"I'm busy... Doctor, Cass." The little girl nodded solemnly, before walking away, back up the stairs to her room.
They both followed after her, the Time Lord yelling in disappointment, "Oh, come on, Chloe! Don't be a spoil sport! What's the big project? I'm dying to know! What're you making up there?"
Cass had followed after him, but the minute her eyes landed on the stairs, she'd tugged her hand away, sprinting up them just as Rose's panicked screech reached them, "Doctor! Cass!"
The Doctor lurched forwards after her, his footsteps reaching her ear as he sprinted up the stairs, Trish and Chloe following.
Cass ran into the girl's bedroom, eyes growing in size when she saw the closet doors open, heard the menacing voice growling, "I'm coming to hurt you..."
Immediately, she ran to the closet, slamming its doors shut, and resting in front of them, panting lightly.
"Look at it." Rose gasped.
She shook her head, "I'm good, thanks," before looking quickly towards the door, reassuring her tether the second he'd stepped in, "We're okay, hon. Crisis averted for now."
He nonetheless walked to her, hands rising to cup her cheeks softly, as though checking for himself that she was alright, before nodding, gaze straying away towards the wall of drawings, eyes furrowing slightly at it.
They both headed that way, the redhead smirking when she noticed his slipping his glasses up his nose, observing the pictures 'Chloe' had drawn intently.
"What the hell was that?" Trish exclaimed, having barley noticed the red glow from the closet, before Cass had slammed it shut.
"A drawing." Rose responded, "The face of a man."
"What face?" She tried to open the doors but Rose rammed herself up against them, stopping her, "Best not."
Instead, Trish turned to her daughter, "What've you been drawing?"
"I'm drew him yesterday." Chloe said, shrugging.
"Who?"
"Dad."
Her mother's face dropped even further, "Your dad? But he's long gone. Chloe, with all the lovely things in the world, why him?"
"I dream about him, staring at me."
"I thought we were putting him behind us. What's the matter with you?"
"We need to stay together."
"Yes, we do." Trish nodded slowly, only to flinch slightly when her daughter glared, "No. Not you. Us."
The couple glanced back at them, watching as the little girl continued, "We need to stay together. And then it'll be all right."
Trish headed over to her again, trying to cup her daughter's cheeks gently, to reassure her somehow, only for Chloe flinch back.
"Trish," Rose began softly, "the drawings, have you seen what Chloe's drawings can do?"
The woman turned to her, expression cold and unkind, as the sting of her daughter's rejection raced through her, "Who gave you permission to come into her room? Get out of my house."
The Doc ignored her, stepping closer to the girl, "Tell us about the drawings, Chloe."
"I don't wanna here any more of this."
Rose tried again, "But that drawing of her dad... I heard a voice. He spoke."
"He's dead. And these, they're kids pictures. Now get out!"
"Are they, though?" Cass drawled lightly, eyes set intently upon the mother, continuing when Trish turned to her, "Are they just kids' drawings? Because you've noticed things...seen them move, twitch...right from the corner of your eye. Hell, your daughter only became so...blank, when she began drawing this much."
Trish shook her head, denying, "I haven't seen anything."
"Yes, you have." Cass reaffirmed, stepping closer to the woman, reaching out to grab her hand gently, offering support, "You have seen them move, from the corner of your eye. But you dismissed it, because why wouldn't you? They're just drawings. And if anyone mentions it, you get angry, so it's never spoken of, ever ag..."
"She's a child," the woman cut her off, breaths shuddering wetly.
"And you're terrified of her," Cass finished.
And she understood, she really did. Cassandra knew exactly what it was like to fear something you'd never feared before. She was living it.
After all, somehow, someway, the vortex...it had stuck around. And not only that, but it was wrecking her body, destroying it from the inside out, and not all that slowly either.
She'd been scanning herself in secret since the adventure with the Beast, having noticed herself weakening, her energy diminishing bit by bit everyday.
Turns out, she was dying. Or at least, her human body was. It had been unable to handle the strain of carrying the vortex, too weak, too fragile for it, and the force had literally begun burning her from the inside out, slowly killing her. Slowly forcing her closer to a choice she wasn't prepared to make.
But it seemed to be her only option. There really wasn't all that many choices left; die completely, or die now, but return to who she used to be.
"But there's no one to turn to, because who's gonna believe the things you see out of the corner of your eye?" The Doctor finished for her, unaware of the direction her thoughts had taken. He really was, unaware, since Cass had been making a conscious effort to shield this information in her mind, to hide it behind a wall so thick, so impenetrable, he wouldn't even notice it existed.
"No one. Except us."
"Who are you?" The woman gasped lightly.
He turned to his tether, weaving their fingers tightly, before smiling gently at Trish, "We're help."
