Now what

Now what? Harley looked at the ball of flames that was her car. "Why couldn't I loose it because I ran into something like every other teenage girl?" She was half whining, staring at the car, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

"Was that your first car?" the Doctor was watching as their only chance of escape burned.

"Yeah, it was." She took a deep breath. "We need a way out of here."

"We can run for it."

"Don't you ever get tired of running? Tell me were they real? Donna, Martha, Rose, and Jack… Were they real?"

"I… I don't know that now is the time for that. Why is it so important?" she gave him the most devastated, defeated, pleading look. "Yes, they were real. I don't know how anyone can know about them or me but they were real."

"That's all I needed to know."

"Alright, now, we need to get out of here. What about the gas station? Any cars there?"

They took off toward the gas station. There were two cars in the lot. One was left sitting at the pump. The other was parked off to the side. It was in pretty bad shape. It didn't look like it would start. They looked at each other, shrugged, and ran to it.

"If it starts I'm driving." Harley threw up the hood and started pulling at wires then slammed it shut and got in the driver seat and pulled the cover under the steering wheel off. She pulled at some more wires. "I don't the stuff I need to rewire it."

"Let me try." The doctor had climbed in the passenger seat. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver. He pointed it at the ignition and it lit up and made that strange little buzzing sound. A second later the roared to life. "Be careful. I don't feel like crashing."

"If anyone should be worried about crashing it's me. You can just regenerate."

"How…?" He didn't finish. Harley whipped the car around and they sped out of the parking lot.

"Now, what do you know about my school? What is going on here? Like I said earlier I'm used to weird but this is ridiculous!" She pushed the car harder, they were being followed again. This car was not going to outrun them anytime soon. Whoever they were.

"I don't know. I was just passing through."

"You are never 'just passing through'." She shot him look out of the corner of her eye. "I know more than you think I do. I'll be more help to you if we're on the same page. Now what is going on?"

"I don't what they are. I do know that they aren't supposed to be here."

"What was your first clue?" She muttered.

"There is a difference between 'not supposed to be here' and 'not supposed to be here'. They seem to be drawn to… well I'm not sure but… maybe…"

He trailed off. Harley Alice looked at him. He was eyeing her curiously. "What?"

There was a popping sound and dirt exploded on the road next to the driver side. "They're gaining on us! Can't you fix the accelerator on this thing?"

"Get us back to your school!"

"Alright. How do you think this thing will do off-road?"

They looked at each other and smiled. "How will they do off-road?" They spoke at the same time. Harley slammed on the brakes and spun the wheel to the right. She shifted into second gear and when they stopped spinning she stomped on the gas. The tires squealed and the car shot off toward the field that was just off the road.

The field hadn't been taken care of it was over grown and uneven. She turned off the lights and drove in the general direction of the highway. After a few minutes they could see head lights up ahead. They were still being followed but not as closely. She gave the car a little more gas.

"I hope traffic is flowing right."

"It is. Watch the lights. They are moving that way, back toward the school."

"I didn't mean directionally. I know it's the right direction. I meant that it is moving smoothly. The last thing is for it to be stopped." She sighed. "Atlanta traffic is funny that way."

They were in luck the traffic was actually very spread out. She ran the car as hard as it would go they were still being followed but what ever it was didn't seem interested drawing attention to itself. They drove to the exit for her school. They got off and headed around to the back roads. They were still followed. They came up on the back side of the school.

They managed to get out of the car and halfway to the back door of the gym before they were caught. "Run!" Harley screamed as the sidewalk behind the exploded. They took off.

"I thought you didn't like running?"

"I don't but right now it's our only option. Now let's get inside!" She threw her weight into the gym door and slammed open. They both smacked into the wall on the opposite side of the hallway.

They collapsed on the floor, shocked from impact with the wall. "Uh… Harley?"

"Yeah?" they were both breathless.

"You didn't happen to see them, did you?"

"No, I was kind of focused on getting through the door in one piece. Why?"

"Oh, no reason," he stood up and held out his hand to help her up. She took his hand and the door they just come through exploded. He pulled her up and they dashed down the hall toward the Tardis.

They got to it and he opened the door and pulled and pulled her in behind him. He slammed the door shut. She let go of his hand and slid down the down the door. Pulling her knees up to her chest. He ran to the console at the center and started pulling levers and pushing buttons.

"I knew it was bigger on the inside… I just didn't realize how much bigger. You sleep better tonight. They got the dimensions wrong for the inside." She said looking up at the ceiling.

