Ok, so a reviewer pointed out that the 'Next Time' bit I left in the last chapter didn't really give any kind of clue at all for what this chapter was going to be. I'm gonna work at giving better hints next time.
Also, I've had a change of heart about certain things. There were some events that I wasn't going to involve in the SoF saga, but after some consideration I've decided to do it. You'll see one major twist either next chapter or the one after that.
But for now, here we go! Enjoy!
Chapter Four: School Reunion
When Ember landed next, she found herself in a dark hallway. The floor was either limo or marble, but either way, she was glad she'd been able to quickly slip into her slippers before she jumped. A quick look at the walls showed framed pictures of students or artwork, and even an information board that had flyers for after school clubs. "Oh. A school. Great."
"Ember?"
The brunette turned at the sound of her name, to find Rose, Mickey and the Doctor staring at her. They were standing at the top of some steps leading to the entrance to the school. "Oh. Hi, guys."
"What..." The Doctor said, then paused, looking her over. "Why are you wearing pyjamas?"
"Because I was in bed when I jumped. At least I'm wearing clothes. One jump in my birthday suit is enough for me, thanks." Ember paused as the Doctor and Rose suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Wait... no. It happened more than once?!"
The Doctor rubbed the back of his head with his hand. "Well... actually..."
"Twice." Rose blurted. "Well, that I know so far..."
Ember's eyes widened. "Twice?! What the hell!? I know it happened when we met the Slitheen with Jack in Wales, but when was the other?"
"If you don't know, then it's spoilers." The Doctor replied, smiling his cheeky grin as Ember shot him a look. "Um, could we move on? School to investigate, you know?"
Ember just nodded numbly, letting the Doctor gently lead her with a hand on her arm. She was trying to rack her brain to figure out when she'd end up naked in front of her friends. Again.
A thought struck her and made her look at where the Doctor's hand held her arm. It was his left one, and he wasn't wearing the gold band. That and the fact that he hadn't kissed her in greeting gave away that he was currently unaware of their relationship. That meant that she'd have to try not to give anything away.
"Oh, it's weird seeing school at night." Rose said, breaking the silence and her train of thought. "It just feels wrong. When I was a kid, I used to think all the teachers slept in school."
The Doctor turned to face them, letting go of Ember. "All right, team..." he paused, making a face. "Oh, I hate people who say team. Uh, gang... comrades..." he shook himself. "Anyway, Rose, go to the kitchen. Get a sample of that oil. Mickey, the new staff are all Maths teachers. Go and check out the Maths department. Ember and I are going to look in Finch's office. Be back here in ten minutes."
Without waiting for agreements, he turned and walked off down the adjacent corridor. Ember could only shrug at Rose and Mickey before she ran to catch up to the Time Lord. She waited until she was sure they were alone before speaking. "Um, actually... could we maybe go to the Tardis?"
The Doctor looked at her. "Why?"
"I'd like to change."
"Are you uncomfortable in that?"
Ember blinked. "No. They're quite comfy. It's just that slippers aren't good for running in."
The Doctor glanced down at her feet, seeing her fluffy grey slippers that matched her pyjamas. "What makes you think we're gonna be running?"
"Doctor, that's a silly question. Saying that there's no running with you around is like saying water isn't wet."
"... good point." The Doctor concedes after a moment, taking a turn to a pair of doors that led to the basement storage rooms of the school, which is where he'd hidden the Tardis.
Ember grinned, knowing what was coming next.
And indeed, in the darkened hallway that had pipes running along the walls, they got within ten feet of the storeroom that held the Tardis when the door suddenly opened and a middle-aged, dark-haired woman backed out of it, staring as it closed. The Doctor stood still and Ember moved to stand a short distance behind him so that when the woman turned, she'd only see the Time Lord.
And she did, freezing in shock.
"Hello, Sarah Jane." The Doctor said softly, hoping she wouldn't scream or faint.
She did neither. Sarah Jane replied in a quiet voice, as though afraid if she were any louder he'd vanish. "It's you... Oh, Doctor! Oh, my God, it's you, isn't it." She smiled, giddy for a moment before she swallowed nervously and gestured at him. "You've regenerated."
"Yeah. Half a dozen times since we last met."
"You look... incredible."
"So do you."
"Huh. I got old," Sarah Jane looked away for a moment before she met his gaze again. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, UFO sighting, school gets record results. I couldn't resist." The Doctor shrugged. "What about you?"
"The same." Sarah Jane's smile fell. "I thought you'd died. I waited for you and you didn't come back, and I thought you must have died."
The Doctor own expression fell. "I lived. Everyone else died."
"What do you mean?"
"Everyone died, Sarah."
Sarah Jane didn't know what to say about that, so she let it go. "I can't believe it's you." A sudden scream somewhere else in the building made them jump slightly. "Okay, now I can!"
The Doctor turned to run, nearly bumping into Ember, which also made Sarah Jane pause. He took one look at her smirk and rolled his eyes playfully. "You knew, didn't you?"
"Maybe," Ember shrugged, and then she turned to smile at the older woman. "Sarah Jane Smith, it's an honour to meet you."
Sarah Jane shook hands with the brunette. "Nice to meet you too, um..."
"Ember. I'm the Doctor's... friend."
"Oh. Um, sorry if this is rude, but why are you wearing pyjamas?"
Ember shrugged again as she turned to lead them out of the basement. "Long story, explain later. Right now we gotta go."
Just as the trio left the basement, Rose nearly crashed into them from an adjacent hallway.
"Did you hear that?" She asked before she spotted Sarah Jane. "Who's she?"
"Rose, Sarah Jane." The Doctor said quickly. "Sarah Jane, Rose."
Sarah Jane smiled. "Hi. Nice to meet you." She looked at the Doctor as he rubbed his neck. "You can tell you're getting older. Your assistants are getting younger."
"I'm not his assistant." Rose said.
"No? Get you, tiger."
The Doctor didn't know what to say, so he didn't, taking Ember by the hand and pulling her with him. Ember shook her head with a smile.
The four of them quickly ran to the maths classrooms where they heard scuffling from one of them, and entered to find Mickey in front of an opened cupboard with lots of plastic packages scattered around.
"Sorry! Sorry, it was only me." He said as they approached. "You told me to investigate, so I started looking through some of these cupboards and all of these fell on me."
"Oh, my God, they're rats." Rose murmured as the Doctor crouched down to examine the packages, which did indeed each have a rodent sealed inside. "Dozens of rats. Vacuum packed rats."
The Doctor stood, holding a packet and looking at Mickey. "And you decided to scream?"
"It took me by surprise!" Mickey protested.
"Like a little girl?"
"It was dark! I was covered in rats!"
"Nine, maybe ten years old. I'm seeing pigtails, frilly skirt."
Ember tried not to laugh, but had to hide the snort in a cough.
"Hello, can we focus?" Rose said. "Does anyone notice anything strange about this? Rats in school?"
"Well, obviously they use them in Biology lessons." Sarah Jane replied. "They dissect them. Or maybe you haven't reached that bit yet. How old are you?"
Rose gave her a look. "Excuse me, no one dissects rats in school anymore. They haven't done that for years. Where are you from, the dark ages?"
"Anyway," The Doctor cut in, "moving on. Everything started when Mister Finch arrived. We should go and check his office."
After a second of glaring, Rose turned, leaving the room while the others followed. When she saw Sarah Jane walking beside her, she decided to speak. "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but who exactly are you?"
"Sarah Jane Smith. I used to travel with the Doctor."
"Oh. Well, he's never mentioned you."
"Oh, I must've done." The Doctor said, rubbing his neck again. "Sarah Jane. Mention her all the time."
"Hold on..." Rose pretended to think. "Sorry... Never."
