Author's Note: date updated 07/09/15


Episode Eleven: Blood Lust

Chapter One

The Doctor stood waiting impatiently in the TARDIS, pacing around the centre control room waiting for Bella to return with the chips that she had gone to get twenty minutes ago. He sighed.

The TARDIS doors opened and Bella walked in grinning.

"Where have you been?" the Doctor asked glaring at her slightly.

Bella looked at him, the grin sliding off her face. She came to a stop as she looked to him felling slightly concerned.

"Since when does it take twenty minutes to get chips?" he asked her, resisting the urge to tell her how worried he had been.

"I did get chips!" she said holding up the chips wrapped in white paper. "I just got – uh – kind of commandeered."

The TARDIS doors opened again and Captain Jack strolled in smiling, stopping beside Bella.

"I should have known you'd somehow manage to run into him." The Doctor said darkly.

"Hey," Jack laughed, holding his hands up in defeat. "Don't blame me! She ran into Gwen and Rhys and Gwen practically dragged her down to Torchwood to see Ianto and me."

"You've corrupted them all!" the Doctor said, making Bella laugh.

"I think Ianto and Gwen were like that before meeting Jack, Doctor!" Bella said, still laughing and her eyes twinkling.

"Haha, you got that right! You should have seen what Gwen did on her very first day at Torchwood! Caught the rest of us off guard, that's for sure! Mind you – it was a pretty good first encounter with aliens, if you catch my drift!"

Bella bit her lip in an attempt to hide her smile as the Doctor shook his head slightly, taking a chip from the box still in Bella's hands. "I suppose you are coming with us then?" he asked Jack who smiled in response, also taking a few chips from Bella. "Alright then, hang on!" he smiled as Bella and Jack moved forward and grabbed the centre consol. "Allons-y!"

"So," Bella said excitedly once the TARDIS had landed the control room now silent (from the klaxon noise at least, the gentle hum of the TARDIS remained still) as she looked to the Doctor. "Where are we?"

"Haven't the foggiest," the Doctor shrugged smiling as he walked to Bella and Jack and took a chip from the bag that was still in Bella's hands from before they left Cardiff. "I put her on random!"

Bella's whole face lit up with excitement. "Really?" she asked.

"Yep!" he grinned at her.

"Wish I could have chosen for once," Jack said as he nudged Bella.

"Why?" she asked seriously. "That defeats the purpose of random doesn't it?"

Jack laughed and they moved to the TARDIS doors, which they opened slightly so they could peer out. There were people dressed in expensive clothes, the women wearing extravagant gowns and the men in tuxedos, walking past, none of them noticing the blue police box that had just appeared out of thin air.

"Mmm," the Doctor said, "Forty-third century humans by the looks of them. Of course, none of them are actually pure humans anymore. Not unless Lady Cassandra is here – which I really hope she isn't…" the Doctor added with a worried frown.

"It looks like they are having a party." Jack observed enthusiastically.

"Better get changed then!" the Doctor grinned closing the doors. "Mind," he added as he turned to Jack. "I don't think I have anything to fit your ego."

"I have to wear a dress again, don't I?" Bella said glumly as she followed the others towards the stairs, taking the chips with her in the hope that eating them would make her feel better.

- O -

The Doctor and Jack, who were both now wearing a black tux, waited outside the TARDIS for Bella, who was taking quite a long time to get ready.

"So I heard you were human for a few months," Jack said conversationally, looking at the Doctor to see how he reacted. "Again,"

The Doctor looked to him.

"Martha told me about the first time," Jack said smiling. "And Bella told me a little about this time. She wouldn't tell me everything though. One point in the story she went bright red and jumped to where she got hit over the head. Now why would she of done that?"

The Doctor suddenly felt uncomfortable and opened the TARDIS door. "Come on, Bella!" He said making Jack smile smugly.

"Do you promise not to laugh?" Bella called out from one of the lower levels in the TARDIS. "Cause it was this or that gown I had to wear when we were in Scotland last and I kind of thought that was a little over the top."

"Of course we aren't going to laugh, why would we do that?" the Doctor asked, shaking his head slightly. He heard footsteps behind the doors so he took a step back to give her room to get out.

Bella opened the door and emerged slowly and tentatively from the TARDIS. The first thing the Doctor noticed was that her normally tied up hair was down, soft and curly. The second thing was that she wore the small silver chain around her neck that the Doctor knew held her TARDIS key which was hidden by the thing he noticed next – what she was wearing.

It was a chocolate brown strapless cocktail dress with black trimming that came down to just above her knees and on her feet she wore black high heels. The Doctor felt his mouth drop and Jack sniggered slightly.

"Jack, you promised!" Bella said hitting him on the arm.

"Ow! I wasn't laughing at you!" he pleaded while he laughed still and the Doctor had the feeling that he had just been caught out.

"I knew you'd laugh at me." Bella said. "I look ridiculous –"she added tuning around to walk back into the TARDIS.

Jack grabbed her arm quickly to stop her. "I think you look beautiful, Bella." He told her seriously.

Bella froze for a moment, then said, flushing, "I… yeah, you look good too, Jack…"

"Do I not get a mention?" the Doctor asked as they both looked to him.

"Gorgeous!" Jack laughed.

"Absolutely spiffing!" grinned Bella, who put on a posh accent. "Wonderful bow tie!" she added.

The Doctor nodded seriously as he fixed his bow tie, then said grinning also, "I thought so too!"

Jack laughed as Bella playfully pushed the Doctor, both of them laughing too, before they set off link-armed (Bella being between them) around the corner where they found a doorway that had a sign reading: Platform Three welcomes you to Retro Night: Twenty-First Century. A tall blue man in magenta robes and bright blue eyes greeted them with a warm smile.

"Good evening," he said bowing slightly.

"Hello," Jack said, letting go of Bella's right arm.

"Jack," the Doctor sighed.

"What?" Jack asked hotly, looking back to them as the Doctor pulled his psychic paper out from one of his inside pockets, his right arm still linked with Bella's.

"Hello," the Doctor said smiling. "We are here representing Tardis. We were overjoyed to receive your invitation!"

The blue man took the leather wallet that contained the psychic paper from the Doctor and surveyed it quickly before smiling and handing it back.

"Of course, sir Doctor, come straight through," the man said. "The V.I.P. area is just up the stairs at the back of the ballroom. Have a good evening!" he smiled and bowed to the Doctor, who bowed back politely and the three of them walked (the Doctor and Bella still linked at the arms) through another doorway into a vast ballroom. There was a full orchestra which was currently playing an instrumental version of You Found Me by The Fray and about fifty people (different types of aliens blended in amongst them) dancing.