Let There Be Light

She couldn't stop thinking about the Doctor. Not once.

Eve had spent the rest of her day fuming about the man's cold yet honest words. He had only been there for a total of 13 days, and in those couple days he had been able to read everything about her. She wasn't sure how or why, but he had and it only infuriated her more as she thought about it. Why did he even care in the first place? Why was he following her around? Wasn't there anyone else he could go pester?

Why do you care so much? Eve sighed at the thought as she gathered her things, her class ending much later than it normally did. As she walked down the aisle and to the classroom door, she smiled at her professor, the sweet and beautiful blonde standing at the door and waving goodbye to her students.

"Oh, Evelyn!"

"Professor Wade."

"Oh, you know Angelica is just fine!"

Eve smiled at that as she nodded and said, "Of course, Angelica."

Her teacher smiled as she handed back her essay. "This was just great! Such substantial work."

"You're far too kind."

"Of course not!" Professor Wade shook her head before she gave her student a friendly pat on the back.

"And while you're walking back, please be careful…they say it's no longer safe to be out past sunset." Eve's gaze hardened as she nodded her head, waving a goodbye to her teacher and making her way down the deserted hallway.

How many people had gone missing in the last year? How many mothers would be missing their children? How many fathers would mourn the loss of their beloved child? How many lives would be stolen from this world?

Disappearances? Tell me about them.

Eve rolled her eyes as the Doctor's voice rang through her imagination. What could he possibly help with? He's nothing but a crazed man…who can travel through time and space. The student stepped outside and glanced up at the darkness of the sky, the stars twinkling brightly above her head. She stared for a few moments, imagining what it would be like to mingle with the moon, to dance with the stars, to sing in its silence. She tried not to smile before continuing her way down the sidewalk.

Where was the Doctor from? What had he seen? What had he been through? There was something about him that told Eve he had been through a lot. There was wisdom in his eyes, the kind of wisdom one could only get from going places and seeing things no one else could. Perhaps that was why she believed his story and the TARDIS so easily. How else could he have appeared in her room? Taken her back to that time they met? And yet a part of her still wanted to fight him. She still wanted to disregard the truth because to her, it was just too much to bear. It was too much knowledge for her to take in. It was—

What was that noise? Eve stopped as she looked behind herself. She raised a brow and narrowed her eyes as she stared through the darkness. When nothing happened after several seconds, the young woman shrugged and continued forward before she stopped once more, the sound of footsteps echoing through the silence. Her heart began to race as the stories of the taken all began to resurface. Her palms began to clam up as she tried to keep her composure together.

"…Who's there?" she called out. She waited for a few moments before she heard the sound of a foot stepping and crunching the snow on the ground; that was all she needed.

Turning around, Eve began to sprint down the sidewalk, not looking back once. Her eyes were wide and her breaths were short as she ran, the heavy steps of her follower loud and fast. She tried to pick up her speed, turning the corner and moving on. She glanced around and tried not to panic; she was completely alone. It wasn't until the young girl slipped on ice that she began to completely panic.

Catching her breath, Eve trembled with fear as a bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. She could feel the few flakes of snow that had sputtered on to her melt as she sat paralyzed with terror on the ground for a moment. Her breath was short and haggard-sounding, a light mist hovering in the air from the coldness of the night mixing with the heat of her breath. She stiffened as she heard the sound of a low growl before she shut her eyes.

"No!" she screamed as she glanced over her shoulder, the street lamps all shutting down, a trail of darkness slowly approaching her. "Stop!" she yelled as she stood to her feet, only to fall once more. Her eyes widened as she looked down and noticed her legs were stuck in place, as if they had been glued down. She frowned as she tried to stand once more, though she couldn't budge; it was as if something was holding her down.

"Get away!" Eve yelled as she quickly pulled out her spray of mace. "I'm warning you!"

The lights except for the one that hovered over Eve's head were out. There wasn't a single sound after that, as she waited. The silence only seemed to disturb the student more as she tried to listen for her attacker.

Why her? Why now? What had she done to deserve something like this? And then Eve's eyes began to tear up, not because of the fear she felt, but because of the people who had been in her place prior. She wondered if they had all thought the same things. Had they been as numb as she was?

"No, no!" Eve looked up as she watched the street lamp above her head begin to flicker off. She tugged on her feet as she glanced from her legs to the dying light. "Stop!" she screamed as the darkness began to envelope her.

Then she heard it.

