!EDITED!
A/N: was 8752 words, is now 11861! Enjoy! :D
It's been about a week since Mouse left and it was my birthday. I was sad that my best mate wouldn't be here for it but I couldn't help but be excited. The Doctor was taking me to see Elvis perform live!
Rose and I were waiting for the Doctor outside the TARDIS - her in a mid-calf pink sequin dress, waist-length moto jacket, black fishnet tights, pink heels, and she had her hair in a bun with a pink headband. "I thought we'd be going for the Vegas Era," Rose comments, looking around. "You know, the white flares and the-'' she growls seductively. "-chest hair," she smirks, sending me a wink as I laugh.
The Doctor pokes his head out the TARDIS door, "you are joking, aren't you?" he asks indignantly but I was paying more attention to his hair - it was gelled back and my fingers twitch at my sides with the want to mess it up again. "You wanna see Elvis, you go to the late 50s! The time before burgers!" he disappears back inside the TARDIS and I blink, folding my arms with a light blush. "When they called him 'the Pelvis' and he still had a waist!" he calls, making Rose and I giggle. "What's more, you see him in style!"
I frown, turning to the TARDIS at the sound of an engine. The Doctor rides out on a TARDIS-blue scooter with a sidecar - wearing a white helmet and big sunglasses - and Rose and I burst out laughing. He stops in front of us, "you goin' my way, dolls?'' he asks, putting on an Elvis impression.
"Is there any other way any other way to go, daddy-o?" Rose smirks in an American accent, slipping on a pair of pink sunglasses.
"Straight from the fridge, man!" I giggle in an American accent, walking over to the scooter with Rose and slipping on a pair of black sunglasses.
''Hey, you girls speak the lingo!" the Doctor beams, tossing Rose a pink helmet and me a black one.
The two of us put our helmets on and I sit on the back of the scooter, wrapping my arms around the Doctor's waist. Rose gets into the sidecar and I've no idea how she manages to fit her dress in. "Yeah, well..." she smiles. "Me, Lizzie, and mum - Cliff Richards movies every Bank Holiday Monday!"
''Ah, Cliff! I knew your mother'd be a Cliff fan!" the Doctor laughs, driving off.
"Where exactly are we going?" Rose asks curiously.
''Ed Sullivan TV studios!" the Doctor smiles. "Elvis did 'Hound Dog' on one of the shows and there were loads of complaints," he explains. "Bit of luck, we'll just catch it!"
"... and that'll be TV studios in, what? New York?" Rose asks, sounding as if she were trying not to laugh.
I look around, snorting quietly when I see exactly where we are. Oh, Doctor... I smile, leaning my forehead against his back.
"That's the one!" the Doctor exclaims happily but stops the scooter and I look up, giggling when a double-decker bus drives by.
"Digging that New York vibe!" I tease as the Doctor's face falls and Rose leans back, bursting out laughing.
"Well... this could still be New York," the Doctor tries, looking around. "I mean, this looks very New York to me... sort of... Londony New York, mind..." he trails off, sighing. "Sorry, love," he looks back at me with a sheepish smile. "... Happy Birthday?"
"You tried," I shrug, leaning forward to kiss his cheek and blushing when his sheepish smile turns into a pleased one.
"What are all the flags for?" Rose asks.
The Doctor and I frown, looking up and I see Union flags hanging up everywhere. "Let's find out, shall we, Dame Rose?" I ask in a posh tone, hopping off the back of the scooter.
"We shall, Dame Elizabeth," Rose grins, climbing out of the sidecar.
"I'm really wishing I hadn't told Queen Victoria my full name," I groan under my breath and Rose laughs as I wrinkle my nose.
Rose and I link arms and walk down the pavement, looking around. The Doctor parks the scooter and follows after us with his hands in his pockets. "Oi, Doctor," I look at him over my shoulder. "Love the hair, by the way!"
The Doctor touches his hair lightly before grinning a wide - and smug - smile. Rose and I make eye contact before brushing out laughing. The 'poor' Doctor pouts, grumbling under his breath.
"Oh," Rose stops us and slips her arm out from mine. "Happy Birthday, Lizzie!" she smiles, taking out a little box from her pocket and holding it out to me.
"Ooo, a present!" I bounce up and down excitedly.
The Doctor and Rose chuckle while I take the gift and rip open the paper. I open the box and gasp softly when I see a beautiful ring inside. It was a simple metal ring, but along the middle was this material that glows a soft purple.
The color makes a sharp pain run through my temple and I wince and see the Doctor grimace out of the corner of my eye and rub at his own temple. I get a wave of worry and raise my hand up to my necklace, feeling the metal under my fingers and my mind goes funny.
I blink a few times, looking down at the ring in my hands and wondering what the hell the small rush of worry I was getting from the Doctor is about.
I ignore it and give Rose my full attention. "Rose, it's perfect," I smile, pulling her into a tight hug. "Thank you," I squeeze her.
"I got it from that marketplace we went to with-" she cuts herself off, clearing her throat and I tighten my hold on her. "Anyway..." she pulls away, tugging on her sleeve. "The glowing is supposed to represent love and friendship or something," she explains, rubbing at her nose.
"I love it," I beam, handing the Doctor the box and putting the ring on the middle finger of my right hand. "How do I look, then?" I ask Rose, striking a dramatic pose so she could see the ring.
"Gorgeous," Rose smiles.
"Doctor?" I turn to him, doing a different, but equally dramatic pose.
The Doctor looks me over carefully and I shift on my feet nervously. "You look beautiful," he assures me with a soft smile.
I bite my lip as my face heats up and turn quickly, grabbing Rose's hand and dragging her with me. The Doctor follows us and I groan under my breath when I hear him chuckling to himself quietly.
"There you go, sir! All wired up for the great occasion!" a man calls out.
I pull Rose to a stop - the Doctor stopping as well - to see two boys carrying a telly out of a van with the name 'Magpie Electronics' on it. There was an older man standing to the side, watching the two.
"The 'great occasion'? What do you mean?" the Doctor asks curiously.
"Where've you been living? Out in the Colonies?" the older man - Magpie, I assume - scoffs. "Coronation, of course!"
"What coronation's that, then?"
"What do you mean?" Magpie frowns, looking at the Doctor as if he were mad... well. "The coronation!"
The Doctor just stares at him blankly for a moment before turning to Rose and me for help. "... the Queen's," Rose tells him in a 'duh' tone, folding her arms.
I roll my eyes with a smile when his blank expression doesn't leave, "Queen Elizabeth!"
"Oh!" the Doctor brightens, turning back to Magpie. "Oh, is this 1953!?"
Rose leans over to my ear, "such an idiot," she whispers and we share a look, snickering.
The Doctor turns to us with a raised eyebrow and we give him innocent smiles - my hands behind my back - as we glance at each other and try not to burst into giggles.
"Last time I looked!" Magpie gains his attention back. "Time for a lovely bit of pomp and circumstance! What we do best," he grins.
"Look at all the TV aerials," Rose comments and I look up, frowning. "Looks like everyone's got one, that's weird..."
"Yeah, nan always said that tellies were so rare they all had to pile into one house," I mutter, folding my arms.
"Not round here, loves," Magpie smiles. "Magpie's Marvellous Tellies! Only five quid a box!"
"Seems a bit cheap for a telly," I raise an eyebrow. "Why's that, then?"
