Last of Their Kind

by ThyWanderer

Worn down from years of strife as the last of her kind, Madison once believed happiness was far from reach. Everything begins to change when she meets a man called the Doctor. As secrets and sorrows are shared between them, the pair finds comfort together amidst the stars. Madison can only hope that this time things will be different, even if the universe has other plans for her.

15. Chapter 15

Sorry it's been a moment. Had a bit of writer's block. I've also been having glitches with the site lately. Reviews are disappearing and my emails are no longer coming in. Has anyone else been experiencing glitches? Hopefully, they get fixed soon.

Enjoy the new chapter!

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Chapter 15

It had been three weeks since the incident in 1987. Or perhaps it had only been a week? Or maybe only a few days? It was hard telling being on the TARDIS and travelling about like so. It felt like three weeks or longer to her, but perhaps it was the feeling as though she had been travelling with the Doctor and Rose in the TARDIS for ages now. It felt right travelling with them. They all were starting to get into a routine, working together, learning about each other, and figuring out how to silently communicate whenever they found themselves in danger. It was like being back in the wild west gang. It felt . . . like having a family again. She could not hold back the smile whenever this thought crossed her mind.

It was not all dangerous on their travels around the universe and across time. Or, at least, not grand planet-destroying, time-altering, sort of danger. Mostly it was them either getting in the mix of people needing help or some thugs making a mess of things for the places they visited. Simple small encounters compared to what they had gone through before. Then, even these were almost a small blip in their travels as most of their trip around time and space was filled with enjoyment experiencing fantastical moments that the Doctor took them to. Times in the future where they witness new sorts of sports, carnivals, festivals, cities, and other such sights. They witness history in the making with new nations and countries coming together in the future. While in the past they saw events such as the Berlin Wall being torn down, the construction of the Eiffel Tower, Woodstock from a hillside, and the 1851 World Expo.

There were also little moments that made things even more memorable for Madison. Things such as Rose and her sharing movies that they both enjoyed (she discovered Rose was a fan of romantic comedies), going shopping together, finding it fun to tease the Doctor when he went into his long 'lower life-forms' rants after banging his thumb when fixing the console or cutting himself while shaving, or, even more meaningful, sharing memories together with Madison showing Rose all the pictures she had kept over the years. Each of them had a long talk about fathers and mothers and what they felt for each other's parents. Madison could not lie, she shared many tears that particular night with Rose while sitting in the blonde's room. Afterwards, they had gone into the theatre on the TARDIS and watched all sorts of sappy movies with happy endings to cheer themselves up.

With the Doctor . . . things felt mostly the same to her as they went through their journey together. But something was changing. She was not certain what it was, but something with the way he stared at her at times. She would catch it, just by a chance, moments where he would be gazing at her with this look in his eye. As though he were starting to see something there, or perhaps something that he wished to say to her. But there was reluctance written in his demeanour as she would catch him hurriedly looking away every time. There were also times he would grab onto her hand when nothing was going on. Times when they were walking around a street talking with Rose or times when they were talking together and she was close enough for him to grab her hand. He would thread his fingers with hers almost every time and it would always make her heart soar.

She knew by now her feelings for him were only growing day by day. But for him? She had no idea. She wished she had the courage to talk to him about it. But there were moments that she would catch him becoming sad at times after they would all laugh together, or after they said goodnight when a long day was over, or when he would finally let go of her hand and walk away. It would always falter her resolve to say or mention anything to him as she knew he must be reliving moments that he had once with his family from Gallifrey. And she did not wish to bring it up if it were going to bring him even more heartache. She knew what it was like, reliving a broken heart time and time again. She had over a hundred years to learn to live with hers. And even then it was still painful at times to remember the past. She had no idea just how fresh the Time War had been for him. She would never forgive herself if, by bringing up her feelings for him, it triggered even more agony for him. Time was needed to be able to heal and she wanted him to have all the time in the world to heal from the pain he suffered. She would wait. For however long it took, she would wait for him.

And so, one day she found herself stumbling down the TARDIS corridor towards the console room. The Doctor had yelled something about an emergency and she and Rose had made their way through the ship as fast as they could. Once they reached where the Doctor was, they could see him running around the console, working on the controls and checking the scanner almost every second as he appeared to be watching something intently.

"What's the emergency?" Rose called out over the noise the ship was making as it travelled wildly through the Time Vortex. Rose and Madison both stumbled into the room, going over to the console to hold onto it tightly as the Doctor continued to steer the ship.

"It's mauve," he said as though it should be obvious to them.

"Care to explain to us what 'mauve' is?" Madison asked him.

"Universally recognized colour for danger," he said.

"What happened to red?" Rose questioned him curiously.

"That's just humans. By everyone else's standards, red's camp," he explained as he cranked a metal rod before yanking down a lever on the console. He grinned lightly as he stared at the monitor on the console. "Oh, the misunderstandings. All those red alerts, all that dancing." His expression grew serious again as he kept an eye on the monitor. Madison glanced at it as well, seeing something moving on the screen but unable to tell what it was. "It's got a very basic flight computer I've hacked in, slaved the TARDIS. Wherever it goes, we go."

"And that's safe, is it?" Rose questioned him, glancing at the screen nervously.

"Totally," the Doctor answered quickly, not looking the girl in the eye as he spoke. He was just about to reach for something on the console when it began to spark wildly. The whole thing flared up with electricity. The Doctor hurriedly patted things down to keep the console from going up in flames. "Okay, reasonably. Should have said 'reasonably' there."

"'Reasonably' is an understatement when it comes to your driving," Madison joked lightly as she glanced nervously at the console.

"Hush you. I'm trying to concentrate," the Doctor responded with a shake of his head at her. He then looked at the monitor once more. "No. No! It's jumping time tracks, getting away from us." He began typing away at the old typewriter that was on the console before spinning dials and rotating orbs.

"What exactly is this thing?" Rose wondered aloud.

"No idea," the Doctor muttered in response.

"Do you think it's wise to be chasing it, then?" Madison asked him, gripping onto Rose's hand as the girl almost stumbled back from her hold on the console.

"It's mauve and dangerous and about thirty seconds from the centre of London," the Doctor said quickly as he dashed around the console to work on another section of controls before coming back around next to the scanner. "Hold on!" The whole ship shuddered and the console sparked once more. Rose finally lost her footing and Madison grabbed the girl into a hug before both of them fell to the floor as the ship shuddered to a halt.

"You all right?" Madison asked Rose as soon as they both sat up.

"Yeah. I'll just never get used to that," Rose breathed shakily, giving a small uncertain grin. The ship's way of travelling through time and space was still a bit nerve-wracking for her. Madison did not blame her for feeling this way. It did feel very unsafe at times with how the TARDIS travelled.

"Oh, you will eventually," the Doctor said smoothly as he bounced up from where he had fallen and was already making his way to the doors. Madison helped Rose up off the floor before following after the Time Lord. They found themselves in an alleyway, by the looks of it, between large brick buildings that appeared to be flats where people lived. It was night and a chilly one at that. Wondering what time period they found themselves in, Madison glanced at what she and Rose were wearing. She was wearing a tan jumper with her usual denim trousers and boots while Rose was wearing a very bright shirt with the Union Flag printed on it. Something that might be a bit out of place depending on where they were. Madison began to wonder if they would have enough time to change if need be, but she doubted the Doctor would want to wait around for them to be properly outfitted or not, so she decided against mentioning it.

"Know how long you can knock around space without happening to bump into Earth?" the Doctor spoke up sarcastically as they all looked around the small, dark alleyway they had found themselves in.

"Five days? Or is that when we're out of milk?" Rose joked with him.

"Of all the species in all the universe and it has to come out of a cow," the Doctor grumbled, shaking his head. He looked around the alleyway then, seeing how cluttered it was with ropes hanging overhead with what appeared to be clothing drying. "Must've come down somewhere quite close. Within a mile anyway. And it can't have been more than a few weeks ago. Maybe a month."

"A month? We were right behind it," Rose said as she frowned in confusion.

The Doctor shrugged as he looked back at her. "It was jumping time tracks all over the place. We're bound to be a little bit out."

"Did it land or crash?" Madison asked him then.

"With the way it was moving, it most likely crashed," the Doctor said as he started to walk down the alleyway. Rose and Madison were both quick to follow after him. "Probably with a very loud bang."

"In the middle of London? I hope no one was hurt," Madison said, frowning as she could only imagine what sort of destruction a large object through space would bring.

"How much is a little?" Rose asked the Doctor then, going back to his earlier statement.

"A bit," he said as he kept briskly walking ahead of them.

Rose raised a brow at him. "Is that exactly a bit?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Ish."

"What's the plan, then? You gonna to do a scan for alien tech or something?"

"Rose, it hit the middle of London with a very loud bang. I'm going to ask." He pulled out the psychic paper then, showing it to the blonde.

"'Doctor John Smith, Ministry of Asteroids'?" Rose read from the paper.

"It's psychic paper, it tells you what-," he began to explain to her.

"Whatever you want it to, I remember," Rose said, nodding as he pouted somewhat before putting the paper away into his inner pocket.

"You forgot you used it a while back on Jn'Zele's World," Madison said as she smiled at him. "Remember the Ahvic?"

"Oh, right. How could I forget," the Doctor said, starting to laugh a bit. He then grinned at her playfully. "I remember how flustered you got when they wouldn't stop flirting with you."

"I-I wasn't 'flustered', I was . . . just taken aback by it is all," Madison responded, feeling her face growing red with just remembering all the attention she had gotten that day. It had been rather overwhelming now that she recalled it.

