through it. Rose’s eyes widened as she started to tell him not to lick it.
To her relief, he didn’t. Instead, he met her eyes as he grinned brightly.
“Remember when we were at Cirrus? And you pushed me into the lake?” He waited for Rose to nod and then held up his finger. “It’s a Jelly Lake!”
Rose snorted a laugh and then glanced at the technician…who was darting her eyes between the two of them like they were aliens. Rose cleared her throat and ran her fingers through her hair. The tech was only half right.
“Cirrus is an amusement park on - ”
“Barcelona!” The Doctor interrupted, rubbing the gel between his finger and thumb. “Oh, you should really go there one day! The Jelly Lake is only the tip of the iceberg there. Best amusement park I’ve seen anywhere at any time.”
“Okay…” The tech smiled, shaking her head in amusement. “I’ll put it on my list of things to do. For now, let’s find out how far along your wife is, yeah?”
“Oh, she’s not my wife.” The Doctor blurted, eyes sparkling as the technician looked over at him. “Yet. But, we’re getting married. Soon. I asked her after we thought she might be pregnant, but I’d already made the ring. So…I’m not marrying her because she’s pregnant. Even if it seems like that.”
“Um, Doctor?” Rose interrupted, reaching over to take his hand. “She really doesn’t need to know that, okay?”
“Oh…” He smiled at the tech and shrugged a shoulder as he laced his fingers with Rose’s. “Sorry.”
The tech tilted her head and regarded Rose carefully. “You call him ‘Doctor’?”
“Well, that’s my name.” The Doctor replied quickly, scratching the back of his head as the tech met his eyes again. “Doctor…Smith. My parents gave us all professional names. Dad was a watchmaker and Mum was a nurse…Mum wanted us to aspire to be more. Though, I see nothing wrong with being a watchmaker or a nurse. Anyway…my brother, Barry? His real name is Barrister. And my sister’s name is Accountant. But, she goes by Accie.”
Rose grinned and rubbed her thumb over his knuckles. “She told me she was going to change her name on her twentieth.”
The Doctor looked at her in surprise. “Oh? To what?”
Rose shrugged and shook her head. “Said it was a surprise. What do you say we let…” She glanced at the tech’s name badge and smiled. “…Amanda get on with her job, yeah?”
“Oh, right…of course.” The Doctor gestured towards Rose’s stomach and smiled. “Allons-y!”
Amanda chuckled and smiled at Rose. “If the baby inherits his energy levels, you’re going to be in trouble.”
“Don’t I know it!” Rose agreed with a hearty laugh.
“What?” The Doctor asked, glancing at the monitor as the tech began to spread the gel over Rose’s abdomen with the probe. “Ooh…look!”
“What?” Rose asked, staring at the monitor.
“It’s an ovary!” When both Amanda and Rose burst into laughter, the Doctor turned to look at the technician. “Um, isn’t it?”
Amanda nodded, still laughing. “Yeah, it is. It’s just…you’re the first prospective father to get that excited by an ovary. Actually, you’re the first to accurately identify it as an ovary.”
The Doctor smiled proudly and looked back at the screen. His smile faded slowly as another image appeared. Rose registered his change of demeanor and gently squeezed his hand.
“What is it?”
The Doctor swallowed and took a deep breath. “It’s…a baby. See? There…there’re the hearts…um…the heart’s beating…there…”
“One?” Rose asked quietly, staring at the monitor as Amanda cleared up the image for them.
“One baby.” Amanda confirmed, furrowing her brow. “But, I think the department is going to have to put in a request for a new machine. This is the second time today that the results have been…weird.”
“Weird?” Rose tore her eyes from the screen and stared at Amanda. “What’s weird?”
“One baby, two hearts…” Amanda stated, sounding none too worried. “It’s just a glitch with the machine. It’s a ghosting of the image, see?”
Amanda stood up and pointed towards the visible hearts. “There’s the heart…and there’s the ghosting. Stupid machine’s causing parents to panic when there’s nothing to panic about.”
Rose glanced at the Doctor, who was staring intently at the image. When she tapped her thumb against the back of his hand, he slowly turned his head to look at her. Seeing her unspoken question in her eyes, he licked his lips and gave her a nearly imperceptible nod.
Two hearts. Not one with a ghost image. Two hearts…
Rose wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or terrified. Questions started forming in her mind and the Doctor read each one of them. He leaned forward quickly and kissed her softly before whispering in her ear.
“Everything will work out, Rose.”
Tears filled her eyes even as she nodded. She wasn’t sure how everything was going to work out, and she wasn’t sure what this meant exactly for their child. But, she believed in him. As much as he believed in her.
“So, let’s find out when your baby’s due, right?” Amanda stated cheerfully, gaining their attention once again.
Rose and the Doctor both nodded. Rose wiped a tear from the corner of her eye as she and the Doctor returned their gazes to the screen.
“That’s our baby…” The Doctor whispered.
Rose glanced at him, not sure she had ever heard such awe in his tone before. She couldn’t stop her smile from forming when she could clearly see the happiness in his eyes.
“Would you like a picture?” Amanda asked softly. “It’s not that impressive right now…and you’ll see much more in later scans. But, I’m more than happy to print one out for you…”
“Oh, yes…” The Doctor nodded, looking over at the tech as a single tear spilled down his cheek. “Yes, please…thank you.”
Amanda smiled and pressed a button on the console. “First time father?”
