Hello! This is a fanfic of a fanfic :) So if you haven't read For the Sake of an Angel by my friend Entitea then go read it! It is an awesome Doctor Who fanfic! This is a one-shot of an adventure Addie and the Doctor could have had between the chapters of For the Sake of an Angel so I hope you enjoy!
Addie had her feet planted firmly on the ground, and her stun gun pointed out in front of her. Her hands were steady, and she took deep breaths to calm her racing heart. She had done this a million times, but now it was the real deal. She only had one chance, and she had to make it count or… She didn't want to even think about the consequences. It all came down to this one moment; a moment that could change the course of everything.
"Addie, shoot the gun!" Jack yelled.
"Addie, you've got to! There is no other way out of this!" Donna called on the other side of her, her face a mask of worry and anticipation. Addie clenched her jaw and held on to the stun gun tighter.
"Stop yelling at me! It's not helping. I got this." She didn't know whether or not she said that for their benefit or her own, but it didn't matter anymore. It was now or never. She pulled the trigger.
There was a satisfying plunk against the bullseye of the target, and Addie let out a whoop of victory.
"I guess that means you're buying us lunch, Cowboy." Donna slung her arm around Addie's shoulder and gave her a little wink.
"I don't remember that being a part of the bargain. It was a nice shot Red, but not nice enough for lunch." He crossed his arms over his chest and gave them an infuriating smirk. Addie rolled her eyes at him. Her stomach was not in the mood for Jack's games, and she had certainly earned a free meal. They had been at the range almost all day practicing with Jack barking orders and correcting their form as they aimed for the targets.
"Oh no, you don't. You are not getting out of this one! You said if I hit the bullseye then lunch was on you and if I didn't we had to buy lunch. I hit the bullseye so now you have to hold up your end of the deal." Usually, Addie could handle Jack's little quirky comments, but there was only so much she could take on an empty stomach. As if on cue, a rumbling noise came from her abdomen, and she placed a hand on it and sighed.
"Wow, you're so feisty when you're hungry Adds, and I know exactly how to satisfy you." He wiggled his eyebrows and Addie could feel a blush creep into her cheeks as she groaned inwardly. Leave it to Jack to turn a little stomach growl into something sexual.
"Oi! Leave the poor girl alone and let's all go get something to eat." Donna tugged on Addie's wrist and began to head for the exit. In the blink of an eye, they were sitting in a small Chinese restaurant with half eaten food in front of them laughing at one of Jack's stories.
Addie furrowed her brows. There was something off about this whole picture. One minute they were at the shooting range and the next they were almost done with their food at a restaurant, and she had no idea how they had got there.
"Ok, this might be a stupid question and please just humor me for a second but um… How exactly did we get here?" Addie looked at her two friends; their expressions were masks of confusion.
"What do you mean how did we get here?" Jack asked, the corners of his mouth dipping down.
"I just can't remember how we physically got here. It's like there is a black hole in my memory, I mean I can't even remember ordering!" Her palms began sweating, and her heart started to race. Why was she having such a violent reaction? Why couldn't she remember something so simple as walking to a restaurant and ordering a meal? She stood up quickly, the bottom of her chair scraped against the wood floor creating a loud screeching noise that made everyone look up from their meals.
"Addie, are you alright?" Donna reached out for Addie's hand, but she recoiled from the older women's touch as if she had been burned, " You aren't looking well. Do you need to go see a doctor?"
"Yes! The Doctor!" Addie gasped. How could she not have noticed the Doctor wasn't with them? She racked her brain trying to remember where exactly he went, but she came up with nothing. She had no memory of the Doctor telling her where he was going or why she and Donna had come to visit Jack for shooting lessons. She looked at both her friends hoping they could fill in the missing pieces in her spotty memory. Both Jack and Donna gave her blank stares.
Donna tilted her head to the side, " The Doctor? Doctor who?"
—
The Doctor hated waiting. Waiting for things was wasting time, time that could be spent seeing amazing things or hurdling headfirst into danger. Or doing both at the same time. He liked doing both at the same time. That saved time unlike waiting for two humans to get up and ready from a long night's sleep.
Donna stepped into the console room yawning and stretching her arms above her head.
