Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who only my character Ellie. Thanks for all the reception so far and I'd love some more.
For the first time in my life, I find it almost impossible to sleep. Feels like everytime I close my eyes, I see the events of the previous evening replay in my mind like a movie scene on repeat. And just like the dreams I've had my entire life, I can still smell the smoke, feel the heat from the flames, the building having been reduced to a towering inferno seconds after me and Rose had gotten out of there.
Most of all, I remember...him, that strange man who'd swooped in and saved both our lives, the feel of his hand grabbing mine still feeling fresh like it had only just happened. The thought that he now may be dead is not the only thing keeping me awake. It's no use trying to deny it, trying to pretend that it was a mere coincidence. I know that that man is the same man whose been my constant companion since I was a child. But how is that even possible?.
I force my eyes open, letting out a heavy sigh, my pale grey orbs settling on the ceiling above me, the room still pretty dark. I feel something run down my cheek, my fingers moving to it, finding it's a tear not even realising I'd shed it. Why am I crying over someone I don't even know?. I quietly and gently get out of bed trying not to wake Rose, managing to find my bag, opening the bedroom door as softly as I can manage, making my way to the bathroom, shutting the door after me.
I lower myself onto the floor, leaning my back against the door, feeling more tears escape, streaming down my face, just about managing to stop myself from crying out. I move my hands to my face, wiping the tears away with the back of my palms, letting out a sniffle, lowering my hands to rest on my lap. And my eyes move to the birthmark on the inside of my wrist, my fingers moving to it, running them along the strange yet beautiful markings.
It's something I've never been able to understand, why I have it much the same as why I've been having the dreams. I rest my head against the door, sighing heavily, my eyes slowly closing, feeling myself finally start to give in, falling asleep.
"Mummy?. Are you my mummy?."
My eyes snap open fast, my breath coming out in hard, fast gasps, the dream having suddenly swooped in and claimed me. It was exactly like that 'vision' I saw in the basement, all those shop window dummies having come alive. This time, all I saw was a child, probably about five or six, a gas mask on his face, his voice sounding strange almost dreamlike.
I open my bag, pulling out my diary turning to a fresh page, starting to draw what I'd seen. For some reason, I find I'm smiling. I don't know how to explain it, but I know he's still alive.
-x-
"There's Finch's. You could try them. They've always got jobs."
"Oh, great, the butcher's," Rose sighed, staring at the apple in her hands which she's playing with, not looking at her mum.
"It might do you good. That shop was giving you and Eleanor airs and graces. And I'm not joking about compensation. You've had genuine shock and trauma. Ariana got two thousand off the council just because the old man behind the desk said she looked Greek. I know she is Greek, but that's not the point. It was a valid claim."
"Don't worry, Rosy. We'll think of something," I shrugged, taking a sip from my cup of tea, my hand finding hers, squeezing it.
And we both hear a rattling coming from the front door making both of us get up from the table.
"Mum, you're such a liar. I said to nail that cat-flap down. We're gonna get strays," Rose shouted walking to the front door, crouching down, looking at the cat-flap.
"I did it weeks back."
"Nah, you thought about it."
"What the hell...?," I muttered kneeling down, my fingers picking up a nail which is clearly one of the nails used to close off the cat-flap.
Suddenly it moves making me jump, my hand moving to it fast pushing it up. And I find myself looking at a face, squeaking a little jumping up, Rose moving to open the door.
"You!."
"You!. What are you doing here?."
"I live here," Rose said.
"What, both of you?."
"No, just Rose," I answered, crossing my arms over my chest.
"What did you do that for?."
"Cause I do. I'm only home cause someone blew up mine and Ellie's job."
"And I'm here cause I didn't fancy going home, okay?."
"Must have got the wrong signal," he said, taking that same object he took out last night out of his pocket, pressing something, the tip glowing blue, that same whirring sound coming out," You're two aren't plastic, are you?. Nope, boneheads. Bye then."
"Oh, no, you don't. You inside now," I cried, grabbing his jacket pulling him inside, shutting the door.
"Who is it?," Jackie shouted, her voice coming from her bedroom.
"It's about last night. He's part of the inquiry. Give us 10 minutes," Rose said, popping her head into her mum's bedroom.
"She deserves compensation."
"Oh, we're talking millions," the Doctor said, looking in on her making her get up from her dressing table.
"I'm in my dressing gown."
"Yes, you are."
"There's a strange man in my bedroom."
"Yes, there is."
"Well, anything could happen."
"No."
I can't stop the snort from breaking free trying to turn it into a cough moving fast into the living room trying to avoid the Doctor's glance watching Rose tidy up.
"Don't mind the mess. Do you want a coffee?."
"Might as well, thanks. Just milk."
"Ellie, you want one?."
"Hmm?. Oh, no, thanks. You know I can't stand coffee," I said, flopping down on the sofa.
"We should go to the police. Seriously. All of us," Rose said from the kitchen.
"That won't last. He's gay and she's an alien."
"I'm not blaming you even if it was some sort of joke."
"Mmm, sad ending."
"It said on the news they found a body."
""Rose Tyler." "Eleanor McDermott." Ah, could be worse. Look at the ears."