The Doctor shook his head and returned his eyes to the image of his child. “I was a dad once. Just…didn’t think I’d ever…well, I didn’t think I’d be one again.”
When he trailed off, Amanda looked up and immediately felt regret over her question. “Oh, I’m sorry…”
The Doctor sighed and offered Amanda a warm smile. “It was a long time ago. What can you tell us about our baby?”
Rose lifted the Doctor’s hand to her lips and pressed a line of tender kisses over his knuckles.
* * *
Rose giggled as the Doctor led her into the corridor, rambling incessantly about what to expect in the next few weeks. Her giggle ended abruptly as he bumped into a young doctor.
“Hey, watch it!”
The Doctor stopped and grinned at the young woman. “Sorry! So sorry!”
The woman narrowed her eyes at him. “I know you…I saw you this morning as I was coming to work.”
The Doctor furrowed his brow and shoved his left hand into his pocket. “This morning? I’ve been in here most of the day…I’m the Doctor, by the way. And…this is Rose Tyler.”
“Doctor who?”
“Oh…no…no, just the Doctor. Though, I suppose if you insist on using a surname, Smith will do nicely.” He answered with a grin, gently swinging Rose’s hand between them. “And you are?”
“Martha Jones…soon to be Doctor Martha Jones, if I pass my exams.” She shook her head and gestured towards the window at the end of the hall. “Just three hours ago you walked up to me and took your tie off…”
“Why would I do that?” The Doctor asked, genuinely confused. He looked down at Rose as he rocked on the balls of his feet. “Did I go outside three hours ago?”
“No…” Rose stated softly, shaking her head.
Martha opened her mouth, but groaned in frustration when her pager beeped. She pulled the offending object from her belt and read the message.
When she looked back up, the Doctor and Rose were gone. She looked to her left and saw them round the corner.
“Hey!” She gave another groan when they didn’t stop, obviously having not heard her. “Things just keep getting weirder in London…”
At that moment, her mobile phone rang and she rolled her eyes as she flipped it open. “Tish, I’m working…”
* * *
The Doctor glanced down a corridor, stopping suddenly. Rose grunted when he tugged her back towards him.
“What are you doing?” She asked, following his gaze towards the large window at the end of the hall. “And…when did it start raining?”
The Doctor shook his head slowly and pulled her a little further into the hallway. “When did it start raining upside down?”
Rose’s eyes widened as she stared at the window. “Um…this can’t be good, can it?”
“No, I would think not.” The Doctor murmured, looking down at the floor as though he felt something.
“What is it?” Rose asked, recognizing the look of surprise in his eyes.
“Don’t know.” He shook his head and reached for the knob on the nearest door. “Come on!”
He pulled her into what turned out to be a linen closet and closed the door behind them. Just as he tugged her down to the floor and carefully covered her body with his, the building began to shake violently.
“What’s going on?” Rose yelled, more out of necessity than fear.
The Doctor grunted as a broom handle landed across his back, followed quickly by a large stack of hospital-issue, not exactly fluffy, white towels. He held himself above Rose, using his body to shield her from falling objects. Towels were one thing, but brooms and buckets and…he gasped as a rack of sheets broke free from the wall, dumping a sea of white linen on top of him.
“Doctor!”
“I’m okay…just…don’t move, Rose!”
“But…” She started to protest, biting her lip when he met her eyes.
The look in his eyes told her that she could argue all she wanted…it wouldn’t change what he was doing. And that was protecting her and their child as best as he could. Even if it meant having the contents of an entire linen closet land on his back.
And then…as suddenly as the quaking and shaking had begun, all was silent. Except for the screams of panicked patients and hospital staff.
The Doctor exhaled a deep breath and shifted his weight, balancing himself on his knees and left hand as he pushed the linen off of him. Rose reached up to help him, glancing around as the lights flickered back on in the closet.
“Didn’t even know the lights went out.” She remarked as she ran her fingers through his hair.
“You okay?” He asked, caressing her abdomen with his fingertips.
“Yeah, I’m good. What about you?”
He nodded slowly, finally lifting his head to look around the now demolished room. “Yeah, I’m fine. That was…weird.”
“An earthquake in London? Yeah, I think that would qualify as ‘weird’…”
“No…” The Doctor shook his head as he pushed himself up until he was kneeling between her thighs. “No, that wasn’t an earthquake. That was…the building being moved.”
If his statement hadn’t caused more questions, she would’ve commented on the fact that their current positions reminded her of a night they’d had not that long ago. A night which had concluded with them on their bedroom floor with all of the bedding ripped from the mattress and piled haphazardly around their bodies.
Instead, she furrowed her brow and took his hand when it was offered to her. “Huh? What do you mean?”
He stood up and carefully pulled her up as well. “Just what I said. I have a very distinct feeling that we’re not in London anymore.” He inhaled deeply and shook his head again. “The air’s different…thinner, not as chippy.”
“Chippy?” She asked as he opened the door.
“You know, the aroma of hot chips? One of my favourite things about London.” He grinned and gestured towards the hallway with a tilt of his head as he laced their fingers together. “Want to check it out?”
“Well, yeah…” Rose returned his grin, allowing him to pull her out of the closet.
Her grin faded as she looked at the window. “Um…Doctor?”
The Doctor nodded and then took a few steps forward. “We’re on the moon…”
“The moon? Like…the moon? We’re on the moon?!”
