Previously:
"So, I'm going out." He said to Amy. "If I hang about the house all the time, himupstairs might get suspicious and notice me."
"Yeah, football. All outdoorsy." He grinned at Emily, a faint red tint lighting up her cheeks as she pretended that he had no effect on her by rolling her eyes."And yes, Emily is here. Now, football's the one with the sticks, isn't it?"
Chapter Twenty-Three: Just Kiss Her!
[Park]
"What are you actually called?" Craig asked the Timelord on the way to the pitch. "What's your proper name?"
He shrugged, laying his arm around Emily's shoulder and tugging her a tad closer. "Just call me the Doctor."
"Yeah." Sophie agreed.
"I can't go up to these guys and say hey, this is my new flat mate, he's called the Doctor." Craig complained with a small disbelieving smile, not really bothered.
"Why not?"
"Because, people think it's weird." Emily told him as they got to the pitch, shrugging his arm off her shoulder to stand next to Sophie, immediately missing its warmth.
The Doctor pouted at her playfully, reluctantly bringing his attention to Craigs approaching team mate.
"All right, Craig. Soph." The guy said, doing a manly man-shake with Craig and nodding a respectful head at the Doctor. "All right, mate."
"Hello, I'm Craig's new flat mate. I'm called the Doctor."
Emily cringed as He attempted to air kiss Sean, which was all together not well received.
"All right, Doctor. I'm Sean. So, where are you strongest?"
"Arms."
"No, he means what position on the field."
"Not sure. The front? The side? Below."
"Are youany good though?"
The Doctor span the ball on his fingertips.
"Let's find out!" He said, kicking the ball and heading out to the field with a wink at Emily.
She glared at him, refusing to acknowledge her burning cheeks.
Why ever did I fall in love with this man?
Her eyes widened.
She did not jus think that.
•|•
As the team played, it became clear to Emily that the Doctor was the biggest show off in the universe. Of course, it was a fact she already knew, but just seeing the Doctor take over the field, intercepting passes to other players and scoring goals, really made it sink in.
It didn't help that Sophie was continuously cheering him onfrom the sidelines.
"Yeah, we're going to win." She excitedly shouted in Emily's ear.
'Should have brought ear muffs', Emily thought as she watched the Doctor dodge other players whilst dribbling the ball.
"That's not bad." Sophie said to Emily, only to quickly revert back to shouting. "Yes! Go!"
"Yeah, surprisingly enough." She muttered with a wince, subtly rubbing her ear.
She frowned as she sawCraigin peripheral call out 'One two, one two,' to the Doctor, only to be ignored.
"Go on, Doctor! Go on, Doctor!" Sophie yelled, yet again.
The crowd started yelling and stamping their feet as he scored yet another goal. "Doctor! Doctor! You're brilliant. You're amazing."
"Come on, Craig. Catch up, mate." One team mate said, passing Craig in a light jog.
Severely fed up with the Doctor flashy antics, Emily called out to their generous new flatmate. "Come on, Craig. Show them what you've got."
He looked up, taking a moment to search the crowd, but a smile never the less reaching his face once he saw Emily jumping up and down with her thumbs up and a massive grin stretching across her face.
•|•
Emily cheered Craig on as he wasabout to take the kick, but quickly became angered when the Doctor stole it from him and scored again to general rejoicing.
"Oh yes, I love this game." The Doctor yelled.
While spectators on the side-lines started to chant his name, Emily kept a poisonous stink eye on his form, not at all impressed, because she could see that the more goals the Doctor stole from him, the more Craig became dejected.
Oh, he was getting an earful next time there was no one around.
•|•
"You are so on the team." Sean exclaimed, slapping a heavy hand on the Doctor's shoulder. "Next week we've got the Crown and Anchor. We're going to annihilate them."
Having been too buisy looking at his red-haired companion from the corner of his eye, the metaphor was lost on the Doctor. "Annihilate?" He said in alarm. "No. No violence, do you understand me? Not while I'm around. Not today, not ever. I'm the Doctor, the Oncoming Storm, and-"
"-you basically meant beat them in a football match," the previously mentioned red-haired companion interrupted, a fake smile aimed at Sean and a half glare at the Doctor. "Didn't you?"
"Yeah." Sean said, looking at the Doctor weirdly.
