We meet another OC in this chapter, Frankie; I hope you guys love him as much as I do.
When I picture Frankie, I picture Benjamin Patterson.
I probably should have been inside with everyone else, watching the News about the 'UFO crash' but I had found the crowded flat so suffocating that I hadn't even bothered to stay more than five minutes before I had walked out of the flat and the building. Now, I was simply walking around Powell Estate, my thoughts drifting from one thing to another. They mostly settled on my Nan, guilt following them like the demon it was; prepared and happy to make me regret ever getting out of bed that fateful day a week ago, well, a year ago.
A part of me still couldn't believe it had only been a week, for me anyway; for the rest of the world, Charlotte Williams had been missing for a year. A whole year just gone. I know Rose said we hadn't missed anything, but I had missed something. I had missed a very big something. My Nan getting sick.
Like they so often did, my fingers moved to the pocket of my jeans where the little circular pocket watch sat. Unlike so many other times, I didn't pull away from the cool metal; instead, I pulled the pocket watch out and settled it in my palm as I looked it over. My head hurt when I looked at it, like it was taking a lot of effort just to keep focus on it. It had always been like that but I had merely chalked it up to coincidence.
My free hand slowly drifted towards it, itching to open it and see what was so important that Nan had made me promise never to be without it. Surely a simple pocket watch didn't merit such a promise?
Not yet.
The voice made me jump, my fingers twitching like someone was physically fighting me for control of them.
Not yet. Not now. Patience.
I huffed, undeterred by some imaginary voice. My fingers wrapped around the cool metal, resting just above the little button that would open the pocket watch. It gleamed almost mockingly, telling me to open it even as the voice in my head screamed for me not to. My finger moved, putting pressure on the little button. Only to disappear the next moment as I heard footsteps approaching.
Hurriedly shoving the watch back into my pocket, I hid behind the Tardis and waited to see just who was coming.
"And where do you think you're going?" I heard Rose asked and I felt like head butting the Tardis. Would I ever be free of that man for more than an hour or two? His timing was absolutely horrid as well. I was just about to… to what? I shook my head, it really didn't matter right now.
"Nowhere," I heard the Doctor reply and I scoffed at the blatant lie in his voice, "it's just a bit human in there for me. History just happened and they're talking about where you can buy dodgy top-up cards for half price."
I could see how that would be annoying to a man like him. Hell, had I bothered to stay in the flat, I may have been just as annoyed. How many times did a spaceship appear in London? How were top-up cards more interesting than that? But really? A bit human? I knew he was an alien but did he have to act so… alien?
"I'm off on a wander, that's all," the Doctor continued and I rolled my eyes heavenward. 'Off on a wander'? Really? Rose could be a little thick sometimes, but even she could tell that he was lying.
"Right," Rose scoffed and I smiled proudly, "there's a spaceship on the Thames and you're just wandering."
You tell him, Rosey. Honestly, that man was an awful liar. He was too inquisitive not to try and check everything out.
"Nothing to do with me," he answered Rose and I listened silently, wondering what exactly he was getting at, "it's not an invasion. That was a genuine crash landing. Angle of descent, colour of smoke, everything. It's perfect."
I could see him bouncing excitedly like a kid on a sugar rush. Not that I could say much; my own curiosity was mounting each passing moment and I was just as eager to learn more about this mysterious spaceship. Though something in my gut told me it wasn't as simple as the Doctor thought and I was inclined to listen to my gut.
"You don't need me," I heard the Doctor say as I shook my head and forced myself to come back to the present instead of letting my mind linger in the clouds. "Go and celebrate history. Spend time with your mum and Charlotte."
"I don't even know where Charlie went," Rose replied and, had I not known the Doctor was up to something, I would have stepped out of my hiding place. "Promise you won't disappear?" she asked him in such a small voice it pulled at my heart. I hadn't even realised how quickly Rose had become accustomed to the Doctor's presence. She had always lacked a father figure in her life and the Doctor was close to the age her own dad would be if he hadn't died when she was a baby. Had Rose chosen the Doctor as the man to fill that void? Would he end up hurting her beyond what I could repair? Over my dead body.