I raise my eyebrow higher when Magpie seems to tense and he shifts uncomfortably. But before he could say anything, my attention is brought to the Doctor, "oh, but this is a brilliant year! Classic!" he beams. "Technicolor, Everest climbed, everything off the ration!" he puts on a reporter's voice. "The Nation throwing off the shadows of war and looking forward to a happier, brighter future!" he grins, making Rose and I giggle.
Our giggling is cut short when a woman screams, "someone help, please! Ted!"
A man across the street with a blanket over his head was being shoved into a black police car by two officers. "Leave him alone! It's my husband!" the woman screams and the Doctor was quick to pull me over with Rose right behind us.
"What's going on?" the Doctor asks.
One of the policemen pushes the blanketed man into the car and I move to comfort his poor wife, who was still screaming and crying for her husband.
"Oi! What're you doing!?" a boy comes out one of the houses, running up to the policemen.
"Police business," one of them answers curtly. "Now, get out of the way, sir!" he shouts at the Doctor.
"Who did they take? Do you know him?" Rose asks the boy.
"Must be Mr. Gallagher..." the boy trails off shakily.
"Shh, it's alright," I coo to Mrs. Gallagher, rubbing her arm and watching the police car drive off quickly.
"It's happening all over the place," the boy stares after the car. "They're turning into monsters!"
"Tommy! Not one word!" a man comes out of the same house as the boy, scowling. "Get inside now!"
"Sorry, I'd better do as he says..." Tommy sighs before running back into his house.
"All aboard!" the Doctor shouts.
I look over to see him on the scooter and Rose already in the sidecar. Squeezing Mrs. Gallagher's shoulder, I hurry over and hop on the back as the Doctor drives off. I squeak at the jolt and hold onto his waist tightly, making him laugh.
***
The Doctor rounds a corner after the car, but stops and I look around with a frown. There was a dead end with a market stall and two men sweeping up. "But..."
"Lost 'em!" the Doctor exclaims incredulously. "How'd they get away from us?"
"Surprised they didn't turn back and arrest you for reckless driving," Rose scoff, making me snort loudly. "Have you actually passed your test!?"
The Doctor ignores us, frowning, "men in black? Vanishing police cars? This is Churchill's England, not Stalin's Russia!"
"Monsters that boy said..." Rose trails off, tilting her head thoughtfully and biting her thumbnail.
"Hm, maybe we should ask the neighbors," I smile.
"That's what I like about you girls, the domestic approach," the Doctor smiles sweetly, making me roll my eyes and give him a look that makes his smile grow.
"A-thank you!" Rose preens before pausing, her lips pulling into a frown. "Hold on... was that an insult- oh!" she gasps as the Doctor speeds off.
"Have I told you that you're an arse?" I ask the Doctor as we drive down the street.
"Not today," he laughs, glancing back at me.
"Well, you're an arse," I smile just as sweetly as he had, leaning my chin on his shoulder and he rolls his eyes with a smile, Rose laughing from the sidecar.
***
The Doctor, Rose, and I get back to Florizel Street and we walk up to Tommy's door. I ring the bell and put my hands behind my back - Rose and the Doctor were standing behind me. The man who'd shouted at Tommy opens the door and the three of us give him bright smiles, "hiiiii!" we wave.
"Who are you, then?" the man demands, eyeing us suspiciously.
"Let's see, then," the Doctor smiles, lowering his voice a bit as he looks the man over. "Judging by the look of you; family man, nice house, decent wage, fought in the war... therefore," he rattles off and then raises his voice so the man could hear him. "I represent Queen and country!" he flashes the psychic paper. "Just doing a little check of Her Majesty's forthcoming subjects for the great day! Don't mind if I come in? Nah, didn't think you did! Thank you!"
The Doctor, Rose, and I push past the man before he can protest, going into the living room. I smile at a small woman and Tommy while the Doctor looks around, 'checking the house'. "Not bad, very nice! Very well kept!" he compliments. "I'd like to congratulate you, Mrs...?" he trails off, prompting an introduction.
"Connolly," she answers timidly, keeping her hands clasped in front of her.
"Lovely to meet-"
"Now, then, Rita," Mr. Connolly cuts me off and I raise a cool eyebrow, folding my arms. "I can handle this! This gentleman's a proper representative!" he smiles and I raise my eyebrow higher at his exclusion of Rose and me and we share a look.
The Doctor gives Rita - who looks terrified as she tries to make herself smaller - a wink and she blinks a few times. Rose sits on the arm of a chair and I stand beside her, cocking my hip to the side as Mr. Connolly continues to speak to the Doctor as if no one else was in the room, "don't mind the wife - she rattles on a bit," he waves off.
I clench my fists and the Doctor sends me a 'don't you dare' look, making me huff quietly. "Well! Maybe she should rattle on a bit more," he grins, putting his hands behind his back and Tommy and his dad both look at the Doctor in surprise, but he just continues with a pleasant smile. "I'm not convinced you're doing your patriotic duty! Nice flags," he nods to a pile of flags lying on a table. "Why are they not flying?"
Mr. Connolly's eyes widen and he immediately starts to order his wife about, "there we are, Rita! I told you: get them up! Queen and country!"
"I'm sorry," Rita apologizes quickly, going to do as she's told.
"Get it done! Do it now!"
"Hold on a minute-" the Doctor tries.
"Like the gentleman says!"
"Hold on a minute," the Doctor raises his voice slightly, this time getting the man's attention as he turns to him. "You've got hands, Mr. Connolly! Two big hands! Why is that your wife's job?"
"... it's housework, inn'it?" Mr. Connolly frowns and I clench my fists tighter.
The Doctor glances at me, giving an imperceptible shake of his head, "and that's a woman's job?" he demands of Mr. Connolly.
"Course it is!" he scoffs and Rose gives a derisive snort at that.
"Mr. Connolly, what gender is the Queen?" the Doctor asks, rocking back on his heels and I bite my lip to keep from smiling.
"She's a female!" Mr. Connolly answers defensively.
"... and are you suggesting the Queen does the housework?"
"No! Not at all!"
The Doctor grabs a string of flags, "then get busy," he gives them to Mr. Connolly with a pointed look.
"Right, yes, sir," Mr. Connolly gets to work, feigning enthusiasm and I roll my eyes at his poor attempt. "You'll be proud of us, sir! We'll have Union Jacks left, right, and center!"
I send Tommy a discreet wink that makes him blink at me a few times in confusion. Moving to stand beside Mr. Connolly, I put my hands on my hips, "excuse me, Mr. Connolly? Hang on a minute," I grab his attention and he looks down at me questioningly, stopping in his work. "Union Jacks?" I raise an eyebrow.
"... yes, that's right, isn't it?" he frowns.
Rose steps up beside me with her hands on her hips as well, "that's the Union Flag: it's the Union Jack only when it's flown at sea," she admonishes him.
"Oh... oh, I'm sorry! I do apologize!"
I click my tongue, shaking my head in disappointment, "well, don't get it wrong again, sir! There's a good man! Now get to it!" I clap my hands.
Mr. Connolly quickly gets back to work and Rose and I share a cheeky glance. Rose moves to sit beside the Doctor on the sofa and I give Tommy - who was grinning from ear to ear at his dad being put in his place - another wink. The boy's smile widens and I grin widely, moving to sit on the arm of the sofa by the Doctor.
