Victoria had to give all the school nurses in the world lots of credit.
It had been almost half a year since Victoria had been a student in med school, and she hated to admit that she hadn't missed it. She had only been working as the head nurse at Deffry Vale High School for two days, but the work she was doing was absolutely tiring.
There was rarely a time during the school day that she didn't have at least two children lying on the cheap, stiff, plastic beds lining the office. What worried Victoria the most was that they all shared the same symptoms: fatigue, nausea, and migraines.
She had begrudgingly agreed to the position after Mickey Smith, Rose's boyfriend, called with news of UFO sightings and odd records coming from this school. The Doctor easily occupied the physics teacher opening while Rose was stuck working in the dining hall as a server.
Victoria glanced down at her watch and looked around the room. She couldn't afford the opportunity of a proper lunch break the previous day, but she had been lucky to have no students at the moment.
She had just sent her only student for the day to Mr. Finch, the headmaster. Sweet little Nina had been plagued with a splitting headache during her English class, but had no one home to go to.
She knew she only had a small amount of time before a flood of students came, something with the food bringing them to her office. After she hung her white coat on the wall, she grabbed her phone and left for the lunch room.
There was a long line of students and teachers waiting in line for food, but the workers were quick and efficient. It took barely five minutes before Victoria was standing before Rose with her tray. The blonde scooped some sort of slop onto Victoria's tray as she glared across the room at the Doctor who was picking at his food.
"Thanks, Rose." The girl didn't respond, unable to pull her gaze from the unassuming Time Lord. Victoria shook her head slightly and left the line and took a seat across from the Doctor.
"How's today been for you?" he asked, nibbling at the end of a chip.
"Not much today," she told him, poking the mystery side with her fork hesitantly. "I'll be overrun after lunch is over."
She picked one of the chips up and ate it, noting that there was something off about them, but continuing to eat them either way. "I'm just glad I was able to take a lunch break today."
"At least you don't have to clean up after the children and serve them this slop," Rose approached our table with a washcloth to wipe it down.
"I've had to do this for two days now," she growled at him softly as she wiped his area.
"Sorry, could you just-" the Doctor pointed to a spot on the table with his fork. "There's a bit of gravy."
Rolling her eyes, Rose moved her towel towards the Doctor. Victoria kicked the Doctor's shin lightly and gave him a look before picking up another chip.
"Two days we've been here," she repeated, sending the Doctor a look of annoyance.
"Blame your boyfriend, he's the one who put us on this. And he was right. Boy in class this morning, he's got a knowledge way beyond planet Earth," he told the blonde, and Victoria agreed.
"I heard about that in the staff room this morning. It's happening in almost every class," she added when the Doctor pushed his chips away.
"You eating those chips?" Rose asked and the Doctor shook his head, sliding them towards her.
"Yeah, they're a bit... different," he noted, and Victoria nodded slightly.
"I see what you mean, but they're not half bad," she told him as Rose ate another chip. "Well, I think they're gorgeous."
She placed her cloth on the table as she took a seat beside Victoria, pulling the tray towards her.
"This place is very well behaved," the Doctor noted, looking around the room, Victoria doing the same.
"I thought there'd be happy-slapping hoodies. Happy-slapping hoodies with ASBOs. Happy-slapping hoodies with ASBOs and ringtones," the Doctor trailed off while the two girls gave him a look. "Yeah? Yeah? Oh, yeah! Don't tell me I don't fit in."
"You are not permitted to leave your station during a sitting," a deep voice spoke from behind the Doctor. Rose bolted out of her seat and rushed to give an excuse to her boss.
"I was just talking to these teachers," she gestured to the two who were waving slightly.
"Hello!"
"They don't like the chips," Rose pseudo-whispered to the woman, who looked less than impressed with the two seated.
"The menu has been specifically designed by the headmaster to improve concentration and performance. Now, get back to work," the dinner lady commanded before walking away.
Rose sighed, grabbing her washcloth and walking away. She stopped for a moment to look at the two and gestured at herself. "This is me. The dinner lady."
"I'll have the crumble," called the Doctor with a small, teasing smile.
"I'm so gonna kill you," Rose glared at the Doctor before walking away.
As Victoria looked away from Rose, she noticed a teacher approaching a little girl only a few tables away. She nudged the Doctor's foot with hers slightly, hoping to get his attention. She could barely hear their exchange, but was sure the Doctor could based on the look that crossed his face.
"That was odd," he said, turning back to look at Victoria. "I don't think you should eat any more of those."
She nodded slightly, pushing her tray away. "Come on, maybe there is something in the staff room to snack on for now."
When the two of them got to the staff room, there were a handful of teachers relaxing, talking to one another. Victoria managed to spot a few biscuits, grabbing a handful for her and the Doctor before they sat down at one of the free tables. As they ate, they watched as a teacher passed in front of them.
"Excuse me, are you okay?" Victoria called out, causing him to stop in his place.
"I had a twelve-year-old girl give me the exact height of the Walls of Troy... in cubits yesterday. Something really strange is going on," he explained, coming closer to the two.
"And, it's been like this ever since the new headmaster arrived?" the Doctor asked.
"Finch arrived three months ago. Next day, half the staff got the flu. Finch replaced them with that lot," the man said, nodding towards a group of teachers. "Except for the teachers you replaced, and that was just plain weird, them winning the lottery like that."
"How's that weird?"
"The teachers you replaced, they never played! Said the tickets were posted through their doors at midnight," he said, looking between the two.
"Well, the world is very strange," the Doctor said and Victoria nodded, swinging her legs slightly, fighting off a small smile.