"Tell you what," the Doctor replied, his voice soft and light, "Tardis key. It's about time you had one. See you later."
"What about Charlie?" Rose called.
"What about her?" the Doctor questioned and I actually felt a little stung at the question. Did he not want me to have my own Tardis key? Perhaps he didn't wish for me to travel with them anymore. Not that it would change anything; if Rose was going you can be damn sure I wasn't going to be far behind. I'd protect her for as long as I could; no one would hurt her or take her away from me.
Rose didn't answer and the stinging sensation turned into a sharp stab of hurt. Was she really not going to ask him why he wasn't giving me a Tardis key? I would have argued until I was blue in the face if our positions had been reversed.
Slowly, I began to back away, towards the dumpster that was conveniently located close to the Tardis. I didn't want either of them to realise I was there, not with my moods on the emotional rollercoaster they seemed to be on today. As I watched Rose run back to Powell Estate and watched the Tardis disappear, I bowed my head.
What I needed right now, was a cup of tea.
And maybe a bottle of Scotch.
My little pity party took me to a little coffee shop my Nan used to take me to when we had first moved here. It wasn't terribly well known which should have been a crime because they made the best tea and coffee in all of London.
Frankie waved to me ecstatically, running out from behind the counter to rush up to me and engulf me in a bone crushing hug. He smelled like coffee and vanilla, a scent I had grown familiar with over the years. Frankie was older than me by five years and had been the first guy I had ever had a crush on. Like the saint that he is, Frankie hadn't wanted to lead me on and had sat me down one day to explain to me that, though I was a very beautiful girl, he happened to be very gay.
"Baby-girl!" he squeaked excitedly, "where have you been?! I've seen the posters. Were you kidnapped? Did they hurt you? Do I need to get my bat?"
I laughed as I patted his back in a signal to ease up a little. When he finally stepped back, Frankie was looking me over with a critical eye. A short moment passed before he nodded and led me over to my usual table in the back of the café. "Don't even think about moving your little butt off that chair," he ordered, waggling his finger at me, "I'll be right back."
And he was. Barely five minutes had passed when he was sliding into the seat in front of me and placing two cups on the table. I smiled as I looked down at mine. "Caramel Mocha Latte," Frankie chirped happily, "with a hint of Scotch and topped with whipped cream and chocolate powder."
"You're an absolute legend," I told him sincerely as I wrapped my hands around the steaming mug. Frankie didn't care about how hyper coffee made me and would generally help me burn off the excess energy at the gym when he got off of work. Of course, today that would have to wait.
"And don't you forget it," he said acting stern before he smiled brightly, "so," he said as I was taking a mouthful of my latte, "seen any aliens lately?"
I choked around my mouthful of latte but managed to swallow it instead of spitting it out; however, this sent me into a fit of coughs and I spluttered for a few seconds as Frankie gave me several hard pats on the back. "What?" I gasped, my eyes watering as I took in an unsteady breath.
"You know, the spaceship?" Frankie said, though, he didn't sound like that was all he had been talking about, "it was a joke, Baby-girl."
I sat back and eyed Frankie wearily. He was the picture of innocence as he casually sipped on his own Mocha Latte; his dark eyes gazing at me with an equally dark eyebrow raised in my direction. His ebony skin contrasted with his white shirt and cream apron. Frankie wasn't massive, but his clothes were tight enough that you could see the muscles of his arms and the definition of his torso, when he wasn't wearing the apron that is. Of course, I had seen him almost naked so I could tell you now that he possessed a body to be enviable of.
"I know," I mumbled, playing absentmindedly with the spoon in my mug.
"What's wrong?" Frankie asked, "do you want me to put more Scotch in the drink? I keep that bottle of Dimples in my bag just in case you come in."
I snorted at that. Frankie was my spirit animal and I loved him to pieces; he also knew me better than anyone. Though, again, he knew nothing about the contents of my journal and I once again found myself wondering why the Doctor was any different to those, I held closest to my heart. My sardonic smile had his eyes narrowing at me before I dropped all pretences, my shoulders sagging in like I could protect myself from the truth if I made myself as small as possible.
