Jethro walked down the alley trying, and failing, not to let his mind wander to what happened on Midnight. It was late, about 3 in the morning, and he knew he should go back home. The longer he stayed out the more his parents would worry. After Midnight they had become irritatingly overprotective, it had only taken his mother a few weeks before insisting that he have a tracker chip placed in his head. It had come as a surprise that they'd allowed him to move into his own flat. It was less of a surprise to find it was just one street along.
His thoughts disappeared when he heard a scream. It was coming from the end of the street. Running he saw a very tall figure pressing the smaller one towards the wall. "Give it" the taller one growled.
"I don't have it" the smaller one, who he realised was a girl, pleaded trying to push him away.
The taller guy looked up as he heard Jethro's footsteps, "I won't forget" he whispered in her ears, she turned her head in disgust. "I have a debt to collect" he turned and ran, letting the girl drop to the floor.
Jethro bolted towards her "Are you okay?" he asked bending down to look her in the face.
She was pretty, lightly tanned skin, long brown hair and sparkly green eyes. Her beauty was spoilt by the torn and muddy nightgown and the bruising going up one of her legs.
"Yeah" she mumbled "just a little sore" she tried to get up but felt a searing pain in her head.
"Looks bad" he nodded, then realising she was still on the floor he held out a hand to her. "Jethro"
"Bliss" she smiled taking his hand as he pulled her up.
"So…" he started as she regained her balance
"I'm not going to tell you about what happened" she interrupted him.
"That's not what I was going to ask" what is she a mind reader? "So do you live round hear?"
"No, I live really faraway"
"New to the country?"
"New to the planet"
"Oh" he noticed that she was walking out of the alley onto the street. Wanting to know more he followed.
"You're a bit strange" she turned to look at him.
"This coming from the alien" he joked.
"Exactly, an alien has just been assaulted in an alley and you don't bat an eyelid" she turned back to the road and began to cross it but stopped. "It's as though you've met someone like me before" she looked thoughtful before running back to him.
"This may hurt a bit" she warned and placed her hands on the side of his head, finger tips resting on his temples.
Before he could complain she closed her eyes and he felt a sharp pain in his head. All of a sudden memories of Midnight, the copycat monster and the Doctor came flooding back. They were so strong and vivid it was like he was still there.
"Sorry" he heard her mumble as he was pulled into something new. It was an empty room with a battered white door. Slowly it opened and he moved forward mentally.
Images flashed before him, of planets, solar systems and stars. There was a big collections of the same world. Golden skies, big mystic castles and children playing in the grass.
But it suddenly changed, explosions, death and destruction. A baby wrapped in rags being placed in a ship.
"Stop" he heard Bliss yell far away in his mind, and he was pulled back. Away from the memories and into blackness.
As suddenly as it began he was back in the alley way as Bliss removed her hands.
"Where was that" he asked, not noticing the anger in her eyes
"No, that door stays closed" she breathed slowly releasing the tension. "So where's your flat?"
He was struck silent for a minute before gaining speech, "Umm a couple of streets a way, why?"
"Because I have nowhere to go and you were already thinking of asking me" she said bluntly taking his arm and running in the direction he had pointed.
Seeing the look of confusion she smiled and tapped the side of her head. "Saw it in your head, remember?"
"So you're just going to move in with me?"
"You thought of it" she raised an eye brow comically "Why don't you like me?" she pouted.
"No I just don't know you. I mean what species are you?"
"The planet I come from is called…well that I can't remember. It was lost in time somewhere. My species, well I'm a time lady…But since my ship got damaged it's just space I can travel in. But space lady sounds weird. I guess for now you can just call me Bliss" she finally stopped talking as she reached the end of the road and looked both ways before crossing. "Always look both ways before crossing the road. He told me that. Who did?" she burrowed her eyebrows and continued the conversation with herself. "That's not important now"
Jethro was surprised she could talk for that long with no stops. "So you can't really remember a lot about yourself can you?"
"No, quite a lot of my memory was damaged in a fire a few galaxies away. Mostly names and people's faces, although I'm getting better at remembering new people" grinning she pointed to him. "Jethro. See!" she laughed a pretty tinkelish laugh as they reached his building.
"I'm on the third floor" he explained as he unlocked the door. "Mum thinks its low enough that if I fall I won't die but high enough that I can't get attacked by burglars. You know what parents are like" he grimaced at the thought of what his parents would think of him having an alien for a flat mate.
"Not really, the memories of them were destroyed too"
"That must have been awful" As much as he didn't like his parents he couldn't imagine what it would be like to like without them.
"Nope, like I said I can't remember them so I can't miss them" she shrugged as they went forward into the lobby.
"Well the lifts are over…" he started but was cut off as Bliss dragged him to the staircase and ran up it like an excited child.