"Excuse me, colleagues. If I could have a moment of your time," Mr. Finch called out, causing the room to fall silent.
The Doctor and Victoria looked at the Headmaster to see an older brunette standing next to him.
"May I introduce Miss Sarah Jane Smith. Miss Smith is a journalist, who's writing a profile about me for the Sunday Times."
Victoria looked quickly over at the Doctor, both having a similar surprised look on their faces. She elbowed him slightly in excitement, barely able to contain her enthusiasm.
"I thought it might be useful for her to get 'a view from the trenches', so to speak. Don't spare my blushes," Mr. Finch walked out of the room, not sparing another glance.
Sarah Jane Smith's eyes were immediately drawn to the Doctor and Victoria, and made her way over to them.
"Hello!" Sarah Jane smiled at us, and Victoria waved back.
"Oh, I should think so!" the Doctor said, confusing Sarah Jane slightly.
"And, you are?" she asked.
"Oh, I'm John Smith and this is Victoria Jones," the Doctor introduced, Victoria smiling at the woman.
"John Smith? I used to have a friend who sometimes went by that name," Sarah Jane said, a nostalgic look appearing in her eyes.
"Well, it is a common name!"
"He was a very uncommon man," Sarah Jane told them as she held out her hand for them to shake. "It's nice to meet you both."
"It's a pleasure," Victoria told her.
"So, how long have you both worked here?" she asked.
"Today is our second day."
"Oh, you're new, then? So, what do you think of the school? I mean, this new curriculum?" Sarah Jane asked. "I mean, So many children getting ill, doesn't that strike you as odd?"
"I'm the head nurse," Victoria spoke up, peaking the older woman's interest. "I've had so many kids come to my office, I barely have had a spare moment for myself."
"Really? That's odd," she said, and Victoria nodded in agreement.
"You know, you don't sound like someone just doing a profile," the Doctor noted, making Sarah Jane shift uncomfortably.
"Well, no harm in a little investigation while I'm here," Sarah Jane explained and the Doctor smiled.
"Good for you," the Doctor said, watching her walk away. "Good for you, Sarah Jane Smith."
Victoria turned to the Doctor in excitement. "Oh my god, I just met Sarah Jane Smith. The Sarah Jane Smith," she said with a huge smile.
The Doctor never responded, choosing to stare at the woman fondly. Unfortunately, the bell rang loudly, signalling the start of the next period.
"Meet me in the staff room after school," the Doctor told her as they approached her office, him having decided to walk her back.
"Alright. See you later," she told him with a smile before pushing her door open and grabbing her white coat and getting back to work.
Once the school day finally ended, the three of them met in the teacher's lounge before leaving for the day. They had agreed to meet Mickey in the school parking lot once the sun went down, so they had a few hours to kill. Having not eaten a lot for lunch, they decided at a sandwich shop just a few blocks from the school before finding a nearby park to wait.
When the sun had finally finished setting, they left the park, only ten minutes away from the school. As they reached the meeting point, a young black man was leaning against a bright yellow car.
"Doctor! Rose!" he called out, waving the group over.
"Mickey! I want you to meet Victoria Jones! She's been traveling with us for a while," the Doctor introduced, gesturing towards the redhead who waved brightly at him.
"Hi, it's nice to meet you," she said with a smile, holding out her hand for him to shake.
"Mickey Smith. Nice to meet you too," he grasped her hand lightly.
Once their introductions were done, the Doctor crept to a fire exit in the school, sonicing the lock open so they could sneak in.
"Oh, it's weird seeing the school at night. It just feels wrong," Rose whispered with a smile, looking around in awe.
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Victoria agreed quietly, making her grin a little.
They walked slowly down the hallway, carefully watching their surroundings until they reached a split in the hallway.
"When I was a kid, I used to think all the teachers slept in school," Rose spoke absentmindedly.
"All right, team. Oh, I hate people who say 'team'. Um... 'gang'. Um... 'comrades'. Uh... anyway. Rose, go to the kitchen and get a sample of that oil. Mickey, the new staff are all Maths teachers, go and check out the Maths department. Victoria and I are gonna look in Finch's office. Be back here in ten minutes," the Doctor said. He gripped her hand and pulled her up the stairs.
They slowed down once we reached another hallway. In the distance, both could hear a flapping noise and a screech. The Doctor stopped for a moment before pulling her towards the source of the sound.
As they entered the room, they watched as Sarah Jane stepped away from the room the TARDIS had been in, her back to the pair.
They stayed quiet, simply watching the woman as she spun around.
"Hello, Sarah Jane," the Doctor quietly told her.
"It's you... Doctor!" she said with a smile as she crept closer. "It's you! It's... It's... You've regenerated," she whispered in awe.
"Half a dozen times since I last saw you," the Doctor answered softly.
"You look... incredible," Sarah Jane complimented, causing the Doctor to smile lightly. "So do you," he replied with a nod.
"I got old," she replied, denying his statement quickly.
Sarah Jane moved closer to the Doctor, slowly taking in his appearance with cautious eyes. As she moved her gaze away from the Doctor, she noticed the redhead standing behind him, her arms crossed causally on her chest.
"Victoria Jones was it?" the woman asked hesitantly, not sure if she got it right.
"It's nice to finally meet you," the redhead grinned at her, the stories the Doctor had told her about coming to mind.
"It's nice to meet you too," Sarah Jane said, a pleased smile to know that he had talked about her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked after a moment, looking between the two.
"Well... UFO sightings, the school gets record results. I couldn't resist. What about you?" the Doctor questioned in return.
"Same," she replied, causing her and the Doctor to laugh for a moment.