—
Back in the kitchen, the Doctor swiped a jar of marmalade off the worktop, unscrewing the lid, before dipping his fingers into it and beginning to suck the jam off. Rose cleared her throat and he paused, glancing up to see her shake her head at him, mouthing 'no'. Looking for all the world like a naughty schoolboy caught red-handed, he turned to his tether, noting the smirk she was aiming at him, as well as her open palm. Biting his lip, he meekly replaced the lid and handed the jar over to her, grinning when she chuckled, "You're incorrigible."
"You love it, though."
Cass nodded softly, leaning over and pressing her lips to his cheek, knowing it wouldn't satisfy him. But when he looked at her insisting, she shook her head, whispering into his mind instead,
Delayed gratification makes it all the better. You're gonna have to be patient, Time Lord.
When she'd placed the jar on the counter behind her, away from his hands, she found herself pulled to him, his lips laying gently over her own as he replied, Haven't you heard? I'm all about instant gratification these days.
A light throat cleared, and they pulled away from one another, both blushing furiously, as Rose smirked, bringing them back to the topic at hand, "Those pictures, they're alive. She's drawing people and they end up in her pictures."
"Ionic energy." The Doc explained, "Chloe's harnessing it to steal those kids and place them in some kid of holding-pen made up of ionic power."
He'd leaned on the counter, right beside his tether, his hand moving absent-mindedly to the small of her back, thumb rubbing soft circles there.
It was good and great, except...her shirt had risen slightly, so now, instead of rubbing circles on her shirt, it was right over her skin, and she had to consciously make an effort not to turn into a puddle of shivers and desire.
And when she felt the slight smugness floating from him, she had to hold back a slight groan, knowing he'd be using this against her later.
"And what about the dad from hell in her wardrobe?" Rose asked.
Trish shook her head, "How many times do I have to tell you? He's dead."
"Well, he's got a very loud voice for a dead bloke."
Cass cleared her throat, moving slightly away from the very distracting man beside her, only to get lightly tugged back into place, his hand fully under her shirt now, and saying quietly, "Well, it stands to reason that if living things can become drawings, then the opposite is true. Drawings can become living things..."
When he lightly ran a finger down her spine, she shivered violently, playing the sensation off as being related to her earlier words instead of him, as behind her, his nonchalant voice added, "Chloe's real dad is dead, but not the one who visits her in her nightmares. That dad seems very real. That's the dad she's drawn and he's a heartbeat away from crashing into this world..."
"She always got the worst of it when he was alive." Trish whispered sadly.
Rose glanced at her pilots, eyes narrowing at how smug the Doctor seemed, and how tense and...red Cass was, before smirking lightly, understanding, "How exactly can a twelve-year-old girl be doing any of this?"
The redhead moved away, lightly shaking the goosebumps off, before turning to the blonde and saying hurriedly, practically running out the door, "Well, let's find out."
As Trish followed her, Rose couldn't help but turn to the Time Lord knowingly, "Really? Right now?"
He smirked, ambling towards the door, smugness radiating off of him, "Can't help it. She makes me insane."
—
The Doctor, Cass, Rose and Trish entered Chloe's bedroom, to find her sitting cross-legged on the bed. She said nothing, but looked up at them and did the 'live long and prosper' sign.
"Nice one," he smiled gently, kneeling in front of her, before slowly reaching out and holding her head in his hands, fingers lightly on her temples. Her eyes rolled back in her head before closing, and she fell back, gently being guided on her pillow.
He closed his own eyes, clearly focusing, "There we go..."
Trish tensed in worry, "I can't let him do this..." before beginning to move towards them, only to be gently held back by Cass, who whispered, "Shhh, it's okay. Trust him, he knows what he's doing."
The Doctor suddenly straightened up, glancing down at the little girl, "Now we can talk."
"I want Chloe." The little girl whispered in a voice that clearly wasn't her own, "Wake her up. I want Chloe."
"Who are you?"
She shook her head, repeating louder, "I want Chloe Webber!"
"What've you done to my little girl?" Trish cried helplessly. Glancing at her little sister, Cass urged her forward, handing the mother off to her, before approaching her tether, staring down at 'Chloe', "You're not from around here, are you, sweets?"
"What's happening?" Rose cried.
The Doctor narrowed his eyes, before stating in a clear, demanding voice, "I'm speaking to you. The entity that is using this human child. I request parley in compliance with the Shadow Proclamation."
"I don't care about shadows or parleys." It responded, sounding almost...childishly petulant.
Cass gently laid her hand over the little girl's head, fingers running softly through her hair as she asked, "But you care about Chloe, right? Very much."
"Yes," it replied quietly, before adding sadly, "I want my friends."
The Time Lord kneeled by his tether, eyes softening at the care she had for the child, at how tender she was, before adding quietly, empathetically, "You're lonely, I know. Identify yourself."
"I am one of many. I travel with my brothers and sisters. We take an endless journey. A thousand of your lifetimes. But now I am alone. I hate it. It's not fair. And I hate it!"
