The Other Tyler - rewrite

A Partner in crime

The Doctor turned on his heel, facing Jack down with a terrifying glare. "I'll tell you what's happening. You forgot to set your alarm clock. It's volcano day."

Mei pulled him back slightly as a siren blared outside, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles.

"Calm down, we can deal with this idiot later, alright?"

"What's that?" Rose asked, also trying to keep the Doctor from murdering Jack.

"All clear, air raid's over," the brunette told her sister, "For now anyway."

"Great," the blonde muttered, "If it wasn't for this whole re-writing DNA thing i'd ask if we could get out of here."

Mei didn't have much time to respond, the Doctor dragging her with him as he left the ward. She just rolled her eyes and lengthened her strides to keep up with him, taking the stairs two at a time when they started ascending.

"Wait, wait," she pulled him back, "We left Rose - again."

And almost as if on cue, Rose and Jack ran past the bottom of the stair case shouting for the two of them. The Doctor gave Mei a smug look, and she rolled her eyes at him again.

"Have you got a blaster?" he called out, bringing Jack and Rose back into their line of sight.

"Sure," Jack agreed happily, steadying Rose as she nearly slid off her feet.

"Come on then," Mei insisted, pulling the Doctor toward a metal door, assuming that was the one he wanted help with opening, "But what's wrong with the sonic?"

"Want to see what future-boy's made of," Was the Doctor's cheeky reply, then turned to face the other two as they joined them, "The night your space-junk landed, someone was hurt. This was where they were taken."

"So use your blaster," Mei spoke, not knowing what the hell a blaster was though she imagined some sort of gun, "And get the door open so we can have a look."

Rose pulled Mei away as Jack pulled a futuristic looking gun out, just as Mei had thought, and began fiddling with it.

"Why's he not using the sonic?" the blonde whispered.

"He's letting Jack show off," Mei whispered back, shrugging, "No idea why."

There was a high pitched squealing noise, followed by a warping sound, and Rose and Mei turned to see the lock of the metal door was gone, leaving a square hole.

"Impressive," the brunette raised an eyebrow, "Where exactly did you find this one? I like him better than Adam."

"Oh shut up!" Rose nudged her sister with her hip.

"Sonic blaster, fifty first century. Weapon Factories of Villengard?" the Doctor stated, posing the last bit as a question.

"You've been to the factories?" Jack asked, surprised.

"Once."

Mei had a feeling that once had been far too many times, seeing as the Doctor had on the same grin he wore when he blew up Henrik's, and when he took her and Rose to see their home planet burn.

"Well, they gone now, destroyed. The main reactor went critical. Vaporized the lot."

"Just like i thought," Mei groaned, "Once too many."

Grinning at her, the Doctor announced, "There's a banana grove there, now. I like bananas. Bananas are good."

"Oh you didn't!" Mei cried out in amusement, following the Doctor into the room.

She vaguely heard Jack and Rose speaking, but was more interested in the Doctor's cheeky expression. 

"You and your bananas," She shook her head at him, bouncing up to place a kiss on his cheek, and then wandered away from him to get a look around.

The room was in a mess, filing cabinets were half open, papers pulled out and thrown everywhere, electronic equipment in pieces. The observation window above the desk was practically obliterated, shards of glass crunching under her feet.

Finding a light switch on the inside of the room, she turned it on and examined the bedroom-style area. There were drawings all over the place, broken pencils and crayons littered the floor.

"What do you think?" the Doctor asked, watching her, though his question was aimed at Jack.

"Something got out of here," he replied.

"Someone," Mei corrected, crouching to examine on of the drawings, "Some ONE got out of here, a very angry, very strong, very LITTLE someone."

She put the picture down and lifted a Steiff teddy bear, her heart clenching at the sight. An almost identical one sat on her dresser at home, with a pink ribbon around it's wrist.

Hands rested over hers, and she looked up at Rose, smiling sadly when she saw the recognition in her sister's eyes. Rose sniffled slightly, looking around the room, but still clutching the brunette's hands.

"A child?" she asked quietly.

"I suppose this explains Mummy," Jack added, having a look himself.

"But how could a child do this?" the blonde asked, looking back to the Doctor.

Mei gently shook Rose off, moving to place the teddy on the bed, as the Doctor pressed a button on the tape machine.

Constantine's voice came through, a little crackly, but loud enough to be clear.

"Do you know where you are?"

And then a child's voice replied, "Are you my mummy?"

"Are you aware of what's around you? Can you see?" Constantine asked.

"Are you my mummy?"

"What do you want?" The Old Doctor tried again, "Do you know-"

"I want my mummy." The child cut him off, sounding distressed, "Are you my mummy? I want my mummy! Are you my mummy? Are you my mummy? Mummy? Mummy?

"Doctor, I've heard this voice before," Rose announced, glancing at Mei who had crossed her arms over her stomach, looking at the floor.

"Me too," he agreed, also casting a quick glance to the brunette.

"He's asking for his mummy, always asking," said brunette spoke, lifting her eyes to the Doctor, "Why doesn't he know? Why do people do that to a child? It's horrible. How can anyone live with themselves?"

Mei knew she was drawing on her own feelings of abandonment, but sue her, this little boy hit home. She was heart broken for him, he brought back painful memories.

The Doctor crossed to her quickly, wrapping her in his arms. He hated how upset she sounded. Rose wanted to hug her as well, but decided to let the Doctor handle it, smiling as the man pressed a kiss to her big sister's forehead. Oh she loved those two together, now that they were no longer oblivious. She caught Jack watching them, and nudged his shoulder.

"Mei was abandoned as a child," she said quietly, to explain to him, "She can relate."

Jack nodded in understanding, a sympathetic expression crossing his face, before he looked at Rose with a grin, "So those two?"

"Oh it took forever," she giggled, "They were so completely oblivious to each other, i thought it would never happen. I'm still not sure what's going on with them, don't think they know either."

"Well, we'll just have to help them with that," Jack winked, wrapping an arm over Rose's shoulder as she nodded eagerly. Finally, she thought to herself, a partner in crime to help her.