Hey guys, I think I'm going to give up on The Girl Who Wondered and go with this. It hit me yesterday, and last night while dreaming about translucent colorful goldfish that can fly. It was quite beautiful and magical, actually. But this story is about... well you'll see. I'm rubbish at summaries. Review please!
Disclaimer- I do not own Doctor who or any of the spinoff material, it belongs to BBC. If I did, I would cast myself as a character and steal The Master. And The Doctor too. :P
Then it happened again, the doorbell rang on December 24th and all I could see out the window before I answered was the Blue police box peeking around the corner that was never there, but always there. Who were these people, who visited me, here? Took me away for a trip every so often? My Grandma said they were good friends, but why should I trust them? They rarely came over, but even then I felt as if they were more than who they said they were.
Dressed in a red sweater and jeans, I answered the door to reveal Rose Tyler, and- who was that? Who was the tall man in John Smith's clothing, leather pants, green jumper and jacket? He was tall and skinny, brown ruffled hair and matching brown eyes. He looked sick as Rose and Mickey were carrying him in. Jackie, my grandmother rushed past me to help as I stood in confusement.
"Where's John?" I asked curiously. They ignored me, following my grandmother's orders of placing the man in the spare bedroom. Jackie shooed Rose and Mickey out, stating she would get him changed.
"What happened? Where's John? Who's he?" I asked them as Mickey and Rose shared a look, before glancing back at me.
"He… He left. He's not coming back." Rose said softly in realization. Rose was my Grandmother's sister's child, making her my somewhat aunt and only other family besides Jackie that I knew of. "That's… David. David Nyson." She answered swiftly. "He's a good friend of John and mine."
Why had I never met him then? The last time I had seen Rose and John was thanksgiving, and before that I remembered them telling me that they were loners, traveling the world. They had promised to take me too one day, when I was older, when I turned 18. Well, that birthday had come and gone, only having been on the third of this month.
"What's wrong with 'em?" I asked, worried for the man's health. Jackie choose then to enter the room, glancing at me and gave a nod to Rose and Mickey. They left the room to go see David.
"C'mon Sweetheart, how about we make some tea." Jackie suggested and I followed her into the kitchen, silent and uneager to disobey my grandmother. We set down to business making the drink until we realized we were out of tea! That just wasn't right- the Tyler home, out of tea?
"I'll go get some tea, yeah?" I suggest to my grandmother, who nodded and handed me 20 quid. "Thanks, I'll be back!" I called to her before leaving the house, hearing a conversation from David's room. Something about a... Tardis? What was that?
I made my way to the shops, catching a Taxi. It wasn't too expensive and left me with enough for tea and a ride back home. It wasn't a long ride, the shops not too far from the estate. As i exited the cab, I felt a shiver pass over me, like I was being watched. Turning, I saw no one. Absentmindedly I clutched the watch that hung around my neck for a moment. I dropped my hand from the watch marked with intricate runes around my neck without a second thought about the keepsake.
After getting the tea, I felt as if I was being watched again, shivers racing down my spine. Turning around, I watched as men in Santa costumes made their way towards me through the crowds, ominously lifting their instruments as if they were weapons. Suddenly, fire burst from the instruments and missed me as I ducked. I froze for a moment, watching them in horror as people cried as they ran, screaming as they fled.
My eyes widened as fear pumped adrenaline through me. Run! Get away from the santa/robots- they'll kill you! The voice snapped me into action, my feet moving without thought. Not knowing where the orders came from, I went hurriedly through the crowds trying to lose my pursuers. Finally I found a cab and paid for my ride, telling the driver to hurry up.
Pulling out my phone, I tried Jackie, only to get a busy signal.
"Get off the phone!" I muttered- typical Jackie. When I tried any other number, I only got a No Service note. Hissing in frustration, I tried Rose again and she picked up.
"Rose! Thank god- I just got chased by some Santa men!" I yelled to her.
"Calm down, whadaya mean?" She asked.
"I was leavin the store and these things dressed like santa fired some gun thing that looked like instruments at me! Fire like they wanted to kill me!" She didn't respond, and suddenly, Jingle bells played from her end as Jackie and Mickey started yelling.