"There you go blushing again," he teased her, sniggering as Madison pouted at him. She heard Rose snickering, so she turned and raised a brow at the blonde.

"You laugh, but if I recall correctly, you were the one who was offered a proposal by one of them," Madison said, smirking as she saw Rose blushing now.

"Oh, god, don't remind me. A family of three hundred, can you just imagine the in-laws?" Rose replied, grimacing as the Doctor and Madison both burst out into deep laughter. They came up to a back-alley door then with the words Deliveries Only written on it. Madison could hear muffled music and laughter coming from the other side. The Doctor leaned in to listen to it all.

"Seriously, though, it's not very 'Spock' is it?" Rose began again, ignoring the door they had come up to. "You're a time-travelling alien from distant space and yet you're just gonna go up and ask? With all that tech in the TARDIS, I'd figured you'd rather do things more, I don't know, futuristic or something, yeah?"

"Door, music, people. What do you think?" the Doctor wondered aloud as he ignored the blonde girl.

"Sounds like a party," Madison mumbled as she heard the distinct sound of clinking glasses followed by cheering. "Someone just had a toast to something."

"Can you just scan for alien tech? Just this once? Give me some Spock, for once. Would it kill you?" Rose complained, sighing and crossing her arms as she pouted and looked back down the alleyway where they had come from.

"I think he likes doing things the hard way," Madison said to the girl as the Doctor still ignored the blonde and began sonicking the door. "Just be grateful he has a sonic screwdriver."

"Don't tell me you wouldn't like some Spock every once and a while," Rose said, looking at Madison now.

"Well . . .," Madison began, unsure of how to respond. She liked working the situation out and doing things the Doctor's way, but at the same time . . .

"Oi, if you two are done whining about how I do things, I'm trying to concentrate here, thanks," the Doctor said suddenly, being a bit snippy with them both now. Madison frowned at him while Rose rolled her eyes. It was then that something was heard coming from down the alleyway. A small bit of shuffling or maybe scurrying. Madison was not certain. But then she heard a child's voice. It sounded like a very small child calling for their mother. She saw that Rose noticed it as well as both of them glanced at each other with raised brows.

"Come on if you're coming. It won't take a minute," the Doctor said to them after getting the door open. Madison glanced back over her shoulder, seeing him disappearing into the building before she or Rose could even mention the child's voice.

"One of us should stick with him," sighed Madison, shaking her head as she knew the Doctor's habit of getting into trouble. They hadn't even checked for the year they had landed in. This might be not such a good time to go sneaking into buildings and such.

"You go. I'm gonna check on the kid," Rose said, already walking down the alley to follow where the sound of the voice had come from. Madison hurried over to the blonde, grabbing the girl's hand to halt her.

"Oh, no, missy. You go to the Doctor. I'll get the kid," she said sternly, waving a finger at Rose. "Remember what happened the last time you wandered off?" She smirked as Rose pouted, looking disgruntled.

"Yeah, I don't think I want a repeated 'scolding' for the Doctor again," Rose sighed in agreement. "God, does he love going on and on about 'tiny brains' humans have."

"Only because you do have a tendency to get yourself into trouble. I swear you're worse than me sometimes." Madison jerked her head towards the back alley door. "Now, stick with the Doctor and no wandering, got it?"

"Yes, mum," Rose replied back in heavy sarcasm, rolling her eyes again.

The two shared a smile before they both went in opposite directions. With Rose going into the building the Doctor had entered and Madison heading off back towards where they had parked the TARDIS. She had been only half telling the truth to Rose there. Yes, she did not wish for Rose to get on the Doctor's bad side by running off again. But the last few times Rose had wandered away, she had gotten hurt. Madison wanted to keep Rose as safe as possible. Even if it had been only minor injuries last time, it still did not mean that any injury was a good thing. She was growing quite attached to Rose. Promise to Jackie or not, Madison wanted to keep Rose as safe as possible. Even if that meant throwing herself into danger first.

She looked around as she heard the child still, continuing to call out for their mummy. It sounded like a very small boy from what she could tell. Being a Mer, her kind always did have very sensitive hearing. So sensitive, in fact, that they had been able to pick up the different frequencies of people's voices and such. It was something that evolved in her people since they needed to be able to hear well while underwater. Better for picking up specific things that were all muffled while in water.

"Hello? Are you all right?" she called around the alley, searching for the child. She frowned as she realized the voice was coming from above. Looking up, she blinked in shock when seeing the boy standing on the rooftop. It was indeed a very small child. Maybe four years old. He had dirty blonde hair, with roughed-up clothing on him. The child was also, strangely, wearing a gas mask. Seeing the child merely standing there, close to the edge of the roof, had Madison go into a small bit of panic as she ran down the alleyway, coming up close to the TARDIS.

"Sweetie, how did you get up there? What are you doing all by yourself?" Madison called up to the boy, already starting to climb the steps of the fire escape on the side of the building where the child was standing. She made her way quickly up the steps, hearing the child still calling out for his mummy. The more she listened to the child, the more she felt a strange sense. A prickle went down her back as she walked up the metal steps of the staircase. She brushed it off, at first, as she felt as though she were simply put off by how the child called out to his mother in a very eerie sing-song voice. But as she grew closer to the child, she began realizing that it was her instincts kicking in. They were screaming for her to run.

She stopped on the edge on top of the roof where the stairs stopped. She gazed around for the child again, seeing how the boy seemed to have moved and was now on top of a grey, metal box. A very tall box at that. It looked to be some sort of shed or storage container of some kind. She wondered how the child had gotten up there in such a short time it had taken her to climb the stairs. She and the child made eye contact, though she could not see his eyes through the dark circles on the gas mask. The boy tilted his head as he seemed to be observing her carefully then. Again, her instincts were yelling at her, demanding she run away.

"Mummy?" the child said, still staring hard at her. "Are you my mummy?"

"I'm . . . not your mummy. Sorry," she replied evenly, simply observing the child now and not making a move towards him. "Have you lost your mummy, sweetie? Do you not remember where she went?"

"Are you my mummy? Mummy. Mummy," the child continued to say in his eerie sing-song voice.

"Oh, dear. Creepy child asking for their mummy. Not a very good sign, is it?" Madison muttered to herself, shivering a bit as she was reminded of a scene from the movie The Shining. Was that why she was feeling on edge with the child? Maybe she had been watching too many horror films with creepy kids in them. She began slowly edging closer to the metal box the child stood on. Though she knew her gut feeling was telling her this was a bad idea, she wanted to investigate further. She felt danger in the presence of the child, though she felt conflicted in feeling this way. It was a child calling for his mother. Something she felt that she wanted to help him find. But . . . the whole thing did not feel right. With being travelling with the Doctor, it made her wonder if this was even a child at all. With all the strange and wondrous things she had seen, she wouldn't be surprised if this was some sort of . . . android or alien or creature or . . . just something not human.

Madison saw a rope swaying by the metal storage container then, just dangling over the side. She grabbed it, giving the rope a good tug in checking its sturdiness. It felt safe enough.

"Can you climb down the rope?" she called up to the child. The boy seemed to be ignoring her now, merely gazing up towards the night sky in thought. She let out a puff of air. "You're really going to make me climb this, aren't you?" Standing there a second, she knew this was probably, completely, idiotic on her part to continue trying to get to the kid. She knew the more logical reason would be to go back to the Doctor and explain the gut feeling she was having. Horror film logic said this would be the better option. But . . .

"Damn it, why does it have to be a kid?" she muttered as she started to climb. She couldn't do it. She couldn't wait for the Doctor when it came to a child needing help. She had learned her lesson in leaving children behind to get help, after all. She couldn't do that again. Not ever again. Keep the children in sight always. That was a heavy lesson she had learned that day in Greece.

As she started to climb, getting halfway up the metal storage container, she heard a siren begin to sound off. It echoed loudly throughout the city, calling for attention to anyone who would listen. She froze as she heard this siren. She felt her face drain of colour as her eyes went wide. Oh . . . Oh, no. She recognized that sort of siren. It was the siren of an air raid. Something she had not heard in decades. And they were in London . . . which meant . . . Oh, no. No, no, no. If there were any years she would wish to avoid, it would be any time through the 1940s. Nothing pleasant happened during these times. She would know. She lived through it.

"Mummy. Balloon," the child said happily, pointing upwards now. She hurriedly looked above her, seeing a barrage balloon hanging overhead. A startled gasp left her as she felt the rope jerk her upwards then. The whole building shifted in her vision as she felt herself rising upwards. The child disappeared from view as she began leaving the building she had been on and was now floating higher and higher into the air, travelling over different brick buildings and backyards as the balloon took her for a ride.

"Stupid. Stupid!" she yelled at herself as she looked around. Madison's heart raced in panic as she heard the screaming of warplanes coming towards her and the distant sound of bombs and large gunfire. She could even see the smoke and fires from all the destruction happening around London as she floated through the cold night sky. Gritting her teeth, she tried wrapping her leg around the dangling rope beneath her to keep herself locked to the balloon. She wrapped one of her hands around the rope the best she could, making certain that she would not slip. It hurt as the rope tugged harshly onto her hand, cutting off the circulation to her fingers. But it was worth the price of pain as at least this way it would make certain she would not fall. She knew eventually she would lose her grip. She was not that strong, after all, so keeping herself locked to the rope would ensure survival. Because that was all she needed to focus on until she could figure out how to escape.