Clearing his throat awkwardly, not liking being glared at by Emily, he pretended like nothing happened.
"Lovely, what sort of time?"
Everyone became distracted by Craig, who had opened a can only for it to spilloverhimself, causing everyone to let out hearty laughs.
Even Emily let a smile slip through her annoyance.
Everyone became distracted by Craig, who had opened a can only for it to spill over himself, causing everyone to let out hearty laughs.
Emily looked around and frowned.
Everyone became distracted by Craig, who had opened a can only for it to spill over himself, causing everyone to let out hearty laughs.
What the hell?
Everyone became distracted by Craig, who had opened a can only for it to spill over himself, causing everyone to let out hearty laughs.
She looked at the Doctor in alarm.
Everyone became distracted by Craig, who had opened a can only for it to spill over himself, causing everyone to let out hearty laughs.
He gestured her to follow as he leftthe small group to make contact with Amy.
Everyone became distracted by Craig, who had opened a can only for it to spill over himself, causing everyone to let out hearty laughs.
"Amy?" He said urgently, anxiously fiddling with the earpiece. "Amy?"
Unable to hear the other side of the conversation, Emily looked behind them nervously, a hint of sadness at the repeating scene.
"What does the scanner say?" The Doctor asked Amy.
". . .Yes, yes, it's, it's good. Zigzag plotter. Zigzag plotter, Amy."
There was a short pause, but then came Amy's scream, which even Emily could hear.
"Amy!"
"Amy?" The Doctor called, gesturing to Emily calm down."Are you there?Amy?"
" . . . Oh, thank heavens." The Doctor said, and Emily sighed in relief. "I thought for a moment the Tardis hadbeen flung off into the vortex with you inside it, lost forever."
Emily stopped running her hand through her hair and used it to smack him heavily.
"Ow! What was that for?" He complained.
"Whatdo you mean, 'lost forever'?" She hissed.
He wisely chose to listen to Amy's side of the conversation, rather than answer her question. "How are the numbers?"
" . . . Fives? Even better." He replied cheerfully, keeping a watchful eye around, even though the time loop had already stopped. He started walking in the direction of their new flat, Emily reluctantly following behind him. "Still, it means the effect's almost unbelievably powerful and dangerous, but don't worry."
"Oh, yes, nothing to worry about there." Emily muttered.
The Doctor fiddled some more with the earpiece. "Hang on, okay? I've got some rewiring to do." He said, turning it off before he could her Amy's response.
"Now that I have your full attention," Emily started, "what did you mean,'lost forever'?"
It was suffice to say that even the deaf could hear the Doctor's yelp after he explained in vivid detail, exactly what 'lost forever' meant.
[Flat]
"No, no, no, that doesn't go there!"
"To the left a bit . . . no, no, you're other left."
"Hold this."
"I don't think we've done it right, let's try again."
"Take that."
"Go over there."
"Somehow, we've got to get that, in there."
"How, it'll never fit!"
"I don't know, but you should put this on your head."
"Wha- no!" Emily's muffled voice protested. "I'm not putting that on my head!"
Not entirely sure if he wanted to interrupt whatever was going on inside their room, Craig hesitantly knocked on the couple's door.
The Doctor answered holding a traffic cone. "Hello, flat mate." He said brightly.
Craig could just see Emily from under the Doctor's arm, and from what he could see, her face had flushed redder than her hairand she was furiouslyshaking her head at him.
She could feel his hesitation and embarrassment from a mile away, and she could hazard guess as to what he thought was going on.
"Hey, man." He said awkwardly. "Er, listen. Er, Sophie's coming round tonight and I was wondering if you two could give us some space?"
"Oh, don't mind us. You won't even know we'rehere."
Bang.
Casting a suspicious look up, he gave a mysterious once-over to Craig. "That's the idea."
Taking a moment of thought, his eyes widened with realisation and suddenly shut the door. After some more banging and what sounded like drills, he called out: "Yes Emily, perfect! What a beauty."
As Craig went back intolounge room, and the Doctor instructed Emily where to put the next miscellaneous object, the stain on the ceiling in the kitchen diner grew.
•|•
Winced as her head throbbed, sending a pulsing pain behind her eyes.
"Go to sleep."
She looked up at the Doctor in confusion. "Huh?"