Hearing the sudden panic in her voice, he pulled her into his arms and rubbed her back in an attempt to soothe her. “Shh…it’s okay, we’re okay…”
“We’re on the moon!” Rose exclaimed, leaning back to stare up at him through wide eyes. “There’s no air on the moon…”
“And yet…we’re breathing.” The Doctor lifted his head slightly and narrowed his eyes in thought. “Which means that either the windows are airtight…but, why would they do that? It’s not standard to put in pressurized windows…especially in a hospital…”
“Or?” Rose asked quietly, feeling herself calm down as the Doctor moved closer to the window. “They’re either airtight or…what?”
The Doctor lightly chewed on his bottom lip and then placed his hand on the window. A soft smile played on his lips as he inhaled deeply. “Something’s keeping us alive…”
“We’re on the bloody moon!”
Rose and the Doctor turned to find Martha standing behind them, staring open-mouthed at the window. Rose nodded and reached out to place her hand on Martha’s shoulder.
“You okay?”
Martha’s eyes flicked to Rose’s. “Yeah, I’m fine. The hospital was ripped from the street and landed on the moon…while it was raining upside down, but yeah…I’m fine.”
The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her. “I don’t really think you’re fine…”
“Really?” Martha responded sarcastically. “And why would that be?”
“Because less than five minutes ago we were on Earth…and now we’re not.” The Doctor answered sensibly, glancing back at the window. “Is there a balcony or…a verandah?”
Martha nodded slowly. “By the patient’s lounge, yeah…”
The Doctor smiled and looked down at Rose. “Fancy going out for a peek? Standing under the earthlight?”
“With you? Of course!” Rose replied, smiling back at him.
“We’re on the moon.” Martha stated as though both of them were oblivious. “You might die if you go out there.”
“Might not.” Rose answered.
“Probably won’t, even.” The Doctor added. “If we were going to die from lack of oxygen, we’d already be dead.”
Martha looked over at the window and, realizing that the Doctor was right, sighed heavily. “Can I come with you?”
The Doctor thought for a moment and then grinned. “Sure. It’ll be like a Hospital Moon Landing Party…thing…something you’ll experience probably only once in your lifetime. Should make the best of it, yeah?”
Martha furrowed her brow. “You’re a bit strange, aren’t you?”
“Only to humans.” The Doctor stated, heading down the hall towards the patient’s lounge…pulling Rose along with him. He paused when he realized that Martha was still just standing there. “Allons-y, Martha!”
“Allons…what?”
“French for ‘let’s go’…” Rose supplied helpfully. “If you want to come, that is.”
Martha’s eyes darted to the Doctor and then back to Rose. “You trust him?”
Rose nodded without hesitation, her free hand resting on her abdomen. “With my life…our lives. He knows what he’s doing, Martha. You’ll be safe enough with us.”
“How safe is ‘safe enough’?” Martha pondered to herself as she followed the Doctor and Rose down the left corridor.
* * *
The Doctor stood in front of a set of French windows, fingers curled around the handle as he looked at Rose. “Ready?”
“Yeah…”
They both inhaled deeply and then he opened the window. There was no rush of air, no loss of oxygen…nothing. Martha stood behind them, eyes widening as she watched them step out onto the small concrete balcony.
“Well, this is just…beautiful.” The Doctor remarked, sliding his arm around Rose’s shoulders.
“Okay…so how does this work?” Martha asked, taking a deep breath as she followed them out.
“Just be glad it does.” Rose answered, moving to stand in front of the Doctor.
She leaned back against the Doctor’s chest, smiling as he wrapped his arms around her. “Maybe one of the most amazing things we’ve seen, huh?”
“Mm-hm…just wished I’d planned it.” He surveyed their surroundings, sighing heavily before kissing the crown of Rose’s head and taking a step to the side. “Well, first things first…let’s figure out how we’re still breathing, yeah?”
“Why aren’t you two panicking? I mean…we’re on the moon…we’re breathing on the moon!” Martha asked, staring at them in disbelief.
“Odd incidents aren’t exactly new to us.” The Doctor replied cryptically, bending down to pick up a small stone.
“What does that mean?”
The Doctor merely gave her a small smile before throwing the stone. A bright blue light flashed for a brief moment and the Doctor nodded appreciatively.
“Well, that answers that.”
“What answers what?” Martha asked, taking a step forward.
“There’s a forcefield around us…holding the air in. Keeping us alive.” He scratched the back of his head. “For the time being, that is.”
Martha thought for a second and then stared at the Doctor. “Okay, so we have this bubble around us…which means this is the only air we have. Right?” She waited until he nodded before asking her next question. “What happens when the air we have runs out?”
The Doctor sighed and reached for Rose’s hand. “How many people are in this hospital?”
Martha shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know…a thousand, maybe?”
“A thousand people…suffocating.” He turned his eyes to Martha as he tightened his hold on Rose’s hand. “That’s what happens…unless we can find out how to get us back to Earth before we run out of air.”
“Who would do that?” Martha asked, fighting back her tears.
Rose tilted her head slightly and offered Martha an understanding smile. “You ask really smart questions, Martha.”
“Brilliant, even.” The Doctor agreed, squinting as he looked over his shoulder. “They probably have the answers…heads up!”
Martha’s mouth dropped open as three spaceships flew over their heads. The Doctor looked down as Martha instinctively grabbed his arm. As the ships landed, Rose gently nudged the Doctor’s shoulder.
“What are they?”
The Doctor turned his attention to the troops of aliens marching out of the ships, squinting as he watched them. “Judoon.”
