Author's note: Chapter updated 26/08/14


Episode Two: Hostage Situation

Chapter Six

Bella watched the doors as the Doctor came back into the unique space ship, his expression a solemn one.

"I am sorry," he said heavily, and Bella bit her lip, looking away from him and Jack. "Let's get you back home," he added and Bella gave a single mute nod.

Bella watched the Doctor move around the centre console before a strange, ear shattering noise met her ears and the ship gave a sudden lurch. She quickly grabbed hold of the chair beside her to steady herself, but it wasn't long until the ship became still and silent again.

"We're here," the Doctor told Bella and she moved forward to open the TARDIS doors and she gasped at the sight that greeted her home.

"What is it?" The Doctor asked still standing at the centre console.

"Did he bring you back to the wrong place?" Jack asked smiling. "Typical,"

Bella didn't reply to either of them. The Doctor watched her leave the TARDIS and he exchanged a glance with Jack before walking towards the doors, gasping too, with what greeted them.

Bella stood looking at the front of her house. It was covered with missing person flyers and reefs and candles. It looked like a shrine and it was all dedicated to her. She looked at it horrified as the Doctor stopped just behind her.

"How long have I been gone?" she whispered in shock.

"What day do you remember last?" Jack asked.

"Friday," she whispered. "It was Friday night when they came."

"It's been almost a week," Jack told her quietly. "It's Wednesday,"

"No, it's Thursday morning," The Doctor put his hand on her shoulder. "I am so sorry."

She continued to stare at her home in utter disbelief, the morning's sun casting ominous shadows. She realised that if it wasn't for the Doctor, she probably wouldn't have made it home, she would have been stuck up on that horrible space ship and no one she cared about would have known what had happened to her.

"Bella," Jack said suddenly, holding a newspaper in his hands. "I think you should see this…"

She turned around took the newspaper off Jack and the Doctor watched her read, her face going pale and tears forming in her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

She bit her lip so she wouldn't utter a cry as she looked to the Doctor and held up the newspaper so he could see the large picture covering most of the front page that was of Bella and one of her friends and the headline that went with it said:

EIGHTEEN YEAR OLD SUSPECTED DEAD

Bella took a deep breath and read the following exert from the front page;

The eighteen year old local girl known as Bella has been suspected as dead by Bath police this morning after the coroner concluded that with no body being found after six days he was fairly certain that they would no longer find her alive.

"In abduction cases the first twenty-four hours are the most crucial," Said Chief Inspector Burke this morning. "Considering that it was discovered that the girl was missing after she failed to turn up to work on Sunday morning and she had already been missing since around 9 – 10 o clock on Friday night, the trail that the abductors had left would have disappeared thanks to the torrential downpour on that night."

Best friend to the recently missing, Sally Brenner insisted - (Continued page 4.)

The Doctor decided he didn't need to turn to page four. The Judoon had done a very good job at concealing the fact that they had kidnapped Bella, but the torrential rain was a bit of over kill. He looked up to see that Bella had turned away from both him and Jack.

"Bella?" he asked gently.

"What am I supposed to do now?" She asked with a surprisingly level voice. "This place was everything I had and now I'm suspected of being dead!"

Her voice broke on the last word and the Doctor moved to place a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"Do I go to the police?" She asked seriously. "I mean to prove I'm not dead?" she laughed slightly. "I would probably give them all heart attacks, the superstitious old fools…"

The Doctor smiled, still holding her. "My offer is still there, if you want," He said quietly.

"What offer?" she said, looking up to him.

"Come with me."

Bella let go of the Doctor and took a step back from him. Jack, who had missed most of that conversation due to how quiet they had been, looked on curiously.

"Travel with you? You – You would really want me to go with you?"

"Course," the Doctor smiled. "I wouldn't have asked otherwise. Twice, I might remind you."

Bella took a moment to contemplate this before her face broke into a weak smile.

"You'll come?"

Her smile widened and she nodded. "You bet!"

The Doctor grinned happily and hugged Bella, lifting her up as Jack laughed.

"HEY!"

The Doctor put Bella down and they broke apart all of them looking over to the TARDIS. A young lady was standing beside the TARDIS glaring at them all furiously.

"What the hell are you doing bring this piece of junk here? This is not, contrary to popular belief, a shrine!"

Bella gasped and Jack said "Ouch!" looking at the Doctor, who felt highly offended that his beloved spaceship was being called 'junk'.

"Sally," Bella said moving forward in front of the Doctor and Jack.

Sally froze, her face going white. "No, you can't be – you're dead!"

"Do I look dead to you, Sally?" Bella said shaking her head, feeling surprised that her best friend would believe the press.

Sally took a moment to take in the fact that Bella was standing in front of her breathing. "But –"she started, before furiously advancing on Bella, who took a few, precautionary steps backwards. "You never go anywhere, even when those control freaks posing as your caregivers finally left you!"

"Old habits die hard, I guess." Bella shrugged.

"Where were you?"

"You'll never believe me."

"I thought my best friend was dead," Sally said emotionally. "Try me."

