-X-
.four.
-X-
"You will be alright watching her?"
Wilf stiffened his back. "I've been watching that girl since the day she was born."
He looked over the dishevelled woman again as he accompanied her back out onto the front step. Clearly dressed for an evening out, her hair had fallen from its bun and her clothes were crumpled and torn beneath her coat. She noticed his glance, smiled grimly, and confided, "The mice Donna mentioned - they were small, but their claws were terribly sharp."
Wilf didn't smile in return. "You told me you would keep her safe. That Harkness fellow - he said I could trust you."
"Mister Mott," she said calmly. "I did everything I could. Had I known there would be a disturbance at that bar, I would have suggested somewhere else for the evening. And I would stay to look after her but - well, everything always happens at once." She peered down the street, watching for her ride.
He sighed heavily. "I know. But she's - she's reaching. She's looking for her memories, you know."
Susan bit her lip, and glanced through the window to the kitchen. Wilf followed her gaze. His granddaughter had cornered Sylvia by the stove in order to account the adventures of the evening, gesturing wildly as she spoke. He could only imagine what explanation she must have come up with for it all.
"She's not right," he said suddenly, and turned back to Susan. "I know the Doctor said nothing could be done but - you've been all over -"
"I don't know." The regret was evident in her voice. "But I will try, I promise you. Memories like that - they need to be remembered."
-X-
"I'm going out," announced Donna barely five minutes after Susan had left. "Thanks for the first aid, Gramps."
The door closed behind her with a bang before Wilf could protest. With a haste he hadn't used since the previous Christmas, Wilf abandoned the television to follow her outside. "Donna!" he hollered after her. "Come back!"
She was already at the door to her car. Wilf rushed down the steps and to the street. "Donna, where do you think you're going?"
"Don't think I don't know what's happening here," she declared, stomping her foot. "Susan's put you on watch duty. But that's not enough to stop me."
She climbed into the car. Unsure of what else he could do, Wilf opened the passenger door and sat down beside her.
"You can't come," Donna argued in exasperation.
"I'm not letting you out on your own, not after what you went through today."
She pouted at the windshield. Wilf didn't move. "All right," she relented at last, turning the key in the ignition, "But we're doing this my way. Donna's investigation, right? The way Susan acted in that bar, the secretive phone call, the previously unknown Jack. There's something mysterious going on, and I'm going to get to the bottom of it."
Wilf opened his mouth, but she wasn't done yet.
"Oh, and while I'm learning about her boyfriend, I'll see if I can find out some information about those blue mice things, too."
-X-
The car only began to slow down once Donna pulled up outside a little bookstore. "Ha!" she crowed triumphantly, and then drifted further down the street to park.
"I thought we were investigating," Wilf said as she rushed to exit the vehicle.
"And we've arrived at the scene of the crime," Donna declared. "I heard her on the phone. Susan told Jack she'd meet him at the bookshop. This bookshop. It's where she works."
Wilf glanced around nervously, uncomfortable in the role of snooping. "Why don't we go back home, dear? I could get the ole telescope out again. Night under the stars, eh?"
Donna wasn't listening. She'd already begun striding back up the street with purpose. She paused momentarily beneath the large, swinging sign that had been painted with a depiction of a thick tome, and waved him on impatiently. Wilf stifled a sigh and followed.
"They'll be in the back, snogging," she told him ghoulishly. "Then again, this is Susan. They may just be sitting chastely in the back corner, holding hands. You stay in the front, in case he tries to leave, and be quiet." She started to let out a whoop, caught herself, and then barged in through the door. Wilf had no choice but to follow.
The furnace must have been on at full strength, for the store's temperature was near tropical and a loud roar filled the air. Donna didn't seem to notice, disappearing into a row of shelves without hesitation. She was going to see it, Wilf realized all at once - he hadn't a clue as to what the "it" would be, but if Susan had been trying to keep Donna away, that would be enough. His only chance now was to warn Susan of their arrival.
Which is why, against his granddaughter's direct orders, he immediately followed after her.
-X-
