Hello, everyone. I apologize for the long gap- but my muse decided to take an unscheduled vacation in Hawaii. And she just reappeared. Annoying little- eep! No! Indigo, I didn't mean it! Yes, Indigo is defiantly back. Rubs bruises. And so am I. So, here is my fourteenth chapter- It's an extra good one- or at least I think so- to make up for my absence. I'll try and have the next chapter done by midnight tomorrow, and then it's into transcripts! Finally! Evy can get into her sarcastic humor instead of me working frantically on original plots.
Enjoy, and Review!
Song- I'm With You by Avril Lavine
Evy sat on a bench as she waited. The night had quieted- as much as London was ever quiet. It was about fifteen minutes after midnight- and she waited patiently for the one she expected.
The Tower loomed over her seat, lights reflected on the dark, mirror-like river. She breathed quietly, huddling into her borrowed coat for warmth. It may have been spring, but Britain was still bloody cold at night. At least she wasn't shivering in her mini-skirt and hoodie. Martha had made sure of that.
"Alright," the Doctor said, still grinning, "Who'd you call?"
Evy glanced quickly across the room at Martha before responding. "My- friend. He works at UNIT on the night shift. If anyone can get us in easily and undetected, he can. He'll meet us there in fifteen minutes."
"Oh?" The Doctor said distractedly, already setting the coordinates. Evy felt a brief pang of something- was he supposed to be this callous?- when Martha stepped in.
"What's his name?" The older woman asked.
"Ross. Ross Jenkins. He used to work with me at UNIT, before he transferred."
"So- he wants you to wait for him?"
Evy nodded.
"At this time of night? In this weather? Wearing that!?"
Evy nodded again, throwing in an acidic comment. "Well, what else would I do?"
Martha rolled her eyes. "Teenagers." She seized Evy by the wrist and hauled her upright, mostly because of Evy's surprise.
"Doctor? Do we have a spare coat Evy could borrow? And maybe some jeans, too?" Martha asked pointedly as the Time Rotor began to move up and down, slowly.
"What? Oh- right. In the Wardrobe- the TARDIS'll show you the way."
Martha nodded, and dragged Evy behind her, who cast a longing glance over her shoulder at the Time Rotor and the disappearing console room.
Evy smiled, a little mockingly, to herself. She'd been so entranced by the console room and the faint song it had provided in her head that she'd been unwilling to leave, even to see more of the ship. She shifted uncomfortably, finding a place where the jeans (also borrowed and several sizes to big for her slim frame) she was wearing chafed on her legs.
Still, though, uncomfortable as they were, the borrowed jeans and coat were much warmer than her previous attire would have been. And the detour to the wardrobe had allowed her to ease another potential guilty thought-
Evy found herself in an enormous, three story, circular room, absolutely filled to the brim with clothes, all hung and organized neatly on racks. This was the TARDIS wardrobe, apparently.
Bewildered, she reached for the clothes laid out on the ottoman in front of her. As she held the jeans up against her, checking the fit, her wrist brushed against a large bump in the pocket of her denim skirt.
Reminded of the real world- the one she had so immediately forgotten- she laid the jeans aside and pulled out her phone, and stared at it, almost uncomprehendingly. Then she realized herself. She glanced around, guilty, wary that Martha or the Doctor might hear. Swiftly, she located an inconspicuous, out of the way corner, screened by several racks of clothing. Gathering up her own pile of clothes, she quickly relocated.
The first order of business- Max. Evy left a short, almost brusque message on her friend's phone.
"Max- I don't have a lot of time, okay? I just wanted to tell you- I'm alright; you're just- not going to see me for a while, probably. Thanks for taking me to the club- you did me a favor that you probably couldn't begin to understand." Pause. " I found the one I was looking for. I might be going with him- I might not. But- if I suddenly disappear or something- don't worry. Just- avoid my mother for a while, alright?" A weak laugh, and Evy ended her message.
Now just the hard part.
Evy's hand shook a little as she dialed the number of their flat. If she was right, there was no telling when she would be coming back- and something told her she would not see her mother, or London, for a very long time. As the phone went to dial tone, she left a message without waiting for a reply.