The Doctor shook his head in disbelief, "You cannot still be tired. You slept for ten hours!"
"First of all I am not a morning person, and I do not appreciate that tone so early in the morning. Second of all, I did not get ten hours of sleep because somebody decided to make a ruckus in the console room for God knows how long!" She narrowed her eyes at him, and he rubbed his hand on the back of his neck and shrugged his shoulders.
"I was working on something important!"
"On a scale of one to ten, one being could wait a couple of hundred years to do this and ten being it had to be done at that moment or the universe would explode, where would this important thing fall?"
"A four?"
"A four?! You made all that noise for a four? For a freaking four?" She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned on one hip waiting for an explanation.
"What I was doing couldn't save the universe, hence the four rating, but it was really important to get it done at the time. You see-"
"You know what? I don't even want to know. A freaking four isn't worth an explanation. Get back to me when there is something worth a nine or a ten, at least that will be interesting enough to lose sleep over."
"Donna-"
"Don't you 'Donna' me! I can't even imagine how poor Addie got any sleep last night! Her room is much closer to here than mine is."
The Doctor instantly felt guilty. He really should have waited until morning, but he had just been so bored while the girls were asleep. He hated sleep. Just like waiting it seemed like a waste of time to him, and luckily he didn't need a lot of it to function. Unfortunately, humans did, and Donna and Addie were no exceptions. It was the worst part about traveling with humans, waiting for them to recharge themselves. He knew these thoughts were a bit selfish, but he wished that humans needed as little sleep as Time Lords so he could spend more time traveling all of time and space with them.
Then he had a strange thought. It wasn't like Addie to be the last one up even if she had gotten a bad night's sleep. He felt uneasy as he made his way towards her room, "I'm just going to go check on her, make sure she's alright."
Donna could hear the worry in his words, "I'm sure she is just sleeping in late today, she'll probably be up soon."
He didn't pause to take in Donna's words as he made his way down the hall and to the door of her bedroom. He pushed his hand against the smooth wood and gently pushed the door open. A blast of cold air hit his face as the door opened wide.
"Addie?" He called softly. He could see her prone figure on the bed; her strawberry blonde hair splayed out on her pillow. Her chest moved up and down rapidly, and small beads of sweat glistened on her forehead. He went to her bedside and placed his hand on her cheek. Usually, she looked so peaceful in her sleep, so relaxed and sweet, but now there was a slight frown, and her brows were creased with worry as if she was having a bad dream. Her skin was ice cold and the Doctor began to panic.
"Addie? Addie! Addie, can you hear me? Wake up!" He shook her shoulders, but she feel back down on to the mattress still unconscious. He swore under his breath and began to use his sonic screwdriver to analyze what was happening.
The shouting had brought Donna to the door, "What in the world-"
"Donna, stay back!" He threw up his palm at her, and the look on his face made her stop dead in her tracts.
"Doctor? What's happened? What's wrong with Addie?"
The Doctor ignored her, still using his screwdriver mumbling under his breath, "No, no, no, it can't be, not them. No!"
"Doctor, you're scaring me! Tell me what is going on right now!" Donna clung to the doorframe, thankful for the support. She did not like the look on the Doctor's face. It was never good when he got that look in his eye like his whole world was breaking apart at the seams. When she looked down at Addie, tears formed in her eyes. She looked like she was on the verge of death.
"Donna, listen to me carefully. I need you to leave this room and close the door behind and under no circumstances open this door. I need you to stay awake, do you understand? DO NOT go to sleep."
"But Doctor, what is going on? Is Addie going to be alright? Please, let me help you."
"I'm sorry Donna, but there is nothing you can do. Just do what I say." Donna stood frozen to the spot not wanting to leave her two best friends. All of a sudden she began to yawn and her eyelids felt heavy. She began to slump against the doorframe when a voice shocked her awake.
"Donna Noble, for once in your life DO AS YOU'RE TOLD!" Seeing the wild look of despair in his eyes, Donna quickly slammed the door shut and backed away slowly. There was something old and evil in that room and Donna, for the first time in a while, was completely and utterly terrified.
Fear surged through his body as he saw the effect these parasites were having on Donna. Addie had already been infected, and he was not about to let another person he loved have the same fate.
