Chapter 9: Beautiful

"Yeah, you!" Donna angrily stormed over to the small group. "Hands off, Creepy!"

"Uh... you see... I... she... we... uh..." the Doctor's face drained of all it's colour.

"She's with us," Jack offered.

"Like hell she is," the red head glared at them. "Are you alright, Love? Are you really with them?"

"I uh..." Evie was trying very hard to push to the back of her mind that her long since dead mother was standing right in front of her, very much alive and kicking, but it wasn't working. Donna misinterpreted her hesitant reply and with out a second thought she pulled Evie out of the Doctor's grasp.

"That's what I thought," Donna said pulling Evie along with her. "Come on, sweetheart, we can find a safe place to call you parents."

"But I..."

There was no arguing with her, and Evie was quickly ushered across the street and into the coffee shop her mother had just exited. Throwing a look over her shoulder, Evie could see her three companions paralyzed with absolute panic.

"Have a seat over here, Darling," Donna sat her in a chair before plopping her purse and coffee down on the table next to it. "Did they hurt you at all?"

"No," Evie said.

"Are you sure? I can have the police here in seconds if they did," Donna gave her a once over, as though trying to sniff out the Evie was lying. "The bean pole seemed a little too hands on. Looks like a nutter. What grown man wears his hair like that, honestly."

"I appreciate it, Mu...Ma'm, but I'm fine, really," Evie choked back the wrong pronoun.

"Sorry if I seem a little pushy," the red haired woman smiled. "Just my nature I've been told. I have a daughter myself, and I can't imagine her trying to fend off three men like that on her own. I'd have to be dead and buried first or I'd kill them."

Evie snorted at the dark irony. If only she knew. She was probably staring a little to hard at the woman across from her but she couldn't help it. Evie began memorizing every detail of her mother's face. Had her hair always been that red? The greenish brown of her eyes were sadder than she remembered. She had forgotten how beautiful her mother really was. It took every ounce of Evie's self control to not burst into tears and throw her arms around her mother.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Donna asked gently. "You seem a little pale and startled."

"Yes, Ma'm," Evie said. "I'm sorry, it's been an emotional few days for me so I'm a little tired."

"How about a coffee?" Donna offered. A low rumble from Evie's stomach made the older woman smile kindly. "And a sandwich wouldn't go a miss either it sounds like it."

"Oh no, really you don't have to do that, Ma'm."

"Call me Donna. 'Ma'm' makes me feel old. And really it's not problem," Donna stood up and pulled out her wallet before walking over to the counter.

Evie felt a slightly vibration in her pocket and pulled out her phone. An unknown number flashed on the screen but there were only so many people she could think of that would be trying to call her ten years in her personal past. She looked out the window at the Doctor with a cell phone up to his ear and making very animated hand gestures for her to pick up her end. Evie chuckled as she hit the answer button.

"Yes?"

"Do you have any idea what you have done!"

"If you had just included me in the first place this wouldn't have happened!" Evie snapped. "Look, Doctor, you've got about three minutes before she gets back so if you have something useful to tell me do it now or I'm going to wing it."

"If she takes you home do not touch yourself!"

Evie bristled, "I beg your pardon?"

"Not like that!" the man exclaimed. Evie could hear Jack laughing hysterically in the back ground. "Jack, shut it! What I meant was, if you go home with her, do not touch your younger self. No hugs, no handshakes, nothing. If you touch your past self you'll create a paradox."

"What happens then?" Evie asked.

"We all blink out of existence."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"So no touching mini me, got it," Evie said. "I don't think it'll come to that though. Head back to the TARDIS and I'll meet you there. She isn't going to let me leave if she spots any of you waiting around out there."

"You've got thirty minutes."

"Yeah, yeah," Evie rolled her eyes and snapped her phone shut just as Donna returned to the table with a sandwich and a to go cup of coffee.

"Here we go, a nice roast beef and cheddar, yeah?" she smiled.