“Aliens? Real, proper aliens?” Martha asked, clutching the Doctor’s arm tighter.
“Not all real aliens look like monsters, you know.” Rose interjected, more than a little annoyed…which caused the Doctor to smile.
“Calm down, Rose. She didn’t mean anything by it. Besides…remember your first few encounters?” The Doctor chuckled and gave Martha a pointed look. “Some aliens seem rather humanoid…strange in their actions, possibly quite unintentionally rude…but, they look human.”
Martha stared at him. “What? You’re telling me you’re a Martian or something?”
The Doctor sighed heavily and shook his head. “What is it with humans and their automatic assumptions that I’m a Martian?”
“What are you then?” Martha let go of his arm and turned to face him.
“I’m…the Doctor. Last of the Time Lords.” He answered hesitantly, refocusing his gaze on the Judoon troops marching towards the hospital.
“And you?” Martha asked Rose. “Are you a Time Lord too?”
“What part of ‘Last of the Time Lords’ got past you?” The Doctor asked without thinking. Feeling Rose lightly smack his arm, he offered Martha a gentle smile. “Sorry…that was part of the unintentionally rude bit of me. Rose is human…I am not. Can we discuss this later? The Judoon are here for a reason…and that reason is not going to be good for me, I’d imagine.”
“Why?” Martha asked, darting her eyes between Rose and the Doctor.
Instead of answering, the Doctor ran back inside…pulling Rose with him. Martha followed, skidding to a halt when the Doctor suddenly stopped and crouched down behind a plant. She knelt down next to Rose and peered through the leaves of the plant.
“What are they doing?” She asked quietly.
“Ooh…a shop! I like a little shop!” The Doctor grinned, looking over at Rose and Martha. “You see, Rose? This is what the hospital on New New Earth was missing. A shop. Little shops are the best!”
“God, what is it with you and hospital shops?” Rose asked, shaking her head as she turned her attention to a Judoon who had removed his helmet. “And…rhino-like. That’s…not what I was expecting.”
“Why are Judoon not good for you?” Martha asked again, watching as the apparent head of the Judoon made an ‘x’ on a colleague’s hand with a black marker.
“Well…” The Doctor started, narrowing his eyes as he kept a close eye on the Judoon. “They’re…like police-for-hire…”
“And they’re after you?” Martha asked, turning to look at him.
“No…well, not that I know of. I haven’t done anything to warrant the attention of the Judoon. Well, not lately. And by ‘not lately’, I mean…not since - ”
“Doctor…” Rose interrupted, pointing towards the Judoon captain. “What’s he doing?”
The Doctor sighed as he watched the alien run a scanner over one of the many patients. “It looks like they’re cataloging…which means they’re looking for non-humans. This day is just getting worse…you had to come to London to find out how far along you are, didn’t you?”
“It was your idea to come to London, not mine!”
“Oh, yeah…right.” He ran his hand through his hair and glanced down the hall. “Well, my brilliance just astounds me sometimes.”
“How far are you?” Martha asked softly.
Rose smiled warmly. “Eight weeks and two days…according to Amanda.”
“Congratulations…” Martha returned her smile.
“Which means that you need to stay away from the Judoon just as much as I do.” The Doctor stated, pulling his screwdriver out of the inside pocket of his jacket.
“Why?” Rose asked as he changed the settings on the screwdriver. “And what are you doing with that?”
“Nothing yet.” He answered before meeting her eyes. “And the baby is half-Time Lord…which means that you’ll register as non-human. And if they’re here looking for non-humans it’s not to invite them to a barbecue. Well…not any barbecue that we’d want to attend, at any rate.”
“If they’re not after you…then who are they after?” Martha asked, biting her lip nervously.
“Good question.” The Doctor stated, gesturing down the hall. “Any strange happenings here today?”
Martha merely stared at him. “Compared to what?”
“Good point.” The Doctor grinned. “Come on, then…let’s go find an alien to turn over to them.”
Martha shook her head, confused and overwhelmed as the Doctor led Rose down the hall. After a brief inner discussion about whether to stay here or follow them, she pushed herself up and chased after them.
* * *
“Okay…” The Doctor pointed towards one computer as he settled himself in front of the other. “Check the records…see if anything unusual pops up. Patients with strange symptoms within the past week or so…”
Rose nodded and sat down, quickly navigating through the records. “What kind of strange are you looking for?”
“Strange…strange.” The Doctor answered. “It’ll look human, so don’t bother wasting your time looking for physical deformities or anything.”
Martha was busy keeping a lookout up and down the hall. “So, they’re looking for something like you?”
“No, there’s nothing else like me. They’re looking for an alien that looks human.” The Doctor stated, quickly scanning the records on the computer monitor.
“Like you…” Martha said, obviously confused.
“Well…like me, but not me…”
“Wouldn’t they have a picture or something?” Rose asked, chancing a quick glance over at him.
“Could be a shape-changer. We need to find it quick or they’ll find the entire hospital guilty of harbouring a fugitive…I’d rather not have a thousand people sentenced to execution. I won’t be able to save all of them.”
“I’ll be back…maybe Mr. Stoker can help us.”
The Doctor looked up, mildly alarmed. “Bram?”
“What?” Martha asked, even more confused.
“Bram Stoker?”
Rose arched an eyebrow at him and then went back to looking through the admittance records. Martha shook her head and jerked her thumb down the hall.
“No…Mr. Stoker…our instructor.”