"Mum- It's Evy. 'Course, you probably figured that." She paused, trying to find the words. "I just- I'm alright. I just need to tell you that- I'm probably going to be- absent- for a while." Another pause. " I found him, mum, can you believe that?" Weak laugh. "Me, who never looked for him a day in my life."
"As- as impossible as this is; I'm in his ship. Right now. It's wonderful, mum; even more than your stories."
"I haven't told him yet- he doesn't know. I think- that you should. When he sees you again."
"I don't know when I'll be back- I remember about his bad driving." Another weak laugh. "I'm sorry for lying about the club- really." Evy lapsed, unable to speak for a moment. "I love you, mum. I love you."
She hung up, feeling somehow empty and yet free.
A light hand touched her shoulder, breaking her chain of glanced up, to find Ross leaning over her. Their eyes met and locked- brilliant, challenging blue on soft, warm amber-green.
"Hey." He said softly, breaking the silence as he sat down next to her. "You alright?"
Evy smiled vaguely, continuing to focus on the changing reflections of the swirling black river. "'M fine. I'm always fine."
Ross reached out, hesitantly at first, and gathered her onto his side in a warm hug. Evy leaned her head on his shoulder, continuing to gaze out at the water. He held her, not bothering to speak- just enjoying their moment of mutual closeness and warmth.
Evy stirred a little against his shoulder- shifting her body into a more comfortable position. "Martha and the Doctor are out lookin' for you. I told them you'd know where to find me- guess they didn't believe me." She smiled, in an amused sort of way.
He looked down at her, and loosened his hold. "So." He sighed. "Back to business. Always when we're alone."
Evy straightened, and allowed herself a sigh that echoed Ross's. "Yes."
Ross made as if to stand up- but Evy quickly twined her fingers in his, and stood up with him. "Ross- I'm not promising anything, but-"
Whatever Evy was about to say was quickly cut off by a loud-
"OI! There you are!"
Evy and Ross jumped apart, having not realized they had gotten so close to one another. However, their fingers remained entwined.
Evy was instantly once again the slightly shy and impudent teenager she had been with the Doctor, instead of the much older and wearied girl she had been just seconds before.
"Which one?" She called back to the Doctor, who was almost- but not quite- stalking up the street, long coat streaming out behind him, Martha beside.
Mindful of their entwined fingers, she and Ross walked over to meet them.
"Ah- Doctor, Martha; this is the friend I told you about. He'll get us in."
Ten minutes later, with Ross's ID card and help avoiding the guards, the group of four stood outside a moderately sized warehouse, with the designation A-6 painted in white on the side and front of the building.
The Doctor fiddled with the sonic for a moment. "Yes. This is it- this is where that energy is coming from." He turned back to face the group. "Ross, could you give me that ID?"
Ross handed it over silently, his eyes focused inscrutably on Evy's face.
About thirty seconds after he did so, the door unlocked and popped open.
"Yes!" the Doctor exclaimed, tucking the sonic away and passing the ID back to Ross. "Come on; Martha, Evy." Intrepid as ever, he strode confidently into the dark interior of the storage area. Martha followed on his heels- perhaps a bit more cautiously.
Evy turned toward the dark space in between the door and the unlit interior. She hesitated, unsure, her mind imagining all of the horrible things and aliens that could be hiding in that darkness. Evy may not have ever been on a raid or mission herself- Rose, Mickey, and all of the UNIT officials in charge of her 'safety' violently objected every time she tried to suggest it- but she had seen all of the aftermath back at base.
She took a deep breath, turning away the dark images her mind had conjured, and began to walk into the darkness.
A hand caught her wrist and made her pause. She turned around to see Ross holding her wrist, preventing her from continuing.
"What, Ross?" Evy said, a bit more irritably than she'd intended.
"Evy- can I ask you- Well-"
Evy smiled a little at his inability to say what he meant. "Just spit it out, Ross."
Next time we see each other- would you like to go out, somewhere? With me?" He choked the words out, and when he had finished, actually seemed mildly embarrassed.
Evy looked at him for a moment, surprised.
"Are you actually asking me out?"
"Yeah." He swallowed nervously. "Yeah, I think I am."
