I sat down in the Captain's chair by the console and rested my chin on my hand.

"You alright?" The Doctor asked.

I yawned, "Yeah, just a bit tired."

"You can go sleep and when you wake up, we'll go someplace. How bout that?"

I shook my head and stood up, "You take Rose and Adam somewhere. I'll just sleep. I promise I won't wander off if I wake up and you three are gone."

"You sure?" He asked.

"Yeah. Take them somewhere fantastic. And don't cause trouble." I smiled before going down the corridor to my room.

After taking a nice warm shower I changed into my black nightgown. I washed my face before I looked down at my arm. It's been burning recently. Whenever someone said 'Bad Wolf'. Coincidently, those are the words carved into my arm. I was 14. I was never like that. I was never suicidal. I sort of blacked out and I woke up in the hospital with a bandage wrapped around my arm. The doctor said I was found unconscious in my bedroom at my foster home with a knife. I had to go to therapy for six months. I had no idea what the words meant. And now, I'm hearing them a lot.

I ran my finger over the words before getting in my bed and falling asleep.

I woke up what seemed like hours later.

"Doctor?" I asked.

"Are you okay?" He questioned, sitting on the bed.

"Yes. Why?"

"You've been asleep for a while." He frowned and put the back of his hand against my forehead, "You sure you're not sick?"

"Yes, Doctor, I'm sure. How was your adventure with Adam and Rose?" I asked, sitting up.

He scoffed, "Adam's home now."

"What happened?"

"He messed up big time." Was all the Doctor gave me.

He moved up on the bed and sat next to me, resting his head on the headboard.

"So what else happened while I was asleep?"

"Rose wanted to go to the day her father died. She saved him from being hit by a car and aliens appeared and tried to kill us." He answered.

"That sounds exciting." I replied.

The Doctor cleared his throat, "I, uh, also met this homeless couple. They were really nice."

Where is he going with this?

"Told me they had a baby girl. They wanted her to have everything she ever wanted. So they gave her up."

I now knew exactly what he was talking about.

"They loved me though, right?" I asked.

The Doctor nodded, "Yeah. They did."

"Gwyneth said they were dead. Did you see them... you know?" I questioned.

"No. They didn't die that day. But I did look it up. Your parents were in a shop when it was robbed. They were shot and died in the hospital." He said.

"Were they in any pain?" I asked, tears already running down my face.

"No. I don't think so." I could tell he was lying.

He wrapped an arm around me and I buried my face into his chest.


After I was done, we walked out of my room and to the console room where Rose was waiting. She showered and changed into jeans and a Union Jack shirt. I changed into black skinny jeans with a plain red t-shirt.

Then there was an alarm sound inside the TARDIS and the Doctor ran over to the monitor.

"What's the emergency?" Rose asked.

"It's mauve." He answered.

"Mauve?" She questioned as the TARDIS shook and I grabbed onto the railing.

"Universally recognized color for danger."

"What happened to red?" I asked.

"Well, that's just humans. By everyone else's standards, red's camp." The Doctor replied, "Oh, the misunderstandings! All those red alerts, all that dancing. It's got a very basic flight computer. I've hacked in, slaved the TARDIS, wherever it goes, we go."

"And that's safe, is it?" Rose asked.

"Totally." He answered before sparks flew from the console. "Okay, reasonably. I should have said reasonably there. No, no, no, no! It's jumping time tracks, getting away from us."

"What exactly is this thing?" I questioned.

"No idea." The Doctor replied.

"Then why are we chasing it?" Rose asked.

"It's mauve and dangerous... and about thirty seconds from the center of London.


"You know how long you can knock around space without happening to bump into Earth?" The Doctor asked as we walked out of the TARDIS.

"Five days? Or is that just when we're out of milk?" I joked.

"All the species in all the universe and it has to come out of a cow?" The Doctor joked back before looking around, "Must have come down somewhere quite close. Within a mile, anyway. And it can't have been more than a few weeks ago, maybe a month."