"Rose! Rose?!" I called, only to see the call was ended. I hissed in frustration, looking out the window to see how close we were. Time seemed to fly as I keot trying her to keep getting No Service. Finally I got at the estate to see Rose, Mickey, Jackie, and even the mysterious David on the balcony, the man pointing a glowing stick that looked like a torch at a santa-bot near me on the ground. It backed away, then disappeared in a flash of light. What had been that? Why after us? Quickly I made my way up the stairs, to see them chiding and questioning David who looked like he was in pain.
"... you need?" Jackie asked.
"I need-" He was panting in exertion, against the wall.
"Say it. Tell me, tell me, tell me." I came up, in worry.
"I need-"
"Painkillers?"
"I need-"
"Do you need aspirin?"
"I need-"
"Codeine? Paracetamol? Oh I don't know, pepto-bismol?"
"I need-"
"Liquid paraffin. Vitamin C? Vitamin D? Vitamin E?"
"I need-"
"Is it food? Something simple. Bowl of soup. A nice bowl of soup? Soup and a sandwich? Soup and a little ham sandwich?"
"I need you to shut up!" David got out, finally. Tea, Tea! Give him tea! The voice cried again.
"How about tea?" I asked nervously. The man turned to look at me suddenly, really looking at me. Sadness filled his eyes, but a small corner of his lips turned up into a smile.
"Yes! Tea-" Suddenly he fell back, and gasped. "We haven't got much time. If there's pilot fish, then-" He paused, pulling an apple from a pocket of his clothing. "Why's there an apple in my dressing gown?" He asked, looking up at Jackie in disbelief.
"Oh, that's Howard. Sorry." Jackie apologized.
"He keeps apples in his dressing gown?" He asked in astonishment. I'd rather have a banana in mine. Or a pear.
"He gets hungry." She explained.
"What, he gets hungry in his sleep?"
"Sometimes."
"Argh!" He fell to be caught by Rose, struggling to speak through whatever was paining him. "Brain collapsing. Tea- The pilot fish. The pilot fish mean that something... something... something is coming." David struggled to say more, but then fainted on the cement wall in Rose's arms. Pilot fish? What were pilot fish? Perhaps the Santa men? And what else could be coming? What was going on?
~DW~
Once they got the Doctor back into his bed, I stood there in the room against the wall. My raven black hair fell to my mid back, straight and without curl. I watched Rose sit besides the man with icy blue-ivy green eyes as Mickey left to get something. Jackie was in the other room, fetching tea for David. Something was going on here, and I wanted to know what, because everyone apparently knew but me.
Rose pulled out a stethoscope, and placed it on his left side of his chest, then his right.
"He's worse now, only one heart beating." She murmured, and I stepped over, and looked at her in astonishment.
"What do you mean, only one heart?" I questioned, and Rose looked up as if she had made a big mistake. She began to sputter, but I shook my head. "I'm tired of lies." I snapped. Before she could respond, Mickey came in with his computer, showing a picture of a fish.
"Here we go, pilot fish. Scavengers, like the Doctor said. Harmless. They're tiny. But the point is, the little fish swim alongside the big fish." He explained, showing both of them. Rose glanced at me, but I kept my eyes on the screen with slight interest. The TV sounded off in the background, and I left the room, a pounding ache starting in my head. It's too soon! too soon, too soon, too soon!
"Funny sort of looking rocks." Jackie mused, watching the Telly in silence. I felt my heart squeeze as I watched the scene, standing besides my grandmother.
"Those aren't rocks." I responded softly. Then I took the cup of tea from Jackie, and ignored her protest as I went into the Doctor's room where Rose and Mickey were chatting. I pushed past them, and raised the cup to the man's lips and he jumped up immediately after a few sips.
"Hot! HOT!" He yelled, causing me to spill it onto him. He jumped quickly, faster than I've ever seen anyone move before. Rose, Mickey, and I looked on in amazement, until Jackie yelled for them.
"Doctor!"
