Ealing: 2013
Sarah Jane Smith was just on the precipice of sleep when she heard knocking at her door. Softly, timidly...So softly and timidly, in fact, that for a moment Sarah Jane was convinced she's dreamed it. But then it came again, more insistently and with more urgency.
She pulled herself from her bed and slipped on her robe as she headed down the stairs towards the front door. Who could it be this late? It was nearly 1 in the morning. And positively pouring down rain - well, this was Britain, after all, that part was hardly unusual. But still...hardly optimal conditions for an unexpected house call. In Sarah Jane's experience, this could hardly bode well.
She peered out the window for a short second before she opened the door.
"Alex?"
"I'm so so sorry, I didn't know where else to go."
It was a small slip of a girl, no older than 15, her shoulder length brown hair dripping with rainwater as her drab hand-me-down clothes clung to her slight frame.
"Why don't you come in out of the rain, Alex," she said, ushering her inside. "You must be freezing." Sarah Jane peered at her. "Can I ask what you're doing here at this hour, dear?"
"I...I was going to ring ahead of time to say I was coming but...I needed my phone for directions and timetables and I forgot to charge it so it died-"
Sarah Jane knew Alex well enough to tell that she was going into a spiral and decided to cut it off before it could really begin. "You couldn't ask someone on the bus for a charging cable?"
"I...I didn't think of that," Alex admitted, feeling silly. "I wasn't in the best state of mind, honestly, and...Well, it was a train, actually."
"A train? Exactly how far have you come? Do your parents know you're here?"
"Um... Birmingham..."
"Birmingham! Goodness, that's miles away!"
"And, uh, no. No they don't."
"What on earth are you doing dashing across the country, all alone, without letting anyone know? Especially in the dead of night! Do you know how incredibly dangerous that is?"
Alex just looked at her. "Yeah."
Sarah Jane softened at the look on her face. She'd always had the deepest compassion for this child, she couldn't help it.
"Why don't you come sit down?" Sarah Jane said, gently. "I'll make you some tea. When's the last time you had something to eat?"
...
Sky Smith awoke to find her mum going through her dresser.
"Mum?" she asked, blearily. "What time is it? What are you doing?"
"Go back to sleep," Sarah Jane replied. "I've just got to get some dry clothes for our guest to wear, and she's round the same size as you are..."
"Guest?" Sky asked, sitting up. "Who's here?"
...
Alex could hear footsteps approaching, and looked down at her own feet. She noticed the puddle of rainwater she was dripping onto the floor and felt even more guilty.
"I'm... really sorry to be bothering you like this, Miss Smith. I'll be leaving, soon, if it's a problem, I mean, so, please don't be worried about-"
But when a voice spoke, it wasn't the one she'd been expecting. "Don't be silly, you're not going anywhere."
She froze, then looked up slowly to see her best friend, Sky, standing before her.
Sky smiled. "It's good to see you, Alex. We missed you." She rushed forward and hugged her friend, who was startled by the affection and began to cry.
"I'm sorry, did I-" Sky began, nervously.
"No, I'm just-" Alex stammered. "I'm all wet and I'm gonna get you all wet and I'm dripping on the floor and I'm just gonna go-"
"Not when I've gone to all the trouble to pick out some clothes for you to wear, you're not," Sky said, stubbornly. She held out the dry clothes. "Why don't you go get changed? And no sneaking out the window when we're not looking, I know your tricks!"
Alex was grateful, but still felt guilty. She knew, however, that it was no good arguing and went to change.
When Alex was safely out of earshot, Sarah Jane turned to her daughter. "I'm going to go upstairs," she said. "Fill in Mr Smith, let K-9 know not to come down, lock the door...You know, the usual precautions. I'll be back."
...
Alex, now dry apart from her hair, came reluctantly back into the living room to find Sky and Sarah Jane waiting for her.
"Now, dear," Sarah Jane said. "Are you going to tell us what's happened?"
Alex squeezed her eyes shut - an attempt to stem the sudden flow of tears.
"Maybe it would be more useful..." Sarah Jane continued. "If I asked about your new family? Last time we saw you, you were getting adopted. Moved out west. How's that worked out?"
"It hasn't," she said, simply.
"Families fight sometimes. Maybe if we just call them up-"
"No you don't..." She realized she was raising her voice and checked herself. "You don't understand. They told me it's not worked out. 'Sorry, Alex, we've given this a lot of thought and we've changed our minds. It's just not working out.' Gonna send me back to the state, now, so who knows where I'll end up this time? And I...I panicked, I...I don't want to start over again, not after everything and...I didn't know where else to go."
Sarah Jane's heart broke for this girl, and not for the first time. But she was also angry. "They said this to you?"
"It was a longer talk, but yeah."
"What kind of people do that?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady. "They knew you were...you went through some things and...the statistics for adoption at your age! I mean, it was like they gave you a miracle and just...just ripped it away from you! You don't deserve that. They can't just chuck you out, I mean-"
"No this was..." Alex said. "This was my fault. I panicked, I just came to the first place I could think of."