"I thought you'd died. I waited for you and you didn't come back, and I thought you must've died," Sarah Jane told him, her laughter dying down as tears welled in her eyes.
"I lived while everyone else died."
Victoria glanced away from them, feeling as if she were intruding. The Doctor had told her about the woman, and she had been so excited to meet her. But, standing there as the older woman talked to the Doctor, she couldn't help but feel like an outsider.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Everyone died, Sarah," he told her, his voice slightly ragged as he remembered the pain from the Time War.
"I can't believe it's you," she whispered with the shake of her head just as a scream echoed through the air.
"Okay! Now I can!" she said with a slight laugh before running in the direction of the scream.
They rushed down the stairs to the ground level, running into Rose in the process.
"Did you hear that?" Rose asked, not noticing Sarah Jane who was standing beside Victoria. It took her a moment for her eyes to wander in the older woman's direction, and she stiffened at the sight of her.
"Who is she?" she snapped slightly, giving Sarah Jane a once over.
"Rose, Sarah Jane! Sarah Jane, Rose," Victoria introduced somewhat meekly, having a feeling something bad might happen.
"Hi. Nice to meet you," Sarah Jane told Rose with a strained, obviously fake smile. As she turned to the Doctor, she told him: "You can tell you're getting older - your assistants are getting younger."
At that, Rose was absolutely fuming while Victoria let out an offended squeak.
"We're not his assistants!" Rose exclaimed angrily as she gestured over at the frowning redhead.
"No? I get you, tiger," Sarah Jane said with a humorless laugh.
Victoria nudged the Doctor with her elbow, upset by the whole situation. He looked down at her and winced slightly, the frown on all of his friends' faces frustrating him.
'How did this go so bad,' he groaned to himself, grabbing Victoria's hand and pulling her away.
They were surprised to see Mickey standing in front of a cupboard surrounded by airtight packages.
"Sorry! Sorry, it was only me. You told me to investigate, so I... I started looking through some of these cupboards and all of these fell out of them," Mickey explained while the Doctor bent down and picked one of the packages up.
"Oh, my God, they're rats. Dozens of rats. Vacuum packed rats," Rose muttered in disgust.
"And you decided to scream," the Doctor asked teasingly.
"It took me by surprise!" Mickey defended.
"Like a little girl?" the Doctor mocked, causing Victoria to elbow him hard in the side.
"Now is not the time, Doctor," she glared as he clutched his side, knowing he'd probably have a bruise there later. The Doctor was (typically) a lovely man who cared for everyone, and she couldn't stand to see him pick on Mickey.
"Victoria is right! Does anyone else find it weird that a school has a bunch of vacuum-packed rats?" Rose asked and Sarah Jane gave her a look.
"Well, obviously they use them in Biology lessons. They dissect them. Or maybe you haven't reached that bit yet. How old are you?" Sarah Jane asked, her question directed at Rose solely, causing the Doctor, Mickey and Victoria to shift uncomfortably.
"Excuse me, no one dissects rats in school anymore. They haven't done that for years. Where are you from, the dark ages?" Rose angrily retorted, causing the Doctor to wince.
"Everything started when Mr. Finch arrived. We should go and check his office," the Doctor suggested before leading the group down a hallway, trying to ignore the anger and tension in the room.
"I don't mean to be rude or anything, but who exactly are you?" Rose asked, giving Sarah Jane a withering look.
"Sarah Jane Smith. I used to travel with the Doctor," Sarah Jane told Rose and Rose stopped for a second.
"Hm. Well, he's never mentioned you."
Victoria had never realized that the Doctor hadn't told Rose about his past companions or adventures.
"He's obviously told her," Sarah Jane nodded at Victoria who flinched at the tension being directed at her. Rose stared at her friend with her mouth open and her eyes hard and cold.
"What do ya mean he's told her about you?" she snapped, not taking her eyes off of the redhead.
"Look, can we do this later? We have more important things to deal with," Victoria muttered, brushing past the Doctor.
The Doctor quickly caught up to the redhead, falling into place beside her. He didn't say anything, and neither did she as they approached Mr. Finch's office.
The Doctor pulled out his sonic and flashed it at the lock, a soft click signalling that it was unlocked. He pushed open the door and they peaked their heads through the opening in the door.
"Maybe those rats are food," Victoria told him, not taking her eyes off of the ceiling.
"Food for what?" Rose asked, trying to peak over the Doctor's shoulder.
He turned slightly towards her and asked, "Rose... you know how you thought teachers slept in the school. Well... they do."
The Doctor pushed open the door more to allow everyone to see what was happening. Inside there were bat-like creatures hanging from the ceiling while four of them blinked their eyes at them.
"No way!" Mickey breathed, stumbling backward. Victoria waited for Rose and Sarah Jane to exit before running out of the room and towards the exit.
She looked over her shoulder to see the Doctor close the door and sonic it shut. He quickly caught up to her and grabbed her hand, pulling her along with him until they were out of the school and in the parking lot.
"I am not going back in there. No way!" Mickey wheezed, trying to catch his breath from the running.
"Those were teachers!" Rose exclaimed.
"When Finch arrived, he brought with him seven new teachers, four dinner ladies, and a nurse. Thirteen. Thirteen big bat people. Come on," the Doctor explained as he turned around, heading for the school's doors.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Mickey sighed.
"I need the TARDIS. I've got to analyze that oil from the kitchen," the Doctor explained.
While shaking her head, Sarah Jane said, "I might be able to help you, there. I've got something to show you!"She grabbed the Doctor's arm and pulled him towards the parking lot.
We quickly reached Sarah Jane's car where she opened the boot of her car. Inside sat an oddly shaped object covered in a green blanket. Reaching forward, the Doctor pulled off the blanket to reveal a metal dog.