Bella looked back to the Doctor before saying "I was kidnapped by – uh – things called Judoon."

"And what are they when they're at home?"

"They are kind of aliens…"

"Aliens?" repeated Sally as she put a hand up to her forehead. "Come of it Bella, we've been through this before."

"Sal, there is life out there, I always said there was. I mean, remember the planets in the sky and the invading Daleks? How could there be an entire universe and we're the only ones in it?"

Sally sighed. "Alright then, why did they kidnap you?"

"For information on someone…"

"On who?" she asked sceptically.

"Just a guy I know…"

"Let me guess," Sally said rolling her eyes. "It was that bloke you met the other week; the tall, skinny, good looking one with great hair?"

Bella felt her face redden. "Yeah, him…"

"Do I really have great hair?" The Doctor asked looking to Jack.

"Defiantly," Jack agreed, grinning.

Sally looked at the Doctor. "I see what you mean, Bells!"

"Sally!" Bella groaned, her face deepening in colour as Jack laughed at her loudly and the Doctor smiled sheepishly.

"Hi, I'm the Doctor," he smiled walking forward to shake Sally's hand. "And this is Jack."

"Captain Jack Harkness, actually," Jack said, kissing her hand.

Sally smiled and turned back to Bella. "You didn't tell me about him! You have the tall one and I'll have the Captain!"

Bella's face deepened in colour even more than it already had as Jack laughed behind his hand. She grabbed Sally and pulled her away from a now howling Jack and a grinning Doctor.

"What?"

"Sally, you know it was never like that with the Doctor –"

"Bella, I've never seen you go so red!" Sally laughed.

As Jack laughed even louder and even the Doctor gave a chuckle, Bella sighed. "That's because I am going to travel with them." Bella told her, dragging her a bit further away from the other two.

"Both of them?" she asked curiously.

"I dunno what Jack is going to do," Bella said shrugging. "I still don't really know how they know each other or who he even is, but I do know that he will never let me live that down…"

Sally smiled. "Forget about it, the Doctor will."

"He seems like the kind of person that doesn't forget about things easily." Bella sighed. She hadn't even started travelling with him; she didn't want it to be awkward already and she didn't really know him well enough to have feelings for him yet. Mind you, saving her life twice defiantly earns extra brownie points.

"Where are you going to travel too?" Sally asked. "Italy, Australia?"

"He rescued me from a spaceship in outer space, Sally I don't really think Earth destinations are on the itinerary."

"Alright, alright," she said. "But you can't really come back can you?" Sally asked

"Course I can," Bella said. "Just tell the cops I rang you to tell you I was in Tuscany with old friends of the family. Maybe say that you found a note that I left or something?"

"How will I contact you when you don't even know where you are going to be?"

"Well email is definitely out," Bella paused thinking. "I might be able to call you whenever we are on Earth, so just try my mobile and leave messages."

Sally nodded, smiling slightly "I'll miss you," she paused before adding cheekily "and so will my brother. He's not going to be happy that you've chosen an older man and it wasn't him!"

Bella grinned. "Shut up! I'll miss you too, but we will visit you so frequently that you'll hardly notice I'm gone! Oh, and look after the house, will you?

"Oh, sure thing, miss-I'm-going-to-travel-the-universe!" she said sarcastically.

Bella grinned at her. "I'll bring you a souvenir,"

"You'd better!" she laughed, hugging Bella before turning to walk away.

Bella watched her smiling until she walked out the front gate of her house. She turned back to the two men. "Don't say a word!" she said to Jack, making the Doctor laugh.

Jack grinned at her. "I'm not saying anything!"

Bella grinned and shook her head. "Can I pack a bag?"

"Course," the Doctor said. "Want any help?"

Bella shook her head. "I'll be quick!"

- O -

She ran as fast as she could upstairs and into her bedroom, where she pulled out a bright yellow bag and put it onto her bed. She opened her wardrobe and began throwing everything she had into the bag, not really knowing what she would need. She put on her black overcoat and her red tartan scarf before running into her father's bedroom and picked up one of the picture frames that had been face down on the mantel piece and looked at the picture it contained.

It was her as a baby in her mother's arms. It wasn't the best quality picture as her mother's face had become a blur, but she could still see her father, sitting beside her mother on the bed, just after she had been born. It was John Lumic.

The Doctor and Jack waited patiently in the TARDIS while Bella packed a bag. Jack was still laughing quietly to himself as Bella finally stepped through the doors smiling carrying her yellow bag.

"So," the Doctor said, clapping his hands together. "Where to?" he asked.

"Cardiff," Jack said as Bella dropped the bag by the railing and stood beside him.

"Cardiff?" the Doctor said, sounding disappointed. "Well, that's not really adventurous is it?" he added dully.

"I need to get back to Torchwood, Doctor." Jack said smiling.

"Oh,"

"What exactly is Torchwood?" Bella asked, looking to Jack. "And I think you need to explain to me how it is that you came back from the dead…"

"I can explain it on the way!" Jack laughed as the Doctor pulled a lever, the TARDIS making its unique eardrum splitting noise.