"Isolus," Cass whispered softly, soothing the child when she nodded, small whimpers coming from her mouth. Looking at her tether, she reaffirmed, "It's an Isolus."
And it's so alone., she added in his head, voice quieted by empathy.
"You're Isolus. Of course." He nodded slowly, watching as the little girl's eyes snapped open, and her hands reached for a piece of paper, drawing unnaturally fast as she explained, "Our journey began in the Deep Realms when we were a family."
Trish glanced down at the drawing, asking, "What's that?"
"The Isolus Mother, drifting in Deep Space." He explained, "See, she jettisons millions of fledgling spores. Her children. The Isolus are empathic beings of intense emotions, but when they're cast off from their mother, their empathic link, their need for each other, is what sustains them."
"They need to be together." Cass added softly, eyes sad as she continued running her fingers through the child's hair, trying to soothe her, "They cannot be alone."
"Our journey is long." 'Chloe' agreed.
"The Isolus children travel, each inside a pod. They ride the heat and energy of solar tides. It takes thousands and thousands of years for them to grow up."
Rose's head tilted curiously, "Thousands of years just floating through space... poor things, don't they go mad with boredom?"
"We play."
"You... play?"
The Doc nodded, slowly placing his chin on his tether's shoulder, watching how she tended to the child with soft, love-filled eyes. She would make a great mother, someday, when they were ready.
It had been a fruitless dream, once upon a time, to imagine what their children might be like, but now...now knowing who she truly was, it wasn't so fruitless anymore. And he just knew, from seeing her interacting with children, and the little talks they'd had, that she wanted that too.
Maybe not today, or tomorrow or even within the next decade. But his Cassie...she wanted a family with him as much as he did with her and for now, that knowledge was enough.
"Mm. While they travel, they play games. They use their ionic power to literally create make-believe worlds in which to play."
"In-flight entertainment." Cass added, smiling at the blonde's look of understanding.
"Helps keep them happy. While they're happy, they can feed off each others love. Without it, they're lost." He finished, before looking down at the Isolus and asking, "Why did you come to Earth?"
"We fell," she replied, grabbing another piece of paper, begin a new drawing.
As it took shape, Cass nodded slowly, informing them, "That's a solar flare. If they travel through heat, then a solar flare from our sun, like the one recorded a couple of weeks ago, would have been too much. It would have caused the pods to scatter."
"Only I fell to Earth." 'Chloe' added, "My brothers and sisters are left up there. And I cannot reach them. So alone."
"Your pod crashed... where is it?"
"My pod was drawn to heat...," she began, "And I was drawn to Chloe Webber. She was like me. Alone. She needed me. And I her."
"You empathised with her," The Doctor said softly, "You wanted to be with her because she was alone like you."
"I want my family!" The Isolus cried, "It's not fair."
"I know sweets," Cass tried, "I know you're alone, and you just want your family. But Chloe has a family too, and you're keeping her from it. You can't just steal a little girl's body for yourself honey, it's wrong."
"And you can't steal any more friends for yourself, either." The Doctor finished.
"I am alone." 'Chloe' simply responded.
Suddenly, the wardrobe began thumping violently. Trish gasped, as a growly voice muttered menacingly, "I'm coming to hurt you."
On the bed, Chloe began to tremble and shake in fear, though her face remained stuck in that expressionless mask.
"I'm coming."
Looking at the mother, who now had tears in her eyes, Cass exclaimed, "Trish, how do you calm her down?"
"What?!"
"When she has nightmares or gets very sad, how do you calm her down? Remind her that she still has you, that she's safe."
"I sing to her." The mother confessed.
Cass stood up, moving away from the bed, and gently pushing the mother in her place, as the Doc ordered softly, "Then start singing."
"Chloe... I'm coming."
Trish put her hand on her daughter's head, singing softly, voice shaking, "Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree, merry merry king of the bush is he..."
"Chloe... Chloe..."
The banging from the closet grew more violent, but as the Doctor and Rose turned to look at it, Cass kept her eyes on the little girl, her voice joining softly with the mother's as they sang, "Laugh, Kookaburra laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be."
The banging ceased, the room growing quiet, save for the two soft voices singing a gentle lullaby to a now peacefully sleeping Chloe.
"Laugh, Kookaburra laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be."
Trish shook her head, a tear falling down her face, "He came to her because she was lonely..." nestling her head on her daughter's shoulder, she sobbed softly, "Chloe, I'm sorry..."
—
Trish strode into the sitting room and began gathering up all the pencils that were lying around, "Chloe usually got the brunt of his temper. When he'd had a drink. The day he crashed the car, I thought we were free." She turned around, taking the handful of pencils Rose was holding out to her with a grateful nod, before whispering, "I thought it was over."
"Did you talk to her about it?" The blonde questioned softly.
"I didn't want to."
"But... maybe that's why Chloe feels so alone. 'Cos she has all these terrible dreams about her dad, but she can't talk to you about them."