The black haired girl slowly looked up and watched as a lean figure began stepping out of the darkness and towards her. The light did its best to stay alive–though it was failing against whatever it was that was killing it. Eve's eyes were wide as she stared profusely at the shape. She began to tremble, glaring up at the shade; she wouldn't give it the satisfaction of seeing her scared. She tried to stay calm as the figure began reaching out to her, and what surprised her most was how human-like the hand was.

"Get away!" she yelled once more as she pulled hard on her legs. "It can't end like this!"

"No, V, I don't think it does!"

Eve's eyes widened as she felt an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. Her head rested on a stranger's shoulder, her eyes wide. She glanced up and met the face of the Doctor, said savior kneeling beside her and holding her close. His free arm held his sonic-screwdriver up towards the street lamp, the flickering slowly stopping and the light gaining its power back. The Doctor kept his eyes on the light, Eve staring at the creature—which quickly found refuge in the darkness, screeching in pain.

"Almost there," the Doctor muttered before the bulb completely flicked back on, the creature's steps sounding further and further away before there was nothing but silence.

The two sat in the still of it all, nothing but the sound of their panting filling the void. The Doctor glanced down at Eve's legs as he reached down. He gave them two tugs before the hold on her leg was gone, the Resident Assistant now free from her invisible chains.

"There we go," the Doctor said lightheartedly as he helped Eve to her feet, the young girl trying to mask her shock and fear to the best of her abilities.

"…What was that?" she asked as she and the Doctor stared off through the darkness.

"That was the creature behind those disappearances you were talking about," the Doctor explained as he stared into the darkness for a moment longer, his expression hard and calculating. He looked back down to the 21-year-old as she nodded her head, still a bit shaken from everything.

"…I suppose I should say thank you."

"I suppose you should."

"Thank you."

"My pleasure, really." The Doctor smiled widely as Eve hesitantly smiled herself. She sighed as she thought for a moment.

Picking up her things, Evelyn dusted the snow off of her legs before she began to walk down the sidewalk, all of the lights back to their normal state. The Doctor stared after her and watched as she stopped to look back at him. "You might want to come to mine. I believe there are some disappearances I need to tell you about."

The Doctor smiled before he nodded and fell into step with Eve, the two holding each other's gaze for just a moment longer before walking in a comfortable silence back to Eve's.

She had a feeling things would never be the same after that.

And they never were.

§

"So where exactly did you park that thing of yours?"

"The TARDIS is somewhere safe, where no one will bother looking."

The Doctor and Eve walked into said student's room. The brunet immediately made himself comfortable as he took a seat at the student's desk, which earned him an irritated look but nothing more, after all, he had just saved her life. There wasn't much she could say or do after that.

"So, you're telling me that whatever was after me today has been the thing that's been kidnapping all those people?" Eve inquired as the Doctor nodded.

"Only I wouldn't call it kidnapping. Kidnapping infers that the victim may still be alive, and I don't suppose that this creature has been giving them that luxury," he said gently, Eve trying not to shutter at the thought; she could have been one of them.

"Alright then." Pulling up a chair and sitting across from the Doctor, Eve nodded. "What do you want to know about these disappearances?"

"When did they start? Who was the first? Are there any patterns? Is there anyone else who escaped—"

"Alright, Doctor! One question at a time, please," Eve said as she shook her head.

"Where to begin…well, it all really started about a little over a years ago." Eve glanced at the Doctor as he nodded, motioning for her to continue. "The disappearances were far and fewer then, but as time went on it got worse and worse."

"Interesting…" the time-traveler mumbled. "Are there any patterns at all?"

"Not that I've noticed," Eve said. Then again, she hadn't really been looking for any.

"There must be something. In the time that these people have been being abducted there must have been something that connected them all," the man said as the dark haired student thought for a moment.

"…Well, there aren't any gender patterns. These victims are just randomly chosen, male or female."

"But then there's nothing really random about anything, is there?" the Doctor said thoughtfully as he looked up at Eve. He raised a brow as he stood up from his seat and walked a full circle around the young girl, startling her.

"There must be a pattern. There must be a piece of the puzzle missing," the Doctor muttered as he stared intently at Eve. "Let's look at this from a more specific point-of-view. V, what is it about you that made this creature want you?"

"Me? I don't—" Eve stopped as she raised a brow. "Did you just call me 'V'?"

"I like it, don't you? It's refreshing and different. Much better than Eve or Evie." Said girl blinked before she shook her head, the Doctor smiling innocently at her.

