I know I've said this a thousand times, but thank you all for the support with this story. It's so awesome getting to see what everyone has to say after each chapter.
Doing something a little different with this chapter. So enjoy!
Chapter 19
Once they were back in the TARDIS, the Doctor sort of allowed Margaret to admire his ship for some time. Apparently, she was very much impressed by the TARDIS and what the ship had to hold. Though the Doctor kept up a good facade of pretending not to care she went on about the TARDIS. Even if Madison did catch a small, quick smirk of pride coming from him at one brief moment. Then he was back to expressionless and stoic as Margaret brought up her execution again. She taunted them all, pointing out to them that they would be her 'executioners' for taking her back to her homeworld.
"You deserve it," Mickey retorted, keeping his arms tightly crossed and hard eyes on the woman.
"You're very quick to say so. And you're very quick to soak your hands in my blood. Which makes you better than me how, exactly?" Margaret countered swiftly.
"Because, unlike you, it is not a choice of attaining anything for ourselves or that of taking the life of an innocent. You've chosen your path in life and have killed countless lives with a cold heart. Accept that what you have dealt is now coming back for you in return. Understand that nothing goes unpunished and the universe demands repayment for your crimes," Madison spoke up then, knowing what the woman was trying to do. Many have done similar before in the past when escorting them to the gallows. It was always the same tactic. Make the person leading them to their punishment question the morality of it all. She hated it every time. Always it would twist her heart and make her feel their own pain in knowing they must face their death.
"And having me killed is the answer, hmm? What gives you the right to decide that?" Margaret replied, staring hard at Madison now.
Madison shook her head slowly. "We're not deciding anything. We're mere tools to be used by the universe. If we're conduits to take you where you're meant to be . . . then so be it."
"And that's to my death?"
"If it must be . . . then yes. We all have to face what crimes we've committed one day. There's always a price to pay."
"You talk as if you have experience with such things. Tell me, have you killed before?" Seeing how Madison did not answer her, Margaret lifted a brow and began smirking. "You're so willing to go on about paying our dues, yet you yourself strut around freely. How can you be so demanding for justice on others when you yourself have refused to face your own punishment?"
Madison did not answer the woman as she did not know how to explain herself. She wanted to state that she had already faced her punishment a long time ago. But had she truly? She had always thought losing David, her parents, and all her friends had been the universe getting back at her for the things she had done. For she was not naive. Though she had played down what she had done when she had been a part of the gang back in the wild west, she knew what they had done had been wrong. It was still theft and taking from others. Even if the ones they took from were terrible, it wasn't right. There were other things she had done, too. Things she was not proud of. Then came the Halloway incident . . . Maybe her true punishment was still to come. Maybe Margaret was right and Madison had no right to say anything about the Slitheen's crimes. Then again, things that she had done paled in comparison to Margaret's entire planet destroying attempts and killing people to wear their skin like suits for disguise.
Madison ignored the rest of Margaret's taunts of 'looking her in the eye' and all that. Instead, she focused on helping Jack with the extrapolator hook up to the TARDIS. Well, at least, she sat beside him and did as he directed her. He had promised the Doctor that he could get the device connected to the TARDIS console and shave off time of the ship's refuelling process. Apparently, it would make it a much faster occurrence and they could be gone within twelve hours instead of twenty-four. She hoped so. She would hate to be stuck for an entire day with Margaret torturing them with her coming death. Again, Madison felt that twist in her gut and she wished she could be fine with handling such a thing. She wondered if the Doctor felt similar. He did not seem to mind the idea of taking someone to their execution . . . It was not his own judgement, after all. Just the law of Margaret's homeworld. He must have viewed it as him being an outsider and must accept differing justice systems than what he might have liked. But surely even he felt unease in the idea of returning Margaret back to such a fate.
"Maddie, do you wanna go have a drink with me and Mickey?" Rose suddenly asked.
"Huh?" Madison blinked as she looked away from where she was twisting two wires together that Jack had given her. She did not know how long it had been since her and Margaret's little 'discussion'. She glanced around the room, seeing how Margaret had placed herself in a dark corner away from everyone else. Jack was still near her on the grate floor, working away like before. The Doctor was standing at the console, fiddling with some controls and whatnot. Mickey was nowhere to be seen and Rose was currently poking her head into the ship from the door. When had those two taken off?
"I thought we could still go out for a drink. You know, have a bit of fun," Rose explained as she stepped into the TARDIS, grinning lightly. "I mean . . . if that's okay with you two." She glanced towards the Doctor and Jack, now seeming guilty in having suggested such a thing without inviting the others. But it was obvious why she excluded them. Someone had to stay around to guard Margaret. Preferably, in a team of two as it would be better in numbers against the Slitheen. Though it felt odd to Madison that Rose still wanted to go out and about after everything that's happened with Margaret.
"Yeah, go for it," Jack said, smiling at the two.
"Don't let us stop you," the Doctor agreed, absently glancing at the monitor on the console and not giving much attention to Rose or Madison.
Madison raised a brow at the two. "Are you certain?" It felt wrong to go out and have fun while the two were stuck in the ship on guard duty. Especially since it was supposed to be all of them going out and enjoying the night together. After all, that had been the original plan. She had wanted to have fun with everyone from her new family.
"Of course. Go on and have fun," the Doctor assured her, giving her a kind smile and nod. Seeing Madison hesitating, Rose walked over and helped her up from the floor.
"Come on. You don't get out enough and just relax. Time you do," Rose said firmly, grinning with her tongue in her teeth. Before Madison could protest, for she truly thought it was not appropriate for her to just go off into the night like this when there was so much work to be done and Margaret to keep an eye on, Rose had her out of the TARDIS and walking down the way.
"Where to, then?" Mickey said the moment the two of them met up with him. He had been waiting a few yards away from the TARDIS. Arms crossed and standing there at the ready.
"You mentioned a few bars around?" Rose offered, grinning away and pulling Madison along for their walk. The three of them made their way through the city then. With Rose and Mickey making jokes and laughing while Madison mostly smiled and listened to the two of them. It was nice listening to them talk about past fun they had together and being able to catch up with one another since Rose had been gone.
"So you two have been gone for a while," Mickey mentioned after a moment. He gave them both a side-eye, clearly trying to show that he was not too bothered by them being gone for so long without stopping by. Though it was obvious that he did care. "How come you haven't visited?"
