Chapter 25! One fourth of a hundred! Five more times than five! Five more chapters than 20! An Ood number! (Ha! Get it? Of course you do.) This story's coming along great!

Joy2O: Sorry! Forgot to reply last chap. YES! We WILL be seeing more of her kind. When? Ha! I'm not telling you!

I'm in a good mood guys... want to make me feel even better? Review! Pretty please?:)

Enjoy!

I'd been back barely an hour inside the TARDIS when Martha, still in her maid uniform, exploded through the doors. She was scowling, her hands bunched up into fists, and she stomped her way to the console.

"I can't believe it!" She seethed.

I closed the book I'd been reading, taking my feet off the console as I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. "What can't you believe?"

"The Doctor! I entered the room and he was," she demonstrated with her hand, her pointer finger and her thumb a pinch apart. "This close to the nurse. About to kiss her, he was!"

I blinked, my stomach churning unpleasantly. "What?"

"Stupid nurse," She muttered. "You heard me."

I hesitated. "But, did they kiss?"

"No. Walked in on them when they were just about to. 'Martha, what have I told you about entering unannounced?'" She mocked.

Something in my stomach unclenched, and I leaned back in the pilot's chair more comfortably. "Relax, Martha." I said.

The anger seemed to seep out of her, leaving her worried. She took the scanner in her hands, replaying, once again, the Doctor's video.

"Four. You. Don't let me abandon you."

"That's no good!" Martha grumbled, fast-forwarding the video. "What about the stuff you didn't tell us? What about women? Oh no, you didn't think of that. What in hell are we supposed to do then?"

She paused the video near the end.

The Doctor smiled on the screen. "Thank you."

Martha stared at the screen, looking more lost than I had even seen her. I pushed the scanner back, turning it off for her.

"Have you found out anything more?" I asked, trying to distract her. "About the meteorite?"

She blinked, her eyes finally focusing on me. "No. Nothing."

"Well," I deliberated. "Something happened to me."

I told her of my little adventure outside the TARDIS, skipping over the Doctor and Joan, and trying to focus more on the scarecrow. Her eyes were wide by the time I finished.

"You fought a scarecrow?" She asked in disbelief.

I nodded.

"You ripped it to pieces?"

I nodded once again.

"And it was alien."

Another nod. "Had to be."

"You think it has to do with the hunters?"

"I can't see another explanation."

"They must already be here. Looking for the Doctor." She blinked. "Oh, God. And he's vulnerable right now. He can't defend himself."

I winced. "I know."

She paused, glancing at me. "There's this… dance, tonight. You think they'll try anything there?"

I suddenly remembered Joan saying something to the Doctor about dancing.

I bit my lip. "A dance?"

"Yeah, a bunch of people are going. Perfect opportunity to look for a Time Lord, if you ask me."

And if they found him there, all human and vulnerable, we were all as good as dead.

"Come on," I said, grabbing Martha by her arm and dragging her into one of the hallways. "You're helping me."

"Helping you what?"

"I need a dress. I have no idea how they dress here. Much less to a dance."

She paused in her tracks. "You're going?"

I smiled at her. "Of course I am. Somebody has to protect him. We owe him that much."

"He told you to stay here."

I waved it off. "Semantics."

"You sure?"

I exhaled. "Yes, Martha. I am. Now, will you help me?"

She huffed. "Oh, alright."

I grinned, slipping into the wardrobe with Martha at my feet.

The dress was much simpler than I'd first imagined. It was a dark green, and Martha said it made my eyes look great. I didn't much care for that. I only wanted to blend in and be able to help the Doctor.

Martha had returned to the school a while back, reminding me we would meet at the dance. Shrugging my coat on, I closed the TARDIS doors behind me, and started making my way to the village hall, where it would take place.

A man stood at the door, holding a can.

"Spare a penny for the veterans of the Crimea, madam?"

I made a show of checking my pockets. "Oh, I'm sorry. I have no change with me."

He shrugged it away. "Have a nice night."

I smiled. "Thank you."

Waling into the dance, I noticed that even after my efforts, I would still stick out. Partners twirled around in a well-practiced dance, while women hanging unto men's arms watched in a ring around the dance floor. Everybody had a partner. Even the ugly old man hunched in the corner.

Looking for something to do, I strode over to the men giving out drinks, graciously accepting a glass. I walked around the room, eyeing the couples, and sipped my drink. The decorations were very… patriotic, I noticed with a roll of my eyes. A huge flag decorated the far wall, and banners hung from side to side.

"Ladies and gentlemen," A man suddenly announced. "Please take your partners for a waltz."

I spotted the Doctor easily. He was one of the people participating in the dance, his arms around none other but nurse Joan, the woman he almost kissed.

I did not like that one bit. The Doctor was ours. We where ones that knew the real him. The only ones in this room that could really help him. Who did she think she was, this… nurse? She knew nothing.

