Jay's eyes snapped open, her breath heaving in her chest as she shot upright. Her heart raced beneath her palm when she pressed it over her breast, trying to soothe it as the pins and needles entered her fingertips despite having recently had an attack. She swallowed thickly, shoving sweat-dampened hair out of her eyes, and threw her legs over the side of the bed.

The TARDIS's song filled her ears, a comfort, as she went to the bathroom and threw some water on her face before heading out of her room entirely, pausing to look back and study various souvenirs that now decorated it. There weren't many. Only some, but she loved them. It showed what a delight her life had become.

She passed down the TARDIS corridor, her thoughtful blue eyes studying the walls as she went. She didn't realize where she was going until she ducked into the control room, her gaze all ready seeking the occupant who was rarely anywhere else unless accompanying his companions, and she found him quietly seated on the other side of the console, working peacefully on something in his hands. A gadget of some sort, Jay mused.

She didn't realize he'd noticed her until she was striding around the console and he said, "You should be asleep. You've only been in your room for four hours. For some species, I suppose that would be enough. But not for you."

Jay rolled her eyes and she found herself dropping to sit beside him, peering curiously at the gadget he held. "Nightmare," she admitted. "Dreamt I was back in that cell, with the creature looking over me. It was hissing at me. Something about cycles. I'm not entirely sure. I think it mentioned them while I was actually in there." She shrugged and then let her eyes return to the gadget. "What is that supposed to be?"

"Body heat sensor," he said, glancing at her. "As well as a chocolate syrup dispenser."

She arched a brow. "And why on earth would you combine that?"

"It will make a nice gift," he replied as if it were obvious, making her grin. "Do you need anything to help you sleep? There's plenty of tea in the kitchen. The TARDIS can create something for you. Rose used to have a device she could turn on that would display the stars and galaxies around her room."

Jay eyed him out of the corner of her eye. She'd heard that name a few times. Once or twice it had been muttered in annoyance by Martha for some reason or another. A few, the Doctor had been murmuring something aloud to himself and would mention her, musing that she might know what to do in the situation they found themselves in.

"Doctor," she said, surprising herself with her boldness. "Who's Rose?"

The Doctor's jaw tightened as he contemplated whether or not to answer the question. Despite the time that had passed, the ache was still there. The loss. It hurt. Even with the happy moments now within reach, he could still picture the tearful woman standing before him on Dårlig Ulv Stranden in Norway. Finally, he sighed, "Rose was - is," he hastily corrected, " a friend of mine. Rose Tyler of the Powell Estate. She traveled with me for a few years. I lost her. To a parallel world. She's safe, alive, with her family and a friend, but she's gone. You would have liked her." He remembered the attitude she'd popped on him sometimes, when he was being what she considered stupid, and the empathy she felt towards those who didn't deserve it - even a Dalek.

Jay was quiet for a few minutes, and then said, "I think I would like anyone who is allowed in the TARDIS," she said.

He smiled to himself, pleased with the comment, and then winced when the gadget suddenly sparked. It singed at his fingers and he dropped it hastily, glaring when it smoked. Jay grimaced, and he huffed before telling her, "If you need something like the device Rose had, just let the TARDIS know. She'll set something up for you."

Jay nodded, sensing that he was dismissing her so that she could get the sleep she so desperately needed. And she was tired. She could barely keep her eyes open. "Can I sleep out here for this time?" she asked, gesturing to the captain's seat. It wasn't a very comfortable place to sleep, but she didn't want to be alone.

The Doctor nodded, warning, "I'm going to be working while you sleep. It won't be quiet."

"That's okay," she said and clambered to her feet. "Thank you." She brushed her sweatpants off, wondering what her mother would say if she saw the oversized T-shirt and baggy sweatpants she wore. Probably disown her for something like that. Her father would certainly disown her for being a disgrace to the family and wandering around carelessly as she had, "ruining the family name's reputation."

She made herself as comfortable as she could on the captain's seat, and smiled a little into her arm when the TARDIS hummed suddenly, music suddenly coming to life from a speaker on the console. The Doctor snorted softly, amused.

As Jay began to doze off, he glanced her way, thoughtful. The TARDIS seemed unusually attentive to her needs, nearly as attentive as she had been to Rose. Perhaps it was because of the poison?

