Just As It Should Be Chapter 21: Midnight Part 2, a doctor who fanfic

A/N: My sincerest apologies for the wait. How the old saying goes, "When it rains, it pours." Well things are pouring with the family. Thank you for sticking with me! And biy thanks to my followers, to everyone who has favourited, and to all of my lovely reviews. You guys keep me going.

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or anything related. That all goes to the BBC. *Some lines below are borrowed from the episode Midnight. Credit for those lines belong to their respective writers.*

Rose opened her eyes and found herself standing in the middle of the shuttle bus. Something felt off. She looked around and was shocked to see the every passenger on board the shuttle was frozen in time. Including the Doctor. Some were in awkward portions, such as Biff and Val who were both suspended in the air, looking as if they were mid tumble. The Doctor was balanced on one foot, reaching out towards something unknown. It was frightening and a little unnerving. Everything in her being screamed that she needed to get to him. Surely if she could touch him, talk to him, he would wake, right? Just like that Christmas, such a long time ago. She tried to move her feet and found that it was as if she'd been glued to the floor. She was stuck. Feeling her heart begin to race, Rose attempted to lift her arms, but found that they too were frozen at her sides. Panic raced through her veins, a scream building in her chest, when suddenly a dark shadow materialised in front of her.

"What are you?" Rose whispered, too frightened to raise her voice any higher. The only response she received was a hiss. "I don't understand you." Another hiss in response. "I'm sorry, whatever you're saying, it's not translating. But my friend, he knows all sorts of languages and I bet he could talk to ya. If you need help, we'll help you, but you've got to stop trying to scare everyone, alright?"

Rose flinched when she felt a sharp stab in her mind. "Ow! Is that you?" She scowled at the hissing shadow that seemed to loom even larger than before. She felt another jab at her mind. Irritation won over fear, and Rose found her inner strength beginning to grow. "Stop that! It's rude! Maybe you're telepathic, and if you are that's fine, but again, it's my friend who can help ya! Now let go of whatever hold you've got over him, alright? And let the others go while you're at it!"

Suddenly the shadow swirled away and tore through the capsule before stopping and circling Jethro. After a few moments it departed from him and went in search for someone else, though the young man remained unchanged. "What are you doing?" Rose called out as the shadow left Jethro's parents and began circling the Hostess. After visiting Biff, Val, Hobbes, and Dee Dee, it finally got to the Doctor. It circled him one time before recoiling as if it had been shocked. It took the shape of a storm cloud.

"That's right." Rose nodded, finally understanding what it meant. "He's The Oncoming Storm, the last of the Time Lords, and you are no match for him. So just let us all go. Please."

The shadow hovered for a few moments, doing what Rose assumed was something close to pondering it's options. Finally the shadow whipped away and began circling Sky. The poor woman was curled on the floor, knees to chest, looking as if her world was ending. And for some reason, Rose had the feeling it just might be. She heard one final hiss from the shadow before she saw it enter Sky. The last thing Rose heard was the sound of someone calling her name. The voice was one that seemed to be haunting her lately.

It was the voice of Mickey Smith.

"Rose? Rose, love, open your eyes."

Rose groaned. Her head felt like it had exploded and she was sure if she opened her eyes her brain would be splattered all over the place. But the Doctor was there and he wanted her to open her eyes and, well, she'd never been very good at denying him. She popped one eyelid open. "What?" she grumbled.

"Just making sure you're still with me," he replied with a smirk, though Rose could hear the worry laced in his tone as he helped her into a sitting position.

"I'm fine," she assured. "Killer headache though."

The Doctor frowned. "Do you remember what happened?"

"Mmmm... We're going to that diamond waterfall or somethin', yeah? And we broke down and there was all the strange knocking. Then we were attacked."

"What makes you think we were attacked?"

Rose looked around at the darkened shuttle. "I could feel it. Doctor, something's not right."

He nodded. "I know. Just sit tight."

As they collected themselves, Biff called out, "Is she alright over there?"

"We're fine," the Doctor called back. He turned back to Rose. "I have bad news, while we were waiting for you to come to, the Hostess tried to check on the driver and the mechanic..."