The Doctor shook his head, slowly drawing his tether into his arms, her back to his chest, "Her and the Isolus... two lonely kids who need each other."
He could understand them, had been much of the same during his days in the Academy. And if he'd gleaned anything from his tether's human memories, he knew she hadn't had anyone either.
No friends, no family. Just a very clever girl all alone in a world that wished to eat her alive.
It was maybe why she held onto everyone she cared for so tightly now; a byproduct of never having anyone to hold onto. And he knew, he just knew, it had been the same back on Gallifrey.
As the Oracle, she was revered, but forbidden. Couldn't talk to anyone but the Lord President and Rassilon himself, couldn't see anyone or meet with anyone but a select few. She probably spent more days alone then, than she did now.
"And it won't stop, will it, Doctor? It'll just keep pulling kids in." Rose asked.
Cass shook her head, answering sadly, "It's desperate. It's not used to being alone, needs the love its family gave it, and it was a rather large one."
"How big?"
She looked back at her tether, biting her lip softly, "Say around...four-ish billion?"
The Doctor nodded slowly, watching as both Rose and Trish' jaws dropped in shock, and their eyes turned to the television.
—
He slipped on his coat, watching as Cass spoke to the mother slowly, explaining their next move, "We need to get that pod. So we're gonna do that...you just keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn't start drawing anything else."
The woman nodded, and they quickly left, the tethered pair holding hands as usual.
"The pod, it crashed," Rose began, "won't it be destroyed?"
"Well, it's been sucking in all the heat it can... hopefully that should keep it in a fit state to launch." The Doctor replied, as they hurried towards their clever machine, "It must be close. It should have a weak energy signature that the TARDIS can trace. Once we find it, then we can stop the Isolus."
As she fished the key out of her pocket, Cass explained, "We can scan for the same trace we picked up from the scribble creature. Just need to widen the field a bit, and that should do it."
—
The Doctor fumbled with some device, putting it together as Rose sat in the chair next to the console, Cass beside her, doing the ionic energy scan she'd mentioned earlier.
"You both knew the Isolus was lonely before it told you. How?" The blonde asked suddenly.
Cass shrugged, keeping her tone lighter than it felt as she replied, "I grew up alone. You can't see it because you've always had a family. But I've been alone for the majority of my life. Takes one to know one, I guess."
She could feel her tether's comfort and love flood her, and smiled softly as he replied in turn, "I know what it's like to travel a long way on your own. Give me the stina magnetic erm..." he tilted his head towards her hand, "thing in your left hand!"
Rose's eyes moved between them, chewing on her gum absent-mindedly, before replying, "Sounds like you're both on its side." She slotted the thing into the device, as the Doc held it still.
"Rosie.." Cass shook her head, "We just empathise with it, that's all."
"The Isolus has caused a lot of pain for these people."
"It's a child!" The Doctor exclaimed, blowing gently on the device, "That's why it went to Chloe, two lonely mixed up kids."
"Hmm... feels to me like a temper tantrum because it can't get its own way."
"For hell's sake, Rosie," the redhead chuckled, smirking at her little sister knowingly, "It's just scared, a feeling you should be rather familiar with, traveling with him and all."
She yelped, giggling when her tether's hand pinched her waist in warning, before he turned to the blonde as well, continuing, "Come on, you were a kid once. Binary dot."
Rose smirked lightly at them, handing him the small dot, "Yes! And I know what kids can be like. Right little... terrors."
"Gum." He held his hand out under the girl's mouth, chuckling when he noticed Cass' disgusted grimace.
Rose complied, spitting out into his palm, continuing, "I've got cousins. Kids can't have it all their own way. That's part of being a family."
The Doc stuck the gum to the device, securing it tightly, before walking towards his tether, wrapping his arms around her waist, as they both looked at the youngest. "What about trying to understand them?"
"Easy for you to say," she grinned, "You don't have kids."
He began fiddling with the little machine quietly, noticing how Cass's hands had immediately dropped to his wrists, stroking the skin lightly. Feigning nonchalance, he commented, "I was a dad once."
"I wasn't," the redhead said, "But I've always loved kids. And I think...I think old me wouldn't have minded having some."
As Rose gaped at them, he couldn't help but whisper in her head, What about current you?
Cass chuckled lightly, turning to press her lips softly against his cheek, I'll take whatever you have to give me, Theta. Just uh...let's stick to the realm of humanly possible for now, yeah?
He nodded slowly, and right as her head began facing Rose, he cupped her cheek, tugging her lips up to his own, kissing her deeply.
Passionatley.
When he pulled away, he was pleased to note the slight haziness of her green eyes, and the blush on her cheeks, and couldn't help but chuckle smugly, pressing his lips to one as he walked away, "Might want to get some control over that, if you'd like me to stop teasing."
"I can't exactly help it," she grumbled, not able to keep the small grin off her face as she turned back to face the scanner, eyes moving over the results, which the TARDIS had written in English for her benefit.