With an uncharacteristic eye roll, he huffed. "Don't think I haven't noticed how crabby you've been. While I may not need sleep myself, I know for a fact how dependent you humans are on it." He grumbled. "Especially you. You're so mean when you're sleep deprived."
"I-"
"Nope, no arguing. Even a Sagldjup could see the bags under your eyes." He paused and cocked his head thoughtfully. "Although, I don't suppose you'd want one of them close enough to see you. Nastly set of teeth they've got. Like a shark and Ftolyidge had babies. Except nothing like that."
Electing to ignore his nonsense ramblings, Emily tried to protest, not wanting to go to sleep. "I'm fine, just a little tired. I'll sleep later."
"Nope, you'll sleep now."
"Oh, yeah?" She challenged. "And where exactly will I do that?"
He opened his mouth to reply, only to realise she was right. There was practically no room left to move around in, and he'd already used the bed for his wacky contraption. But in the true nature of the Doctor, he did not want to lose this argument, so he wrestled with the bed sheets and somehow managed to retrieve them from under his creation without making everything topple down.
Emily watched him with an unimpressed expression, raising an eyebrow as he neatly laid the sheets out on the floor next to the bed and fluffed up one of the pillows.
"There, as good as any 5-star hotel you humans pay ridiculous amounts of money for."
"Really?"
"If you don't, I will sing 'Let it Go' on repeat until you do." He threatened seriously.
Emily and the Doctor stood in tense silence for a few scarce moments, before the red-haired broke it.
"You wouldn't."
"I would."
"How do yo-"
"Don't ask. You don't want to know."
•|•
Rumbling skies, crashing waves. Screams from birds, cracking thunder. The dark beach was illuminated by lightning, white and blinding.
She felt the cold sting of the wind.
She felt the cold sting of the restraints. Restraints? Everything was still white. The walls started moving and the people left. Screams from people All but the pirate. She-
White turned grey, grey turned black.
Woodwind pipes hummed and twiddled their melody.
Thunder crashed.
The radio was loud. It almost sounded real.
Snow was cold, almost as cold as metal, but it flew like gold dust. So pretty, like the aurora borealis. Sleeping Beauty, so tired. Why is she always so tired?
The pirate again, with men in suits. 'Are you ready for the-'
Seashells are pretty, all those swirling colours. Pity they aren't gold. Or green. Green is good. Green circlesare my favourite letter.
Letter? From the Queen. Ah, that makes sense.
It's dark again.
Flash! Lightning.
Circles are good. They're like eyes. Pretty green eyes. Not like those other eyes. Dark, hollow, empty.
Dark.LIGHT.dark.LIGHT!dark.
I can go a little longer, and she lifted a shovel and sank it into the earth
Flash! FLASH!
Suits are bad.Burning.Piratesare bad.Smells likebeef in a frying pan.
Chop, chop.
It was like a musky, sweet perfume. Too sweet.
Someone ranhis hands through a girl's hair and she took his wrist and they moved through a corridor where rows of peoplehungfrom the ceiling. Those peopleturned into the sea.
She tried to swim to the surface, but the pirate held her down. The Emperor like suits readied their charge.
Zap.
She watched the shadow fall from the cliff, trying to get out of her mother's arms, unable to see the other shadow leave through the thick, dark red hair obscuring her vision.
The tapping of the rain and voices and a car and then a ship's horn.
Swords clanged.Something whired.
Why so tired? She asked sweetly. Don't you ever tire of dreaming?
•|•
Having come back from wine with Sophie and Craig only a short time ago to find Emily asleep, the Doctor stood back and looked proudly at his serious mega-gizmo. It included a bicycle wheel, an umbrella, a rotary clothes line, a lamp shade and the bicycle's pedals, with a rake, a broom and an oar as outriggers and the traffic cone on top.
Taking extra care not to wake the sleeping Emily, he set the contraption spinning and turned on his earpiece. "Right. Shield's up. Let's scan."
"What are you getting?" Amy asked.
"Upstairs." He replied distractedly. "No traces of high technology. Totally normal? No, no, no, no, no, it can't be. It's too normal."
"Only for you could too normal be a problem. You said I could be lost forever. Just go upstairs."
"Without knowing and get myself killed?" He exclaimed, only to lower his voice to a whisper after Emily groaned and shifted. "Then you really are lost. If I could just get a look in there. Hold on. Use the data bank. Get me the plans of this building. I want to know its history, the layout, everything. Meanwhile, I shall recruit a spy."