“Oh…in that case, off you go…” He waved vaguely in the direction in which he assumed she would be going when she continued to stand there, staring at him. “Go!”
When she turned and ran down the hall, he glanced over at Rose to find her smiling at him. “What?”
“Bram Stoker? Really?”
He shrugged his shoulder and turned his attention back to the screen, smiling when he heard Rose’s gentle laugh.
* * *
Martha ran into Stoker’s office, rambling as she did so. “Sorry for not knocking, but we’ve got a bit of an emer - ”
She stopped when she noticed two figures dressed in black leather and motorcycle helmets standing behind Stoker’s desk. Her eyes darted around the room and she gasped when she saw a pair of legs…wearing Mr. Stoker’s distinctive shoes.
“What the hell?”
Suddenly, an elderly woman who Martha recognized as Mrs. Finnegan…a patient she was helping diagnose earlier that morning. But, what Martha noticed almost as quickly was that Mrs. Finnegan was holding a straw…dripping with blood…and her lips were bloodstained as well.
“Oh, my God!”
The elderly woman rolled her eyes and smacked the back of her hand against the chest of one of the leather-clad beings. “Oh…kill her…”
Martha turned and ran as fast as she could, slamming the door closed behind her. She nearly screamed when she ran right into the Doctor. He stumbled at the force of her impact and then grabbed her arm to keep her from falling.
“What’s wrong?”
Martha pointed towards the office, just as the door opened forcefully. “Found her!”
The Doctor raised an eyebrow as the leather-clad being stepped into the hall. “A Slab? The Judoon wouldn’t waste their time on a Slab…”
The Slab turned towards them as Martha tried to explain that it wasn’t the Slab that she was talking about. Rose took a step back, pulling the Doctor with her as the Slab took a large step towards them.
“Um…we should go…”
“Yeah, right…” The Doctor agreed, reaching out to grab Martha’s arm. “Um…let’s…run!”
* * *
Ten minutes later, Martha was breathing heavily…trying to catch her breath after the Doctor had successfully led the Slab right into a group of four Judoon. The Slab was disposed of quite swiftly when it was realized that it wasn’t human.
“What the hell is a Slab?” Martha asked between gasps.
“Basic slave drone…leather clear-way through. Quite intriguing, but completely stupid. They just do what they’re told. So, someone has a hell of a leather fetish or…”
Martha shook her head. “It was with Mrs. Finnegan. She told it to kill me…and there was another one too.”
“Mrs. Finnegan?” The Doctor asked, subtly checking Rose’s pulse.
“The alien! She was drinking Mr. Stoker’s blood with a straw!”
The Doctor grinned at Rose. “And you were laughing about the vampire correlation?”
Rose rolled her eyes playfully at him. “You think it’s a vampire?”
“No…no. It’s…wait!” The Doctor’s eyes widened in excitement. “It’s hiding…from the Judoon. It’s an internal shape-changer. She wasn’t drinking the blood…she was assimilating it!”
“What?” Martha asked. “And…you’re enjoying this?”
“What? No.” The Doctor stated quickly and then shrugged. “A little, maybe. Okay, yeah…but, only because it’s…exciting, don’t you think?”
“No! No, I don’t think! I think that if we don’t find her and give her to the Judoon, then we’re all going to die. And…my brother’s twenty-first is tonight…”
“Even if we find her, it’s not going to do any good. She’s assimilated human blood…”
“What does that mean? Exactly?” Rose asked in concern.
He leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. “Well…it means that even if they catalogue her now…she can mimic human biology and they’ll register her as such.”
“Oh…” Rose sighed. “So, what’s the plan now?”
“We go check Stoker’s body…see what we can find out from that…” He leaned over and brushed his lips across hers. “And then we find Finnegan and turn her over after we convince the Judoon that she’s who they’re after.”
“Sounds like the sanest thing I’ve heard all day.” Martha remarked as the Doctor pushed himself off from the wall. “The quickest way is to go ‘round here…and then head up the stairs. Best to stay away from the lifts, I guess.”
“Yep.” The Doctor agreed, popping his ‘p’.
Stepping around the corner, he bumped directly into three Judoon. His eyes widened as one of them pressed an object to his forehead. A siren buzzed as he pushed away.
“Non-human! Execute!” The Judoon growled, raising his gun.
“Run!” The Doctor exclaimed, running back the way he came with Rose and Martha on either side.
They turned the corner at the end of the corridor just as three red beams of light whizzed by them. Realizing how close they had come to being executed without further questioning, he looked over at Martha.
“Get us to Stoker as quick as you can!”
For the moment, he’d follow…until he found out exactly what they were dealing with. And until he found out exactly how to keep Rose and the baby safe.
* * *
The Doctor sighed as he knelt next to Stoker’s body. “Drained dry…completely dry. Plasmavore…just as I thought.”
Martha reached over and carefully closed Mr. Stoker’s eyes. “What now?”
“Well, she’s clever, I’ll give her that.”
Rose stood at his side, her hand on his shoulder. “You’re cleverer.”
He looked up at her and smiled. “Yeah, I am. I need you to stay here…right here.”
Rose furrowed her brow and looked around the room. “Here? In here? But…”
He shook his head and stood up, cradling her face in his hands. “You’ll be safe here…please, trust me.”
“You know I do. But…I should help you…”
“If you’re safe, you’re helping me. It’s not just you I’m thinking about right now, Rose. Just…stay here and I’ll be back soon, I promise.”