Running into there, on the screen there was an image of four aliens on screen. I backed up slowly, breathing heavily. The headache pounded at me, bum-bum-bum-bum. bum-bum-bum-bum.No, no no no. Don't watch, don't do anything! You can't, no no no no! AGH! It hurts!
I fell into David's arms, the darkness taking over me.
~DW~
Eventually I could feel light pushing against my eyelids, bringing me to consciousness. My head swam for a few moments, eventually forcing me to open my eyes. Where was I? The area was so familiar, Grating beneath my back, organic Y shaped structures rising at random intervals in the room, around the surface I was laid on. A column surrounded by various buttons and levers stood in the middle, a seat near a staircase going up, a set of doors going down.
I wasn't afraid, but as my headache came back, it was soon overpowered by a song that quickly filled me. Tardis. I had heard that word, but where? I was curious to explore, but before I could, I heard the cries of many come from out of the doors. Slowly making my way over, I opened them more than the small amount that they were cracked.
Something roughly grabbed me and pushed me towards some other people. Wait- was that the prime minister?! She looked at me with surprise- and recognition. Rose caught me, helping me to my feet. She stayed close to me, as if protecting me. I didn't need protection!
"She- Whose that? She looks like the Doctor!" The prime minister questioned, but before she could say anything, David drew a sword and challenged a large menacing alien standing before us. He looked almost like a human, his face withered and dark, his eyes sunken. My attention was swiftly taken from the Prime minister to the fight taking place, watching in fascination and worry as it slowly progressed outside.
Eventually David was pushed to the edge of the ship, and Rose stepped forward. The man held his hand out, stopping her.
"Stay back! Invalidate the challenge and he wins the planet!" He warned. The leader knocked him down, and brought his sword upon his hand, and cut it off. "You cut my hand off!" David said in disbelief. I almost gagged, my face twisted into a look of horror.
"Ya! Sycorax!" The leader cried in victory.
"And now I know what sort of man I am. I'm lucky. Because quite by chance I'm still within the first fifteen hours of my regeneration cycle, which means I've got just enough residual cellular energy to do this." His arm glowed where the hand was cut, and it began to regrow in front of my eyes. He grew back a hand! How? What was he?! Two hearts and A new hand!
"Witchcraft." The Alien hissed. I almost felt inclined to believe it.
"Time Lord." He shot back in a lower tone of voice. Time lord. Tardis. Time lord. Tea. Pilot ship. Rose Tyler. The Doctor.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry. It's going to hurt- but we'll come back for you." A man in a leather jacket and jumper with dark jean pants was in front of me, holding my face. His eyes held such love and sadness, so much darkness. Who would fight the darkness? And cold? A hand took her own, Rose. They were on the Tardis.
"Why, why are we doing this!?" Rose cried out, clinging to me. The man- John smith. He was john smith! He gazed at her sadly.
"When you were exposed to the heart of the Tardis, my ship did something. It could also could be the fact she was conceived in the time vortex on the Tardis! I don't know! But now she's aging too fast, destabilized from her Time lord and Human DNA and TNA battling. The TNA is trying to overide as dominate, but it's going to kill her, trying to grow her into a full time lord. But she can't regenerate, not yet at least." He explained quickly, pulling down a helmet like device from the ceiling.
"She's our daughter, Doctor! We- We can't lose her!" Rose cried. I stood there, confused. I didn't know what to say. My past life had only been a week and a half. I was already 17 by human standards.
"I know. I know! But if we change her to human, she'll be okay. Problem is she won't remember us, Rose. I can rewire it a little bit, but… it's gonna be hard, until she turns 18 by human standards and then I can help her. Trust me Rose- it's all we can do."
"Doctor!" Rose yelled, pulling me from my vision. What- what had that been? Rose had been there, and John smith. Rose took a sword from another warrior and tossed it at the Time Lord.
"Oh, so I'm still the Doctor, then?" Was he the Doctor? But the man from her vision was the Doctor. No, he was John smith! What was happening? Who was she? Her headache slammed into her, and she fought to stay still and hold in her pain.
"No arguments from me!" Rose countered.