Unsure, but not necessarily unhappy about it, the Doctor shrugged and went back to his gadget.


When Jay woke a second time, it was because a loud blaring sound had jolted her awake. She yelped, slamming her hands over her ears as she sat upright, staring at the Doctor as he raced around the console. She felt much better after her nap, although she couldn't say as to how long she'd been out this second time. Bewildered by the noise as the Doctor bellowed at the TARDIS to cut it out, she shouted over the alarms, "What on earth is going on?!"

"Alarms!" he cried as if she couldn't tell that much on her own. The Doctor typed furiously on something on the other side of the console before slamming a hand down as if that would help. In Jay's head, she heard the TARDIS singing sharply, as if scolding him for such an action. Controls began to move on their own, a lever flipping here, buttons pressing there, and one piece even rotating on its own, as if a ghost was steering the ship. Jay guessed it was just the TARDIS doing such things rather than a ghost when the ship didn't make a single sound of protest as it happened.

The familiar sound of the time machine moving roused Jay from her thoughts just as a sleepy Martha came stumbling out of the corridor, her dark eyes blinking blearily yet sharp with worry as the sirens continued to blare. "What," Martha said, lifting her voice to a shout to be heard over them, "is going on out here?!"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out!" the Doctor shouted back.

"Well, stop hitting her, that might help!" Jay cried, stumbling to her feet. She caught herself on the TARDIS console, yelping when it jerked, nearly sending she and the other two to the ground. The Doctor almost smacked his head on the console, and then ripped his hands away when it sparked. There was a brief moment in which Jay worried it might burst into flames.

But then everything went still and the Doctor, chest heaving as he fought to catch his breath, blinked before carefully running his fingers over the controls, pacing around to make sure everything was okay. Martha, clinging to one side of the door frame, said with a trembling voice, "What just happened?"

"She moved, didn't she," Jay guessed, "without you putting in coordinates. She took off by herself."

"Yes," he admitted, frowning, "but I don't know where." He spun the screen around above the console to see if the TARDIS would tell him, but the screen was useless and full of static. He tapped it a few times as if that would help and then gave up, spinning around on his heel. Pushing his hands into his pockets as Martha and Jay came to join him, he leaned back on the TARDIS console and said grimly, "I'd go and get dressed. The TARDIS brought us to wherever we are for a reason, and it's best to get on with it before she gets impatient. She gets cranky when she's impatient."

Martha snorted as she grabbed Jay's arm and tugged her in the direction of the TARDIS closet, muttering, "He talks as if the ship's a woman…"

"Well, she is alive," Jay replied firmly, not at all happy that Martha didn't seem to believe that. Jay scoffed softly when Martha only shook her head, but willingly let her friend lead her into the closet.

When they emerged, fully dressed and ready to, if the trip went as it usually did, run for their lives, the Doctor had donned his trench coat and was waiting at the doors. Both paused to stare in surprise; he rarely waited for them if they took longer than he did. Not unless it was a life or death situation; in that case, he was always one step behind them, ensuring they were safe before he was.

"Ready?" he questioned.

"Yes," Martha said confidently, winding her arm nervously through Jay's.

Together, they stepped outside. The Doctor led the way, pausing just inside the door to peek around before stepping aside to let the other two out. Jay and Martha looked around themselves when they'd stepped out, both caught by surprise. But while Martha's face filled with curiosity at the sight of the beautiful gardens with their overly green grass and endless rose bushes, Jay's filled with absolute horror.

When Jay turned to tug helplessly at the TARDIS door, locked behind her, she cursed herself for not bringing her TARDIS key along, having left it on her bedside table, just under the lamp. "Alright, Jay?" the Doctor asked, pausing when he saw the distress on her face.

She spun back around, forcing a smile to her face. "Yes, never better," she said hastily, clearly lying. But the Doctor said nothing about it, only placed a hand on the small of her back and nudging her forward. Jay stumbled, heart racing in her chest, but started forward, keeping a tight grip on Martha's arm.

"Where are we?" Martha asked, looking to the Time Lord for an explanation. "I mean, clearly some kind of garden, but where?"