Sarah Jane looked aghast as she followed the blonde woman. "What, not even once? He didn't mention me even once?"
"Ho, ho, mate." Mickey chuckled, patting the Doctor on the shoulder. "The missus and the ex. Welcome to every man's worst nightmare."
The Doctor nervously glanced at Ember as the brunette took his hand and squeezed it twice. "It's alright, Doctor. They'll get along later, after they've got things off their chests."
Mickey chuckled again and lightly slapped a hand on the brunette's left shoulder. The laugh instantly stopped when Ember flinched and gave a small yelp of pain. It wasn't loud, but it was enough to get everyone's attention; even Rose and Sarah Jane heard.
"What's wrong?" The Doctor was at her side so fast she hadn't seen him move, turning her to face him. "Where are you hurt?"
"I'm okay," Ember said, only to flinch again as the Doctor gently shifted the collar of her top to look at her shoulder and frowned at the burn wound, which was already healing but was still tender under pressure. "Alright, I got shot and-"
"You got shot?!" All four of them repeated, shocked that she'd said something like that so casually.
Ember pushed the Doctor's hand away so she could undo the top button of her pyjama top. Doing so allowed her to move the cloth out of the way so that the wound could be seen better: she knew the Doctor wouldn't let it go.
And she was right. The Doctor immediately put on his glasses and leaned closer to get a better look while using his free hand to keep the fabric of her top away. "This isn't a bullet wound..."
"No, it was a laser, but it was only a warning shot," Ember said, and then blinked as she felt a familiar tingling. "Hey, what are you doing? Oi!"
The Doctor ignored her, concentrating on using his regeneration energy to heal the wound. The golden glow of energy was observed quietly by the humans until it faded a few seconds later, leaving Ember's shoulder healed. "There you go, all better."
"You shouldn't have done that, but thanks," Ember said, blushing as his fingers lightly traced the skin where the burn had been. They seemed lost in each other for several moments until the brunette cleared her throat. "Ahem. Finch's office?"
"Y-yes, of course!" The Doctor quickly turned to continue down the corridor. He pointedly ignored the amused stares from their human friend's as he led them to said office, using his Sonic to unlock the door as he opted to steer them back onto the important topic. "Maybe those rats were food..."
"Food for what?" Rose asked.
The Doctor felt Ember take his hand and squeeze it twice, making him look over to see the brunette staring at the ceiling. He looked up and realised why. "Rose... you know you used to think all the teachers slept in the school? Well... they do..."
Everyone else looked up, their eyes widening at the sight of at least a dozen giant, humanoid bats hanging upside down from the ceiling, seemingly asleep.
"No way!" Mickey squeaked before he turned and ran. The others followed more calmly, the Doctor closing the door quietly, but not quiet enough as one of the bats woke. Outside, the humans and Time Lords regrouped.
"I am not going back in there!" Mickey panted as he hunched over to get his breath back. "No way!"
Rose was doing the same, though she was recovering quicker. "Those were teachers?"
"When Finch arrived, he brought with him seven new teachers, four dinner ladies and a nurse." The Doctor explained quickly. "Thirteen. Thirteen big bat people. Come on."
"Come on?" Mickey repeated as the Doctor turned to go back into the school. "You've got to be kidding!"
"I need the Tardis. I've got to analyse that oil from the kitchen."
Sarah Jane smiled, running up and taking the Doctor's hand. "I might be able to help you there. I've got something to show you."
She led him, and by extension everyone else, to the car park where a silver car was parked. It turned out to be Sarah Jane's, as she unlocked the boot and opened it to reveal a large object covered with a blanket. With one tug, the blanket came off, revealing...
"K9!" The Doctor exclaimed in glee, grinning at the metal dog with wheels instead of legs and a red light for eyes. "Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, Ember, allow me to introduce K9. Well, K9 Mark Three to be precise."
"Why does he look so disco?" Rose asked as Ember leaned closer to examine the robot with a grin of her own.
"Oi! Listen, in the year five thousand, this was cutting edge." The Doctor looked at Sarah Jane as he noticed the rust patches on the metal. "What's happened to him?"
"Oh, one day, he just, nothing."
"Well, didn't you try and get him repaired?"
Ember snorted. "That would have gone well. 'Hey, could you help me? I have a robotic dog from the year 5000 that was given to me by an alien that looks human, and its suddenly not working. Mind opening it up and having a look?' Come on, they'd have her in a straight jacket before she'd know it."
Sarah Jane nodded in agreement. "It's not like getting parts for a Mini Metro, Beside, the technology inside him could rewrite human science. I couldn't show him to anyone."
"Ooh, what's the nasty lady done to you, eh?" The Doctor cooed at the robot, scratching behind the ears made of mini satellite dishes.
"Look, no offence," Rose cut in, just a little bit rudely. "But could you two just stop petting for a minute? Never mind the tin dog. We're busy."
"But this tin dog is gonna be a big help later," Ember said, straightening and meeting the Doctor's gaze as he looked at her. "We should go somewhere and get him fixed. He needs a Doctor."
Before anyone knew it, the group found themselves in a coffee shop that, to Rose's delight, also served chips. The Doctor and Sarah Jane sat to one side with K9 while Ember, Rose and Mickey were at the counter ordering food.
"You see," Mickey was saying, "what's impressive is that it's been nearly an hour since we met her and I still haven't said I told you so."
Rose rolled her eyes. "I'm not listening to this."
"Although, I have prepared a little I was right dance that I can show you later."
"Two quid, love." The woman behind the counter said, handing Rose her chips and taking the money. She looked at Ember. "What can I get you?"
"Just a coke, please," the brunette replied, getting her wallet and fishing out a fiver. Her order was brought to her quickly and she got her change, moving to sit at a table while Rose and Mickey joined her.
"All this time you've been giving it 'he's different' when the truth is, he's just like any other bloke." Mickey continued.
"You don't know what you're talking about." Rose said, trying to discreetly gesture to Ember as she stuffed chips into her mouth.
Mickey saw the gesture and relaxed. "Maybe not. But if I were you I'd go easy on the chips."
Ember smirked as Rose froze with a chip sticking out of her mouth. The brunette reached over and snagged one from the pack, ignoring the muffled sound of protest. "They're better than the ones at the school, at least."
Rose looked at her for a long moment, then glanced over at where the Doctor and Sarah Jane were talking quietly before focusing on the brunette again. "How can you stand it?"
"Hmm?" Ember murmured through a mouthful of cola. She paused to swallow before speaking again. "Stand what?"
"She's being all pally with him, like she wants to travel with him again," Rose said, waving her hand at the other two. "Doesn't it make you mad?"
Ember tilted her head. "Should I? She obviously missed him, and their adventures together."
"But what if she tries to..." Rose began, only for Mickey to cheat his throat loudly with a meaningful look. The blonde rethought her words. "I just don't get why you're so calm, that's all."
"First of all, the foresight gives me an advantage," Ember said, snagging another chip from the now almost empty pack. "Second, it's not like they're gonna get together, so I have no reason to be mad. Plus, think of it from her point of view: she hadn't seen him for years, and didn't even know if he was still alive. It must be nice for her to finally have that answered. Not everyone gets that chance."
Rose looked thoughtful at that, but before she could speak, the robot dog suddenly made a loud whirring sound as it finally started working. Ember grinned and chugged the remains of her drink as she got up.
"Oh, hey!" The Doctor cheered as he stood, grinning at the humans as they and Ember came closer. "Now we're in business!"
K9's ears swivelled as it spoke. "Master."
"He recognises me!"
"Affirmative."
The Doctor reached out and grabbed Ember by the hand, not noticing Sarah Jane raise an eyebrow in curiosity, and pulled the brunette closer. "Look, Ember! My old friend, up and running!"
"I see," Ember giggled at the Doctor's excitement as she leaned closer to the tin dog. "It's nice to finally meet you, K9."