•|•
Contrary to popular belief, people don't jerk out of their bed screaming for their livesafter having a nightmare.Waking up from nightmares have becomedramatic and overly dramatic.
In reality,one's eyes would open and they would be scared out of theirwits, hot, bothered and looking around for something theyrecognize. Then, the realization that it was a nightmare, comes crashing into their mind and they begin to think theyare a bit silly for getting themselvesworked up. Then theytry to go back to sleep, but theyhave a nagging sensation in the back of their mind which stops themdrifting off and that nagging, is either 'can't sleep in case it wasn't a dream ...' or 'can't sleep because I don't want to go back intothe same nightmare'...
At least, that waswhat happened in Emily's case.
Unfortunately, she didn't immediately recognise the room, either expecting to be in her childhood bedroom or the one in the Tardis, not some bland 80's themed bedroom with a strangemega-gizmo that was somehow spinning on its own.
Eventually though, she remembered where she was, but she didn't have long to adjust as Craig came crashing into the room.
"What the hellis this?!"
She smiled weakly. "Art?"
•|•
Emily winced from her place on the couch as Craig threw darts, though it quickly turned into a cringe when they heard the Doctor's voice.
"You can do it. Show me what's up there? What's behind that door? Try to show me. Oh, but that doesn't make sense. Ever see anyone goup there? Lots of people? Good, good. What kind of people?"
Craig stared at the door and looked back at Emily as a cat meowed.
"People who never came back down." The Doctor continued. "Oh, that's bad. That's very bad."
With a steady glare on his face,Craig stalked towards the door and opened it with a slam.
"Oh, hello."
"I can't take this any more." He exclaimed. "I want you to go."
The Doctor followed him inside and frowned at Emily, who was currently trying to be swallowed by the couch.
"You can have this back and all." Craig said, trusting brown paper bag full ofmoneyinto the Doctor's hands.
"What have we done?" He complained.
Emily peeked over the top of the couch, offended that she had been included as part of the 'we'.
"For a start, talking to a cat."
"Lots of people talk to cats."
Much to her chagrin, Emily somewhat agreed with that statement.
But Craig wouldn't have it. "And everybody loves you, and you're better at football than me, and my job, and now Sophie's all oh, monkeys, monkeys," He exploded, suddenly making his way to their bedroom. "-and then there's that!"
"It's art." The Doctor explained weakly, also making his way into the room with Emily in tow. "A statement on modern society, Ooo, ain't modern society awful."
"Me, you and her, it's not going to work out. You've only been here three days. These have been the three weirdest days of my life."
"Your days will get a lot weirder if we go." Emily warned.
"It was good weirdness. It's not, it's bad weird. I can't do this anymore."
"Craig, I can't leave this place. I'm like you, I can't see the point of anywhere else. Madrid? Ha, what a dump. I have to stay. We have to stay."
"No, you don't. You have to leave."
"I can't go."
"Just get out!"
Emily looked at the Doctor desperately and he bit his lip, coming to a decision he most certainly didn't like. "Right. Only way. I'm going to show you something, but shush. Really, shush."Emily gave him a sideways look, becoming concerned with his procrastination. "Oh, I am going to regret this. Okay, right. First, general background."
The Doctor grabbed Craig by the shoulders and reared his head backand slammed it against Craig's.
They both yelled in pain, more so than Emily thought they would for a typical head butt.
"Doctor! What on earth areyoudoing?"
"Ow. I don't know!"
"You're a-"Craig gasped.
"Yes."
"From-"
"Shush."
"You've got a Tardis."
"Yes. Shush." He panted, gesturing in a circus around his face. "Eleventh. Right. Okay, specific detail."
For a second time, he grabbed his shoulders and gave him another Glasgow kiss.
"Argh!"
"You saw my ad in the paper shop window." Craig exclaimed.
"Yes, with this right above it. Which is odd, because Amy hasn't written it yet." He held up the note saying 'Doctor - this one no 79a Aickman Road Amy xx.' "Time travel. It can happen."
"That's a scanner." Craig said, excitedly pointing at the strange contraption. "You used non-technological technology of Lammasteen!"