"Now?"
He smiled. "Duty before pleasure, right? Not my fault I can't seem to be able to ask you out anywhere else."
She smiled back. "Well- In that case, yes. When I see you next." Evy once again turned to follow the Doctor and Martha.
"Wait!" Ross called. Evy once again faced him, surprised. Gently, Ross pulled her a little closer to him.
And then he leaned in, sort of shyly, and kissed her. Not a casual kiss, like they had shared before, but a real, deep kiss, one Evy found herself reciprocating. His arms started to embrace her, to pull her closer, into him, and hers pulled him closer to her. Suddenly, to Evy, the world seemed to melt down to just her and Ross. For all the kiss's initial shyness, somewhere behind it, for both of them, there was real, deep passion-
"Evy? You coming?"
Quickly, almost guiltily, they separated.
"Give me a sec," she called back.
The two looked at one another. Softly, Ross kissed Evy again on the lips.
"I think we're going to have to finish this later, Evelyna Tyler." He smiled humorously. " So just promise-" Evy put a finger on his lips.
"No promises- I learned my lesson from my parents. A promise in my family is a vow the universe stops at nothing to break." She smiled sadly. "But for the record, Ross Jenkins, we will finish this. Eventually."
"Stay safe."
"Always. For you." Evy let his hand fall, and turned and ran into the building. She glanced back over her shoulder only once.
Ross watched her until she disappeared into the blackness. Heaving a sigh, he turned and went to find his car.
#
Evy blinked in the dark. She couldn't see well, exactly, but she could see well enough to make her way around.
"Doctor?" she said questioningly into the not-quite-blackness. "Martha?"
"We're over here, Evy. Martha-"
Evy could see, faintly, a shadow on shadow outline of a hand being extended. She took it, and felt much more secure knowing the location of the others.
"Now," the Doctor continued, "There should be light switch around here somewhere, shouldn't there?"
"Three feet from the door on the left." Evy answered automatically. She hadn't ever been in one of the storage units, but the lights were always in the same places in UNITs large buildings. It saved a lot of fumbling in the dark.
There was some shuffling, before a loud click announced that the Doctor had found the switch, and the area was flooded with light.
Evy blinked at the sudden brightness, and rubbed at her eyes with one hand, trying to erase the red dots that had appeared in her vision. Next to her, Martha was doing the same.
"Ow!" Martha glared at the Doctor. "That hurt!"
"Oi! The lights aren't my fault!"
"Both of you! Stop it! We've got bigger problems than the lights!" Evy shouted at both of them, as she stared at what had caught her eye. Both the Doctor and Martha, caught in surprise by her outburst, turned to see what she was looking at.
A large spaceship, shaped roughly like a crescent and made of a glossy, reflective black material reminiscent of obsidian, sat at the end of the room.
"Now, there we go," The Doctor said, grinning like a maniac. He grabbed Martha's hand.
"Let's go meet Evy's new neighbors!" Then, as if remembering Evy, he turned to her, still grinning.
"Last chance to head for home."
"I'm not even to dignify that with a response," Evy said, moving up next to them. "What did you think I was going to do? Run screaming out the door? I'm not gonna leave 'cause some aliens show up."
The Doctor's eyes darkened for a moment, with some deep anger or pain.
"What?" Evy asked, worried that she had said something offensive.
"Nothing. You just- remind me of someone," The Doctor said, the expression of agony gone from his eyes. "Let's go meet the neighbors, then, shall we?"
A/N: Fanfiction Readers, how would you feel if Evy did not end up with Ross, eventually? Not that I'm going to kill him off- or maybe I will- but I'm just getting vibes that their relationship wouldn't work, as lovers. It's more Mickey and Rose, in the sense that Rose moved beyond Mickey when she began to travel with the Doctor. Mickey was, throughout his time in the series, inferior to Rose. I just feel that as Evy matures through her travels, that the same thing would happen to her and Ross. Plus, Evy is half time lord, and therefore would have a much longer life- and stay younger- than Ross. It would be like Rose-the-Bad-Wolf trying to stay with Mickey-the-Human. I just don't feel that it would work long enough to be a healthy romantic relationship. But what do you think?