"It's my Nan," I told him softly.
"She didn't try to run over a cabbie again, did she?" he asked immediately, "because I'm still in contact with James and if she needs legal representation, he's only a call away. Free of charge, he still owes me a favour."
"She's dying," I managed to get it out without my voice breaking but any pride I may have felt was snuffed out by the grief that was trying to consume me.
Frankie gasped; not one of his overdramatic ones either, no, this was a genuine, I am so sorry gasp and it made my eyes water. "Oh, Charlie," he coo'd, standing up and moving around to hug me and that was the last straw. You know, how you can keep a tough face on around others but there is always that one person who always manages to make your defences crumble like a house of cards in the wind? That person, for me, is Frankie. "Oh, honey," he whispered into my ear as he hugged me, shielding me from any inquisitive gazes with his body, "honey, it's okay. It's gonna be okay."
"She-she's dying, Frankie," I sobbed, "how is-is anything ever going to-to be okay again? I'm gonna be on my own."
"Poppycock," he replied, pulling away to meet my teary gaze with his stern one, "you will never be alone, Charlotte Angelina Williams. Do you understand me? You'll have Rose, Jackie, and me. And you know me, I'm not leaving even if you order me to."
We were silent for a moment before Frankie stood, pulling me with him. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and steered me towards the counter. I waited silently as he stepped behind the counter to remove his apron and grab his bag, shrugging it onto his shoulder before he looked at a tall and daunting man. "Leaving early, dad," he told the larger man, "baby-girl needs me."
That got the larger man's attention and I waved gingerly when he looked over at me, "hi, Mr-"
"Baby-girl," the man exclaimed as he bounded forward on large legs, sweeping me into an equally bone crushing hug like his son had done earlier. I wrapped my hands around his hulking shoulders, my feet dangling uselessly as I was lifted a few inches off the ground. He put me down and looked at my puffy eyes with a frown before he vanished into the back of the café and returned a moment later with a large box in his hands. "On the house, darling," he told me softly, "you look like you could use it."
I gave him a watery smile and was pulled into another hug, this one much gentler than the original one. "We're here if you need us, kid," he whispered into my hair, "but please, for the love of God, keep my son out of any gay bars. I've kicked enough men out of my place this month to last me a lifetime."
That comment drew a startled laugh from my lips and I could feel him laughing into my hair as he placed a light kiss to my head before he stepped back. "Go on," he told us gruffly, "get outta here, the both of you."
"Aye, aye, Captain," Frankie said the same time I retorted with, "sir, yes, sir."
We both stood stiffly, our legs locked, saluting Frankie's dad who rolled his eyes at the both of us before he shepherded us towards the door of the café. Frankie and I shared a look before we leaned against one another and giggled like a pair of school girls. "Come on, baby-girl," Frankie said, "lets go to that park you're so fond of."
"Actually," I told him, "I should probably get back to Powell Estate. I didn't tell Jackie where I was going and she's already hyped up about me and Rose being missing for a year."
"Which I still want an explanation for, just, FYI," Frankie told me, "but, we can head to Ms Tyler's flat. We can share the chocolate cake dad just gave us with her."
"How do you know it's chocolate cake?"
He rolled his eyes, "when is it ever not chocolate cake?"
He had a point there. We made quick work of getting back to Powell Estate and Frankie had helped me put my mask in place before we entered the building. Thanks to his EMC (Emergency Make-up Case) we were able to hide the redness of my eyes and no one would even know I had been crying almost the entire walk back. Frankie swore we would be talking about the last year at length and I was dreading that particular conversation, how do you tell someone that you had actually seen them only a little over a week ago without sounding like a complete nutter? The answer? You don't.
We walked into the flat and Frankie and I didn't pay anyone any mind as we made our way into the kitchen where Jackie, Mickey, and Rose were standing. "Well, hello, Mickey," Frankie purred, winking at my best friends' boyfriend as I rolled my eyes. He seemed to notice the tension in the room and took a step back so he was once again standing beside me, "did I miss something?"