"I think we're there!" He exclaimed happily, fiddling with the device still in his hand, "Fear. Loneliness. They're the big ones, Rose. Some of the most terrible acts ever committed have been inspired by them. We're not dealing with something that wants to conquer or destroy." He headed to the console, continuing, "There's a lot of things you need to get across this universe. Warp drive... wormhole refractors..."
He noticed the blonde's raised hand, which she'd been using to point to the scanner, but mistook it for a warm gesture, grinning as he grabbed it, "You know the thing you need most of all? You need a hand to hold."
"No," she giggled, "Look, I'm pointing! Cass found something."
He spun towards his tether, who'd been chuckling lightly at him, before seeing the flashing white dot on the map behind her. Cass nodded, smirking lightly, "Yep, we've got it, now we just need to go retrieve it."
Smile growing, he tugged the redhead closer, picking her up and spinning her around in a tight hug as she giggled, before pulling her towards the door, Rose following behind, smiling, "Everything's coming up Doctor!"
—
"Okay. It's about two inches across. Dull grey, like a gulls egg. Very light." He explained as they wandered down the street.
"So these pods, they travel from sun to sun using heat, yeah?" Rose questioned, as she and Cass walked ahead, arms linked.
Cass was frowning lightly as she walked. Something was going to happen, she knew something was about to happen, but for the life of her, she couldn't remember. It probably had something to do with mounting migraine she'd been nursing all day, as she couldn't seem to think properly with her head hurting.
She'd also been trying to keep her pain away from her tether, to block him form being able to feel it, knowing he'd have questions and she wouldn't be able to give him the answers he needed, or wanted.
And frankly, she didn't want to see how panicked and frightened he would become if he scanned her and realised she was slowly dying.
"So it's not all about love and stuff." Rose continued, unaware of the redhead's wandering thoughts, "Doesn't the pod just need heat?"
A crash from behind her caused both girls to turn, finding the device the Doctor had just constructed shattered on the floor, the man himself gone, as well as the TARDIS.
A loud hiss of pain came from Cass, and when Rose turned to her, she gasped in shock.
The redhead's normally green eyes were glowing, a bright gold, her face pinched in pain, hand rubbing uselessly at her chest as she hissed, "Chloe!" Before taking off at a run, towards the little girl's house.
Rose ran after her, knowing exactly how regretful and guilty she would be if she was too rough with the child, and understanding that this wasn't exactly all her sister, that the tether had more to do with her behaviour.
—
Cass burst into Trish's house angrily, eyes narrowed into an icy glare. She ignored the woman as she ran after her, yelling, "It's okay! I've taken all the pencils off her!"
"Cass!"
She could hear Rose yelling her name, hear her footsteps pounding up the stairs behind her, but none of it registered.
It was like someone had stuck her head underwater, and all she could focus on, all she could think...was that the Isolus had stolen her tether.
And she needed him back. No matter what.
Rushing towards the little girl, she swiped the finished drawing on her desk, before gripping her shoulders tightly, growling, "Where is he? What did you do?"
"Leave me alone!" The Isolus cried, "I want to be with Chloe Webber! I love Chloe Webber!"
"Bring him back," Cass warned softly, pointing to the man wearing a brown coat on the paper, "You bring my tether back, right now."
"No."
She closed her eyes tightly, shaking her head, before snapping them open again, the little girl backing away in slight fear at the sight of the glowing orbs, "Don't you realise what you've done?!" Her hand reached up to her temple, gripping at the hair in pain, "He wanted to help you! All he wanted was to help you, and you've trapped him in here!"
"Cass..." a soft hand dropped to her shoulder, and she found herself spun to face Rose, who whispered, "It's okay. It's gonna be okay."
"Okay? My tether's been taken! He's been dropped into a fucking drawing, and I could've stopped it if I'd just remembered!"
"We'll get him back," Rose continued, looking at her meaningfully, before her eyes dropped to the drawing, "You'll get him back, okay? You know that, he's your tether. You will always come back to him, as he will you."
Cass nodded slowly, a shaking finger moving over her tether's drawn face, a small tear falling from her eye when she noticed the faint wisps of golden energy around it.
"But you need to calm down, so you can think, okay? Just calm down, and think, and we'll get him out."
Inhaling sharply, the redhead swallowed, whispering to the drawing, "We're gonna get you out of here honey, just hang tight." Before turning on her heels and leaving the room, eager to find that damned pod.
Rose looked up at Trish, "We'll get the pod, and fix this. You just...just keep an eye on her at all times. Make sure she doesn't draw anything else."
And with that, she ran outside, only to stop when she noticed Cass bent in half, clearly struggling to breathe.
Hurrying to her, she frantically put her hands on the girl's heaving back, mumbling, "What's wrong? What's happening? Is it the tether?"
"No," Cass moaned, voice tinged with pain as she slowly raised her head, Rose's eyes growing even wider at the blood pooling fromm her nose, and how pale she'd gotten.