"Been busy. But it hasn't been that long, has it? It's only been a month," Rose answered, not really paying attention to him as she looked around the line of bars they were coming up on.
"Rose, it's been a few months for Earth since we've left," Madison pointed out, earning a shocked expression from her friend. She then gave Mickey an apologetic smile. "The Doctor seems to have gotten it wrong again."
"You think he would've learned from the last time," Mickey tried joking lightly. Madison could tell that Mickey still was not too pleased with them missing so much time again. Rose especially seemed to now be anxious as she nervously pulled out her mobile and glanced at her contacts.
"Mum must be furious. I'll have to give her a call," she sighed, typing on her phone.
"Call her later. I think you'll need a drink first," Mickey told her, smirking somewhat when seeing Rose's alarmed expression. "Yeah, you're gonna get an ear full." Rose gave an exasperated groan, leading to Mickey and Madison snickering and laughing.
Mickey was soon leading them into a bar that was decently crowded. It appeared to be a game night with groups of people cheering on what they were watching on the telly in the upper corner of the place. Madison felt uncomfortable almost immediately. Especially as she was bumped into by two people jostling about the place trying to get back to their tables with their drinks. Rose found them a small table soon after they got their drinks, leading to the three of them shuffling into the back corner of the bar. Eventually, after they all took long gulps from their drinks, Mickey was questioning them about their travels with the Doctor and the TARDIS. Madison let Rose do the talking, mostly, as the girl was rather excited about telling Mickey of all the worlds they had been to and the events they had seen. As time ticked by and Madison sipped at her drink, she looked up to see Mickey was gone. She glanced at Rose, seeing the girl snickering. Looking over, Madison could see that Rose's smirk was because Mickey had gone to get more drinks but had been sidetracked by a rather pretty girl chatting him up.
"Seems like he's rather pleased," Madison noted, smiling lightly as she took another sip from her drink.
"Glad someone is," Rose said, smiling lightly as she swirled her own drink around in its glass. She looked at Madison when seeing the woman wince when another loud cheer came from the group watching the telly. "You're not really enjoying yourself, are you?"
"No, not really," Madison admitted with a sigh. "Sorry. I'm such a stick in the mud, I know."
"No, you're fine. Not everyone likes to go to the bar. I know you by now. You're the type to stay at home and curl up with a book." Rose grinned lightly at her, teasingly sticking her tongue between her teeth.
"Eh, close. More like I would love sipping a good cuppa while watching Father of the Bride or Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory or The Thing."
"That is such a weird variety you like." Rose teased her.
"I like all sorts, Rose. Give me sappy love stories and chainsaws and I'm good." Madison winked with a grin, earning herself a laugh from the blonde. She glanced up briefly towards Madison then. It was obvious that the girl wanted to say something, but was nervous. Madison sat down her drink, turning towards the girl. "What's on your mind?"
"I was just . . . wondering . . ." Rose played a bit with her glass, seeming to try and think of her words carefully. "About what Margaret was saying . . . You haven't . . . You haven't actually killed anyone, have you?"
Immediately Madison felt her stomach twist as she tensed. Carefully she folded her hands together on the table as she kept her eyes on them. ". . . Why do you want to know?"
"I just . . ." Rose was more nervous now, biting her bottom lip. "I know what the Doctor has to do sometimes. So it's not really killing, is it? It's just stopping people when we have no choice, yeah? You've done that too, right?"
Seeing what Rose was really asking, Madison held a grim look as she stared at the girl. "Rose . . . no matter how you try to view it, it's still killing. Yes, we only resort to such matters because we must and those who mean harm leave us no choice. But bottom line, it's still taking another life. The Doctor knows this, as do I."
"But we're not killing just anyone. Only those who deserve it."
"And that kind of thinking can be just as dangerous as the Slitheen's. You start with one person who you think deserves it, then you jump to the next and the next and the next. Before long . . . one day you'll find yourself standing over the body of someone who got in between the cross hairs of you stopping the wicked. Or, even worse, you think you're about to stop the one you're after . . . only to find you've gone and killed someone who just happened to be there. Someone completely innocent." Madison stared at her hands, tightening them as she swallowed heavily. Painful memories came forth, lashing at her mind as they did. She could feel Rose's observant gaze on her.
"Then . . . Margaret's right. We really are just as bad as her."
Madison sighed, shaking her head. "No, the thing that separates us from Margaret is that she actively goes beyond what we do. She and her family would hunt for pleasure, killing innocent lives merely because they wished to, and would destroy entire worlds for greed . . . But are we better than her? No, not really. We still take a life. That's still wrong in its own right." Madison raised her eyes, staring at the girl with a sombre gaze. "Listen, Rose . . . I've lived the life of a criminal before. Like Margaret, I had a family I would do anything for. Things that I've later realised were not the best of intentions."
"But you said you only stole from those who deserved it."
"Who am I to judge who does or doesn't deserve it? It's a naive mindset of mine . . . that, honestly, I'm still working on. Because I know that I'm just trying to tell myself that sometimes to make me feel not as guilty about it." Madison let out a soft, bitter laugh. "Some days I'm rather good at convincing myself that I'm a good person."
Rose reached over, placing a hand on top of Madison's. "You are a good person. You and the Doctor and Jack. You're just . . . people who get lost sometimes." The girl then gave a kind smile. "Don't beat yourself up so hard. And if you think you might come talk to me. I'll set you straight."
Seeing such kindness from the girl, Madison felt her heart swell and her eyes grow teary. She looked away, still feeling ashamed of her past, but just glad to have found a new friend to confide in. "Thank you," she whispered as Rose patted her hands again.
Rose changed the conversation then, deciding to discuss things more in a lightened mood and to focus on the positive. Such as the Doctor and Madison's change in their relationship. Madison felt rather embarrassed by the way Rose wanted to go on about it. It seemed Rose was more excited about it all than even Madison felt. She let the girl go on, mostly smiling and laughing at the jokes Rose would make. At one point, someone bumped into Madison from behind, making her spill her drink a bit. She glanced around, realising that the bar was becoming extremely crowded by now. She winced as a roar of cheering came from everyone as whatever they were watching seemed rather exciting.
"Do you just want to go?" Rose asked.