Sarah Jane nodded. "I'm glad you felt safe enough to come to me, dear. Well you'll be staying with me, just until things are sorted. I'm sure Luke wouldn't mind you taking his bed, it's been empty ever since he moved in with Sanjay-"
"Oh no no, I couldn't-"
"You can and you will," Sarah Jane said. "I'll feed you, then you're going on to bed. We'll talk more in the morning."
"And no slipping out the window in the dead of night," Sky reminded her, with a twinkle in her eye. "Remember...We know your tricks."
...
Sarah Jane made the three of them breakfast the next morning.
"Have you thought of what you'd like to do now?" Sarah Jane asked her, when they'd nearly finished eating. "No rush, dear...I just wanted to know if you'd thought about it."
Alex was silent for a moment. She had thought about it, yes, but wasn't coming up with easy conclusions.
"Have you..." Sarah Jane prompted. "Have you spoken with your uncle? I remember you used to talk about having an uncle."
"He was out of the country, last I heard," Alex replied, sullenly. "I should probably call him, though. Let him know what's going on."
"I think that's a good idea, dear," Sarah Jane replied. "I'm not rushing you to any kind of decision, though. You're 15. Old enough to know what you want to do."
…
Sarah Jane headed out for a bit, needing to do a grocery run. Alex went upstairs to take a shower while Sky tried to find a movie for them to watch when she got through.
Alex changed into some fresh clothes and pulled out her newly charged cell phone. She got the answering machine.
"Heya, Uncle Jack...It's me, Alex. Been a while. Listen, just wanted to check in. Tell ya I'm fine, doing fine, all that...The whole adoption thing didn't work out. Shocker, I know. But anyway...I'm up staying with some friends right now so no need to come out of your way if you've got things goin' on. It's fine, really. Anyway, yeah."
She felt awkward, so she hung up the phone.
…
Sarah Jane Smith was walking past an alley when she did a double take.
There it was, plain as day…
The TARDIS.
It had been years since she'd last seen the Doctor, since he'd crashed her wedding. And yet...here his ship was. Her heart skipped a beat.
…
The Doctor returned to his TARDIS, needing to do a bit of brainstorming. He was much to preoccupied to notice that he was not alone until…
"Hello, Doctor."
He was stunned. "Sarah Jane Smith. What on Earth-"
"Yes, what on Earth?" she smiled, warmly. "What could there be on Earth - specifically in my part of Ealing - that could bring you here today?"
They both spoke at once.
"Well, when I saw you the other day-" the Doctor began.
"It's been a long time-" Sarah Jane began.
They both stopped.
"Though...evidently not for you," Sarah Jane said, smiling sadly. "Skipped past all the pesky day-to-day stuff, have you? Understandable."
"How long has it been?" he asked, slowly. "For you?"
"Six years."
"Then I suppose it has been a long time."
"I've waited longer."
"Right," he said, breezing on past that. "Well I'm actually sort of in the middle of something-"
"Anything I can help with?"
He was sorely tempted, but thought better of it.
"No, best I do this on my own," he said. "Better not to get anyone involved. Especially with you having a kid now and all."
"Kids," Sarah Jane said, smiling fondly. "Got a daughter now too. Who I should really get back to..."
"Right, yes, you should," the Doctor said, latching on to the opportunity. He began pressing buttons and pulling levers. "I'll just drop you off at home, shall I?"
"What?" Sarah Jane asked, alarmed. "No, no, we can't-"
But it was too late.
…
"What was that sound?" Alex asked.
"What sound?" Sky asked, innocently. She'd never heard the TARDIS before in person, but she knew the noise was from the attic and she was forbidden to let Alex know what was happening up there.
"That sound, coming from the attic," Alex said. "What's that you've got up there? Why's it always locked when I come over?"
"Oh it's nothing," Sky said, but Alex could tell she was lying. "I'm just gonna...pop upstairs for a moment. Be right back?"
Alex waited a moment, then followed.
…
The TARDIS materialized in the attic, and Sarah Jane wasn't happy about that.
"Doctor, Sky has a friend over right now! She doesn't know about any of this-"
"Well then I'll just dematerialize as soon as you're gone and she won't have to know-" he replied.
"Why are you so anxious to rush me out?" Sarah Jane asked, hands on her hips.
"Because I'm in the middle of something, and you have kids now so-"
A little metal dog zoomed into the TARDIS. "TARDIS detected!"
"K-9!" the Doctor exclaimed, thrilled despite himself.
"Does the Doctor require assistance?" the voice of Mr Smith spoke from outside the TARDIS.
"Yes," the Doctor said, automatically. "No. I don't know!"
"I'm sorry, the TARDIS was muffling your response-"
The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS to address the supercomputer. "I was just saying that I'm on my way out-"
"Do you require assistance?" K-9 asked.