She looked exactly like...like she had when she'd been using the vortex, back on Satan's Pit.
"Cass..."
The redhead nodded slowly, using her sleeve to wipe to blood, thankful she'd chosen a black shirt this time around, before grabbing onto the blonde's hand, pulling her towards the street, "It's nothing. I'm okay. We need to find that pod."
Rose shook her head, but stayed quiet. She wouldn't get any answers form Cass right now, the precognitive's mind was far too occupied with saving her tether. But later...later, she'd hound her until she knew exactly what was happening.
Because for a second there, Cass had looked like she'd been knocking on death's door.
—
"Heat. They travel on heat." Cass mumbled quickly, before noticing a man by the road, and hurrying to him.
"Look at this finish. Smooth as a baby's bottom. Not a bump or a lump."
Rose walked beside her, grabbing the man's attention quickly and asking, "Kel, was there anything in this street in the last few days giving off a lot of heat?"
"I mean, you can eat your dinner off this." He continued, not really listening, "Beautiful. So you tell me why the other one's got a lump in it when I gave it the same love and craftsmanship I did this one."
Cass growled lightly, "Kel, focus! Think back, six days ago, something important happened. What the fuck was it?"
He jumped at the icy tone of her voice, faltering slightly under her glare, before stuttering, "Six days... When I was laying this the first time round!"
"What?" The blonde questioned.
"Well, that's when I filled in this pothole for the first time."
"Fuck me," the redhead muttered, leaving the two and running to the van, rifling through the items in there until she found a pick-axe.
Running back to them, she quickly swung it over her shoulder, before faltering slightly, feet swaying under her as her head swam.
But Rose was there.
Quickly, the blonde grabbed her before she could fall, eyes filled with worry as she took the pick-axe herself, and began swinging, whispering, "Just...just stay still until it passes. Please."
"Yeah," Cass mumbled back, before turning to face Kel, who was yelling indignantly, "You just took a council axe, from a council van, and now you're digging up a council road! I'm reporting you to the council!"
As Rose kneeled by the small hole she'd made, rifling through, Cass explained quickly, "It seeks heat. So it went for the hottest thing it could find, the highest temperature around..."
"You tar!" The blonde finished excitedly, rising to show them the small, grey pod in her hand.
"What is it?!" The man questioned.
"It's a spaceship! Not a council spaceship, I'm afraid."
—
They'd run back to Trish's house, Rose immediately pushing Cass into a chair, watching with narrowed eyes as the redhead wiped the clamminess off her forehead, huffing from the exertion of the run.
When nearly two weeks ago, this would have amounted to no effort to her.
They quickly noticed Trish just standing there, staring at them with wide eyes, and the redhead snapped in exhausted anger, rising to an unsteady stand, "For the love of everything holy, why did you leave her alone? I thought we'd warned you, told you to keep an eye on her at all times?!"
As Rose began trying to push her back down, insisting she could handle this bit on her own, Cass shook her head, motioning her towards the door, "Go. It doesn't just need heat, it needs love and hope. Two things best symbolised by the olympic torch."
The blonde's face dropped in understanding, "Oh my god, you genius! Okay, okay, I've got it! You stay here, sonnet move, and I'll be back with him!" Before hurrying out the door, Kel swift on her heels.
The second she was gone, Cass stood up, steps wavering as she headed towards the stairs, Trish quickly grabbing onto her arm to keep her steady, confusion in her eyes.
As they climbed, she explained, "The Isolus, it has four billion siblings. The stadium won't be enough, hell Europe in its entirety wouldn't be enough to fill that void. It needs more, something much bigger."
Her hand reached for the doorknob as soon as it was in view, twisting it, only to realise something was keeping the door from opening. Growling, she yelled, "Chloe! Open the door, please!"
When they received no reply, she tried again, voice growing more frantic, "Chloe, we found your ship! Rose is charging it up as we speak, okay? You don't need to do this, please!"
Trish shook her head, calling out for her daughter in a panic, until Cass pulled her away from the door, mumbling, "Stand back,"
The woman stared at the redhead in confusion, not understanding what she could do, considering she looked ill, but her doubts soon disappeared when she noticed the glowing golden light floating around her hands, weaving itself around the doorknob, seeping through the wood, until the door swung open, whatever that had been blocking it previously, gone.
They ran inside, Trish yelling, "Chloe!" As from behind the closet door, a menacing voice growled, "I'm coming to hurt you...I'm coming!"
The Isolus paid none of them any mind, picking up a green pencil to begin colouring in the outline of the earth she had drawn on her walls.
"Right," Cass breathed softly, exhaustion seeping through her faster than ever, since she'd actively used the vortex to open the door, "Right, we gotta stop her before she finishes that,"
As she started forwards, the wardrobe began rattling ominously, as the Isolus stated, voice cold, "If you stop Chloe Webber, I will let him out. We will let him out together. I cannot be alone. It's not fair."