“Where are you going?” Rose asked, her eyes beginning to glisten.
“Martha? Where’s the MRI unit?” He asked, not taking his eyes from Rose’s.
“Down the hall…”
He offered Rose a gentle smile before bending down and kissing her. The kiss deepened momentarily before he slowly pulled away and licked his lips.
“I’ll be down the hall.”
Rose nodded and lightly fingered his tie. “Be careful…because we need you, you know?”
He gave her a wink and then turned to look at Martha.
“I need you to…hold them up for me. I need some time…”
Martha stared at him, shaking her head. “How the hell am I supposed to do that?”
The Doctor blew out a nervous breath and scratched the back of his head. “Well…”
“Doctor?” Rose asked, easily reading his sudden nervous behaviour.
“Okay, I’ll need both of you to forgive me. Because this is going to save a thousand lives…and it means nothing.” He stared into Rose’s eyes. “Nothing.”
Rose gave him a light nod, still not really sure what he was planning. “I love you.”
He smiled softly. “I love you too.”
And with that said, he turned and kissed Martha.
He pulled away after a few seconds and cleared his throat. “That should do.”
“Huh?” Martha swallowed and looked at Rose. “Um…”
Rose shrugged and offered the other woman a smile. “Sometimes it’s best to just go with it and not question him.”
“What?” The Doctor furrowed his brow. “Since when do you not question me?”
“First time for everything.” Rose responded, gesturing to the door. “You’d better hurry.”
“Oh, right! Um…stay here, I’ll be back. Martha…you’re with me.”
“Where are we going?” Martha asked as he dragged her out of the room.
“You’re going to delay the Judoon for me while I stop our Plasmavore.” He positioned her carefully in the hallway and then a thought occurred to him. “Um…if something happens…I have two hearts. Remember that, okay?”
“What?”
“Two hearts…” He pointed to one, then the other. “One on either side…both have to be beating, yeah?”
“Uh…yeah, yeah, okay…” She glanced back down the hall when she heard the sound of the Judoon’s heavy boots. “But, what about - ”
She turned back around to find him gone and sighed heavily. “Great…”
And then she turned to find herself face to face with the Judoon captain. He scanned her and glanced at the readings.
“Human.” He paused when the scanner gave a high-pitched squeal. “Wait! Partial non-human! Confirmed…authorize full scan!”
Martha swallowed nervously, but hoped that the Doctor knew what he was doing.
* * *
The Doctor ran into the MRI room, gesturing wildly. “Have you seen them? Rhinos…on the moon. Spacerhinos! I just came in for a simple - ”
Mrs. Finnegan rolled her eyes. “Hold him.”
From behind him, a second Slab grabbed the Doctor. The Doctor craned his neck to look at the Slab.
“Who are you? A motorcycle courier or something?”
“Something.” Mrs. Finnegan stated, regarding the Doctor carefully as she turned a knob on the MRI machine.
The Doctor grimaced as the machine loudly protested the adjustment. “Um…is that supposed to make that sound?”
Florence smiled eerily at him. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Well, I know that’s like a ginormous magnet…and…the readings are going off the scale. That can’t be good.” The Doctor stated in his most clueless tone of voice.
“It’s quite good. As long as you’re in this room…or two hundred and fifty thousand miles away. If you’re not…well, maybe death will be instantaneous.”
The Doctor furrowed his brow. “But…why would you do that?”
“Everyone dies, the Judoon ships become mine…and I can escape. Again.”
“What? You’re talking like…” His eyes widened as his mouth dropped open. “No way! You’re the alien that they’re looking for! The spacerhinos are looking for you!”
Mrs. Finnegan grinned and held up her hand. “I’ve already been catalogued. They think I’m human.”
“But…they’re increasing their scans.” At the woman’s shocked look, the Doctor continued. “Chief Rhino said something about increasing the scans to setting two because they couldn’t find the non-human.”
“Well, then…” The woman started, pulling a straw out of her pocket. “I must assimilate again.”
The Doctor glanced at the straw and licked his lips. “Um…you mean like…making a milkshake? I’ll have banana…”
“Not quite.” Mrs. Finnegan nodded towards the Slab. “Steady him.”
The Doctor groaned as the Slab forcefully tilted his head to the side, exposing his neck. “Um…what are you doing?”
He flinched in pain as the Plasmavore jabbed the straw into his neck.
* * *
The Judoon captain studied the readings on his scanner closely. Then gave his colleagues a nod as he drew an ‘x’ on the back of Martha’s hand.
“Confirmed human. Trace elements of facial contact with non-human. Continue the search!”
After handing Martha a card and declaring it to be compensation, the Judoon turned and made their way back down the hall. Hesitating for just a moment, Martha took off after them…running as fast as she could.
She saw the Judoon captain kick a door open and heard a strange buzzing sound come from within the room. She ran inside behind the Judoon, inhaling sharply when she found the Doctor lying on the floor.
“Oh, no!”
The Judoon nudged the Doctor with the toe of his boot and shook his head. “Case closed. Non-human deceased.”
“But…” Martha frantically felt for a pulse with one hand while she pointed at Mrs. Finnegan. “She killed him!”
The Judoon looked around the room, pausing as he noticed the woman. “Judoon have no authority over human crime.”
“She’s not human!” Martha cried, positioning her hands on the Doctor’s chest.
“Oh, but I am.” The woman grinned, holding up her hand to display the ‘x’.