My frown deepens hearing the Doctor mutter to himself, turning to look at him, seeing him looking at his reflection, my smile dropping the instant he looks at me making me quickly look at Rose.
"Rose, I don't think going to the police is such a good idea. Unless we want to get sectioned," I said, getting up off the sofa.
"What's that then?. Have you got a cat?," he asked, moving to the sofa, looking behind it.
Suddenly, he gets attacked making him stagger backwards, the same plastic arm from the previous evening grabbing him around the throat.
"Oh my God!. Doctor?," I cried running to him, grabbing onto the arm trying to pull it off him finding it's too strong, hearing Rose continue to talk completely oblivious to what's going on.
I somehow manage to pull it off him only for it to go for me instead making me cry out, the palm covering my face, cutting off my breathing making me quickly begin to lose conciousness. I just about make out my body getting thrown onto the coffee table then back onto the sofa.
I eventually get freed from its grasp, breathing heavily watching the Doctor kill it with the same object he used in the flat and on the lift door at work.
"Are you okay?," Rose asked, helping me sit up, rubbing my back.
I just nod, finding it hard to speak, still feeling a little light-headed.
"It's all right, I've stopped it. There you go, you see, armless, " he said, chucking the arm at us, Rose catching it.
"Do you think?."
-x-
"Hold on a minute, you can't just go swanning off."
"Yes, I can. Here I am. This is me, swanning off, see ya."
"That arm was moving, it tried to kill Ellie," Rose shouted, both of us following the Doctor, trying to keep up with him.
"Ten out of ten for observation."
"You can't just walk away. That's not fair. You've got to tell us what's going on."
"No, I don't."
"All right then. We'll go to the police. Tell them everything. You said if I did that I'd get people killed, so, your choice. Tell us or we'll start talking."
"Is that supposed to sound tough?," the Doctor asked, looking back at her.
"Sort of."
"Doesn't work."
"Please, just tell us. Who are you?," I asked walking faster moving up beside him.
"Told you, the Doctor."
"Yeah, we know. Doctor who?."
"Just the Doctor."
"The Doctor?," Rose asked walking next to me.
"Hello!," he says, waving at her.
"Is that supposed to sound impressive?."
"Sort of."
"Come on then, you can tell me. We've seen enough. Are you the police?."
"No, I was just passing through. I'm a long way from home."
"What have we done?. How come these plastic things keep coming after me?," I asked, looking at him.
"Oh, suddenly, the entire world revolves around you. You were just an accident. You got in the way, that's all."
"What?. It tried to kill me!."
"It was after me, not you. Last night, in the shop, I was there, you blundered in, almost ruined the whole thing. This morning, I was tracking it down, it was tracking me down. The only reason it fixed on you is because you met me."
"Oh, so what you're basically saying is that the entire world revolves around you?."
"Sort of, yeah."
"You're full of it," Rose said, grinning making me let out a laugh, shaking my head.
"Sort of, yeah," he grinned.
"All this plastic stuff, who else knows about it?."
"No one."
"What, so you're on your own?."
"Well, who else is there?. I mean, you lot, all you do is eat chips, go to bed and watch telly while all the time underneath you, there's a war going on."
"Okay, just...start from the beginning," I said leaning over, snatching the plastic arm off him.
-x-
"I mean, if we're gonna go with the living plastic and I don't even believe that, but if we do...how did you kill it?," Rose asked, looking over at the Doctor, still refusing to believe everything he had just told us, the complete opposite of how I'm feeling.
"The thing controlling it projects life into the arm. I cut off the signal-dead," he explained.
"So, that's radio control?."
"Thought control. You all right?."
"Yeah. So who's controlling it then?."
"Long story."
"What's it all for?. I mean, shop window dummies, what's that all about?. Is someone trying to take over Britain's shops?."
"No. It's not a price war," he said, all of us laughing," They want to overthrow the human race and destroy you. Do you believe me?."
"I...I don't know," I sighed, part of myself still refusing to believe what the other part believes full stop.
"But you're both still listening."
"Really, though, Doctor, tell us. Who are you?."
He stops walking turning back to look at us, his eyes moving from Rose to me, our eyes meeting and locking. And just like the eyes of the man from my dreams, I see nothing but starlight in them.
"Do you know like we were saying?. About the earth revolving?. It's like when you were a kid. The first time they tell you that the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it cause everything looks like it's standing still. I can feel it," he said, his hand taking up my own," The turn of the earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at 1,000 miles an hour. And the entire planet is hurtling around the sun at 67,000 miles an hour. And I can feel it, we're falling through space, you and me. Clinging to the skin of this tiny little world and if we let go. That's who I am. Now forget me, Eleanor McDermott, Rose Tyler. Go home."
"Like hell I will," I muttered under my breath watching him walk away from us carrying the plastic arm, just about fighting the desire to run after him.
And I watch him walk up to what looks like an old phone box, blue, like the old boxes from the fifties, him opening the door, walking inside.
"Ellie?. You coming?," Rose shouted, having wandered off.
"Oh, I have got to see this," I grinned, watching something happening to the box, a strange sound emitting from it.
"What the...?," Rose cried, running back to me, both of us watching the box vanish. "
"That is brilliant!."