"K-9 is anxious because we've been cooped up in this attic ever since Miss Alex arrived early this morning," Mr Smith says.
"You're always cooped up in this attic," Sky reminded him, coming inside. Her eyes grew wide as she saw the TARDIS. "It's just the way Sarah Jane described it!" Her eyes landed on the Doctor. "And you must be-"
"Going," the Doctor said. "I really must be going. I'm really very busy, hate to dash-"
But Sarah Jane was standing in the TARDIS doors. "Are you going to tell us what you're in the middle of? Maybe we can help?"
"You're better off not helping," he said.
Sarah Jane looked at him steadily. "I'm not letting you leave this room until you tell me. Oh. By the way...This is my daughter, Sky. Long story."
The Doctor slowly turned back around to her, absentmindedly holding out a hand to shake. "Sky Smith," he noted to himself.
Sarah Jane smiled. "She fell from it. It's a-"
"Long story." The Doctor had discreetly set off the sonic screwdriver in his pocket, at a frequency he knew humans could not hear, and could already tell it was picking something up. "Yes, you said. One day I'll have to pop by to hear it."
"Scanning frequency," said K-9, just at the same time as Mr Smith made a short, somehow irritated-sounding buzz. And just at the same time as all that, Sky looked innocently up at the Doctor and asked "what's that?" pointing to his concealed screwdriver.
"Nothing," he told her, switching off the sonic and making more mental notes. "Just how I say hello sometimes."
"I could feel you oscillating my atomic makeup just then. Only a fraction, though. Were you trying to look at my chemical composition, mister Doctor? Because that's okay, you could have just asked."
"Oh she's definitely your kid," the Doctor murmured, not able to hide the twinkle in his eye. Then he shook his head. "I really do need to get going though, this really was supposed to be just a drop-off-"
"Woah," Alex said, ignoring everything she'd ever been taught about stealth in her surprise. "What's all this? I knew you were hiding something up here, but I didn't expect...this."
"Alex, dear, you should go back downstairs," Sarah Jane said, hurrying to come up with an excuse. "This is just, uh-"
"A really well-thought out excuse, I'm sure," Alex said, amused. "Come on, this isn't the first time I've seen alien tech, I'm not a rookie." She nodded to Mr Smith. "Super computer?"
"Don't answer that," Sarah Jane warned him, which only made things worse.
"So it can answer that?" Alex asked. "Cool! I'm Alex, what should I call you?"
"I am Mr Smith," Mr Smith answered. "You must be Miss Alex."
"So you've heard of me," Alex said, pleased.
"Now that Miss Alex has seen us," said a small metal dog that zoomed out of the big blue box in the center of the room. "Are we permitted to go downstairs?"
"Oh look, a little tin dog!" Alex said, delighted. "I'm more of a cat person, myself, but it's adorable! And it talks!" She reached down to scratch its ears. "What's your name, little tin dog?"
"K-9, mistress."
"Adorable," said Alex, satisfied. She straightened up, now regarding the box. "So...is that, like...your portal or ship or something, Miss Smith?"
Sarah Jane was stunned by a great many things in this conversation, as were the rest of them. "Er…"
"Which would make you guys aliens, right?" Alex continued, putting two and two together. "Yes, that explains all the weird stuff! I knew it! I mean I didn't know it, but I knew there was something I didn't know!"
"We're not...aliens," Sarah Jane replied, slowly. "I mean...I'm not, at least."
Alex became slowly aware of the strange man in the room. "Who the hell are you?" she asked, crossing her arms. She had this habit of always being a bit defensive with strangers, especially men.
"One of the, uh...Aliens," he said. "Another one of yours, Sarah Jane?"
"Yeah," Sarah Jane said, without thinking. "I mean, she's Sky's friend. She's staying with us."
"Another long story?" the Doctor asked, raising his eyebrows.
"One that's none of your business," Alex replied.
"What's your name?" the Doctor asked, not at all put off by the fierce way she stared him down.
"Alex Mitchell," she said. "Representing Earth on behalf of the Torchwood Institute. State your business."
They all gawked at Alex in the wake of this revelation, but no one gawked so much as Sarah Jane.
"Wait, what do you mean, Torchwood?" she asked, stunned. "What do you know about Torchwood?"
"I'm afraid that's classified, Miss Smith," Alex said, trying to seem more impressive than she felt. She hadn't yet taken her eyes off of the Doctor. "Don't make me repeat the question. State your business, traveler."
The Doctor eyed the girl steadily. "There is no way you're with Torchwood," he said, trying to call her bluff. "You're a kid. What are they doing, recruiting child soldiers now?"
Alex hated being treated like a child, so this statement just annoyed her further. "I'm not a child. And you'd be wise not to underestimate me. Now. If you don't answer my questions, I'm going to have to assume you're a hostile combatant. You will be treated as such, in accordance with the Shadow Proclamation-"
"The Shadow Proclamation?" his brow furrowed. Suddenly he started to wonder whether this wasn't a bluff after all. Torchwood were a bunch of loud-mouths, stumbling around pretending to be secret while stamping their presence over everything they touch. He could see an Earth girl stumbling upon that lingo. But the Shadow Proclamation...That was much more unlikely. And suddenly he was beginning to formulate new theories, but he'd need to go along with it in the meantime. "What would you like to know?"
