For the Sake of an Angel:
Chapter Nine: Fancy
Review responses:
***You are all so fantastic! This is the most reviews I've EVER gotten on a chapter, and you are all so nice! Thank you so, so much for your comments; they make me incredibly happy, you have no idea.
ShadowTeir: Thank you! I have to admit, I laughed a bit when I wrote that comment about her legs. I really appreciate your feedback on Addie; it's always difficult to create a character that can keep peoples' attentions while not being too perfect. My favorite parts about her are probably her witty/sassy comebacks and banter with the Doctor. Don't worry ;) there'll be more Addie/Doctor moments to come... Including in this chapter.
grapejuice101: Glad you liked it! I'm going to start doing previews of the upcoming chapters at the end of each one I post. Thank you for your review!
WizardingWhovian: She just doesn't know about her feelings yet ;) Although, her jealousy over Donna should have been an obvious clue to her. Here's a slight spoiler: Addie will realize her feelings for him before he does, but it still won't be for a few chapters yet. Kudos to you if you can guess when it will happen! Thanks for your review!
KittyCatKate: Hello again! Thank you for your perspective on Addie. The response to my worries about Addie has been enormously positive! I'm glad that you think she is easy to relate to. I'm really enjoying writing the Addie/Doctor moments and it feels like their relationship is getting easier to write. I think they had a bumpy road getting to this point, but the year that never was kind of smoothed things out for them (although I didn't get to write much about how their relationship changed during that time :/). Here's the chapter!
Alix Winchester: Thank you so much for your feedback! I'm glad that Addie feels relatable. Updates are every Sunday at around 9 AM Pacific Time :) I hope you enjoy this chapter, as well!
amrawo: There'll be a lot more Doctor/Addie moments in the future ;) There are a couple in this chapter, too. I'm glad you like how I'm portraying Donna! Here's the update! Thanks for your review!
Guest: You're amazing, too! Thank you so much!
"Well, then. At last."
After dashing into the main office, the three of them found themselves in a standoff against Miss Foster and her guards. Somewhat taken aback, Donna weakly said, "Hello."
Never one to be upstaged, the Doctor jumped in. "Nice to meet you, I'm the Doctor. This is Addie, (she wiggled her fingers at the villains) and - "
"I'm Donna." Donna interjected, wanting to speak for herself.
Miss Foster nodded thoughtfully. "Partners in crime. And evidently off-worlders, judging by your sonic technology."
The Doctor started patting himself down. "Oh, yes, I've still got your sonic pen. Nice. I like it. Sleek. It's kind of sleek." He passed it to Addie, who was between him and Donna. She inspected it from all angles, humming in appreciation.
"Oh, it's definitely sleek." Donna agreed.
"Yeah, and if you were to sign your real name, that would be?" The Doctor took the pen back and twiddled it between his fingers.
"Matron Cofelia of the Five Straighten Classabindi Nursery Fleet. Intergalactic Class." Miss Foster revealed proudly.
"A wet nurse, using humans as surrogates."
She looked at him over her glasses. "I've been employed by the Adiposian First Family to foster a new generation after their breeding planet was lost."
The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean, 'lost'? How do you lose a planet?"
Addie shifted uncomfortably, knowing exactly how the planet was lost, or, rather, taken.
"Oh, politics are none of my concern. I'm just here to take care of the children on behalf of the parents." Miss Foster preened.
Donna decided it was her turn to talk. "What, like an outer space super nanny?"
Miss Foster inclined her head. "Yes, if you like."
"So. So, those little things, they're, they're made out of fat, yeah, but that woman, Stacy Campbell, there was nothing left of her." Donna deduced.
"Oh, in a crisis the Adipose can convert bone and hair and internal organs." Miss Foster pouted. "Makes them a little bit sick, poor things."
"Yes, how terrible that they got sick." Addie spat, disgusted at her blatant disregard of the humans affected. "What an unfortunate side effect that a woman died because of them."
"Seeding a level five planet is against galactic law." The Doctor warned Miss Foster, his eyes dark.
Suddenly, Miss Foster's pleasant demeanor disappeared. "Are you threatening me?"
"I'm trying to help you, Matron." The Doctor's voice was low. "This is your one chance, because if you don't call this off, then I'll have to stop you."
She looked at him pityingly. "I hardly think you can stop bullets."