"Pleasure to meet you, mistress."
The Doctor turned to Rose. "Rose, give us the oil."
"I wouldn't touch it, though." The blonde warned as she handed him a small container with an oily liquid inside. "That dinner lady got all scorched."
"I'm no dinner lady." The Doctor paused. "And I don't often say that." He dipped a finger into the oil and smeared it onto a small probe that appeared from beneath K9's head. "Here we go. Come on, boy. Here we go."
"Oil." K9 spoke, getting to work. "Ex-ex-ex-extract. Ana-ana-analysing..."
Mickey couldn't help a chuckle. "Listen to him, man. That's a voice!"
"Careful," Sarah Jane gave him a firm look. "That's my dog."
Before anyone could reply to that, K9 spoke again. "Confirmation of analysis. Substance is Krillitane Oil."
The Doctor suddenly looked concerned. "They're Krillitanes..."
"Is that bad?" Rose asked.
"Very. Think of how bad things could possibly be, and add another suitcase full of bad."
Sarah Jane tilted her head. "And what are Krillitanes?"
"They're a composite race. Just like your culture is a mixture of traditions from all sorts of countries, people you've invaded or have been invaded by. You've got bits of Viking, bits of France, bits of whatever. The Krillitanes are the same. An amalgam of the races they've conquered. But they take physical aspects as well. They cherry pick the best bits from the people they destroy. That's why I didn't recognise them. The last time I saw Krillitanes, they looked just like us except they had really long necks."
Rose looked at Ember, who was using a tissue to wipe the oil off the Doctor's hand. "What're they doing here?"
"It's the children." Both Ember and the Doctor said at once, and the latter added, "They're doing something to the children."
"Only the ones they find useful," Ember added, throwing the used tissue in a nearby bin. "The ones that don't either get left behind, sent away, or..."
No one asked her to finish that sentence. They already had an idea how it would go.
After the revelation of their opponents and deciding they needed to rest for the night and plan, Ember and Mickey were helping Sarah Jane put K9 back in the boot of her car.
"I'll have to ask the Doctor what he's made off," the brunette commented, watching Mickey be a gentlemen and heave the robot up by himself. It had been a surprise to find out that it wasn't as heavy as they'd expected. "A robot that big should weigh a ton."
"I never thought to ask," Sarah Jane admitted. "But I'm thankful nonetheless."
"So what's the deal with the tin dog?" Mickey asked once his hands were free.
Sarah Jane shrugged. "The Doctor likes travelling with an entourage. Sometimes they're humans, sometimes they're aliens, and sometimes they're tin dogs. What about you? Where do you fit in the picture?"
"Me? I'm their Man in Havana. I'm the technical support. I'm..." Mickey trailed off as it hit him. "Oh, my God. I'm the tin dog..."
Ember put her hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong with that? It doesn't make you less than anyone else. Don't forget, you stopped World War Three. You told the Doctor about the school. Think of yourself as an Earth representative. You keep your ear to the ground. However, it doesn't mean that's all you should do. Think about it."
Mickey still looked a bit sick, but nodded and gave her a smile.
Meanwhile, at the same time, Rose followed the Doctor as he paced away from the coffee shop and the others. She had a question that needed an answer. "How many of us have there been travelling with you?"
"Does it matter?" The Doctor replied, obviously not wanting to have this conversation.
"Yeah, it does, if I'm just the latest in a long line."
"As opposed to what?"
"I thought you and me were..." Rose hesitated. "I obviously got it wrong. I've been to the year five billion, right, but this? Now this is really seeing the future. You just leave us behind. Is that what you're going to do to me? To Ember?"
"No." The Doctor was firm on that, but it wasn't clear who he meant.
"But Sarah Jane..." Rose shook her head. "You were that close to her once, and now you never even mention her. Why not?"
The Doctor looked at her, and then looked across the road where Ember was talking to Mickey and Sarah Jane. Finally, he sighed. "I don't age. I regenerate. But humans decay. You wither and you die. Imagine watching that happen to someone who you..."
"What, Doctor?" Rose asked as he trailed off, but he didn't answer. The blonde sighed. "Okay, I get it. But what about Ember? She's like you, right? So you're gonna tell her, aren't you?"
The Doctor blinked at her. "Tell her what?"
"Don't play dumb with me. You know exactly what."
"I..." The Doctor hesitated, seeing the expression on her face that told him she wouldn't accept anything but the truth. "I... don't know. I want to, but... I don't think I could take it if she doesn't... it's complicated. I've been so used to living on, alone. The curse of the Time Lords."
There was a rustle, and a voice from somewhere above whispered. "Time Lord..."
Instantly, the Doctor looked up, just in time to see one of the bat creatures from the school swoop down towards them.
No, not them... it was heading for the others!
Just as he and Rose turned to shout out a warning, Ember suddenly looked up and saw the bat coming, like she'd expected it. She quickly moved to stand in front of Mickey and Sarah Jane, making a plume of fire appear in her hand before she lobbed it towards the alien when it got within five feet of striking her. The bat swerved to avoid the fireball, shrieking as it turned to flee. Ember sent another fireball to chase it off just in case, and then turned as the Doctor ran up to her and put his hands on her biceps.
"Are you alright?" He asked her, quickly looking over the brunette to make sure she hadn't been hurt. The logical part of his mind was chastising him since he'd clearly seen that the bat hadn't reached her, but the panicked side was in the driver's seat.
"Was that a Krillitane?" Sarah Jane asked, though she was watching the brunette with wide eyes.
Rose reached them and had to grin as how the Doctor was still practically fawning over Ember. "Relax, Doctor. It didn't even touch her. It just flew off."
"She's right," Ember said, gently brushing the Doctor's hands away, though she had to smile as he clearly was reluctant to let go. "They were spying on us. We should go."
Sarah Jane shook her head to focus. "I've plenty of space. You can rest at mine and we can go back in the morning."
Without really anything to argue with, the rest of the group agreed.
The Doctor took a breath as he watched the kettle, waiting for it to finish boiling. He was standing in the kitchen of Sarah Jane's home, having decided to make tea to calm his nerves. Rose and Mickey had already gone to bed, taking Sarah Jane's offer to bunk in her spare room. Sarah herself had gone to the attic with Ember to show her around, as the brunette was excited to see everything the former companion had to offer as well as check out where the Time Lords would be staying the night. The Doctor, knowing that he probably wouldn't get any sleep, had opted to stay in the living room while everyone else rested, though he ended up pacing around a lot. He was making tea mostly because it was something to do, but even then he had to wait for the damn kettle to finish boiling the water.
"You know, a watched kettle never boils."
The Doctor nearly jumped a foot high at the amused voice of Sarah Jane, turning to find the woman leaning against the doorframe. "God, don't do that! You almost sent me into another regeneration!"
Sarah Jane chuckled. "Still as charming as ever."
"Ha ha," The Doctor sassed gently, then blinked as the kettle finally clicked behind him. He turned to send it a half-hearted glare. "Hush, you."
Chuckling again, Sarah Jane moved into the kitchen, going to the cupboard and grabbing a mug for herself. "So I take it your sleeping habits are the same?"
"It's not my fault Time Lords need less sleep than humans," The Doctor retorted, though the woman could easily tell that there was no real bite to it as he took the mug from her and began to pour water into both their mugs. "You still take one sugar?"
"Yes," Sarah Jane went to the fridge to get the milk. "You know, there's something I want to ask you about your companions."
"Go ahead."
Sarah Jane took a moment as she put the milk to the side, choosing her words carefully. "Well... Rose, I get. Mickey, I get, though I've noticed that you should give him a bit more credit. But the real mystery seems to be Ember."
The Doctor, who'd been stirring the tea with a spoon, paused. "What about her?"
