Ok, Chapter 29. Not really much going on in this one. Just a couple of Webcam chats. Anyway, enjoy!


Chapter 29 Checking-In

Later – Steven's POV

Once we'd seen the guys off back to their Uni, me and Luke decided to call mum to find out what had been going on Bannerman Road today.

"What do you think has happened?" Luke asked me.

"Who knows" I replied. "Could be the invasion of the Rutan or the return of the Slitheen. Or even the return of Captain Tybo and his Judoon squad." I joked, managing to get a laugh out of Luke.

"I can see the look on Clyde's face if Tybo returned" Luke chuckled as he unlocked his door. "He'd be begging him to lift his and Rani's grounding order."

"Suppose the Judoon will end up taking them to court about it" I chuckled as we entered Luke's room. Luke headed over to his laptop and switched it on. "I can see Clyde trying to get me or you to represent them in court."

"And do what exactly" Luke said. "Say 'Sorry your honour, but the reason Mr Langer and Miss Chandra impended Captain Tybo in his work was because Androvax the Annihilator was hiding in the body of my mum'. Do you really think they'd get let off?"

"True" I said. "Though, I think they'd end up being executed for the crime if they went to Judoon Court."

"True" Luke said, clicking on the webcam and then on the web-chat software. "Come on."

A few moments passed before the screen changed and mum appeared on the screen, looking quite anxious. "Oh Luke, Steven" She said.

"Hey Mum" Luke said cheerily.

"Hey Mum" I said. "So, what's the story?"

Mum looked at us. I'd only seen the look on her face once before. After we sent Androvax packing. "Androvax returned" Mum said.

"What?" Luke said.

"I thought the Judoon had arrested him and he was going to be executed?" I said.

"He was in prison" mum said. "He learnt that his people had managed to get 100 members of the species off the planet before it froze."

"And they ended up on Earth?" Luke asked.

"A special trans-dimensional vault" Mum said. "Holding a large number of spaceships."

"So, what happened?" I asked.

"We helped him save his species" Mum said. "Well, we used a transmat to get the ship out of the vault."

"So, the Veil are back as a species" I said. "Don't suppose the Time Lords did anything like that."

Mum looked at me. "I don't think so, the Doctor always said he'd be able to sense if they were any left" She said.

"He didn't sense the Master" Luke said.

"Don't mention him" Mum said, shaking. Mum was still too shaken after the events of Christmas two years ago. The Master had taken over everyone on the planet, though Mr Smith had protected me and, because of his origins, Luke didn't change either. Mum had changed and tried to attack us but was deflected by Mr Smith's force-field and then put in a containment vortex to protect us before he activated total shutdown of the house to stop the Master-filed Clyde and Rani getting in.

"Sorry" I said. "Anyway, everything went ok."

"Fine, fine" Mum said. I was sure that there was something she wasn't telling us. I made a mental note to text Clyde later and get the full story of what happened. "Anyway, don't you two have other things to do?"

"Right" I said. "Yeah, bye mum."

"Bye mum" Luke called, cancelling the chat. "What did you mean by other things to do?"

"Washing" I said. "I'm out of underwear. See you later."

"Bye" Luke called as I left the room.


Luke's POV

"Bye" I called as Steven left the room. I sighed. Trust Steven to leave the washing until the last moment. I've done it quite a few times since we got here. I smiled, and decided while I was on my laptop to chat to Maria. It was half 4 here, meaning it was half 11 in Washington D.C. so I could talk to her without her dad shouting that it was too early. I opened the web-chat window again and clicked on Maria's picture.

It was only a few moments before Maria appeared on-screen. "Hey Luke" She said. "How's Oxford?"

"Oh, it's great Maria" I said. "We've not had proper lectures yet, but everything's just great."

"Right" Maria rolled her eyes at me. "So, made any new friends yet?"

"Yeah" I said. "My flatmate. He's called Sanjay Benton and he's just great. He makes me laugh."

"More than Clyde?" Maria joked and that feeling came back to me. The feeling I'd had the night Maria left Bannerman Road for America. Was it? Am I in love with Maria?

I shock off the feeling. "Yeah" I said. "And he knows about aliens and the rest."

"How?" Maria asked. "Luke, you didn't tell him...?" Then she looked at me. "Did you say his surname's Benton?"

"Yeah" I said. "His dad worked for UNIT at the same time as mum. He and Steven used to play together as babies."

"Right" Maria said. "He doesn't have an older brother does he?"

"Yeah" I said. "He mentioned him yesterday. Works for UNIT in America."

"Well, he works for UNIT Washington" Maria said. "Mike Benton lives next door. And is a Sergeant in UNIT."

"He must be Sue's second-in-command" I realised. When Sue was transferred to Washington to head up a new branch in the city, she was promoted first to Sergeant and then to Colonel. She had mentioned when me and Steven called her the day we got here that she had just got a new second-in-command and a proper team transferred from New York. "She mentioned she'd got one."

"So, do they know about the Doctor?" Maria asked.

"Yeah" I said. "Me and Sanjay were talking about him yesterday. He's well jealous that I've meet him before."