"Want to know the best bit? This new hand? It's a fighting hand!" He said in a poor texan accent, making me wince. The alien and him started to fight once more, the Time Lord on new, better grounds and eventually he disarms the alien leader, and thump both hilts into it's abdomen twice. It falls right onto the edge overlooking London.
"I win." The Time Lord declared, hilt to the aliens throat.
"Then kill me." It ordered, slightly hoarse.
"I'll spare your life if you'll take this Champion's command. Leave this planet, and never return. What do you say?" He offered.
"Yes." It took the offer.
"Swear on the blood of your species." The mysterious man ordered, pressing the metal further into it's throat.
"I swear." It ground out.
"There we are, then. Thanks for that. Cheers, big fellow." Back the man was to being eccentric, pulling the sword away and walking back to them.
"Bravo!" The Prime minister cheered.
"That says it all. Bravo!" Rose joined in, happily.
"Ah, not bad for a man in his jim-jams." The Time Lord surmised, smiling. Rose helped him put on the dressing gown, both smiling as I watched with a blank expression. Wait, wait, wait. Silence!
"Very Arthur Dent. Now, there was a nice man. Hold on, what have I got in here? A satsuma. Ah, that friend of your mothers. He does like his snacks doesn't he? But doesn't that just sum up Christmas? You go through all those presents and right at the end, tucked away at the bottom, there's always one stupid old satsuma. Who wants a satsuma?" The man rambled as they headed to the ship's inside. Suddenly he threw the fruit at a control on the spaceship hull, and the Alien leader fell, yelling. Had he gone back on his vows?
"No second chances. I'm that sort of a man."
Everything after that was a blur, and all I could hear was the blood washing through my ears as the man addressed the Sycorax and as they were beamed down. All she could think about was the vision and it's information. Was it even real? Had she been hallucinating?
"... You did it, Rose! Oh!" Jackie exclaimed as one of the agents on the ship that was now with them went to answer his phone. Rose turned to me, and smiled.
"You did it too! It was the tea, fixed his head. How'd you guess that?" She asked, slightly worried. The Time lord nodded, glancing at me as well.
"That was all I needed, cup of tea. How did you know?" He asked. I shrugged, staying silent.
"Is it him, though? Is it really the Doctor? Oh, my god, it's the bleeding Prime minister!" Jackie smiled, and I suspiciously glanced at the man in question. Doctor… Don't let me remember! I can't- I can't open it! Don't let me touch it! Take it away! Doctor!
"Come here you." The tall wiry man offered as he pulled everyone, even me into a group hug. "How much do you remember?"He whispered into my ear after a moment. After they disbanded, once again I faded into my own mind. Remember? I didn't remember anything before this year. Jackie had said I had hit my head. Who else was lying to me?
Suddenly five green beams streaked up into the sky, met and fired out into space and struck the fleeing Sycorax asteroid and caused it to explode.
"What is that? What's happening?" Rose gaped, and I felt myself fill with anger. As I rounded on the Minister, the Time Lord spoke before I could.
"That was murder." He growled.
"That was defence. It's adapted from alien technology. A ship that fell to Earth ten years ago." The elderly woman defended.
"But they were leaving!" I shouted at her, fuming. Rose put a hand on my shoulder. The mysterious man glanced at me, then back to the Prime minister.
"You said it yourself, Doctor. They'd go back to the stars and tell others about the Earth. Im sorry, Doctor, but your not here all the time. You come and go. With many cases the Earth is attacked and you are off with your companions in the Tardis. People died today, Doctor, up in that ship! In which case, we have to defend ourselves." She preached, my hand balling into a fist.
"Britain's Golden Age." The 'Doctor' sneered.
"It comes with a price." Harriet replied dutifully.
"I gave them the wrong warning. I should've told them to run as fast as they can, run and hide because the monsters are coming. The human race." He snapped, his voice laced with venom.
"Those are the people I represent. I did it on their behalf." She responded.
"Then I should have stopped you." The doctor heathed.