"At first I thought she was just another human. But since I've met her, I've noticed a few things that aren't quite adding up. Her little stunt with the Krillitane was only the latest in line." Sarah Jane shifted to lean her hip against the counter, watching the Doctor closely. "The way she talks was the first thing I noticed. She acts like she knew certain things before we did."
"It's not an act." The Doctor corrected. "She has a form of foreknowledge, which gives her a heads up on what's going to happen."
"She can see the future?"
"Not as such. I don't know exactly how, but she travels back and forth through time. Specifically, along my timeline. Sometimes she goes to my past, sometimes she goes into my future, without any control that I've seen."
Sarah Jane nodded thoughtfully. "Is that how she knows the future? Because she's been there?"
The Doctor shook his head. "Not exactly. From what she's been able to tell me, I think she had been in some kind of other reality, and in that reality... all of this, all of us were nothing but a tv show. Each adventure was an episode played by actors."
Now Sarah Jane looked surprised. "Seriously?"
"Yep. To be honest, the whole 'different reality' thing is just a loose theory. I've been thinking hard about this, and there's so many possibilities. A dream, an illusion, a different reality, a virtual world, you name it." The Doctor paused to take a sip of his tea. "But the point is, this 'tv show' let her see my life. Then suddenly, instead of it being a show, it was real, and she now lives in it, with the added knowledge of how things go."
"But then... why didn't she just tell us about the Krillitanes from the start? Why make us wait until K9 figured it out?"
The Doctor gave her a small smile. "Oh, Sarah Jane, it isn't that simple. First of all, if things change too much, then she wouldn't be able to know what happens next, would she? Secondly, if she told us too early, it might have led to something worse happening. And then of course, there's one detail that wasn't in the show: her. She wasn't present in the adventures on tv, and the fact that she is in them now might mean that things could have changed. Actually, there's already been changes. And that's not even mentioning the visions."
"Visions?" Sarah Jane repeated, puzzled.
"Oh, yeah. Sometimes she'll have a vision about something that goes very wrong, something that would have gone fine in the show but doesn't in reality. Usually it ends up with me or one of our companions dying when they shouldn't have, or even whole worlds being destroyed or timelines twisted very badly. When she has these visions, she tries to change it so that it doesn't go that way. She's told me that certain things went differently from what she saw in both her visions and the show."
"Like what?"
"She hasn't told me many of them, since they happen in my future. She says 'spoilers' a lot, by the way."
Sarah Jane sipped her tea, thinking hard about what she'd been told. "She's not human, is she?"
"No," the Doctor replied. "She's part Time Lord, though I'm guessing that you already figured that bit out."
"Well, yes, when someone suddenly makes fire appear out of thin air, you kinda get the feeling they're not human. But Time Lord? They can do that?"
"No, that would be from the part of her that isn't Time Lord."
"And what's that?"
The Doctor's answer caught her off guard. "I don't know. She's told me that we both find out at a specific point so she can't tell me now; it's sometime in my future."
"... but you have an idea?"
"I have a theory, based on what I've seen. But there's not much evidence to prove it either way." The Doctor stared down into his mug. "I might have met the species before, If it's the one I'm thinking about, but... I can't be sure."
Sarah Jane looked at him. "You know... the way you act around her, and how she acts around you... I'd go as far as to say there's something more between you two."
That made the Doctor splutter, his cheeks turning pink before he could turn away to hide it. "W-what makes you say that?"
"You're blushing, for starters," Sarah Jane tried not to laugh at his reaction, but a giggle slipped out. "Then there's the way you immediately focused on her when you realised she was injured, and again after the Krillitane attacked, or how she's the first one you look for in the group, wether it's to see that she's there or to hold her hand. And the fact that you don't know for certain what this 'other part' of her is, but you're willing to wait to find out, which is not like you. Normally you can't sit still when there's a mystery, but you're waiting for her."
The Doctor quickly downed the rest of his tea in an attempt to buy a few seconds before he had to answer. "I'm... just concerned, that's all. And she's promised me that it'll be worth the wait, so I trust her."
"You trust a lot of us, but I don't recall a time you've ever looked at someone like you look at her." Sarah Jane smiled. "I think you like her."
"Of course I like her. She's my friend, and a brilliant companion-"
"Not that kind of like. I mean like."
The Doctor spluttered again. "I-I... what?"
Sarah Jane held her hand up, making him stop. "Look, I know you. While you're friendly and trusting, you keep everyone at arms length because you know that eventually they won't be around anymore. And I know that it hurts every time you have to say goodbye. But Ember... you're very close to her, in a way I haven't seen you with anyone else. Heck, you used your own regeneration energy to heal her shoulder! You've never done that. So if she's part Time Lord, than wouldn't that mean that she'll live longer?"
"... much longer." The Doctor replied softly. "I think she's older than even she knows."
"Then what's the problem? The way she acts around you, I think you might end up getting something wonderful if you just take that leap."
The Doctor looked over at her. "What do you mean, the way she acts around me?"
Sarah Jane partly wanted to laugh at his cluelessness. The other part wanted to smack him for it. "She does to you exactly what you do to her! She stares at you when you're not looking, you're the first one she'll go to. I think if something hasn't happened already in your future, she wants something to happen."
The Doctor turned away, putting his mug in the sink as he thought it over. "And what if you're wrong?"
"Isn't it worth the risk? What's the point in having hearts as big as yours if you keep them locked up when you have a golden ticket right in front of you?" Sarah Jane reached over and pat him on the shoulder. "Give it a try, Doctor. You deserve this."
Still looking thoughtful, the Doctor nodded to acknowledge her as he left the room. He let his mind drift as he went to the stairs leading up to the attic.
Could he take the chance? He couldn't deny it; he liked Ember a lot. But what if she didn't feel the same way? Would it lead to an awkward environment for them? Could he handle the heartbreak if she didn't reciprocate?
Before he knew it, the Doctor had reached the door to the attic. From what Sarah Jane had told him, she had a super computer in the called Mr Smith, which allowed her to do better at her job as a journalist. He felt the itch to take a peek at the computer, but it was the person inside that was more of a priority right now.
With that in mind, the Doctor carefully opened the door and stepped in, looking around. It looked like a normal attic for the most part, though less dusty than others, and it had a massive computer screen at the far back which he guessed was for Mr Smith. As he stepped further into the room, he found the only other occupant and smiled.
Ember was sat on a large, grey bean bag, looking like it would swallow her if she sank any further into it. He head was tilted back and her eyes were closed, her deep and even breathing an indicator that she was asleep. She was still wearing those pyjamas she'd arrived in, probably reasoning that there was no point in changing if she was going to sleep.
The Doctor noticed a blanket on a nearby chair and grabbed out, waving it out before laying it carefully over the brunette. Ember mumbled a little and shifted, but didn't wake, and the Doctor smiled as he slowly backed away and left the attic. He was going to have to wait until later to tell her.
Even if Sarah Jane was going to rib him for delaying it.
By the time the next morning arrived, everyone was ready to face what lay ahead. Ember had taken up Sarah Jane's offer of clothes to replace the pyjamas, and was now wearing a pair of black slacks and a white blouse and matching jacket that made her look almost like a teacher's assistant, which would help her blend in better than her pyjamas would. The only thing that stuck out was the dirty white trainers she was wearing, as they were the only thing Sarah Jane had that fit her.
She pretended not to notice that the Doctor could barely keep his eyes from straying to her, but she knew that the humans had noticed.
"Right," The Doctor said as they got out of Sarah Jane's car and walked across the car park toward the school. "Rose and Sarah, you go to the Maths room. Crack open those computers, I need to see the hardware inside." He took out his Sonic. "Here, you might need this."
