Plot is starting to happen! Next chapter is on the 19th of April.
There's a strange energy when the Doctor arrives- a kind of restlessness to him- of hope. Florence looks at his mind but his shields are up for once.
It sets suspicion running through her and she knows that she could get through his mental shielding relatively easily but she holds back, knowing that there's probably a reason for it and that she should respect his privacy of nothing else.
It itches at her still, that something is being withheld but is within her reach.
There's someone else she's unfamiliar with on the tardis too and Nardole is there which is unusual to say the least.
The girl seems apprehensive and it would be so easy to take whatever is being hidden from her but Florence resists, shutting down the gates of her mind so that the temptation isn't felt at least even if she's aware of it.
Besides- she thinks the girl is genuine. She really felt that from her before she closed her mind off at least.
The grin on her face as she talks to Anna and Chelsea and talks about wanting to meet Missy is honest at least and warm.
"One of my students, Bill." The Doctor explains, looking a little bit apologetic, "She wanted to meet Missy and I thought it'd probably be easiest when you were here too."
It's a weak excuse and they all know it.
Nardole huffs and rolls his eyes and Aaron raises an eyebrow, looking at Florence who stares at the Doctor, both eyebrows raised, who steps towards the consol, ignoring all three of them.
The visit goes okay. The kids love Bill and Bill loves the kids. Bill gets to meet Missy and Nardole stands uncomfortably in the corner, watching the Mistress like a hawk.
The Doctor says nothing of substance and Florence is caught in the tension, mentally discussing with Missy what is going on, both of them trying to figure it out and process the odd behaviour without dipping into people's minds.
Aaron is quiet, quieter than he usually is, but talks with the Doctor, trying to pry gently around the edges of what's happening as he keeps one eye on his kids, Bill quizzing Chelsea on what she's been doing in school and the kinds of things she likes to do and Anna tumbling on the floor with Missy and laughing.
The Doctor evades the real question easily, slipping through Aaron's grasp with a half-hidden smile which shows that he is well aware of what he's doing.
When it comes to the time to take the Wrights home Bill and Nardole come too, standing awkwardly in the tardis though they live, presumably, within the time which they are travelling from.
Bill promises to come and visit Anna and Chelsea again and then they are stepping back out into their kitchen.
Before Florence can leave the Doctor puts a hand lightly on her shoulder, withdrawing it after less than a second and looking incredibly uncomfortable.
She turns, standing from ushering her two very excited girls out of the Doctor's tardis.
"Could you just- wait a bit?" He asks, eyebrows furrowing as he looks down. There's tension in his shoulders but Florence can tell it's as much excitement as anything else.
The kids look up at Florence curiously and Aaron frowns at her, concerned.
"Yes." She says slowly, then to her family, "Just a second."
The three humans watch her step back and the tardis doors shut.
Aaron places his hand on Anna's shoulder, feeling worry invade him.
Chelsea picks up on it and looks up at him.
"Why are you scared, dad?" She asks, confused at the emotion given the lack of danger.
He pulls on a smile and tries to push it away, feeling a little bit sorry that the children have been learning from their mother and have to have such an awareness of other people's feelings. It's followed by love as Anna moves to lean against him for comfort.
"It's nothing." He soothes, hoisting Anna up with a groan until she can sit on his hip, "I'm not scared, just worried. Just a bad feeling- that's all. Daddy's being silly." He tells them both and himself.
They stay staring at the tardis for a while, none of them wanting to move.
"Well. We should put away your things, right?" Aaron suggests, nudging Chelsea away gently and turning himself from the blue box which seems to loom over them now.
"If we get everything tidied away maybe Mummy will let us all make cakes tomorrow, yeah?" He entices them.
The girls nod, seeming somewhat listless still.
He wonders if they can feel what is being felt inside the tardis. He hopes that they're spared from that.
After about half an hour Florence emerges, grinning.
The tardis does not move.
Aaron sits up and the girls move too, leaning over the back of the sofa.
"Mummy!" Anna yells, plopping back down into the seat and then bouncing to the floor to run to her mother.
Florence chuckles as the girl attacks her legs and spins in a circle, pretending to scream.
"You got me love! You got me!" She teases before smiling at Aaron again and Chelsea who has perked up since Florence came back.
"What did you talk about?" Chelsea asks with the expectancy for answers that only children have.