Rose looked at him curiously. "And?"

"And the cabin's gone."

"What do you mean gone?"

He sighed. "It was somehow spliced off. It lost its integrity. I'm so sorry, Rose, but they've both been reduced to dust. The good news is that they sent that distress signal. Help is on its way and I will get us out of here."

Rose gazed sadly at the doors that had lead to the driver's cabin. "They saved our lives."

"They did."

"Doctor, I could have sworn, as you were waking me up, that I heard Mickey calling my name. I know it sounds mad," she added, "but Doctor, it sounded so real."

"I'm not going to tell you that you didn't hear him, but the chances are unlikely. Besides, you did go all Bad Wolf a few minutes ago."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "I did? When?"

"Right before the shuttle took a tumble. Your eyes began to glow gold. You don't remember?" He frowned.

"Wish I did."

"Doctor," Jethro called out soundly. "Look at her," he said, pointing towards Sky.

The Doctor squeezed Rose's arm once before moving away from her and towards the curled up woman who was clutching her head. "Right. Yes. Sorry. Have we got a medical kit?"

"Why won't she turn around?" the young man asked.

Rose stepped closer, something was niggling the back of her mind, but she couldn't place what. "Maybe she's in shock." She looked to the Hostess. "What's her full name?"

"Missus Sky Silvestry," she answered.

The Doctor knelt down, using the torch the Hostess had given him a few moments before. "Sky? Can you hear me? Are you all right? Can you move, Sky? Just look at me."

"That noise from outside. It's stopped." Jethro finally noticed.

"Well, thank God for that," his mother proclaimed.

"But what if it's not outside anymore? What if it's inside?"

Rose groaned as Val began to panic. "Not helping, Jethro."

He shrugged. "It was heading for her."

The Doctor held up his hand, signaling for everyone to hush as he tried to coax Sky out of her stupor once more. "Sky? It's all right, Sky. I just want you to turn around, face me."

Slowly, she let go of head and turned around, her eyes wide with something indescribable hidden beneath. Her gaze landed immediately on Rose, who took an automatic step back at the sight. Sky's eyes began darting from person to person before she quickly turned her head to stare at the Doctor. The Time Lord took a moment to observe what was going on with her. First he tilted his head to the left and was rewarded with Sky doing the exact same. Next he tilted it towards the right, and was once again copied by her jerky movements.

"Sky," he said carefully.

"Sky," she repeated a few seconds later.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Are you all right?" she repeated.

"Are you hurt?"

"You don't have to talk."

"I'm trying to help."

"My name's the Doctor."

Starting to feel uncomfortable the Doctor said, "Okay, can you stop?"

"Okay, can you stop?" she asked as well.

"I'd like you to stop."

"Why's she doing that?" Professor Hobbes asked.

Immediately Sky shifted her attention from the Doctor and repeated the older man's question.

"She's gone mad," Biff exhaled.

Again Sky turned to the person who'd last spoke and repeated.

"Stop it!" Val commanded in her most threatening 'mum' voice. She was clearly rattled when Sky continued copying her. "I said stop it!"

Dee Dee shook her head. "I don't think she can."

"I don't think she can," Sky added.

"All right now, stop it. This isn't funny," Hobbes scolded.

"All right now, stop it. This isn't funny."

Rose made eye contact with the Doctor. Something was clearly wrong and the situation was getting out of hand. With a slight nod the Doctor shushed everyone. "Sh, sh, sh, all of you."

"Sh, sh, sh, all of you."

"My name's Jethro," the teenage boy just had to add, seeming pleased when he was repeated.

The Doctor glared at him. "Jethro, leave it. Just shut up," he said, using a harsher tone than Rose was used to hearing him use. It was even more unnerving coming from Sky.

Rose bent down next to the Time Lord and gave a gentle squeeze to his hand. "Sky," she started gently, "why are you repeating us?"

Nothing. Sky remained silent.

"Has she stopped?" Professor Hobbes asked, but was stopped when Sky repeated his question.

Dee Dee shook her head. "I don't understand," she mumbled, trying to pay no mind to the copy of her words.

