A/N:

Again, sorry about the delay. It's a messy time, but I should be writing more now. Hope this all makes sense. Things will start to get really timey-whimey from here on (as if they weren't already). I hope you enjoy it! As always, please please please let me know what you think! Thanks!

chapter twentyfive– Fish and Chips

Tardis

"Don't you dare!" Rose ran down to the door and started to pound on it.

Behind her, a holographic projection of the Doctor appeared.

Rixel straightened up. "Rose?"

The blond spun around and gasped at the sight of the Doctor. But it wasn't really the Doctor. He was all shimmery and see-through. A holographic projection.

"This is emergency protocol 1. It means we're in a mortal situation with no way out. I'm either dead, or dieing. Rose, I'm sending you home."

"The hell you are!" Rose yelled back.

"And you're probably complainin' and moanin', which is just so typical of you." The holographic Doctor waived his hands in the air. "But it's the right thing to do. I'm sending you home to have a good life with your mum. There's nothing you can do about it. Just leave the Tardis locked and it'll eventually fade away. I have one favor to ask, just one. See if you can find Rixel. I feel terrible about what happened. Maybe she grew up and you can find her in London. And Rose, thanks."

The holograph flickered and faded off.

"Wait!" Rose ran to where the holograph was. "Come back!"

The engine started to slow down.

Rixel looked down at her hand, which was wrapped around her locket. She'd started off just playing with it as the Doctor spoke, but now it was stuck to her fingers. And it burned.

"Rose!" Rixel bit her lip. The pain wasn't as bad as it had been the first time. Either that, or she was just getting used to it. "I'm so sorry, Rose."

"No, no no no." Rose ran up to the control panel. "I'm getting' us back. He thinks he can just kick us out to the curb like that? No way!"

"Rose." Rixel took in a deep breath. The pain was spreading fast. "I'm jumping again."

"What?" She looked up from the control panel. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry." Rixel said. She blinked, and Rose was gone.

The Tardis control room was empty. Same room, just, no people.

"Rose?" Rixel whispered. She felt horrible. Rose needed her. The Doctor needed her. She couldn't leave at a time like this!

"Rixel?"

The little red-headed girl looked over towards the hall. Standing in the entrance way in a red leather jacket, was Martha.

"Martha?"

"Oh! Rixel!" Martha laughed. "I though I'd never see you again!"

Rixel gave her a weak smile. She needed to go back.

"Come on!" Martha bounced over and grabbed her arm. "The Doctor's just outside. He'll be happy to see ya!"

Rixel allowed herself to be dragged out the door. She felt almost numb. In the past hour or so she'd gone from hating the Doctor to …what was she now? She was still mad at him, yes. But he saved Rose's life. And he was suppose to die. Yet, here he was. Standing outside, waiting for Martha. The other Doctor. Not the bow-tie one, the huggable one. Always changing he was. She stared up at him with questioning eyes.

He grinned at the sight of them. "Rixel!"

"Just found her standing there in the Tardis!" Martha said

"Yeah, she does that." The Doctor ruffled Rixel's hair.

"I need to go back." Rixel glanced back at the Tardis.

"Why?" Martha asked. "You leave something in there?"

"No." Rixel shook her head. "The Doctor. He needs me. And Rose."

Martha and the Doctor both stiffened at the sound of Rose's name. Rixel raised an eyebrow. Why did people always get so weird when she talked about Rose?

"What happened?" Martha asked.

"There were Daleks and he was dieing and he sent us to the Tardis but then-"

"Ah." The Doctor nodded. "The emperor of the Daleks."

"Yes!" Rixel said.

"Don't worry." He grinned, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I'll live."

She frowned. "I know, but, you said time can be re-written."

"Bah." The Doctor scoffed. "Ignore me when I say things like that. Fancy some chips?"

"Oh, yes!" Martha replied. She seemed eager for the change in conversation.

Rixel sighed. Life with the Doctor was getting to be too difficult. Well, not much she could do now but go on with it. "Fine."

"Great!" The Doctor took one of each of their hands and started to walk.

Rixel looked at the city around them. Seemed like a modern day London. She guessed. At least modern by how the movies went. There was a sign for a new Batman movie she'd never heard of, but it was staring the same actor she'd seen in one before, so it had to be the same time frame. Unless they advertised old movies. She had no clue.

They walked into a small fish and chips place. The smell was wonderful. Rixel immediately felt better. The smell rocketed down her throat and into her stomach. When was the last time she'd eaten? She was starving!

The three of them sat down at a table and began to eat. It was kinda nice, actually. No monsters, no life or death situations. Just her, the Doctor and Martha, eating fish and french fries. She actually liked it that they called them chips. It was so cute.

"You're younger than when we last saw you." Martha commented.

Rixel shrugged. "I've heard Amy said she's seen me at 14. Guess I get at least that old."

"Whose Amy?" Martha looked over at the Doctor a little too quickly.

The Doctor shrugged.

"You haven't met her yet." Rixel shook her head. "Sorry."

"You're terrible at keeping secrets." The Doctor replied.

"You're not." Rixel growled. She hadn't meant to get angry at him, it just sort of slipped out.

Martha starred between the two of them. "Right, well, last time I saw you, you were 14 as well. How old are you now? Nine? Ten?"

"Nine." Rixel said. She popped a fry into her mouth. "I think."

"You think?"

"Life with the Doctor." She shrugged.

"I know what you mean." Martha laughed.

"How's your sister?" Rixel asked.

"My sister?"

"Yeah." Rixel thought for a moment. The first time they met was also Marth'a first time. So this had to be past the Lazerus project. "She had freckles on her face before."

