Born of Fire (Doctor Who AU)

Chapter 14 Explanations

Don stopped his motorcycle in front of the sign pointing the way to a party. He chuckled at the sight of Jake's name in lights, but that raised a concern. The man's presence meant Peter Tyler and Blondie were there too. He could well imagine their gobsmacked expressions when he walked in. He liked the idea of getting one over on a man as powerful as Peter Tyler. Who the bloody hell did the man think he was that he could tell Don to stay away from the last member of his family? The housekeeper couldn't say that he hadn't kept his promise either. It had taken weeks to plan the meet-up with Daniel so that it looked entirely accidental. His work, combined with Daniel's had made it difficult to pull off. The man worked at something constantly. But, finally three days ago, he'd succeeded.

They were just two blokes from London who'd managed to run into each other then stood on the sidewalk in GlenCoe chatting about pool games and summer holidays. The cop in him came out with such ease that he had no trouble lying about his name. He'd walked away with the invitation; tonight, he would tell him the truth. He would also tell him about Gramps. God, that will be hard, he thought. It was still hard to believe the old man was gone. He remembered the conversation when he brought home that telescope.

"Nice young man from University gave it to me," he'd said. "We just started talkin' one day about the stars thing, turned out he studied them. Next day, he brings me a proper telescope. Daniel, his name is Daniel. Almost as nice you are." The name hadn't meant anything until after that night at Crystals.

Don straddled the bike, his feet planted firmly on the ground.  Finding a way to get him alone would be interesting, especially if  members of Torchwood had shown up for this shindig.  Nigel was right about that bunch. What with the rumours of midnight raids in the countryside and chases after strange beings that apparently inhabited the abandoned tunnels running under London, these people were dangerous. He'd watched the news when half of Europe showed the global warming conference. They apparently had more pull than the government. It made him wonder who exactly ran the government. Rain drops fell at ever faster pace, hastening the decision.

Don revved the engine of the Yamaha then, taking a deep breath, he pulled onto the gravel road. The cycle's bright headlight cut through the darkness, casting shadows on the trees as he went past. When he reached the clearing, he uttered an oath at the sight of the cars. There had to be at least twenty parked around the house. He'd hoped for a much smaller crowd. He pulled the bike to a stop next a lorry, pulled off his helmet and drew a nervous breath.

 "In for a penny," he muttered while walking to the door. Before he had the chance to knock, the door flung open and a figure shoved past. It took a second for his brain to register the face of figure belonged to Daniel. The next face coming out the door belonged to Peter Tyler. He muttered something, flashed a cheeky grin then turned to catch Daniel. "Damn it!" he said when the angry man took off on his bike.

Shouts from angry women yelling 'go after him,' spurred the run for his own transportation. Gravel spewed as he took off after Daniel. By the time, he turned onto the main road, a string of headlights had formed behind him. Don gunned the bike; his only goal -- catch the last member of his family before the tosser spun out on the wet road.    

A kilometre from the gravel road, the heavens answered a prayer.

The rain stopped.

He caught a glimpse of the line of headlights in his rear view mirrors and pressed the accelerator. He needed to reach Daniel before they caught up so he could spend two minutes alone with him. He chuckled when he glanced back at the rapidly disappearing lights. At least, the pursuers weren't interested in speeding through the night. He wondered which one had pissed him off and how many men had piled in the cars to chase him, Up ahead, Daniel barely slowed as he leaned into a turn Don had have to hand it to the man, he was surprisingly good on a bike. He drove as if he owned the road.