"Yes, please," Madison sighed, pushing her drink away. Seeing Rose's disappointed expression, Madison quickly put on a smile. "You don't have to go. I'll just head back to the TARDIS. You keep having fun."
"Are you sure?" Rose glanced around when spotting a rather attractive male chatting at the bar.
Madison smiled lightly. "I'm positive. Enjoy yourself. Though not too much. Please be careful."
"Yeah, of course." Rose gave a bright smile as she stood up and went over to greet the male she had her eyes on.
Getting up from the table, it was a careful way of moving through the bustling and buzzing crowd of people before Madison managed to get outside. She breathed a sigh of relief as there were few people out around the sidewalks. Finally, she could have space to think and walk. Though now, with the sun being down and the night settling, she wished she had brought a jacket along with her. Though Mer can withstand cold well, it still did not mean that she did not experience goosebumps and shivering from the wind blowing in. So, hugging herself to keep from feeling the bitter bay wind, she marched along quickly to get back to the TARDIS. She made it down into a boardwalk section below most of the bars and shops, nearest to the water of the bay as she tried avoiding the busier nightlife when a man came hurriedly by her and dumped right into her.
"Maddie! There you are!"
"Huh?" She blinked in surprise as she came face-to-face with a tall, skinny man with messy brown hair, deep brown eyes, a neat pinstripe brown suit with a necktie, and a tan overcoat that reached almost to his ankles. She could see smile lines around his eyes, though his expression was nothing but urgent at the moment.
"What did I say about wandering? Didn't you listen? You know where we're at. Last thing we need right now is a paradox with the Rift about to fracture," the man practically scolded her. He ignored the puzzled expression Madison gave him as he glanced down at a strange device in his hand. It was currently beeping like mad and had a whirling bit at the end that was spinning like crazy. "We don't have much time. If that bounty hunter is where I think they are, then we better hurry. They'll run right into Big Ears and Margaret and that won't be good." He grabbed her hand then, gripping it tightly. "Come on!"
"Bounty hunter?" she asked, tilting her head curiously as he pulled her along in his brisk stride down the walkway.
"Yep, a shapeshifting one. The one sent after Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen. Aka, Margaret Blaine. But she's supposed to be with the others, so we have to stop the shapeshifter before they've killed her. Didn't you pay attention when I told you all this?" He spoke rather rapidly and without looking away from the device in his hand.
"I'm afraid I wasn't present," she informed him, raising a brow as she stared at him.
It was strange, this man showing up as he did. The way he talked and acted felt both bizarre, yet oddly familiar at the same time. Had she met him before? She couldn't recall the face, though he seemed well acquainted with her. Then he knew quite a bit about Margaret and the Doctor it seemed just by the way he talked of them just now. Which only meant one thing. He was someone from her future. Possibly travelling with the Doctor, Rose, Jack, and her. He even called the Doctor 'Big Ears'. He must have picked that up from Jack. But if he was from her future, and he was here and now, that must mean the Doctor from the future was wandering around as well. She wondered if the Doctor came across the information of a bounty hunter after Margaret and was crossing his own timeline to put an end to it. Or, better yet, maybe the Doctor sent this man and her off on a mission since it would be crossing his own timeline and that would lead to dangerous consequences if he met up with himself. That would make more sense, honestly.
"You're normally better at listening than this," the man said, giving her a quick inquisitive glance.
"I do have my moments from time to time."
He let out a breath. "Don't I know it."
She raised both brows now. "That was rather rude just now."
"Oh, but you like the rude." He grinned lightly at her now. His brown eyes lit up mischievously.
Madison found herself starting to smile. "Can't say that I'm completely against it per say." She glanced down at their hands then. Finally noticing how tightly they were entwined, she had a sudden feeling cross over her. As if she were doing something wrong, something she was not supposed to be doing at all. She also felt wary, even a bit frightened, in just how . . . comforting his touch was. As though she were always meant to hold hands with him. Only David and the Doctor's touch had ever felt like that. Who was this man exactly?
Beginning to feel wary and uneasy with this man, she swiftly pulled her hand out of his. This action stopped him in his tracks, turning to give her a confused, yet hurt, expression. "What's wrong?" he questioned.
"I don't think you've quite realised who I am at the moment," Madison said carefully, hoping for this man to understand that he had the wrong woman with him. As he just stared at her, she felt that he was missing what she was hinting at. "Look at my clothes. They're not exactly what you must have seen me wearing earlier. Unless . . . maybe they are, then that just means I have terrible luck."
He blinked for only a second before there was a sudden shift in him. One that she had not been expecting. She thought he would be stunned to realise that she was the wrong Madison. Instead, his expression grew angry, with a vicious storm brewing in his eyes making the colour of them appear much darker than before. He did not glare, keeping a steady gaze on her. But it was piercing in how it was. It took her back, making her realise that this man was not someone to anger as he waved his device in front of her. It beeped loudly before he placed it away into one of his pockets. His eyes never left her as he did this.
"I know what you are and who you're here for. Frankly, I don't really care why. All I care about is you not causing massive damage to someone's chances at a new life. Now, I consider myself a reasonable man. Far more reasonable than I should be, but that's a topic for another day." He took a step towards her, towering over her. "But if you stand here and think you can harm my friends, particularly someone who is very precious to me, then you have another thing coming."
She raised a brow, trying her best not to let the dark look of his make her back down from him. "What exactly are you going on about?"
"What have you done to my friend? Where's Madison?" he demanded, raising his voice somewhat now.
Thinking carefully, it dawned on her who he thought she was. She let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. "If you're thinking I'm the shapeshifter you're after, I'm afraid you're very mistaken."
"Oh, you can pretend to be Madison all you like, but the truth's out now. You can't hide anymore."
Again, she rolled her eyes. "If I was the shapeshifter, why would I go to tell you that, hmm?"
He narrowed his eyes. "Don't try to talk your way out of this. I know what you are. You can't hide from me anymore." He pulled out his device again, waving it mockingly around. "This thing tells me exactly what your genetic cellular makeup is. You've got all these little cells in you able to shift around to anything you want. Including Madison. So you might as well change back now and face me in your true form."