"Right, then!" the Doctor leans back, a proud smile pulling at his lips that he tries and fails to hide. "Nice and comfy! At Her Majesty's leisure!" he lowers his voice so only Rose and I could hear. "Union Flag?"
Rose gives a tongue-in-teeth grin, folding one leg over the other and patting down her dress, "mum went out with a sailor," she whispers.
"Oohohohoo, I bet she did!" the Doctor snickers before raising his voice so the others could hear him again. "Anyway! I'm the Doctor and these very lovely ladies are Lizzie and Rose," he smiles between us and we both wave. "And you are?" he asks Tommy.
"... Tommy," he answers, his eyes wide at being addressed.
The Doctor and Rose scoot apart so Tommy can sit down and I smile, patting the back of the sofa, "well, take a load off, Tommy!"
"Have a look at this," the Doctor leans forward with his elbows on his knees when Tommy sits down. "I love telly, don't you?" he grins, nodding to the TV that was on a black and white program.
"Yeah, I think it's brilliant!" Tommy gushes, making me smile.
"Good man!" the Doctor grins. "Keep working, Mr. C!" he calls over his shoulder before turning to Rita - his calm and happy facade slipping away as his face becomes serious and he lowers his voice so Mr. Connolly couldn't hear. "Now, why don't you tell me what's wrong?"
Rita sits down in the chair next to the sofa and glances at her husband, wringing her hands nervously, "... did you say you were a doctor?" she asks hesitantly.
"Yes, I am," he answers gently.
"Can you help her?" Rita's voice becomes desperate as she leans forward, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Oh, please, can you help her, Doctor?"
"Now, then, Rita!" Mr. Connolly scolds her lightly, but I can hear a dark undertone that makes my skin crawl. "I don't think the gentleman needs to know-"
"No, the gentleman does!" the Doctor cuts him off sharply.
Rita burst into tears, putting her face in her hands. My heart aches at the sight of the woman and Rose and I move over to her instantly. Rose wraps an arm around her shoulders, rubbing her arm and I take her hands in mine. "We're sorry, come on, shh," I coo to her, rubbing my thumbs along the backs of her hands.
"Tell us what's wrong and we can help," Rose tells her gently.
Rita's sobs grow louder and she shakes her head helplessly as she shakes. Rose and I soothe her as she cries, looking absolutely terrified and just... so tired.
Mr. Connolly scoffs loudly, "hold on a minute! Queen and country's one thing, but this is my house!" he looks down at the flags in his hands. "What the... what the hell am I doing?" he chucks them down in anger.
I clench my jaw, trying desperately to shove the want to throttle this man down as I comfort his distraught wife - what should be his priority. The Doctor glances at me and props his head on his fist, looking calm as I get a wave of anger and disgust. "All these people are being bundled into-"
"I am talking!" Mr. Connolly shouts, throwing his hands to his sides and I raise an eyebrow, wincing slightly at the stronger wave of anger and disgust I get from the Doctor.
The Doctor stands, easily looming over Mr. Connolly, "and I'm not listening!" he shouts even louder.
I bite my lip, folding my left leg over my right as I eye the Doctor up. Honestly... it should be illegal for him to be as hot as he is when he's intimidating someone. I couldn't help the shiver that runs down my spine at the darkness and authority of his tone as he stares down the pathetic excuse for a man. Rose clears her throat and I jump slightly, looking at her with furrowed eyebrows. My face heats up at the stupid smirk that she gives me and she wiggles her eyebrows teasingly. I wrap my arms around my waist, turning away from her and ignoring her quiet snickering.
The Doctor pauses in his shouting to glance back with a raised eyebrow in question as to why Rose was covering her mouth to hide her laughter and he frowns slightly when he takes in my beet-red face. I just shrug, shrinking down a bit and his eyebrow goes higher before he turns his attention back to Mr. Connolly, "now! You, Mr. Connolly, are staring into a deep, dark pit of trouble if you don't let me help," he glares. "So I'm ordering you, sir, to tell me what's going on!"
Mr. Connolly looks completely flustered and a bit like a fish out of water as he opens and closes his mouth over and over. When he goes to say something, he's stopped by a banging that comes from upstairs. "She won't stop," he blurts out, his voice quiet with fear as the banging continues. "She never stops," he whispers.
"We started hearing stories, all round the place," Tommy puts in, making everyone look at him. "People who've... changed, families keeping it secret cause they were scared, the police finding out. We don't know how... no one does," he shakes his head. "They just... turn up, come to the door and take 'em - any time of the day or night," he explains.
"Show me," the Doctor orders.
I get up when Tommy does to follow him, but the Doctor grabs my arm to stop me, "yes, Doctor?" I ask, not looking at him as I was still trying to cool my face down.
When the others get to the stairs, the Doctor leans down to my ear, "why are you all red?" he whispers.
I bite my lip, fighting down a shudder at his hot breath hitting my neck, "n-no reason," I breathe out in a slightly shaky voice.
Humming, the Doctor kisses the skin behind my ear, making me let out a small squeak and jump slightly, "I've no idea what the reason is, but I'll assume it was me given how Rose couldn't keep it together," he whispers with a smirk, squeezing my waist before walking up the stairs with everyone else.
I groan under my breath, feeling as if I was going to burn a hole into the floor with how hot my body was suddenly. That stupid, smug arsehole of an alien! I hate him so bloody much. I wrap my arms around myself, following after the others.
***
At the top of the stairs, there was a closed door that Tommy goes up to and opens slowly to peer inside, "gran? It's Tommy," he calls timidly, opening the door wider to the pitch dark room. "It's alright, gran, I've brought help," he says softly.
Tommy's gran was standing by the only window in the room, turned away from us. Tommy flicks on the light and she turns around. I gasp, my hand flying to my mouth. The woman's face was blank - completely smooth with no features - and her hands were clenching and unclenching. The Doctor and I step forward to examine Tommy's gran with Rose right beside us. Rita and Tommy were standing in the corner of the room to give us space and Mr. Connolly was just outside the room.
"... her face is completely gone," I breathe out, touching her face carefully with my fingertips.
The Doctor gets out his sonic, scanning her, "scarcely an electrical impulse left, almost like complete neural shutdown... she's ticking over like her brain has been... wiped clean," he frowns, putting the sonic back in his pocket.
"What could do this?" I ask quietly, looking up at the Doctor.
"I'm not sure," he admits, looking at the woman's face intently.
"What're we gonna do?" Tommy asks desperately. "We can't even feed her!"
There's a sudden crash from downstairs. "We've got company..." Rose trails off.
"It's them, they've come for her!" Rita cries.
I turn to comfort her, only to narrow my eyes at Mr. Connolly. His expression was far too pleased for what was going on... why, though? I clench my fists at my sides as it hits me, how could he? Before I could say anything, the Doctor starts firing off questions at Rita and Tommy, " what was she doing before this happened? Where was she?" he asks and the two hesitate. "Tell me quickly, think!"
"I can't think!" Tommy exclaims. "She doesn't leave the house! She was just-"
A big, mean-looking officer comes in with two others and the Doctor steps forward, holding up his hands, "hold on a minute! There are three important, brilliant, and complicated reasons why you should listen to me! One-" he's cut off by the large officer punching him in the jaw.
I yelp and grab my face, only to frown when the pain stops. My eyes widen when I see the Doctor on the floor, unconscious, "Doctor!" I kneel beside him.