"Oh my god. Is that -" Victoria gasped as the Doctor nodded his head excitedly.
"K9! Victoria Jones, Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, allow me to introduce K9 - well, K9 Mark III to be precise," the Doctor introduced, and immediately Victoria bent over to coo at it.
"I can't believe I get to meet K9!" Victoria exclaimed, moving closer to pet the robotic pet, her previous irritation melting away.
"Why does he look so... disco?" Rose asked, obviously not caring about K9.
"Oi! Listen, in the year five thousand, this was cutting edge! What's happened to him?" the Doctor asked, shifting his attention to Sarah Jane.
"One day he just... stopped," she explained sadly.
"Well, didn't you try and get him repaired?" the Doctor asked while Sarah Jane cast him a look.
"If he's advanced technology, she wouldn't be able to expose K9 to the world," Victoria spoke up, having caught onto what the older woman was implying.
He shook his head before reaching down to pet the dog like Victoria was, neither caring about the odd looks they were receiving from Mickey and Rose.
"Look, no offense but could you three just stop petting for a minute? Never mind the tin dog, we're busy," Rose butted in angrily.
Nodding, the Doctor closed the boot of the car shut. The group clamored into Sarah Jane's car while the Doctor directed Sarah Jane to a nearby shop.
When they arrived, Sarah Jane and Rose stood as far apart as possible. Rose shot the Doctor a glare as she and Mickey walked into the shop, leaving the others to bring in the robot.
Rose and Mickey stood in line for chips while Sarah Jane, the Doctor, and Victoria sat at the table with K9. The Doctor had pulled his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and began scanning K9.
Victoria sat quietly, staring out the window as the Doctor and Sarah Jane chatted. They were having a lovely chat, laughing and smiles included, and Victoria smiled slightly at the sound of their laughs.
"So, Victoria. How long have you traveled with the Doctor?" she asked the girl, pulling her out of her thoughts.
"For about half a year now, I think," I told her, looking to the Doctor for confirmation.
Nodding, the Doctor told Sarah Jane, "We met at this little hospital. We were both visiting the same person and she ended up helping me out."
"The way you two act... I would have thought you'd have known each other for years," Sarah Jane admitted, noting how close they sat next to each other.
"She's my best mate. And Rose," the Doctor added hastily, though the three knew he considered Victoria a closer friend despite the fact that he had known Rose longer.
"The Doctor knew my dad before he adopted me," Victoria told Sarah Jane, placing her elbow on the table to rest her head in her hand. "A lot of things about my childhood are hazy due to the time streams, but I'm sure you'll be meeting young me soon enough."
Sarah Jane stared at the girl in wonder. "Did he travel with the Doctor?"
Victoria nodded, glancing over at the Doctor who was partially listening, more focused on K9. "For a while, yeah. My family's timeline is… complicated. I grew up with alien invasions and my dads leaving all the time for work. See, I'm from 2026."
The Doctor bit his tongue to hold back a laugh at Sarah Jane's shocked face. "I was born in 2000, so all of these adventures I'm going to have with the Doctor, I've lived through. But like I said, I don't remember much at all."
"I can't imagine," the older woman admitted, looking at the young girl. "Living the same moments twice from a different perspective."
Victoria smiled slightly. "Well, it hasn't happened yet."
The woman nodded, looking away for a moment, a somewhat awkward silence filling the air. "I thought of you on Christmas Day. This Christmas just went? With the giant spaceship. I thought, 'I bet he's up there'".
"Right on top," the Doctor said with a slight grin.
"Were they?" Sarah Jane asked hesitantly, looking over at the two sitting alone.
"Mickey and Victoria weren't but Rose was," he said, shifting his gaze towards Mickey and Rose.
…...
"Did I do something wrong? Because you never came back for me. You just... dumped me," Sarah Jane asked after a moment, causing the Doctor to become tense.
"I told you. I was called back home and in those days humans weren't allowed," the Doctor explained somberly.
"I waited for you... I missed you," Sarah Jane explained, her eyes watering just slightly.
Victoria glanced away from the two, feeling as though she was interrupting a very private moment.
"Oh, you didn't need me! You were getting on with your life," the Doctor tried to tell her, the words having struck him hard.
"You were my life," Sarah Jane told him and he froze for a second. "You know what the most difficult thing was? Coping with what happens next, and with what doesn't happen next. You took me to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, you showed me supernovas, intergalactic battles and then you just dropped me back on Earth. How could anything compare to that?"
"All those things you saw - do you want me to apologize for that?" the Doctor asked and she shook her head.
"No, but we get a taste of that splendor... and then we have to go back," she whispered, causing Victoria to frown slightly.
"But look at you, you're investigating. You found that school and you're doing what we always did," the Doctor said with a smile, trying to cheer Sarah Jane up a little.
"You could have come back," she whispered.
"I couldn't."
"Why not?"
The Doctor looked away from Sarah Jane at K9, ignoring her question completely. He turned on his sonic screwdriver once more and silently went back to fixing K9.
"It wasn't Croydon, where you dropped me off, it wasn't Croydon!" Sarah Jane interrupted the silence after more awkward silence.
"Where was it?" the Doctor asked hesitantly, looking up from K9.
"Aberdeen," she said with annoyance.
"Right," the Doctor said, taking that information in.
"That's next to Croydon, isn't it?" the Doctor asked jokingly and Sarah Jane smiled. He soniced K9 once more, causing the robotic dog to come to life.
"Oh hey! Now we're in business!" the Doctor said happily as he hopped out of his seat to stand in front of the dog.
