Jumping For The Stars

Chapter 13 - Scary Blue Eyes

Chapter 13

Scary Blue Eyes

The Doctor's face held a panicked expression, an expression which Ailia hoped never to face again, or rather a face that she hoped never to see.

Those sad, old, lonely eyes of his bored into her soul, more pained then they were when she left in the beginning, something which she had thought, or rather rather wished not to be possible. But then they lit up, like fireworks on America's Fourth of July. Their was a spark, it didn't soften those darkness, but rather exposed it, making the look he gave even more frightening.

He started to grin a childish grin and didn't hurry to reach into his pocket and pull out the device that she had seen so many time before. The light shone with the same sinister gleam as his sparkling eyes and he pushed a button on the side.

Ailia could feel the pull of the device, dragging her back, back to the TARDIS. She could see home, it was so tantalizingly close that she could touch the old brick house where she and Amy used to play tag. Now, it was only in a half sense, she could see the Doctor and she could see home. And she could feel the time vortex trying to rip through her.

It felt like hours of torture when she was finally sucked completely into the TARDIS, landing harshly against the wire mesh on the ground.

Ailia could feel the Doctor hovering nearby, his shadow looming over her shoulder. She felt the shadow move closer for a second, her breath catching in her throat as she felt the watch be removed from her wrist, allowing cool air to surround the sweaty skin. The shadow darted away and Ailia could feel the cool air from the open door and moved towards it, but it was always already shut, the lock clicking quickly behind.

The Doctor might have talked then, but Ailia spoke in his place, "Well, that could have gone better."

The Doctor's eyes were still dark, gripping the watch tightly in his hand, "Who are you?"

"Just somebody that you used to know," Ailia mumbled, slowly standing up on wobbling legs, grabbing quickly onto the railing to help keep her balance.

"I'm serious," the Doctor said.

"Sirius Black," Ailia muttered to herself.

The Doctor didn't appretiate her joke.

Somehow he couldn't see how lost she was, she wanted to go home, that he knew, but her couldn't see how much. Right then, with the Time Lord's anger in his eyes it wasn't possible.

"Why are you here?" the Doctor asked.

"You wouldn't believe a word I said," Ailia muttered, enjoying the soothing hum of the TARDIS that brushed over the raging scars racing up and down her back.

"Where'd you get this?" the Doctor held up the vortex manipulator.

"Made it myself," Ailia said, her tone calm.

"Enough," the Doctor shouted, Ailia didn't pause in her steps.

"What'd I tell ya?" Ailia sing-songed, the TARDIS shocked her.

The Doctor put a hand out in front of him, "I said enough. Tell me why you're here."

"I told you I want to go home, I'm lost," Ailia tilted her head, not understanding his incomprehention.

"That doesn't this," he waved the vortex manipulator in front of her.

"Yes, it does," Ailia said to him, "Think about it Space Man."

"You were there," the Doctor moved away after a moment of thought.

"Where," she didn't ask, she stated.

"With the cybermen, you were there. You were with Donna, and now you're here," the Doctor yelled out, frusturated.

"Well, I see, I've places to be," Ailia stood in front of the jumper seat.

"No," the Doctor glared, "You're here, now, and you will explain."

He started to moved around the council, pulling levers with an almost frusturated air, the TARDIS thrashed around, copycatting his mood.

The TARDIS came to a screeching halt and the Doctor leaned against the console, facing Ailia, with his arms crossed. "Speak," he allowed.

"I want to go home," Ailia starred just above his left ear, miracously standing still, her positioning like a soldier at attention.

His expression didn't soften, "Explain."

Her eyes slowly moved over to him and she met his eyes, "Doctor, I won't. If you try to force me I will walk out those doors right now."

"We're in the Time Vortex, you'll die," the Doctor scoffed.

Ailia just blinked, waiting for the all brilliant Doctor to make the connection.

"I'll go to the Shadow Proclamation," the Doctor tried.

"Please, what are they going to do with a twenty-first century human?" Ailia's gaze bored into him.

"With one as astonishing as you, hopefully just experiments," the Doctor answered.

"No," Ailia began walking towards the doors, "I have pushed around my whole life, but you know what. No thanks, I'll leave."

"You'll die if you go out there," the Doctor informed coldly.

"Apparently," Ailia paused, looking over her shoulder, "I'll die if I stay here."

The Doctor froze, anger clenching his fist, he watched as Ailia took another step, almost flawlessly hiding the slight wobble to her step, the tremor in her jaw.

She almost reached the door when he spoke, his voice barely louder than the TARDIS' hum.

"Fine," Ailia paused, her hand on the door, she could hear the pain in his voice, "I'm sorry, fine. I'll take you home, it's none of my business."

Ailia turned around, her hand on the wall to steady her, "What's the catch?"

The Doctor paused a moment, obviously going through his knowledge of words to understand that statement, before answering, not bothering to deny it, "You have to stay here for a while."

"How long's that?" Ailia asked.

"Just-" his voice cracked, and Ailia could see something of tears in his eyes, "Just until you're back on your feet."

The girl tilted her head, not understanding what he meant.

He smiled a watery grin, why was he crying Ailia couldn't help but think. The Doctor answered her question with a short laugh, "Don't think I can't see it. You're half asleep, you look a mess."

A pained chuckle passed her lips, but she didn't let the facade drop as she walked back up the steps, "Where to?"

The Doctor's anger was no longer there when she looked at his eyes, but if she could see through his eyes there was a totally different picture right in front of her.

The Doctor saw this girl's limp hair, bloodshot eyes, bruises and scratches crisscrossing her face. It looked as if the restless sleep that she got barely helped. He could see the red raw skin shaped like lightning hiding behind her sleeve that was pushed up to her elbow from when he had taken the vortex manipulator away from her.

Then there was the things that scared him. Terrified him, really. This girl was charming, and strange...and ever so familiar. As if from a recent memory before Donna, before the cybermen, before Rose...Before Rose was gone. But even this memory in this moment was slipping away, like sand through his fingers.

And her eyes, her eyes were frightening. They were blue as blue could be, hot and cold, hiding unimaginable intelligence, and only one emotion. That is if you would count it as an emotion, stubborn persistance.

The Doctor was scared of some tiny little human because he had a feeling that he was on the wrong side of those eyes.

"Hmm, oh. Oh," the Doctor's face returned to normal as his body caught up with his mind, "Just this way, right by me now."

The petrifying blue eyes looked away from him, now tracing the walls of the TARDIS, but not in awe, rather in acceptance. Acceptance that these walls were to be her prison.