Madison felt startled. That device could sense that she was Mer? She never knew her ability to switch back and forth was that of shapeshifting. Though, perhaps she should not feel too surprised as the Doctor had mentioned something such as that briefly when she finally showed him her Mer-form. However, that was not all that important at the moment as now she was faced with a difficult situation. Again, she was found out as Mer in a way she did not wish to be. She supposed that this was a sign that future her did not trust this man enough to tell him what she is. Or . . . it might actually be the moment he was meant to find out, now that she thought about it. Perhaps future her knew that this moment was meant to happen . . . because it already has for her. This only meant now that future her left her present self in a very uncomfortable position. Not intentionally, of course. But still . . . this was all entirely complicated.
"I'm . . . not certain if the Madison you know has ever had the chance to tell you this . . . but I'm not exactly human," she started off slowly, trying to be careful as she did not want to upset him further. "I'm . . . a different species. My kind is called Mer, and our one key trait is . . . the ability to change into a form that humans call 'mermaid'."
He was completely unphased by her words, only narrowing his eyes more. "You've tapped into core memories of hers, too?" He took a now threatening step towards her. "What've you done? Did you force the memories out of her? Where is she? What have you done with her?! Tell me!"
She refused to back down, crossing her arms tightly now as she stood her ground. "I'm telling you the truth. Whether you want to believe me or not, that's up to you. But if you allow yourself the moment to actually think carefully and not be so thick-headed, then you might realise that being here, at this moment, that I might possibly be Madison from the past and not the current one you know."
He let out a short laugh, smirking. "Nice try. But I know Madison, and you're not her."
Sighing, she felt a bit trapped now. Seems this future companion of the Doctor's was rather . . . stubborn. More than that, really, but she decided to be kind in her thoughts and words towards him. "If there's only one way to prove myself . . . then so be it." She stepped up quickly and reached for his head, pushing her fingers to his temple before he could react. She then swiftly, yet gently, let her memories flow through his mind. Allowing him to see everything that she had done just tonight and a few other key things to let him know who she was. When she tried to let go he hurriedly grabbed around her wrist to halt her. She feared of retaliation as that might not have been the wisest thing to do. Maybe he thought the shapeshifter would have done the same thing? But she was relieved when seeing his wide-eyed expression as he stared at her.
"Y-you're . . .," he cleared his throat, "you're . . . the Madison from tonight . . . Well, I mean . . ." He let go of her wrist, rubbing at his earlobe nervously now. ". . . the one with Big Ears. Not–not the one who had been with me."
"Now you're getting it. Not so thick-headed after all," she teased him lightly, smirking somewhat as it was humorous seeing his embarrassed expression.
Then his demeanour shifted into that of shame. "So . . . you have absolutely no idea who I am, do you?"
"None at all, I'm afraid."
"Ah . . . That—that's, ah, erm, rather embarrassing. I gave an awful first impression of myself just then." He laughed nervously.
"Not at all." She gave him a kind smile, that of understanding. "I'm actually rather flattered that you care for me so much. Future me is lucky to have you around." Saying this seemed to make him feel better as his face brightened with a smile.
"You think so?"
"I'm fairly certain, yes."
His face lit up even more. "Brilliant!"
She giggled at his beaming grin. Then, she was giving him a curious gaze. "I'm surprised you believed me so quickly with my telepathy. I was nervous for a moment that maybe the shapeshifter was also a telepath."
"Even if they were, I know the feeling of your mind. It's very unique."
"Oh . . ." This surprised her. She showed him her telepathic abilities? She must have for him to have known what her mind feels like. Which was an odd thought to have, knowing that she will do something that she hasn't done yet. Time travel really was so troublesome. "Well, then, I'll have to thank my future self for getting you used to my telepathic nature. Though I do apologise for thrusting that upon you tonight without a warning. I hope I didn't hurt you."
"No, no, you're fine. You're brilliant, in fact." He was beaming again. "You figured out right away that I'm someone from your future?" Seeing her nod, he appeared to puff up with pride. "Oh, you're clever. Have I ever mentioned that before? Because you are amazing!" He was suddenly hugging her then, making her laugh. He stepped back again, appearing more serious now. "We really, really shouldn't be meeting each other like this. Though, then again . . ."He was rubbing at his ear once more. "You did tell me that you had an encounter with me once so . . . not going against too many rules, I think." He dropped his arm, looking her up and down with a smile. "Hello, I'm . . . well, I can't really tell you, but, oh, it's so very nice to meet you."
Madison gave him a kind smile. "It's very nice to meet you as well. It's unfortunate that I can't ask you your name, but I understand." Growing more concerned now, she gave a small frown. "We should probably get going. There's still that shapeshifter out and about, correct? The Doctor and Margaret might both be in trouble."
He frowned then. "Right. I don't know how much time I have left." He started backing away. "It was wonderful running into you. Oh, so wonderful. But I have to go."
She took a step to follow. "Don't you need help?"
"No, no, no, no." He held up his hand, stopping her. "Bad idea. Paradox just waiting to happen. If you come across your future self . . . well, we don't really want a repeat of the Reapers do we?"
"No, I suppose we don't. But you need help. What if my future self has been captured by the shapeshifter?"
"Or you could have stayed away from here knowing that I was going to meet you."
"Right. Good point." Still, she didn't like the idea of just departing from him. She must have run into him for a reason. "Still though, you'll need help. The Doctor isn't too far. He would know what to do."
"Not really a good idea, either. I know for a fact that he doesn't know I'm here. I can't go changing time around like that. Well, not on purpose."
Shaking her head, she gave him a firm stare. "Don't be so stubborn. You need help. Bottom line."
He grew a warm smile, his eyes staring softly at her. "You're always so willing to help me no matter what, aren't you?" Then he was firm again. "No, you need to stay here. No matter what, just stay away. Trust me, it's for the best." He stepped towards her again, gently placing his hands on her arms as he gazed into her eyes. "Promise me you'll stay?"
She let out a frustrated sigh but nodded all the same. "All right, fine. I'll stay." She then pointed a stern finger at him. "But if you need help, at all, paradox or not, you come back to me or go to the Doctor. No if, ands, or buts about it, mister."
He gave her his brightest smile yet. "Yes, ma'am."