"Master!" K9 called out, making the Doctor smile.
"He recognizes me!" the Doctor gleefully exclaimed.
"Affirmative," K9 answered as the Doctor called Rose over.
"Rose, we need the oil," he told her as she took a small jar out of her pocket.
The Doctor quickly unscrewed the lid, ready to stick his finger in the oil when Rose cut him off. "I wouldn't touch it, though, that dinner lady got all scalded," she explained quickly.
"I'm no dinner lady," the Doctor smiled before continuing quickly, "And I don't say that often." He then stuck his finger into the odd oil before smearing it on K9's sensor.
"Here we go. Come on," the Doctor muttered encouragingly to K9.
"Oil. Ex - ex - ex - extract ana - an- analysing..." K9 stuttered out, causing Mickey to grin. "Listen to it, Man! Now that's a voice!" he said with a laugh.
"Careful! That's my dog!" Sarah Jane cut in with a dangerous tone.
"Confirmation of analysis - substance is Krillitane Oil," K9 announced, creating silence in the room.
"They're Krillitanes," the Doctor muttered in shock.
"Is that bad?" Victoria asked, beginning to worry at the frown that was settling on his face.
"Very. Think of how bad things could possibly be, and add another suitcase full of bad," the Doctor said, staring at her darkly.
"And what are... Krillitanes?" Sarah Jane questioned, causing the Doctor to turn around and look at her.
"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, 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 recognize them. The last time I saw Krillitanes, they looked just like us except they had really long necks," the Doctor rambled.
"What are they doing here?" Rose asked after a moment. A look of horror grew on the Doctor's face as realization struck him.
"Doctor, what's wrong?" Victoria asked, putting a hand on his arm.
"It's the children. They're doing something to the children."
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going," Victoria said, moving forward to grab K9.
Sarah Jane and Mickey helped the redhead carry K9 as Rose approached the Doctor and walked slowly out of the shop, talking tensely and quietly.
"So, what's the deal with the tin dog?" Mickey asked Sarah Jane as they reached the car.
"The Doctor likes traveling with an entourage. Sometimes they're humans, sometimes they're aliens, and sometimes... they're tin dogs," Sarah Jane, causing all of them to smile.
"What about you? Where do you fit in the picture?" Sarah Jane asked, opening the boot in the process.
"Me? I'm their Man in Havana. I'm the technical support, I'm..." he trailed off, his eyes growing wide. "Oh god. I'm the tin dog."
In a fit of shock, Mickey leaned against the car with a deep sigh. Smiling, Sarah Jane put her hand on his shoulder.
"There's nothing wrong with being hands off, Mickey. You're good at the behind the scenes stuff, you're the Ned Leeds to our Peter Parker," she told him with a smile before wincing. "From the MCU, not the comic books."
"MCU?" Sarah Jane and Mickey asked, looking at each other in confusion.
"Marvel Cinematic Universe," she explained, mentally smacking herself. "You'll find out in a couple of years."
"I keep forgetting that you're from 2026," Sarah Jane admitted, causing Mickey to stumble, having been caught off guard.
"You're from 2026?" he asked, inspecting Victoria as if 20 years in the future would make a change in the human species.
"We're in 2006 right?" she asked looking at Sarah Jane who nodded. "I'm somewhere in Cardiff with my two dads and his closest friends. I was left on my dad's doorstep in early 2000."
"That's… so right now you're twenty-six, but somewhere in Cardiff you're also six years old?"
She nodded, a grin on her face. "Exactly."
"It seems like you fit really well with the Doctor and Rose," he commented, watching as Rose spoke angrily with the Doctor.
"I'd call him my best friend. Both him and Rose. The past few months have become my favorite memory. I'm so glad that I met them both."
A terrifying screech filled the air followed by the flapping of a wing. Mickey and Sarah Jane turned around to see one of the Krillitane flying towards Victoria.
Mickey grabbed her arm and yanked down, pulling her towards the ground. She looked out a startled yelp as her body landed on the ground.
"Victoria!" the Doctor and Rose called, running towards the girl as she groaned in pain.
"Are you okay?" the Doctor asked, kneeling down beside her.
"I think my shoulder is bruised, but I'll be fine," she said, taking his hand that he offered, allowing him to pull her up.
"Was that a Krillitane?" Sarah Jane questioned once she was assured that Victoria was okay.
"It just flew off! What did it do that for?" Rose asked the Doctor, fear shining through her eyes.
"I'm not sure..." the Doctor trailed off, watching the retreating figure.
The next morning, the five of them piled into Sarah Jane's car and drove to the school. Once they were all standing in the parking lot and ready to go, the Doctor began giving instructions. "Rose, Sarah Jane, you go to the maths room. Victoria, I want you to go too. I need you to crack open the computers so we can see what the hardware looks like. Here, take this," the Doctor said, handing the sonic screwdriver to her.
Neither of them noticed the irritated looks on Sarah Jane and Rose's faces, though Mickey did and grimaced.
"Mickey, I want you outside doing surveillance."
"Just stand outside?"
"Here, take these," Sarah Jane called out, tossing her keys to Mickey. "You can keep K9 company."
"And don't forget to crack the window a bit," the Doctor added with a smirk.
"But he's metal!" Mickey exclaimed, causing the Doctor's smirk to grow.
"I didn't mean for him," he told Mickey, before grunting when Victoria elbowed him.
"Is this your new thing? Elbowing me?" he exclaimed, rubbing his side as it throbbed.
"I don't know, are you gonna continue to be a dick to Mickey?" she asked, her eyes narrowing as he did the same.
"Well," Rose asked, cutting in before the two had a true spat. "What are you going to do?"