"If you did, I did," I returned before Mickey was suddenly marching up to me, his face angry. He was stopped a few inches from me by Frankie's hand resting heavily on his shoulder. "Problem, Mickey-Mouse?" I asked carelessly, wondering what the hell I had done to piss him off. Nothing recent sprung to mind.
"Problem? Problem?!" he practically yelled and I watched him flinch, no doubt Frankie had tightened his hold on him. "I was a murder suspect because of you two," he continued, "and you walk in here like you only just saw me yesterday or something!"
It was a week actually, I felt like saying but I bit my tongue and merely gave him a blank look.
"Hang on," Jackie interrupted, "you still haven't told me why you didn't tell me you knew about the Doctor!"
I watched Mickey huff before he shrugged Frankie's hand off and turned to Rose instead. My hackles rose at the look of smug satisfaction on his face. "Yeah, yeah. Why not, Rose?" he questioned and I felt Frankie wrap his large hand around my arm when I went to take a step forward, "how could I tell her where you both went?"
"Tell me now," Jackie ordered, her hands on her hips as her eyes darted between the three of us.
"I might as well, 'cos you're stuck here. Both of you," he said, throwing that smug look at me before he turned his gaze back to Rose who was quickly paling, "the Doctor's gone." I ignored the way my heart plummeted as I watched my best friend's eyes tear up. "That box thing just faded away," he continued.
That had been half an hour ago though, so why was he just bringing it up now? And why hadn't the Doctor come back yet? Had he really just left without so much as a goodbye? That didn't really seem like him.
"What do you mean?" Rose asked in a small, childlike voice.
"He's left you," Mickey told her meanly, "some boyfriend he turned out to be."
Rose ran out of the flat and with one icy glare at Mickey, I followed her.
"Rose," I called after my best friend as she ran out of the building, "Rose, wait."
"Did you know he left?" Rose asked, turning to face me, "did you know he took off?"
I nodded, "he left about half an hour ago," I told her.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she huffed angrily and I felt that familiar hurt blossoming in my chest. She was angry with me? Why? I wasn't the one that had left. Well, technically, I had left; but I came back. No one had even noticed I had gone.
"He wouldn't just go," Rose denied, shaking her head, "he promised me."
I wanted to throw out a bitter comment about how I knew that because I had overheard their conversation. I wanted to be bitter and jealous that Rose had gotten a Tardis key and I hadn't. Why wasn't I being petty, you ask? Because my best friend, the girl I considered to be my little sister, was absolutely devastated right now and that meant more to me than my own jealousy.
"Oh, he's dumped you, Rose," Mickey began from behind me, "sailed off into space. How does it feel, huh? Now you're left behind with the rest of us, Earthlings. Get used to it."
I had been counting backwards from a hundred while he was talking, gloating, but when I saw the hurt look that flashed across Rose's face, I lost all of my carefully put together composure.
The sting of my open palm connecting with the side of Mickey's face was barely felt and did absolutely nothing to temper my mood. Not even the surprised looks of everyone present could quell the raging inferno spreading throughout my body. Who the hell did he think he was? No one upset Rose, not even her boyfriend and my mate. He was being petty, sure, it was a little justified, but we hadn't meant to be gone for a year and Mickey was just being an arse.
"Charlie!" Rose screamed and I felt her tugging on my coat sleeve but I shook her off as I approached my cowering friend.
"Don't you ever speak to her like that," I hissed at him, "ever. Do you understand me?" He gave me a hesitant nod but I wasn't finished. "We only saw you a week ago, Mickey," his eyes widened but nonetheless, I persisted, "so, maybe you should pull your head out of your arse because apparently it's been stuck up there so long, you're starting to act like a piece of s-"
"-Okay," Frankie stepped in, grabbing me around the waist and hauling me away from Mickey as Jackie went to his side to check his cheek. "As much as I'm loving the colourful commentary, spitfire, perhaps we should dial it down. How about we go from MA to G, yeah?" Frankie breathed into my ear.
"You both need to face it," Mickey continued, though he had taken to standing slightly behind Jackie as he did, "he's vamoosed. He didn't care enough to stick around and I doubt he'll care enough to come back."