"Did she?" Martha shrugged. "Mm, she's fine, I guess. Haven't talked to her in ages. I'm sure I would have heard something. Besides, what are freckles going to be? Chicken pox at the worst, yeah?"

Rixel frowned. "Yeah."

"You're being quiet." Martha glanced over at the Doctor with a grin. "Unlike you."

The Doctor shrugged. "Did you notice anything strange on the way in?"

Rixel sat up. She liked memory games. She thought for a moment. Ok, they were in a big busy town at a fish and chips place. Outside, the building was a navy blue. It had three signs, one white with the name of the place, one black with some sort of hours or something on it and a third Rixel couldn't really remember. There were four windows, two of which had flower pots in them growing some small white flowers. There was a cute little gargoyle statue above the door and round columns that protruded from the entrance area. Next door was a sweets shop and the other side was...she couldn't remember. Out of everything, she didn't know what would be strange. "There were no tables outside?"

The Doctor shook his head. "No. Nevermind."

"What?" Martha asked.

"Nothing." He grinned and popped a fry in his mouth.

After the three of them finished eating, they walked outside the restaurant and crossed the street. Martha was hanging onto the Doctor's arm and they were laughing hard about something. Rixel felt the wind pick up, just ever so slightly. For some reason, she wanted to turn around. Like someone was watching her. She paused for a moment, then glanced over her shoulder.

No one was there. Well, no one out of the ordinary. A young couple walked into the fish and chips place. There was a small kid looking into the sweet shop window. The other side of the chips place was a music store. But still, nothing that would prickle the hairs on the back of her neck.

"You see something?" The Doctor asked.

Rixel turned back and smiled. "Nope."

"Me either." Although something in his eyes didn't look right.

"Where to next, Doctor?" Martha bounced.

"I'm not sure." His spoke slowly. After a short pause, he started walking back across the road towards the chips place.

Martha glanced at Rixel questioningly, then followed. "Where we goin'?"

The Doctor didn't answer. When they crossed the road, he lead them down the sidewalk and then turned into a side alley beside the sweet shop. Rixel noticed how wonderful it smelled. Even having just eaten, the sugary sweet smell made her salivate.

The Doctor stopped suddenly, putting his hand out. "You feel that?"

"What, like an earthquake?" Martha asked.

Rixel looked up. The buildings on either side of them seemed to stretch on for ever. There was only a small sliver of blue sky above them. If she hadn't been enclosed in a building her entire life she might have been feeling trapped. But after living in that underground tunnel system for three years... No. Rixel shook her head. That wasn't real. It didn't actually happen. She never really lived there. It was all a dream. But the memory of it seemed so real.

"Rixel?"

She turned and looked at the Doctor.

"What do you remember? Outside the chips place? Anything odd?" He asked.

She shrugged.

"It's just a fish and chips place." Martha said.

Rixel closed her eyes. Her memory flashed to the first time they entered. The three signs. The windows. The gargoyle. The colums. The white flowers. She fast forwarded to when they left and she glanced back from across the street. No, everything was the same. Down to the white flowers and the... no. Wait. Her eyes flew open. "The gargoyle!"

He nodded slowly.

"The what?" Martha asked.

"There was a gargoyle when we went in, but not when we left." The Doctor said.

"So?" Martha scrunched her nose. "Are there alien stone gargoyles that can move unseen around midday London?"

Rixel thought for a moment. Martha had a good point.

The Doctor, however, looked astonished she would ask such a thing. "It's completely possible now, isn't it."

Rixel almost laughed. He had a point, too.

There was a scraping sound from behind them.

"Shh!" The Doctor spun around. His arms reached out pushing the girls back.

"What is it?" Martha whispered.

Rixel looked past the Doctor's arm, but saw nothing. So she turned her head and looked behind them. There, standing in the middle of the alley, was a tall statue of an angel. Rixel jerked back. That hadn't been there a moment ago, she was sure of it. The statue was as tall as the Doctor, if not more. It's hands were covering it's face. She took a step towards the statue. Big feathered wings of stone arched out from it's back. Really, it was quiet pretty.

"Doctor?" Rixel turned her head back to them. "Was this?"

The Doctor and Martha turned to look at her. Both of them gasped. Martha's eyes widened.

"What?" Rixel turned to look back at the statue. She jumped backwards, bumping into the Doctor.

The statue was now closer, although that was an understatement. It was really close. Like, reach your hand out and touch close. And the statue actually looked like that's what it was doing. It's hand one hand extended out, only inches away from where Rixel was. It's other hand still half covered it's face.

"What is it?" Rixel shuddered.

"Dunno." The Doctor frowned. "Must be some sort of quantum-locked being." He reached forward to touch it, but Martha smacked him.

"Don't!" She said. "What if it attacks you?"

He grinned. "It's stone, Martha." With that, he reached out and knocked on it. A dense rock-like sound muffled an echo back. "See?"

"But it wasn't there before." She replied. "It moved."

He nodded and turned away in thought. "Yeah. It did. But when?"

Martha turned after him, leaving Rixel to just stand there staring at the creature. It's outstretched arm scared her. It was trying to grab her. That creepy thing had moved, very very fast, and it tried to grab her. She leaned towards the thing, trying to see if she could spot it move. Maybe it just moved very very slowly then sped up or something. She blinked.

And the angel was gone.

In fact, everything that was there a moment ago was gone. No alleyway. No sugary sweet smell. Just...grass.

Rixel spun around in a circle, gasping. "Doctor!"

But he was nowhere to be seen. No one was. She was alone in an endless grassy field.

"Hello?" She screamed. Her voice came back in an echo.

Oh crap.