Rose held out her hand expectantly, but to her slight annoyance, the Doctor handed the device to Sarah Jane.
"Mickey, surveillance. I want you outside."
Mickey looked put out. "Just stand outside?"
"Trust me," Ember said, patting him on the arm. "You'll be needed here."
"Here, take these," Sarah Jane called, tossing her car keys to the young man. "You can keep K9 company."
"Don't forget to leave the window open a crack." The Doctor added.
"But he's metal!" Mickey protested.
"I didn't mean for him."
Rose shook her head and got them back on track. "What're you going to do?"
"It's time I had a word with Mister Finch." The Doctor took Ember by the hand, silently indicating that she accompany him.
The group split up, the human girl's taking one corridor while the Time Lords too another. Just as they were passing the stairs, Ember grabbed the Doctor's arm and nodded down. He looked to see Finch staring down from over the railing a floor below them. No words were exchanged, but somehow they knew he wanted them to see where he was going.
They followed Finch as he led them to the swimming pool of the school, the water still as no one was due to be in there yet. When Ember and the Doctor entered, they were quick to see Finch waiting for them on the far side of the thirty foot pool.
"Who are you?" The Doctor asked, getting right to the point.
"My name is Brother Lassa." Finch replied. "And you?"
"The Doctor, and this is Ember. Since when did Krillitanes have wings?"
If Finch was surprised that they knew what he was, he didn't show it. "It's been our form for nearly ten generations now. Our ancestors invaded Bessan. The people there had some rather lovely wings. They made a million widows in one day. Just imagine..."
The Doctor didn't want to. "And now you're shaped human."
"A personal favourite, that's all."
"And the others?"
"My brothers remain bat form. What you see is a simple morphic illusion. Scratch the surface and the true Krillitane lies beneath." Finch began to walk along the side of the pool, and the Doctor matched his steps while Ember followed. "And what of the Time Lords? I always thought of you as such a pompous race. Ancient, dusty senators, so frightened of change and... chaos. And of course, they're all but extinct. Only you. The last..."
The Doctor didn't like the way he was looking at Ember, like she was specimen he'd love to sample, so he redirected the subject. They reached the end of the pool and began to approach each other. "This plan of yours. What is it?"
"You don't know?"
"That's why I'm asking."
"Well, show me how clever you are." Finch stood only a foot away now. "Work it out."
The Doctor met his gaze evenly. "If I don't like it, then it will stop."
That answer made Finch even more curious. "Fascinating. Your people were peaceful to the point of indolence. You seem to be something new. Would you declare war on us, Doctor?"
"I'm so old now." The Doctor admitted softly, showing his age in his posture. "I used to have so much mercy. You get one warning. That was it."
"But we're not even enemies." Finch said as the Doctor turned and walked away while making sure Ember was by his side. "Soon you will embrace us. The next time we meet, you will join with me. I promise you."
The Doctor cast him one last glance before leaving the swimming pool, letting the door close behind him. He felt Ember take his hand and squeeze it in reassurance. "Can you give me a hint?"
"The girls," Ember replied. "They'll need help. And hopefully, they'd have settled their differences by now."
Blinking, the Doctor wasn't sure if he wanted to know what she meant. Instead of asking, he led them to the maths department, hearing laughing from one of the rooms. He recognised that laughter as Rose and Sarah Jane, and he immediately entered the room to find them giggling among themselves.
"How's it going?" He asked, only to frown as they burst into laughter at the sight of him. "What? Listen, I need to find out what's programmed inside these..."
The girls laughed harder, like he'd just told them the world's funniest joke. They were getting so worked up that they were holding their ribs.
"What? Stop it!" The Doctor looked at Ember, putting a pleading look on his face as he caught her smiling too. "What happened? What's so funny?"
Ember giggled, patting his arm. "They've worked out their differences and can see now what they have in common. You."
The Doctor decided he was better off not knowing, so he moved forward and took the Sonic from a hysterical Rose's hand and beginning to work on the computers himself. Ember moved to join him when her head suddenly throbbed and her vision went white...
K9 had just shot at one of barrels of oil in the kitchen, splattering the Krillitanes. But then, just as he was going to fire a second shot to make it explode, the tin dog ran out of power and shut down, which allowed the aliens to escape and therefore continue their plan...
Ember shook her head as the vision ended, just in time for her to hear Rose at the door to the classroom, keeping kids from getting in.
"You've all got to go to the South Hall." The blonde was saying, turning them away. "Off you go. South Hall!"
The brunette looked over to see that the Doctor was occupied with the computers, a loop of wires around his neck as he messed with the cpu under the desk. Sarah Jane was watching him as well.
"I can't shift it." He grumbled in frustration.
Sarah Jane looked surprised. "I thought the sonic screwdriver could open anything!"
"Anything except a deadlock seal. There's got to be something inside here. What're they teaching those kids?"
Ember was about to speak when all the screens tuned on, turning green with lines of code scrolling from top to bottom in a sequence almost too fast for the human eye to catch. A large screen at the front of the class displayed it too.
"You wanted the programme?" Sarah Jane said as Rose reached her side. "There it is."
The Doctor had stood and was already trying to work out what it was. "Some sort of code..."
Ember froze as soon as she laid eyes on the big screen. She already knew what it was and the implications of it, but what surprised her was that as fast as the symbols were flying across the screen, she was reading them! Something in the back of her mind recognised it instantly and was already whispering the sequence. She daren't blink in case she missed something.
"No... No, that can't be..." the Doctor murmured as he watched the screen. The girls beside him had their attention on him, so none of them noticed Ember's reaction. "The Skasis Paradigm... They're trying to crack the Skasis Paradigm."
Sarah Jane blinked. "The Skasis what?"
"The God maker. The universal theory. Crack that equation and you've got control of the building blocks of the universe. Time and space and matter, yours to control."
Ember felt a cold shiver rock her, but she was too engrossed in the equation to register it.
"What, and the kids are like a giant computer?" Rose asked.
The Doctor nodded, moving to look at one of the smaller screens. "Yes. And their learning power is being accelerated by the oil! That oil from the kitchens, it works as a, as a conducting agent. Makes the kids cleverer."
"But that oil's on the chips. I've been eating them."
"What's fifty nine times thirty five?"
"Two thousand and sixty five." Rose replied without even batting an eye, realisation on her face. "Oh, my God..."
"But why use children?" Sarah Jane asked. "Can't they use adults?"
The Doctor shook his head. "No, it's got to be children. The God maker needs imagination to crack it."
Ember's fingers twitched at that answer. That something in the back of her mind seemed to preen at it, almost feeling like... pride...
"They're not just using the children's brains to break the code; they're using their souls." The Doctor continued, still not noticing that Ember hadn't moved or taken her eyes off the big screen.
Neither did they notice the new presence that had stepped into the room, until Mr Finch spoke.
"Let the lesson begin." He said, gaining their attention. "Think of it, Doctor. With the Paradigm solved, reality becomes clay in our hands. We can shape the universe and improve it."
Ember's fingers twitched again.
"Oh yeah?" the Doctor said, leaning casually against the desk. While it looked casual, anyone who knew him could see that he was tense and ready. "The whole of creation with the face of Mister Finch? Call me old fashioned, but I like things as they are."
Either Mr Finch hadn't noticed the tension, or he had and was ignoring it. He slowly stepped closer to the Doctor. "You act like such a radical, and yet all you want to do is preserve the old order? Think of the changes that could be made if this power was used for good."
"What, by someone like you?"
"No, someone like you." The reply caught him off guard. Mr Finch smirked. "The Paradigm gives us power, but you could give us wisdom. Become a God at my side. Imagine what you could do. Think of the civilisations you could save. Perganon, Assinta... Your own people, Doctor, standing tall. The Time Lords reborn."