It was certainly a good thing Frankie had still been holding my waist because, at his words, I had tried to make a leap for Mickey who grabbed Jackie and practically threw her in front of him. Nonetheless, I still tried to get out of his grip and Mickey had every reason to wear that terrified expression on his face because, with the mood I was in, if I got free, I was likely to try and gauge his eyeballs out of his skull.
"He's not," Rose argued, coming to stand beside Frankie and I felt her fingers entwine with mine. Remembering the hurt I had felt a moment ago and earlier at how she seemed to brush me aside for the Doctor, I removed my hand and recoiled into Frankie. Rose gave me a hurt look but I ignored it in favour of staring at the tattoo on Frankie's arm. "Because he gave me this," she continued and I momentarily gazed up to see her holding up the Tardis key proudly, "he's not my boyfriend, Mickey. He's more than that. He's much more important than…"
"We get it, Rose," I cut in bitterly, looking away when she tried to meet my eyes. I shrugged Frankie off and he put me back on the ground but still kept his arm wrapped around my waist.
The Tardis key began to glow moments before a familiar and soothing sound reached my ears as the Tardis began to materialise. Frankie's arm tightened around me, his body moving to shield me even if it was unnecessary. That was Frankie, though, someone I could always count on to be there for me.
"I said so," Rose exclaimed happily before she tried ushering Jackie back into the building.
"Baby-girl?" Frankie whispered unsurely into my ear and I threaded my fingers through his.
"It's okay," I whispered back as the blue police box started to come into view, "let me show you something amazing."
When the Tardis fully materialised and Rose unlocked the door, I ushered Frankie in without a backwards glance at anyone else. Was I being petty? Yes. Did I care? Not right now, no.
"All right," the Doctor was saying as we entered and I smiled when I saw Frankie's eyes widen in awe as he got his first real look at the Tardis. "So, I lied," the Doctor continued, not even sparing any of us a glance and I glared fiercely at his back, "I went and had a look. But the whole crash landing's a fake." Surprise, surprise. No, really, I'm actually surprised, that wasn't sarcasm. "I thought so. Just too perfect," he continued as he looked at a little old TV, "I mean, hitting Big Ben. Come on, so, I thought let's go have a look…"
"My mum's here," Rose interrupted, finally getting the Doctor's attention as he turned to see it wasn't just Rose and me.
"Oh," he huffed, "that's just what I need. Don't you dare make this place domestic." His eyes turned to me and narrowed at Frankie, "and who are you?"
Any other day I would have rolled my eyes at the man, but today I was already thoroughly exhausted emotionally and didn't want to put up with him. "None of your damn business," I snapped, garnering a surprised and, dare I say, hurt look from the Doctor. I took Frankie's hand in mine and led him towards the hall of the Tardis, "come on," I told him softly, "I wanna show you something."
Without a backwards glance at the others, I led Frankie towards my room, where hopefully I could finally have a well-deserved cry.
The Doctor watched Charlotte and the mystery man leave the Tardis console room and frowned. Charlotte had been in a bad mood since this morning but there was something different about the way she had just been acting. It wasn't what she had said, it was more the icy look she had had in her eyes when she had looked at him. Behind the icy look though, he had seen bitterness, jealousy, and hurt. Though, for the life of him, the Doctor couldn't figure out why she felt that way or what he had done to earn her anger this time.
Rose was also watching the door, Charlotte had disappeared through and the Doctor could see the confused and hurt look in her eyes as well. Did that mean she was angry with both of them? What had they done?
"Who was that?" he demanded, wanting to know the name of the man Charlotte had just disappeared with.
"Hm? Uh, that's Frankie," Rose answered absentmindedly, "they've been friends for years."
"What's up with her anyway?" he demanded, looking to Rose for answers about why her friend seemed to be mad at him. Again.
"That time of the month?" Mickey added unhelpfully, earning two identical glares from Jackie and Rose.
Jackie was the one to answer, her arms crossed over her chest. "Not that it's any of your business," she said, looking directly at the Doctor, "but Charlotte just found out that her Nan is sick."
"So?" the Doctor asked, confused about why that would make Charlotte act like she was. People got sick all the time, then they got better.