I bit my lip, trying to dispel my jealous thoughts. He was human now. He didn't remember. That was the only reason why he danced with her.

The dance came to stop. I tilted the glass, feeling the champagne bubbling down my throat. I was probably going to need another one of those by the end of the hour. I saw the Doctor part the table, alone, and make his way over to the drinks table.

Ah, perfect.

I walked in his direction, managing to look startled as I 'accidentally' bumped into him.

"Oh, I'm sorry-" I blinked. "Mr. Smith, was it?"

His eyebrows arched in surprise and a small smile tugged at his lips. "Ky- I mean, Ms. Reynolds! No, I'm sorry. Very clumsy of me. What are you doing here?"

I lifted an eyebrow in return. "Well, this is a dance. I suspect dancing is involved."

He flushed, something I hadn't seen ever since New New York and the attraction patch… which brought a blush to my own cheeks.

"Yes, of course." He ran a hand through his hair. "I, just- well, where's your partner?"

I faked a sigh. "He didn't show. Which means, no dancing for me."

He grinned, offering his hand. "Well, that can be easily remedied. Would you do me the honor of dancing with me?"

I smiled in return. "Why yes, I would be honored."

His hand in mine felt natural, though, for once, we weren't running. It was easy, being with him. Even if he was Mr. Smith now. It was easy to imagine that hands touching my waist and holding my hand were the Doctor's.

"You dance surprisingly well, Mr. Smith." I told him.

"I even surprise myself, sometimes."

I laughed even as he twirled me, smoothly returning to my previous position. "Fancy. Any moment now you'll break into some salsa moves."

He blinked. "Salsa?"

It occurred to me that maybe that wasn't around yet. "Uh, never mind. Thank you, again, for today. For retrieving my hat."

His eyes had yet to leave my face. "Truly, it was no hassle."

"Nevertheless, it is much appreciated."

Another twirl. "I have to admit," Mr. Smith said, a slight hesitance to his voice. "I was hoping I'd run into you again."

I fought off a smile. "Oh?"

He swallowed. "You intrigue me. I can't shake the feeling that I've met you before. Though perhaps it has only been in my dreams."

I smirked. "Are you telling me you dream of me, Mr. Smith?"

"Well, uh, yes."

I chuckled. "I hope the dreams are good."

He grinned. "The best."

The music came to a stop, and I couldn't help but feel disappointed. I tried stepping back, but his arms remained firmly locked around me.

"Mr. Smith?"

"Please, call me John." His eyes still bored into mine. "Another one?"

I would have loved to dance again with him. Instead, I nodded towards Joan's general direction. "John, what about Matron? She's probably waiting for you. Probably a bit jealous, too."

There was a light wince as he finally stepped back. "Ah, yes. Still waiting for her drink. I don't know about jealous, though."

"Well, you've danced with me. And you two seem to be-"

"Nothing." He interrupted. "Friends, nothing else."

I smiled at him, though it probably looked sad. "Yet. Nothing else, yet."

He remained silent, simply looking at me. After a beat, he finally looked away. "Let's go."

I trailed along after him, making our way towards his table. To my surprise, Martha was sitting there, talking to Joan. Mr. Smith, on the other hand, didn't seem as pleased.

"Oh, now really, Martha." He said, frustrated. "This is getting out of hand. I must insist that you leave."

Martha held up the sonic screwdriver, shooting me a look as she did. I bit my lip, not sure what she was doing, but willing to play along.

"Do you know what this is?" She asked. "Name it. Go on, name it."

Nurse Joan couldn't help but butt in. "John, what is that silly thing? John?

His name is not John, you silly thing.

I could see it in his eyes, the way he looked at the sonic screwdriver in Martha's hand. He looked… afraid. Like he knew what was held in front of him, but he didn't want to. Like it was all he could do instead of running to the other side of the room. The sonic screwdriver was a physical representation of his dreams, one that could not be avoided.

Warily, and like he couldn't resist, he finally reached for it. He turned it in his hands, lightly, like he would drop it at any second.

"You're not John Smith." Martha told him, and she said the name like it left a bad taste in her mouth. "You're called the Doctor. The man in your journal, he's real. He's you."

I hoped Martha knew what she was doing.

A crash called our attention. By the entrance, a man had thrown a plant to the floor, followed by a woman and another man, younger this time. A group of scarecrows followed in their wake, and I felt myself shiver. The hunters. They found us.

"There will be silence! All of you! Silence!" The first man yelled.

One of the men in the crowd stepped up. "Mister Clark, what's going on?"

Clark, one of the hunters, aimed his gun at him, vaporizing him in an instant. The rest of the crowd gasped and whimpered.

"Mr. Smith?" Martha whispered at the Doctor. "Everything I told you, just forget it! Don't say anything."