The Doctor looked between Rose and Sky, confusion written all over his face. "Why aren't you repeating Rose?"

"Why aren't you repeating Rose?" the other woman countered.

"I doesn't make any sense," Rose injected, once again ignored by Sky. "She's repeating everyone but me."

"Well be glad of that, girl!" Hobbes told her.

The Doctor held up a hand for silence. "Sky?"

"Sky?" she repeated.

"What is that, learning?"

"Copying?"

"Absorbing?"

The Doctor looked at her squarely in the eyes before saying, "The square root of pi is one point seven seven two four five three eight five zero nine zero five five one six zero two seven two nine eight one six seven four eight three three four one. Wow." He sat back amazed as Sky's voice overlapped his, repeating word for word, number for number.

"Oh my god," Rose exhaled, no longer shocked when there was no repeat of her sentiment.

Hobbes looked stricken. "But that's impossible!"

"But that's impossible!" Sky said, sounding almost like a taunt.

Dee Dee grabbed her mentor's arm. "She couldn't repeat all that."

"She couldn't repeat all that."

Panic began bubbling to the surface as Val demanded that Sky stop what she was doing, while her husband became defensive and began ordering the Sky to listen. The Hostess was convinced it was a trick, seeming unable to except what was going on. Dee Dee kept muttering about how impossible it all was, though Professor Hobbes became more interested in the look in Sky's eyes. Jethro, being a typical teenage boy, began reciting evil things, apparently to make Sky even creepier than she already was. Meanwhile the Doctor kept trying to make the passengers stop, though nobody listened.

It was pure madness with everyone talking over each other and the obviously inflicted woman repeating all of that. They weren't getting anywhere going on like this and Rose had finally had enough nonsense.

"Everybody quiet!" she shouted, unaware that for a brief moment her eyes were glowing gold once again. No sooner were the words out of her mouth than the lights in the shuttle turned back on. There was a brief moment of silence where they all just looked around sheepishly, before the Hostess collected herself.

"That's the back up system."

"Well," Biff breathed heavily, "that's a bit better."

"What about the rescue? How long's it going to take?" his wife demanded.

The Hostess smoothed down her skirt, trying to remain professional. "About sixty minutes, that's all."

As they spoke, no one but Jethro and Rose seemed to notice that Sky had momentarily stopped repeating.

Hobbes, paying them no mind continued, "Then I suggest we all calm down. This panic isn't helping. That poor woman is evidently in a state of self induced hysteria. We should leave her alone."

Again, no one but Rose, Jethro, and now the Doctor noticed that Sky had finished the Professor's statement with him.

"Doctor," Jethro warned, unable to tear his eyes away from the woman still crouched on the floor.

"I know," the Time Lord acknowledged.

Hobbes looked at him. "Doctor, now step back. I think you should leave her," he slowed when he realised that Sky was speaking with him, "alone. What's she doing?"

Val stood from where she had been resting. "How can she do that? She's talking with you. And with me. Oh, my God. Biff, what's she doing?"

"She's repeating," her son answered for her, "at exactly the same time."

"That's impossible," Dee Dee added.

"There's not even a delay," Hobbes said.

A small smirk graced Jethro's lips. "Oh man, that is weird."

Rose whispered in the Doctor's ear, "Something's really wrong. She's starting to progress, yeah? So what's next?"

He nodded and turned to the group. "I think you should all be very, very quiet. Have you got that?" he told them all, as did Sky.

"How's she doing it?" Val asked.

"Missus Cane, please be quiet," the Doctor requested.

"How can she do that? She's got my voice! She's got my words!"

Biff stepped closer to his wife. "Come on, be quiet. Hush, now. Hush. She's doing it to me."

"Everyone just needs to calm down and let the Doctor handle this, yeah?" Rose finally said, though her voice was still her own.

The Doctor nodded to her. "Thank you. Now then, Sky. Are you Sky? Is Sky still in there? Missus Silvestry? You know exactly what I'm going to say. How are you doing that? Roast beef. Bananas. The Medusa Cascade. Bang! Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, TARDIS. Shamble bobble dibble dooble. Oh, Doctor, you're so handsome. Yes, I am, thank you. A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O. First she repeats, then she catches up. What's the next stage?"