"Some how that doesn't make me feel better." He said pulling another lever. "Where do you live?"

"Five thousand five hundred fifty-five Fifth Street…" he looked at her then went back to flipping switches. "I know that's a lot of fives."

"I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking it." The Tardis door shook. Harley jumped and half crawled away from it. "How long till we're out of here?"

"Give me a minute." He pulled another lever then the Tardis started whirring and beads of light shot up the center of the console.

"That is just too cool." She whispered, staring around the ship, trying to take in every detail.

"Defiantly possible…" he said staring at the floor and scratching his head. "But the thing is why?" He sounded frustrated, "Why here? Well I mean why now? That would be the better question."

He seemed to suddenly remember he wasn't alone. Harley just shook her head. The Tardis stopped whirring. "Are we there?"

"Does anyone else in your house have a car?"

"Yeah, why?" she thought she already knew why.

"Is it here?"

"No… but if you leave I'll just find another way to the school. I'm very creative and very resourceful. If I want something I usually get it. I just need to get my stuff then I'll be right back… actually, you are coming with me. I don't trust you."

"Don't trust me? You know more about me and my past then I do about I about the you that is standing right in front of me and you're worried about trusting me?!"

"You just answered your own question. I know more about you. I like you a lot. You are smart funny and you have great hair. But, you will leave. You don't trust me. You left Rose once. You locked her in the Tardis and sent her home but you still left." She watched as his expression became unreadable. "I won't get left until I know they are safe. Everyone that was at that school, every one in this city, will be safe before I get left behind. Now come on. My parents will want to see you."

She started to open the door. "I'll need to know who I'm meeting."

"Ground rules. No staring at anything or anyone. Don't ask questions. Only speak when spoken to and stay close to me. Watch your pockets too; my sisters and my brother have sticky fingers."

She pushed the door open and his eyes popped wide open. The back yard was lit with torches. The back wall of the first floor was solid glass. The house was three stories high. Every window on the second floor had light in it.

"You're staring."

"Sorry."

"Yeah, yeah…" Harley slid the glass door open. "Stay close," she whispered.

They made it as far as the hallway before they heard footsteps. "Go back!" she whispered frantically. They turned and headed back toward the other side of the room they had come into. When they got back they turned right in to the kitchen. "Stay low and don't trip over anything." Her voice was barely a whisper. They ducked under the counter and crawled to the far end of the kitchen. They made it out into the hall. Once they were there they stood up.

"Try to stay in my foot steps and do not shift your weight too suddenly." She wasn't whispering anymore but her voice was still quiet.

"Why do we have to sneak into your house?" He whispered following her down the hall.

"Because I don't know if they know that I was gone. I would rather not have to explain to them why I am up, and fully dressed, running around the country with a fictional character from my favorite TV show." She sighed. "I don't know if the they have the stairs roped off or not. We may have to climb the slide. That should be interesting…"

"Favorite TV show?"

"I just told him we may have to climb a slide indoors and the only thing he hears is 'favorite TV show'… men… they must be the same on every planet. Only interested if it shows how interested we are in them…" she shook her and rolled her eyes. "Yes, I like science fiction, fantasy, mysteries, some times dramas are ok… it just depends on my mood. Doctor Who has everything. So it doesn't matter what mood I'm in when I sit down to watch it, I'm guaranteed something satisfying."

"Harley what are you doing out of bed? And Why isn't your car in the garage?"

"Hello, Nita. I'm fine. Thanks for asking, how has your day been?"

"Don't get smart with me. I'll tell Mom and Dad."

"Tell them what, exactly? That you snuck down to the kitchen for some ice cream and on your way back decided to stop by the garage and find the stash of chocolate noticed my car was gone then caught me going up to my room? Is that what you'll tell them? Cause that's the honest truth and you can't tattle on me with getting yourself in trouble. So what are you going to do?" There were more footsteps from behind them. "Run!" Harley whispered.

They all three took off toward the other end of the hall. "Nita are the stairs roped off?"

"No, they take the ropes down at eleven thirty." Nita looked over her shoulder and past Harley. "Wait a second. Who's he?"

"Oh, sorry. Mr. Smith meet my younger sister Nita. Nita meet my friend Mr. Smith."

"Why didn't you--" Harley cut him off.

"I'll explain later! Nita, I need you to cover for me if they realize I'm gone. If I'm not back by noon tomorrow, tell them that David Tennant and I went out fighting and that I love them." She paused at the door to the stairs. She reached out and hugged her sister. "Give each of the little ones a hug for me. Only if I'm not back by noon! I plan on being back though. If I get into any kind of trouble at all I'm telling them I followed you down stairs. Who do you think they'll believe? The repeat offender or the first time offender?"