—
"That's not funny, Donna," Addie was seriously panicking now, "I'm not in the mood to be joking around."
Jack furrowed his brows in confusion and gave Donna a look, "Addie, we're serious, we have no idea who you're talking about."
She looked from Jack to Donna waiting for them to burst into laughter about the joke they were playing on her. They didn't. Without saying another word, Addie rushed out of the restaurant and onto the street. Ok, I need to calm down, Addie thought, I need to calm down and find the Doctor. If I find the Doctor we can figure this out. He always figures it out. Always.
Then, an intense pressure formed on her temples, and her hands instantly went to massage the tender area. It wasn't an unbearable pain, but it wasn't pleasant either. She groaned, thinking the stress had caused her to have a headache. She was about to reach into her purse for some ibuprofen when a familiar voice made her head snap straight up.
"Addie?"
"Doctor?" Addie whirled around looking in every direction to see where the Doctor was, but the dark street was empty. Dark? How had it become so dark so soon? We were having lunch! The sun was in the sky only a few minutes ago! "Doctor, where are you? I can't see you."
"You won't be able to; I'm talking inside your mind right now."
"Inside my mind? Doctor, what's-"
"Addie, listen to me. We don't have much time, and in a few seconds I won't be able to hold the connection, they are forcing me out. What you need to know is this. It is all a dream. It may feel like reality, but it's not, they make it seem that way, so you never want to wake up."
"Um, I think waking up would be a lovely idea right now. Why can't I wake up?"
"They have been feeding off your dreams for a couple of hours now so you won't be able to simply wake up. They have too tight a hold on you. The only way to wake you up now is from the outside. Now, Addie, I'm am going to do everything I can to wake you up, and I will wake you up, but you have to remember that this is just a dream. If you forget that you're dreaming, you obviously won't feel the need to wake up, and I won't be able to help pull you out. So chant it in your head, write it down, do something so you can remember."
"But, who are they? Doctor?" The pressure on her temples was subsiding, and she could feel the doctor slipping from her mind. His voice was becoming faint.
"Addie, I will get you out, but you have to remember that this is not reality, it's just a dream. Remember that Addie. Remember." The last word was a faint echo in her mind and then there was silence.
—
"Agh!" The Doctor wretched his fingers from the side of Addie's head as the intense pressure in his brain had reached a breaking point. It was a miracle he was able to stay long enough in her mind to tell her to remember with those creatures trying to infect him. He could feel them probing his brain, trying to burn holes in the defenses. He had only stayed long enough to tell her, but he had wished he had more time to explain to her what was going on. The information could have helped her cling to the fact that she was in a dream.
He burst through the bedroom doors and into the console room where Donna was pacing back and forth.
"Doctor, you better tell me what is happening to Addie, or I swear-" The Doctor ran right past her and down below the main console. Donna looked after him her mouth agape in outrage. After standing like that for a few seconds, she clenched her jaw shut and marched after him, her red hair streaking out behind her and her steps heavy, "Now listen to me buster, you're gonna tell me what is going on right now-"
"Donna, there's no time! I have to focus, and you need to shut up!" He turned to her and saw the hurt in her eyes. He immediately regretted the harsh tone and sighed as he moved a metal cover of a panel to the side. "Ok, there are parasites in Addie's mind right now, feeding off her dreams, keeping her in the REM cycle. They need the energy created from sleep to survive, and they are slowly draining Addie of her life force. She was nearing the end of her REM cycle when I went in to talk to her last time causing her to realize she was dreaming, but they won't let her get to that point again. They will fill in whatever holes they had missed to make it as close to her reality as possible."
"So what are we going to do about?"
"I was getting to that! If I can stay long enough inside her mind, I can help wake her up and pull her out." He reached into the floor panel and brought out a pair of metal cuffs linked to a large battery pack, "And this is how I'm going to do it!"
"With some flashy new jewelry attached to a car battery?"
The Doctor narrowed his eyes,"Oi! This is a link amplifier, and it's going to help me hold the connection with Addie so I can help guide her to consciousness," It wasn't the greatest plan and by no means did it guaranteed that Addie would wake up, but it was the only way he could try to help her. "Donna, you're going to have to stay out here while I do this."