Jay said nothing as the Doctor said slowly, "Earth. A few centuries into your future, if I"m not mistaken, which I never really am. Well," a pause as he considered this, "there have been a few times." He rubbed his hand through his hair awkwardly before hastily pointing out when Martha opened her mouth to question him further about the few times he had been wrong about location, "Look at those violets. Quite healthy for this time of year."

"Everything's quite healthy for the middle of November," Jay muttered, stopping beside a bench that lined the small white-bricked path they were following. This was new; someone had carved a recent date into it. She nodded to herself. "November twenty-seventh, in the year two thousand two hundred and sixty-three," she reported, making a face. Close to two months after her disappearance, although she said nothing of the sort to either of them.

"Hm," the Doctor merely hummed, peering around with thoughtful dark eyes. "Then I wonder what-" He was cut off with a yelp when something barreled into the back of his knees with a bark. He blinked up at them, breath driven from his chest, and Jay peered down at him.

"Alright?" Jay echoed, eyes sparkling with brief amusement.

Somewhat flustered, the Doctor popped back up to his feet. "Just fine," he muttered and then spun in a circle, trying to seeing what had knocked him flat on his back. Martha's chuckling caught his attention and he looked over, finding his companion squatting beside a massive black dog, whose tail was flying back and forth like the rudder of a motor boat.

"The Doctor, Time Lord from the planet of Gallifrey. He's faced down aliens of every kind, looked death in the eye and survived against all odds, but gets knocked askew by a dog," Martha mused, scratching the dog's ears.

The Doctor scowled at her, clearly not pleased that he was now being teased for what had happened, but was quickly distracted by the cries of a child. The dog perked its ears up and tore off for the voice, barking excitedly. Martha watched it go with disappointment, moving to stand beside Jay again.

"I liked him," Martha sighed. "Friendly, that one."

Jay patted her arm with a grin and then blinked when she saw a black shadow come racing back towards them. The dog nearly barreled into the Doctor again, and Jay had the distinct suspicion that the dog had considered doing it on purpose before it began to bound in circles around them, sliding into a bow before dancing away when Jay reached out to touch it. She snatched her hand back when its teeth suddenly clicked where her fingers had been, its eyes blazing with fury. The second Jay was away from the dog, however, it became friendly again, tail flying.

"Yeah," Jay muttered, somewhat hurt. "Friendly indeed."

"It must smell the poison," the Doctor suggested, crouching to ruffle the dog's ears himself. It groaned and leaned into his touch, seeming to enjoy it.

"J.J.!" the child suddenly called, voice closer. "J.J. get back here!"

Jay's face turned as white as a sheet and she grabbed Martha's arm, as if seeking something to ground herself. "Jay?" Martha demanded, immediately worried. "What's-"

Before she could finish questioning her, Jay was tearing off after the dog at full speed, not leaving so much as a word of explanation. The Doctor exchanged a puzzled look with Martha, then took off at a jog after the blonde, Martha hot on his heels.

Jay ran for what seemed like forever, although it really wasn't that far. And when she reached what she'd been so desperately looking for, she nearly fell to her knees, heart racing painfully in her chest. Pins and needles stabbed at her fingers and hands, but she didn't care.

A boy stood a few feet away, in the middle of the grass with his hands running through the black dog's fur. He was scolding the dog, warning him not to run off a third time, or they'd have to go home - by order of the woman watching nearby with sharp dark eyes. Jay knew her just as well as she knew the boy and it was the sight of that woman that made her recoil to hide behind some rose bushes, ignoring how the thorns raked across the skin of her arms and hands when she latched onto them, gasping softly for breath.

Martha and the Doctor caught up, barely out of breath, but still concerned. "Jay?" Martha demanded. "What's going on?"

"Lucas," Jay said in way of explanation, waving in the direction that she'd seen the boy.

Martha's eyes flew wide in recognition and the Doctor took on a similar look when it hit him, too.

"He's only nine. He's a good kid, even though he's been spoiled by our mother and father. He just got a dog, the day I left. He named the puppy after me. J.J. It's what he called me when he was too young to say my full name," Jay had told them as they'd rushed around trying to stop the bleeding in her wounds.

"Wait," Martha said breathlessly, her dark eyes flashing over to where the woman, Lucas, and the dog were. "That means we're in your time? Near your house?"