"Shut up!" The Doctor hissed, placing a firm hand over his mouth. "I am never, never doing that ever, ever again."
Emily stared between the two men in complete befuddlement. "Doing what? What they hell did you do?!"
He activated his Bluetooth. "Tell you later. Amy."
"That's Amy Pond."
"Oh, of course, you can understand us now." The Doctor muddled. "Hurrah. Got those plans yet?"
"Still searching for them."
"I've worked it out, with psychic help from a cat."
"A cat?"
"Yes. I know he's got a time engine in the flat upstairs. He's using innocent people to try and launch it. Whenever he does, they get burntup, hence thestain on your ceiling.
"From the ceiling."Craig interrupted.
"Well done, Craig. And you, Miss Pond, nearly get thrown off into the Vortex."
"Lovely."
Crash!
"People are dying up there?"
"People are dying up there?"
"People are dying up there?"
"People are dying up there?"
It was another time loop.
"Doctor-"
"They're being killed." Craig finally finished.
Emily's eyes met with the Doctor's. "Someone's up there."
"Doctor?"
"Hang on." He grabbed Emily's hand and dragged them out of the room. "Craig, come on. Someone's dying up there."
As they moved out into the foyer, they saw a pink key ring in the door.
"Sophie." Craig whispered. "It's Sophie that's dying up there! It's Sophie!
"Doctor! Argh!"
"Where's Sophie?" Craig asked.
"Wait, wait. Amy?
"Are you upstairs?"
"Just going in." Emily replied.
"But you can't be upstairs."
"Of-course we can be upstairs."
"No, I've got the plans. You cannot be upstairs, it's a one-storey building. There is no upstairs."
"What?" Craig whispered. "What?"
The Doctor stilled. "Oh. Oh, of course."
"What?"
"The time engine isn't in the flat," Emily said slowly. "The time engine is the flat."
The Doctor nodded at her. "Someone's attempt to build a Tardis."
"No, there's always been an upstairs."Craig denied.
The door they just came through flickered on and off and the Doctor looked around nervously. "Has there? Think about it."
"Yes." He paused."No. I don't-"
"Perception filter. It's more than a disguise. It tricks your memory."
A scream filled the air from above.
"Sophie!"Craig shouted, running ahead of them without a second thought. "Sophie! Oh, my God, Sophie!"
They followed quickly, coming up short as they saw Sophie being pulled towards the central console by electricity.
"Craig." She mumbled.
"It's controlling her." Emily said. "It looks like it's willing her to touch the activator."
"That's not going to have her."
Sophie's hand waspulled onto a dome shaped control, and the Doctor desperately tried to use his sonic screwdriver. "Ah, deadlock seal!"
"You've got to do something."Craig shouted.
But before anyone could do anything, Sophie suddenly fell back.
"What?Why's it let her go? So, okay."
Next to the console, a man flickered into appearance,its form shuddering and blinking in and out of view. 'You will help me.'
"Right." The Doctor said, straitening his bowtie and jacket. "Stop. Crashed ship, let's see. Hello, I'm CaptainTroy Handsome of International Rescue. Please state the nature of your emergency."
'The ship has crashed.' The mechanical monotone voice was chilling, making a shiver go up and down Emily's spine. 'The creware dead. A pilot is required.'
"You're the emergency crash program. A hologram. What, you've been luring people up here so you can try them out?"
"The hologram flickered between an old man, a young man and a girl.
'You will help me. You will help me. You will help me.'
"Craig, what is this?" Sophie muttered in a daze. "Where am I?"
"Hush." The Doctor said. "Human brains aren't strong enough, they just burn. But you're stupid, though. You just keep trying."
'Seventeen people have been tried. Six billion four hundred thousand and twenty six remain.'
"Seriously, what is going on?"
"Oh, for goodness sake."The Doctor snapped. "The top floor of Craig's building is in reality an alien space ship intent on slaughtering the population of this planet. Any questions? No, good."
"Yes, I have questions."She replied indignantly.
'The correct pilot has now been found.'
"Yes, I was a bit worried that you were going to say that." The Doctor muttered.
"He means you, Doctor, doesn't he?"
The Autopilot usedits energy to drag the Doctor towards the console. 'The correct pilot has been found. The correct pilot has been found. The correct pilot has been found.'
"What's happening?"