A strong wind was pushing the barrage balloon through the sky, carrying Madison closer and closer to the air raid happening. Soon, she found herself wincing as screaming warplanes whizzed past her. Her grip on the rope tightened as she felt the air current bounce the balloon a bit as each one passed on by. She didn't care to see where she was over, only trying to focus on not falling. She knew by now she would be over the centre of London. Over the centre where the majority of the destruction was happening. She opened her eyes briefly to see fires from the bombs that had been dropped, or from planes that had crashed due to the heavy gunfire that brought them down. She closed her eyes again as a blast hit somewhere nearby. Seeing all of this . . . brought back all the painful memories she had tried forgetting over the years. Memories she had tried with all her might to push away and never think about. They all came back to her then, reminding her that she could never escape the past. Quite literally at this point in time for her.

There came a gush of wind suddenly. The balloon jerked upwards while she fell down. There came a loud crack then, followed by intense pain. She looked up to where her hand was wrapped around the rope to see that the jolt in motion had caused the rope to snap around her hand. Her hand, now turning a shape of blueish-purple, appeared bent in a very bad way. She knew instantly that it was broken. She tried keeping a grip on the rope as she carefully pulled her hand out from the entangled mess, but her broken hand throbbed sharply in pain, causing her to let go on instinct. She yelped as she fell, jerking her other arm painfully as she still held onto the rope with her good hand. Now she dangled there, her one arm pulled close to her chest as her hand swelled from its injury. Her other hand held on with all her strength, but it was failing fast as she knew she could not hold her entire body with just one arm. Just as she was about to lose her grip completely, a beam of light suddenly engulfed her.

"It's okay, I got you," came a male voice, sounding as though it were coming over a loudspeaker. She blinked, feeling her body go weightless as though it were floating. She feared that she was falling so she gripped the rope tighter and started to panic a bit as she looked around wildly. The strange light encased her, creating a swirling vortex of waving blue around her. What the hell?

"It's okay, really. You can let go of the balloon," came the voice again, sounding so very reassuring that she was, in fact, not going to fall to her untimely death.

"Are you certain?" she called back, still nervous to let go, even though she did feel weightless and light. She was afraid that the voice and light were an illusion her mind was creating in its panic and she was, in fact, about to fall at any moment. Or . . . maybe she was already dead?

"Positive. I'm not letting you go anywhere," came the voice again.

Gradually, she let go of the rope. It pulled away from her and the light as the balloon was carried away by the wind. She watched it go for a moment before gazing around to see that she was still in midair. The light was indeed keeping her afloat and steady above the city. "Is this a tractor beam?" she asked curiously. She had seen technology like this in films, but that had just been movie magic.

"Something like that," replied the voice, sounding amused now. Then, it was back to serious. "I'm just programming your descent pattern. Stay still as you can and keep your hands and feet inside the light field. Oh, and can you switch off your cell phone? It interferes with my instruments."

Madison nodded as she did as instructed. She tried to keep her body tucked into herself as she reached into her pocket with her good hand and pulled out her mobile. Switching it off, she placed it back into her pocket. "Okay, it's off," she said to the voice.

"Thank you, that's much better. Be with you in a moment."

"Oh, well, take your time. I'm in no rush. I just love hanging out in the middle of the sky during a 1940s air raid," she muttered sarcastically as she nerves were slowly rising by the second. Every moment hanging around the destruction of London put her on high alert and on edge. It was like ants crawling across her skin. It also did not help matters in having a broken hand and hanging a hundred or so feet above the centre of London. Hearing the voice chuckling in amusement, she blushed a bit as she had not meant to be overheard. She did not wish for the one saving her to think she was ungrateful for the rescue

"Ready for you. Hold tight," said the male voice.

"And what exactly am I 'holding tight' to?" she responded back sarcastically.

". . . Fair point."

Madison yelped as she felt her body suddenly being yanked downwards. The wind rushed around her and her braid whipped around as she fell. She feared for a second that she was finally falling to her death, but when seeing the light still around her, she knew it had to be the strange man. There was a sudden blinding flash of light before she felt something catching her. She blinked as she realised she was now inside some sort of ship. Most definitely a spaceship by its design from what she could tell. Though it was much more cramped than that of the TARDIS. Then, it dawned on her that she was laying in the arms of someone. She blinked as she cleared her vision better, staring at the bright blue eyes of a man. He grinned at her, showing off some very white teeth. His black hair was combed to the side in a slick way, and she noticed his military outfit of his from this era. A soldier from the 1940s with a spaceship? That seemed rather odd, but maybe he wasn't from around here.

"I got you. You're fine," he said, his grin lessening as he now appeared concerned staring at her. Maybe it was how she was blankly staring at him that had him concerned.

"Yes, I see that," she said, frowning as she began to notice things swaying around her. "Though I feel like I've just come off a spinning ride."

"Yeah, the tractor beam can scramble your head just a little," he said, nodding to her.

She began to shift on his hold then, growing uncomfortable with him still holding her. It didn't feel quite right to her. He was a stranger, after all. Only friends could get so close to her. "Yes, well, could you place me down somewhere? I'd rather not keep staying in your arms."

He let out a short laugh. "Normally I have people begging for me to hold them," he said rather cheekily, a sly spark in his eye as he spoke.

"Not me, thank you," she replied back curtly, beginning to grow more uncomfortable by the second. "So, please, put me down. I won't warn you again."

The man did as she requested, though still appearing amused by something or another. Maybe he was telling the truth and he was used to people fawning over his attention. She had to admit it, he was rather pretty to look at. Though that didn't mean much to her as looks were not everything. He could look nice all he wanted on the outside. She cared more about how he behaved than anything else. So far . . . she didn't know. She would have to wait to get a better reading on him. So, she nodded in thanks after he placed her down on a captain's chair of the ship. She gazed around, getting a better look at the place. Yep, definitely looked like the inside of a spaceship she had seen on Star Trek or other such films and shows. It was rather generic, honestly.

"Thank you, for saving me," she told him as he stepped back to give her space. "I'm very grateful."

"No problem. It is my speciality, saving damsels in distress," he replied smoothly, giving her a very flirtatious wink.

Madison raised a brow, choosing to ignore this wink of his and move on. "Yes, anyway," she said briskly, "I think the dizziness has passed now." She tried standing up from the chair but wobbled on her feet as she did. She quickly sat back down again. "Or maybe not."

"It could take some time, so don't push yourself," he told her, sounding gentle now.

She glanced at him, seeing the genuine look of concern coming from him. Huh . . . perhaps he was not all flirts and sly winks. She nodded, gazing around at the ship once more. "So . . . spaceship in the 1940s . . ." She gazed back at him in interest. "Did you find the ship crash somewhere, or are you not a local boy?"

"Not a local," he said, leaning against the wall as he had that bright grin on his face again. Then, his grin fell somewhat as he looked her up and down, studying her. "Not a local girl, I take?"

"I was, once . . . but not at the current moment, no," she replied back absently. She gazed away, frowning slightly as she was not certain why that slipped out. She knew she shouldn't be telling some random stranger things like this, but . . . something about him just seemed . . . comforting. Like she could trust him. Her instincts certainly weren't telling her he was dangerous. She looked at him, quickly wanting to jump to another topic as she feared he would begin to question her words. "I'm Madison Baker. You?"

"Captain Jack Harkness, 133 Squadron, Royal Air Force," he answered briskly. "American volunteer." He pulled out a paper from his pocket, handing it over to her.

Taking the paper, she could not help but snicker as she stared at it. "So, you're single and you work out as well?" She raised it up, waving it lightly at him.

He grimaced before chuckling and shaking his head. "Damn. I hate psychic paper sometimes. It's a tricky thing. Can't let your mind wander when you're handing it over." He took it graciously as she handed it back over. He gave it a once over look, frowning heavily now with his brows furrowing as he stared at it. "Well . . . that's interesting. Never seen it do that before."

"What?" she asked, curious.

"It keeps changing and shifting around. Like it can't make up its mind." Then he glanced at her carefully. "Or like you can't make up your mind on what your name really is." He patted the paper lightly in his open palm as he gazed at her. "Wanna tell me what you're really called?"

"It's Madison Baker. That's all I am at the moment until I decide to change it again," she answered truthfully, knowing that if the psychic paper was acting up there was no need to hide away the truth. He obviously caught her, and would most likely grow suspicious if she tried to lie. She didn't want that. Though she did not exactly trust him, she wanted them to both be on equal flooring and find common ground.

"So you change your name often?"

"When I have to, yes. It's a way of survival."

"Survival?"

The way he stared at her, beginning to question her presence made her uncomfortable. So she looked away and absently took in a monitor with some ship readings on it. "So you're from America? Exactly what year of America are we talking about? Not the 40s, surely."

"No, not the 40s," he answered, grinning lightly again with ease and appearing to let the question of her name go.

"So, future America?" Raising a brow at him, she stared at him with interest. "What's a man from the future coming back to fight in World War II? You're not messing around with time, are you?"

"No, just passing through. Thought this would be a good year to do business in."

"'Business'?" She was taken back by this, frowning at him now. "You chose the middle of the Blitz to do 'business'?" She shook her head, looking away again. "I hate to say it, but you have terrible tastes in years to visit."

"What about you? What brings a future girl to 1941?"

She glanced back at him, seeing the curious expression as he eyed her carefully again. "If you can believe it, it was merely by chance. We were following this . . . thing. There was 'mauve' and this thing falling through the Time Vortex . . ." She sighed, shaking her head as she still did not understand why it was she and her friends were here. "Look, I'm not quite certain. My companion, he's the one in charge of where we travel. He could probably explain what we're looking for."

"Is your companion also hanging off a barrage balloon?" he questioned then in humour, raising a brow at her as he grinned cheekily.