"My favorite," Evie smiled before devouring the sandwich. She hadn't realized how hungry she was till just now. "You didn't have to, but thank you."

"I'm loaded, Dear, a sandwich and coffee isn't going to dent my account none," Donna replied and picked back up her own coffee. "Were you able to get a hold of your parents?"

"Uh, sort of," Evie said.

"Sort of?" Donna furrowed her brow.

"Well my dad isn't exactly around here," she said.

"Run off with some hussy no doubt," Donna snorted.

"Something like that."

"I'd knock the stuffing out of my husband if he ever pulled something stupid like that," she said. Evie snorted into her coffee. "So it's just you and your mum then huh?"

"Uh no, actually Mum died when I was a kid."

"Oh you poor thing!" Donna gave Evie a look of pity.

"But it's alright, really, the people I'm staying with are really good to me," Evie said. "Speaking of which, I should probably leave, they'll be worried if I don't get home soon."

"Would you like me to give you a ride?" Donna asked, watching Evie jump up out of the chair.

"No, that's alright, they live just around the corner and the men bothering me are gone now."

"Well here," her mother pulled out a card and handed it to Evie. "If you ever need anything give me a call. I work part time at an office so I don't go mad sitting around the house all day, but I always have my mobile on me."

"Thank you, Donna."

"Oh, look at the time. I have to dash, have to pick up my daughter from school," Donna smiled apologetically and stood up. "Seriously, if you ever need anything, just give me a ring. Address is on there too."

"Thank you."

"Do hope to see you soon... I'm sorry I never even caught your name."

"Uh..." Evie started to panic. Name! She needed a name! Eve? No! Rose? Still too familiar... THINK! Another flower maybe... "Marigold!" Evie finally blurted out, cringing slightly. "Marigold Smith."

"Pleasure to meet you, Marigold," Donna smiled before leaving the coffee shop.

Evie watched her go for a moment before standing up and exiting the shop herself. She stood on the street and watched her mother move further and further away until Evie could barely make out the streak of red that was her mother's hair. She felt a painful lurch in her chest and fought back the urge to run after Donna. A gentle but strong hand on her shoulder brought Evie back out of her thoughts.

"Thought you were heading back to the TARDIS," she said.

"Are you alright?" the Doctor asked, ignoring her comment.

"Me? Yeah, why?"

"You're crying."

Evie ran her fingers over her cheek and found the evidence of what The Doctor was talking about. Funny, she hadn't realized she was crying.

"Sorry," she said, wiping away the tears. She then reached into her bag and handed the Doctor an empty coffee cup. "Here, I grabbed this from the table. It'll have her DNA on the lid. Maybe you can run some tests or something and see if something in her DNA that might be causing the mind shield to not work."

"That was brilliant thinking, Evelyn, good job," the Doctor smiled. "You sure, you're alright?"

"I'll be fine," Evie smiled sadly and looked back in the direction her mother had disappeared in. Taking in a shaking breath she let it out again. "She's so much more beautiful than I remember."

"She was always beautiful. Inside and out. Just took awhile for her to realize just how beautiful she was," the Doctor smiled again. Evie gave him a small smile and turned to go back to the TARDIS. He stopped her and pulled Evie into a firce hug. Evie sank into it and let some more tears roll down her cheeks and dampen the front of the Doctor's coat. "We'll save her. I promise."

"I know," Evie whispered. "Let's go home."

"Home?" the Doctor arched an eyebrow in what looked like a saddened fear.

"Yeah, back to the TARDIS, where'd you think I meant?" Evie asked.

The smile the Doctor suddenly had barely fit his face. It was so gleeful that Evie had a hard time not smiling back.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he chirped merrily.

With that he grabbed her hand and pulled her into a run as they made their way back to the TARDIS where two very eager men were waiting.

TBC

A/N: I am so sorry it has taken me so long to update. Its been a busy few months and well this is a hobby, real life take priority. Anyway, now that things have slowed down and are back to normal I'm back in the saddle and will be doing my best to post more often. As always my darlings, R&R!

~Chupip