The sun shone down on Eddie and Lucy as she walked him back to his car. She wasn't looking forward to The Mistress' reaction when she got back inside, but she wanted to at least make sure Eddie knew that she was safe. Eddie stopped suddenly. Lucy stared at him confused.

"You said that you know she isn't behind the disappearances. How?" Eddie suddenly asked as his blue eyes stared into hers.

She avoided his glance at first but replied, "I've been with her the entire time. The only times that we've been separated were… I assume, when she was being questioned by you. Twice, right?"

Eddie nodded as though thinking it over and said, "Okay, but the timing is still strange. It wasn't long after the two of you vanished that other girls started to disappear."

"Odd coincidence, I guess?"

"How did you meet her? She taught you, right?" Eddie asked as though trying to decipher a puzzle.

"Yeah, she taught my physics class. We didn't really talk much… it was a large class," Lucy explained, hoping to get him to leave peacefully. "It wasn't until after… you know. She came to tell me… to give me her condolences."

"And so she just offered you a job?"

"Kind of. She wanted to take time off and publish a book. I… was broken, Eddie. I needed a place where people weren't looking at me like I was a charity case."

"I wasn't… I didn't know you felt that way," Eddie said and scratched the back of his head. "Do you really trust her? I just… She gives off a weird vibe."

"I can see how you'd feel that way, but she's… not that bad. She's just a bit… condescending at times," Lucy replied hesitantly.

Eddie laughed and said, "Well, I can see that. But… you know, I wasn't just saying that stuff. I mean it. Anytime you need or want me to come back and get you, I'll be here."

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind."

"We may need to ask you to come in for questioning. Just to give her an alibi," Eddie said, not looking Lucy in the eyes.

"If absolutely necessary, yes."

Eddie looked like he had more to say, but he just gave Lucy a piece of paper. "My number, in case you need it." He gave her a smile, but his eyes were pleading. Lucy gave him a hug before he got into the car and drove away from the manor.

Most of what she had told Eddie had been the truth. As she walked back to the manor, she remembered the day she and The Mistress had first talked to each other. The Mistress had been her physics teacher the semester before, but Lucy had never really talked much to her. A simple hello in the hallways was about the maximum amount of contact between them. But that day had been an awful one for Lucy.

Even months after her family's accident, Lucy had had trouble coping. Burying most of her pain deep inside and focusing on her class work had helped, but even that could only dull the pain. She still wasn't entirely sure what had made her snap. Usually Lucy was good at just focusing on her work and blocking everything else out, but on that day she simply couldn't help herself. She had only realized the mess that she'd made after it was all done. Glassware shattered all around her, and her notebook had been thrown across the room. Terrified, Lucy had curled up on the floor and shut her eyes. Trying to imagine herself anywhere else as the room had swirled around her.

Footsteps had clicked on the linoleum as The Mistress entered the room. Lucy had looked up to see her old physics professor staring at her in a mixture of confusion and interest.

"Oh, dear. Quite a mess you've made here," The Mistress had said with a glance at the wreckage. "Impressive even."

Lucy had said nothing. Being condemned to a teacher's lecture had seems appropriate to what Lucy had done although she had noted that The Mistress' praise had at least sounded genuine.

"If you could go anywhere, where would you go?"

That irked Lucy, and she retorted, "To when my parents and brother were alive… but that's pretty predictable, don't you think?"

The Mistress had shrugged and continued, "But if I could truly offer you a way to go anywhere, what would you give me in return? Your silence? Your loyalty? You have to be sick of the whispers. The stares. The pity of those who aren't even your equal. Don't you want away from this place?"

That had caught Lucy's attention. People had been incredibly kind to her since her family's demise, but that hadn't stopped the gossip. Lucy had wondered what would be said about her current predicament with a sigh. No doubt that they would say that she needed more counseling.

"I want to leave… I want to leave!" Lucy had said with more conviction. "But why should I go with you?"

The Mistress pulled out a gun and put it to Lucy's head. She had sung, "Because I said so."

Lucy looked into The Mistress' eyes and responded, "Either give me a reason to go or pull the trigger. Quit wasting my time."

The Mistress' eyes had narrowed, and she continued to stare at Lucy for a few moments and slowly lowered the gun. Laughter soon emanated from The Mistress. Lucy could do nothing but stare at her in a mixture of irritation and confusion.

"You are special after all," The Mistress had said with a genuine smile. "I love your eyes… I'll give you a reason, but you're going to have to trust me."

After that, The Mistress had showed her the inside of the TARDIS, and they had begun to fix it. Lucy now stopped at the manor door and took a deep breath. The look on The Mistress' face had not been encouraging. With a large sigh Lucy opened the door and stepped inside.