"Who are you?"
"I'm the Doctor."
"Doctor Who?"
"How long have you got?"
"I'm asking the questions. State your business."
"Hunting down known members of the Trickster's Brigade."
Alex thought it best for the moment to pretend she knew what he was talking about. "And you suspect one of them might be here? In Ealing? What for?"
"They seem to flock around this area. I've encountered them elsewhere, but the Trickster himself likes to fixate on Sarah Jane...and, well, me. He's nowhere to be found for the moment, so I'm looking for known associates to flush him out or ascertain a location."
"And you found one." It was a flat statement.
"Have I?" he asked, looking at her steadily as if waiting for confirmation of his theory.
"You tell me. From the way you were speaking it seemed as if you might've."
"I've got my suspicions," he replied. "But yes. I tracked one to a children's dental office nearby. Can't see what business it has there. Was staking it out, trying to find a convincing way to get in."
"Well that's good luck you ran into me, then, isn't it? I'm older than I look, but I can go in with you. Pose as a kid. Get you access."
"Wait, wait, no absolutely not," Sarah Jane said, moving to stand between her and the Doctor. "This is getting insane. Alex Mitchell, you're not with Torchwood, you can't be! We've known you for 2 years! You went to school with my daughter! We would absolutely know if you were Torchwood. Which you can't be, seeing as you're 15 years old."
"Things are not always as they appear," the Doctor said. "But I don't think this is a job for Torchwood-"
"This is my jurisdiction," Alex said, stubbornly trying a last ditch plan. "You'll play by my rules."
"Oh good luck with that," Sarah Jane said, exasperated. "Doctor, listen to me...She's a child. And not like one of mine...I've been trying to protect her from...all of this."
Something about that stung Alex. "Look, you can take my help or leave it, but now I know there's a problem I'll just go sort it out on my own, you just try to stop me. This is my planet. I'll be damned if I just let some moonwalker cut me out of my own investigation."
He blinked. "Moonwalker?"
"You heard me."
There was another tense moment of silence while the two looked at each other. "Alright, if you think you can handle it….Torchwood, you're with me." He turned quickly to go back to the TARDIS.
"It's Alex," she reminded him. "Torchwood's just the name of the job."
"Very human name," he said, turning in the doorway to look at her. "Always felt a person grows into a name, has to really earn it before it's theirs. Yours is Greek. Means 'defender' or 'conqueror'. Alex could be defender of the Earth...or she could be another conquering warrior sent out by Torchwood. So which are you?"
Alex wasn't sure how to respond. "We'll just see, won't we?"
"Guess we will, Torchwood." He turned slightly and motioned for her to come inside. "Allons-y!"
Alex stared him down and walked inside cautiously, not taking her eyes off him as she walked past him inside. She didn't even look at the interior of the TARDIS - before long she had her back to it and was just looking at him expectantly.
"Doctor, you can't possibly be serious-" Sarah Jane tried reasoning with him.
"Oh Sarah Jane, you know I try to be serious as infrequently as possible!" he said. "But in this case, I have to admit curiosity has rather gotten the best of me." And without another word, he shut the TARDIS doors and latched them behind him so she couldn't try to argue with him anymore.
Alex didn't like that and found herself nervous - being locked inside a tiny box with a strange alien. It went against everything she'd been raised to believe! "What now?" she asked, trying to seem braver than she was.
"Now?" the Doctor asked, having noticed that she hadn't taken her eyes off him yet. "Aren't you going to have a look around? Don't go far, can't have you running off-"
"Far?" she scoffed. "It's a tiny box, what're you-"
But she did look around, and when she did she couldn't help but stare.
"Not expecting that, were you, Torchwood?" the Doctor asked, smugly.
She recovered quickly. "Day one of Torchwood...they teach you to expect the unexpected."
"This is my TARDIS," he said. "Means Time and Relative Dimensions in Space. And yeah, it's-"
"Extraordinary," she breathed, gazing around as if trying to memorize the interior. She'd struggled for a moment thinking of a word that could adequately capture the enormity of what she was feeling and she was still trying to sound grown up and impressive, but as soon as the word came out of her mouth she felt it was pretentious and a little bit silly.
The Doctor caught this and decided on teasing her immediately. "Extraordinary? I suppose it is, yeah, extraordinary. Bit of a large word, though, doesn't quite fit correctly in the mouth-"
"You talk entirely too much," Alex replied, crossing her arms. "So yeah, it's bigger on the inside, Mary Poppins. Let's get a move on."
"Never seen anything like it, have you, Torchwood?"
"I told you, it's Alex."
"We'll see."