"We found your pod," she tried.
"The pod is dead."
"No, no it's not. It needs heat, and it needs love and it needs hope. That's what we're giving it now, okay? Just please sweets, please. Put the pencil down."
She was grabbing onto the bed, sweat beading on her forehead, as behind her, the wardrobe doors continued to shake and rattle, Trish crying out in fear as a result.
While the Isolus simply continued to draw, ignoring all of them.
Cass closed her eyes, moaning lightly as her chest began aching, pressure mounting into her lungs. She knew it wasn't just the vortex, but the bond as well. Knew it was the tether, tugging and pulsing and punishing her for losing its other half.
Demanding the connection be re-established, demanding the Doctor be returned to her, safe and sound.
Problem was, though, with both influences warring in her, each pushing and pulling against the other, Cass was nearly out of her mind with pain. It was too much, far too much, and she was still just only human.
Suddenly, Chloe's hand stopped moving over the wall, her eyes growing in size as she turned to face them, hope blanketing them with a wet sheen.
"I can go home." The Isolus whispered happily, "Goodbye, Chloe Webber. I love you."
And just like that, the little girl's head tilted back, eyes closing as her mouth opened, a small petal floating out, and through the open window.
Chloe's eyes snapped open again, clear for the first time since they'd met her, and she turned to her mother, blinking as though just awoken from a dream, "Mum?"
Trish cried, hurrying to her daughter, pulling her into her arms, "I'm here."
"Mummy!"
From her spot, Cass sighed in relief, a small smile on her face as she watched the happy reunion, some of the pressure dropping from her chest as she watched the drawings become blank, everyone who'd vanished returning back to life.
Including her tether.
But before they could fully rejoice, before she could feel relief that her pain had become manageable once more, the bedroom door slammed shut, crimson light glowing from behind the closet and she groaned, "Oh, for fuck's sake. I forgot about you!"
"Chloe, I'm coming to hurt you..." it growled menacingly.
"Cass! Trish!"
Rose was banging on the door viciously, trying to get it open.
"Rosie, give me a minute! The Doc isn't here, but he's fine, I can feel him!"
"It's you I'm worried about, dumb-arse!" The blonde yelled back frantically.
"I'm fine! Just need to take care of something real quick," Cass reassured her quickly, before turning back to the mother and daughter, pity filling her eyes as Chloe cried, "Please, dad. No more."
Kneeling before the child, she explained, "Chloe, it's not real. Just energy, like all the others, except it's happening the other way around. But you can get rid of it, we all can. It only seems so strong because you're scared, but you don't need to be anymore, okay sweets? You don't need to be scared, because he's not real."
The little girl whimpered, crying into her mother's chest, and Cass looked at Trish, "Sing. It's what calms her, what reminds her that she's not alone. So we're all gonna sing, okay? Because nightmares aren't real, and monsters can't exist when we have love."
"I'm with you, Chloe." Trish whispered lovingly, pressing her lips to her daughter's head, "You're not alone. You'll never be alone again."
Cass smiled gently at them, as they looked up at her and nodded. And slowly, their three voices drifted into the air, singing a soft lullaby.
"Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree...merry, merry king of the bush is he..."
And surely enough, the red light began fading, the man's voice following, until all any of them could hear was the joyous song, lilting notes hanging in the air hopefully.
"Laugh, Kookaburra laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be."
—
She'd been dragged into a stifling hug the minute the door had opened, Rose wrapping her arms around her so tightly, she swore she'd nearly coughed her lungs out as a result.
"Hey, I'm okay now." She'd whispered soothingly, running a slow hand through the girl's blonde hair, "I'm okay Rosie."
Rose hadn't really believed her, even as she'd nodded and smiled. She knew that, she knew her sister very well.
And she knew she'd be facing a barrage of questions the minute they returned to the TARDIS.
But her tether needed to come back first for that.
Currently, they were all gathered around the TV, watching as the Olympic presented crowed, "Just look at this! Utterly incredibly scenes at the Olympics stadium, eighty thousand athletes and spectators, they disappeared, they've come back! They've returned. They've reappeared. It's quite incredible. Bob, this will certainly..."
"Eighty thousand people, so where's the Doctor...?" Rose whimpered sadly, holding onto her older sister, "We need him..."
Cass grinned, a small knowing smile, before nodding towards the screen, "Just watch. He tends to pop up to remind people to have hope, remember?"
"The torch bearer seems to be in a bit of trouble. We did see a flash of lightening earlier which seemed to strike him... erm, maybe he's injured... he's definitely in trouble." The presenter continued, the camera panning to the Torch-bearer as he collapsed on the ground.
"Does this mean that the Olympic Dream is dead?"
Suddenly, a brown clad arm picked it up, and Rose beamed, "Doctor..."
"Told you," the redhead grinned happily, love for this incredible man filling her chest, "He tends to pop up when we need him most."