"Next stage of what?" asked Dee Dee.

"That's not her, is it," Jethro said, sounding younger than ever. "That's not Missus Silvestry any more."

"I don't think so, no. I think the more we talk, the more she learns. Now, I'm all for education, but in this case, maybe not." The Doctor stood and started herding everyone towards the back of the shuttle. "Let's just move back. Come on. Come with me. Everyone, get back. All of you, as far as you can."

"Doctor, make her stop," Val pleaded.

"Val, come with me. Come to the back. Stop looking at her. Come on, Jethro. You too. Everyone, come on. Fifty minutes, that's all we need. Fifty minutes till the rescue arrives. And she's not exactly strong. Look at her. All she's got is our voices."

She shook her head. "I can't, I can't look at her. It's those eyes."

"We must not look at goblin men," Dee Dee suddenly recited.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Biff questioned.

"It's a poem. Christina Rossetti," the Doctor told him.

Dee Dee continued, "We must not look at goblin men. We must not buy their fruits. Who knows upon what soil they fed Their hungry, thirsty roots?"

He scratched the back of his neck. "Actually, I don't think that's helping."

"Definitely not," Rose agreed, feeling decidedly more uncomfortable. "We all just need to stop acknowledging her. Don't even look at her. If we all just stay quiet than she has nothing to say."

Biff snorted, as did Sky. "You're one to talk. She's ignoring you."

Professor Hobbes looked at the group disapprovingly. "This is silly. She's not a goblin, or a monster. She's just a very sick woman."

"Maybe that's why it went for her," Jethro suggested.

"There is no it," the old man insisted.

"Think about it though," he went on. "That knocking went all the way round the bus until it found her. And she was the most scared out of all of us. Maybe that's what it needed. That's how it got in. "

"For the last time. Nothing can live on the surface of Midnight!"

Rose rolled her eyes. "You said it yourself earlier, there is so much about Midnight that we don't know."

"I know because... because... I do!" Hobbes stuttered out.

The Doctor reached for Rose's hand as he turned to the other gentleman. "Professor, I'm glad you've got an absolute definition of life in the universe, but perhaps the universe has got ideas of its own, hmm? Now trust me, I've got previous. I think there might well be some consciousness inside Missus Silvestry, but maybe she's still in there. And it's our job to help her."

"Well, you can help her. I'm not going near," Biff stated firmly.

He shook his head. "No, I've got to stay back, because if she's copying us, then maybe the final stage is becoming us. I don't want her becoming me, or things could get a whole lot worse."

Val looked at him quizzically. "Oh, like you're so special."

"As it happens, yes, I am. So that's decided. We stay back, and we wait. When the rescue ship comes, we can get her to hospital."

"We should throw her out," came suddenly from the quiet Hostess.

"What!?" Rose exclaimed.

Hobbes bristled. "I beg your pardon?"

"Can we do that?" Val asked, intrigued by the idea.

"Don't be ridiculous," the Doctor said with an air of warning.

"That thing, whatever it is, killed the driver, and the mechanic, and I don't think she's finished yet," the Hostess told them all.

"She can't even move," he argued.

"Seriously, help will be here soon. We all just need to ignore her. Please!" Rose insisted. The situation was spiraling out of control and she didn't like the direction the conversation was turning.

The Hostess stood her ground. "Look at her. Look at her eyes. She killed Joe, and she killed Claude, and we're next."

"She's still doing it. She's still doing it to all of us except for her," Biff shouted, pointing at Rose as Sky continued to speak with them. "Just stop it. Stop talking. Stop it!"

"Biff, don't, sweetheart," his wife cooed.

"But she won't stop. We can't throw her out, though. We can't even open the doors."

The Doctor tightened his grip on Rose's hand. "No one is getting thrown out," he injected.

"Yes, we can," Dee Dee said, responding to Biff's statement. "Because there's an air pressure seal. Like when you opened the cabin door, you weren't pulled out. You had a couple of seconds, because it takes the pressure wall about six seconds to collapse. Well, six seconds exactly. That's enough time to throw someone out."