Martha stopped, eyes widening in realization. “Wait…you drank his blood!”
She grabbed the scanner from the Judoon and turned it on Mrs. Finnegan. The Plasmavore grinned and crossed her arms over her chest, obviously confident in her ruse. Her grin disappeared when the scanner squelched and the Judoon proclaimed her to be non-human and therefore, under arrest.
She made a mad dash for the MRI machine, determined to end the existence of all in range. The Judoon raised their guns and fired. Red streams of light flared from the guns and Mrs. Finnegan screamed.
When the blasts ended and the Judoon lowered their guns, the captain took a deep breath.
“Case closed. Plasmavore executed. Our job is done.”
* * *
Rose paced within the room, pausing when she heard the sound of the Judoon’s heavy boots retreating down the hall. Knowing that the hospital was dangerously close to coming to the end of its oxygen supply, she threw open the door and ran towards the MRI unit.
She gasped as she skidded into the room. “Oh God!”
Martha was kneeling next to the Doctor, sweat pouring down her face as she furiously pounded on his chest. “She…”
“No! No, no!” Rose ran to the Doctor, sliding onto the floor and running her fingers through his damp hair. “You said you wouldn’t leave us!”
Martha nearly stopped and then remembered…
Two hearts!
She quickly moved her hands to the other side of his chest and resumed CPR. After just a few seconds, the Doctor coughed and then groaned in obvious pain. He met Rose’s eyes and licked his dry lips.
Before he could say anything, the building began to shake and rumble. He looked around for a safe place to go and pushed himself up. He stumbled, offering Rose a weak smile as he pulled her up with all the strength he could muster…which wasn’t all that much.
“You’re not - ” Rose started, tears spilling onto her cheeks.
He shook his head and then swallowed carefully, concentrating on keeping his balance. “Come on…closet. Martha, with us…now!”
They barely made it to the closet before the hospital began its trip back to Earth. The Doctor glanced at an oxygen tank that was resting in the corridor.
Less than one minute.
He’d cut it dangerously close this time.
* * *
The Doctor carefully ducked away from the news cameras and reporters, pulling Rose towards the TARDIS. He smiled at her as he looked over at her to find her looking at the scan of their child.
“It looks kinda…non-human.”
She snorted a laugh and squeezed his fingers. “And you’re surprised?”
He shrugged and leaned down, brushing his lips over her cheek. “I’m continually surprised when you’re around. It’s a good thing…”
He had just opened the TARDIS door for her when he heard Martha’s distinctive voice.
“Hey!”
He turned and smiled brightly at her. “Hey! Figured you’d be busy with reporters…”
Martha shook her head. “Not if I can help it. What are you doing?”
“Oh…we need to talk to our friend about finding a doctor for Rose and the baby.” He answered, leaning against the TARDIS. “The baby has two hearts…like me.”
“Oh…um…didn’t Amanda pick that up?”
Rose nodded, a smile in her eyes. “Yeah, but…it looked like a ghosting on the monitor, so…”
“But, it wasn’t?”
The Doctor shook his head and slipped his arm around Rose. “Nope.”
“And your friend is in a phone box?” Martha asked with an arched eyebrow.
“It’s not…it’s the TARDIS, not a phone box.” The Doctor stated, obviously offended.
Rose gave a soft laugh at his reaction. “Because ‘TARDIS’ would be the first thing that comes to mind.”
“Should be.” The Doctor grumbled, running his fingers along the blue painted wood.
“What’s a TARDIS?” Martha asked, craning her neck to look inside.
“It’s our ship. Time And Relative Dimensions In Space.” He answered proudly.
“Ship? Like a space ship?”
“Yep.” He grinned. “And it’s a time machine too.”
Martha snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. “Yeah, right.”
“Oh?” The Doctor let go of Rose and grinned madly. “I’ll be right back.”
And with that, he ran inside and closed the door. Rose sighed heavily when she heard the distinctive sound of the engine starting.
“He’s such a child sometimes…”
When the TARDIS disappeared, Martha’s mouth dropped open. “Where did he go?”
“To prove to you that it’s a time machine.” Rose laughed.
Almost instantly, the TARDIS reappeared and the door opened. The Doctor leaned out, his tie in his hand and a grin on his face. “See?”
Martha just stared at him for a minute and then grinned. “It was you this morning! You said it wasn’t you!”
“Well, I didn’t know it was me. I mean, I didn’t know until now that I was going to do that.” He answered, making it sound as logical as possible as he slipped his tie back around his neck. He looked over her shoulder and grinned. “Hi, Jack!”
“Hey!” Jack grinned and then met Martha’s eyes. “Hello, there. I’m Captain Jack Harkness.”
“Stop it!” The Doctor warned, scowling at Jack.
“What? I’m just saying hi.”
“You never just say hi.” He sighed and then gestured to Martha. “This is Martha Jones, soon to be Doctor Martha Jones.”
“Yeah…” Martha snorted. “I doubt that’ll happen.”
The Doctor smiled warmly and slipped his hand into Rose’s. “I don’t. You saved my life, after all. And I thank you from the bottom of both hearts.”
Martha gave him a shy smile. “You’re welcome. Just…don’t do anything stupid like letting a Plasmavore drink your blood again.”
Jack raised an eyebrow. “A Plasmavore? And you didn’t call me?”
Rose stared at Jack. “We were on the moon.”
Jack snorted and then realized she wasn’t joking. “Really?”
“Where the hell were you?” Rose asked, pointing at the hospital. “The entire hospital was transported to the moon!”