"There's a mystery man, he's picked up the flame... we've no idea who he is... erm... he's carrying the flame, yes! He's carrying the flame and no one wants to stop him." The presenter continued, smiling wide, "It's more than a flame now, Bob. It's more than heat and light. It's hope. And it's courage. And it's love."
—
She noticed him first, walking down the street, hands in his pockets as his eyes moved around furtively, seeking her out.
Grinning, she turned to Rose, winking as she put a finger to her lips, before breaking out into a run, and jumping on him, her legs wrapping around his waist, their joined laughter filling the air as he held her tightly.
Looking down at him, she bit her lip, stifling the large smile growing there, "Welcome back."
The Doctor smiled back, his happiness filling her chest as he titled his head up, not saying anything, but telling her everything she needed to know through his kiss.
I love you.
Pulling away, she dropped back to the ground, his arm wrapping around her waist immediately, tugging her back to his chest, "Love you too. And...we've got a surprise for you."
"You do?"
A small hand poked his shoulder, and he turned around, smile growing when he noticed Rose, and the small cupcake, with edible ball-bearings, she was holding out to him, "Cake?" She smirked.
"Top banana!" He laughed, taking it, "Mm. I can't stress this enough. Ball bearings you can eat, masterpiece!" He spoked, frosting covering his lips as he'd taken a large bite.
Cass shook her head softly, an adoring smile on her lips as she slowly reached up and wiped it away, chuckling, "You're a mess."
Before she could take her hand back, he drew her thumb into his mouth, sucking the frosting off, before winking slyly, and giving her a quick kiss, "Your mess though."
"That you are," she whispered, knowing exactly how red her face was.
Rose smiled, looking at them with tearful eyes, remembering exactly how...broken Cass had seemed when he'd disappeared, before wrapping her arms tightly around them, mumbling, "Ooh, I thought I'd lost you."
"Nah! Not on a night like this!" The Doc shook his head, "This is a night for lost things being found. Come on!" He began leading them away, the blonde walking beside them.
"What now?" She asked, grinning.
"I wanna go to the games! What we came for!"
"Go on, give us a clue, which events do we do well in?"
He chewed thoughtfully for a moment, before smirking, "Well, I will tell you this: Papua New Guinea surprises everyone in the shot put."
"... Really? You're joking, aren't you?" Rose gasped, turning to look at Cass with big eyes, "Tell me he's joking!"
The redhead shrugged, smiling softly, "Can't say. Different universe, remember? Plus, why ruin the fun, Rosie-Posie? Just wait and see!"
Fireworks suddenly exploded above them, and the trio stopped, glancing up happily.
"You know what," Rose began, "they keep on trying to split the three of us up, but they never ever will."
Cass' heart dropped, unfortunate and heartbreaking knowledge and remembrance filling her chest as she murmured gravely, "Best never to say, 'never ever'."
"Nah," the blonde waved her off, not noticing the heartbroken expression on her face, not noticing the Doctor's concerned one either, "We'll always be okay, you two and me." Turning, she looked at them softly, "Don't you reckon?"
The Doctor looked up again, tensing as though sensing something.
"Something's in the air.... Something's coming." He whispered sombrely.
"What?"
They both turned their eyes back to the sky, silence surrounding them, before Cass murmured, "A storm. A storm is coming."
—
Later that night, he found her sitting by the TARDIS' open doors, legs swinging mindlessly as she gazed at the stars.
"So that's where you go, when you disappear in the middle of the night.."
Cass gasped lightly, not having sensed his approaching presence, too tightly wrapped in her own thoughts and her rapidly declining health, before looking over her shoulder at him, smiling softly at his sleep-rumpled hair, and half-closed eyes.
"Yeah, just...felt thoughtful I guess."
He slowly walked closer, taking a seat behind her, before drawing her into his chest, face nuzzled in the crook of her.
"Well, what's got you feeling so thoughtful then?"
His tether didn't reply, but she didn't have to. The waves of sadness, grief and guilt flowing from her were answer enough. He hissed slightly under the pressure of the emotions, before whispering into her skin soothingly, "it's okay. Whatever it is, whatever will happen..it's going to be okay, love."
"I really hope so." She murmured, drawing their joined hands up, pressing a kiss to his knuckles, "I just...I really need to forgive me, okay? Please, Theta...please forgive me."
She could feel his confusion, but before he could ask, she shook her head, whispering in a sad, wet voice, "spoilers."
The Doc nodded, pressing a soft kiss to her pulse, "Whatever it is, whatever it could be. You're forgiven. Always and forever forgiven, no matter what."
Cass nodded, sighing softly as she allowed herself to sink back into him, memorising the feel of his arms around her, of the love she felt in this moment. Hoping, with everything she had, with every fibre of her being that his words would hold true.
That he wouldn't hate her for not being able to stop what's to come.
For having to leave him soon, too.