"One of them," Jay admitted. "I've only been to these gardens once. They're my mother's private gardens, a gift from my grandparents on my father's side when she married my father. She only let me into them because it was her thirty-fifth birthday. I was twelve." She raked a hand through her hair, shaken. "Why would the TARDIS bring us here?"

"Who's there?" Lucas's voice suddenly called nervously. They all stiffened, wondering what might happen to them if they were spotted. Jay bit her thumb nervously, so hard that her teeth broke through the skin and she bled. She was shivering violently, afraid of being dragged back home.

It appeared that luck wasn't on their side, as a moment later, Lucas was staring suspiciously around the bush at them. He eyed the Doctor first, then Martha, both with high suspicion and fear. But that changed to shock and even excitement when those blue eyes, so much like Jay's, landed on his sister.

"Jay!" he shrieked, launching himself at her. Despite her horror that they'd been found, she still clutched him to her, ducking down to hug him tightly and bury her face in his hair. He laughed in delight, his fingers digging in where they grabbed. "I knew you'd come home," he whispered against her neck, sniffling despite his best attempts not to cry.

"Lucas O'Connors!" they all heard the woman shout in alarm and fear. More for her own sake than Lucas's, Jay knew without a doubt. "Get back here this instant! J.J., heel!"

The dog was heard whining in protest.

"Hey, bud," Jay mumbled to him, pulling back. She kept her hands on his shoulders, smiling despite the tears that were quickly gathering in her eyes. Her brother was the only thing she'd missed while traveling with the Doctor and Martha. She wasn't sure why the TARDIS had brought them here, doubted the Doctor even knew at this point, and she hated that she had brought them to the spot they were in now, but Jay couldn't bring herself to not be grateful for the opportunity to see that her brother was thriving and alive.

Lucas bounced on his heels, chattering a thousand miles a second. "Who are you? Are you stars?" he was suddenly asking Martha and the Doctor, who stared at him, speechless. "I pray to the stars every night, just like the pretty lady told me to, so you can't be anything else, right, Jay? I prayed to the stars to bring you home, and you're here, so they've got to be stars, right? What else could they be? The pretty lady - she was with the bad man - said that if I prayed to the stars, the man in the blue box would bring you home... I wonder where your blue box is? Is it in the gardens? Oh, do you think Father would allow them to stay for supper? Mother will be pleased...do you think they'll believe that they're stars? I mean, they don't look like stars, but they've got to be, they've just got to be-"

"Lucas," Jay cut in, voice warm and amused, yet fearful. "I'm...we're not going to see Father and Mother. We're leaving. Right, Doctor?" she added, looking at him hopefully. If they stayed, she'd be spotted, and then there was no hope of escaping.

The Doctor, rather than answering, crouched before Lucas, studying him closely. He had locked onto another portion of the boy's chatter, more interested in that than whether or not they'd be staying for supper. "What pretty lady told you to pray to the stars, Lucas? And this bad man, who is he?"

"LUCAS!" the woman called angrily, sounding closer.

"If you tell me," the Doctor prompted when Lucas became nervous and shy, hesitant to answer as he clutched Jay's wrist, "maybe I can help you get rid of the bad man."

"LUCAS O'CONNORS, YOU HAVE FIVE SECONDS TO SHOW YOURSELF, OR I WILL-"

The three adults before him all jumped when Lucas scowled and turned around to scream back at the woman, "I'M COMING!"

Jay put a hand over her heart, shocked. "Since when did you scream like that?" she muttered. Martha snorted. She remembered her brother being somewhat of a rambunctious loud child, of course, but nothing like the attitude-ridden creature that stood before her now.

Rolling his eyes, Lucas turned back to the amused Time Lord and said hastily, "The pretty lady was with the bad man when he came to speak with Father. He was at the party," he added to Jay. "He said he wanted to talk with you, and then you were gone. No one would tell me where you went." His face filled with irritation and distress. "Father told me if I asked about it, he'd send me with the bad man, too."

Jay's expression darkened. She knew precisely who the bad man was. "Okay," she murmured soothingly. "Go back to Madame, Lucas, before she comes looking."

"Come with, J.J.," he pleaded, taking her hand tightly in his, reluctant to go without her. "Please come home."