"What does that make you, Doctor- you and your daughter? Another alien threat?" She eyed me and him suspiciously, as Rose's hand on my shoulder tightened as I stiffened up. What was going on? The Doctor tensed, and seemed like a cobra ready to strike.
"You just murdered an entire ship of people, living breathing things each with families and loved ones, each now dead into the dust. Each one with a past, present, and now a future that will never happen! You just committed genocide!" I ranted, and Harriet looked at me with realization that quickly disappeared behind her mask of duty. The man looked at me with an approving, sad look.
"Don't challenge me, Harriet Jones, because I'm a completely new man. I could bring down your Government with a single word." He threatened after me.
"You're the most remarkable man I've ever met, but I don't think you're quite capable of that." She remarked.
"No, you're right. Not a single word, just six." He fixed his mistake quickly.
"I don't think so." She replied, slightly unnerved.
"Six words." He repeated.
"Stop it!" Harriet yelled anxiously.
"Six." He went over to the man who phoned the people who shot down the ship and whispered into his ear.
I didn't hear what he said, but he quickly came back over to us. After that, they left in silence, leaving the Prime minister yelling after them.
When we got back to the estate, I ran into my room and locked the door. Rose followed me to it, and I heard the Doctor, Rose, and Jackie in hushed tones outside. Eventually the Doctor left, and Rose left the outside of my room. Sighing in relief, I made my way to my bed, and laid down, face first. Before I knew it, I was asleep.
Eventually I was awoken by the feeling of someone sitting on the bed, near the edge. Slowly I turned over to face the Doctor, dressed in brown pinstripe suit and long brown coat with converse. He watched me in silence, before I sat up to face him.
His brown eyes were so dark and deep, filled with so much silence except for one little thing at the back of their depths. Hope. Suddenly I don't know why, but tears filled my watery gaze and I felt him embrace me, as I cried into his side.
After almost an half hour of wordless sobs, I look up at him.
"Who am I?" I asked softly. He looked so sad then, full of grief.
"You're Isabella-Ambrose Jamie Tyler, always have been. Always will be." He responded quietly.
"Don't blame yourself for me being sad." I said suddenly, and he gave a small laugh.
"You and your mother…" He said softly, then stopped.
"Who are you? You and- and rose? And the man with the black hair and big ears and jacket? To me?" I asked curiously. He paused, taking a sharp inhale before running his hands through my hair.
"Rose… Rose is your mum. Jackie really is your grandmother. And- and John smith was your dad- I'm your dad." He explained. Slowly I glanced at him, and tears began to fall again but I laughed. Tears of joy.
"But then, why don't I remember?" I asked, but then he reached out and touched the watch hanging around my neck that I never took off save for showers.
"Open it." He whispered, taking it off of my head and placing it into my hands. It whispered to me, words of guidance and acceptance.
"Why? Why don't I remember? Why did you do this?" I Rephrased.
"Bella, you're really only 8 months old." He said softly. Only John Smith had called me that, I used to hate it, but he never stopped. But what did he mean, only 8 months old?!
"You're lying! I'm 18!" I cried. He shook his head.
"When Rose was pregnant, she got exposed to the Heart of the Tardis when we were fighting an raxacalacofallapatorian named Blon Fel Fotch Slitheen. She got affected by the radiation, and the best way to make sure it got used without causing too much harm, was to let the Tardis age you really fast. But when you turned 17, your TNA and DNA was destabilizing, the TNA trying to win over your human genes. But you didn't have two hearts or enough atron energy to regenerate yet. You had aged too fast for you to build up enough atron energy to regenerate once you reached 18 for you to become a full Time Lord- lady." He explained quickly, and I listened, actually understanding.
"So once I open this watch, I'll regenerate? Does that mean… I'll change? I'll… die?" I asked in fear. He didn't respond, until eventually he nodded.
"I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry. But… it was the only way. But after that you can come with me and your mum. We'll explore all of time and space in the tardis together. I-I… I'm sorry, but you know that me and your mum love you so very much. We only want whats best for you." He started crying, his eyes tearing up.
"Can I not just open it? Please? Can I just throw it away and come with you anyways?" I begged, once again crying into his jacket. The Doctor was quiet, crying without sound.