"So you've got a good friend then" Maria said. "What about Steven?"

"Oh, he already knew one of his flatmates" I said. "Lisa King, his old neighbour. And he knew Sanjay as well."

"So, you're doing ok" Maria said.

"I'm fine" I repeated. "Honestly. Sometimes I think you guys treat me like a baby rather than a Teenager."

"Well, you are only three" Maria teased. "Anyway, I better be going. I'm meeting up with my girlfriends and going to the pictures."

"Oh" I said, a bit depressed. I had hoped me and Maria could have a nice long chat about things. But we've both got our own lives to lead. "Speak tomorrow then" I said.

"Yeah" Maria said. "Bye." She turned the webcam off.

I sighed, the feeling coming back. Was it love? Do I fancy Maria?


Later – Steven's POV

I opened the door to my room having spent the last two hours doing my washing. The only thing I missed about being at home. Having someone to do my washing. Though while I was waiting for the washing machine to finish, I texted Clyde to find out exactly what happened today. Turns out Androvax was also dying and had problems keeping hold of his body-swap victim, which this time not only included mum but also Rani, Lily, Clyde and even Rani's mum Gita, who found out about what we do. Though mum had someone called Mr Dread wipe Gita's memory. When I asked Clyde who Mr Dread was, he told me that Mr Dread was an android under the control of the Alliance of Shades who tried to prevent humanity finding out about alien life. And Clyde mentioned that Gita doesn't remember anything about the first encounter with Androvax and the Judoon. Yet Haresh still does. I bet that's going to cause some problems for mum and the others at some point in the future.

Anyway, I drop the bag full of washing on the bed, planning to put it all away later after I checked my emails. I switched on my laptop and instantly I got a web-chat request. I clicked on the accept button, and the static came up for a moment before revealing Danielle sat in her dorm room at The George Washington University in Washington in floods of tears. "Hey" I said. "What's up?" I was slightly in shock. In all the time I'd known Danielle, I'd never seen her crying. Well, apart from when she told me and Kim that she was moving to America.

"It's Brad" She sobbed. "He's finished with me."

"What!" I said. "What did he say?"

"He's found someone new" Danielle sobbed again. "He's been cheating on me since he got there."

"Hey, hey" I said. "I thought things were bad between you two anyway."

"Yeah" Danielle said, getting her normal spark back. "But I wanted to dump him, not get dump. I'm supposed to be a strong woman."

I smiled at that. In all the time I've know her, I've never Danielle act shy. "Well, that's true. You're surely your mum's daughter."

"Oi!" Danielle scolded. "Oh, I don't know though. Maybe I'm too much like mum."

"Hey" I said. "Don't say thing like that! I was teasing." I chuckled.

"Steven Smith, don't say things like that" Danielle giggled slightly. "I'm just glad to get it off my chest."

I wondered if she meant the fact that she wasn't like her mother or the fact Brad had dumped her. I'd only met Brad via webcam once, during the early days of his and Danielle's relationship. He's come across as a bit of a jerk, boasting that he was smart and rich. Until I shot him down in flames by telling him my IQ (160 according to the Terman test, which is still well below Luke's score that I can't remember) and the fact my mum had inherited quite a bit of money from my Great Aunt plus the money from the sale of the book I'd been published in made me actually quite rich myself. "What, you mean you've not told Maria that Brad's dumped you?" I asked.

"No" Danielle admitted. "She's gone to the cinema with her mates. She's always out with her mates on a Saturday Afternoon."

"So, why not talk to Kim?" I asked.

"I can't get hold of her" Danielle said. "She's not answering her phone or web-chat."

Then I remembered. "Oh, she'll be on her way back to Gloucester" I said. "Her and Preeti came here yesterday for a pub crawl."

"Oh" Danielle said. "See, I don't even know what you guys are up to anymore."

"Hey" I said. "You'll always be one of the gang. It's just me and Kim have been really busy recently. You know, Kim's been having Uni lectures for the last three weeks. And I've been getting to know the surrounding and the people on my course and in my dorm building. Plus my lectures start proppa on Monday."

"Sorry" Danielle said, before changing direction slightly. "How's Tommy?"

"Tommy's fine" I said. "He's still a bit sad over you."

"You haven't told him about me and Brad?" Danielle asked.

"I mentioned it last night" I admitted. "He's still in love with you, you know."

"I know" Danielle said. "And I'm still in love with him. But I don't know if I could handle a long distance relationship."

"Hey, if I can manage to hang on to Emily for six years" I said. "You and Tommy will manage a long distance relationship. Anyway, I need to go."

"Why?" Danielle asked.

"Got washing to put away" I said. "The one thing I missed about home, other than alien invasions. Having someone to wash your dirty pants."

"Ew, Steven" Danielle moaned. "Right, speak to you soon."

"Yeah, bye for now" I said, ending the chat. Well, at least she's got rid of the git. But will she and Tommy work this one now? Well, maybe I could give them a little push.


The Oxford adventure contiunes.

Chapter 30 will be here on Saturday, as we begin 'Death of the Doctor'.

Please review and tell me what you think.

Thanks. Kuyoyo