He suddenly kissed her forehead, stunning her. She did not even get time to register how to respond as he took off and was disappearing down the boardwalk, turning a corner and going out of sight in a blink, his coat swishing and flapping as he ran. Madison stood there then, frozen in place as she felt somewhat in a stupor. Her heart was beating away, fluttering more like it, and her stomach doing twists. Her body obviously seemed to have enjoyed the brief encounter with this man. On the other hand, she felt horrified. How could she react like that with a stranger? Especially since she was happily with the Doctor. Why was she feeling this way? Guilt hit her with a force and she hurriedly turned tail and walked away from the area. This shouldn't be happening. Why was she feeling such things with some complete stranger? And so quickly, too. It wasn't right, and she felt that she needed to be cautious in the future around this man. It wouldn't do to let him get in between her and the Doctor in time to come. She truly hoped that this was just something in passing and nothing more. Good lord, she hoped this would be nothing more.
She sped up her pace as she made her way toward the TARDIS. Fighting against any thoughts of that strange man she had just met, she decided to pretend the whole encounter never happened. It was best that way. So she wouldn't create a paradox of some sort if she mentioned him before the Doctor and the others had a chance to meet him. Though . . . maybe she should warn the Doctor that there would be another companion joining them in the future. Just so he was aware. It wouldn't be right if she kept important secrets from him. But no one else would know. She would make certain of that. Best leave it to happen naturally.
She came up to the ship and quickly let herself in. She was greeted by Jack still working on the console with the extrapolator. He looked up and smiled at her the moment he heard the door closing behind her.
"Still working at it I see," she commented as she walked up the steps towards him. "Need any help?"
"Always happy for some help," he answered, patting the floor beside him for her to sit and join him. "Though, weren't you having fun with Rose and Mickey?"
"It . . . was a bit too much fun for me," she told him truthfully. She glanced around then, finally noticing the lack of a presence. "Where's the Doctor and Margaret?"
"They went out. Margaret wanted a 'last meal'."
"Oh . . ." She nodded, knowing that it was the last right for someone to meet their death. It was only right to give them that last comfort. "You don't think she'll be giving him too much trouble, do you? I know the Doctor can handle himself, but Margaret might just be a handful always trying to escape."
Jack started fiddling around with some wires again as he spoke. "Don't worry. I solved that by giving the Doctor some old handcuffs of mine. If she moves ten feet away from him, zap! She gets a nasty dose of ten thousand volts through her system."
"Well, that solves one issue, at least." She thought over all the ways Margaret would try to convince the Doctor to give her a second chance. Madison hoped it wouldn't bother the Doctor too much. She could only imagine what was being said. Sighing, she walked over and sat down beside Jack. She decided she needed to focus on something else, for now, help with the extrapolator (the best she could at least) and discuss what Jack thought of tonight's events. They started talking about a few things when suddenly, the console gave a spark. Jack blinked, looking puzzled.
"That's usually normal. At least, for the Doctor," Madison tried assuring him, becoming rather used to the sparks from the console whenever the Doctor fiddled with the wires and parts. Just as she finished her sentence, it sparked again. This time a bit bigger. The console then groaned as if pressure was being brought down on it.
"Not like that, it's not," Jack said, quickly standing up to get closer to the console.
Suddenly, and rather violently, the console burst with sporadic electrical sparks, fire shooting out from it, and the entire TARDIS became to shake and shudder. All the lights were flashing and a loud noise rang out from within the ship, reverberating through Madison's body. Jack shouted and backed away briefly, shielding his face, before rushing over to get the console to settle in some way. Though this appeared to be a fast-failing task as he couldn't reach the console without being electrocuted. Knowing things were heading towards a dangerous situation, Madison got up and rushed to the doors, stepping out to run to get the Doctor. Outside the ship, she was met with chaos. A massive beaming light, like lightning, was shooting up out of the top of the TARDIS and into the sky. There was some sort of disruption with the clouds and sky overhead, but she was more distracted by the entire world shaking from an enormous earthquake. People were running and screaming everywhere, trying to escape the chaos of buildings cracking and crumbling, lights bursting and breaking, and the ground itself breaking open. Within the mess, she spotted the Doctor and Margaret rushing towards the TARDIS. Madison took a step back into the ship, allowing the two to quickly get inside.
"What's happening?" Madison asked the Doctor immediately.
"The Rift. Time and space are ripping apart. The whole city's going to disappear," he answered quickly as he rushed over to the console. He glanced over to Jack then. "What've you done?"
"It just went crazy!" Jack replied as he backed away from a small burst of fire that flared towards him. More sparks and electricity continued to shoot out from the console, making both Jack and the Doctor jump away as they still tried to undo what was happening. Though Madison had no clue as to what exactly was happening. What was causing this? It had to be the extrapolator for it was brightly lit up and seemed to be the main contender for making the console go mad. Though it could have also been possible for the strange man from before to have caused something. Had the Doctor from the future accidentally caused a paradox again? But then this idea was dashed as she heard Jack stating that it was indeed the extrapolator. He explained what it was doing and the attempts he was making to undo the cause.
"What is it? What's happening?"
Madison looked over, seeing Rose and Mickey had arrived. The two were stumbling into the ship and towards the console. Each one of them with a panicked expression on their face. It was then Madison caught swift movement in the corner of her eye. She whipped around to see Margaret ripping off the human skin of her right hand, revealing her large green arm with sharp claws. Before Madison had time to react, Margaret had grabbed Rose around the neck and yanked the girl in front of her, pressing the blonde close to her body. Mickey shouted and went to fight Margaret, but the woman easily backhanded him with her other hand, making the young man fling back through the air and land harshly on the grated floor feet away from her and Rose.
"Rose!" Madison shouted, taking a step towards them.
"Let her go!" Mickey yelled as he stood up from the floor.
"One wrong move and she snaps like a promise," Margaret hissed, glaring at them all now as everyone made a move to get at her. All then froze as her clawed hand tightened around Rose's neck.
"I might have known," the Doctor said lowly as his gaze was set steadily on Margaret.
"I knew it. I knew we couldn't trust the likes of you," Mickey spat at Margaret.
"Let her go!" Madison shouted, anger building up as she feared the worst for her friend in the Slitheen's clutches. She wanted to act and fight off Margaret, but she knew that it would be dangerous to act too brashly here. Margaret could easily harm Rose greatly if she tried to intervene. Madison would have to think carefully about how to get Rose out of the Slitheen's clutches.