"You… you have too. Eventually the part of the time vortex you were exposed to will kill you, without being a Time Lord. Im sorry! I'm so sorry. But… if you want you don't have to do it now." He amended, and I felt anger boil up into me.
"Why did you lie to me? Why couldn't you tell me?! Now because of you and mum, I'm going to die!" I yelled in anger, then I heard the door open as someone else came to sit down besides me. Mum. Rose tyler, my mum. i have a mum. She hugged me tightly, shushing me.
"I'm sorry, but… it's all we could do. Don't blame your father, sweetheart. Why don't we go and enjoy christmas dinner, and then we'll go someplace nice." for me to open the watch? For me to die? I thought morbidly but nodded into The Doctor's coat.
He jumped up immediately, smiling. When was he not so manic? He went to the doorway, and looked back at us, confused.
"Well come on then, we got christmas dinner and presents waiting for you too!" He rushed, then left to the living room. I turned to Rose, and gave a forced small smile.
"You two go on, I'm going to get ready again." I responded to her worried expression. She nodded, not convinced and left. With a shaky sigh, I lifted the watch on the chain back around my neck before going into the bathroom to redo my hair. Hard light ivy green eyes mixed with icy blue stared back at me. Why had I never seen it, how much I looked like John Smith and Rose Tyler? The Doctor and The bad wolf. The bad wolf, who was that?
Sitting around the table, everyone was laughing merrily and wearing paper crowns. Jackie was on the phone, wearing a pink one, the Doctor a blue one, Rose a red and me an ivy green/blue. Dinner had been served, a hearty meal of turkey and other christmas delights.
The TV was on the news, a press conference for Harriet Jones. I felt myself grow angry as I watched in silence like always. Silence.
"Look, It's Harriet Jones!" Rose exclaimed, pointing and the telly. Everyone turned to watch except for Jackie who was still on the phone.
"Prime minister, is it true you're no longer fit to be in position?" A man asked, causing me to smirk.
"Look, there is nothing wrong with my health. I don't know where these stories are coming from. And a vote of no confidence is completely unjustified." Harriet responded. She seemed off, slightly askew.
"Are you going to resign?" Another man asked.
"On today of all days, I'm fine. Look at me, I'm fine. I look fine, I feel fine." It was as if she was trying her best not to screech at them, to scream at the world. Harriet Jones, you committed Genocide in my eyes. What the Doctor did to you was merciful. I thought sadly. The telephone ringed right as Jackie put it down, and she turned to us.
"It's Beth. She says go and look outside." She relayed curiously.
"Why?" I asked, unsure.
"I don't know, just go outside and look. Come on, shift!" She shooed us outside, snow falling softly. But… it wasn't snow- was it? It smelled of burning metal, the air like smoke in my mouth and lungs. The Doctor and Rose followed my outside to the middle of the Estate, my eyes sad and dark.
"It's… It's..." I couldn't finish the sentence. Streaks of light cris-crossed the sky.
"Oh, beautiful. What are they, meteors?" Rose asked in awe. I shot her a look.
"It's the space ship breaking up in the atmosphere. This isn't snow, It's ash." The Doctor explained. That wasn't only a ship, it was also what was left of a society on that ship.
"Okay, not so beautiful." Rose amended.
"This is a brand new planet Earth. No denying the existence of aliens now. Everyone saw it. Everything's new." The Doctor remarked happily after a pause.
"And what about us? What are we going to do next?" Rose asked, knowing full well the answer. They both looked towards me, my eyes closing as my head tilted towards the sky.
"Off to somewhere quiet and peaceful. Someplace… harmonic But something new..." I replied softly. The Doctor nodded, and we left towards the Tardis, my heart beating so fast it was as if I had two.
bum-bum-bum-bum. bum-bum-bum-bum. bum-bum-bum-bum. bum-bum-bum-bum.
Well there we are. If you can tell, Isabella is a lot more like the 9th Doctor, she's hard but silent. She gives a lot of thought into things, but she will have moments like Rose, her mum soon. Thanks for reading! Please review!
-ChangeOfWings