"I should hope not," she laughed lightly, shaking her head. "Sadly, that's just me. I tend to find myself in awkward situations at times."

"I'd call that more 'dangerous' than awkward," he replied with a snicker.

"I would be inclined to agree," she said with a laugh. Shaking away her humour, she tilted her head as she looked him up and down curiously. "So, this business, is it some sort of undercover thing? You're wearing a uniform from this time so if you're merely trying to blend in, I would think just dressing up as a civilian would have done the trick. But you chose the military instead. Unless . . . You wanted to be in the military to keep an eye on anything unusual that would be picked up by the government. Probably to keep an eye out for people like me." Seeing his expression of surprise, she knew she was correct.

Jack appeared impressed as he grinned widely at her now. "I see you're not a rookie, then." Then he waved his hand back and forth in the air. "At least, when it doesn't come to barrage balloons."

Madison scoffed, shaking her head. "You won't let that one go, will you?"

"Never," Jack replied back smoothly, grinning and winking again. It was then, as she moved her bad hand up from her lap to inspect it, that all humour fell away and he gave her a great expression of worriment. "That's not good."

"Hand got caught wrapped up in the rope," she explained, wincing as the pain was coming in waves now. It truly hurt. She hadn't broken a bone in so long that she had forgotten what it felt like. "Do you have something I can use to stabilise it?"

"Here, let me see it," he said, walking over towards her. Madison flinched away slightly, afraid of him touching it. She did not exactly trust a stranger to handle such an injury like this. It was quite severe. Maybe the Doctor, perhaps. She knew the TARDIS had some advanced medical equipment. Maybe she could get it fixed there . . . "It's okay, I won't hurt you. I just want to see. Please," Jack said now in such a soothing voice. The honest genuine sincerity in how he gazed at her injury made her realise just how worried he was about it.

Holding her hand up, she was taken aback slightly as he grabbed her good hand as well. It was when he held it up that she realised she had rope burns on this hand. He pulled out a small silver tool then, seeming to scan both of her hands together. He gazed at the injuries closely, brows furrowed as he inspected them. Apparently, it was worse than she thought as he made a face from whatever he was reading from the scan he was getting from it.

"That is pretty bad," he said after a moment. Then he gave her a small smug smile. "Good thing you got me here or else you'd have to run around with a broken hand."

"It's not the first time I've had to run around with something broken. Suppose it won't be the last, either," she replied back evenly, staring at the dark purple colouration of her hand. "Though . . . I do believe this is worse than the last time I've broken something."

"Won't take a minute to fix it," he assured her with a wink. Again with the winking. She wondered if that was a habit of his. Watching him closely, she saw how he pulled off his scarf that was around his neck and began tying it carefully around her wrists. She could tell he was being as gentle as possible while he did this, focusing on how he was handling her injury. He was acting with such care that it made her feel more comfortable with him then. Though she did not like that whole 'business' talk of his or the way he felt like flirting with her, it made her appreciate the fact that he seemed to care for when people were hurt. She blinked out of her thoughts as he finished tying the scarf.

"Try to keep still," he instructed her as he reached around her to press something on the controls of the ship. Something beeped rapidly before she was surprised by a sudden golden glow that surrounded her hands. It took her a moment, but she soon realised it was not an all-over glow, but that of tiny little specks that hovered around her hands. It was as though she were watching hundreds of fireflies hovering around her hands, zooming in and out between her fingers. Her hands began to feel pleasantly warm then as the tiny little things continued to zoom around her hands.

"Nanogenes, subatomic robots," she heard Jack explain as he appeared to realise she had no clue as to what was happening. "The air in here is full of them." He reached around her then, clicking something and making the nanogenes cease their work. Her eyes widened in amazement as she saw the rope burns were gone and her broken hand now appeared a normal shade of pale skin. "They just repaired three layers of skin and restructured your crushed hand." She glanced up at him after he unwrapped the scarf from her wrists. He gave her another bright grin. "Go ahead. See how it feels."

Carefully, she flexed her once broken hand. There was no pain at all as she moved her fingers and rotated her wrist. She smiled at him in gratitude. "That's amazing. Thank you."

"Told you I'm good at injuries," he replied, sounding rather proud of himself. Then, he was all serious again. "Now, shall we get down to business?" Madison blinked, frowning as she felt confused now. He merely raised a brow. "You can drop the act. I know a Time Agent when I see one."

Time Agent? Is that what she was? She never asked the Doctor if there was a specific term used for those travelling through time. Though something told her that Jack meant something different than that. She wasn't sure what to say in response, so she merely stayed silent as she watched him walk away and begin to look for something in his ship.

"I've been expecting one of you guys to show up," he continued to say as he looked through a metal drawer beside a bed area of the ship. "Though not, I must say, by barrage balloon. Do you often travel that way?" He looked over his shoulder, giving her another humourous grin.

"What can I say, I love to make an entrance," she replied back easily, realising just how funny it must have been for him to see such a sight. Now that her life was not on the line, she had to admit it was rather humorous.

"Or maybe you just love trouble," Jack teased her, smirking at her.

"You've caught me. I do love trouble," she laughed, starting to find it somewhat pleasant in him joking around. She could tell he was trying to ease their awkward meeting. Or, maybe he just liked to make jokes often? She blinked as she watched him pull out a champagne bottle from the drawer then. He smiled with ease at her as he turned to face her.

"Shall we have a drink on the balcony?" he asked as he pushed a button on a control panel. A set of stairs came down from the ceiling then, showing an opening to the top of the ship. She could hear the sounds of warplanes, gunfire, and bombs coming from the outside. She frowned, not liking the idea of going back out there to witness it all. She wanted to suggest they stay inside the spaceship instead, but he was already going up the steps and telling her to bring up some glasses for the drinks.

With a sigh and a shake of her head, she walked over and grabbed one glass that was sitting by the bed. She decided she would rather not drink at the moment. Not when there was destruction happening around them. It felt wrong. As though it would be celebrating the deaths that were occurring that night. It was distasteful to do such a thing. Besides, there was also the possibility of him drugging the bottle on her. He could easily still be someone to be wary of. Her instincts did not always kick in with everyone. She knew she should still be on guard just in case he meant her harm in some way or another. She kept this in mind as she walked up the steps and came up to the top of the spaceship. She hesitated for a moment, feeling a bit nauseous as she looked down to see nothing but an empty sky and a very dangerous drop to the ground below. Beside where they were hovering in the air was an extremely close Big Ben.

"Don't worry, there is a ship under your feet," Jack spoke up, earning her attention. He pulled out a small remote of some sort from his inner uniform pocket. It buzzed and shined blue as he pointed it towards where she stood. It was then that the spaceship appeared beneath her feet, showing her that it was indeed a stable object for her to stand on. Still, she remained cautious in walking onto the top of the ship, not wanting to trip and fall at such a dangerous location.

"Was that some sort of cloaking technology?" she asked curiously, remembering something like this from the film Predator.

"Something like that," Jack said with a shrug. He then raised a brow when noticing the one glass in her hand. "Not gonna join me in a drink?"

"You can drink all you like. I'd rather not," she said curtly as she handed over the glass to him.

"Don't trust me?" he asked as he popped the bottle open and began to pour himself some.

"Frankly, no, I don't." She turned, wincing as she heard a bomb hitting its mark off in the distance. "I also find it rather distasteful to drink at a time like this."

"You're the kind of gal who's all business and no pleasure?" When she shot him a hard stare, he blinked in surprise, lowering the glass from his lips slowly. "So . . . I take it that it's more than that?"

"Do you think that, at a moment like this, with a city falling in ruin, we should be celebrating and having drinks?" She turned away, crossing her arms around her as she gazed at the fires, broken buildings, and waving spotlights. "People are dying. I feel as though we should be respectful to that."

He shrugged, taking a gulp of his drink. "Come on, it's the past. It's not like there's anything we can do about it."

"Because it's the past, that's exactly why we should respect it. Not go around having drinks and parties." She eyed him, seeing how he frowned and looked disheartened. "But by all means, go ahead and have fun. I won't stop you."

Jack sighed in exasperation, pouring the rest of his drink off the side of the ship before setting his bottle and glass down. "You sure do know how to kill the mood."

"Call me Madison Mood Killer, then." She gazed away from him, staring at the city once more. Her face fell as she heard another bomb drop. She wondered what poor soul had been destroyed with that one. Maybe there had been some luck, though, and it had just been an empty lot. She could only hope. Though, as she listened to the planes, she felt her mind wander to old memories. Again, the painful ones she had wished she could forget. She sighed and shook her head. Damn this decade.

"You lived through this year, didn't you?" came the sudden question from Jack. It took her out of her stupor, turning toward him again. She saw there was no jest or amusement coming from him. Simply a look of pity now. Sympathy was clear as ever in his bright blue eyes. "Were you stuck here by accident? I know that happens sometimes."

"It . . . it was something like that, yes," she answered quietly. "I lived through the entire decade from start to finish. Even a bit before the war first started." She looked away in shame, a swell of turmoil felt within her. "It's . . . something I wish I could forget."

"Yeah . . . I know the feeling," Jack mumbled, jaw tightening as he looked out at the city. As she watched his expression carefully, it was as though he were seeing the city for the first time. Truly taking in the sight of the war and what horrors it was causing. And this wasn't even the worst of the war, either. It made her wonder if he always tried keeping the mindset of 'it's in the past' to help cope with living through terrors like this. She could see that being something some time travellers might adopt in mindset to help themselves live through everything they've experienced. But for her . . . that just didn't seem fair. Each moment should be handled with care. She knew the Doctor always had that stance as they travelled, so she had thought that maybe every time traveller went by this rule of respect. Perhaps she had been too optimistic in believing that and she was finally coming across how most time travellers acted.