"I've had you bleating all night, poor baby. Now shut it," Margaret taunted the Doctor, keeping her gaze focused on him. Apparently, she took him as the true threat in the shaking console room. She tightened her clawed hand around Rose's throat as she glanced at Jack briefly. "You, fly boy. Put the extrapolator at my feet." When Jack didn't move, she jerked Rose closer to her body in a threatening gesture. Rose started gasping, struggling for breath as she had her hands on Margaret's arm, weakly trying to pull the Slitheen away from her.
"Stop!" Madison shouted, jerking to step forward but halting herself as she didn't want Margaret to hurt Rose further. "Just don't harm her and we'll do as you ask." She looked back towards the Doctor, desperate for him to think of something to save their friend. He looked at her briefly, seeing her terrified expression, before glancing at Jack and giving the man a small nod. Jack reached for the extrapolator that was resting on the console. The device was still brightly lit up, flashing its lights as Jack placed it on the grated floor in front of Margaret. The woman gave a mocking smile.
"Thank you," she said before glaring again at the Doctor. "Just as I planned."
"I thought you needed to blow up the nuclear power station," Rose said through gritted teeth, struggling to even speak up at all.
"Failing that, if I were to be arrested, then anyone capable of tracking me down would have considerable technology of their own. Therefore, they would be captivated by the extrapolator. Especially a magpie-mind like yours, Doctor," Margaret explained away easily. "So the extrapolator was programmed to go to Plan B. To lock on to the nearest alien power source and open the Rift. And what a power source it found." She gazed around the console room in admiration. "I'm back on schedule. Thanks to you." She gave the Doctor a sinister smile.
"The rift's gonna convulse, you'll destroy the whole planet," Jack replied back, glaring harshly at Margaret now.
"Which means nothing to her, unfortunately," Madison muttered.
"Quite right. And I'll have the immense satisfaction of it taking you lot along with it," Margaret responded, grinning now. She jerked Rose away from her body now though still keeping a death grip around Rose's neck. Slowly, she stepped onto the extrapolator. "While I ride this board over the crest of the inferno, all the way to freedom."
Madison ignored anything else that was said. The taunts from Margaret, the angry retorts from Mickey and Jack. Instead, all Madison focused on was the fact that Margaret now had herself in a vulnerable position. Having her arm held away from her left an opening. Though she still held onto Rose, Madison could see ways of getting the girl out of the Slitheen's grip safely. Especially since Margaret kept her focus mostly on the Doctor. So, subtly, Madison reached for a metal screwdriver that was laying on the console. She tightened her grip on it as she let her arm hang by her side. She waited as the TARDIS around them began to shake, knowing that this could be a moment for her to strike. If she could hit the weak point of Margaret's arm, her wrist, then maybe . . .
She never got a chance to act on her plan to save Rose. For at the moment she took a step forward, the TARDIS gave a shudder and the lights flashed greatly before a part of the console suddenly flung itself open. A bright, beautiful golden light suddenly shone on both Margaret and Rose. Margaret's eyes went wide, transfixed upon the light while Rose squinted her eyes shut from the intensity of it. Madison glanced towards the light as the section that opened was right beside her. She felt this strange tug go through her as if it were pulling her in. Especially when the gentle melody began echoing around the console room, coming from the light itself. Recognition went through her as she listened to the melody, yet she knew she had never heard such a thing in her life. Had she?
"Don't look," she heard the Doctor say quietly into her ear. She felt his firm hand on her shoulder. A warning to tear her gaze away. She did as she was told, quickly looking back at Margaret who appeared to be trying her best not to look at the light as well. The Doctor then stepped toward Margaret. "Of course, opening the Rift means you'll pull this ship apart."
"So sue me," retorted the Slitheen.
"It's not just any old power source. It's the TARDIS. My TARDIS. The best ship in the universe, " he continued to explain.
Margaret sneered. "It'll make wonderful scrap."
"What's that light?" Rose questioned, still squinting her eyes and having a hard time looking at anyone else.
"The heart of the TARDIS," the Doctor told them all. "This ship's alive. You've opened its soul." They watched as Margaret finally looked fully at the light source now.
"It's . . . so bright," she uttered. Suddenly, her face went blank as her eyes widened. Her grip around Rose loosened to the point of barely holding onto her. It was as though Margaret were becoming transfixed by the light. Madison could see her becoming hypnotised in a way. As the Doctor was encouraging Margaret to keep staring, Madison hurriedly went forward and pulled Rose out of the Slitheen's grip fully. Keeping Rose close to her side, Madison walked them both back towards where she had been standing by the console.
"Don't look at the light," she warned Rose quietly when seeing the girl try glancing towards the console. Rose nodded, gulping as she turned her attention back to Margaret, who seemed fully unaware of anything that was happening around her now. Her only focus was on the light. Then, her blank expression changed to that of pure happiness. She was smiling as she looked at the Doctor again.
"Thank you," she breathed before the light from the console seemed to engulf her. She was nothing more than golden light for a moment, then she was gone, with her human disguise flopping to the ground uselessly. The Doctor reacted fast then, instructing them all to not look at the light as he hurriedly closed up the console. The moment the light disappeared, so too did the beautiful melody. Madison felt herself twinge, like a sharp sting going through her. The lack of the melody felt awful, making her want to beg the Doctor (or even the TARDIS) to hear it again. But she pushed these thoughts and feelings away as she knew it must have just been an effect of the light source. Whatever power it held, it was truly something to behold. So, in keeping herself distracted, she followed what the Doctor was instructing them all to do. Undo what the extrapolator had done and fix the TARDIS. Eventually, things settled back to normal, the lights were all steady and the shaking stopped entirely. Mickey even poked his head out the doors and informed them that the rift was no longer being opened outside and everything looked to be peaceful.
"Nicely done. Thank you, all," the Doctor said to them as he stood away from the console and smiled.
"What happened to Margaret?" Rose asked suddenly.
"Yeah, did she teleport off again?" Mickey wondered aloud as he walked over to stand by Rose.
"Nah, must've got burned up. Carried out her own death sentence," Jack told them.
"And leave her human suit untouched?" Madison replied sceptically, raising a brow.
"No, I don't think she's dead," said the Doctor as he walked over to the human suit laying on the floor.
"Then where'd she go?" Rose questioned again.