"What's the game plan?" she asked, watching as he began to press buttons to get them off the ground. "We in for a little undercover?"
"It was your plan, Torchwood, you tell me."
"Well I suppose I should pretend to be a kid, then. I can get away with that. Should open doors for us. Then you're, I dunno, like a weird older brother or something."
"Older brother?" he asked, amused. "I don't think I could pull that off. I'm older than I look as well. Maybe I should be your dad."
"What?" she asked, brow furrowing. "I dunno-"
"Aw come on, what's the harm?"
…
Alex noticed the Doctor looking warily at an angel statue nearby. "What?"
"Hm? Oh nothing. I'm just always a bit nervous around things like that. Just in case it moves. You ever seen that angel before?"
"It's been there as long as I can remember," she said.
"Good, good…" he said. "That should mean it's not a threat."
"Angel statues are threats?"
"Occasionally. There's a species of alien that pretends to be angel statues. You have to keep your eyes on them without blinking because when you blink they move."
"That's...ridiculous," she rolled her eyes. "You're trying to freak me out and it's not working."
…
"Do you have an appointment?" the nurse at the counter asked.
"We called ahead," the Doctor said, flashing some credentials. "I'm John Smith and this is my daughter Alex."
Alex still didn't like the idea of him posing as her dad but kept it together. "Horrible toothache...Been bothering me for ages."
They sat in the waiting room a few moments and the Doctor noticed how Alex was looking around the place.
"Casing the joint?" he teased.
"It's like day one of training," she replied. "Always make sure you're completely aware of your surroundings. Always have an escape plan handy."
"Alex Smith?" a nurse with a clipboard entered the room. "We're ready for you."
Alex glared at the Doctor, unable to believe she'd actually agreed to pretend to be his daughter.
…
They poked around, trying to get the full scope of the area. It looked fairly benign and normal - like every other clinic Alex had ever been in.
"I can't explain it…" she said. "But I get a bad feelin' from this place."
"So what's that accent then?" he asked her.
"This is no time to go pokin' fun-"
"I'm not, honest."
"No you're not honest," she rolled her eyes.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.
"You're hiding something. Can always tell."
"Takes one to know one, I suppose," he shot back. "So what is the accent?"
She sighed. "I'm from all over. Spent time out in Birmingham, in Cardiff...mostly I'm from London, alright?"
"That could explain it. Or maybe you're just working too hard at having a British accent that you're accidentally blending accents. Don't worry - you have a very extraordinary accent."
"What are you implying?" she crossed her arms, ignoring the teasing. "You saying I'm alien? I'm not. I'm just from the north."
"Lots of planets have a north-" he began saying, before they heard a noise.
…
"I don't understand why they would keep all of these," the Doctor said, peering at the jars full of human teeth and saliva that were on the secret shelf.
"It's creepy," Alex shivered. "Bit serial killer."
"Well one thing's for sure," the Doctor replied. "It'll be like finding a needle in a haystack trying to find a member of the Trickster's Brigade here. This whole place is starting to look like it's positively crawling with aliens."
At that moment, Alex's phone started buzzing. She fished it out of her pocket and looked at the caller ID.
"Sorry, it's my commanding officer checking in," she said, walking from the room. "I'll only be a moment."
She answered the phone just as she got out of earshot. "Uncle Jack, what's up?"
Jack Harkness sounded worried. "Alex, what happened? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, I told you in the message I'm fine," she whispered. "Listen, I don't really have time to talk right now-"
"Where are you? Do you need me to come get you?"
"Like you can just hop over. Where are you this time? Saturn? Don't worry about it. I know you've got important things you're doing. I'm just sort of busy-"
"Doing what?"
"If you must know, I...stumbled upon some alien activity in Ealing. Following around some bloke called the Doctor-"
"The Doctor?" Now Jack really was worried. "What are you doing hanging around the Doctor? Alex, under no circumstances should you make contact with the Doctor."
"You know him, then?"
"We go...way back," her uncle said in that cryptic way he always did. "Listen-"
"No it's too late, I've already partnered up with him. Told him that I'm representing Torchwood on this one."
"Alex you can't just…" He sighed, frustrated. "Listen to me, I need you to stand down. Don't try to be brave. You're 15 years old, you shouldn't be bothering with any of this. I'll come back to England right away and deal with the Doctor myself."
"But-"
"Alex, you're being very brave and I'm proud of you that you want to help...but please, just stand down. Can you do that for me?"
"Alright," she sulked.
"Good," he said, sounding relieved. "I'm in America right now, but I'll get the plane ticket right now, okay? Just...don't do anything rash. Where are you staying right now?"
"13 Bannerman Road, in Ealing."
"Bannerman Road…" he wondered for a moment why that sounded so familiar. "Wait, that's not still Sarah Jane Smith's house, is it?"
Alex was floored. "How do you know Miss Smith?"
"This is too much coincidence," Jack said, worried again. "I'm getting the plane ticket now. You are standing down, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'll do that," she said. She saw the Doctor coming. "Bye now." She hung up the phone.