Though, there was more than that. Something about Jack's expression told her there was more to his story and how he viewed things. She only just met the fellow, after all. Maybe he too lived through war and drinking the night away was simply how he handled living with himself. She knew plenty of others who had done similar. Now she felt guilty for scolding him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ruin your mood," she sighed, shaking her head in regret.

"No, it's okay. You're right. It is disrespectful. Especially if you lived through all this," he replied back, waving a hand towards the city around them. He shook his head, giving her another gaze of sympathy. "It is one hell of a war to have to live through. Were you here in London or . . .?"

"So what's this business you were mentioning earlier?" she asked hastily, tearing her gaze away from his as she stared at Big Ben now. She kept her expression even as possible, not wanting to show the mess of emotions she was starting to feel having to recall such long-ago memories.

"Right, back to business," he said, seeming to understand her wanting to avoid the subject of this war. He was all smiles again, seeming back to his earlier flirtatious mood. "Who's this companion of yours? Are you authorised to negotiate, or is he the one I need to speak with?"

"And what is it that you wish to negotiate?" she asked curiously, arching a brow as she stared at him.

He gave a very brief glance around as though making certain there was no one around them. A bit odd to be checking as they were hovering very high in the sky next to Big Ben. Not many ears around to be listening in.

"I have something for the Time Agency. Something they'd like to buy," he told her quickly. "Are you empowered to make payment?"

"Are you a salesman or something? You go time-hopping to sell things?" she questioned him, still a bit confused by the terms 'Time Agent' and 'Time Agency'. Again, she didn't think the Doctor would be a 'Time Agent' so there must be some sort of misunderstanding on Jack's part when it came to her presence. Once more, she felt she shouldn't be correcting him. If anything, he might be the one the Doctor was in search of in all this mess. If she played along, she might be able to get this fellow to take her to the Doctor and Rose. It wasn't as if she had any other way of finding her friends. Though she could simply ask Jack to drop her off safely somewhere and use her mobile to track the two down. But she didn't really want to be alone in the middle of the Blitz, either.

"Something like that," he responded, smiling cheekily again.

"No, I don't have that power, but my companion might," she replied, once again finding it a bit odd in how flirtatious he acted at times. Again, she wondered if that was just how he was. Maybe it was a cultural thing from the year he came from? Who knew what Americans were like in the distant future.

"So, when you say your companion . . .," he spoke as he scooted closer to her. She had to hold back her tongue as his hands came to her waist and pulled her close. He gave her a sly smile with a saucy gaze. ". . . just how disappointed should I be?"

She merely stared at him for a moment, eyeing him carefully. "Very, I'm afraid. I'm not the kind of gal who sways easily from one person to the other," she spoke then, her tone even and calm. She didn't like him touching her, but she didn't want to cause a scene by telling him to back away, either. She had already been a 'mood killer' enough as it was. Besides, at this point, he may be her only option in finding the Doctor and Rose without having to run around the Blitz. She would hate to burn that bridge before she even had a chance to cross it.

"So you're a one person only kind of gal?" he asked coyly, smirking as he lifted a hand of hers and was about to kiss it.

She swiftly yanked it away, giving him a cold stare now. "Yes, I am. So you can do yourself a favour and stop while you're ahead."

"Touchy," he laughed, shaking his head. Then he appeared gentle again. "Don't worry, I'm just trying to lighten the mood."

She couldn't help but laugh slightly at this. "Messing around is lightening the mood? Flirting can only get you so far, you know. Would hate to see you in a life or death situation."

"I've been in plenty of situations like that. Always worked like a charm." He winked again, making her chortle and shake her head. Then, he had a sudden thoughtful look as he stared at her. "Do you like Glenn Miller?"

"I suppose. Though who doesn't?" She blinked in surprise as he pulled out the same silver remote as before and pressed a button. It was then that she heard Moonlight Serenade playing from the ship below them. Frowning for a moment, she wondered where this was going when he suddenly grabbed her one hand, placed his other arm around her waist, and pulled her close to begin swaying with him. Her eyes went wide, too shocked to fight back as he tried to get her to dance with him.

"It's 1941. The height of the London Blitz. The height of the German bombing campaign. And something else has fallen on London. A fully equipped Chula warship. The last one in existence, armed to the teeth. And I know where it is because I parked it," he said into her ear as he made them sway and stand close together. She remained stiff, feeling awkward as she really did not want to be dancing right now. She mostly stayed in place, letting him try to move her around. He gave her a pout when he realised she was not going to play along. "You know you have two feet. You could probably do some good to use them," he said, giving a small teasing smile.

"I'm not the best dancing partner I'm afraid," she replied stiffly, still feeling greatly uncomfortable. She really didn't like being touched by strangers. It was one of her biggest pet peeves. It was taking her quite a bit not to push him off of her. Or give him a good pop in the face. She was still on the fence about the last bit. She blinked in surprise when he suddenly pulled back from her, standing at a good space between them and smiling apologetically.

"Sorry, I didn't realise you don't dance," he said, seeming genuine in his apology.

"I . . . dance," she said hesitantly. "Just . . . with the ones I trust the most. Which is very few in number, so it's not very often."

He nodded, seeming to understand. "You're slow to warm up to people. I get it. I'm sort of the same."

She raised a brow. "Really? You could have fooled me with all that flirting and . . . dancing."

"Well, flirting and dancing is just a pass time. Trusting someone? That's for only the special people in my life."

She nodded, appreciating that he recognized her feeling uncomfortable. Maybe he was a gentleman after all. She then smiled lightly. "You'd probably get along with my other companion. She's rather into dancing." She couldn't help but snicker when seeing Jack's eyes light up with interest.

"Oh? May I ask, is she as pretty as you?"

"Prettier, I should think." Getting them back on track, she decided to change the subject. "So, you have this ship that you're wanting to sell. But I'm going to assume that you're keeping the location a very close secret until you can get the price you want, correct?"

He gave a nod and a sly grin. "Correct. And in about two hours, a German bomb is going to fall on it and destroy it forever. That's your deadline. That's the deal."

"Of course it is," she sighed as it finally dawned on her what sort of 'business' Jack was into. He was a con man. She should have guessed with all the flirting, drinking, and dancing. Just like a con man. It had been ages since she's been around a trickster like this. She had worked with quite a few of them back in the day. Sometimes pleasantly, sometimes not. It all depended on the con and the person behind it. Though this time around, she knew she was the one to be 'conned'. So there must be more to his story and his 'ship' that meets the eye. He was most likely the thing the Doctor was after. The ship included. Which meant . . . She gave her best smile as she crossed her arms and leaned more on one leg. "Well, I'd be happy to discuss payment, but as we both know, I'm not the one in charge of such things. If we get to my two companions, however, we can easily come up with a price that we'll all be happy with. We get the ship and you get a payday. What do you say?"

"I say, you've got yourself a deal. Though I may add in a date as part of the deal," he replied smoothly, giving a wink as he lifted up his arm and pulled back his sleeve to reveal a wrist device of some kind.

"You couldn't afford me," she responded sassily, trying her best to play along.

"Is that a challenge?" he asked playfully, eyes lighting up as he appeared pleased she was playing along with him now.

Perhaps that was all he wanted. Someone to tease and mess around with. She felt that maybe she should relax a bit to appease him more. At least until she found out what sort of con he had in the works. So she smiled back playfully before glancing towards the wrist device he was seemingly typing away on. "How are you going to find my companions anyway?"

"It's easy enough. I just have to do a scan for alien tech."

Madison couldn't help but laugh as she remembered Rose's complaint from earlier that night. "Well, I can tell you one thing, Rose is definitely going to like you."

"So your female companion is called 'Rose'?" He smiled as he appeared intrigued now. "I'm going to guess . . . blonde, right?"

Madison smiled. "What, you like them blonde?"

"Oh, I like just about anything. I'm not picky. Although, ginger is always fun." He gave her a wink again.

"Down boy." She stared at the wrist device curiously now as she thought of what it might be. Then her thoughts shifted back to him and who he was. She needed to gather as much information about him if she was going to outwit a con man. "So, you know a lot about Time Agents. Have you done business with them often?"

"You could say that. I used to work for them. But now . . . well, I guess you could say I'm considered a criminal." He gave a sly grin, appearing very proud to call himself that. The device on his wrist gave a beep and he grinned widely. "Looks like I've found them." He held up his arm for her to take, smirking at her. "Shall we?"

Madison hesitated in holding onto the man's arm. But eventually, she did. She wasn't certain why he was offering his arm to her. Shouldn't they be going back into the ship? She watched in interest as he began typing buttons on the wrist device that was strapped to his right arm. It was then that she felt her whole body give a jolt after a brief flash of light. Her entire being felt as though it were being yanked through a tight squeezing tunnel. The next thing she knew, she was standing in a very dark building. Jack remained on his feet easily while she had to let go of him and hold herself up by leaning over with her hands on her knees. She gasped, trying to get back her breath.

"That was very unpleasant," she muttered, still trying to steady herself.

"Sorry, forgot to warn you," Jack apologised. "Travelling by vortex manipulator is never fun without a warning first."

She wanted to question him about this 'vortex manipulator' but she felt that asking too many questions would only give herself away of not being a Time Agent. So, instead, she steadied herself and began looking around the location they had arrived at. She had been expecting somewhere in the alleyway they had first arrived to and be next to the TARDIS. It was where she had been hoping the Doctor and Rose would have remained after realising they had arrived at the Blitz and there was an air raid going on. But it seemed as if the two had been on the wander, going elsewhere through the city of London. She hoped the two of them hadn't gotten into serious trouble or had not been too annoyed with her having disappeared on them.