"A month?" Rose questioned, "We were right behind it."

"It was jumping time tracks all over the place, we're bound to be a little bit off." The Doctor replied. "Do you want to drive?"

"Yeah." I answered.

"How much is a little?" Rose asked.

"A bit."

"Is that exactly a bit"

"-ish."

"What's the plan, then?" I asked.

"Yeah, are you gonna do a scan for alien tech or something?" Rose replied.

"Rose, it hit the middle of London with a very loud bang. I'm going to ask." The Doctor answered, showing us his psychic paper.

"Dr. John Smith. Ministry of Asteroids." I read out loud.

"Not very 'Spock', is it, just asking?" Rose said.

"Door, music, people. What do you think?" the Doctor asked.

"I think you should do a scan for alien tech." Rose answered. "Gimme some Spock, for once. Would it kill ya?"

The Doctor took out his screwdriver and tried to unlock the door, "Are you sure about that t-shirt?"

Rose looked down at her shirt, "Too early to say. I'm taking it out for a spin."

"Mummy!" I heard a little kid say.

Rose must have heard it too because we started walking towards the sound.

"Mummy!"

"Come on, if you're coming. Won't take a minute." The Doctor said, opening the door.

He went inside and Rose and I looked around more, "Mummy!"

On top of a building, I saw a little kid wearing a gas mask. He must have been the one calling for his mummy.

"Doctor?" I questioned.

"Doctor, there's a kid up there!" Rose yelled.

"Come on." I told Rose, grabbing her hand and trying to find a way up to the kid.

"Are you all right up there?" Rose asked him.

"Mummy!"

We climbed up a fire escape and too the top of the roof but he was gone, we looked around and saw him on top of a metal crate.

"Mummy." The kid said.

"Okay, hang on, don't move." I told him.

Then a rope appeared right in front of us and Rose grabbed onto it. She looked at me and I shrugged. She started climbing up the rope, with me behind her. This reminded me of gym class. I hated gym.

"Mummy." The kid repeated, "Balloon!"

I let out a scream when the rope moved away from the crate th kid was on and I looked up. The rope was attached to a balloon.

"Rose!" I yelled.

"Zoey!"

We went higher in the air and I noticed a lot of balloons in the air, and explosions.

"Okay, maybe not this t-shirt." Rose said.

Aeroplanes flew beneath us, dropping bombs everywhere.

"You okay down there?" Rose asked.

"Just peachy." I replied.

I looked up at Rose just when she let go of the rope and fell. I grabbed her hand, but my grip on the rope wasn't good enough, because I fell, too. Then, this blue beam surrounded us and we stopped falling.

"Okay, okay, I've got you two." A man said.

"Who's got us?" I asked.

"Yeah, who's got us, and, you know, how?" Rose continued.

"I'm just programming your decent pattern. Stay as still as you can, and keep your hands and feet inside the light field." He said.

"Decent pattern?" Rose questioned.

"Oh, and can you switch off your cell phone?" He asked.

"Wha-" Rose scoffed.

"No, seriously, it interferes with my instrument."

"Rose, just do it." I told her.

"Fine." She grumbled and she took out her cell phone and turned it off.

"Thank you. That's much better." The man said.

"Oh, yeah, that's a real load off, that is." Rose replied. "We're hanging in the sky in the middle of a German air raid with a Union Jack across my chest, but, hey! My mobile phone's off!"

"Rosie, calm down." I hissed.

"Be with you in a moment." He told us and it was silent for a moment until he spoke again, "Ready for you. Hold tight."

"To what?" I asked.

"Fair point." He replied before we were sucked down the light field.

Suddenly, a hand wrapped itself around my waist, "I got you two. You're fine. You're just fine."

I looked over and saw that he had a hand around Rose as well.

"The tractor beam can scramble your head just a little." He said.

"Hello." Rose whispered to him.

"Hello." He smiled.

"Hello." Rose repeated, "Sorry, that was hello twice there. Dull, but, you know, thorough."