Florence smiles, pulling Anna up onto her hip with far less effort than Aaron requires. She walks over to the back of the couch and drops Anna back into where she'd been sitting, ignoring the show that Aaron had put on to entertain the two.
She leans over and Aaron recognises the move for what it is and leans back to let her kiss him, much to their childrens' disgust.
"Well. I will tell you all about it when I'm back. I'll just be two minutes. Back in time to make dinner." She says, pressing a kiss now to Chelsea's forehead and laughing as Anna ducks away from the contact.
"Two minutes?" Aaron asks, feeling apprehension well up in him.
Florence smiles gently.
"I'll be fine, love. Two minutes. I promise." She says, kissing him again.
And then she's upstairs, children tumbling after her.
Aaron pauses the screen, looking at the ceiling as he hears her pulling down boxes and wonders what she's looking for.
The children scamper around excitedly and he smiles a little despite himself.
She's his wife and she's incredible and she'll be fine.
About five minutes later she comes back down, children in tow, with an old fashioned hat pinned to her head, fake berries and daises stuck inside the brim and a metal bracelet around her wrist.
He's never seen her wear either before.
She's wearing an old coat too which cuts in at the waist and flares out over the hips.
She looks like the Mistress and although there is something beautiful and powerful about her, looking like that and smiling with their kids giggling around her, he can't help but feel unnerved by it.
She's catches him looking as she tells the children to quieten down and be good until she's back or she won't tell them the story.
Once again she leans into him, pressing her lips to his and then dipping lower to whisper in his ear.
"I'll really be okay. It'll be two minutes for you. If you like we'll bring everyone next time. We just want to be as safe as possible and I have a lot of experience. I love you and I promise it'll just be two minutes." She says, smiling as she pulls away.
The three of them wait before the tardis again to say goodbye momentarily.
The children are so excited that they don't catch the nausea which sweeps through their dad as they wait for the tardis to disappear and then watch the clock, counting the seconds until she's back again.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine.
Ten.
Eleven.
Twelve.
Thirteen.
Fourteen.
Fifteen.
Sixteen.
Seventeen.
Eighteen.
Nineteen.
Twenty.
Twenty-one.
Twenty-two.
Twenty-three.
Twenty-four.
Twenty-five.
Twenty-six.
Twenty-seven.
Twenty-eight.
Twenty-nine.
Thirty.
Thirty-one.
Thirty-two.
Thirty-three.
Thirty-four.
Thirty-five.
Thirty-six.
Thirty-seven.
Thirty-eight.
Thirty-nine.
Forty.
Forty-one.
Forty-two.
Forty-three.
Forty-four.
Forty-five.
Forty-six.
Forty-seven.
Forty-eight.
Forty-nine.
Fifty.
Fifty-one.
Fifty-two.
Fifty-three.
Fifty-four.
Fifty-five.
Fifty-six.
Fifty-seven.
Fifty-eight.
Fifty-nine.
Sixty.
Sixty-one.
Sixty-two.
Sixty-three.
Sixty-four.
Sixty-five.
Sixty-six.
Sixty-seven.
Sixty-eight.
Sixty-nine.
Seventy.
Seventy-one.
Seventy-two.
Seventy-three.
Seventy-four.
Seventy-five.
Seventy-six.
Seventy-seven.
Seventy-eight.
Seventy-nine.
Eighty.
Eighty-one.
Eighty-two.
Eighty-three.
Eighty-four.
Eighty-five.
Eighty-six.
Eighty-seven.
Eighty-eight.
Eighty-nine.
Ninety.
Ninety-one.
Ninety-two.
Ninety-three.
Ninety-four.
Ninety-five.
Ninety-six.
Ninety-seven.
Ninety-eight.
Ninety-nine.
One-hundred.
One-hundred-and-one.
One-hundred-and-two.
One-hundred-and-three.
One-hundred-and-four.
One-hundred-and-five.
One-hundred-and-six.
One-hundred-and-seven.
One-hundred-and-eight.
One-hundred-and-nine.
One-hundred-and-ten.
One-hundred-and-eleven.
One-hundred-and-twelve.
One-hundred-and-thirteen.
One-hundred-and-fourteen.
One-hundred-and-fifteen.
One-hundred-and-sixteen.
One-hundred-and-seventeen.
One-hundred-and-eighteen.
One-hundred-and-nineteen.
One-hundred-and-twenty.
Just as Florence promised, the tardis groans into existence in front of them.
There is no time for them to process how sickly she sounds or the marks on her surface before the doors burst open.
