haha, these three are fun to write! Thanks to those who pointed out the date problems in the last chapter- all fixed now! Please review! X
AJ struggled to wake up, trying to force her refusing eyes open as she tried to break free of the fog over her mind. Someone to her left, she could hear voices whispering loudly.
"Well, 'ow am I s'pposed to know? She's barely more than a child- I couldn't jus' leave 'er, could I?" A voice hissed.
"Those who fall in battle die an honourable death." Another voice said.
"Oh, do be quiet Strax." A third voice said irritably. "The main question is who is she? Time travellers are not exactly common in the Victorian era. How did she get here?
"I don' think she meant to end up 'ere. She was very confused- asked me where an' when she was. Didn't seem too surprised when I mentioned the doctor either." The original voice said. AJ thought she recognised it, but couldn't work out why.
"But she obviously arrived here in some way. The question is how." This voice was more cultured, upper class. But for the life of her, AJ couldn't work out where she was. With difficultly, she forced her eyes open, but quietly groaned involuntarily as the light pierced her retina. The whispers abruptly ceased, and she shifted to sit up, uncomfortable in the unfamiliar surroundings.
"Do not attempt to escape or you will be obliterated. You need to stay lying down." A voice came from above her and she froze, blinking upwards as the image came into focus.
"A sontaran?" She wondered aloud as she stared up at him.
"Yes, boy, I am." The sontaran confirmed. AJ stared at him for a moment.
"Ok. Can I get up now?"
"You should not. You were hit with a knockout serum- you may experience some dizziness and fatigue because of this, as well as diminished mental capacity." The sontaran informed her. AJ gave a nod.
"Wonderful." She swung her legs around, realising she was lying on a sofa, and sat up, pressing a hand to her head as the room spun.
"Oh, be careful! Strax is a very good nurse- you should listen to 'im." AJ looked up to see the maid from earlier- Jenny, was it? - rushing over.
"Oh, hello again."
"Hi." Jenny grinned. AJ looked over to the sontaran.
"Strax huh? Nice to meet you." She said, trying to remember why that name sounded so familiar.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance." The sontaran looked as if being polite was physically painful.
"Not to sound rude, but where am I?" AJ asked, looking around her at the Victorian decor in the room.
"Oh! Sorry- this is where I live. The Madame owns it- I brought you back 'ere after you collapsed." Jenny told her.
"Oh. The knock out drug?" She asked, directing the question at Strax, who inclined his head a little in agreement.
"Not a very good one, was it?" Mused AJ as she struggled to think through the residual effects of the drug. Jenny looked confused.
"'Ow'd you mean? It seemed to knock you out all right."
"Yes, but I was wandering around for a good fifteen minutes before it did so. Not a lot of use for a quick getaway."
"Quite. But we were wondering who would give a teenage girl in the victorian era a fifty sixth century anaesthetic in the first place, and why?" A voice came from the other side of the room, and AJ looked up to see a veiled woman standing in the doorway.
"It's a long story. Fifty sixth you say?" AJ mulled this over, wondering how exactly Kovarian had got her hands in that.
"We have the time." The woman said pointedly.
"You might. I, on the other hand, have a home to get to." AJ told her, hand drifting downwards to find her holster empty. Her hearts sped up, and she felt her eyes flicker around the room to locate the exits.
"Calm yourself, child. We are not going to hurt you- if we were we would have done so when you were incapacitated." The woman sat primly on the chair, folding her hands.
"Look, if someone's trying to 'urt ya, we can 'elp. The Madame's a great detective." Jenny said earnestly, leaning forward. As she spoke, something clicked in AJ's brain and she cursed herself aloud.
"Honestly AJ, a sontaran in Victorian London- how many of those are there going to be?" She muttered, before looking up at the veiled woman.
"You're Madame Vastra." She said confidently.
"Ow'd you know that?" asked Jenny.
"I grew up with stories of the three of you- my parents trust you implicitly, which is unusual. I'd have figured it out sooner, only my brain's turned to mush." AJ frowned as she said the last statement.
"And who are your parents?" Vastra asked.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. And you can take off the veil- I know you're a Silurian." Vastra complied, a challenging look in her eyes, as if daring AJ to react. She didn't, having had a few run ins with Silurian's in the past.
"So? You have a story to tell, AJ, and we would very much like to hear it." Vastra said as Jenny and Strax settled themselves into seated positions. AJ was indecisive, but eventually the need for help overcame the need to protect.
"Ok, but before I start you have to promise you went mention anything I'm about to tell you before you're sure of a persons timeline. Some information can rip apart the universe if known too early, and this is one of those times." The three in front of her nodded and promised, so AJ began.
"My full name is Amelia Joy Song. I'm the eldest daughter of River Song and the doctor, and was raised on the Luna earth colony in the fifty first century, where I live normally. Last night- in my timestream- my computer picked up strange temporal markers coming from a small town on earth, so I teleported down there to investigate. Once there, I discovered a hoard of weeping angels who were preying on local people and tourists. When one finally caught up with me, it reached out but managed to grab only my jacket and necklace." As she spoke, she slipped the chain out from beneath her shirt to show them.
"To escape, I had to slip out of both. But the necklace isn't just that- it's a bio-dampner. It disguises my true physiology so that to anyone and anything I appear to be a normal human. The second I came out of contact with it, the fact I'm part time lord was broadcast to anyone who happened to be watching. By the time I got it back on, it was too late and Madame Kovarian, who I think you've met before, had been alerted and came with members of the silence to attempt to 'acquire' me. I ended up trapped between them and the angels- chose the better option."
"You let yourself be sent back in time?" Asked Jenny incredulously. AJ shrugged.
"Better than Kovarian." She said simply. Jenny, Vastra and Strax exchanged glances.
"And you have no way of getting home?" Vastra enquired gently. AJ shook her head, sadness lining her face.
"I… I'm a timelord. I can wait." She said, but the trembling in her voice betrayed her actual emotions.
"Well, my dear, until you reach what you're waiting for you are more than welcome to stay with us. I'm sure Jenny wont mind showing you how to blend in- she's managed pretty well with Strax and I." Vastra smiled kindly, which looked a little strange on her Silurian face. "If anyone asks, I'm your guardian, and you've just arrived from your home in France. Ok?"
"Thank you." AJ said earnestly. Vastra stood and left with another preoccupied smile, and Strax wandered out as well.
"Alright then. Firstly, AJ ain't very common round these parts, so we'll 'ave to change that a bit. D'yu wan' to be called Amelia?"
"Not if it's unnecessary- Amelia was my grandmother, hence why I shorten it. Too obvious if I run into past versions of anyone."
"Lovely woman she was too. Alright then. We could shorten it to Lia or somin, but that ain't to common either, you'd still stick ou' some. Or, we could use Joy? Or just think of another name altogether." Jenny suggested. AJ thought about it for a moment.
"Joy." She decided. "I'll be more likely to remember to answer to that."
"Joy it is. Last name- again, Song is a bit obvious." Jenny settled back against the cushions.
"Just Smith. I use that anyway a lot of the time." AJ answered instantly. Jenny grinned.
"Well then, Joy Smith. Welcome to London." AJ laughed slightly, although it was tinged with sadness. Jenny leaned forward slightly as she began to talk.
"Now then. It's ok to act 'ow you like 'ere, but other people will find it offensive- especially upper classes. As Vastra's ward, you can ge' away with a lot, 'cause she does too but some things you'll jus' 'ave to learn. So firs' lesson- 'ow to act in public..."