Jay swallowed thickly and squeezed his hand before saying softly, crouching beside the Doctor as she murmured, "I'll tell you a secret if you answer me this: is the bad man staying in the First House with you?" Lucas nodded hastily. "Alright, then guess what? Tonight, at ten, when Mother and Father and the bad man have gone to bed, then you're going to see a blue box show up in your bedroom. And I'll be in that blue box, and the Doctor here, and Martha, and me, we're all going to get rid of the bad man. Is that okay with you, Lucas?"

Lucas searched her gaze, then nodded before suddenly whirling on the Doctor. "You," he said sharply, and the Doctor's brows rose in surprise. "Jay breaks her promises all the time, so you have to promise you'll be there. And you, too," he added, pointing at Martha sternly.

Martha blinked. "I promise," she vowed.

"I promise," the Doctor echoed, smiling kindly at the boy. "Now, do what Jay said. Go find...Madame," he told him, the word sounding odd in his mouth. Madame. Who on earth was Madame?

Lucas decided this was enough, and threw his arms around Jay in a tight hug before bolting back in the direction he'd come. Jay snorted under her breath when she heard him snapping at Madame to leave him alone for once in his life. Standing, Jay swept her knees free of dust and turned to Martha, who was quietly studying her. "What?"

"The bad man," she said suddenly, frowning. "He's the one you told us about, isn't he. The one your dad tried to marry you to. The one who knocked you out and gave you to that...thing."

"Yeah," Jay muttered, shaking her head in frustration. "But my father...he's cruel, but why would he let him back in his house? I know he doesn't care, I've gotten used to it over the years, so he really doesn't," Jay added when Martha tried to protest that he surely didn't feel that way, "but he'd care about someone getting rid of an investment. In this case, me. So why is the man back in the house? And we didn't find out who the 'pretty lady' is…"

The Doctor, who'd been surprisingly quiet until that point, stood, clicking his teeth as he rocked back on his heels and said, "Well, only one way to find out. Maybe the TARDIS will listen now. If we're lucky."

The last statement was uttered under his breath.

The TARDIS had been abnormally snappy not even an hour ago, and it made him nervous to even think of trying to direct her to where he wanted to go. He only hoped she agreed.


The TARDIS seemed to think that they were doing the right thing and had no qualms about going to Lucas's room at precisely ten o'clock in the evening after Marcus and Julea O'Connors, in addition to their guests, had gone to bed.

Jay was hurrying for the doors the second the TARDIS had landed, and Martha went after her, pausing when the Doctor caught her elbow and stopped her. He waited until Jay had slipped out of the TARDIS, listening as she was greeted in quiet excitement by her brother, and then said in a low voice, "Would you listen if I told you to stay here?"

"No," Martha said and pushed her way past him without hesitation. She rolled her eyes, calling over her shoulder as the Doctor huffed and followed, "Doctor, if you think I'm going to stay in the TARDIS while a man is running around scaring a kid, you're daft."

"Daft?" he scoffed, insulted by the mere thought of being considered daft, but she ignored him again and joined her friend outside the TARDIS.

"Lucas," Jay whispered, seeking her brother. She peered around the side of the TARDIS when she didn't see him on his bed. She stepped around towards the back of the ship, ignoring the bickering between her friends. Huffing softly, Martha trailed behind her. "Lucas, where are-"

The door flew open, the light flicking on just as the Doctor closed the TARDIS door and Jay and Martha both spun out of view, pressing their backs to the back of the TARDIS. Her heart raced in her chest as a voice she knew well snapped, "Who are you? What are you doing in this room?"

"Oh!" Martha gasped, her voice tinged with worry. Jay cautiously slunk around the side she'd not been near, peering around the corner to watch what was happening. The Doctor was eyeing the two security team members who came in through the doorway, not looking pleased with the guns that were aimed at him. A woman, clearly in charge, snapped, "Answer me this instant, or I'll shoot you first and ask questions later."

The Doctor threw a casual look around the room, leaning back. His shoulder and hip leaned into the corner, blocking any possible view of Jay as he tucked his hands behind his back, removing them quickly from his pockets. Jay blinked, catching sight of the sonic screwdriver and psychic paper that wiggled in his fingers. Gently, she plucked both out of his hands and backed up. She silently ushered Martha towards the back of the TARDIS.