"Doctor!" Rose kneels beside him on the other side, slapping his face lightly.
"Leave her alone!" Rita screams.
I look up - Rose still slapping the Doctor on the face - to see the officers leading Tommy's gran out of the room with a blanket over her. I narrow my eyes at Mr. Connolly when I see that he was ushering them out the door faster.
"Doctor," I shake him lightly. "Doctor, wake up!"
The Doctor springs up, making me squeak and jump back when he almost bashes his forehead into mine, "ah! Hell of a right hook!" he groans, jumping up and grabbing my hand, yanking me to my feet and pulling me after the officers with him. "Have to watch out for that! You alright?" he glances at me over his shoulder.
"Fine, just move!" I wave off as we fly down the stairs and get out the front door just as the police car drives off.
"Don't fight it, back inside!" Mr. Connolly holds Tommy and Rita back as they try and chase after them.
"Rose, come on!" the Doctor shouts, hopping on the scooter.
"Get back inside!"
"But, dad, they've got gran!" Tommy cries.
My heart aches as he and Rita continue to try and fight past Mr. Connolly. "Rose, come on!" I shout as I get on the back of the scooter.
"Rose, we're gonna lose them again!" the Doctor calls before sighing and driving off.
***
The Doctor and I end up in the same place we'd lost the police earlier. There were even the market cart and the two men sweeping the ground. The Doctor and I share a look, both of us grinning. "Brilliant!" I hop off the back of the scooter.
"Oh, very good! Very good!" the Doctor grins, hopping off as well.
The two of us walk around the building, trying to find a way inside. The Doctor taps me on the shoulder and points to a small door. I try to open it, finding it locked so the Doctor feels around his pockets. I bite my lip to keep from smiling when he frowns. "... Lizzie?" he looks down at me.
"Yes, Doctor?" I smile innocently, hands behind my back and rocking on my heels.
"You wouldn't happen to have my sonic screwdriver, would you?" he folds his arm, raising his eyebrow.
"Hm... now that you mention it," I smirk, reaching into my bag and pulling the sonic out.
"Why do you keep taking it?" the Doctor groans under his breath, leaning against the wall and watching me sonic the door open.
"Cause it's fun," I shrug, making him sigh. "You know, you could always have the TARDIS make me one," I smile up at him when I'm done.
"No," he shakes his head, lips twitching up.
"Please?" I run my fingers along one of his lapels, giving him my best puppy eyes. "It'd be so nice to have one of my own," I bite my lip, wiggling my eyebrows teasingly.
The Doctor groans miserably and grabs my hand, pushing it away from him, "... maybe," he sighs, pulling me into the building.
"Thank you," I whisper, beaming up at him.
"That's not a yes," he gives me a stern look.
"Yes it is," I smirk, standing on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek.
"Yeah... it is," the Doctor concedes, sighing when I do a small victory dance.
Walking into the warehouse of sorts, I see a huge cage in the middle of the room with two policemen locking it up. When they leave, the Doctor pulls me over to the cage and I gasp softly. Inside the cage were several dozen people locked up - all of them with blank faces and clenching and unclenching their hands. The Doctor taps me and gives me a pointed look. I roll my eyes, handing over the sonic and he opens up the cage. Holding up his hand for me to stay put, the Doctor walks into the cage. The faceless people start to turn to the Doctor, slowly moving toward him. Just as I was about to go in, a bright light shines from behind us. I turn, holding my hand up against the brightness to see two policemen in the headlights of their car. "Stay where you are!" one of them shouts.
***
The Doctor and I were taken into an office in the warehouse and sat in swivel chairs next to each other. Behind the desk and leaning forward on his hands, was the Detective Inspector, "start from the beginning, tell me everything you know," he orders.
"Well..." the Doctor trails off, sending me a quick wink. "For starters: I know you can't wrap your hand round your elbow and make your fingers meet."
"The opposite sides on a dice always add up to seven," I smile and the Doctor bites his lip, trying not to laugh.
"Don't get clever with me," the D.I. points between us sternly.
"... sorry," I try for contrite, but fail completely and the Doctor lets a laugh slip, covering his mouth.
"You two were there today at Florizel Street, and now breaking into this establishment," the D.I. narrows his eyes. "Now, you're connected with this, make no mistake!"
"Well, the thing is, Detective Inspector Bishop-"
"How do you know my name?" he interrupts the Doctor sharply.
"It's... written inside your collar," the Doctor mutters and I hide a smile when Bishop adjusts his collar awkwardly. "Bless your mum," he smirks, making a giggle slip through and his smirk widens. "But I can't help thinking, Detective Inspector, you're not exactly doing much detective inspecting, are you?"
"I'm doing everything in my power-"
I cut him off, examining my nails, "all you're doing is taking any faceless person you find and hiding them away," I roll my eyes. "Don't tell me... orders from above, yeah?"
"Coronation Day," the Doctor spins his chair from side to side. "The eyes of the world are on London Town, so any sort of problem just gets swept out of the sight."
"The nation has an image to maintain-"
"Doesn't it drive you mad? Doing nothing?"
"Don't you want to get out there and investigate? Help those poor people?" I lean forward, folding my arms and raising an eyebrow.
Bishop sits down heavily, running a hand down his face, "course I do, but..." he sighs and I feel a twinge of sympathy for the man who obviously cares so much, but is in way over his head. "With all the crowds expected, we haven't got the manpower," he shakes his head. "... even if we do, this is... beyond anything we've ever seen! I just don't know anymore! Twenty years on the force... I don't even know where to start! We haven't got the faintest clue what's going on!"
"Well... that could change," the Doctor leans forward, his elbows on his knees.
"How?" Bishop eyes him skeptically.
The Doctor and I stand and copy Bishop's stance he had when he was questioning us - hands on the desk, looming over him... well, not so much looming for me since he was pretty even with me, but yeah. "He's here," I nod to the Doctor. "And I promise he can help," I tell Bishop softly.
"Star from the beginning, tell us everything you know," the Doctor orders.
***
The three of us were looking through all of the police files and over the large map that was in the room. The Doctor had on his 'brainy' specs and it made me smile with how clever and dashing they made him look. Bishop's voice snaps me from my thoughts and my cheeks turn pink. "We started finding them about a month ago - persons left sans visage... heads just blank," he tells us.
"Is there any sort of pattern?" the Doctor asks, glancing up from the file in his hand.
"Yes, spreading out from North London," Bishop nods, pointing at the map. "All over the city; men, women, kids, grannies... the only real lead is there's been quite a large number in-"
"Florziel Street," the Doctor and I mutter.
There's a knock on the door and I look to see an officer leading another blanketed person into the room, "found another, sir!"
My breath hitches in my throat and tears prickle my eyes when I see a knee-length pink dress and pink shoes. I move over to the blanketed person slowly, hoping with every part of me that I was wrong. It's not her... God, please, it's not her. I get a wave of horror as the Doctor comes up behind me and the officer takes the blanket off. My hand flies to my mouth as I choke on a sob. There she was - my beautiful baby sister - without a face. Where her tongue-in-teeth grin should have been and where her eyes should have been lit up with mischief and wonder... it was blank.
"Rose..." the Doctor whispers, his voice pained.
"Do you know her?" Bishop asks.
"Know her? She..."
"My Rosie," I breathe out, my voice cracking.