"Are you two okay?" The man was American.

"Fine." I answered, stepping away a little.

"I'm fine, too. Why, are you expecting me to faint or something?" Rose asked.

"You look a little dizzy." I told Rose.

"What about you? You're not even in focus." Rose replied before fainting against the man.

He chuckled and set her on a bed that was next to him

"Hi." He said, looking up at me.

"Hello." I replied, sitting down on the chair behind me. "So, who're you?"

He handed me a piece of blank paper, "Captain Jack Harkness. 133 Squadron, Royal Air Force."

"Liar." I replied, handing him the paper, "Psychic paper. I have a friend with one."

"Clever girl. What's your name, Cherry?" Jack asked me.

"It's Zoey, not Cherry." I answered.

"Nice to meet you, Zoey." He smiled charmingly at me.

"Likewise, Captain Jack Harkness." I held out my hand for him to shake, but instead he brought my knuckles to his lips.

"Wow." We looked over and saw Rose looking around the ship. "You have lights in here?"

Jack flipped a switch above him and the ship illuminated, "Hello."

"Hello." Rose replied.

"Hello." Jack repeated.

"Let's not start that again." Rose said.

Jack chuckled, "Okay."

Rose fixed her shirt and sat next to him, "So, um, who are you supposed to be, then?"

Jack handed her the psychic paper, "Captain Jack Harkness, 133 Squadron, Royal Air force, American Volunteer."

"Liar." Rose said, "This is psychic paper. It tells me whatever you want it to tell me."

"How do you know?" Jack asked.

"Two things, one, Zoey and I have a friend that uses this all of the time, and two, you just handed me a piece of paper telling me that you're single and you work out." Rose answered.

"Tricky thing, psychic paper." Jack commented.

"Yeah, can't let your mind wander when you're handing it over." Rose replied, handing him the paper.

"Oh, you sort of have a boyfriend called Mickey Smith, but you consider yourself to be footloose and fancy free." Jack said, looking at the paper.

I let out a small laugh and covered my mouth with my hand when Rose glared at me. I cleared my throat and spoke, "Actually, the word you use is 'available' and 'very'."

"Shall we, uh, get along without the psychic paper?" Rose asked, her face red in embarrassment.

"That would be better, wouldn't it?" Jack replied, standing up and we walked towards the back of the ship.

"Nice space ship." Rose commented.

"Gets me around." Jack replied.

"Very... Spock."

"Who?" Jack asked.

"Guessing you're not a local boy, then." I replied.

"Cell phone, liquid-crystal watch, and fabrics that won't be around for at least another two decades, guessing you two aren't local girls." Jack responded.

"Guessing right." Rose replied.

I touched the wall of the ship and hissed in pain and looked down at my hands which had burns on it.

"Burn your hands on the rope?" Jack asked.

"Yeah." I answered.

"We're parked in mid-air!" Rose exclaimed, looking out the window, "Can't anyone down there see us?"

"No." Jack answered before looking at me, "Can I have a look at your hands for a moment?"

"Why?" I asked.

"Please?"

I nodded and he walked over and took my hands in his, he used this small metal tube thing and looked at Rose and I, "You can stop acting now. I know exactly who you are. I can spot a Time Agent a mile away."

"Time agent?" Rose questioned.

"I've been expecting one of you guys to show up." Jack said. "Though not, I must say, by barrage balloon. Do you often travel that way?"

"Sometimes I get swept off my feet... by balloons." I replied as he put his scarf around my hands, "What're you doing?"

"Try to keep still." He said before reaching above me and flipping a switch, "Nanogenes. Subatomic robots."

Small, bright lights surrounded my hands as he spoke, "The air in here is full of them. They just repaired three layers of your skin."

Jack took off the scarf and did the same to Rose.

"Tell them thanks." I replied, looking at my hands.

Once the nanogenes were done, Jack walked to the back of the ship, "Shall we get down to business?"

"Business?" Rose questioned.

"Shall we have a drink on the balcony?" He asked.

