A/N: Hey, here's the next chapter, I made up the word resa-morphic so no complaints there. This is the chapter where Dylan and The Doctor have a nice moment and it's one of my favourites. Please review, thanks.

Chapter 5

"So what exactly are we looking for?"

"A resa-morphic, substance left behind after an alien species converts primitive life-forms into mutated killing machines, in this case bugs. And this would tell me whether they're building up an army or not."

The Doctor was knelt on the ground, shining the tube-like device around under bushes. Dylan was stood back a way, looking down on him and wondering how the hell she got herself into this situation, and what would happen when they realised she hadn't gone to school today. She would rather face ten thousand monster bugs than the Grinchley.

"What were those things?" Dylan asked quietly.

The Doctor stopped looking for resa-morphic substances and turned to face her. Dylan was looking up at the sky, a small frown creasing her forehead, which was still covered in scratches from the various branches and brambles that had whipped her quite violently on their mad dash through the trees.

The Doctor sighed and leant back supporting his weight on his hands, his feet stretched out in front of him. It was always the same with new ones, all the usual questions followed by all the usual answer. Still, he thought, the girl had practically saved his life and she seemed able to handle it.

"They were aliens", he said in what he thought was a calm and serious voice, but instead Dylan burst out laughing. The Doctor frowned, this had never happened before, was she mad? Oh please don't let her be mad!

"I know that stupid, anyone could have guessed that. No, I meant what kind of aliens are they?"

The Doctor paused for a minute, in all his 904 years of travelling he had never been laughed at when he told someone for the first time about aliens. Then again this was a new Earth, one that had been visited by so many races lately, and had then been stolen, so ignorance must be a rare thing now. The Doctor stood up, brushing the earth from his clothes.

"They're called Sectivores, a particularly nasty type of alien. They come from the planet Vard, in the Delta 5 galaxy. They're sort of an amalgamation of all your arthropod species, you know, spiders, flies, beetles, prayer mantis…"

"Prayer mantis!" That's what I thought they looked like." Dylan interrupted, taking The Doctor aback.

"So are these giant bugs trying to take over Earth and turn us into slaves or something?"

"That's very clever, your good Dylan Harris, but no. They want to take over the planet, sure, but you're not going to be slaves." The Doctor stopped wondering if she was ready for this.

"Not slaves, then what are we?" A hint of panic had crept into her voice now.

"Lunch."

Dylan stared at him, her face growing pale. Oh no, she hadn't been ready, but suddenly the blood rushed back to her face and a determined scowl replace the look of horror that had been fixed on her face moments ago.

"Right, well, we better see if these guys are creating a mutant army of bugs." Dylan dropped down on her knees where The Doctor had been, and started looking underneath the bushes.

"Errrr…what exactly does resa-morphic goo, or whatever, look like."

The Doctor smiled and handed her his device.

"Here this will help." He said, "Set it to three and it will scan the area for traces of it." He then sat down cross-legged beside her as she turned on the gadget, whirring suddenly filled the woods.

"What is this thing?" Dylan asked from underneath a bush.

"It's called a Sonic-Screwdriver, never leave your solar system without one."

"A Sonic…Screwdriver, alright I'll buy that. But I don't get how you were able to understand those aliens, and how you know so much about them."

"Ah", The Doctor looked thoughtfully at Dylan and didn't say anything else for so long that she stopped what she was doing and straightened up to face him.

"Doctor?"

"Ah", he said again, "You see I know all that stuff because…well…I'm an alien too. Well, not just an alien, a Time-Lord…well…the last of the Time-Lords." The Doctor stared at Dylan expectantly; she just looked at him for a few seconds, then grinned and said, "Cool."

The Doctor grinned back.

"Yeah, I suppose it is."

~*~

This is a problem.

We didn't plan on a Time-Lord showing up, this would delay things.

And that human, she must have been his companion, the records from the home world said he always travels with one.

Huh, imagine travelling with one of those apes, I wouldn't be able to stand it, the smell.

At least they taste good.

Yes, very good.

So when do me attack Commander?

Soon, we just have to get rid of this Time-Lord first.

The Time-Lords were a dangerous race Commander, they have no weakness.

This one does, to stop the Time-Lord, we attack the human.

~*~

"TARDIS, T-A-R-D-I-S, Time and relative dimensions in space."

"Okay"

The Doctor had agreed to walk Dylan home, it was getting dark and they couldn't do any more until morning. The Doctor still wasn't sure what to make of this strange girl, she seemed to be taking everything very easily. In fact she seemed to be enjoying it, she'd been asking more and more questions as they walked, and not just the obvious ones. Things like; What was weirdest planet you've been on? And, Have you ever seen a black hole?

There was something about her, The Doctor couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it was strange, she was strange, and he liked her.

"So, have you ever gone back and visited the dinosaurs, you know it being a time machine and everything?"

"No, but they invaded London once."

"Really?"

"Yeah, a long time ago. That was when I was trapped on Earth."

"You were trapped here?"

"My home world banished me." The Doctor stared at the ground as he walked, so many memories, so many friends he'd lost.

"And now it's gone?" Dylan glanced at The Doctor, concern on her face. She liked this weird alien, he was funny and interesting, but he also seemed sad. Dylan didn't like that.

"Yup." The Doctor's head was bent right down, his chin touching his chest. "Now I'm all alone."

"Don't you have any friends, I mean on other planets that you visit?"

"I used to travel with some people, human people, but they're all gone as well now. They all have someone, it's just me."

Dylan looked down and said, so quietly that The Doctor thought he had misheard it, "like me then." The Doctor glanced side-ways at Dylan, but she was looking away from him. They carried on in silence, Dylan occasionally speaking to give directions.

Finally, they rounded a corner and were met by an old, Victorian style building. The evening light cast its long shadow over the driveway, and the tall battlements poked at the sky viciously. Dylan really didn't like this place, it reminded her of those Charles Dickens novels; Oliver Twist, Great Expectations. She shivered looking up at the dark windows, The Doctor however was staring at the large white sign by its entrance.

It read in bold, black letters, 'St Mary's Orphanage'. Dylan sighed and looked at The Doctor expectantly.

"Orphanage." He read out, "You're an orphan?" He turned to her, his eyes wide.

"Yup, my parents died when I was 4, and I was brought here."

"No other family, no Aunts or Uncles, Grandparents, distant cousins twice removed?"

Dylan chuckled sadly, then she looked The Doctor in the eyes and said quietly, "Nope, it's just me."