The two guards cocked their guns at the three infiltrators and they automatically wheeled back. "No, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. One more thing, before dying. Do you know what happens if you hold two identical sonic devices against each other?"
Addie slowly brought her hands up to cover her ears.
"... No."
"Nor me." The Doctor beamed, bringing the sonics together. "Let's find out."
A most horrendous buzzing noise filled the room and the windows shattered all around them. Miss Foster and her guards, unprepared as they were, fell to the ground, while Donna had managed to copy Addie's movements just in time. The Doctor had a manic grin on his face, and he was clearly enjoying their pain a little too much.
After all the glass in the room had broken, Donna whacked his arm, wincing as the buzzing hit her ear. "Come on!"
He finally stopped and Addie let go of her ears despite the fact that they were still ringing. Before the enemy could get to their feet, they were already around the corner and out the door.
"Ah, this looks familiar." Adde noted as they went into the supply closet they had spent all day in. The Doctor threw a mop at her and she reluctantly shoved it to the side.
"Well, that's one solution. Hide in a cupboard. I like it." Donna commented.
Almost as if to prove her wrong, the Doctor pushed into the back wall to reveal a green, glowing piece of machinery. He cocked an eyebrow at the two dumbfounded ladies. "I've been hacking into this thing all day, because the matron's got a computer core running through the centre of the building. Triple deadlocked. But, now I've got this, I can get into it." He waggled the sonic pen in their faces.
"And here I was thinking you just liked small spaces." Addie teased, feeling a twinge of guilt. She had forgotten an important detail again; more than that, she had slept for nine hours while he had broken into a critical computer core. "Sorry."
"For what?" He waved the sonic pen over the machine.
"Sleeping on the job." Addie stood to the side of the closet to allow Donna room to join them. "I should have been helping."
"How?" He scoffed. "What could you have possibly done?" He noticed something about the network. "She's wired up the whole building. We need a bit of privacy."
Addie flinched at both his words and the screams that came from down the hallway.
"Just enough to stop them." The Doctor said, satisfied. "Why's she wired up the tower block? What's it all for?"
Lost in his head, the Doctor completely forgot about what they had been discussing. Donna, who had witnessed the whole thing, felt a frown come over her face. She rubbed Addie's back comfortingly and whispered, "Don't mind him. He's just a stupid spaceman, not worth your time."
Addie gave her a grateful smile and Donna raised her voice to include the Doctor in their conversation. "So, how long have you two been traveling together, then?"
The Doctor paused temporarily and exchanged a glance with Addie. "Little over a year?"
"Think so." She affirmed as he handed her some wires to hold.
He returned to his work, absentmindedly adding, "We had this friend. Martha, she was called. Martha Jones. She was brilliant. And I destroyed half her life. But she's fine, she's good. She's gone."
"Not your fault." Addie interjected, and the Doctor gave her a look. "Not entirely your fault."
Donna remembered someone else the Doctor had mentioned. "What about Rose?"
"Still lost." He quickly changed the subject, not wanting to linger on his former companion. "I thought you were going to travel the world?"
"Easier said than done. It's like I had that one day with you, and I was going to change. I was going to do so much. Then I woke up the next morning, same old life. It's like you were never there. And I tried. I did try. I went to Egypt. I was going to go barefoot and everything. And then it's all bus trips and guidebooks and don't drink the water, and two weeks later you're back home. It's nothing like being with you." Donna mused. "I must have been mad turning down that offer."
The Doctor took a wire from Addie's hands. "What offer?"
"To come with you." Donna said wistfully.
The Doctor turned towards her in bewilderment. "Come with me?"
Donna lit up excitedly, misinterpreting his confusion for a legitimate invitation. "Oh, yes, please!"
He stared at her. "... Right."
They were interrupted as the computer blared out an alarm. "Inducer activated."
Donna refocused on the situation. "What's it doing now?"
The Doctor took a step back, face stricken. "She's started the programme."
Addie waited for him to snap back into action, then realized that it was up to her. "How do we stop it?"
"Got to cancel the signal." The Doctor finally answered, pulling a pendant out of his pocket. "This contains a primary signal. If I can switch it off, the fat goes back to being just fat."
Donna stood there, slightly lost. "Explanation, anyone?"