"Well?" the Doctor asked. "You have your orders?"
"Yeah, I'm supposed to tag along with you," Alex lied. "Apparently you're famous or somethin'."
"What? They don't teach about me to all the Torchwood recruits? I'm hurt. You know, I am the reason you've got a job in the first place…"
Just then, they were attacked.
…
"It all makes sense now!" the Doctor shouted, as they were running away. "Denoths! Particularly nasty buggers! Knock you out and steal your bones and fluids for their food!"
"And they're feeding on kids?" Alex asked, horrified.
"That was my first thought too, but-"
"Nobody has actually been reported missing?" she finished the thought for him.
"You know, you really are extraordinarily clever."
"You say that with the tone of surprise?" She raised her eyebrows in a challenging sort of way.
The Doctor grabbed her by the arm, pulling her to a stop and making her face him. "Alright, this game's gone far enough, don't you think?"
She looked up at him defiantly. "I don't know what you mean." But she could feel herself beginning to crack under the pressure.
"Oh come on now, think it's pretty obvious by now. Suspected it all along."
"What are you implying?"
"You say you're older than you look?"
"Feels that way sometimes, yeah."
"Well no human being could age like that. And Torchwood isn't in the business of employing aliens - they've got a strictly no aliens allowed policy. So it's time you admitted what you really are."
She realized she'd been caught. "Alright," she said. "Alright you caught me. I'm not with bloody Torchwood. Is that what you wanted to hear?"
The Doctor didn't take his eyes off her as he began reaching for his sonic screwdriver. "So you admit it. You're-"
"If you call me a bloody kid one more time, I'll knock your teeth in," she snapped. "I'm so...I'm so sick of people treating me like I can't handle things! Like alright, fine! Fine you caught me! You called my bluff, you figured it out! So I lied! I'm just a 15 year old foster brat! So I'm not with Torchwood! I grew up with Torchwood! My parents were Torchwood, and I was looked after by Torchwood 3 for a good bit of my childhood! I know the procedures, I know what to say and what to do! I'm out here just...just saying and doing exactly what I've seen Uncle Jack do in these situations but...I'm mucking it up, aren't I? Which is probably why they never let me help with anything, isn't it? I just get in the way."
"Wait, what?" the Doctor said, not having expected this. "Uncle Jack?"
"Not by blood, it's just what I've always called him. Look, I'm sorry I lied...but I just wanted to get to go on the mission for once. This is what I was trained for and I've...never been allowed to do it."
The Doctor suddenly understood, and his hearts were breaking. "You said...you said your parents were Torchwood. Were. As in they….retired?" This was wishful thinking. He'd heard her say something about being fostered.
"They disappeared when I was a kid," Alex explained, furiously wiping away tears. "Nobody knows what happened to them. Jack says they're still out there somewhere, and he's looking for them but...it's been 12 years. So I'm on my own."
"This is why you didn't want me to pretend to be your dad."
She shrugged, not looking at him. This struck him as strange, since she'd always stared him full in the face up until now. "And now we're going to get stuck in here," Alex said, feebly. "We're going to get stuck because I didn't listen to Jack and just leave."
"No listen to me, Alex," the Doctor said, grabbing her gently by the shoulders and peering into her face. "We are not going to get stuck in here. We're going to figure this out. You've done a great job - you've been very brave and very clever. Do you think you can keep that up for me?" She shrugged noncommittally. "Good," he said. "Now...do you think you can trust me?" She knew, somehow, that she could. But that didn't mean she was going to say that aloud. Still without looking at him, she nodded. "Good, good...So we do have an option. I can deal with this all on my own - that was always the plan anyway. I just have to get you back to the TARDIS and take you back to Sarah Jane's place where you'll be safe."
"I don't want to just leave you in here by yourself, no way!" she protested. "Besides, there may be people still trapped in here. You might be wasting time if you try to take me back."
"Did I mention my ship is a time machine?" the Doctor said.
"Even so, I don't like the idea of not seeing this through," she said, stubbornly. "No, I'm staying 'til we've got this figured out, you got that?"
He was impressed that such a small thing could be so very fierce. "Alright, fair enough. So here's the plan..."
…
Of course the plan went all wrong. Alex got captured and was being put under laughing gas. The Doctor got there just in time to see her stop struggling and succumb to it.
"Hey!" the Doctor said, angered by this. "What do you think you're doing?"
"We're harvesting," one alien, dressed as a technician, said.
"Not from her, you're not!" the Doctor shouted.
"Who is it that you think can stop us?"
"I'm the Doctor. And if you think I'm going to stand there and let you harm my fake daughter, well then you don't know who you're dealing with."
"But we're not harming her!" the lead alien said. "That would be barbaric. We're just harvesting a few of her teeth and if there are none to spare we'll gladly take the saliva. This is a symbiotic relationship we have with the people of this planet."