Taking in the sight of the building a bit better, she realised it was some sort of hospital by the sight of the wheelchairs and gurneys sitting around, the style of the desks, the bandages left laying around, and seeing other such little things left behind. The place was in complete darkness with only the light of the Moon outside giving them any source to see. It was clear that the hospital had been abandoned in a hurry as there were papers scattered everywhere and things left behind such as a plate of half-eaten food. Madison frowned as she stared around the dark halls, finding it all rather eerie with just how still and quiet it was. This was not an evacuation for an air raid. No, this was complete abandonment. But why? It made no sense to leave behind a good hospital. In a time like this, when a place of healing was most needed, it was too much of a waste to leave such a building closed up. Something that she knew the people of London would not have let happen without a reason.

"Why is the hospital abandoned? That normally only happens if there's been an outbreak," she wondered aloud. She glanced over towards Jack, wondering how he was taking in the sight. There was a small, confused frown on his face as he gazed around. Apparently, he was just as baffled as she was. He then seemed to shake away his curiosity as he was back to an eased expression and was tapping away at the wrist device on his arm.

"Your companions are close. They're in here somewhere," he told her.

"Then we should probably start looking for them," she replied, already walking away and heading down the hallway they had arrived at. She listened as Jack fell in step beside her, walking casually.

"So, before I meet them, tell me about these two companions of yours."

Madison pondered thoughtfully over what she could say. "Well . . . Rose is wonderfully kind and has a wild spirit to her. I think she'll take to being flirted with better than I will, though," she gave him a side-eyed glance, "so don't go overboard with it. She's under my care, so be on good behaviour, got it?"

Jack gave a small, joking salute. "Yes, ma'am."

Madison scoffed, rolling her eyes before continuing. "The Doctor, he's the one who's in charge of our travels. He's . . . well, he's . . . No words can describe him, really. He's just . . . wonderful." She could not help but smile softly as she thought of all the things she would say to describe him. She felt that there were not enough words in the spoken language to do the Doctor justice. It was then, lost in her thoughts, that she finally noticed the smirking expression Jack was giving her. She blinked in confusion. "What?"

"Nothing. Nothing." He smiled knowingly, making her raise a brow at him. He began to chuckle. "You know, the way you talk about him, makes me wonder if I ever stood a chance."

She felt herself blush as she heard the underlying meaning behind his words. She chose to ignore him as she walked a bit more forward. "I wonder where those two are. Do you think they're all the way at the top of the building?" she asked, wanting to change the subject and distract him.

"Don't know. Doesn't hurt to find out the easy way," Jack replied brightly, coming up quicker alongside her and grinning. He then cupped his hands over his mouth and called out, "Hello?"

They heard a noise and some muffled talking coming from down the hallway and around a corner from them. Madison raised a brow as Jack sped up his pace and appeared rather eager now as he walked ahead of her. Perhaps he was merely excited about getting his payday in line. That, or maybe it was the deadline of the two hours til a bomb drops that was making him want to hurry things along. Shaking her head, she sped up a bit to catch up, growing eager herself but for different reasons as she merely wanted to make certain the Doctor and Rose were both all right. It was the Blitz, after all. It was a deadly time to be out and about.

She smiled in relief when seeing the Doctor and Rose both coming out of a patient ward up ahead of them. Her smile faltered, however, when she noticed the uneasy expressions on the two's faces. The Doctor appeared to be processing something very carefully with a heavy expression on his face, while Rose merely appeared shaken and disturbed by something that happened. It made Madison greatly concerned as she looked at them both. But then, after the two of them noticed it was her walking towards them, there seemed to be a great wave of relief for the both of them. At least, it appeared that way for Rose as the Doctor looked more like he wanted to have a word with her more than anything. Oh, dear. She was probably going to get an ear full about 'wandering' from him.

"Maddie! Thank god you're okay," Rose said with a sigh of relief, going over to where Madison and Jack were. It was then that Rose seemed to suddenly take in the appearance of Jack, blinking in surprise and halting as the man took a step towards her. He had on his flirtatious grin, slyly looking Rose up and down.

"Hello, there," he greeted the blonde, taking Rose's hand and giving it a kiss. "Pleasure to finally meet you. You must be Rose." Rose blinked in astonishment as a small blush appeared on her face, though there was also a hint of a pleased smile.

"Behave," Madison warned Jack, giving the man a side-glance of warning. She didn't think it was the time to be flirting around. Things about this place still felt wrong to her, her instincts starting to kick in somewhat as though to warn her of something.

"What? I was only saying 'hello'," Jack responded in a small whine, pouting for a moment before seeming to catch himself and go back to being more serious about the situation. He had business to attend to, after all. He grinned at the Doctor, going over to shake the Time Lord's hand vigorously. "Good evening. Hope we're not interrupting. Jack Harkness. I've been hearing all about you on the way over."

"Sorry, had to disclose that we're Time Agents," Madison said quickly, giving the Doctor a pointed look to convey her message, wanting him to understand what Jack thought of them. The Doctor looked at her then and saw her poignant gaze, giving a subtle nod as he understood what she was trying to tell him. Rose appeared confused by the term 'Time Agent' but did not question it either way.

"It's a real pleasure to meet you, Doctor. I guess you must be high ranking to have a code name. Can't remember the last time I've been around agents with code names," Jack said, grinning away brilliantly before walking away with ease towards the door that Rose and the Doctor had come from. He appeared interested in what the two 'agents' had been doing prior to his arrival, though Madison had a feeling he was allowing them all time to discuss the spaceship he was hiding and being a price negotiation.

"Look, before you give me a talking to, I just want to apologise for disappearing like that. I didn't intend to," Madison said hurriedly, raising a hand as she saw the Doctor open his mouth. She wished to hurry along in apologising so that she didn't have to listen to him scolding her. She was humiliated enough as it was for getting into the mess she had. Getting scolded like that of a child was really not on her list today. "I was trying to help a child who I thought was lost. There was a rope and the kid was there and I thought to grab it but it turned out to be a barrage balloon and then I was in the middle of the air raid and then I almost fell from the balloon and got beamed up by this fellow in a tractor beam and well . . ."

She blushed as she realised she had started to talk rather rapidly then. Something that occurred sometimes when she was embarrassed or stressed. Now she felt even more humiliated for rambling on like an idiot.

"You what? Barrage balloon?" Rose asked suddenly in shock, staring wide-eyed at Madison. "You're telling me you got caught up hanging from a barrage balloon in the middle of the Blitz? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just a little worse for the wear," Madison assured the blonde.

"And then you got 'beamed up'? What, like proper aliens and everything?" Rose grinned slightly, her tongue between her teeth and a teasing look in her eyes. "Did you go and find yourself a professional?"

"I wouldn't call him anything but 'con man' really. He's been all flirts and champagne and dancing all night since he's saved me. Just like a con man, honestly."

"Wait, hold on, you were dancing with him?" Rose responded in surprise, still grinning cheekily and hitting Madison lightly in the arm. "Never thought I'd see you going 'round picking up men. And you sure do have the eye for the good looking ones." Rose laughed while Madison sighed in exasperation.

"Oh, shut up. It's not like that. He's trying to con us big time. Wants to sell us a 'spaceship' he's got hidden somewhere around London." Madison looked at the Doctor then, seeing how he stared at her differently than before. As if that of annoyance. "It's probably that thing you were trying to find. I thought it would be best to bring him to you so we can see if he's connected."

"And you thought 'dancing' was a way to go about it?" the Doctor asked then, sounding rather gruff as he folded his arms tightly.

"He's a con artist, Doctor. It's what they do," Madison responded evenly, knowing that most likely the Doctor was still cross with her for wandering.

"Doesn't mean you had to dance with him," grumbled the Doctor, looking away from her now as he stared at the door that Jack had disappeared behind. A heavy frown of disapproval was set on his face, making Madison feel even more shame to have upset him. Maybe he was right. Maybe she should have fought off Jack's advances completely. "What's he trying to con us for anyway?" the Doctor asked then.

"A Chula warship, apparently," Madison explained. "He has it hidden somewhere in the city with the threat of it being bombed in two hours by a German plane. That could be the thing you're looking for, right?" The Doctor did not answer her. His frown merely deepened as he stared towards the ward.

"What's a Chula warship?" Rose asked then, turning towards the Doctor for him to explain. Again, he didn't answer, only walked away from the two and strood into the ward. The door closed behind him with a snap as he did. Madison sighed then, shaking her head as she felt her heart sink. She hated making her friends upset. It always puts a nasty feeling through her.

"Oh, dear. Seems I've really upset him," she mumbled in regret, wondering how she could rectify the situation and make it up to the Doctor. "I honestly didn't mean to get caught up in a barrage balloon. Though, in hindsight, it was rather careless of me."

Rose began to chortle, shaking her head in amusement. "He's definitely not upset about the wandering bit. Really, you should have been there when we couldn't find you. I thought he was gonna go mad when you didn't answer your phone."

"I had to turn it off for the tractor beam," Madison mumbled, frowning as she was not certain as to why Rose appeared to be so amused by the Doctor being disgruntled with her. "What happened while I was away?" Madison listened then as Rose very quickly explained what she and the Doctor had been doing. Something about a child with a gas mask being 'empty' and terrorizing other homeless children. A girl named Nancy was the one to lead them there as the girl knew the place because her brother Jamie had died here. Then a doctor named Constantine who had slowly turned into a lifeless, gas-masked person like the rest of the doctors, nurses, and patients had been. "That's . . . that's really something," Madison muttered as she shook her head, reeling over all the information. "Suppose it's not the first time we've had a run-in with 'zombies'."