"She's dying," Jackie hissed and the Doctor felt his hearts break a little for the younger woman.
Rose gasped, "what? She-she never told me."
Jackie directed her glare at her daughter, "when would she have had the time to?" she asked sternly, "ever since you've been back, you're either with him-" she pointed at the Doctor, "-or talking about him. Don't even get me started on the fact that you have a key to this thing and I noticed Charlotte didn't seem to have one."
"I haven't found the right time to give her one," the Doctor defended himself, patting at his pocket where a Tardis key rested against one of his hearts. The Tardis had apparently decided to personalise Charlotte's key. It was Tardis blue with her name on it in a neat scrawl. It had appeared by him earlier when he was telling her that he was planning on giving Rose and Charlotte their own keys to the Tardis. He knew the Tardis had taken an unusual liking to the fiery-haired woman and she only further proved him right with the personalised key.
"Mhm," Jackie replied sceptically, her lips pursed as she threw a stern look between him, Rose, and even Mickey before she turned around and stepped out of the room, Rose following shortly behind her.
"This is impossible," Frankie said as I led him down the hall that would take us to my room.
I chuckled, "I said pretty much the same thing when I first saw her."
"Her?" he asked before he nodded, "yeah, she definitely has a feminine feel to her." The Tardis hummed appreciatively and I giggled as Frankie jumped. "What was that?" he asked me curiously. Yup, trust Frankie not to absolutely freak out about being in a police box that was bigger on the inside.
"That's how the Tardis communicates," I told him simply as we reached my room. I unlocked and opened the door, ushering Frankie in quickly before shutting the door and locking it again.
"Tardis?"
I nodded, "Time and Relative Dimensions in Space," I told him, having memorised the Doctor telling us when we had first entered. "Basically, she's a spaceship that travels in time," I simplified.
"A spaceship?" I nodded. "That travels in time?" Another nod. "Why does it look like a police box from the fifties?"
"Sixties is a bit more accurate, actually," I told him before I shrugged, "I don't know, I never asked."
"And how does all of this-" he waved his hands around wildly, "-fit inside an old police box?"
"The TARDIS is dimensionally transcendental, meaning the interior exists in a different, relative dimension to the exterior," I explained simply.
Frankie gave me a strange look before he spoke, "and how could you possibly know that?"
"I read the manual," I said, "well, parts of the manual; I haven't gotten all the way through it yet."
"There's a manual?" Frankie asked, surprised.
I nodded, "it was hidden under a stack of books in the library but it seems to vanish and appear in different locations whenever the Doctor's around. Kind of like the Tardis doesn't trust him to find it or something."
"Wait, wait, wait," he said, waving his hands around in a shushing motion, "back up a bit. This place has a library?"
I nodded with a large grin, "and you wouldn't imagine how many books it has; I could live in there happily for the rest of my life."
"Any room in there for your GBF?" he asked me with a dramatic flourish towards himself.
"I have a room you might like a bit more," I grinned.
And I had been right. The moment Frankie and I had entered the large closet-like room in the Tardis, he had made an odd sound between a squeal and a choking sound as he stared around the room. We had proceeded to peruse the stacks of clothes and Frankie had eyed a few tailored suits from the forties as we had passed them.
Eventually, however, we decided to make our way back to the Tardis control room and Frankie had pestered me the entire way there about talking to the Doctor. He told me to explain to the man that I had felt hurt that he had given Rose a key and not me. Of course, I stubbornly refused and Frankie and I had spent the remainder of the walk glaring at each other, having a silent argument through our looks alone.
"That was a real spaceship," I heard Rose say just as we walked through the door and into the control room.
"Yep," the Doctor replied enthusiastically and I gave Frankie a pointed look as if to say 'see what I have to deal with?'
Of course, Frankie threw me an equally pointed look that said 'just strap on your big girl panties and tell the man how you feel.'
"So, it's all a pack of lies? What is it, then? Are they invading?" Rose questioned and Frankie and I scoffed, garnering the attention of the three people in the room.
"Some invasion," I commented as I led Frankie further into the control room after threading my fingers through his. "The whole world is now aware of the crash in the Thames, everyone's going to be on high alert because of it," I continued.