I lift my hand to touch her face, biting my lip to stop another sob as I stop my fingers just short of her face. The Doctor wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me tight against his side as we stare at Rose. My breathing quickens as I reach to grip his hand in mine, silent tears streaming down my face. Bishop's voice breaks through and my face hardens when his words register, "they did what?" I grind out.
"I'm sorry?" Bishop asks.
"They left her where?" the Doctor asks with forced calm, pulling me closer as anger washes over me.
"Just... it the street..."
I close my eyes, breathing out slowly as I grind my teeth, "they left her in the street..." I try as hard as I can to keep my voice steady, but it breaks.
"They took her face and just chucked her out and left her in the street," the Doctor grinds out in that deadly quiet voice he gets when he's beyond angry, rage washing over me. "... and as a result, that makes things... simple - very, very simple... do you know why?" he asks, taking his arm from around me and slipping his glasses off as he faces the two men.
"No..." Bishop trails off.
I wince at the stronger wave of rage I get when the Doctor shouts, "because now, Detective Inspector Bishop, there is no power on this earth that can stop me! Come on!" he goes to walk out the room, but stops when he notices I'm not following. "... Lizzie?" he asks, his voice calming immensely.
I lift my hand, stroking Rose's smooth face with the tips of my fingers, tears still running down my cheeks. "I-I-"
"Come on," the Doctor grabs my hand in his, intertwining our fingers. "Can't do anything for her stood round here," he murmurs gently.
"But... she's my- my baby sister and... this is-"
The Doctor turns me to him, leaning down a bit to be more at my height, "this is not your fault," he tells me firmly.
"Course it is," I let out a derisive snort, wiping at my face with my free hand.
"No, it isn't," he shakes his head.
"Then it's not yours, either," I retort, feeling guilt wash over me and he quiets. "Exactly," I whisper, pulling my hand from his and walking out of the room with him behind me.
***
The Doctor, Bishop, and I head back to Florizel Street. I run up the steps to Tommy's house and beat on the door repeatedly, the Doctor behind me and Bishop at the bottom of the steps. Tommy answers the door and his eyes widen as he stares between the three of us.
"Tommy, talk to us," the Doctor orders through clenched teeth and Tommy steps outside, closing the door.
"Please, we need to know exactly what happened inside your house," I tell him urgently, my voice wavering a bit.
Mr. Connolly opens the door suddenly and violently, "what the blazes do you think you're doing?" he shouts at Tommy.
"I wanna help, dad!" Tommy protests.
"Mr. Connolly-"
Said man cuts the Doctor off, getting in his face, "shut your face, you! Whoever you are! We can handle this ourselves!"
The Doctor is quick to wrap an arm around my waist and pull me back when I lunge forward, growling lowly under my breath as I glare at Mr. Connolly. I take a few deep breathes as he strokes my side with his thumb and murmurs calmingly into my ear. Mr. Connolly takes a step back, eyes widening a bit as he stares at me before straightening and turning back to his son, "listen, you little twerp, you're hardly out of the bloomin' cradle, so I don't expect you to understand! But I've got a position to maintain! People round here respect me! It matters what people think!"
"... is that why you did it, dad?" Tommy asks quietly.
I lean back against the Doctor's chest, breathing out slowly. I didn't want to be right... I was so hoping that I was wrong. The Doctor kisses the top of my head before laying his chin on it, pulling me closer.
"What do you mean? Did what?" Mr. Connolly splutters.
"You ratted on gran," Tommy glares up at his father, his voice thick. "How else would the police know where to look? Unless some coward told them-"
"How dare you!" Mr. Connolly cuts him off furiously. "You think I fought in a war just so a mouthy, little scum like you could call me a coward!?"
"You don't get it, do you?" Tommy shakes his head. "You fought against fascism, remember? People telling you how to live, who you could be friends with, who you could fall in love with, who could live and who could die! Don't you get it? You were fighting so that little twerps like me could do what we want, say what we want! Now you've become like them! You've been informing on everyone, haven't you? Even gran!" he takes a step away from his father, eyeing him in disgust and anger. "All to protect your stupid reputation!"
"Eddie..." Rita appears at the door, staring at her husband in shock. "Is that true?"
"I did it for us, Rita," Mr. Connolly protests. "She was filthy! A filthy, disgusting thing!" he spits, stomping his foot and the Doctor tightens his hold on my waist as I clench my fists.
"... she's my mother," Rita whispers in horror. "All the others, you informed on all the people in our street... our friends!"
"I had to! I did the right thing!"
"The right thing for us... or for you, Eddie?" Rita shakes her head, making Mr. Connolly falter as she turns to Tommy. "You go, Tommy, you go with the Doctor and Lizzie and do some good! Get away from this house, it's poison!" she cries, turning back to her husband. "We had a ruddy monster under this roof, alright, but it weren't my mother!" she glares before heading back inside, slamming the door in Mr. Connolly's face.
"Rita!" Mr. Connolly cries, banging on the door helplessly.
''Tommy?" the Doctor asks, loosening his hold on me.
***
The Doctor, Tommy, Bishop, and I walk down the street, the Doctor's hand firmly in mine. "Tommy," the Doctor looks at him. "Tell us about that night - the night she changed," he orders.
"She was just... watching the telly," Tommy shrugs.
My eyes widen and I look up at all the TV aerials around the neighborhood. The Doctor looks at them as well, "Rose said it! She guessed it straight away! Of course, she did!" he shakes his head. "You did too, as clever as you are," he adds to me when my heart aches at the mention of Rose.
My lips twitch up despite myself at his attempt of making me feel better. "All these aerials in one little street! How come?" I ask Tommy, ignoring the Doctor's triumphant smirk.
"Bloke up the road, Mr. Magpie - he's selling them cheap," Tommy answers.
"I knew it!" I groan, stumbling a bit as the Doctor drags me down the street.
"Come on!" he calls over his shoulder to Bishop and Tommy.
"I asked him, Magpie," I tell the Doctor as we run. "I asked him why his tellies were so cheap! Five quid a box, he said! I thought 'that's a bit odd' but I got distracted by... well..." I trail off, not wanting to admit it was him that distracted me. "The policemen dragging that man away," I lie, ignoring the Doctor's raised eyebrow.
***
The four of us get to Magpie's shop and the Doctor smashes the glass of the door in. "Hey, you can't do that-" Bishop starts.
"I think you'll find he can," I glare before following the Doctor inside.
The Doctor hurries to the counter with me right beside him, "shop!?" he hits the little bell on the counter repeatedly. "If you're here, come out and talk to us!"
"Magpie!?" I shout.
"Maybe he's out," Tommy suggests.
"Looks like it," I huff, moving to the other side of the counter with the Doctor and we rifle through the drawers. "This doesn't belong here," I mutter, pulling out what looks to be a portable television.
"Oh, hello... this isn't right," the Doctor takes it from me to examine it. "This is very much not right," he licks it... of course, he does. "Tastes like iron, bakelite..." he frowns, reaching down to tickle my side when he notices my wrinkled nose, making me squeak quietly and his lips twitch up. "Put together by Human hands, yes, but the design itself..." he scans it with the sonic. "Oh, beautiful work," he praises. "That is so simple!"
"That's incredible!" Bishop stares at it in awe. "It's like a television, but portable - a portable television!"