Ember felt that bit of her give a mental equivalent of a growl, but no physical sound came out. Rose by chance glanced over at her for help, and finally noticed something was wrong.
"Doctor, don't listen to him." Sarah Jane said, stepping forward. Both she and the Doctor didn't notice Rose move closer to Ember and gently shake her shoulder.
"And you could be with him throughout eternity." Finch said, making Sarah Jane pause as he passed the Doctor to approach her. "Young, fresh, never wither, never age, never die." He looked at the Doctor again, finding the indecision in his eyes and leeching on it. "Their lives are so fleeting. So many goodbyes. How lonely you must be, Doctor. Join us."
The Doctor hesitated, but it was obvious that he was so tempted. The things he could do, the people he could save...
He was just about to speak when Rose suddenly did. "Doctor, something's wrong with Ember! She won't answer me!"
That made the Doctor instantly forget about Finch and his temptations, turning with Sarah Jane to look. His eyes widened as he took in the sight of Ember standing stock still, staring unblinkingly at the codes scrolling on the big screen, though her eyes were moving rapidly, as though she was reading them despite the speed of the scrolling. Her pupils had shrunk to pinpricks, the silver almost gleaming.
"Ember?" The Doctor called, putting his hand on her shoulder, but got no response. "Ember, can you hear me?"
Mr Finch tilted his head, curious.
The Doctor moved so that he stood between Ember and the big screen, blocking her view. Her brows furrowed slightly, as though not quite comprehending why she suddenly couldn't see the code. He put his right hand on her scarred cheek to tilt her face up to 'look' at him. "Ember, snap out of it. Come on..."
Slowly, the brunette blinked, her pupils widening to normal as she seemed to come back to herself. "... what? Doctor?"
"There you are," the Doctor murmured, his thumb absently tracking her cheekbone. He couldn't be certain, but for a moment it looked like she was blushing at the tender touch. "It's okay..."
"Interesting..." everyone turned to look at Finch as he finally spoke. "You were working it out, all on your own. No computers, no children, no oil. I thought you were different, but this... this changes everything..."
Ember tilted her head, puzzled. "What's that mean?"
"Either you're as clever as the Time Lords," Finch caught the flicker of doubt in the brunette's eyes, "or you're something far superior to them. I'm thinking it's the latter. Perhaps you would join us? With your obvious advantage, we could make reality so much better..."
Ember was surprised at her own reaction. She'd expected to feel tempted just like the Doctor and Sarah Jane had, but instead... that bit in the back of her mind that had been preening and recognising the code and being prideful was suddenly... angry. Very angry. Her eyes narrowed and her pupils began to shrink again.
"You think you have the right to that?" She spoke evenly, but everyone in the room felt the tension. It suddenly felt like something deeper and much more powerful was in the room with them. "You believe that you, a mortal who feeds off the weak and vulnerable, should be allowed access to that type of power?"
Ember leaned forward, out of the Doctor's touch, and put her hands on the desk in front of her, leaning slightly over the screen that faced away from her. On the same screen, the image of the code flickered like there was a glitch, the only ones who saw it being Finch and the girls.
No one dared to speak up, feeling like there'd be consequences. For the Doctor and his human companions, it almost felt like it wasn't Ember herself speaking. Almost.
"The Skasis Paradigm was created by forces beyond your comprehension," the brunette continued. "It wasn't made for mortals to figure out. It was made to keep order and balance in everything. Everything has its end; it has to in order for new things to begin. It's as simple as that. And I will not allow you to upset the Balance to suit yourself. You already got the Doctor's warning: here's mine."
Suddenly, every monitor sparked slightly, and then every screen in the room that displayed the God maker flickered before, one by one, the image changed. It looked like a camera feed, but it was dark, like a room without a light on or a cavern without lamps. It was barely there for more than a second, but they all saw it, as well as heard what might have been a snarling sound from the speakers...
Then the screens sparked again, more violently, some of them even cracking under an unseen pressure, and the big glass screen at the front shattered into millions of shards.
The Doctor, seeing the chance, quickly grabbed Ember by the arm and pulled her with him. "Out! Come on!"
Rose and Sarah Jane didn't even hesitate, running with the Time Lords and leaving Finch back in the classroom to look at the damage with part frustration and part awe.
"What was that?" Sarah Jane asked as they ran. "How did she do that?"
"Believe me, that's small compared to what I've seen her do," Rose replied as they reached the nearest stairs and began to descend.
The Doctor looked at Ember, noticing her shaking her head and frowning. "Are you alright?"
The brunette nodded. "Yeah... for a second there... I think I... I dunno..."
"You're alright." The Doctor said, making sure to keep hold of her arm as they reached the bottom of the staircase, just in time to nearly crash into Mickey and a young boy with glasses. "Mickey!"
"What is going on?" He asked. He'd just came through the front doors with Sarah Jane's car when he heard what sounded like loud bangs and glass breaking.
"Long story, no time," Ember replied, shaking off the last of her confusion and pulling the Doctor. "Let's go!"
The rest of them, hearing the screeching behind them, followed, and soon they found themselves in the cafeteria. They'd barely navigated the tables and chairs enough to get halfway across the room when the doors they'd come from burst open and Mr Finch came in, following by several of the large bat creatures.
"Are they my teachers?" The boy asked.
The Doctor barely shrugged. "Yeah. Sorry."
"We need the Doctor and his silver-eyed friend alive." Finch said to the bats. "As for the others? You can feast."
The bats, screeching in hunger, began to swoop, attempting to drive the group apart or grab them. Ember threw out her hand and made flames appear on the nearest one, making it scream and swerve away while flailing.
"Get down!" She yelled at the humans as the Doctor grabbed a nearby chair and tried to hold off the attack. "Come on, back up, we don't have all day!"
"Back up?" Sarah Jane repeated from where she and Rose had hid together under a table. Mickey and the boy were under another slightly further away. Before she could question further, a red laser beam came from out of nowhere to hit a bat that had gotten past the Doctor, making it fall to the ground either dead or unconscious. The older woman turned to see where the shot had come from, and spotted a familiar metal dog rolling toward them. "K9!"
"Suggest you engage running mode, mistress." The dog said, firing more lasers.
"Come on!" The Doctor yelled as soon as there was an opening, curtesy of Ember who made a table burst into flames to keep the bats back. "K9, hold them back!"
"Affirmative, master. Maximum defence mode!" K9 began to spin around on the spot, firing multiple lasers to buy them time to get away and for the Doctor to seal the door as they left. They didn't bother to pause, running again until they reached the physics laboratory that the Doctor had taught in the day before.
"What do we do?" Mickey asked, trying not to panic.
"Strength can be weakness," Ember said, looking at the Doctor and running her thumb and fingers together like she had something on them. "Their advantage can be their downfall."
Being as clever as he was, the Doctor was quick to figure out the hint. "It's the oil... Krillitane life forms can't handle the oil. That's it! They've changed their physiology so often, even their own oil is toxic to them!" He looked at Rose. "How much was there in the kitchens?"
"Barrels of it." Rose and Ember said in unison, making them look at each other and grin as the brunette added. "And it's highly flammable."
The Doctor nodded as the door they'd just come through rattled in the frame, shaking from the force of something on the other side ramming into it. "Okay, we need to get to the kitchens. Mickey-"
"What now, hold the coats?" The young man sassed, irritated.
The Doctor didn't take the bait. "Get all the children unplugged and out of the school."
"Time to shine," Ember said, smirking at him.
Ignoring the banter, the Doctor paced a bit, taking note of the fact their only way out had the Krillitanes bashing at it. "Now then, bats, bats, bats. How do we fight bats?"
Ember nudged the boy, gesturing with her eyes towards the fire alarm on the wall nearest to them. "Hey kid, what are bats best known for?"
