Rose and Jack discovered that they had a fight on their hands in making the Doctor stay in one place; or keep still, for that matter.
"I don't like hospitals!" he complained vehemently, and despite their efforts, he was back at the Tardis within the hour. Rose privately thought that his real reasons had more to do with satisfying his sweet tooth, so she escorted him straight to the infirmary.
"Don't want anything else happening to you do we?" she said, her arm linked with his.
"I'm not an invalid," he grumbled in reply, as, to his disappointment, they bypassed the kitchen. Usually, he didn't like a fuss, but a part of him was quietly enjoying her attention.
Bella had said very little since the Doctor had been injured. She stood apart as Jack and Rose tended to him. The black box still sat in the corner, the waves slower now. It's presence only added to the tension.
"Why did you do it, Bella?" the Doctor said softy, cutting the silence. The Myvian looked up, but said nothing.
"It was you, in here last night. You didn't leave when you said you would." He paused. "That mind machine. Bit vague, isn't it? You haven't explained to us exactly what happens. Because you wanted to hide the truth from me. Or do you even know what it does?"
Bella walked over to theobject in questionand stood looking at it, wringing her many hands several times over. She dipped her head, as if in shame, and her pale curtain of hair swung forward to hide her features. When she spoke, her voice had lost its usual confidence.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this."
"You were experimenting on it, Bella. Exactly how was it supposed to be?" There was a warning edge in his tone.
"We would have taken it back!" Bella eye's flashed in frustration. "If it hadn't escaped…" She turned, and began to pace. " Alright. I stayed in the Tardis because it thought I would be able to control the Healdon, and get it back to HQ. Because…because I knew you'd want to do the right thing. Taking it back to where it belongs."
"But you hadn't finished your analysis," the Doctor completed for her. " I suppose that's where the commander comes into all of this."
Bella nodded. "The Healdon's capture wasn't approved by the ethics committee... The department was at stake. If you hadn't got involved – "
"You were the one that found me!" the Doctor protested angrily.
"Because I was glad to see you!" Bella deflated slightly. " I…missed you."
The Doctor sighed, forced to keep still as Jack fixed a cut on his cheek. "So what now?" Rose asked.
The Doctor looked at Bella levelly. "What's more important? Your job, or that creature's existence?"
Bella looked at the three time travellers for a second, then gave a tentative smile. "I'll show you where we picked it up…"
The Tardis shook a little on landing. Jack moved automatically towards the doors, but the Doctor stopped him with a warning. "I wouldn't. You won't last long in that atmosphere."
He turned to Bella, and took the glimmering black rectangle from her hands. The waves were suddenly erratic, jumping and swirling in wild formations. "It knows it's going home," Jack observed.
"Now if we plug in this here and that there…" The Doctor began muttering to himself. He flicked a switch or two, experimenting, then produced a metallic pad from his pocket and slapped it down. It adhered to the box like a magnet to a fridge.
Rose watched as he attached a few more wires. He seemed to choose them at random, but she was sure that he knew what he was doing. At least, she hoped he knew; she wouldn't forget the 12 hours/ 12 months mishap in a hurry, and she had no desire to meet the Healdon again. However, the caring side of her nature was discovering an inkling of sympathy for it. After all, it hadn't asked to be imprisoned on a foreign planet.
As the Doctor straightened up, Bella stepped forward. "Can I?" She motioned to the machine, now connected to the Tardis's controls. He paused, then nodded his approval. "Turn the exterior monitor on, Jack."
"Stand back everyone…" Bella grabbed the largest of the Tardis's main levers, and began to gradually release it upwards.
The Doctor put his arm around Rose, and they watched together as, after a slight jolt, an iridescent mass began to cloud the green glow of the Tardis's central column.
A low hum reached Rose's ears, and she leaned into the Doctor's almost protective embrace. The swirling mass rose; then in another second, it had disappeared, as if melting into the light. The Tardis quietened as Bella let go of the lever. She flexed her hands, staring into middle distance, then in the next moment was all business again, joining Jack at the monitor.
"I think I got it…" Jack manipulated the controls, panning the camera upwards.
"Why's it black and white?" Rose queried in confusion. "Is there no colour out there or something?"
"The particles reflect very little light," the Doctor explained, peering at the blurry screen. "Use a filter, Jack."
The captain typed in a command, and the screen turned turquoise green. The smudged background became a little clearer.
"There…" the Doctor breathed, pointing at a darker object near the centre of the screen. It moved slowly, edges blending with its background. Then, smoothly, it disappeared into the shadows.
"Will you really lose your job?" Jack asked Bella as they stood in the gently sunlit square, saying their farewells. The Myvian smiled wryly. "I doubt it. Since the whole operation was supposedly a secret, the commander has no way of proving that I was ever involved." Bella looked at the Doctor and smiled more widely as she remembered his encounter with her superior. "He needs taking down a peg or two."
"Hey, the last 48 hours have been packed with shape-changing and I can't believe I haven't once mentioned the Portaloo incident!" A huge grin appeared on Jack's face.
"Oh god, not again Jack…" Rose started, but even she had trouble suppressing the giggles.
"Rose got him to fix the Tardis's chameleon circuit temporarily when we went to visit her mum on Earth, and you'll never guess what it turned into – " Jack explained, throwing a teasing glance at the Doctor, who hurriedly shoved him out of the way to prevent embarrassment on his part as he recalled the disastrous (although Rose and Jack still hadn't ceased to find it funny) appearance of his beloved timeship.
The Doctor was the last to say his goodbyes to Bella. "Now, you," the Doctor said in a mock serious tone, "Try to stay out of trouble."
"Hypocrite!" Bella replied, raising her eyebrows, "How can you say that after what you get up to everyday!" The Doctor grinned at her reply as she drew him into an embrace.
"I will visit," he promised, and kissed her cheek in farewell. Rose was surprised to see the usually tough Bella flush so red that her skin turned mauve.
The Myvian caught Rose's eye, then leaned close to the Doctor and whispered something inaudible to the watching humans. Now it was the Doctor's turn to go pink.
"I…umm.."
"I'm always right, aren't I?" Bella eyed him cheekily. The Doctor sighed in exasperation.
"Follow your hearts," She said in a softer tone.
The Doctor smiled. "Goodbye, Bella."
He took Rose's hand, his eyes twinkling, and they entered the Tardis together.
And that's me done! I hope everyone's enjoyed my lil' adventure… I had fun writing it anyway. Drop me a line and tell me what you think… Sorry if this isn't my best chapter, I never have been able to finish a story properly! Thought I'd better get it done before 8th July .. costhen I might be too sad to write anymore! But Rose will always live on in the great fics on this site... so smile everyone. :-D Au Revoir! xx