Rose turned to her. "Really? Was that necessary?"

The Doctor tagged on, "Thanks, Dee Dee. Just what we needed."

"Would it kill her outside?" Val asked.

"I don't know," Dee Dee answered truthfully. "But she's got a body now. It would certainly kill the physical form."

Rose blanched. "Do you even hear yourselves?! You're talking about murder!"

The Hostess frowned, thinking hard. "I wouldn't risk the cabin door twice, but we've got that one. All we need to do is grab hold of her and throw her out."

"Now, listen, all of you," the Doctor directed to the group. "For all we know that's a brand new life form over there. And if it's come inside to discover us, than what's it found? This little bunch of humans. What do you amount to, murder? Because this is where you decide. You decide who you are. Could you actually murder her? Any of you? Really? Or are you better than that?"

There was a moment of silence before the Hostess said, "I'd do it."

"So would I," Biff agreed along with his wife.

Dee Dee bit her lip. "I think we should."

Rose felt her breath escape her in a whoosh. "Are you serious?"

"I want her out," the young woman said apologetically.

"You can't say that," the Doctor denied.

"I'm sorry, but you said it yourself, Doctor. She is growing in strength."

"That's not what I said."

"I want to go home. I'm sorry. I want to be safe."

"You'll be safe any minute now. The rescue truck is on its way."

"But what happens then, Doctor?" the Hostess asked. "If it takes that thing back to the Leisure Palace, if that thing reaches civilisation. What if it spreads?"

"That's not going to happen!" Rose said vehemently.

The Doctor ran a hand through his hair and nodded. "She's right, because when we get back to the base, I'll be there to contain it."

"You haven't done much so far," Val snarked.

Biff crossed his arms. "You're just standing in the back with the rest of us."

"She's dangerous. It's my job to see that this vessel is safe, and we should get rid of her," the Hostess said with authority.

Professor Hobbes, clearly uncomfortable added his thoughts. "Now, hang on. I think perhaps we're all going a little bit too far."

The Doctor sighed. "At last. Thank you."

"Two people are dead," the Hostess reminded.

"Don't make it a third. Jethro, what do you say?" he asked the teen boy.

Jethro looked appalled. "I'm not killing anyone."

"Thank you."

"He's just a boy," his mother huffed.

"What, so I don't get a vote?" the boy in question asked.

The Doctor practically growled. "There isn't a vote! It's not happening. Ever. If you try to throw her out that door, you'll have to get past me first."

"And me," Rose added, standing with her love, presenting a united force.

"Okay," the Hostess told them.

"Fine by me," Biff stated.

"Oh, now you're being stupid," the Time Lord insulted. "Just think about it. Could you actually take hold of someone and throw them out of that door?"

Feeling as if his manhood was in question, the other man puffed his chest. "Calling me a coward?"

"Who put you in charge, anyway?" Val asked, backing her husband up.

Professor Hobbes looked at him questioningly. "I'm sorry, but you're a doctor of what, exactly?"

"Everything," Rose answered for him. "He's a doctor of everything and that's why you need to trust him."

"And who are you then?"

"They weren't even booked in. The rest of you, tickets in advance. They just turned up out of the blue," the Hostess said, adding fuel to the fire.

Rose rubbed her temple, feeling her headache return to the surface. "Check the resort when we get back. We have a suite booked!"

"But where from?" Val questioned.

The Doctor answered, "We're just travelling. We're travellers, that's all."

"Like immigrants?"

"Who were you talking to?" the Hostess asked suddenly. "Before you got on board, you were talking to someone. Who was that?"

"It was our friend, Donna," Rose told her.

Biff eyed them suspiciously. "And what were you saying to her?"

His wife shook her head. "He hasn't even told us his name."

"The thing is though, Doctor, you've been loving this," Jethro said, sounding regretful.

The Doctor and Rose both looked hurt as the former said, "Oh, Jethro, not you."

"No, but ever since all the trouble started, you've been loving it." He gestured to Rose. "You're girlfriend or wife or whatever she is has been ill, and even that hasn't stopped you."

The Doctor took an automatic step back. That had been a low blow. Rose was always, always, at the forefront of his thoughts, but sometimes he had to prioritise, and right now whatever was happening with Sky took precedence.