"Well…there's not much about me…I'm from England?"

"Errgh! Most of the people missing are from different parts of this country or world. Next!"

"Umm, I'm a senior?"

"Wrong again! From what I've learned, it looks like there's been a variety in ages within the victims," the Doctor pointed out. "Come on! Give me something to work with!"

"I'm trying!" Eve snapped.

"…They always happen more frequently around this time of year."

"Now there we go!" The Doctor grinned as Eve sighed, relieved she had finally come up with something.

"Now, that means there's something special about—" The Doctor glanced over at the calendar hanging on the young woman's wall before his serious form broke for a moment.

"It's December 14th? This is a brilliant time! Strange, I haven't seen a single decorated tree or—"

"Doctor."

"Right. Time and place."

"What else is there to look for?" Evelyn frowned as she tried to think, her brain working far slower in comparison to the Doctor's.

"Well, there's something we can conclude about the creatures themselves."

"And what's that?" Eve asked curiously.

"They don't want to be seen. That's why the street lamps shut off. They can somehow manipulate the power of the lights. That narrows it down."

"By how much?"

"Well, about 30 different species."

"30? That's what you call narrowing down?"

"Well it was originally 75 different species."

"Fair enough.

"Alright then. We're going to have to look deeper into this if we want to find our answers," the Doctor stated as he stood to his feet.

"How, exactly?"

"We're going to have to investigate a bit."

"Yes, I understand that, but where?" Eve leaned over the Doctor's shoulder as she looked up whatever he had been examining on her laptop. Her eyes widened as she made eye contact with her guest.

"We're going to give Ms. Michelle Richards a visit."

§

Ding Dong

Footsteps inside of a cozy ranch-styled home echoed through the night as the doorbell to house 425 rang. A mother of one sighed as she pulled the front door open, blinking as two unfamiliar face appeared before her.

"Good evening, Mrs. Richards!"

"Um, yes, hi. Who are you two?"

"Mr. Smith, Hall Director at the university your daughter attends," the Doctor said as he pulled his psychic paper out, Michelle's mother merely nodding.

"And, you?" Mrs. Richards asked pointedly as Eve blinked before forcing a smile across her lips; she wasn't really adjusted to coming up with stories on the spot.

"Oh, this is my assistant! A fellow student of Ms. Michelle." Michelle's mother glanced at the two before she smiled warmly at the two, nodding and opening the door for them.

"Well, I guess it's nice to have some visitors around here." The Doctor and Eve shared knowing gazes as they followed Mrs. Richards into the cozy home.

"So," Michelle's mother began. "What exactly are you two here for?"

"Well, we just had a few questions for Michelle. We're collecting data on students and their housing experiences with the university and we're paying a visit to all the students in the area that live or once lived in the dormitories," the Doctor explained smoothly, Eve nodding and playing her role.

"Oh, well, I can just take you two to her bedroom."

"That would be wonderful!" The Doctor smiled pleasantly as Eve did as well, the pair following the mother up the staircase and down the hallway.

"So, how is it that you ended up becoming the assistant to the Hall Director?" Mrs. Richards inquired as Eve merely shrugged.

"It's a non-paid internship. I just wanted the experience is all," Eve said casually as the Doctor raised his eyebrows at her, nodding approvingly at her; she was a fast learner.

"That sounds nice! I wish I could get Michelle to be more productive with extracurricular things but…" Mrs. Richards stopped as her expression fell, the look in her eyes distant.

The Doctor frowned as he took a step forward, placing a comforting hand on the woman's shoulder. Mrs. Richards blinked before she smiled and shook her head, waving whatever forlorn thought she had off.

The three approached an oak door, Mrs. Richards raising her fist and knocking gently. "Michelle? You've got some company."

"Come in!"

"There you go." Mrs. Richards smiled as Eve and the Doctor nodded back to her, entering the student's room.

Michelle was a fit young lady. She was tall, making Eve look a bit shrimp-like in comparison. She had a rather pretty face, looking young and healthy, but there was something in her eyes that seemed off. It was as if a piece of her had been taken away; there was this pain.

"Michelle?" the Doctor asked softly. Said girl hesitated as she noticed the looks on her guests' faces. She locked gazes with the Doctor, the man speaking with nothing but his eyes. A wave of emotions came over her before realization settled into her bones. Her gaze softened before she walked over to her door, shutting it.