"Doctor!" Emily shouted, grabbing onto his jacket to hold him back.
"It's pulling me in. I'm the new pilot."
"Could you do it? Could you fly the ship safely?"
"No, I'm way too much for this ship. My hand touches that panel, the planet doesn't blow up, the wholesolar system does."
"Conceited much?"Emily grunted, feet sliding across the floor as she attemted to stop him from being pulled in.
"Shut it."
'The correct pilot has been found.'
"No. Worst choice ever, I promise you. Stop this."
"Doctor? It's getting worse." Amy's voice shouted from the earpiece.
"It doesn't want everyone." The Doctor panted. "Craig, it didn't want you."
"I spoke to him and he said I couldn't help him."
"It didn't want Sophie before but now it does. What's changed? Argh. No. No, I gave her the idea of leaving. It's a machine that needs to leave. It wants people who want to escape. And you don't want to leave, Craig. You're Mister Sofa Man."
"Doctor!"
"Craig, you can shut down the engine. Put your hand on the panel and concentrate on why you want to stay."
"Craig, no."Sophie protested.
"Will it work?
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Is that a lie?"
"Of course it's a lie!" The Doctor yelled.
"It's good enough for me. Geronimo!" Craig put his hand on the nearest control panel and yells in pain, but the Doctor doesn't get released. "Argh!"
"Craig!"
"Doctor!"
Smoke was coming off both his and Craig's hands.
"Craig, what's keeping you here?" The Doctor yelled. "Think about everything that makes you want to stay here. Why don't you want to leave?"
"Sophie!" He yelled. "I don't want to leave Sophie. I can't leave Sophie. I love Sophie."
"I love you, too, Craig, you idiot." Sophie replied, putting her hand over Craig's.
"Honestly, do you mean that?"
"Of course, I mean it. Do you mean it?"
"I've always meant it. Seriously though, do you mean it?"
"Yes."She whispered lovingly.
"What about the monkeys?"
"Oh, not now, not again." The Doctor exclaimed, rolling his eyes. "Craig, the planet's about to burn. For God's sake, kiss the girl.
"Kiss the girl!"
Craig and Sophie kissed, but only his hand gotreleased from the panel.
"It's not enough." The Doctor cried out toEmily. "It won't be enough."
"Then think of something!"
"Must I think of everything!"
"You're the one that got us into this mess, you twit!"
"There's no need for name calling!"
"Doctor!"
"What if you did the same? Think about things that would keep you here?"
"It's not going to work, Emily! All I want to do is leave!"
"Well, I'm not letting you leave us again!" She shouted back at him, still clinging on to him from behind, wrapping her arms tighter around his waist. "You've left us once, you left us twice and gods be damned if I'm letting the man who gave me abandonment issues, leave me for a third time! Come on!"
Amidst the banging and the clanging, the screaming and the shouting, the Doctor only heard one thing.
To anyone else, it wouldn't have mattered.
Just a small blip, perhaps even just a mistake.
An error.
But he heard it.
And he'd walk straight into a collapsing star before he let anyone tell him that it didn't mean anything.
With a sudden snap, the built-up force that the Doctor and Emily had been using to restrain the Doctor, flung them backwards, as the controls let go of their invisible hold over the Timelord.
"Doctor?" The earpiece crackled. "You've done it. Ha ha!"
Unnoticed by Amy, the Doctor wasn't really paying attention. When they had fallen, Emily had somehow end up on top of him, giving him the perfect view of her face. He was too busy trying to stop his hearts exploding over close proximity to Emily as he subconsciously counted the light dusting of freckles on her nose.
It's 138, if you were wondering.
"Doctor! You've done it. Aha, you've done it! Oh, now the screen's just zeros! Now it's minus ones, minus twos, minus threes... Sophie and Craig are still kissing. Big yes!"
He snapped out of his daydream and helped Emily off him as the Hologram cycled through its different voices and projections.
'Help me.'
'Help me.'
'Help me.'
'Help me.'
"Big no." The Doctor replied, dusting himself off.
'Help me.'
The hologram switched between the old man, the man and the little girl, each time sounding more and more like a broken and scratched record.
'Help me.' Lights flickered. 'Help me.' The floor rumbled. 'Help me.' The walls creaked and screeched. 'Help me.' Panels came flying lose and cables went flying. 'Help me.' Electricity crackled from exposed wires. 'Help me.' The lights exploded. 'Help me."