"Jay?" Martha breathed when Jay shakily pressed it into her fingers, listening to the security guard repeat her question. Jay's face was full of determination.

"Trust me," she murmured, smiling brightly. "Keep a hold on it. Follow at a distance. Watch out for security, it's rather tight in the First House. If you need to, most of these people don't know what psychic paper is, so you should be okay to use it. Use the sonic on the security cameras, I don't think the Doctor's changed the setting since he last used it..."

"Jay," Martha said furiously, "you can't be serious." She'd tried for so long to avoid this place. Why was she running right into the very place she wanted to avoid?

"Who better to find the bad man than the one who escaped?" Jay said playfully under her breath, wiggling her fingers before stepping out entirely from behind the TARDIS. She lost her smile, placing a cold look she'd not worn in some time upon her face as she said, "Put your weapons down. Now."

The Doctor looked startled at the sight of her, but Jay pretended not to notice, taking up a stance beside him and putting her hands on her hips. Her blue eyes were flinty, as hard as ice.

"Miss...Miss O'Connors," the man stammered, caught by surprise. Immediately, he lowered his gun. The woman was hasty to copy, both exchanging stunned looks. "Forgive us, we didn't know he was with you."

"Yes, well," Jay said bitingly, not at all faking her irrtation. "Shoot first, ask questions later rarely does you any good, now does it?" She nodded her head in the direction of the Doctor. "Like you said, he's with me. This is a friend of mine, the-"

"John Smith," the Doctor cut in quickly, not wanting his title used. He didn't know how much this family had heard of him. Often, people with wealth knew at least a little about him, or they'd heard of him in some regard.

"John Smith," echoed Jay. "And if you shoot him, I'll make sure you never see the light of day again. Are we clear?" They nodded hastily. "Where's Lucas?"

There was a brief moment in which the two security guards stared at her in confusion. And then they both looked to the empty massive bed at the edge of the large bedroom. "He should be in here," the female security guard said anxiously, immediately reaching for her radio. She spoke into it hastily, "This is Captain Alice. The young master appears to have left his room. Has anyone seen him?"

There was a moment before their radios were filled with the voice of another security guard. "Checking the security cameras." There was a moment of silent waiting and then a bewildered "Captain, who's in the room with you? I have a strange shape in my camera's way."

"Miss O'Connors is home and brought a friend with her," Alice replied. "They have a strange box with them. Just look in the other rooms."

Jay exchanged an anxious look with the Doctor. He inclined his head curiously, questioning in silence, and Jay furrowed her brow after a moment, trying to figure out what he was asking. Understanding suddenly filled her. He was asking about Martha. She flicked her gaze to the corner of the TARDIS.

He nodded curtly once and then turned his attention back on Alice and the male security guard when their radios cackled to life. "Captain, we can't find him. We see Mr. O'Connors and Mrs. O'Connors, as well as our guests, but the young master has disappeared entirely. Shall we wake Mr. O'Connors and alert him?"

"No," Jay said sharply, shivering at the mere thought of seeing her father. "Let's see if we can find him first."

Alice faltered, but clearly liked the idea of waking up Marcus O'Connors as much as Jay did, because she nodded and repeated Jay's order into the radio. "Stay at your posts, we'll do the check."

The Doctor said nothing throughout the entire conversation, simply watching the interaction with interest. The commanding way Jay held herself was entirely new to him, and to Martha, who was nervously looking around the side of the TARDIS, unsure of what she was going to do when they all left the room.

"Come, Miss O'Connors," the man said suddenly, "if someone has broken in, it's best that you come with us to a safe location-"

"My brother's missing," she said curtly. "No."

The man looked taken aback. "Uh-"

"Drop it, Charlie," Alice sighed, eyeing Jay curiously. "Something's different about you. I don't know where you've been, or how you met this one, Miss O'Connors, but something's different. And I, off the record, think it's a really great thing." She gestured at the Doctor as she spoke and then added on, "Let's go and keep close to us, please. I don't want you getting hurt."