"She looked into the heart of the TARDIS. Even I don't know how strong that is," the Doctor explained. "And the ship's telepathic, like I told you, Rose. Gets inside your head, translates alien languages. Maybe the raw energy can translate all sorts of thoughts." He crouched down, getting close to the empty suit. Everyone moved closer then to watch the Doctor grab around the suit. He smiled as he opened the suit and pulled out a large egg. An egg with strange tentacles on top and the size of an ostrich's. "Here she is," he said brightly.
"She's an egg?" Rose blurted out in confusion and disbelief.
"Regressed to her childhood," the Doctor confirmed.
"She's an egg?" Jack asked slowly.
"Now how the hell does that work?" Mickey added, seemingly in agreement of disbelief with Rose and Jack.
"Suppose this answers the age-old question: which came first, the Slitheen or the egg," Madison joked lightly, feeling similarly confused as the others, but deciding to just roll with it. She could ask the Doctor later how exactly this worked out.
The Doctor laughed, grinning at Madison for her joke. "Good one." He was then smiling at the egg once more. "She can start again. Live her life from scratch. If we take her home, give her to a different family, tell them to bring her up properly, she might be all right."
"Or she might be worse," Jack countered, appearing extremely sceptical about this plan.
"That's her choice," the Doctor concluded, moving the egg around his hands carefully.
"She's an egg," Rose muttered, shaking her head lightly.
"She's an egg," the Doctor said, grinning at them all now.
XxXxXxXxXx
Madison sat in the captain's chair, watching the Doctor and Jack finishing up patching the console back together properly. It was taking a while, but they both promised that once they were done the TARDIS could be off again. Opening the Rift apparently gave them that last bit of juice the ship needed to travel. Rose and Mickey were no longer in the console room, having decided to leave earlier. Mickey wanted to go home, done with today's excitement, and Rose wanted to go with him to the train station to see him off. Madison thought to go with them, but she decided, in the end, to let the two of them have their time together. They were two old friends who really needed to catch up without someone interfering.
She glanced again towards the console for the hundredth time that night, still in awe by Margaret transforming into an egg. The Doctor had placed the egg onto the console, letting it rest there peacefully and safe. Their first destination would be Raxacoricofallapatorius as the Doctor had explained, they needed to transport Margaret into the safety of a nursery back on her homeworld. It would be the only way to assure that Margaret got her second chance like she had been wanting. It was a nice thought, someone getting their second chance at life. Not many ever get the chance to do so. Especially not all the way from scratch. It was a chance of a lifetime, and Madison truly hoped that good would come of it. Truthfully, there was a part of her that was rather envious of Margaret being given such an opportunity. But, at the same time, Madison was happy that it had happened to someone who had been so lost in darkness. She only wished for the best for Margaret now.
However, this was not her sole concern. Now she started to wonder over the fate of the strange man she had met tonight. Of the task he had set out to accomplish and if he was okay. Madison wondered if future her had gotten to him in time to help him. She would have to think of a way for her future to ensure that she would know the right time to avoid him and her past self meeting, yet still, be there for him when he needed it. Worry went through her then as she began to doubt her ability to keep him safe and if she would even be good enough for what he needed. What if she failed entirely? Should she tell the Doctor now and see if they should go and help the man out in stopping the shapeshifter? She glanced towards the Doctor, seeing him still happily working around the console. Movement caught her gaze then, directly her eyes towards the monitor on the console. She blinked, taken aback by the sight of the man from before. She could see him on the screen, which held a view from outside the TARDIS, sort of standing far away from the ship and near a building. The man had a steady gaze towards the ship. In fact, if she did not know any better, she would have thought that he was actually staring at her through the monitor. But this was impossible . . . wasn't it? She watched as the man gave this pointed look before slowly walking away and heading down an alleyway between two buildings, disappearing from the monitor's view.
"Where are you going?" the Doctor asked her as she stood up and walked to the door.
"Getting some fresh air. Might as well since Rose will be a while coming back," she replied, feeling guilty for lying to the Doctor, though she promised herself she would explain to him later what she was doing and why. She gave him a smile as he nodded.
"All right, then. But don't wander too far," he replied, giving her a stern finger of sorts though in good humour as he grinned slightly.
"You know me, I always wander back," she countered, smirking somewhat now. "Can't ever be away from you too long. You'd be lost without me around."
The Doctor threw back his head and laughed. "Ha! Says the woman who got caught by a barrage balloon."
Madison pouted then. "You're never gonna let me live that down are you?"
The Doctor gave her a sassy grin. "Never."
"Well, I suppose that's only fair. Though at least I don't get us lost all the time. Twelve months late, remember?"
"Oi! I got us back on schedule this time around."
"No, you haven't. We're behind again by two months." She watched as the Doctor frowned heavily and quickly went over to the monitor. He clicked away at the console while staring at the screen. He then pouted greatly at what he saw.
"I swore I'd . . .," he muttered briefly before pausing and glancing towards Madison. "This doesn't count against my driving skills."
"Oh, yeah, it does," Jack countered, laughing as the Doctor threw a ball of wire at him.
Madison snickered as she winked at the Doctor and walked out of the TARDIS. She made her way quickly towards where she had seen the skinny man disappear. She briefly glanced back at the TARDIS, nervous about the Doctor discovering what she was doing before she ducked into the alleyway.
"You know, it's really dangerous you showing up like this," Madison said as she walked down the alleyway. "You could cause a massive paradox, and I'd really like to avoid that, thank you."
"It's only a paradox if I'm seen by the Doctor," spoke up a male voice. Out stepped the man from around a corner, smiling softly at her. "I haven't been seen yet, so it looks like I'm in the clear."
"That's the key word there. 'Yet'." She walked towards him, crossing her arms as she stared warily at him. She was reminded again of that strange forehead kiss he had given her earlier, so she decided to keep her distance from him. "You really should get going. It's not safe you hanging around like this. I'm surprised the Doctor that's with you isn't pulling you back to the TARDIS yet."
"Ah . . . He–He'll probably let it slide. Just this once," responded the skinny man as he rubbed at his earlobe lightly. He cleared his throat then as he smiled brightly and placed his hands in his coat pockets. "I've actually been sent here by your future self. She said I needed to assure you that everything turned out fine. Said you'd be worried."
"Well, she's right. I was worried. I was actually just contemplating getting the Doctor to come get you a moment ago." Madison lowered her arms, sighing as she gave him a tentative smile. "I'm glad that you're safe."