"It has to be said, you do seem to have a certain glee," Hobbes agreed.

"All right, I'm interested," he gave in. "Yes, I can't help it. Because whatever's inside her, it's brand new, and that's fascinating."

"What, you wanted this to happen?" Val asked accusingly.

"Of course he didn't!" Rose argued back with the woman, taking on a defensive stance.

Biff stepped in front of his wife. "And you were talking to her with him, before all the trouble. Right at the front, you were talking to that Sky woman, the three of you together. I saw you."

Val nodded. "We all did."

"And you both went into the cabin," the Hostess added.

"What were you saying to her?" Biff continued with his questioning.

"We were just talking," the Doctor defended.

Rose gripped his hand tighter. "We do that. A lot."

The other man looked down on her. "And what do you talk about?"

"You called us humans like you're not one of us," Jethro pointed out.

"He did," his mum agreed. "That's what he said."

Dee Dee, clearly frightened, said, "And the wiring. He went into that panel and opened up the wiring."

"That was after," the Time Lord argued.

"But how did you know what to do? " Biff asked.

"Because I'm clever!" the Doctor practically yelled.

Rose winced internally. Though he was one hundred percent right, it was clearly not the time to point that fact out. This was a new situation for them. Usually, people automatically trusted the Doctor, and if they didn't, they learned to after a few minutes. But this was different. Panic and fear can drive people to do crazy things and this was proof. Rose could only hope and pray that the rescue team would arrive soon.

"I see," Hobbes stepped forward, responding to the Doctor's proclamation. "Well, that makes things clear."

"And what are we, then?" Biff prompted. "Idiots?"

"That's not what I meant," the Doctor conceded.

Dee Dee narrowed her eyes at him. "If you're clever, then what are we?"

"You're brilliant, Dee Dee. Of course you are," Rose said with a sad smile.

"Oh, don't try that," Val said haughtily. "He's been looking down on us from the moment we walked in."

The Hostess lifted her chin. "Even if he goes, he's practically volunteered. They both have."

The Doctor pulled his love behind him. "Now stop it, please. Leave Rose out of this."

Biff ignored the requested and directed his next question to the Hostess. "Do you mean we throw them both out as well?"

"If we have to," she responded.

The Doctor held up his free hand and tried to address the passengers calmly. "Look, just. Right, sorry, yes, hold on, just. I know you're scared, and so am I. Look at me, I am. Especially when Rose's life is in danger. But we have all got to calm down and cool off and think."

"Perhaps you could tell us your name," Professor Hobbes requested.

"What does it-"

Rose cut him off. "He's John Smith and I'm his fiance, Rose Tyler."

"We want his real name," the old man told her.

"That is my real name," the Doctor insisted.

"He's lying," Biff accused. "Look at his face."

"His eyes are the same as hers," Val said, glancing briefly at Sky.

"Why won't you tell us?" Jethro asked desperately.

Suddenly they were once again talking over each other, this time directing all of their ire towards the Doctor. Having enough of the accusations being thrown at him the Doctor shouted, "Now listen to me. Listen to me right now, because you need me, all of you. If we are going to get out of this, then you need me."

"So you keep saying. You've been repeating yourself more than her." Hobbes pointed towards Sky.

Rose gasped when she realised the Professor had spoke on his own, though no one else seemed to notice right away. Jethro made eye contact with Rose and put two and two together.

"If anyone's in charge, it should be the Professor. He's the expert," Val continued arguing, unaware that she was speaking by herself.

"Mum, stop. Just look," Jethro requested quietly.

"You keep out of this, Jethro," his father scolded.

Rose clenched a fist. "Oi! Listen to him and look!"

"She's stopped," Dee Dee exhaled, realising they'd all been speaking with their own voices.

The Doctor observed for a moment, saying, "When did she... No, she hasn't. She's still doing it," he said at the exact same time as Sky.

Rose felt her stomach drop. This was bad. Visions of a shadow swirled beneath her eyes lids, and she knew, she knew, that this would not end well.

Coming Soon: Midnight Part 3...

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