The Doctor ignores him, raising his sonic in the air and pointing it around the room. I watch as the tellies start to static up, "... apparently not the only power source in the room," I mutter.
The static slowly fades from all the TVs and in each one is a different face. All of them were calling out for help, looking completely terrified. I look around at them all, searching as I come out from behind the counter. I hear Tommy call for his 'gran' softly, but my attention was elsewhere. At the bottom, was a screen with Rose's face and she was calling out for the Doctor and me. Tears well up in my eyes as I get a wave of guilt and sadness and I kneel next to the telly with the Doctor beside me. "We're on our way," he promises.
"We're gonna get you back," I whisper watching as she continues to call for us.
"What do you think you're doing?" someone demands and I look to see that Magpie had come in.
The Doctor and I both straighten, marching over to him. "I want my -sister!" "-best friend restored!"
I grab Magpie's lapels and slam him against the doorframe to the backroom, pushing my arm against his throat, "I swear that if I don't get Rose back, you and whoever the bloody hell you're working with will be very sorry!" I snarl, pushing my arm into his throat further and he pushes himself into the doorframe with a whimper.
The Doctor puts a hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently and I calm just a bit. "I think that's beyond a little backstreet electrocution, so tell us! Who's really in charge!?" he demands of Magpie, narrowing his eyes at the man.
"Yoohoo! I think that must be me!" a voice calls and I release Magpie and turn to see a woman on the telly, smirking at us. "Oh, these two are smart as paint!" she laughs as the Doctor and I approach her slowly, the Doctor keeping me behind him slightly.
"... is she talking to us?" Bishop asks, staring at the screen.
"Sorry, gentlemen, miss, I'm... I'm afraid you've brought this on yourselves," Magpie tells us sadly, rubbing at his throat. "May I introduce you to my new... friend..." he gestures to the TV.
"Jolly nice to meet you," the woman smiles.
"Oh, my God, it's her! That woman off the telly!" Bishop gasps.
"No... it's just using her image," the Doctor murmurs.
"What- what are you?" Tommy asks, his voice shaky.
"I'm the wire, and I will gobble you up, pretty boy! Every last morsel!" it coos. "And when I have feasted, I shall regain the corporeal body! Which my fellow-kind denied me!" it tells us, gradually gaining color.
"Good lord, color television!" Bishop stares in awe.
"So, your own people tried to stop you?" the Doctor asks.
"They executed me but I escaped - in this form - and fled across the stars!" the wire smirks.
I smirk right back, stepping out from behind the Doctor and standing in front of the screen, "and now you're trapped in the telly! All stuck and powerless! Ha!"
"Not for much longer," it retorts, the color fading back to black and white. "And I was powerful enough to consume your sister!" it laughs, making me growl and the Doctor grabs my shoulders, holding me back from smashing the TV.
"Is that what got my gran?" Tommy asks, his voice cracking.
"I'm very sorry, Tommy... but yes," I tell him gently, not taking my eyes off the wire.
"It feeds off the electrical activity of the brain but it gorges itself like a great, over-fed pig!" the Doctor glares.
"Taking people's faces - their essences - it stuffs itself!" I wrinkle my nose in disgust.
"And you let her do it, Magpie!" Bishop turns on him.
"I had to!" Magpie protests. "She allowed me my face! She's promised to release me at the time of manifestation!"
"Yeah, and you believed her?" I scoff, rolling my eyes.
"What does that mean? Time of manifestation?" Tommy asks.
Bishop gaps, "Doctor, Miss Tyler, the coronation!"
"For the first time in history, millions gathered around a television set," the Doctor steps up beside me, right in front of the screen. "But you're not strong enough yet, are you?" he smirks. "You can't do it all from here, that's why you need this!" he laughs, holding up the portable TV.
"You need something more powerful!" I taunt, rocking on my heels. "This will turn a big transmitter into a big receiver," I nod to the portable TV.
"What clever things you are!" the wire coos condescendingly. "But why fret about it? Why not just relax? Kick-off your shoes and enjoy the coronation! Believe me, you'll be glued to the screen," she smirks and red electricity comes out of the telly, latching onto our face.
I clench my teeth, whimpering at the burning and pressure along with the Doctor's pain. The Doctor groans in pain from beside me as our pain is blended and amplified.
"Doctor!" Bishop and Tommy scream.
"Hungry! Hungry! The wire is hungry! Ah, this one is tasty! Oh, I'll have lashings of her!" the wire shouts and I scream out when the burning becomes worse. "Delicious! Ah!"
"Doctor!" I let out a broken scream.
I hear the Doctor grunt in effort and then the wire screams, "armed! He's armed and clever! Withdraw! Withdraw!" she cries before everything turns black.
3rd Person POV:
The Doctor wakes up, groaning as he grips his head, "blimey!" he sits up, looking around.
Detective Inspector Bishop was on the ground with a blank face - clenching and unclenching his hands - and Tommy Connolly was beside him, unconscious. The Doctor turns his head to beside him to see Lizzie laying face down and he shakes her lightly, trying to rouse her. Fear and dread grip his hearts when she begins to clench and unclench her hands. "No, no, no, no, no, no," he whispers, turning her onto her back and his hearts nearly stop altogether. "Lizzie..." he breathes out in horror, pulling her head into his lap and brushing her hair out of the way.
"My tiny," he whispers as he tries to picture her hazel eyes staring up at him the way she does - with so much love and adoration that it nearly hurts. "Rose was right... it's worse, it's so, so much worse," he chokes out, bending over and holding Lizzie to his chest. "I'll fix this, love," he brushes his lips against her temple. "You and Rose... I'll get you back," he promises before laying her down very carefully and making sure that she wouldn't have any pain when she comes back - and she was coming back if he had anything to do with it because a universe without Lizzie wasn't one the Doctor wanted to face. "Tommy, wake up!" he turns to the teen, shaking him. "Tommy! Come on!"
Tommy groans, coming too and he shoots up, "what happened?" he asks, looking around and his eyes widened. "Oh, my God! It got Lizzie!" he gasps when he sees the small brunette. "That thing... it got her face!"
The Doctor grips Tommy by the shoulders, forcing the pain in his hearts away so he could focus, "where's Magpie?" he asks in a deadly quiet voice.
The tone in which the Doctor had spoken and the darkness that had suddenly taken over his eyes - the Oncoming Storm brewing - sends cold shivers down Tommy's spine and he splutters for a few seconds before pointing to the door. The Doctor shoots up and the two of them go outside to see that Magpie's van was gone. "We don't even know where to start looking!" Tommy groans. "It's too late!"
"Don't say that," the Doctor nearly growls and Tommy takes a cautious step away from him, thinking how the wire should be very afraid of what's coming for it. "It's never too late!" he tells him firmly, his voice a bit calmer after seeing the boy's fearful expression but still dark... still livid. "As a wise person once said; Kylie, I think," he frowns before shaking his head. "But the wire's got a big plan, so it'll need... yes, yes, yes, it's got to harness half the population - millions and millions of people! ... and where are we?" he clicks his fingers at Tommy repeatedly.
"Muswell Hill," Tommy answers.
"Muswell Hill," the Doctor mutters before brightening just a tad. "Muswell Hill! Which means..." he trails off, turning in a circle until he spots a large building in the distance and gestures at it with both hands. "Alexandra Palace! Biggest TV transmitter in North London! Ooh, that's why they chose this place! Tommy?" he turns to the teen.