"The Matron's gone up to emergency pathogenesis. A million people are going to die." The Doctor threw down the pendant in frustration as the computer denied his attempts at foiling Miss Foster's plans. "No, no, no, no, no. She's doubled it!" The Doctor visibly panicked, clutching the back of his head. "I need - I haven't got time. It's too far. I can't override it. They're all gonna die!"
"Is there anything we can do?" Donna asked calmly.
"Sorry, Donna, this is way beyond the both of you." The Doctor ran his fingers over the buttons of the computer urgently. "Got to double the base pulse, I can't."
Addie debated about giving him a hint, then caved in, worried about his mental state. "Doctor, Donna has what you need."
He instantly turned to face her. "A second capsule to boost the override?" He blurted hopefully.
Smugly, Donna pulled out her capsule and dangled it in front of the Doctor's face. He let out an incredulous laugh and snatched it out of her hands, attaching it to the wires. Seconds later, the alarms stopped and the computer shut down.
"Brilliant!" The Doctor cheered, pulling the both of them in for a quick hug. "You two are absolutely brilliant!"
"And don't you forget it, spaceman." Donna reprimanded him, remembering his rude comments from before. Then, a loud crash came from above and the whole building trembled. "What the hell was that?"
The Doctor released them instantly. "The nursery."
"When you say nursery you don't mean a creche in Notting Hill." Donna deduced from his expression.
"Nursery ship." The Doctor elaborated. Behind him, the computer came back to life, and Addie flinched in surprise at the sudden sound.
"Hadn't we better go and stop them?" Donna proposed, wondering why they weren't moving.
The Doctor shushed her. "Hang on. Instructions from the Adiposian First Family." He examined the machinery and a look of concentration took over his countenance. "She's wired up the tower block to convert it into a levitation post. Oooh. Oh. We're not the ones in trouble now." He realized. "She is!"
He slammed into the closet door and sprinted down the hallway, leaving Addie and Donna to do their best to keep up with their favorite madman. Of course, he ran directly up to the roof again, and Addie could feel her calves burning from all the stairs they had gone up that day. Donna managed to pass her due to the adrenaline she still had running through her veins, but Addie knew that this adventure was almost over, and found it difficult to keep her momentum going. All that was really left was for the Adipose to return home, and for Miss Foster to meet her untimely demise.
Ah.
Miss Foster was set to die, and for a second, Addie seriously deliberated on whether or not she should try to save her. Then, she felt a stab of disgust for even considering letting someone be killed, villain or not. Who was she to decide who deserved to live or die? She was nobody, nothing, and certainly not a god. She was human, and if there was one thing she knew, it was that no single person should have the power to determine another's fate.
As she burst onto the rooftop, she made one more rule for herself: to always do her best to save lives, no matter how much she despised the other person. If she had the power to save any life she chose, than she certainly had the power to save those whom she did not initially feel inclined to save.
"Doctor!" The man turned to her, a strange expression on his face, and Addie was momentarily distracted. "What's with that look?"
"What look? There's no look." The Doctor blustered, determinedly turning back around to watch the Adipose be beamed up to the mothership. Addie stared at him for a second, noting that Donna was suppressing laughter, and remembered what she had been about to say.
"We need to save Miss Foster." Addie stated firmly, joining him by the roof's edge and looking down. "Before it's… too late."
She stepped back so that she could be eye level with the woman who had floated up in the beam. "Miss Foster - " She began imploringly.
"Please, Matron Cofelia." The woman corrected and Addie resisted the urge to strangle her.
"Doesn't matter." Addie continued. "Can you get across to the roof?"
Miss Foster glanced down at her condescendingly. "Oh, I don't think so. If I never see you lot again, it'll be too soon."
The Doctor flicked his eyes over to Addie and saw the torn expression on her face. He couldn't help but recall what he and Donna had been chatting about while Addie had taken her sweet time on the stairs.
"What you going to do, then? Blow them up?"
The Doctor shook his head. "They're just children. They can't help where they come from."
"Oh, that makes a change from last time." Donna snorted. "Martha and Addie must've done you some good."
"They did, yeah." The Doctor reflected on both of his recent companions, but particularly on Martha, whom he dearly missed. "Yeah. They did. She fancied me."
"Who, Addie?" Donna laughed freely. "Yeah, anyone can see that. She's mad, she is."