"You're here to ask about it…aren't you?"

"I'm sorry," Eve said quietly as the blonde shook her head, forcing a smile upon her lips.

"Don't be. I'm willing to answer any questions you have, just as long as these disappearances stop."

"Thank you, Michelle," the Doctor said with a smile as he and Eve took a seat on the extra chairs the blonde had about in her room.

"So, what do you want to know?"

"What exactly happened, the night Laurie Anderson was taken?"

Eve watched intently as she clasped her hands together, placing them neatly in her lap; it was the only way she could contain her anxiety. She waited as Michelle took a deep breath, trying to collect her thoughts and memories of the night she tried to forget so many times over again.

"We were at a party. I was already pissed at her because she made me go out the night before a test, but she insisted that I go with her because…because I was her best friend." Michelle stopped for a moment as her eyes began to glisten, the Doctor leaning forward against his knees. He stared at Michelle with sympathy, his heart aching for her. Taking a deep breath, the commuter continued. "So, we went out. It was fun. We just went to a few house parties. It was around two in the morning when it happened."

"Did you see a face? Perhaps hear a voice? Anything?" Eve asked quietly as Michelle shook her head.

"Nothing. The only thing that happened was the lights all going off." The Doctor and Eve exchanged knowing looks but said nothing.

"And I tried, I swear to you, I tried so hard to help her," Michelle began as the tears began to pool in her eyes. "But we were both not completely sober and she had tripped and twisted her ankle. I dragged her with me but I just…I just couldn't. I was so scared and all I could hear was my own voice telling me to run, run as fast as I possibly could and—"

"Michelle." Eve caught both Michelle and the Doctor's attention as she slowly stood up. Her gaze was welcoming and soft as she carefully pulled the girl into a warm embrace. "It's going to be alright. You don't need to explain anymore. We'll find whatever is doing this and we'll stop it. I promise."

The Doctor watched silently as Michelle sobbed into Eve's shoulder. He smiled softly as he leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. His eyes began to roam as he let the two have their moment, and as he glanced around the room something caught his attention. His eyes began to widen as he raised a brow, pulling on his glasses he carried around with him—not that he actually needed them. He ignored the way Eve looked up at him, noticing his odd behavior.

"Doctor? What is it?" Eve asked as Michelle followed her gaze, the brunet standing at her desk and staring down at something.

"Michelle, tell me. What's your study focus?"

"…Biology, why?" The Doctor looked over at Eve as his accomplice's eyes widened.

"And, let me ask you. Where are most of your classes located?"

"The biology building...obviously."

"Eve, what about you?"

"…Bio major."

The Doctor set down the text book for biology 402. Eve looked over at Michelle as the student in question looked at her two guests with confusion.

"What's wrong?"

"Evelyn, I think it's time we go," the Doctor stated as he turned and began taking long strides to the door.

"The puzzle is finally coming together."

Hello all. Back with another update. Like I said before, I'll probably update this story every day or every other day. I've been moving along quickly with it. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, whoever is reading this. The first couple have been slower, but I think that after this point things will start to liven up and move quicker.

I want to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who has give this story a chance and to those who have followed/favorited. I'm glad you like it enough to do so and I hope you only continue to like it as the story grows. I really do find myself enjoying writing, and can't thank my friend enough for getting me to do this. He really knew this would help me out! Please, let me know what you readers this of this story through messaging or reviews. I'm open to criticism. If anything, I want it so I know what I can improve on. Seeing as I'm just fresh at posting up stories and chapters on this site, I would like some advice or critics. Just as long as you're gentle and not just yelling at me...but anyways, like I said, please! Don't be shy and let me know what you think.

Reviews:

hiddenflame268: I'm glad you gave Doctor Who a chance! It's just a brilliant show, and I'm glad you like watching it. Thank you! I'm really glad you have enjoyed this story thus far. And I'm actually relieved that you liked the way I portray the Doctor's feelings about Rose. There have been a few stories that tend to make Rose out to be this rather mean and obnoxious person, and personally, if that fits for the story itself, then by all means, more power to those writers! But I just felt like the Doctor was always regretting losing Rose in the back of his mind, and they had been so close and cared so much about each other. So I wanted to make sure that I showed that properly. Like I said above, I'll be updating every day or so, so no worries about whether or not I'll be updating, lawlz. Just tune in to get the next chapter. Thanks again for reviewing and reading. Really do appreciate it. Hope you enjoy this chapter and future chapters to come!