"I love the running" she said sprinting up the stairs. "If you want to stay with me expect a whole lot of running kid"
"Kid" Jethro snorted as they reached the first flight of steps. "You can't be older than me, maybe 16 at the most"
"Nuh uh" she shook her head playfully and started the second flight. "Three hundred actually"
"But… y you look…so" He stuttered not sure of what to say.
"My species don't age" she explained. "Just every so often we regenerate into new bodies…or so I think. It may be something like when we're hurt we regenerate. I don't really know because it's never happened to me"
They finally reached his floor and they entered his flat. Jethro didn't realise that he was still holding her hand, but as she wasn't trying to pull away, he didn't let go.
"It's…nice" she smiled looking at his clean and boring flat.
"No its not, the only way my parents let me live here alone is if I keep it beige and pristine" he let go of her hand and walked to the kitchen turning on the kettle. "Tea?"
"Sure, if you can put some peanut butter in it. Tried it once with the queen Vic and have been hooked ever since. And anyway you don't have to keep it clean anymore"
"Why?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Because now I'm living here, so you're not alone" smiling she sat down on the beige armchair and began examining her leg.
"I don't think that's what they meant" he looked at her and realised she was still wearing the night shirt. "Do you need something fresh to wear?"
"Oh yes I haven't changed in days and he always said to wear fresh clothes" again a look of confusion passed her face. "Who did?"
"I think I might have something you can borrow"
"You don't look like the cross dressing type" a cheeky smile appeared on her face. "All though the royal court of Shoon do dress in women's clothes and they're the toughest fighters in their quadrant"
"No I think I've got a big shirt you can borrow" he blushed slightly. Going into his room he rummaged through his wardrobe till he found an old grey t-shirt with a faded rock band emblem on the front. It was long on him so he thought it would fit Bliss who was a few inches shorter.
"Found it" he called out walking back into the front room. He threw the shirt and she caught seamlessly.
"Nice" she stroked the picture with her thumb.
"There's a bathroom on the ri…" he stopped as she pulled off her night gown. He turned to face the wall but not before Bliss noticed his face go tomato red.
"You ready yet?" he asked not wanting to catch her off guard.
"Yep" he turned and was oddly surprised. The shirt fitted her perfectly and the hem fell to just above the knee.
"Sorry, I don't think I've got any shoes that'll fit you" he smiled apologetically.
"Don't worry, look" she pointed to her feet and Jethro noticed that she had on a pair of blue converse. "Tea must be done already" she skipped to the kettle and poured the water into to mugs.
They sat at the kitchen table drinking their tea, he turned down the peanut butter, sticking to his normal, just a bit of milk. The conversation was mostly Bliss asking about his life and him answering. He found out a bit about her too. Her favourite food was ice cream pizza. She had gone to school on a planet called Vitol when she was eighty, but often stopped off at schools on her travels to update her information. Her worst Christmas was spent defeating a Sontaron attack on earth two centuries ago that afterwards no-one remembered and she liked to lick her spoon after stirring her tea.
"Well it's getting late" Jethro stretched looking at the couch. "You can have my bed and I'll sleep on the couch"
"Don't be ridiculous" she laughed putting away the mugs. "You can't sleep on the sofa; we'll just both share the bed"
He blinked and got up as she walked towards the bedroom. "I'll get changed" he mumbled picking up his pyjamas and going into his bathroom.
After he'd changed he walked back to find Bliss asleep on the left side of the bed, covers pulled up to her chin. Carefully he slipped in next to her and switched of the light next to his bed.
He didn't get to sleep for ages, he never did, but as he was about to drift off he heard her mummer.
"Thanks Jethro, you're a real hero" he smiled and turned round so he was looking at her.
"Why did you trust me?" she looked up at him. "I could have been some psycho for all you knew"
"To begin, with you helped me get out of a pretty sticky situation, so that obviously shows your kind and when I looked into your mind I could see you're a good person"
"Night Bliss" He smiled as they both turned round.
"Night Jethro"
The next morning they woke to find each other sleeping back to back, sun shining through the window.
"So" Bliss said as she and Jethro both sat up in the bed. "New day, new dawn. What shall we do?"
"Well I have work so you could…"
"What job do you do?" he was learning that Bliss liked to cut across him a lot, but he knew she was just excitable rather than plain rude.
"I work in a book shop on the high street…"
"Would they let me work there?" he laughed as she looked at him confused. "What?"
"Sometime your gonna have to let me finish a sentence" she bowed her head slightly. "I think you might need some new clothes if you're planning on staying"
"Feels like I've been here for ever" she smiled warmly back at him.
A.N
This just sort of wrote itself, I loved Jethro so much and am still hoping he'll make an appearance again, he was too adorable to forget. Unfortunately now any time I see midnight I have to squish the urge to tickle his cheeks on the screen to stop people thinking I'm insane.
I know I should be finishing other stories, but I wanted to write it! I may even turn it into a multi chapter, I dunno.
Love Rosie