The Doctor froze and took in her words slowly. "What?"
"Oh, come on! It's obvious." Donna scoffed as Addie ran onto the roof. "Well," She amended her statement, seeing the innocent panic in the girl's eyes as she approached them, "obvious to everyone but her."
He didn't know if he could deal with that again - he really didn't. It had been painful enough with Rose, whom he had actually reciprocated feelings for, and incredibly awkward with Martha once the truth had been revealed. However, the thought of letting Addie go made him sick to his stomach, and he again cursed himself for having gotten attached to yet another human. He hadn't had much of a choice, though, after spending a year with her on the Valiant. And, although Martha had been a fantastic companion, he hadn't had as close of a relationship with her as he did with Addie. For the first time since Rose, he felt as if there was someone who could understand him, and life didn't hurt as much anymore.
And that terrified him, because he feared that if Addie were forcibly taken from him as Rose had been, he didn't know if he could survive another heartbreak. He refused to lose another one of his closest friends; besides, the universe owed him that much.
"Doctor! Doctor!"
He snapped out of his reverie to see a frustrated and bewildered Addie glaring at him. "Are you going to help me or not?"
"Listen to her." The Doctor swept back into the conversation, ridiculing himself for having gotten caught up in emotion at such an inopportune time. "I saw the Adiposian instructions. They know it's a crime, breeding on Earth. So, what's the one thing they want to get rid of? Their accomplice."
"I'm far more than that." Miss Foster spread her arms. "I'm nanny to all these children."
"That's the point!" Addie exploded. "The parents don't need you anymore!" She leaned over the edge off the roof, extending her arms. "Take my hand if you want to live!"
Miss Foster initially sneered at the other girl, but after seeing the genuine concern in Addie's eyes, the smirk fell right off her face. Her hand tentatively reached out for Addie's, and their fingertips had just brushed when the beam suddenly shut off. An expression of regret was on her countenance as gravity took effect and hurtled her towards the ground.
Addie slowly withdrew her hand and took a deep breath. You did your best. She told herself, and found the strength to move on.
"That's my car! That is like destiny. And I've been ready for this!"
The three of them were in the alleyway where the TARDIS and Donna's car were parked, and Addie belatedly noted that Donna's car had been the blue one positioned directly next to the TARDIS. The trunk was nearly overflowing with luggage and Addie couldn't help but smile at Donna's enthusiasm.
"I packed ages ago, just in case, but after I saw Addie last night, I packed even more things!" Donna shoved a box in the Doctor's arms and he looked at Addie accusingly, as if it were her fault.
"You've got a, a hatbox." The Doctor blinked owlishly, not knowing what to feel.
"Planet of the Hats, I'm ready!" Donna babbled, bouncing to stand in the TARDIS doorway. "I don't need injections, do I? You know, like when you go to Cambodia. Is there any of that? Because my friend Veena went to Bahrain, and she - " Donna stopped, slightly hurt at the fact that neither of them had interrupted her. "You're not saying much."
The Doctor stood there, torn. "No, it's just… It's a funny old life, in the TARDIS."
Addie knew exactly what he meant; it was joyful, and it was melancholy. It was a dream and a nightmare, all wrapped into one, but Addie knew that the good outweighed the bad. She thought it was good of him to give a warning; after all, none of his other companions had received a disclaimer. Nonetheless, she had never regretted her decision to join him.
Donna's face fell. "You don't want me."
"I'm not saying that." The Doctor stated, thinking of all the horrors he had put Martha and Addie through over the past year. No, it was the opposite; he still selfishly wanted both Addie and Donna to travel with him, but he wanted them to be aware of the dangers they would face.
"But, you asked me." Donna pleaded, still not understanding. "Would you rather be on your own? Just you two?"
"No! That's not it at all." Addie reassured her immediately, missing the frown that the Doctor had on his face; she had shot that idea down awfully quickly, so why wasn't he feeling more relieved about it?
"No. Actually, no. But the last time, with Martha, like I said, it, it got complicated." A dark look came over his face and Addie dared to squeeze his hand comfortingly. "And that was all my fault. I just want a mate."
Donna tilted her head, and Addie knew what was coming next. "You just want to mate?"
"I just want a mate!" The Doctor repeated, and the mood lightened as Addie burst into laughter.