Nita looked at Harley eyes widened in shock at her tone. But she nodded her head in ascent. Harley leaned on the door with unnecessary force and shot up the stairs. The Doctor smiled at Nita, and followed Harley up the stairs and around a corner. She pulled her door open quickly then closed it softly. She went to the closet and started digging in the bottom corner. The Doctor looked around her room. There were posters of bands on the wall. On the far wall in one corner was a twin sized bed that looked like some one pulled out of it against their will.

On the same wall in the other corner was a desk. On the desk there were two computer screens and a laptop. On the sliding tray was a keyboard a mouse and a wireless internet antenna. Each of the three screens had something on them. They looked like blueprints.

Harley came out of the closet and laid several things on the bed. Then with out a word she went straight to the desk turned off the two extra monitors, and closed the program that was on the laptop then she pulled up the internet. Her fingers flew across the keyboard. She stepped away from the desk.

"Here. Read that… it should help… feel free to click on anything. It will tell you everything I know about you…" she turned back to the stuff on her bed.

He leaned over the computer she kicked a chair across the room to him and he sat down. He began reading and clicking with strangest most confused look on his face... He looked at the date in the bottom right corner of the screen. "That's why you asked if it really happened."

"Yeah. That was years ago. To my grandparents it's repressed they don't talk about it. They don't even remember it." She took a deep breath, "To my parents and their friends… some of them weren't born yet so it never happened… others were to young to remember anything more clearly than a nightmare."

They stood in silence. He pushed the chair away from the desk. "Who are you?"

"Harley Alice."

"What is your last name?"

"None of your business."

"Sorry, but this is a two way thing. You know who I am where I came from everything. I think it's only fair you tell something about yourself."

"Life not fair! You should know that better than anyone! Rose does. He's not you… I don't care what anyone says… she got shorted and you know it!"

"I leave you here or you tell me who you are."

Harley's jaw dropped open and her eyes looked near tears. Her shoulders fell and what ever she had in her hand fell to the floor with a quiet thud. "You… but…" her voice was small and quiet. Since he'd met her, her voice was always strong and almost impossible to defy. But now her voice was powerless and shocked. She hadn't been expecting him to threaten her. "Merson… Harley Alice Merson. Oldest daughter to the richest family in the southern united states." Her voice was barely a whisper. Her face was still a mask of pained shock, but she did manage to close her mouth.

The Doctor straightened up in recognition of her full name. "No. You're staying here."

"What?!" Her voice was stronger now.

"You're not going." He started for the door.

"Why not?" her voice was back to full strength. It was impossible to not answer her.

"Because I said so!"

"Who am I to you?"

"Spoilers…" he whispered absently to himself.

"I don't care! Obviously I'm important for something else. But I don't care about that right now! I want to help! Those are my friends out there."

"Harley Alice Merson, you will never step another foot inside the Tardis again." His voice was calm but there was that ringing silence that followed his words that it impossible to defy him.

"Why?" She asked more authority in her voice than earlier.

"Because it is too dangerous for you to be around me too much is at stake."

He went out the door and closed it quietly. She walked to the window next to the closet. She threw it open and slid down the fire escape. She got to the Tardis and waited by the doors till he got there.

"Did you really think that I haven't done this before?" She glared at him. "You know who I am now, so you should have seen that one coming!"

"Go back to your room. Go to bed. I'll figure out what's going on then I'll fix it and you'll never have to worry about anything but your education!"

"I'm not asking to come with--"

"No!"

"But--"

"NO!"

"I'M NOT ASKING TO BE A CHILD OF TIME! I JUST WANNA HELP!!" She took and deep breath watching the pain spread across his face. Then she whispered, "Sorry… that was uncalled for…" she took another breath, "You just left that didn't you? To you was just yesterday… to us it was forever ago if we remember at all… but to you… you left Donna's house and then came out in the hall at school, didn't you?"

"Get in." He pulled open the door. "What was it you needed from your room?"

"Just a few toys and gadgets…" she watched him climb into the Tardis in front of her, "Not all of them will work with out my car anyway… do you think when we get done we could cheat and get it back?" She closed the door and the Tardis started whirring.

Sorry it took so long… but I got it done finally… it is the longest chapter and it took the longest to figure out… but I got it… let me know what you think… I'll start working on the fourth chapter but I'm not posting it till I start getting reviews… I'm going to start be being really tough on you guys!!