Steps lowered in front of him, "Bring up the glasses."

Rose and I grabbed three glasses and we followed him to the top of his ship, which was invisible. And we were right next to Big Ben.

"All right. I know we're standing on something." Rose said.

Jack pressed a butting and the ship appeared below our feet.

"Okay, you have an invisible spaceship... tethered up to Big Ben for some reason." Rose said.

"First rule of active camouflage, park somewhere you'll remember." Jack replied.

"That's smart." I commented.

He popped the cork off the campagne bottle and poured some into our glasses. After drinking some of it, Rose stood up,

"It's getting a bit late. Zoey and I really should be getting back."

"We're discussing business." Jack said.

"This isn't business. This is champagne." I replied.

"I try never to discuss business with a clear head." Jack responded before looking at me, "Are you two authorized to negotiate with me?"

"What would we be negotiating?" I asked.

"I have something for the Time Agency, something they'd like to buy. Are you empowered to make payment?" Jack questioned.

"Well, we should talk to our companion." I replied.

"Companion?"

"Yeah, we should really be getting back to him." I said.

"Him?" Jack questioned.

"Do you have the time?" Rose asked.

He used the metal tube again and Big Ben lit up next to us.

"Okay, that was flash." Rose replied. "That was on the flash side."

"So when you say your companion," Jack put his hands on my waist, "Just how disappointed should I be?"

"Okay, we're standing in midair... on a spaceship during a German air raid. Do you really think now's a good time to be coming on to me?" I asked him, not being fooled by his flirting.

"Perhaps not, Cherry." He answered. "Do you like Glenn Miller?"

He pressed it the tube again and Moonlight Sernade started playing. I looked at Rose and she nodded and Jack put one hand on my waist and with the other, he grabbed my hand.

"It's 1941, height of the London blitz, height of the German bombing campaign. And something else has fallen on London. A fully equip Chula Warship... the last one in existence, armed to the teeth." Jack said as we danced. "And I know where it is. Because I parked it. If the agency can name the right price, I can get it for you. But in two hours, a German bomb is going to fall on it and destroy it forever. That's your deadline. That's the deal. Now, shall we discuss payment?"

"Do you know what I think?" Rose asked and I stepped back, "You were just talking there."

"Two hours, the bomb falls, there'll be nothing left but dust in a crater." Jack said.

"Promises, promises." I replied.

"Are you listening to any of this?" Jack asked.

"You used to be a Time Agent, now, you're some kind of freelancer." I said.

"That's a little harsh." Jack replied and pulled me closer, "I like to think of myself as a criminal."

I laughed, "I bet you do."

"So, this companion of yours, does he handle the business?" Jack asked.

"Yes, he does." I answered.

"Well, then, maybe we should go find him." Jack suggested.

"And how are you gonna do that?" I asked.

"Easy. I'll do a scan for alien tech." He answered and stepped back.

"Finally, a professional." Rose said.

I laughed, "Don't let the Doctor hear you say that."


Jack found out where the Doctor was, he was in a hospital. We ran through the hallways, trying to find him.

"Hello?" Jack asked and then the Doctor came through a set of doors.

Jack walked up to him and shook his hand, "Good evening. Hope we're not interrupting. Jack Harkness. I've been hearing all about you on the way over."

"He knows." I told the Doctor, "I had to tell him about us being Time Agents."

"It's a real pleasure to meet you, Mr. Spock." Jack said before walking past the Doctor.

"Mr. Spock?" The Doctor questioned.

"Rose chose it." I replied.

"What was I supposed to say? You don't have a name." Rose responded, "Don't you ever get tired of Doctor? Doctor who?"

"Nine centuries in, I'm coping. Where've you two been?" He asked us. "We're in the middle of a London blitz. It's not a good time for a stroll."

"Who's strolling?" I questioned as I walked towards the door, "We went by barrage balloon."

"Only way to see an air raid." Rose commented.

"What?"

"What's a Chula Warship?" I asked.

"Chula?"