"What are you going to do?"
"We're going shopping!" he shouts, running back into Magpie's shop.
***
Inside the shop, the Doctor was looking around frantically for the pieces he needed for his device he was building. Tommy was helping best he could as he rifles through drawers and the backroom. The Time Lord was refusing to even glance in Lizzie's direction in fear of how much it hurt to see her smooth face instead of her cheeky smile or how her face would go all red and she'd bite down on her bottom lip when she was embarrassed or nervous. Or how her eyes would fill with tears whenever she saw someone in pain or hurt or upset and she'd be right there to give them any sort of comfort she could - any comfort they'd accept. Oh, and it hurt to see his Lizzie like she was at the moment. Hurt as if he were getting stabbed in both hearts... repeatedly and with something blunt and jagged.
Tommy comes out of the backroom and holds up a valve, "is this what you want?"
The Doctor looks at it and grins, "Perfect! Right, I need one more thing," he shoves the equipment into Tommy's arms before dashing to the TARDIS with the teen right behind him.
***
Tommy waits outside the TARDIS while the Doctor looks for whatever it is he was looking for. "Got it, let's go!" the Doctor runs out with yellow wires now hanging around his neck and the two of them run down the street, the Doctor plugging things into his device as they go.
***
The Doctor and Tommy get to Alexandra Palace, the Doctor still working quickly. "There!" Tommy shouts, pointing at the pylon and the Doctor looks up to see Magpie climbing it with the portable TV hanging from his neck.
"Come on!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" an officer tries to stop them. "Where do you think-" he stops when the Doctor flashes the psychic paper at him. "Oh, I'm sorry, sir! Shouldn't you be at the coronation?" he calls as the Doctor and Tommy run past him.
"They're saving me a seat!" the Doctor calls over his shoulder.
"Who did he think you were?" Tommy asks as he and the Doctor run into the building, heading upstairs to the main control room.
The Doctor glances at the psychic paper, "King of Belgium, apparently," he shrugs, dashing about and gathering supplies. "Keep it switched on," he orders Tommy. "Don't let anyone stop you, Tommy," he gives him a stern look, gripping the teen by his shoulders. "Everything depends on it, you understand?"
Tommy nods determinedly, not about to let anything stop him from helping the Doctor save all those people - including his gran, Lizzie, and Rose. The Doctor grins before running out of the building with a stream of magnetic recording tape trailing behind him. He runs back around the corner and past the poor, confused office. Running up the set of stairs outside the building, he starts to climb up the pylon himself, following after Magpie - who was at the top now and had plugged the wire in. There were streams of red electricity - the same that had come out of the television sets - that was spreading out and taking people's faces as they sat in front of their tellies.
"You'll get yourself killed up there! Your Majesty!" the officer calls up in concern.
The wire was shouting out in joy, "oh, feast! Feast...ing! The wire... is feasting!"
"It's too late!" Magpie screams. "It's too late for all of us!"
"I shall consume you, Doctor! Just like I consumed your little girlfriend and her blonde brat!" the wire laughs.
The Doctor growls under his breath, climbing up to get to the wire and stop it. The wire blasts the Doctor in the face with electricity and he grips onto the pylon tighter, crying out in pain. "I won't let you do this, Magpie!" he shouts through it.
"Help me, Doctor!" Magpie cries, squeezing his eyes shut. "It burns! It took my face, my soul!"
"You cannot stop the wire! Soon I shall become manifest!" the wire shouts and the Doctor's blasted again, screaming out in pain yet again.
"No more of this!" Magpie screams. "You promised me peace!"
"... and peace you shall have," the wire coos before Magpie is blasted into thousands of particles of red light and the wire laughs as he screams and dies.
The Doctor finally gets to the top and tries to touch the portable TV, but gets zapped by red sparks, making him jerk his hand back. "Been burning the candle at both ends?" he taunts. "You've overextended yourself, missus! You shouldn't have had a crack at poor old Magpie there!" he picks up the TV and is zapped in the foot this time. "Rubber souls! Swear by them!" he beams and inserts a switch into the portable TV, only... nothing happens to the wire.
"Oh, dear," the wire laughs. "Has our plan gone horribly wrong, Doctor?"
The Doctor stares at the portable TV in horror and shock. No, no, no! It had to work, it had to! He needed it to... he needed to have Lizzie back. She couldn't be gone, not before he could... suddenly the electric currents start to retreat from the transmitter. The Doctor's lips pull into a smirk as the wire writhes and wails in pain. "It's closed down, I'm afraid, and no epilogue!" he couldn't help but taunt, feeling a sense of satisfaction at the wire's pain as it gets destroyed. "Little word of advice before you go: don't touch my girl or my best mate!" he growls, watching the wire scream one last time before the screen goes black.
***
The Doctor walks back into the control room and leans against the doorframe. Tommy was inside, watching the coronation on the screen with a bright smile on his face. "What have I missed?" the Doctor asks.
"Doctor!" Tommy turns to him, his smile widening. "What happened?"
"Sorted," the Doctor shrugs. "Electrical creature, TV technology, clever alien lifeform - that's me, by the way," he smirks before it falters when the sound of Lizzie's giggle runs through his mind as she makes a cheeky comment, making his hearts ache. "I, uh..." he clears his throat, snapping out of it. "Turned the receiver back into a transmitter and I trapped the wire in here," he moves over to his device and takes a tape out of it. "I just invented the home video thirty years early," he smiles, showing the tape to Tommy, who frowns in confusion. "Betamax," he explains... which doesn't exactly help the teen's confusion at all. "Oh, look!" he looks at the screen and sees the Queen. "God save the Queen, eh?"
***
Arriving back on Florizel Street, the Doctor and Tommy look around at all the faceless people - now restored - reuniting with their loved ones. The Doctor barely pays attention to any of them and doesn't even notice when Tommy runs to his gran. His focus was on a small brunette in a yellow dress across the street. The Time Lord's hearts speed up at the sight of her - the one person he wanted to see - and a huge smile forms as she turns and sees him, an equally huge smile forming. Pushing through the crowd, the Doctor decides to take some of Rose's advice and get out of his own bloody way and just... go for it.
1st Peron POV:
a bit earlier...
I groan, turning onto my side and gripping my head as I wake up on the floor in Magpie's shop. "Ow..." I wince and stand up shakily.
"Lizzie!" a squeal makes me wince again and a flash of blonde crashes into me. "Oh, my God, you're safe!" Rose cries, wrapping her arms around me tightly and nuzzling her face against my neck.
"Rose," I gasp, wrapping an arm around her waist tightly and holding her head with the other. "Oh, Rose, I'm sorry! I- I let you get taken and I... I am the worst big sister ever! Rose, I'm- I'm so sorry!" I pull her as close as was physically possible.
"No, shut up!" Rose tightens her hold on me. "You got taken too! Some birthday... huh," she pulls away, gripping my shoulders. "And don't be daft, you're the best big sister that anyone could ask for," she smiles, brushing some of my hair out of my face. "Now," her smile turns into a smirk. "Let's go and find your Doctor! I'm sure he's going all frantic and in a right state without you," she wiggles her eyebrows, pulling me out of the shop.
"Oi, he was just as worried about you, I'm sure," I retort, making her snort and roll her eyes. "No, you should've seen him when you were brought to us, he was furious!"