Alex stirred faintly, having been struggling to follow this. "Wait, that's why...that's why nobody's gone missing. You're not eating the bones and draining the fluids, you're...just taking teeth and spit. That's…" She made a face. "Really gross, guys."
"But...preferable to killing people," the Doctor reminded her.
"Yeah, that's true," she said, faintly.
"So if you'll kindly permit us to just finish our work-" the lead alien said.
The Doctor glared at him. "If you do that, you won't just have me to answer to. The full wrath of the Torchwood Institute will rain down on you. We'll leave you now in peace, but I'm going to have some friends keep an eye on you...just in case."
The lead alien seemed frightened of the name "Torchwood" and backed off. The Doctor came forward to help Alex off the cot she was on.
"Come on," he said gently, putting an arm around her shoulders to try to help her to her feet. "Time to go, Alex." She stumbled, a bit too weak to move. "Woah woah woah…" He caught her in his arms. "Gotcha, kiddo." He decided it might be quicker just to carry her.
…
He left the clinic and was walking back towards the TARDIS when he spotted an Ood directly in his path.
"You have come far, Doctor, to end up almost right where you started."
"What's that supposed to mean?" the Doctor asked.
"Not exactly where you started…" it mused. "The circle has changed."
"More cryptic riddles," he shook his head.
"You aren't in the mood for them. Riddles no longer amuse you. Not after the Trickster."
"Do you have information for me?"
"You have done well. You were led to this place, not by chance. You did not find what you were looking for, but you found what you needed. As we all do, in the end…"
"What does this mean?"
"Your final song is beginning. The first note hovers just out of reach, waiting to be sung."
"This again-"
"The Trickster's greatest weapon is just beyond the horizon. To find it, you must seek a place of little renown filled with people who are seldom themselves. In Camden Town, you'll all fall down…and then you'll take your bow. You can make a different choice this time. You can choose to take it gracefully."
"My bow?" The Doctor felt a chill pass over him.
"You'll find what you seek two years past today and three days past the Ides in the latter month of the Roman Emperor. The price of admission is low, but your ticket has a much higher cost. The seats are empty now, it's your choice whether you will fill them." And then the Ood was gone.
"Well that was...complete nonsense," he complained, frustrated. "I'm getting really fed up with these riddles. Is anyone going to ever just tell me things without all the games?"
...
He had barely gotten her through the TARDIS doorway before Sarah Jane was up in his face again.
"And where on Earth have you been?" she demanded. "I hope you have been on Earth for your sake! Doctor, for heaven's sake, a child! I've been worried sick the entire day, I've been trying to get in contact with this supposed dentist's office but of course you failed to specify which one, and…" She trailed off seeing Alex's condition, bundled in his arms. "No…" she whispered. "Please don't tell me…"
But Alex replied before the Doctor could. "It's cool," she said, her speech slurred from anesthetic. "They're cool. Is all good." She offered a weak salute, and yawned. "They're all 'bout symbolic harmony or whatever."
"Symbiotic," said the Doctor gently. "I promise, this is nowhere near as bad as it looks."
"Doctor, you…" Sarah Jane pinched the bridge of her nose. "Ridiculous man. Put her to bed. Or on the sofa, just… make absolutely sure there is nothing wrong with her. Then," she added, folding her arms. "We are going to have a talk. Alone."
The Doctor knew that tone of voice. There would be no escaping this one. Rather like a scolded child, he simply nodded, and took Alex from the room.
"Luke's room is free," she called after him. "You can set her up in there for now if you like."
The Doctor wondered about that, but decided he has other concerns for the moment.
…
The Doctor put her down on the bed. "There," he said. "You can get some rest now." But some remnant of his paternal instinct made him unable to leave. Not while she was on her bed with her shoes still on.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"You can't sleep with your shoes on," he said.
"Have done before," she insisted. "But that's what Granny Edna always said too. Just...leave the socks on, alright. And put the shoes next to the bed so I can put them on quick if I need to run for it."
"Why would you need to run for it?" he asked, doing as she said. She shrugged, and his instinct told him that she was probably cold lying there on top of the covers. He sighed and picked her up again, lifting her so he could place her under the covers. He started to straighten up, but then, whether it was out of some kind of muscle memory or some instinct, he went through the full motions of tucking her in.
"Now," he said, kneeling next to her bed. "Why would you need to run for it, Alex? What could possibly be chasing you?"
"The...Daleks," she said, in a small voice. The Doctor felt a chill run through him. "That's what they called themselves."
"What do you know about the Daleks?"
"Look, I'm sorry I lied to you," Alex said. "I mean I'm not, really, it was better than...it was better than thinking that something's wrong with me. Just wanted to be useful."
"What makes you think something's wrong with you?"