"Did we switch it off?"Craig yelled.
With an internal eye roll, the Doctor yelled back. "Emergency shutdown, it's imploding, everybody out, out, out!"
'Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me.'
Craig and Sophie run out ofthe ship followed by the Doctor ushering Emily under his arm.
"Doctor!"
The four ran down the stairs and outside as the house beganto shake. From across the street and watched as the perception filter dissipated to reveal the ship. Mere seconds later, the ship disappeared and people continued to stroll by, not realizing what had happened.
"Look at them." Craig huffed, completely out of breath. "Didn't they see that? The whole top floor just vanished.
"Perception filter."
"There never was a top floor." Emily whispered.
[Flat]
Craig and Sophie were kissing on the couch, no worries on their mind as the stain on the ceiling had disappeared.
"So," Craig mumbled. "Have we spoiled our friendship, then?"
Sophie giggled. "Totally ruined it."
"And what about the monkeys? We could save them together, you know. Do whatever we want. I could see the point of Paris if you were there with me."
"First let's destroy our friendship completely."
They continue to make out on the couch. The Doctor entered, and, seeing what they're doing, quietly left his keys on the sideboard.
He was about to leave when Craig called to him. "Oi!"
"What, you're trying to sneak off?" Sophie teased.
"Yes, well, you were sort of... busy, and Emily's waiting outside."
Craig picked up the keys and held them out to the Doctor.
"I want you to keep these. Thank you."
"Thank you." The Doctor awkwardly took the keys. "'Cos I might pop back soon, have another little stay.
Craig chuckled. "No, you won't. I've been in your head, remember? ButI still want you to keep them."
"Thank you, Craig."
"Thank you, Doctor."
"Sophie." The Doctorsaid with a smile, puttinga hand on each of their shoulders. "Now then. 6,000,400,026 people in the world. That's the number to beat."
Sophie laughed. "Yeah."
"And Doctor?" Craig called. "Take care of Em, yeah? You might not want to admit it, but she means more to you than you want her to."
"I know."
The Doctor left with a smile, albeit slightly sad, meeting Emily outside and slinging an arm around her shoulder. On the fridge, amidst photos of Craig and Sophie, brightly coloured letter magnets spell out "The Doctor Rocks". Panning down, there is a photo of the Doctorbeing held aloft on the team's shoulders after the football match.
But what he failed to see was the crack. The same one from the Pond's childhood bedroom, shimmering with light the wall.
[Tardis]
Emily watched the Doctor with a fond smile as he pranced around the control room, pushing and pulling 'important' buttons and levers to setthe Tardisin motion.
"Back in time!" He shouted, passing Amy and twirling her around. "You need to go to the paper shop, leave that note for me."
"Right little matchmaker, aren't you?" She giggled. "Can't you find me a fella?"
Emily looked away and the Doctor puton his stethoscope, pretending to listento the consoleas he ignored her remark. "Oh, rectifier's playing up again...Hold on."He movedto a different section of the control room. "You write the note and I'll change that will."
Amy shrugged, taking no notice ofthe slightly tension filled atmosphere. "You got a pen?
"Make sure it's a red pen." Emily called, moving over to the Doctor to help him play with different toggles. "Now, didn't you say you'd teach me how to hack Pentagon."
With a shrug, Amy searched the Doctor's jacket pockets for a pen. But instead a pen, she pulled out a jewellery box holding an engagement ring. Curious and confused, she opened it and stared at the ring.
It was hers. The one Rory gave her.
Not that she remembers that.
And despite the strange sadness she suddenly felt, shegrinned.
Looked like someone was thinking of proposing.
•|•
I am so sorry.
I know I already mentioned that updates will be incredibly slow, but I still feel really guilty. I wasn't expecting it to be so long, maybe a month or so at max? No excuses, I just haven't been feeling it lately and as some of you know, its hard to write something if if you're not inspired or you don't like it.
Anywho, its an extra long one to make up for it, I hope you enjoy it. If you find any inconsistencies or mistakes, feel free to point them out, the more feedback the better for both me and you. I've done a quick check over, but I doubt I've gotten everything. Thanks @-roonilwazlib for your feedback! For some reason, it gave me the inspiration I needed.
Peace✌🏻