Donna hid behind the TARDIS door, astounded at his audacity. "You're not mating with me, sunshine! You've already got Addie!"
Just like that, her laughter abruptly cut off. "Excuse me?"
"A mate. I want a mate." The Doctor stressed, wincing at the daggers being thrown at him from the two women.
"Well, just as well, because I'm not having any of that nonsense. I mean, you're just a long streak of nothing. You know, alien nothing." Donna stepped out of the TARDIS more confidently than before.
Taken aback, the Doctor scratched his head. "There we are, then. Okay."
Donna nodded firmly, then the weight of his words hit her. "I can come?"
"Yeah. 'Course you can, yeah. I'd love it." The Doctor finally smiled, and Donna beamed.
"Me too." Addie added for good measure.
"Oh, that's just - " Donna rushed forward, arms spread out in a hug, then halted. "Car keys."
The Doctor's smile dimmed a little. "What?"
"I've still got my mum's car keys." Donna backed away. "I won't be a minute."
Crestfallen, the Doctor lowered his arms and looked at Addie cautiously as Donna ran to the street. "Are you really okay with this?"
She creased her eyebrows. "Why wouldn't I be?"
The Doctor scratched his nose absentmindedly. "You won't get jealous, will you? Over, er, me."
Her eyes widened and a mixed sense of anger and amusement toiled within her. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but do you think that the world revolves around you? Not everyone is obsessed with you, Doctor, and while you are certainly my best friend at the moment, don't think for a second that I would sacrifice my friendship with Donna for the sake of your enormous ego."
Addie turned and went into the TARDIS, picking up a suitcase along the way, when a pang of guilt hit her. She gazed behind her to see the Doctor standing in the rain, looking like a kicked puppy, and teased him affectionately, "Time dunce."
The grin she so loved came back on his face, and Addie was suddenly grateful that she hadn't told him the truth. She would miss the very short period in which it had just been the two of them in the TARDIS, but a new era was beginning.
The era of the Doctor-Donna.
"I still don't understand why you were so excited to wave at my grandfather." Donna told Addie as they gathered in the console room. The Doctor was somewhere else in the TARDIS, a rare event in-and-of-itself, and the two girls were waiting for him to start their next adventure.
After a few hours of helping Donna get settled in, the two had become a lot closer and Donna had even apologized for dragging Addie around in her attempts to find the Doctor. In return, Addie forgave her and explained her foreknowledge, upon which Donna had shot question after question at her. Addie then had to tell her the rules regarding her abilities, which Donna had instantly insulted. And, here she was again, trying to draw out some information about the future.
"What can I say?" Addie shrugged. "He's a fantastic guy."
Donna made a face. "Oh, don't say that."
"Well, don't misinterpret my words, then!" Addie retorted jokingly, leaning against one of the coral pillars. "Besides, why can't I have my secrets about you when you have yours about me?"
It was true. Addie had taken the opportunity to ask Donna what she and the Doctor had been discussing on the roof before she'd arrived, but Donna refused to spill, only saying that Addie would find out eventually.
"That's different." Donna answered with a snort. "That's something I can't tell you. You have to figure it out for yourself."
Addie rolled her eyes. "Nice work on being super elusive. Full points."
Donna reached out and smacked her shoulder. "Oh, don't you start getting lippy with me, Adelaide McLaughlin."
She rubbed her arm balefully. "I really wish I hadn't told you my full name." Donna had managed to pry out every little detail about her backstory, citing that she deserved to know who she was traveling with. Addie had conceded, agreeing that it was only fair because she knew basically everything about Donna.
"Ha! Too late now." Donna replied smugly, perking up as the Doctor finally entered the room. "Oi, where have you been?"
He cleverly avoided her inquiry. "Nah, the question should be, 'where haven't you been?'"
Donna blurted out the first place she could think of. "Italy."
Addie nodded thoughtfully. "Me neither, actually, but that's not saying much. I hadn't ever left the United States before I jumped dimensions."
The Doctor eyed her curiously; that was something he hadn't known. "No baby steps for you, I see. Just dove right in."
"Well," Addie pushed off the coral pillar, "you know me. I'm a daredevil."
All three of them snorted at her words. If anything, Addie was the opposite; she was much too careful about everything, and was only reckless when lives were at stake.
"So! Rome." The Doctor decided as he started piloting the ship. "Better than that, actually."