"It's time I had a word with Mr. Finch," he said, moving his gaze to her.
The group split after that, the three women rushing to the maths room. As they entered, Victoria moved over to the computers and crouched beneath the desk with the sonic in hand.
"Rose, Victoria, can I give you both some advice?" Sarah Jane asked after a moment.
"I got a feeling you're going to anyway," Rose muttered, causing Victoria to pause. She could understand both why Sarah Jane was upset as well as why the Doctor didn't tell Rose anything.
"I know how intense a relationship with the Doctor can be, and I don't want you to feel I'm intruding..." Sarah Jane began, and Rose cut her off. "I don't feel threatened by you and I'm sure Victoria doesn't either."
"Good. Because I'm not interested in picking up where we left off," Sarah Jane said, making Rose scoff.
"No? With the big sad eyes and the robot dog? What else were you doing last night?" Rose asked, and Victoria rolled her eyes as they fought. As she flashed the sonic again, she frowned, realizing that something was stuck.
"I was just saying how hard it was adjusting to life back on Earth..." Sarah Jane trailed.
"The thing is, when you two met, they'd only just got rid of rationing. No wonder all that space stuff was a bit too much for ya," Rose muttered, and Victoria fought the urge to hit her head repeatedly on the table.
"I had no problem with space stuff. I saw things you wouldn't believe," Sarah Jane hissed at Rose.
"Try me."
"Mummies."
"I've met ghosts," Rose told her, crossing her arms.
"Robots. Lots of robots," Sarah Jane rebutted.
"Slitheen! In Downing Street!"
"Daleks," Sarah Jane said, causing Rose to snort.
"Met the emperor," Rose said with a smirk.
"Real living-" Sarah Jane started when Victoria crawled out from under the desk. "Will you two please shut up!" she yelled, fed up with their arguing.
"While you two were fighting, I tried to crack open the computer! The Doctor wants you to get along and all you're doing is clawing at each other's throats!" she continued, pointing the sonic towards the two.
Victoria watched hesitantly as they sent the other an apologetic look, and both Sarah Jane and Rose had the decency to look guilty.
After a few moments of silence, the two women began laughing, realizing how silly they were being.
"She's right, listen to us. It's like me and my mate Shireen. The only time we fell out was over a man, and... we're arguing over the Doctor," Rose said with a small laugh.
"With you, did he do that thing where he'd explain something at like, ninety-miles-per-hour, and you'd go, "what?" and he'd look at you like you'd just dribbled on your shirt?" Rose asked, giggling.
"All the time!" Sarah Jane exclaimed, laughing harder, causing the red head to smile, glad they were getting along.
"Does he still stroke bits of the TARDIS?" Sarah Jane asked, wheezing slightly from laughing.
"Yeah! Yeah! He does! I'm like, 'do you two wanna be alone?'" Rose folded over laughing.
Victoria looked over at the door to see the Doctor walk into the room.
"How's it going?" he asked, causing Rose and Sarah Jane to start laughing harder.
"It won't budge," the redhead told him and he frowned, walking over to her.
"What's wrong with them?" he asked, causing Rose to start crying slightly as her laughter grew louder.
Grinning at the women, she told him as she pulled him to the computer: "They're getting along. Be happy about that, now come on."
"It's stuck and I couldn't get very far," she apologized, handing him the sonic so he could get a look at the wiring.
"I can't shift it," he said, shimming out from the desk.
"I thought the sonic screwdriver could open anything!" Sarah Jane exclaimed.
"Anything except a deadlock seal. There's gotta be something inside here. What're they teaching those kids?" he questioned, holding out a hand to pull Victoria up.
"Everything but deadlock seals. And wood. Never works on wood," the redhead explained.
"Still?" Sarah Jane asked incredulously, and Victoria would have laughed if it weren't for all the screens in the room to light up green, some sort of code flashing across it rapidly.
"You wanted the code. Well there it is," she pointed at the computer screens, drawing the Doctor's attention.
"No... No... that can't be!" the Doctor said, his eyes growing wide in horror.
"Doctor? What's wrong?" Victoria asked, moving closer to him.
"The Skasis Paradigm. They're trying to crack the Skasis Paradigm," the Doctor muttered, his eyes moving constantly as he watched the screen.
"That Skasis what?" Sarah Jane asked.
"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," the Doctor explained slowly, never taking his eyes off the screen once.
"Are the kids... computers?" Rose hesitantly asked, looking at the Doctor.
"Yes."
He shook his head and looked away from the screen. He began pacing around the room, thinking quietly.
"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," he said in a rush, making it hard to keep up.
"Wait, but Rose and I have been eating those chips," Victoria told the Doctor, glancing towards Rose.
"What's fifty-nine times thirty-five?"
"Two thousand and sixty-five," Victoria stated after a moment with Rose only a few seconds behind.
"Oh my god," Rose whispered as the Doctor gave them a look.
"But why use children? Can't they use adults?" Sarah Jane asked.
"Children are creative, they have imagination. Unlike most adults, the kids haven't had their souls broken, they're pure. Their souls are being used," Victoria explained hesitantly, having come to the realization.
"Let the lesson begin," a voice said right behind Victoria, causing her to flinch in surprise.
She spun around to see Mr. Finch standing right in front of her. "Think of it, Doctor, with the Paradigm solved, reality becomes clay in our hands. We can shape the universe and improve it," he spoke, moving closer to the Doctor.
"Oh yeah? The whole of creation with the face of. Call me old-fashioned, but I like things as they are."
"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," Finch spoke smoothly, staring intently at the Doctor.
"What, by someone like you?" the Doctor asked, skeptical.