"Just don't touch 'em. That's how they turn ya into one of them," Rose finished explaining, walking towards the ward then.

Madison followed along, walking through the door to see a patient ward filled with people lying on metal beds. Each one of them was different from the next, but all had a gas mask on their face. She looked to one of the nurses that were closest to the door, seeing how straight and stiff the woman lay there on the bed. The mask, which Madison had thought was worn, was seen fused to the woman's skin. Just as Rose had said. The mask was something as a sign of transformation. And just as Madison felt with the child she had seen walking around with a gas mask, she felt her instincts kick in and have her feeling on high alert. It was most likely with how they were carriers of this 'disease' they had as Rose had explained. Madison remembered her mother explaining that during the Black Plague, her mother and father had both been on an instinctual alert to the disease, helping them not catch it and stay away from the infected. Which made the Spanish Flu that much more tragic with just how quickly it spread. Even instincts had failed to protect them then. Though unlike the rest of the illnesses they had faced, this disease gave people physical injuries and changes and turned people into empty beings. Just another thing to cross off her growing list of unique occurrences.

Turning her attention back to the others, she could see Jack was scanning over one of the infected with the wrist device he had. The alarmed expression was clear as ever on his face as the Doctor had him scan one patient after the other. Eventually, Jack merely shook his head, stepping back in confusion.

"This just isn't possible. How did this happen?" Jack questioned in disbelief, walking away from the patients to place himself at a distance from them.

"What kind of Chula ship landed here?" the Doctor asked, keeping his arms tightly crossed and his sharp eyes on Jack.

Jack turned to the Time Lord, frowning now. "What?"

"That warship you told Maddie about," Rose said, crossing her own arms now and matching the Doctor's stern expression. "I bet you stole it, didn't you? You stole it and brought it here where it doesn't belong."

"I didn't steal anything. I found it fair and square," Jack countered defensively.

"Still brought it where it doesn't belong," Rose muttered.

"And please, don't play with us. I know a con man when I see one and I know how a con works," Madison added in strictly, eyeing Jack as she began realising this disease was something brought on because of his actions. It was no coincidence with him being here. It must have something to do with the Chula warship he had parked. "Was this disease a part of your little scheme as well?"

"No! God, no. I brought the warship here. That's it. And it's got nothing to do with this," Jack replied in reproach, making a disgusted face at even the thought of it. It appeared as though the idea of bringing something like this anywhere was most certainly not on his list.

"This started at the bomb site. It's got everything to do with it," the Doctor retorted crossly, growing angry now as he jabbed a finger at the people laying in beds around them. He steadily walked closer to Jack as he spoke. "What kind of warship?"

"An ambulance!" Jack exclaimed, appearing desperate to prove his innocence now. Madison could tell that he was one of those who conned for money only and not to do harm. At least he was respectful in that aspect. She watched as Jack walked over to them, lifting his arm and typing away at his wrist device. A hologram picture appeared then of a cinclinder of some kind. "Look. That's what you chased through the Time Vortex. It's space junk. I wanted to kid you it was valuable, it's empty. I made sure of it, nothing but a shell. I threw it at you. Saw your time travel vehicle, love the retro look by the way, nice panels, threw you the bait . . ."

"So like most cons, you were creating an illusion of value to only sell us nothing more than useless junk. Which you most likely gave me the wrong time-frame of a bomb coming so that way it gets destroyed before we realised the truth, correct?" Madison spoke up, seeing that her assumption was indeed correct as Jack made a small disgruntled face. "But how you were going to con us is not important. What's important now is finding out how to stop this disease from spreading."

"You knew I was conning you from the beginning?" Jack questioned her, frowning in confusion.

"You made it rather obvious. Just as it should have been obvious that we're not Time Agents," she said in return. She looked to the Doctor then. "Could his ambulance potentially have been carrying an alien virus of some sort?"

The Doctor frowned heavily. "Not like anything I've ever seen."

"It couldn't have been. I made sure that nothing was there," Jack said quickly, still wanting to affirm that his con was innocent in this mess. "I'm a con man. I don't want to mess with stuff like this." He gestured to the people around them.

"Seems like you do now," Rose responded, crossing her arms and eyeing the man coolly.

"Con's gone wrong," the Doctor muttered in agreement.

"Look, no matter what you all think of me, I'm not involved with this. Whatever's happening here has got nothing to do with that ship," Jack said, sticking firm to his belief of not being the cause of such harm. Madison shook her head, sighing as she hated when people were in denial. Especially when it was of things that were clearly their own fault.

"Whatever it is you wish to believe, Captain, you can't deny that there is a cause and effect to you bringing that ship here. There's just too much of a coincidence," Madison said, shaking her head at him.

"Human DNA is being rewritten. By an idiot," the Doctor said, nodding in agreement with her.

"Is there a way of undoing this?" Madison asked him.

"I don't know," he answered, gazing around the room then with a thoughtful expression.

"Do you think the child we saw, the one with the gas mask, do you think he was the first one infected or something?" Rose asked curiously, frowning as she walked over to get closer to one of the patients.

"Could be, yeah," said the Doctor.

"Child? What child?" Jack questioned.

It was then that the people around them suddenly sat up from their beds. All began calling for 'mummy' as they turned their heads in sync towards Rose, the Doctor, Jack, and Madison. Rose backed away swiftly from the person she had been leaning over, and Madison grabbed the blonde and kept the girl close. When all of those with gas masks on started to rise and stand up, making her fears spike as her instincts screamed for her to run. Madison let out a shaking breath but tried to keep herself as calm as possible as she pushed for Rose to stand behind her as she tried facing the gas-masked people head-on. Madison felt someone grabbing her and yanking her back. She glanced over to see it was the Doctor holding onto her arm. His hand dropped down to grip her hand tightly as he stared hard at all of those coming towards them.

"Don't let them touch you," the Doctor said calmly as he had her, Rose, and Jack slowly back away from the advancing crowd of gas-masked people slowly shuffling towards them.

"Why?" Jack asked, seeming unsure as to why they should be afraid of these people.

"'Cause they'll make you one of them," Rose said, making Jack stiffen a bit in alarm. Madison's grip on the Doctor's hand tightened as she shivered from the overwhelming sense to run and hide. But she squared herself up, ready to face whatever was happening. She knew she needed to be strong. For Rose. For the Doctor. She needed to protect them. Jack, too, for that matter. Because no one deserved this sort of fate. To become something empty was . . . unthinkable. She blinked then, taken back and alarmed when seeing the Doctor take a big step forward and let go of her hand as he did.

"Doctor, don't," she tried warning him, wanting him close by so she could be the first to take on whatever it was that the gas-masked people wanted to do to them. But he surprised her greatly by what he said next.

"Go to your room," he said crossly, staring evenly and with a heavy frown at the people around them. All those slowly advancing towards them stopped, pausing in step. "Go to your room." He said this a bit louder, much more strict and angry in tone now. They watched as those with gas masks tilted their heads to the side as though confused. "I mean it. I'm very, very angry with you. I'm very, very cross. Go to your room!" He threw up a hand, pointing towards the ceiling as though their 'room' would be somewhere up there.

Madison blinked, completely dumbfounded as she watched all those with gas masks slowly walk away from them, heading back towards the hospital cots to lay down again. All with their heads bowed as though sad in having been told off by a parent. She looked at the Doctor in amazement, brows arched high in disbelief as she saw his bright grin.

"I'm really glad that worked. Those would have been terrible last words," he said as he glanced between those standing behind him. Madison couldn't help but laugh aloud, chortling and shaking her head.

"You're completely mad, you know that?" she said to him.

"Yeah, of course, I know that. I thought that was obvious," he replied smoothly, smirking at her playfully.

"Good thing I like them a bit crazy," she joked, giving him a wink and smiling as she saw him grin rather proudly, appearing pleased by her comment as he chuckled.

"Oh, I like them a bit mad, too." The Doctor winked at her then.

"You two normally flirt in the face of danger?" Jack suddenly spoke up, seen raising a brow at the two of them and smirking lightly. "Not that I'm complaining."

"Oh, it's always like this between the two of them. It's never-ending," Rose said as she walked away to sit down in an empty chair. Madison felt her face heating up, embarrassed for blatantly flirting again. She really needed to learn to keep her mouth shut. She did not want to cause a problem by showing her affection toward the Doctor. Glancing at him, she worried for a moment about him being annoyed but found him simply throwing Jack and Rose a look before walking away to stand in the centre of the room. Jack went over to the remaining desk in the middle of the room, sitting in the chair and kicking up his feet. Madison simply stood there in the corner of the room, farthest away from those laying in the hospital beds. Her instincts were still on high alert and she really did not feel comfortable being anywhere near them.

"So Rose mentioned a child," Madison spoke up then, wanting to bring back the focus on the empty people instead. "The child I went after was wearing a gas mask as well. Could it possibly be the same child?"

"Could be, yeah," the Doctor said, turning to her now as his brow furrowed. "You didn't touch him, did you?"

"No, I never even got close," Madison assured him.

"They're not wearing gas masks, though," Jack spoke up then. "Those masks are flesh and bone." Frowning, Madison has to suppress the shiver that wanted to go through her. The idea of transforming one's face into a gas mask . . . was horrendous.

"How was your con supposed to work?" the Doctor asked suddenly, turning his sharp eyes onto Jack.