The TARDIS landed, and Donna and Addie shared an excited glance as the Doctor threw open the doors. They hurried out behind him and Addie locked the door.
"Ancient Rome." The Doctor declared, pulling aside a ratty curtain to reveal a bustling street. "Well, not for them, obviously. To all intents and purposes, right now, this is brand new Rome."
Donna pushed out into the street and spun around in awe. "Oh, my God. It's, it's so Roman. This is fantastic." She grabbed the Doctor in a hug, and he let out a pleased laugh.
"I'm here, in Rome. Donna Noble in Rome. This is just weird. I mean, everyone here's dead." Donna suddenly stopped, forcing the Doctor and Addie to halt their progression down the street. Addie glanced at all the lively people in awe, surprised at how modern the whole scene was; it was just like a marketplace from her time, except for the apparel.
"Well, don't tell them that." The Doctor lightly teased her.
Donna's eyes caught on a sign nearby and she frowned slightly. "Hold on a minute. That sign over there's in English. Are you having me on? Are we in Epcot?"
"No, no, no, no. That's the TARDIS translation circuits. Just makes it look like English. Speech as well. You're talking Latin right now." The Doctor elucidated, keeping an eye on Addie as she wandered off to examine a ring that looked strikingly like her locket.
She took her necklace out and held it next to the ring. Interestingly enough, the emeralds on both of the pieces of jewelry appeared to be nearly identical. Behind the table, the merchant inspected her rather amusedly.
"The crazy woman is back again." He chuckled to himself, and Addie instantly looked up, affronted.
"Are you talking to me?" She said confusedly. "Firstly, you don't know a thing about me, and secondly, this is the only time I've ever even been to your stand."
He wheeled back, a mixture of shock and annoyance on his face. "So you can understand me. That was a funny act you put on a few minutes ago. Have you got a twin? A foreign twin?"
Addie was eerily reminded of the time in the show when the Doctor had taken off his tie in front of Martha to prove that he was a time traveler. "No, just me. Um, can you tell me what I did?"
He stared at her blankly. "You're kidding me."
"Er, no, unfortunately."
"Well," He leaned forward, a smile on his face, "who am I to deny a pretty woman, crazy though she may be."
Addie blushed slightly and nodded for him to go on.
"Your doppleganger was wearing different clothes, and she dashed over and blurted something out to me." He shook his head. "Didn't understand a word she said. She looked pretty frustrated, though, and left me that ring before she ran off."
Addie looked down at the one in her hand curiously. "This one?"
"That one." He affirmed. "Looks an awful lot like that necklace you have. You're welcome to take it back."
"But, that wasn't me." Addie started half-heartedly, not knowing whether her own words were true or not.
He shrugged. "Either way, I don't want it; it gives me a bad feeling. You'd be doing me a favor."
Tentatively, her fingers closed over the ring and she slipped it onto her right hand. He let out a low whistle, and again, she turned a little pink. The merchant was pretty attractive and his attention was incredibly flattering. "Thank you. May I offer a favor in return?"
He quirked an eyebrow in intrigue. "Sure, crazy lady, go ahead."
"I'm a bit of a prophetess." Addie claimed quickly, aware that the Doctor was now heading in her direction. "And I know that a major disaster is about to happen in this city. If you want to live, get yourself out of Pompeii right now."
"What?" He frowned. "Are you sure?"
"I swear on everything you or I could possibly believe in that what I say is the truth." Addie swore urgently. "Get out while you still can."
Although he looked skeptical, the merchant nodded slowly. "I'll take your word for it, then. This day has been far too strange for it not to be a sign." He rubbed his temples. "Your lunacy is rubbing off on me. That's it; I'm packing up. Thank you, crazy lady."
The Doctor reached the stand and looked between the two of them inquisitively. "Making friends, Addie?"
She smiled at him, and then turned towards the merchant. "I guess you could call it that. Thank you, again, sir."
The merchant grinned at her and started gathering his things. "See you around, crazy lady."
As the Doctor and Addie walked off to rendezvous with Donna again, the Doctor prompted, "Crazy lady?"
"I'll tell you all about it once I figure out exactly what happened." Addie chortled, skirting around the topic. "So, what's Donna doing over there?"
"Experimenting." He answered. "Apparently, when she speaks Latin, she sounds Welsh."