"Baby-girl's right," Frankie added and I smiled at him, missing the way the Doctor glared at him, "if you were going to invade a planet, wouldn't you want to take them by surprise? It'd make invading a whole lot easier."
"Good point," the Doctor begrudgingly agreed and I felt my lip turn up in a smirk as I saw the pout on his face. He glared at me before he turned away and towards Rose, "so, what're they up to?"
Frankie watched as everyone sat around the Tardis. He still couldn't wrap his mind around everything that had happened so far and knew he was going to go postal when he got home later. His eyes moved to Baby-girl and he watched as she curled a bright strand of hair around her finger as she threw an emotion-filled look at the man she called 'the Doctor' every now and again.
He looked at the man too, something was certainly different about him. It wasn't just the fact that he was apparently an alien either. He looked familiar, like Frankie had seen him before. His eyes went back to Baby-girl and he frowned, she had seemed familiar when he had first met her too. It had confused him because the familiarity had stemmed from his childhood which was impossible for two reasons. One, Baby-girl had lived in America for most of her young life. And two, she was five years younger than him but he could have sworn the familiarity stemmed from someone who had been older than he had been at the time.
Shaking his head, Frankie watched as Mickey approached the Doctor and started up a conversation. He didn't pay much attention to the specifics and quickly looked away only to see Rose throwing looks at Baby-girl from across the room.
He shook his head again; those two girls were about as stubborn as each other. He could see that both of them wanted to talk but neither of them wanted to be the one to break the silence. Frankie was contemplating locking them in a room when he watched the Doctor get up and move out of the control room, telling them he'd be back in a moment.
Frankie watched Rose slowly inch towards Baby-girl and when they were properly distracted, he got up and followed after the Doctor.
At one point, he had lost sight of the man and had thought about turning back so he wouldn't get lost. Of course, then the Tardis had given out two beeps before the lights dimmed around him and brightened down the hall just ahead of him. Remembering what Baby-girl had said to him about the Tardis being sentient, he hurried down the hall.
He had been walking for all of two minutes when he suddenly ran into the Doctor as the older man stepped out of a side room.
"Why aren't you back in the control room?" he demanded, hiding the surprise Frankie had seen quickly flash in his eyes.
Frankie shrugged nonchalantly before he crossed his arms over his chest and straightened to full height. "What are your intentions with Baby-girl?" he asked instead, needing to know his friend would be okay.
"Who? What?" the man said, the surprise coming back as he shifted to look up at Frankie.
"Charlotte," Frankie said with a roll of his eyes, "what are your intentions with Charlotte?"
"What's any of it got to do with you?"
Frankie narrowed his eyes at the man, the look returned with equal ferocity. Any other time, that look might have made him step down and forget his line of questioning; but not when it came to Baby-girl. He loved her like she was his sister and he wasn't going to leave her in the care of this man unless he knew she'd be safe. "She's one of my closest friends," he told the man, "practically my little sister. She's a tough shell to crack but once you do, she's unwaveringly loyal. Unfortunately, she's also easily hurt and I've seen the way she looks at you. I don't want her getting hurt again, Doctor, and I need to know she's going to be safe with you."
He was being completely honest too. He had seen the way Baby-girl had been looking at the older man. It hadn't been in a romantic say, more like, she was beginning to care for him. Of course, Frankie knew that she'd fight it; Baby-girl was hesitant to open up to others and something about the Doctor had spooked her. If he had to take a guess, he'd say it had something to do with how quickly she was coming to trust him.
Baby-girl had given him the cliff notes of everything that had happened so far and the way she talked about the Doctor was almost similar to the way she talked about him, Jackie, Rose, and her Nan. She was beginning to trust him and Frankie could see it was scaring the hell out of her. It wasn't because she trusted him either, it was because of how fast she was trusting him.
"I don't know," the Doctor answered, shaking Frankie from his thoughts. He eyed the older man suspiciously, looking for any sign that he was lying. The Doctor's shoulders were sagged and his eyes were downcast as he suddenly found his shoes very interesting.
"You don't know if you can keep her safe?"