Her eyes were closed. "I got adopted. And then they decided they didn't...want me. Which I can get, I understand that...My parents are probably dead, whatever Uncle Jack says, and my family at Torchwood is mostly dead, and it's not like Jack and Gwen come up to see me much and...The first family that ever adopted me, they...they got killed. During that thing with the planets in the sky and...there were Daleks everywhere. They got killed. And I couldn't stop it, I just ran. But now." Her eyes snapped open and she sat up. "If I ever see one again, I'm going to look it right in the bloody eye-stalk and give it a piece of my mind. Not scared of anything anymore. Not scared of a bloody Dalek-"
"Shh, don't try to sit up, get some rest," the Doctor said, gently urging her to lie back down. "And don't go chasing after Daleks, alright? That's my job. You really are incredibly brave for someone your age. You show no fear in the face of danger, but I think...really opening up as who you are scares you. I've only known you a day, but...I've seen you stare monsters in the face without blinking an eye, but the second you actually like something you keep it in your periphery. Am I right? You kept your eyes on me until you were sure you could trust me, then you looked away at once. Always afraid if you look at something directly then it'll disappear. It's a useful trick in a world with Weeping Angels, but people are more blink and you'll miss them."
"It's a community theatre."
This threw him off. "What is?"
"I didn't see who you were talking to...I had my eyes closed. It was mostly cryptic nonsense, like it was trying to be prophetic so I guess you probably won't know til you know, you know? But it said the Trickster's weapon was at a place of little renown where the people are seldom themselves. Where are people rarely themselves? On a stage. But not just any stage, this had to be one that wasn't prestigious. So I'm thinking...community theatre in Camden? In 2015? Probably a cheap one that doesn't put on very good shows. That's the answer to your riddle? I couldn't work out that other bit, about the three years or whatever..."
"No, you did beautifully. Thank you." The Doctor was floored, but impressed nonetheless. "You're very clever. But then I should've gotten that by the fact that you were able to successfully bluff without me catching you. You know, for a brief moment I almost thought...But that's not important. You really are my fake-daughter, aren't you? Like fake-father like fake-daughter."
She smiled and closed her eyes again, with a faint chuckle. "Nah, I'm clever all on my own. Got nothing to do with fake genetics. Don't go taking all the credit, fake-dad."
And she fell asleep. The Doctor watched her for a moment, feeling oddly protective of her already. But he knew better than to linger long.
He turned around and found himself face to face with Sarah Jane. She smiled and walked away. He followed.
…
The Doctor began talking the moment they got to the kitchen. "I'm sorry," he said, immediately. "I was trying to keep all of you out of it - that's what's best for you, but...Alex caught me off guard. I was wrong. And I put her in danger because I was too caught up in what I was trying to do. As usual."
"Well she didn't end up getting hurt," Sarah Jane said, having already forgiven him. "It was still reckless of you, but...Then again, Alex Mitchell is every bit as reckless as you are. Come to think of it, she's always reminded me a lot of you."
"How much of that did you hear?"
"Probably not all of it…" Sarah Jane replied. "But definitely enough. Came in just as you were asking what she was running from."
"Then you did hear all of it," he sighed. "Did you-"
"Know about what happened to her?" she asked, anticipating his question. "No, I had no idea. She doesn't...talk much about her childhood. Keeps quiet, mostly. I knew something had happened to her, but I didn't imagine...I was trying so hard to protect her from living this kind of life. But I bet she was trying the same thing with us. Deliberately not talking about the Daleks and Torchwood just to pretend to be a normal girl and keep us out of it."
"It's an awful lot of coincidence," he said, gravely.
"Yes. It is. But...Doctor...she opened up to you. She talked to you in a way that...she doesn't talk to anyone like that. I can tell she's growing fond of you already."
Sarah Jane had just said precisely the wrong thing. "Which is why it's good that I'm leaving now. I've got a lot to do - I've just had a clue about where the Trickster is. He's apparently got a weapon if only I can figure out where. I can't be hanging around taking care of a teenager. I'll just...She's still an innocent. Hanging around with me, well...I don't want to be responsible for corrupting her. Or worse."
"Doctor," Sarah Jane said, suddenly full of sorrow for her friend. "It's only just occurred to me to ask, but...Where's Rose? I thought you two would be joined at the hip by now." The look on his face gave her all the answer she needed. "I see. And I'm sorry. But Alex is so fragile right now, maybe just to give her some stability-"
"She should stay away from me. I'm very sorry, but I can't offer stability. She's..." He searched for a word that could adequately describe what she was. "Extraordinary, and I mean that without even a hint of hyperbole. But I can't help here. I'm not...capable of it. Alex has...well, she's been through too much. Too many people have let her down. Quite frankly I'm livid at her most recent parents - I don't know how they can have just done that to her-"
"I think maybe she wasn't the only one who's gotten attached," Sarah Jane said, with a knowing smile. "I heard you talking to her and...I think you saw yourself in her a bit. As Rani would say: Over-identify much?"
"I couldn't bear to be another person to disappoint her. She doesn't deserve that."
"I think you're wrong," Sarah Jane replied. "But I can see I can't change your mind."
The Doctor just looked at her for a moment. "I'm sorry."
Then he turned away, and was gone.