"Huh." Addie mulled it over. "Interesting."
Donna spun around once they reached her and yanked them along impatiently. "Come on, I want to keep going!"
"Aye, aye." Addie said, and received a withering look from Donna. At that, she hastened to change the subject. "I think this is when I should give you a hint."
Just like that, Donna was distracted again. "Oh, go on, then."
Addie gave the Doctor a small poke and addressed her words to him. "I think you already know what I'm going to say, Doctor, but this is not Rome."
"What do you mean, 'not Rome'?" The Doctor blurted defensively, speeding up. "Of course this is Rome, it's very much… Roman. Look at all the Romans around here. Lovely."
"Doctor," Addie sighed, hurrying after him, Donna at her heels. "You know I'm telling the truth. It's not your fault that the TARDIS took us here."
"Yeah," Donna added as they entered a courtyard, "not an expert, but there's seven hills of Rome, aren't there? How come they've only got one?"
"And why," Addie finished, "is there smoke coming from it?"
Before the Doctor had a chance to reply, the ground shook furiously beneath their feet and Addie lost her balance. The Doctor automatically steadied her, a look of dawning horror on his face. "Pompeii. We're in Pompeii, and it's volcano day."
As the tremors began to cease, the gears in the Doctor's mind turned. Where they were at the moment was very much not safe; furthermore, it was a fixed point in time that he did not want to subject either one of his companions to. Donna hadn't yet experienced the helplessness of not being able to interfere, and, while Addie had, it was almost worse for her because he knew exactly how she would react. He didn't want her to be hurt again so soon after their relatively death-free Adipose adventure. Then again, she had known this was coming, judging by her hint.
Still, they needed to get out of there, fast.
"Wonder if Jack's around here somewhere." Addie thought out loud, recalling how he had claimed to use Pompeii in one of his cons.
The Doctor flinched - that was another reason to leave. He did not want to run into any old versions of Jack, both for fear of creating a paradox and for wanting to avoid his flirtatious nature. "We need to get back to the TARDIS."
"What? Why?" Donna demanded, already getting attached to the idea of helping out the people of Pompeii. Without saying anything, the Doctor turned and ran back the way they came, Donna following him frustratedly.
"Always with the running." Addie muttered and took off after the other two.
Unsurprisingly (at least, to her), the TARDIS had been stolen and sold to Caecilius, and the three of them were currently trying to find Foss Street where his house was located. The Doctor had suggested they split up, and Addie had been surprised to hear him suggest that she stay with him. Donna hadn't verbalized much, but the way she quickly left had said more than enough.
"I don't understand why I couldn't go off on my own, either." Addie trotted at his side as they skimmed the street signs. "How can you let your companion, on her first trip, might I add, run about Pompeii and then order me to stick with you?"
The Doctor looked ahead determinedly. "What, you don't enjoy my company?"
"You know that's not what I'm saying."
That was true, but he had been trying to distract her from sticking her nose into his business anymore than her presence had already invaded his thoughts. Quite frankly, he was worried about Addie and her inevitable implosion of emotion, and didn't know if he would have been able to focus on his task without stressing over how she was feeling. After seeing how intensely she had empathized with the passengers on the Titanic when he had left her alone to go to Earth, the Doctor wanted to avoid causing her any more painful emotions. At least now, with him by her side, she wouldn't have to go through it alone.
However, instead of voicing what was on his mind, he asked, "Are you having any luck?"
"No." She replied shortly, bothered by the fact that he hadn't given her a straight answer. Then, her eyes caught on something. "Wait, is that it?"
The Doctor veered off to the side, and again, Addie felt a surge of irritation as his sudden movement caused her to stumble over her feet. He really wasn't getting in her good books today. "Ha, ha! Foss Street! Let's go find Donna."
He grabbed her hand, and although Addie wanted to slap it away, she couldn't find it in her to do it after seeing his jubilant grin. "For the record, I'm still upset with you." She informed him as they turned a corner. "I don't appreciate your distrust."
His smile faltered slightly. "You think I don't trust you?" They jogged down the street. "Addie, I trust you wholeheartedly, even if you do make dumb decisions sometimes."
A relieved smirk tugged the corners of her mouth. "Then, what's the issue? Why can't I go off on my own?"