"Like hell I am! I'm not staying out here.
"Donna-"
"I am not leaving you and Addie alone in a room with weird dream parasites!"
"Donna, it's too dangerous-
Donna marched from the room, and the Doctor scrambled after her with his equipment. He got to the door before her and put his arm across it.
"Donna, please-"
"No! Addie's my friend too, and you're crazy if you believe for a second that I'm not going in there." Her eyes burned into his and he knew there was no arguing with her. His arm fell from the door, and he looked her straight in the eye.
"While your in Addie's room those parasites will try to lure you into sleep. You can't under any circumstances fall asleep, Donna. No matter how tired you feel or how heavy your eyes get you can't fall asleep," He snapped the bracelets on his wrists and cringed a bit as the needles went into his skin, connecting with his nerves. He was suddenly hyper-aware of the fact that they were wasting time just discussing what was happening to Addie and not doing anything for her.
He placed his hand on the doorknob and looked to Donna to see if she was ready. She nodded, but shivered as soon as she felt the cold air swept out into the hallway as the Doctor pushed open the door. Donna rushed to Addie's bedside and looked over at the girl. Her skin had become almost gray, and her breathing was labored. Her hair was damp with sweat and Donna pushed away a single lock that had fallen across her face, only to recoil at how frozen Addie felt. She could feel the tears in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. A buzzing noise flooded the room, and Donna realized that the Doctor had started the battery. She began to yawn, but her eyes snapped open in horror to see the Doctor's grave expression.
"They've started. Donna, do whatever you have to and stay awake! I'm counting on you." With that, the Doctor put his hands on Addie's temples and tried to enter her mind.
Addie looked down at her hand in confusion. The word REMEMBER was written on her palm, and she had no idea why. She was sitting in the TARDIS waiting for the Doctor and Donna to stop arguing and choose where they wanted to go next.
"You said I could choose this time so that's what I picked and that's where we're going." Donna slammed down the lever, and the TARDIS started to fly when suddenly the Doctor slammed it back up.
"Oh, come on! Ancient Egypt is nothing compared to the jungles of Deva Loka. Big soaring trees, so big you can't even see the top. Wonderful beaches too." The Doctor then flipped the switch again only to have Donna flip it back off.
"I could do this all day, Space Man."
"Well, I guess we need a tiebreaker. Addie, which would you like to see more, Ancient Egypt or the magnificent jungles of Deva Loka?" He looked over and saw her intently studying her hand, "Addie, you alright?"
Her head snapped up. She had been so lost in thought she hadn't heard him. "I'm sorry, yeah I'm fine. I just can't figure out why I wrote this on my hand."
She held up her palm for the Doctor to see. He examined it but looked unconcerned, "Remember. Hm. Well, I'm sure whatever you have forgotten will come to you eventually. Now, is it going to be the nice refreshing jungles of Deva Loka or the lifeless deserts of Ancient Egypt?"
Addie didn't like the way he had just brushed passed the issue. She could feel that something was going on, she just couldn't tell what. But this is the Doctor, she thought, if he says everything's fine, then everything is fine. She pushed down her uneasiness and thought about which would be better; Ancient Egypt or the jungles of Deva Loka? As she was about to answer, a severe pressure pressed down on her temples. She grasped he head in her hands and cried out, but as quick as it came it was gone. She lifted her head from her hands and blinked a couple of times just to be sure what she was seeing in front of her was real.
"Oh no, there can't be two of them. One is already bad enough." Donna shook her head as she surveyed the scene in front of her. There were now two identical Doctors standing side by side.
The connection was much stronger than last time; he was even able to project his physical self into her mind. Completely ignoring his twin and Donna, the Doctor focused on Addie. "Addie, do you remember what I told you? This isn't-"
"What are you?" The other Doctor interrupted.
"I don't have time for this," He fell to one knee and grasped Addie's hand and turned her palm over so they could see the writing, "This isn't real. Dream parasites have infected your mind and are draining you of all your energy. You have to wake up now, Addie."
Donna scrunched her face up and scowled,"Who are you calling not real? Of course, we're real! You're the one that just popped into the TARDIS out of thin air. If anyone's not real, it's you!"