The Doctor's eyes met his and Frankie was surprised at the years he saw there. His eyes were old, far older than how old he looked. They looked worn and seemed to show all the horrors the man had seen. "Has she shown you her arms?" he asked Frankie. When Frankie nodded, the Doctor deflated. "Those scars are my fault," the Doctor told him.
"That's not how Baby-girl sees it," Frankie told him, "she says the choice to go after you had been hers. She had decided to follow you into that room. She decided to get that woman, Jabe, out of there before she could get seriously hurt or die. She decided to push down on that breaker switch, knowing full well what would happen when she did." Frankie took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, "when Charlie gets an idea in her head, I doubt anyone could ever talk her out of doing it. And, as she tells me, you blaming yourself for her choices, is really beginning to piss her off.
"Charlie is very stubborn, Doctor," Frankie continued, leaning against the nearest wall, "I've never met another human being as stubborn as that woman. She makes you want to throttle her most of the time and then, there are these moments where she removes the mask, she wears to protect herself and you get to see the woman beneath it all. You haven't had that chance yet; but, when you do, do yourself a favour."
Their eyes were burning into each other as Frankie spoke and he could see that the Doctor was giving him his undivided attention. "Don't push her away," Frankie finished, "don't hide behind that mask you seem to wear all the time. The mask you're wearing right now." He watched the Doctor's eyes widen but Frankie continued with his speech, "when she opens up to you, you need to be prepared to do the same; because Charlie is well worth putting yourself out there for."
Seeing the contemplative look in the Doctor's eyes, Frankie knew his job here was done and turned to make his way back to the control room with the help of the Tardis. When he got there, he smiled, seeing Rose and Baby-girl hugging each other tightly.
"I'm sorry."
I looked up at the sound of Rose's voice to see the younger woman standing awkwardly in front of me.
"I've been a rotten friend," Rose continued sadly, "I've been spending so much time with the Doctor that I didn't even notice you were hurting."
I sighed heavily and patted the spot beside me. As Rose sat down beside me, I felt the hurt lessen in my chest. No matter what, I could never stay angry at Rose and, if truth be told, I was never really mad with her anyway. I was hurt; because I felt like I was losing my best friend. When the Doctor had given Rose the Tardis key and not even mentioned giving me one, I was jealous. Did he not want to travel with me anymore? Was he going to take Rose away from me? I don't know which thought hurt the most but the second one was definitely the most terrifying.
"I'm sorry to hear about your Nan," Rose said softly, her fingers threading through mine as she placed our entwined hands in her lap. I didn't pull away; instead, I felt myself relax for the first time since we had gotten back. Moving over, I placed my head on Rose's shoulder, squeezing her hand softly.
"I know," I whispered, "I'm sorry for ignoring you. I was hurt and scared."
"Why were you scared?" Rose asked me curiously.
I shook my head, "it doesn't matter." Yes, it does, a voice in my head said and I drowned it out quickly. If Rose was planning on leaving with the Doctor and travelling without me, I didn't want her to know just how much it would affect me. I wanted her to be happy, even if it meant I wasn't.
"He looks happy. She makes him happy, that's all that matters."
I shook my head again, ignoring the familiar and yet unfamiliar voice.
"Do you forgive me?" Rose asked nervously after a moment of silence.
I smiled softly, "I'll always forgive you, Rosey."
Her arms were around my neck in the next moment and I wrapped my own around her waist as we hugged tightly. The hurt disappeared as I tightened my hold on her, closing my eyes and taking in a deep breath as I allowed myself to be calm for the first time all day. We stayed like that for a while, neither of us speaking or moving, just finding comfort in the other as we so often did.
Of course, the moment was soon broken as the Doctor re-entered the room and managed to fix his little scanner thing. Looked like we were officially back in business.
And, wouldn't you know it? The scanner only left us with more questions than answers.
Charlie may seem very rude in this chapter. Please keep in mind that she has just found out that her Nan is dying and for a woman like Charlie, she chose to react in a negative way. Sh was already feeling emotional before learning about her Nan but the news was a tipping point for her. Don't worry, the Charlie we all know and love will be back soon and I hope this chapter doesn't make you hate her xx