I care too much about you to risk you having an emotional breakdown by yourself. The Doctor mentally answered, but vocalized, "What if I just want my Tigress by my side, eh? Just like old times."
A burst of warmth filled her and she didn't feel as angry anymore. "Old times? You mean, like yesterday?"
"Oh, potato, potahto." The Doctor spotted Donna ahead of them (her auburn hair was difficult to miss), and pulled Addie over to her. "We've got it! Foss Street's this way!"
"No. Well, I found this big sort of amphitheatre thing. We can start there. We can gather everyone together. Maybe they've got a great big bell or something we could ring. Have they invented bells yet?" Donna babbled excitedly. The Doctor was tensed, ready to take off again, but her last statement caught his attention.
"What do you want a bell for?"
"To warn everyone. Start the evacuation." Donna stared at the oblivious man. "What time does Vesuvius erupt? When's it due?"
"It's 79 AD, twenty third of August, which makes volcano day tomorrow." The Doctor replied instantly, wanting to get a move on. Addie made a mental note of the date because she had a strong suspicion that it would be important in her future.
"Plenty of time." Donna said, relieved. "We could get everyone out easy."
The Doctor groaned. He had hoped that this wouldn't happen. "Yeah, except we're not going to."
Beside him, he felt Addie try to slip her hand out of his grasp, but he only tightened his grip; he needed the support more than she did.
"But, that's what you do. You're the Doctor. You save people." Donna was shocked. This wasn't the same man whom she had seen in action yesterday; no, this was more like the cold-hearted alien who had stood by and watched as hundreds of Racnoss children drowned. However, she missed the torment dancing in his eyes and couldn't see beyond his expressionless face. Not like Addie could.
"Not this time. Pompeii is a fixed point in history. What happens, happens. There is no stopping it."
Donna put her hands on her hips. "Says who?"
"Says me." The Doctor answered easily.
"What, and you're in charge?"
"TARDIS, Time Lord, yeah." The Doctor hissed, wanting to get a move on. He cast an uneasy glance at Addie, who was choosing not to involve herself in the conversation.
"Donna, human, no. I don't need your permission. I'll tell them myself."
"You stand in the marketplace announcing the end of the world, they'll just think you're a mad old soothsayer." Something clicked in his mind, and he looked at Addie again with a newfound realization. The merchant had called her a crazy lady, hadn't he? Had Addie tried to warn him? She locked eyes with him defiantly, and then he tore his gaze away. "Now, come on. TARDIS. We are getting out of here."
He started to go off again, but stopped at Donna's next question. "Addie, what about you? Aren't you going to do anything?"
"Truthfully," Addie admitted, tugging Donna along, "I already have."
Hello!
I really liked this chapter. Here, you have Donna pushing for the Doctor to reflect on his and Addie's "friendship" and the Doctor being all worried about how Addie is dealing with another disaster. He's normally not that protective over her, but based off of their past experience on the Titanic, he knows that she is particularly sensitive when it comes to mass death - not to mention that Pompeii is a fixed point, which makes everything worse. However, Addie can't read his thoughts, so she just thinks that he doesn't trust her (silly Addie). On top of all that, you have Donna arguing with the Doctor over things she doesn't quite understand. Fun, fun.
Well, now the Doctor has realized how important Addie is to him, even if he hasn't even touched upon his romantic feelings for her. Baby steps are still progress, though.
You are all super fabulous, and I'm so grateful for your enormous response to my question from last chapter! Now, I have another one that I proposed before: what should the Addie/Doctor ship name be? I didn't get too many answers last time, and I'm really struggling. All I can think of is "Daddie" and I really don't like that.
One last side note: FSA has reached 100 followers! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I hope that you guys like where FSA is going!
Have a lovely week!
- Entitea
Preview of the next chapter:
"Where are we going now?" Donna inquired, eyeing the dark passageway ahead warily.
"Into the volcano." The Doctor waited for them expectantly. As Donna caved in and followed him, Addie hesitated.
"Is this a good time to tell you that I'm incredibly claustrophobic?"
"Well, it's a good thing I'm a doctor, then, eh?" The Doctor beckoned her closer. "Come on, we've faced far worse than this. Remember the engine room on the Titanic?"
Addie let out a weak chuckle. "I would prefer not to."
He rolled his eyes and yanked on her arm. "Oh, just come on. Hold onto my hand, and don't let go."