He lifted her palm to her face, "You wrote this on your hand for a reason, and that reason is to help you wake up from this dream."
Addie shook her head, "I don't-"
"Do you remember saying goodbye to Jack?" He asked.
"No, but…"
"Do you remember how you got in the TARDIS?"
Addie shook her head. She stood up abruptly and pulled her stun gun from its holster, aiming it all three of them. "Ok, no one is going to move an inch before I figure out what is going on!"
The other Doctor stepped in front of Donna, "Addie don't listen to him! We're real; we're your friends!" He inched a bit closer to Addie. She fired a shot into the air which ricocheted and landed right in front of the Doctor. "That was a warning shot, don't move any closer or next time I won't miss." She was now backed up against the TARDIS doors to give herself more room to maneuver
"Addie, you have to listen to me. This isn't real. It's the parasites trying to trick your mind so you will stay asleep."
She pointed her gun at him, "Prove it."
"Jump."
"What?" Addie scowled at him.
"Jump out of the TARDIS and fall into space if you want the truth."
"Addie, that's suicide, and you know it." Donna was clutching the other Doctors arm in a death grip.
"No, it isn't. The feeling of falling will wake you up."
Addie's hands started to shake, "Why should I listen to you? How do I know you're the real Doctor?"
The Doctor stared deep into Addie's eyes, "Addie, do you trust me?"
She hesitated. Her gut was telling her to say yes, but she was still unsure, "I…"
"Do you trust me?"
The response was automatic this time, "Yes."
"Then jump, and I'll catch you, I promise."
Addie turned and flung the TARDIS doors open. In front of her were whole star systems and galaxies twinking in the deep darkness of space. She turned back to face them.
"Addie, stop!" The other Doctor was running towards her, faster than she thought was possible, but it was too late. She had made up her mind, and she knew who to trust. She opened her arms wide and fell back down into the vast depth of space.
Addie gasped and sat straight up in bed. The Doctor released Addie's temples; took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Caught you, just like I said I would." He smiled at her; his grin was so wide it hurt his cheeks.
"Addie! Oh, my God, I'm so glad you're alright!" Donna got up from the placed she was slumped against a wall and rushed over to give Addie a bone-crushing hug.
"Donna, I think you're breaking me!"
"Nonsense. A big strong girl like you? If you can fight off dream parasites, then you can handle my hugs." Addie thought this was sound logic, so she let the hug continue a little while longer.
They decided to take it easy for the rest of the day. It passed far too quickly for Addie, and before she knew it, it was time to sleep.
The Doctor found her curled up in the library reading well past midnight. She looked up from her book and gave him a tired smile.
"Shouldn't you be asleep? It's pretty late."
She shrugged her shoulders, "Not tired." She went back to reading her book, hoping he would get the hint and leave.
"Addie, you can't avoid sleeping forever. You're going to have to eventually."
"I'm not avoiding it; I'm just not tired. Who said anything about avoiding it?" She knew that he could see right through her. She always was a terrible liar.
The Doctor held an outstretched hand to her, "Come on, Addie." She grasped it, and he yanked her out of the chair and down the hall towards her bedroom. He opened the doors and ushered her in. She stared nervously at the bed, contemplating the pros and cons of the situation. She was tired, and that bed looked so welcoming, but…
He padded the bed, "Go on, lay down now." She bit her lip but did what he said. She threw the covers back and crawled into bed.
He tucked the covers around her and turned to leave when her hand tugged on his wrist, "Stay. Please. At least until I fall asleep." Her eyes were bright and pleading, and he could never say no to those eyes. He laid down next to her on top of the covers and folded his arms across his chest, interlocking his fingers. "Thank you."
He gave her a small smile, "Go to sleep now, Addie." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Eventually, her breathing became regular and her eyelids flutter as she dreamed. He watched her a bit longer, but when he finally decided to get up, she curled into him, resting her head on his shoulder and her palm on his chest. He relaxed back into the mattress and not wanting to wake her by moving her arm he decided to wait until she moved again to leave. He turned his head to face her. He liked this more than he cared to admit, and he yawned as he settled down into the pillows. He let his eyes close for a moment, but a moment was all it took for him to fall fast asleep, Addie by his side.