The man smiled warmly, eyes shining with pride. "I'm always safe as long as I've got you around."
The way he stared at her made her feel greatly uncomfortable. Especially with how her stomach fluttered and her heart picked up in pace. She felt her face heating up as she cleared her throat. Again, guilt went through her. She shouldn't be experiencing this. Not with a man she had only just met. Not when she and the Doctor were only just starting their relationship. What was wrong with her?
"Sorry, I—I made you uncomfortable, haven't I?" He started rubbing the back of his neck.
"You can tell?" she asked him, now curious about how their friendship was in the future.
"Yeah, I've made you uncomfortable in the past. Especially when we'd first met. Plus . . . you're rather easy to read. You wear your emotions all over your face." He gave her a slight grin, his brown eyes sparkling with mischief as he placed his hands in his pockets once more. "It comes in handy from time to time . . . for certain things."
She didn't know how exactly to respond to that statement, so she chose to ignore it. "All right, well, I'm glad it comes in 'handy' for you." She sighed, growing nervous as she knew she needed to address the elephant in the room next. "You, kissing my forehead earlier, that was highly inappropriate I hope you know."
Blinking, the man sort of stared at her in shock before making a face of realisation. "Oh, I . . . I didn't mean to do that. That just . . . I don't realise I do that most of the time."
She nodded, starting to understand him better. He must be the overly affectionate type. This made sense now in why she felt so strange around him. She wasn't used to such affections so openly. At least, that was what she hoped the reason was in how she was feeling. Otherwise . . . "I would suggest you try to not do something like that in the future. I have a partner now, and I do not want to cause turmoil between you and him."
"Yep. Wouldn't want that, would we?" The man nodded slowly, looking like he was fighting a smile for some odd reason. Perhaps he was like Jack and enjoyed causing turmoil for the Doctor? He was clearing his throat then, taking a step back. "Well, then, I should get going. You're waiting on me right now." He pointed with his thumb over his shoulder.
"Of course," she replied with a nod, taking her own step back towards the current TARDIS. "Should I ask how I should handle this night in the future?"
"Just stay in the TARDIS. Everything works out on its own," he assured her, giving her a bright smile.
"Will do," she replied with a nod, beginning to walk away. She was halted when he spoke up again.
"One more thing, before you go . . . I just want to tell you, the day we'll meet, I know it'll be confusing and a hard day for you, but I promise, it'll be alright in the end. I won't let anything happen to you."
She swallowed heavily as he gave her such a gentle gaze as he spoke. She felt unable to say anything in return, so she simply nodded. She went to turn away but stopped short. Frowning thoughtfully, she turned back to face him. "Actually, I have one thing to ask you, if that's all right."
"Sure," he said as he turned to face her, hands in his pockets and looking more than pleased to speak with her.
"I normally don't believe in coincidences, so I know there was a reason you and I have met tonight. Especially after what I have realised earlier today," she began carefully, now feeling nervous about even bringing it up. She wondered if he would have anything to do with it, but . . . it never hurt to ask him. "Do you happen to know anything about the word 'Siren'?"
"'Siren'? No, no, I don't think I have." His response was sudden. His eyes went slightly wide before she could tell he was hurriedly covering up any sign of reaction to the word. He even started to fiddle with his earlobe again. Something that she was beginning to suspect was a nervous tick of sorts for him.
She laughed quietly under her breath, shaking her head. "You're just as bad of a liar as the Doctor."
This surprised him as he blinked at her. "Am I? How so?"
"It's all in the eyes. The eyes never lie."
He seemed to puff in defiance. "Oh, the eyes can definitely lie."
"Not yours, apparently." She laughed softly when seeing how he pouted. Then, she was steady once again. "Still . . . can you tell me anything about it? You must know something. Is it just a word or . . ."
He sighed, dropping his hand from his ear. ". . . I can't tell you. I'm sorry." He gazed at her, looking torn as if he wanted to say so much but was fighting with himself to remain silent.
Seeing the conflict he was having within himself, Madison walked over and took his free hand. "You don't have to tell me anything. Especially if it goes against the rules of time. But . . . I would like to know one thing." He continued to stare deeply into her eyes as she took in a steady breath. "Please, tell me, will the Doctor, Rose, and Jack be okay in the end of it all? I know the Doctor is with you now, so he can't be that bad off . . . but Rose and Jack, they're human and much more fragile. I worry about them."
"I know you do." He gave her hand a soft caress with his thumb. "But I can't tell you anything. Giving away any insight into the future can alter it. You know that."
"I know." She let out a long sigh, shaking her head and feeling rather idiotic of even asking. "Sorry, I suppose it was silly to ask."
"It's never silly to care for someone. Or to ask a question. Even if you know the answer might be 'no'." Frowning for a moment, he held her hand a bit tighter. "If there is one thing I can say . . . it'll be that the word 'Siren' isn't what it seems. You'll think it's one thing, but it's not. You'll be wrong." Their eyes met, making her stare into his deep brown eyes. Eyes that she was starting to realise appeared so . . . ancient. "Do you understand?"
A bit stunned at seeing how old his eyes were, she merely nodded as she gulped. Only the Doctor had eyes such as this. Was this man . . . like the Doctor? She gripped his hand somewhat harder, subtly moving her fingers around to feel for his wrist, for his pulse. She felt her breath catch as the double beat thumped against her fingers. She kept herself as calm as she could as they stepped back and let go of their hands.
He smiled at her then. "Good. I'm glad I could give you that message at least." He glanced over his shoulder suddenly, blinking for a moment before looking back and giving her a more sheepish smile. "Sorry, I have to go. But we'll be meeting each other soon. I promise."
"Okay," she breathed, still in a state of shock from feeling his heartbeat. She blinked out of her shock as he made a move to lean forward towards her, looking as though he were about to kiss her forehead again. She cleared her throat sternly, giving him a look.
"Sorry, I . . . Just a habit." He walked away from her in a backwards shuffle, sheepish again. "Until next time." He waved before quickly turning and rushing off at a fast gate. He was around the corner and gone before she could even blink.
So, thoughts? I hope the new bit was good. I thought I'd add in a little something new to this episode. I have plans for other episodes like this, adding in new bits and such. I hope it was good. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts on it. I'd love to hear from everyone.
Until next time!