"No, someone like you," he whispered, causing the Doctor to pause.
"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 civilizations you could save. Perganon, Assinta... your own people, Doctor. Standing tall. The Time Lords... reborn," Finch spoke, his voice almost hypnotizing.
"Doctor, don't listen to him," Sarah Jane pleaded from behind the younger girls.
Turning towards Rose and Sarah Jane, he smirked lightly. "And you could be with him throughout eternity. Young... fresh... never wither, never age... never die. Their lives are so fleeting. So many goodbyes. How lonely you must be, Doctor. Join us." He then turned towards Victoria with a creepy smile with an odd look in his eyes.
"But you, Miss Jones, are something different. I can sense it, there's within you. But you don't know do you?" he whispered with a wide grin, causing her to freeze in confusion. "You could stay with the Doctor forever."
"I could save everyone..." the Doctor whispered, a far-off look in his eyes.
"Yes."
"I could stop the war..." he said quietly, barely loud enough for anyone to hear.
"No. The universe has to move forward. Pain and loss - they define us as much as happiness or love. Whether it's a world or a relationship... everything has its time. And everything ends," Sarah Jane told him desperately, staring at him in concern.
He stared at Finch with a hard look as he was shaken out of his thoughts. He grabbed a chair nearby and threw it at one of the screens.
"Out!" the Doctor yelled, grabbing Victoria's hand and pulling her out of the room with him.
They all ran down the stairs to see Mickey and one of the children from the school. "What's going on?" Mickey called out as we approached him.
Victoria looked over her shoulder and saw three of Krillitanes flying towards them. She pulled the Doctor with her as she ran down the hallway, the others right behind her.
Victoria ran for the canteen and raced for one of the doors while the Doctor pulled out his sonic. As he went to scan the door to unlock it, Finch burst through the door with a few Krillitanes behind him.
"Are they my teachers?" the child that stood with Mickey asked.
"Yeah. I'm sorry," the Doctor apologized.
"Leave the Doctor alive. As for the others... you can feast," Finch announced, letting the aliens fly towards the group.
The Doctor and Victoria both grabbed chairs and started batting the Krillitanes as Rose and Sarah Jane ducked, covering their heads as best as possible. Mickey stood huddled with the student, protecting him as best as possible.
One of the Krillitanes' wings hit Victoria's chair, making it fly across the room. The alien quickly swept towards her, claws a foot from her face when a red beam flew past her vision and hit it. The Krillitane dropped dead to the floor, almost hitting her and taking her to the ground.
"K9!" Sarah Jane called happily as Victoria struggled to catch her breath, having become panicked as the alien flew at her.
"Victoria! Are you okay?" the Doctor questioned and she called out a reassurance.
"I suggest you engage running mode, mistress," K9 called out, rolling somewhat slowly towards Sarah Jane.
"Come on!" the Doctor yelled and they all ran after him, K9 close behind.
"K9, hold them back!" the Doctor yelled as the robotic dog shot lasers at the aliens.
The Doctor ushered them out as they reached the exit door. As soon as Victoria stepped through the door, the Doctor slammed the door shut.
"It's the oil. Krillitane life forms can't handle the oil! That's it! They've changed the physiology so often, even their own oil is toxic to them. How much was there in the kitchens?" he asked, turning his gaze to Rose.
"Barrels of it," she told him, flinching when the Krillitanes began to beat against the door.
"Okay, we need to get to the kitchen. Mickey-" the Doctor began before he was cut off.
"What now, hold the coats?" Mickey asked sarcastically, and Victoria could see the Doctor struggle to not roll his eyes.
"Get all the children unplugged and out of the school," he told him before looking towards Victoria. "Now then, bats, bats, bats, how do we fight bats?"
The boy ran over to the fire alarm where he elbowed it, breaking the glass casing. He quickly pulled the alarm, letting off a shrill sound. The Krillitanes began screeching, causing the Doctor to beam.
The Doctor rushed towards the door and pushed it open, revealing the withering aliens, unable to stop them from running past due to the pair.
He led the group down the stairwell and a hallway before they intersected paths with K9.
"Master!" K9 called out.
"Come on, boy! Good boy," the Doctor urged, not allowing much time for them to stop.
They continued their run down the hall when they finally reached the kitchen. In the center of the rooms were four barrels, and the Doctor pulled out his sonic as he approached one.
"Gah! It has a deadlock seal!" he muttered angrily as he moved to another barrel. "Finch must have done that. I can't open them."
"The vats would not withstand a direct hit from my laser. But my batteries are failing," K9 spoke, rolling closer to the Doctor.
"Right. Everyone out the back door. K9, stay with me," the Doctor ordered, so the three girls left the room, casting a worried glance back at the Doctor.
They stood about 10 feet away from the door where Victoria and Sarah Jane huddled together and Rose ran off to Mickey.
They all waited for the Doctor to come back, anxious that something had happened. After a minute or two of waiting, the Doctor ran out the building, but with no K9 in tow.
"Where's K9?" Sarah Jane asked desperately as the Doctor got closer, having locked the door.
"We need to move," the Doctor urged, ignoring her question as his throat grew tight.
"Where is he? What have you done?" she cried, gripping the Doctor's shoulders.
The Doctor shook his head slightly, gripping her arm and pulling her away from the building. The three of them reached the back of the parking lot when an explosion sounded behind them, a fire shattering the windows.
The children that Mickey had rounded up began cheering, watching as their school went up in flames.
"I'm sorry."
"It's all right. He was just a... daft metal dog. Fine, really," she spoke quickly as tears began to roll down her face. As the Doctor pulled his old companion into a hug, Victoria grabbed her hand and squeezed it lightly, mourning the dog as well.