“Oh…well, I was…” He licked his lips and winked at Rose. “Ianto says hi.”
Rose rolled her eyes. The Doctor chuckled as Jack pushed past him and strode into the TARDIS.
“Will I see you guys again?” Martha asked, suddenly feeling very sad that they were leaving.
“Maybe…possibly. Probably not. But, there’s a good chance that we’ll cross paths again.” The Doctor answered with a grin.
Martha furrowed her brow in confusion and Rose playfully nudged his ribs with her elbow.
“We’ll make sure of it. I don’t know when…or where…but, we’ll see you again, Martha. Might even have a little one to introduce you to the next time.”
“I’d like that…” Martha smiled and glanced over the Doctor’s shoulder, narrowing her eyes when Jack gave her a wave from inside the TARDIS. “How big is this thing?”
The Doctor thought for a second and then stepped to the side and gestured behind him with a jerk of his thumb. “Would you like to come in? Cup of tea, have a look around?”
Martha snorted. “A look around? In a phone box?”
Rose laughed as the Doctor took hold of Martha’s wrist, gently pulling her through the door. As soon as she was inside, the Doctor ran up the ramp to the console and turned to face her…arms spread wide and a proud smile on his face.
“This…is the TARDIS! Well, actually it’s just the…this is only one room. The library and pool are down at the end of the hall, but…there’s a problem with the pool. Thanks to Jack, of course.”
“What do you mean, ‘thanks to Jack’?” Jack asked, looking far too innocent.
The Doctor gave him a dismissive wave and smiled at Martha. “I’ll give you the full tour later.”
Martha’s mouth dropped open as she looked around and then stepped back outside. As most people did, she walked around the box before entering again. By the time she’d come back in, Rose had joined the Doctor and Jack near the console. Jack was grinning in Martha’s direction, the Doctor was leaning against the console, and Rose was sitting in the jumpseat with a smile on her face.
“Um…this can’t be real…”
The Doctor gave her a wink and shoved his hands into the pockets of his trousers. “Why’s that?”
“Well…it’s bigger on the inside…”
Rose laughed and nudged the back of Jack’s thigh with the toe of her shoe. “You owe me ten quid!”
The Doctor chuckled at the look on Martha’s face and tilted his head in Rose’s direction. “That’s our favourite part…guessing what the new person’s going to say. ‘Bigger on the inside’ is the most popular at the moment…followed closely by ‘what the hell is that thing?’.”
Martha looked at the object behind him and furrowed her brow. “Okay, I’ll bite…what the hell is that thing?”
“This...is the heart of all that makes a TARDIS a TARDIS…”
“Or, you could just call it the control centre…” Jack offered with a grin.
“Or the console…” Rose stated in a teasing tone.
The Doctor rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. “This where I pilot the ship.”
Jack snorted. “If that’s what you want to call it…”
“Hey!” The Doctor narrowed his eyes in annoyance and glared at Jack. “This ship was always meant to have six pilots. The fact that I’m able to do it on my own should amaze you…”
“And it does, love…” Jack answered with an apologetic smile.
“Don’t call me…” The Doctor shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest as he looked back at Martha. “Would you like to go on a trip? You know…as a thank you for helping us?”
“Oh…oh, well…” Martha stammered, glancing down at her watch. “My brother’s party is tonight…”
The Doctor looked around the large room before grinning at Martha. “Time machine, Martha Jones. We can have you back in no time…literally.”
“You’re…serious.”
“Yeah, some of the time. I do enjoy a good laugh just as much as the next person though. But, when it comes to what we do? Yeah, I’m serious. And I’d seriously like to take you on a trip…all you have to do is choose.”
Martha looked at him curiously. “Choose?”
“Yep.” He smiled and ran down the ramp to close the door. “Forwards or backwards. Where do you want to go?”
“I…don’t know.” She looked at Rose as she followed the Doctor back up towards the console. “What do you think?”
“Depends on what you want to do.” She winked at the Doctor when he gave her a look. “But…really, it’s your choice. Sometimes it’s easier to pick what you want to do instead of where and when you want to be.”
Watching her struggle with her decision, Jack smiled and reached out to take Martha’s hand. “What’s your guilty pleasure?”
The Doctor opened his mouth, possibly to scold Jack, but stopped himself when he heard Martha’s reply.
“Shakespeare.”
“Brilliant!” The Doctor exclaimed, turning a crank before pulling a lever and slamming the palm of his hand down on a large button.
Rose slid off the seat and moved to his side, casually flipping a couple of switches on the way and glancing at a monitor that was covered in yellow post-it notes with circles drawn all over them. She gestured to the rail behind Martha and smiled brightly.
“Might want to hold on.”
“What?” She asked, stumbling as the TARDIS suddenly propelled into motion.
Jack caught her quickly, steadying her as he looked into her eyes. “I’ve got you…”
“Watch it!” The Doctor warned, wagging his finger at Jack before reaching over to grab the mallet.
“You watch it!” Jack countered, wagging his finger back at the Doctor. “If you’d let me help, it’d be a little smoother…”
The Doctor glared at him, slamming the mallet down against the console and then gently caressing the coral frame as the TARDIS evened out slightly. Rose shook her head in amusement, kissing the Doctor’s cheek before returning back to the jumpseat.
Martha wasn’t quite sure what she’d gotten herself into…but, she was pretty sure that she was guaranteed to have a good time.
~ End