It only took a moment for the boy to understand, and he quickly ran over and used his elbow to break the glass and set off the alarm. The sharply pitched sound stung their ears, but they could hear the bats shrieking in pain from the noise. The group quickly ran to the door and out of the room, passing the flailing bats as they made their way around to the kitchens, though Mickey quickly broke off from the group to do his own task.
"Master," K9 appeared from the corridor leading to the canteen, moving slowly, but was quickly scooped up by Ember. She didn't question how she could carry the metal dog, figuring that there must have been an explanation but knew better than to waste time asking.
"Good boy!" The Doctor cooed as he held the door open for them and grinned at Ember. "Martian steel. Durable but light. Perfect for armour or shields."
Ember simply shook her head, not surprised that he somehow knew she was thinking about it. Maybe she'd accidentally thought it out loud and he'd heard. Whatever.
The Doctor had already Soniced the door shut and had gone to the nearest barrel of oil, but his Sonic was having no effect on the lid. "They've been deadlock sealed! Finch must've done that. I can't open them!"
"The vats would not withstand a direct hit from my laser," K9 said as Ember put the robot on the floor, "but my batteries are failing."
"Right. Everyone out the back door. K9, stay with me."
No one verbally argued, quickly using the emergency exit to leave the school. Ember, however, held back at the last moment, ducking behind a tray collecting station and waiting.
After a heartfelt goodbye between the Doctor and K9, the Time Lord ran past Ember's hiding place to leave. The buzz of the Sonic signaled that he'd sealed the door behind him, and the brunette left her spot to go back to the barrels where K9 was preparing.
"Mistress?" The dog asked. "You should not be here."
"Story of my life," Ember replied. "The Doctor will explain later. Right now, you need me here."
Right at that moment, the kitchen door burst open. Ember peeked over the counter to see Finch enter, followed by his brethren who had for some reason changed into their human disguises.
"When you find him, eat him if you must, but bring me his brain." Finch said as they spread out to search. "Take the girl's arms off if you must as well."
"I like my arms where they are, thanks," Ember said, stepping back beside K9 as the Krillitanes surrounded them. "Same goes for the Doctor's brain."
Finch moved to stand before her, looking triumphant. "Ah, the deceptively small girl and the little dog with a nasty bite. Not so powerful now, are you?"
"Wanna bet?" Ember's replying smirk made him falter. "K9, sick 'em!"
Obediently, K9 pointed its laser at the nearest barrel and fired. Barely a few seconds later, the barrel burst, sending oil spraying everywhere, including the Krillitanes. Almost immediately the disguised bats bean to scream and wail in pain. Strangely enough, Finch himself didn't seem as bothered, merely lifting a hand to shield his eyes from the spray before glaring at the robot.
"You bad dog!" He sneered.
"Affirmative." K9 replied.
"Actually, wrong." Ember added. "Very good dog. One that's just covered you all in flammable oil. And guess who doesn't need a match?"
Finch finally looked a bit worried. "But you'll burn yourself!"
Ember smirked. "Surprise: I'm fire proof."
She snapped her fingers, setting the oil alight, and was just able to duck down and put her arms around K9 before the kitchen exploded.
Minutes earlier...
The Doctor burst out of the back door and slammed it shut behind him, using his Sonic to lock it as Sarah Jane ran up to him.
"Where's K9?" She asked.
He didn't have the heart to tell her. "We need to run."
"Where is he? What have you done!?" Sarah Jane demanded as he took her hand and pulled her away, past the large red grundons the school used to throw their rubbish away. "But what about-"
"Come on!" The Doctor cut her off, assuming she was going to keep asking about the dog. He pulled her with him as they ran, soon turning a corner and joining Mickey as he was leading the school's kids away from the building.
"Come on, guys! Let's go, let's go! Run!" He was yelling as they gathered at the far side of the car park. He smiled at the Doctor and Sarah Jane, and then Rose as she joined them, but then frowned. "Wait, where's Ember?"
The Doctor quickly looked around, realising that the brunette was indeed missing. "She wasn't with you?"
Sarah Jane shook her head, confused. "When we realised she wasn't, we thought she stayed with you!"
"Well, she didn't! She..." The Doctor trailed off, looking back at the school.
Rose seemed to realise the same thing, her eyes going wide. "She did it again..."
"Did what again?" Sarah Jane asked.
But before anyone could answer, there was suddenly a massive explosion from the building. Most of the structure remained intact, if not with a few windows blown out, though most of the damage was centred on the area where the kitchens were located. Papers flew out of the blown windows to flutter around as fire alarms blared.
The children cheered, and started doing so more for the boy the group had been with when he accidentally let it slip that he'd had something to do with it. The Doctor looked around, trying to spot the brunette among the crowd or the smoke.
Go to her.
The Doctor had to resist hard against the shiver that threatened to shake him at the voiceless words that suddenly carried. He looked over by instinct, and frowned when he saw a person in a red cloak standing off to the side, seemingly unnoticed by the crowd.
He'd only seen that cloaked being once before, but he'd never forget it.
As though knowing he was watching, the arm of the cloak lifted, a hand coming out of the sleeve to point in a certain direction; the back doors of the kitchen that they'd had escaped from.
The Doctor carefully separated himself from the humans, slipping away unnoticed and tracing his steps back to the school. He'd taken his eyes off of the cloaked form, and when he looked back, it was gone.
"Figures that he'd run off," he muttered to himself as he turned the corner, just in time to see the doors he'd previously locked clatter open and a familiar brunette step out of the billowing smoke, coughing and holding a just as familiar metal dog. "Ember! K9!"
The brunette set the tin dog down and straightened, giving the Doctor a lopsided smile. Her clothes were badly singed, the left sleeve of the jacket missing and holes in various places. She had smudges of soot over her face and skin, making her look like some mad scientist that had an explosive result to their experiment. Or like she'd just fallen down a chimney.
"Heya!" Ember said, pausing to cough into her remaining sleeve. "I hope Sarah Jane didn't want these back in one piece."
The Doctor jogged across the small space between them and pulled her into a hug. "You snuck past me again! What did you do that for?"
Ember didn't fight the embrace, taking advantage of the support for her slightly wobbly legs. "First off, you don't look around when you're running from a building about to explode, so it's easy to slip by you. Second, I had a vision last night. K9 didn't have the power to finish them off. He shut down, so I had to light the bonfire."
"K9?" The Doctor reluctantly let go of the brunette so he could crouch down and examine the robot. Other than some soot smudges and slightly hot metal, there didn't seem to be anything else wrong other than the fact that it wouldn't respond. "Oh, you good dog."
"Besides, I think Sarah Jane would like an upgrade for him, don't you think?"
The Doctor grinned.
A few hours later (well, to Sarah Jane, Rose and Mickey), the Tardis was relocated from the school basement to a lovely park near where Sarah Jane lived. She'd been devastated at the lost of her robotic companion, her reaction almost prompting the Doctor to tell her that K9 had been saved by Ember. It was Ember who stopped him from giving it away, getting them away from the school and letting the humans have a small break while they 'tied up loose ends'.
For the Doctor and Ember, it had been nearly a day of fixing the broken robot and upgrading it. Well, the Doctor did most of that while Ember helped where she could after getting cleaned up and changed.
The brunette was now dressed in light grey jeans, black converse, a red long sleeved top and her trademark denim jacket. She was sat on the captain's chair when the Doctor stepped out of the Tardis to invite Sarah Jane in. Rose and Mickey were waiting inside with her.
"I can't believe you blew up the school!" Mickey said, waving his arms around.
"She's done it before," Rose said, casually checking her nails. "A whole mortuary."
Ember rolled her eyes playfully. "At least this time I kept it... relatively confined to the kitchen."
"You took out half the windows!"
"That was pressure! It had to go somewhere!"