That night the Doctor took Victoria to his workroom to help him build a new robot for Sarah Jane while Rose and Mickey were fast asleep.
She sat close to him, her head on his shoulder as he looked at the wiring and the mechanics of the new K9.
"How hard would it be to make a sonic screwdriver?" she asked as she flipped through some of his plans that were sitting off to the side.
The Doctor paused, looking up from his work.
After a moment of contemplation, the Doctor took off his goggles.
"It shouldn't be too hard. I mean, it may take a while, but it can be done," the Doctor answered.
"Do you think I could make one? Or at least can I help you make one?" she asked, purposefully using puppy eyes.
He laughed at the look and nodded.
"Sure, let's do it. We can start working on it soon," he smiled before flipping his goggles over his eyes.
They sat in silence for the majority of the night, except for a few questions she'd ask and his answers and the occasional joke followed by laughter.
It took the Doctor roughly four hours to completely finish K9 and Victoria was extremely happy about the outcome.
"Mistress. Master," K9 voiced once he was working. Victoria's grin grew wider as she heard the beloved dog call her 'Mistress'.
As she reached to stroke his head lightly, she yawned into her other hand.
"It's probably time you go to bed," the Doctor said, but she shook her head, shoving her head harder into his shoulder.
"Can't I just stay here?" she muttered, her lack of sleep finally hitting her.
He shook his head as he stood up, stretching lightly before leaning over the dozing woman. He hooked his arms under her legs and lifted her up.
"Off to bed," he whispered as he carried her back to her room.
He laid her down gently and tugged off her shoes and placed them on the floor. He grabbed one of her grey blankets lying at the foot of her bed and laid it across her.
He watched as her chest rose and fell, a small snore coming from her. He grinned down at her, appreciative that she was in his life.
"Goodnight, Victoria."
The next morning, Rose, Mickey, and Victoria stood around the console, waiting for the Doctor and Sarah Jane to come in.
"The Doctor had told you about Sarah Jane, didn't he?" Rose asked, her tone a bit icy. Mickey glanced at the blonde, a worried frown scrunching his brows together. He knew whatever Rose was about to say, it wouldn't be pretty.
Victoria nodded, looking very similar to a deer in headlights.
"And he's told you about a lot of other things like his past. Like his old companions? Like Gallifrey? Like himself?" Rose asked, her voice becoming more aggressive the more she spoke, causing the redhead to wince.
"Yeah, he has."
"Why did he tell you and not me?" she asked angrily. Victoria bit her tongue, knowing she would say something she didn't mean if they argued too much.
"I don't know. He chose to tell me, and I don't know why. But you can't be mad at me for the things he told me. That was his decision," she told the blonde, looking her straight in the eyes.
"What has he-" Rose walked closer to her for more answers when the Doctor and Sarah Jane walked into TARDIS.
The Doctor took in Victoria and Rose's defensive body language while Sarah Jane looked around.
"You've redecorated!" Sarah said, looking in awe.
"Do you like it?" he asked her, shifting his attention back to her.
"Oh, I, I do. Yeah. I preferred it as it was, but uh... yeah. It'll do!" Sarah Jane admitted, staring at the console lovingly.
"I love it," Rose called somewhat defensively.
"Hey, you - what's forty-seven times three hundred and sixty-nine?" Sarah Jane called with a smile, trying to break the tension in the room.
"No idea. It's gone now. The oil's faded," Rose responded.
"But you're still clever. More than a match for him," Sarah Jane said, causing Rose to smile.
"You and me both," Rose said, causing Sarah Jane to smile in return.
"Victoria, can I talk to you?" Sarah Jane asked, pulling her aside.
"It was so nice to meet you. You seem like you'll do the Doctor well, giving him a run for his money. You're smart, so keep using that head of yours," she told her with a smile as she drew the younger girl into a quick hug.
"I'm so glad I got to meet you as well. The Doctor told me so much about you and the adventures you had. If you wouldn't mind, I'd love to hear more about them," Victoria trailed off, hoping that Sarah Jane would catch onto her wish.
With a laugh, she took the phone from Victoria's hand and entered her contact information.
"If you need anything, anything at all, call me," she said with a smile.
"Thank you. It really was a great pleasure to meet you," Victoria told her one last time before walking back to the console.
"Um, we're about to head off, but, you could come with us," the Doctor offered after a moment of silence.
With a shake of the head, Sarah Jane declined his offer. "No... I can't do this anymore. Besides, I've got a much bigger adventure ahead! It's time I stopped waiting for you and found a life of my own," she said with much enthusiasm.
"Can I come?" Mickey interjected, causing everyone to look at him.
Victoria smiled as Mickey explained that he wanted to come aboard the TARDIS. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rose frowning at Mickey joining the group.
"Rose, is that okay?" Mickey called out after noticing her lack of response.
"No, great. Why not?" Rose said sarcastically and I frowned at her.
"Victoria?" he asked, and she smiled and nodded.
After a few moments of awkward silence, Sarah Jane announced her departure.
As the Doctor walked to the door and Rose and Sarah had a conversation, Victoria stood at the console as Mickey sat on the captain seat.
She leaned forward and fiddled with the console, turning on the screen. Once the Doctor left the TARDIS, the three of them sat awkwardly waiting for the Doctor to come back.
When he did come back, he raced to the console where he set the TARDIS for space.
"Victoria, look," the Doctor pointed to the working monitor.
The monitor showed Sarah Jane finding K9 behind the fading TARDIS.
"I'm glad she likes it," Victoria told him with a smile, looking at the bright smile on her face.
"Me too," the Doctor said as they smiled at each other.