"Ok, so he was worried about me," Rose concedes. "But it's not the same with me, you're his tiny," she rolls her eyes. "Don't you dare argue or I'll take all your pencils and make sure the TARDIS hides the honey for a month," she points to me when I open my mouth and I shut it with an audible click, making her nod in approval.
"Gran!" I hear a familiar voice and look over to see Tommy reuniting with his gran, making me smile happily.
"Look, it's my grandson! Oh, son!" she exclaims as she hugs him tight.
Rose tugs on my arm and I turn to her with a frown. She just smirks and points across the street, making me look. My heart nearly stops for a second before speeding up tenfold - the Doctor was standing there, looking at me with the widest grin I've ever seen on him. I push through the crowded street, trying to get to him as he does the same. The two of us meet halfway and I jump on him, making him let out a small grunt as he catches me. I throw my arms around his neck and my legs go around his waist and the Doctor laughs, wrapping his arms around me and spinning us around. "You did it!" I squeal happily, beaming up at him as he sets me down. "I mean, not that I had any doubt at- mmm!" my eyes widen when lips are suddenly on mine... soft, warm lips... the Doctor was... kissing me?
I tense on instinct, completely and utterly in shock that this was actually happening... or maybe this wasn't real? The Doctor pulls away and I blink up at him several times. My body was on fire, my heart was hammering in my chest, and my lips were all tingly. The Doctor's own eyes widen and he starts to splutter out apologies at a ridiculously fast pace that I can't really follow in my current state - mind all fuzzy and not functioning properly. I shake my head and cut off the Doctor's ramblings by grabbing his tie and bringing him down, standing on my tiptoes, and connecting our lips again. This time the Doctor tenses before letting out a relieved sound from the back of his throat and gripping my waist with one hand, pulling my body flush against his, lifting me off the ground in the process, and cupping the back of my neck with the other. I reach up to curl my fingers in his hair - something I've wanted to do since we got here - and he smiles against my lips as they move with his and he pulls me even closer.
"Holy shit!" Rose squeals and the two of us jump apart.
I crash back into reality and my face burns bright red, as well as pretty much my entire body. "I- I- I... u-um... th- that..." I squeak out, not really being able to form a coherent thought as what just happened really hits me.
"Fucking finally!" Rose jumps up and down, clapping and making it so much worse. "I was worried I'd have to lock you two up together before you manned up and snogged her!"
"You were gonna what!?" the Doctor asks incredulously.
"Nothing," she waves off. "Come on, Lizzie," she laughs, clicking her fingers in my face. "Snap out of it!"
I blink at her before grabbing her arm and pulling her to the side a bit, lowering my voice so the Doctor couldn't hear, "... that really happened, right?"
"Oh, yeah, it happened," Rose nods, smiling so wide I thought her face might crack. "... and damn it was hot," she fans herself, giving me a tongue-in-teeth grin.
"... we're not still laying somewhere with our faces gone?" I make sure, my stomach twisting up.
"Nope, all restored!"
"... can I go hide in my room?" I squeak out, covering my face and peeking at her through my fingers. "Please?" I beg with a small voice.
"No," Rose rolls her eyes and pushes me.
I yelp and stumble back into... oh, God... I know those hands. Two warm, strong hands had caught my waist and my back was against the Doctor's chest. I bite my lip, looking up at him and he was smiling down at me, his eyes bright. "H-hi..." I try, my voice breaking a bit.
"Hi," the Doctor bites down on his own lip, trying not to laugh as he wraps his arms around my waist from behind. "We'll talk later," he leans down to my ear. "When Rose isn't around," he whispers and I couldn't help but shudder at his hot breath hitting my neck, making him chuckle quietly and kiss my cheek.
"... I hate you," I breathe out, wanting so very much to just disappear right now.
"No you don't," the Doctor replies smugly, stroking my sides with thumbs and I groan under my breath miserably.
***
Later, Florizel Street was throwing a block party to celebrate the coronation and everyone being restored. There were tables lining the center of the street and music was playing with people dancing and just having a good time. The Doctor, Rose, and I walk down the street with mine and the Doctor's hands entwined and my face still a bit red.
"We could go down the mall, join in with the crowd," Rose suggests with a grin that hadn't left since... it happened.
"Nah, that's just pomp and circumstance!" the Doctor talks around a sponge, making me wrinkle my nose. "This is history right here," he smirks and taps my nose when he sees, making me bite my lip to stop a giggle from coming out.
"... the domestic approach," I tease with a smirk.
"Exactly!" the Doctor smiles, squeezing my hand and making Rose and I laugh.
Rose sobers up and stands in front of the Doctor and I, walking backward, "will it... that thing... is it trapped for good? On video?" she asks.
"Hope so," the Doctor shrugs. "Just to be on the safe side, though, I'll use my unrivaled knowledge of trans-temporal extirpation methods to neutralize the residual electronic pattern," he explains quickly, making me snort.
"... you what?" Rose frowns.
"It means he's going to tape over it," I roll my eyes. "You can't help yourself, can you?" I shake my head, looking up at the Doctor with a fond smile.
"Nope," he gives me a cheeky grin, leaning down to my ear. "How can I resist showing off when you love it so much? Eh?" he whispers, making me squeak when he kisses behind my ear and he sends me a wink as he straightens.
Something catches my eye and I look to see Tommy. Grateful for the distraction from... the flirty Time Lord, I run over to him and throw my arms around his neck. "Thank you," I giggle when he stumbles back before hugging me back. "The Doctor told me what you did," I pull away, kissing his cheek and ruffling his hair. "You're absolutely brilliant!"
"O-oh... you're welcome," Tommy smiles shyly, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Down boy," I hear Rose 'whisper' to the Doctor and I roll my eyes... she's gonna be even worse now.
"Tell you what, Tommy," the Doctor comes over, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me against his side. "You can have the scooter, little present for helping save my girls and the world," he grins, making me raise an eyebrow up at him. "... best, um, keep it in the garage for a few years, though, eh?" he mutters, making me snicker quietly and he pinches my side lightly.
A door slams shut behind us and the four of us turn to see Mr. Connolly leaving his house with a bag in hand. "Good riddance," Tommy glares at him.
"Is that it, then, Tommy?" the Doctor asks, raising an eyebrow. "New monarch, new age, new world - no room for a man like Eddie Connolly?"
"That's right, he deserves it," Tommy says firmly.
Rose nudges his shoulder with hers, "Tommy, go after him," she nods at Mr. Connolly.
"What for?"
"He's your dad," Rose smiles.
"He's an idiot," Tommy scoffs.
"Course he is," Rose snorts. "Like I said: he's you're dad, but you're clever!"
"Clever enough to save the world, so don't stop there," I smile, watching as he stares at his father walking away. "Go on!" I shoo him off.
Tommy looks between the three of us before smiling and running after his dad. The two of them walk side by side and Tommy takes his father's bag off him, making me smile. They might not repair their relationship... but at least Tommy's going to give it a shot, at least he's going to try. The Doctor lets go of my hand and grabs a glass of orange juice for Rose and I each before grabbing one for himself. The three of us grin, clinking our glasses together.
A/N: the Doctor finally kissed Lizzie! How many of you were Rose in that moment? Eh? Anyone? Just me? Anywho! Thanks for reading and I hope you liked it! Let me know by dropping a comment or vote! :*