"We asked for silence!" The young hunter yelled. "Now then, we have a few questions for Mister Smith."

A girl holding a balloon stepped up. "No, better than that. The teacher. He's the Doctor. I heard them talking."

I think that was the biggest surprise of the evening. Really, human children can never be trusted.

Amused, the hunter faced Mr. Smith. "You took human form."

Mr. Smith looked alarmed. "Of course I'm human. I was born human, as were you, Baines. And Jenny, and you, Mister Clark. What is going on? This is madness."

"Ooh, and a human brain, too." Baines mocked. "Simple, thick and dull."

"But he's no good like this!" The human hunter cried.

"We need a Time Lord."

Baines grinned. "Easily done."

He raised his gun in Mr. Smith's direction. The room gasped. I tried to contain my first instinct, to step in front of the Doctor.

"Change back." Baines ordered.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Mr. Smith insisted.

"Change back!" The hunter yelled.

I finally gave into what I wanted to do, worried that I couldn't gauge whether the hunter was really going to shoot or not. I stepped in front of Mr. Smith, and I was almost disappointed when he let me. The Doctor wouldn't have.

"Now, now. Let's not get hasty." I tried. "Lower the gun, Baines."

He cocked his head, the gun still pointed in our direction. "Well, lookie here. Friend? Or lover?"

Martha's scream suddenly held my attention. The female hunter had her in her grasp, a gun to Martha's head.

"Get off me!" Martha yelled.

"She's your friend, isn't she? Doesn't this scare you enough to change back?"

"I don't know what you mean!" The Doctor yelled behind me.

Next thing I knew, a hand was suddenly pulling me roughly by the arm. I stumbled, finding my back pressed against a body and a gun pointed at my head.

"Damn it." Damn it. New level of stupidity: reached. I was going to have to work on that.

"Have you enjoyed it, Doctor, being human?" Baines asked him. "Has it taught you wonderful things? Are you better, richer, wiser?" he mocked. "Then let's see you answer this. Which one of them do you want us to kill? Maid or lady? Your friend or you lover? Your choice."

I wanted to argue that I wasn't his lover. Then, I realized that it perhaps wasn't the best time for that.

Not that he'd choose me, anyway. His human self thought he'd known Martha forever. Me? He knew less than a day. And I was okay with that. I'd probably survive, anyway.

I winced. Not that he knew that.

"Make your decision, Mister Smith." The lady hunter taunted.

Baines grinned. "Perhaps if that human heart breaks, the Time Lord will emerge."

I winced. I would survive this, wouldn't I? The Timepiece would protect me.

Right?

Their attention was suddenly off. The hunter all sniffed in unison, their expressions ones of disbelief.

"It's him!" Baines growled.

I looked at Martha, surprised when I saw her fight the hunter's hold. Martha wrenched the gun off the hunter's hands, reversing her position so she held the hunter, a gun pointed in her direction.

I grinned, still in the other hunter's grasp. Go Martha!

"All right!" She yelled. "One more move and I shoot."

Baines' mouth twisted to a side. "Oh, the maid is full of fire."

"And you can shut up!" She yelled in return, quickly firing the gun at the ceiling. I almost laughed in delight.

"Careful, Son of Mine." The hunter holding me warned. "This is all for you so that you can live forever."

Baines suddenly pulled a gun from behind him, pointing it at Martha. "Shoot you down."

I couldn't have Martha even at the lightest disadvantage. I stomped my foot down at the hunter's foot, hitting him back with my elbow at the same time. Catching him unaware, I grasped his gun in my hand and wrenched it from his hold. I was almost too surprised that it had worked to react. But I did, pointing it at Baines.

"Try it," I said, catching everyone's attention. "You'll die with her."

I felt like a total badass.

Baines' eyes jumped from me to Martha, finally settling on hers. "Would you really pull the trigger?" He asked her. "Looks too scared."

"Scared and holding a gun's a good combination. Do you want to risk it?" Martha asked.

I tried not to be insulted that he didn't ask me.

After a tense silence, he finally lowered the gun. Martha immediately took action.

"Doctor, get everyone out. There's a door at the side. It's over there. Go on." She ordered.

Catching his bewildered look, I joined in. "Mr. Smith, John, she means you! Do it."

Surprising me, it was Joan who took charge, immediately escorting everyone out. Fortunately, Mr. Smith followed in her wake.

We remained in a strange tableau. Five aliens and a human, frozen. I saw the Doctor hesitate as he made his way out.

"And you." Martha told him. "Go on. Just shift."

"What about you two?"

Martha's voice was stony. "Mister Smith, I think you should escort your lady friend to safety, don't you?"

A beat. His eyes flashed from Martha's to mine as he hesitated. A second later, he ran off.

It hurt more than it should have.