The con man frowned at the Doctor, saying, "Well, Madison already pointed out what was supposed to happen." Jack then looked curiously at Madison. "Do you prefer 'Madison' or can I call you 'Maddie'?" He grinned brightly at her then. "'Cause I like Maddie."

"Let's debate nicknames after we've solved this problem, shall we?" Madison replied, not liking how Jack seemed to want to avoid the question.

"I want to hear it from you. How was it supposed to work?" the Doctor repeated firmly.

Jack shrugged, leaning back into his chair and propped his feet up onto the desk, looking completely relaxed and laid back. "Simple enough, really. Find some harmless piece of space junk, let the nearest Time Agent track it back to Earth, convince him it's valuable and name a price. When he's put fifty percent upfront . . . oops! German bomb falls on it, destroys it forever. He never gets to see what he's paid for, never knows he's been had. I buy him a drink with his own money and we discuss dumb luck. The perfect self-cleaning con."

"The London Blitz is great for self-cleaners," Jack continued on, smiling away with ease, seeming impressed by his own creativity to swindle people. "Pompeii's nice if you want to make a vacation of it, though. But you've got to set your alarm for Volcano Day." He began to laugh then at his own distasteful humour. Madison had enough of it as she stormed over and pushed his feet off of the desk in front of him. Jack wavered in the chair, startled by the sudden loss of support and almost fell out of the chair. He blinked as Madison stood in front of him fuming.

"Excuse me. This is not, or shall it ever be, a time for laughs and jokes at the expense of those suffering," Madison barked at him, pointing a stern finger at him. "You may think that this is some sort of game, but time travel is not to be used as a tool for one's own selfish advantage."

"Oh, come on, that's why anyone ever uses time travel," Jack argued defensively. "You may think you're travelling around as some high and mighty gal, but even you got your own selfish reason to travel. You're probably using it as some sort of escape, yeah?"

"Maybe I am, but at least I'm not using moments of hardships like it's some sort of playground for entertainment," she rebutted crossly.

Jack rolled his eyes. "It's not like I'm causing any harm. People were always going to die here. There's nothing I can do about it."

Madison crossed her arms tightly as she narrowed her eyes. "Does that give you a right to use it as an excuse for your own greed? No, it doesn't. As I told you back on your ship, moments in time such as the Blitz should, and always be, respected by us. Not to be used as a mere conduit for immoral foolishness."

"Besides, you're doing plenty of harm here," the Doctor spoke up then, catching Madison's eye as she saw him giving her a look of approval before glaring heatedly at Jack. "Take a look around the room. This is what your piece of harmless space junk did."

"It was a burnt-out medical transporter, it was empty," Jack argued once more.

Madison shook her head, having enough of this. There was no getting to this man without hard evidence. She knew this. And how he seemed to treat this period in time only made her sick. At this point, she wanted to be far away from this man and be somewhere she could cool off. She felt rather heated from his distasteful laugh earlier. So, she turned and walked out of the ward, wanting to simply gain some time to herself. She only made it a short distance down the hallway and around the corner when she heard the doors opening from the ward and quick footsteps making their way towards her. She paused briefly to look over her shoulder to see it was the Doctor coming toward her. She kept moving after this, knowing he would catch up with her. Eventually, she felt him walking beside her at an even pace with her brisk stride.

"We need to head up to the top floor," he said quietly. She nodded, changing a bit in her direction down the hallway to head towards the stairwell. Once she got to the stairs, she made her way in quick stride up the steps.

"So . . . do you wanna talk about where you are during this year?" the Doctor suddenly asked her, jolting Madison out of her stupor. She flattered for a moment while walking but pressed on to keep marching up the stairs.

"What makes you ask that?" she questioned him carefully.

"Just the way you reacted back there. You were upset by what he was saying . . . more than just because of him not treating time travel right." The Doctor gave her a side glance. "Offer still stands. Better hurry, though, in case we get interrupted."

"No," she answered quickly, not meaning for her tone to be rather curt as she spoke. But the idea of talking about this decade . . .

"It might help if you talk about it," the Doctor said, offering an opening for her to discuss how she was feeling. She could tell he wanted for her to vent, but . . .

"I don't feel like discussing this right now," she muttered, staring at the floor in shame. Feeling eyes on her, she lifted her gaze up, seeing the Doctor gazing at her in that studying manner of his. Averting her eyes, she let out a solemn sigh. "This decade . . . is something I wish I could forget about. I'm sure there are times you wish you could forget as well."

"Yeah, I do . . . Though I know what it's like keeping it all bottled up, too. It's not exactly healthy. You should talk about it. I got two big ears ready to listen."

She could practically hear the bright grin she knew he must have at this point. She looked back at him, raising a brow. "You expect me to open up so easily yet you're allowed to remain in the shadows just like that? How exactly is that fair?"

"It's not," he answered steadily, all playfulness leaving him then as he had a grievous manner about him now. "I'm only offering for you to talk about it because I know what happens when you hold things in for centuries on end. It becomes a festering wound that won't ever heal. Might even be stuck never being able to bring it up 'cause you don't know how to open up anymore." He looked away from her then, giving a slight shrug. "Just giving you an opening to talk if you want. You don't have to if you don't want to."

She could only gaze at him for a moment as they walked slowly down a dark hallway of the hospital. As they passed by a large window, a beam of moonlight fell across his face. The way his eyes gazed ahead, weary and ancient in how they appeared, with such a soft sadness behind them. It was then that she was reminded of just how old he truly was. She realised she would forget from time to time as he would act so young in moments, so lighthearted and energetic. Only for the moment to pass to show his true age and the hardships that he had faced. Hardships that have weighed him down over and over again. Like that of an eternal who had lived through a multitude of millennia. Turning her gaze away from him, a small breath left her as she realised that in the wisdom he had gained in his age, he was merely trying to give her advice to help her. She knew it was sound advice. It was merely . . . challenging for her to talk about it. Finally, though, she gave in.

She grabbed his hand then, pulling him forward down the hallway and guiding him into an empty office. The place was still, untouched. The room was small, cramped from the desk, chairs, and filing cabinets. It was obvious this room had once been for storage but then had been turned into someone's workspace. She closed the door behind them as they entered, not wanting Rose or Jack to overhear their conversation. As Madison leaned back against the foggy glass door, she lifted her gaze to the Doctor, seeing how he was standing there, patiently waiting for her to speak.

"I . . . I was in Poland when the war started. It was the first time I'd been back in Europe after my parents died. I'd wanted to get out of the hardships from the States . . . but then I just wound up finding even more," she said quietly. She could practically feel him suddenly tense. She looked at him then, seeing the genuinely surprised expression. It was obvious he had not been expecting that.

"You were in Poland?" he asked in shock. His brows furrowed as he stared at her, a look of concern crossing his face. "Where at?"

"Warsaw." She saw a slight gaze of horror from him. She knew where his thoughts were going as his eyes subtly moved towards her covered arms. "I got out before the worst part of it," she assured him. "A family I was staying with, we escaped at the beginning of it all, during the chaos that was the invasion. We went to Romania . . . then after the conflict came from there, only the children and I were able to escape to Greece. Then I had to escape the next invasion into the Mediterranean Sea after . . . after I'd lost the children. Had to swim all the way to Tunisia and from there I hitched a ride to London with the military."

Her voice kept trailing off as she spoke. Her heart sank as she remembered the day she lost the children. She had promised their parents she would keep them safe, no matter what. Just like she promised to Jackie. But, like always, no matter how hard she tried to make promises . . . it was as though the universe never allowed her to keep them. In fact, as time wore on with their travels, it had been something she had become more and more fearful of. Fearing that Rose would just be another promise broken. Madison didn't want that. After all the oaths she had given, Rose was the one she wanted to fight with all her might to keep. To make up for everything she had ruined in the past.

"It's not your fault," said the Doctor, his voice quiet as she felt him staring steadily at her. She raised her eyes to meet his. "Whatever happened to that family, to those kids, it wasn't your fault."

"I can keep telling myself all day that it's not, but it still doesn't mean that the pain will go away," she replied back softly, already regretting telling him this as she felt hot tears coming forth. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing for the tears to go away. But she felt them escape anyway, running down her cheeks. She stiffened as she felt his hand rest against her cheek in a comforting caress. His thumb wiped away her stray tears.

"I know," she heard him saying, voice barely above a whisper. "The pain never stops. All we can do is move on, try to help others, to make up for our mistakes, hoping that eventually, we can forgive ourselves for those we've let down. Just keep moving, keep helping . . . and keep trying to forget the ones we couldn't save." She opened her eyes then, seeing how he stared at her with such empathy in his eyes. She felt her resolve break as she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hold. His arms curled around her then, pulling her hard against him. His hand came up and began petting her hair gently.

"Those children . . . I swore to their parents I'd keep them safe. But I failed them." She buried her head into the crook of his shoulder, hiding her face as more tears escaped her, her voice thick now from them. "I'm sorry I upset you by wandering off. But I just . . . I didn't want Rose to get hurt. I have to keep my promise."

"You didn't make me upset. And you don't have to do this alone. We'll keep her safe, together. That's my promise to you." He stepped back from her then, giving her an encouraging grin and nodding towards the door. "Come on. Let's go." He kept his hand entwined with hers as they walked back out the door and made their way towards the stairs. Climbing higher up the building, she kept glancing at their hands, feeling warmth spreading through her in having been able to open up about her past. Though it hurt remembering painful memories . . . it was nice to be able to finally share with someone the hardships she had faced.

---

I hope the chapter was good. If so, please let me know in a review. It always brings me so much joy when seeing what everyone has to say.

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