The Tardis door opening brought their conversation to a halt. The Doctor stepped in with Sarah Jane following, the older woman looking at the interior with awe and a smile.
"You've redecorated." She finally said.
The Doctor moved to the console to fiddle with random switches. He often did that when he was nervous. "Do you like it?"
"Oh, I... I do. Yeah. I preferred it as it was, but... yeah. It'll do."
"I love it." Rose added with a grin.
Sarah Jane looked at her. "Hey, you, what's forty seven times three hundred and sixty nine?"
"No idea. It's gone now. The oil's faded."
"But you're still clever. More than a match for him."
"You and me both." Rose turned her head to look at the Time Lord. "Doctor?"
The Doctor hesitated. Not because he didn't want to ask, but because he was anxious of the answer. A light kick to his shin from Ember had him talking. "Uh, we're about to head off... but you could come with us..."
Sarah Jane's eventual response was what he expected, even if it hurt to hear. "No. I can't do this anymore. Besides, I've got a much bigger adventure ahead. Time I stopped waiting for you and found a life of my own."
"And you will, by the way," Ember called over, grinning. "The Adventures of Sarah Jane. It's a hit. You won't regret not coming with us, I promise."
"Can I come?" Mickey suddenly spoke up. He faltered when he saw Sarah Jane look at him in surprise. "No, not with you, I mean with you." He looked at the Doctor. "Because I'm not the tin dog, and I want to see what's out there."
The Doctor hesitated again, this time uncertain, and Sarah Jane decided to help. "Oh, go on, Doctor. Sarah Jane Smith, a Mickey Smith. You need a Smith on board."
Ember gave the Doctor another light kick and a knowing smile before he sighed. "Okay, I could do with a laugh. Just stop kicking me!"
Mickey started to smile, turning to Rose. "Rose, is that okay?"
"Why wouldn't it be?" The sincerity of the blonde's response was a pleasant surprise to Ember. She was glad Rose wasn't holding a grudge.
Sarah Jane nodded to herself. "Well, I'd better go."
As Rose moved the older woman to the side to speak with her privately, Ember leaned forward in her seat and took the Doctor's hand, making him look at her. "Don't tell her I told you this, but you'll see her again. More than once."
The Doctor nodded, squeezing her hand twice before letting go, moving to walk Sarah Jane out. The two were quiet for a moment as they took in the beautiful park before the latter finally spoke.
"It's daft, but I haven't ever thanked you for that time." She said. "And like I said, I wouldn't have missed it for the world."
"Something to tell the grandkids." The Doctor mused.
"Oh, I think it'll be someone else's grandkids now."
"...Right. Yes, sorry. I didn't get a chance to ask. You haven't? There hasn't been anyone? You know..."
"Well, there was this one guy." Sarah Jane looked at him knowingly. "I travelled with him for a while, but he was a tough act to follow."
The Doctor nodded, looking over at the Tardis. Sarah Jane saw it and smiled.
"But I bet there's a certain brunette with fire powers who will happily keep up with him."
"Oh, she's got more than fire powers. She can..." The Doctor had started answering absently before the whole sentence caught up with him, making him look at the older woman in surprise. "I'm sorry?"
"You still haven't told her."
The Doctor hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck; a habit that Sarah Jane quickly figured out as a sign of nervousness. "Um, well... there wasn't a good... I mean we'd just... and she probably doesn't..."
"If you're going say that she isn't interested, I'm going to question your intelligence, Doctor." Sarah Jane told him firmly. "Take it from someone who knows the signs. Don't make her wait. Grow a pair and tell her already."
The bluntness of the demand made him falter, and then he slowly smiled. "Alright. I will."
"And you'd better do it soon." Sarah Jane replied, pointing at him threateningly before she relaxed and smiled. "Goodbye, Doctor."
"Oh, it's not goodbye..."
"Do say it. Please. This time. Say it."
Feeling her need for closure, the Doctor gave in. "Goodbye..." he had to smile though as he added "my Sarah Jane."
They hugged, the Doctor lifting her off her feet, and then slowly, reluctantly, they parted ways. The Doctor stepped back into the Tardis and sent them off, looking at the monitor and smiling fondly as Sarah Jane found the new and improved K9.
Movement at the corner of his eye made him look, just in time to see Ember stretch her arms up from where she'd stood from her seat. Her red top rode up slightly, exposing a small teasing glimpse of her belly, which made him blush and look away.
"Um, Rose, Mickey..." he said, clearing his throat a bit as his voice suddenly sounded rough. "Could you, um, give us a minute? I need to talk to Ember about... something."
Mickey looked puzzled and a little bit concerned, but Rose simply shook her head and muttered "About time" as she took the young man's hand and led him out of the console room, intending to show him to her own room.
The Doctor waited for over a minute as he tried to think of what to say. Ember, much to his gratitude, seemed to sense enough that she was patiently waiting.
"So, um..." the Doctor began, only to trail off. He swallowed hard before trying again. "Um, well... you see, I..."
Ember tilted her head slightly, finding it adorable how he was acting like a teenager confessing to his first crush.
Wait... was this...?
"I wanted to... I mean, I was wondering..." The Doctor kept shaking his head and changing his words.
"Doctor, it's alright," Ember said, moving over to where he was standing and taking his hand. "Just take a breath. I'm not rushing anywhere, I can wait for you to get your words together."
The Doctor closed his eyes and took a breath. He was silent for another minute before he finally opened his eyes. "Okay. Ember, there's something I want to tell you... it's, um, really important. I've... wanted to say this for a long time, and..."
He trailed off again, finding himself getting lost in those beautiful silver eyes. Ember was being so patient as she waited, her expression open and welcoming. When she tilted her head again in that cute way, his brain decided there was a better way to get his point across.
By leaning forward and pressing his mouth against hers in a firm kiss. His hearts jumped in excitement when she immediately returned the kiss, her hands going up over his shoulders to tangle in his spiky hair. His own arms went around her waist to hold her to him as they continued to kiss for as long as they could until they had to break apart for air.
Ember grinned, moving her right hand to brush his hair away from his eyes. "You have no idea how hard I had to resist doing that from the start."
The Doctor blinked. "Wait... you know?"
"Yep. And now you know how I felt when you did this to me."
"I... I did...?"
"Well, not just the kiss. It went a lot further than that." Ember removed her left hand from the back of his neck to fiddle with her ring finger. No, not the finger... it was suddenly very clear to the Doctor that there was a ring on her finger. A very specific ring...
"We're... married?" The Doctor breathed, his eyes wide. "As in... Earth-married?"
Ember smiled at him and shook her head. "Well, actually... we were a bit short for time, so we had a short version of a Gallifreyan ceremony. Used a cloth and a First Witness and everything."
"E-Everything? Even..."
"Yep. Even your name." Ember smiled and leaned up, her lips nearly touching his ear as she whispered one specific word. The Doctor shivered hard not only at the feeling of her breath ghosting over his ear, but at the sound of hisname being spoken by her. "I just wish I could tell you mine, if I had one. I still don't remember..."
The Doctor only pulled back enough to bring her into another kiss, pressing her against the console. When he broke the kiss, he put his forehead against hers. "I'll wait until you do. I'll wait forever if I have to."
Ember giggled. "Aren't you just so sweet?" She gently pulled herself free and took his hand, pulling him towards the doorway leading further into the Tardis. "Now if you don't mind, there's something else I've been wanting to do since I got here..."
Curious, the Doctor let her lead...
Aaaaand I'm gonna leave it there! Sorry to those who want to see the juicy stuff, but I still plan to put those scenes in a separate piece eventually. Might even play it safe and post them on Archive of Our Own. Who knows?
Next Time: Ember goes up against vikings, fake gods and a soon-to-be immortal. How will her presence effect things? Stay tuned!