The Doctor's lips quirked. This woman had no idea what they'd been through. What they did go through on an everyday basis in the TARDIS. As they started forward, heading out of Lucas's bedroom, he asked carefully, "Who are your guests? Would we have any reason to think they had something to do with the disappearance?"

Alice contemplated this for a moment, thinking it over. "Maybe," she muttered, scowling. "But don't tell the O'Connors that I said that way. I don't feel like disappearing, too."

"'Too?'" Jay echoed, gaze sharp. "Who's disappeared?"

"Madame vanished after she and Lucas returned home this afternoon," Charlie huffed, looking anything but pleased about spilling such information in front of the Doctor. "And Cook disappeared, too."

"Not Cook," Jay muttered under her breath with a pout. She looked around as they walked, keeping an eye out for anything that she might notice. Every now and then, she looked over her shoulder to keep an eye out and she exchanged an amused look with the Doctor when she realized he was doing the same. Leaning in, she muttered, "I gave the sonic and psychic paper to Martha. I told her to follow and use the sonic on the security cameras."

The Doctor looked pleased with this and then asked, leaning in so he could lower his voice as well, "How many cameras are there? Would they be able to keep track of 'the bad man?'"

Jay thought it over and then shrugged. "Maybe. Alice," she said, voice sharpening enough that the Doctor jumped. "The security cameras...would they have caught anything?"

"Maybe," Charlie said, answering for Alice. "We can have the person on duty check."

"Do that," Jay ordered. Charlie nodded, speaking into the radio on his uniform as they ducked into a large living room. Jay made a face. She knew this room well. It was one of three rooms she was allowed into freely, and that included her bedroom and the bathroom. She waited for Charlie to finish as she studied the room closely, her lips pressed together unhappily.

The Doctor looked around as well, patiently keeping an eye out. The TARDIS had sensed it, he realized. Had felt that something was wrong in this time and place and had been determined to get them there to help. Pride filled him, a hint of a smile crossing his mouth. He was incredibly proud of his ship for such a thing.

Charlie's radio finally crackled back to life. "Charlie, the cameras cut out for a few minutes. We think someone hacked in."

Jay furrowed her brow. Maybe it was a human, then. It wouldn't be a first, but… That might be even worse than an alien breaking in. And she hadn't even met with the 'bad man' or her father yet. This day was turning out to be absolutely fantastic, she thought bitterly. Jay shifted her weight as Charlie looked to them. "Miss O'Connors, is your friend any good with technology?"

The Doctor beamed, not looking the least bit bothered that he'd not been addressed directly. "Exceptionally good."

"Let him have a look," Jay instructed. She sucked up her pride and her worries about her own selfish desires. "And wake up Father and Mother. If someone hacked in, it might be a ransom problem. Call them here." She didn't truly believe that. Not with the disappearance of Madame and Cook. No one would take the cook and nanny if they were seeking ransom money. Her heart was racing, and she swore softly under her breath as pain stabbed at her fingers. She needed to calm down. She did, but the fear she felt for Lucas, the fear she felt at the thought of confronting her mother and father…

"Oh!" she said, looking to Charlie. "Summon the woman who's staying here, too. Lucas said something about a pretty lady that makes us want to talk to her, if you wouldn't mind. Keep the other guest in his room."

Charlie looked shocked. "When did you speak with Lucas, Miss O'Connors?"

She ignored him, running a hand down her face. The Doctor said nothing throughout all of this, merely touched her arm comfortingly and added, "Show us the way to the security area, please. Where I'll look at the cameras."

"Right." Charlie waved for them to follow, Alice following as she spoke into a radio, giving instructions to other security personnel. Jay hoped Martha would be okay with more security people running around.

They had rounded a corner, nearing the room in which the security cameras were watched, when Alice's radio crackled to life. "Captain, Mr. O'Connors is demanding that Miss O'Connors be brought to the living room to join he and Mrs. O'Connors. Both guests will be joining them."

Jay's jaw tightened in terror. She could handle this, she told herself, thinking of the monster who'd imprisoned her for what her family would think to be two months as well as all of the monsters she had faced since accompanying the Doctor and Martha. She could handle this. Besides, the Doctor had the TARDIS. And he would be able to help if they tried locking her up again.

Alice looked to her almost apologetically, waiting to see what Jay would try doing all while both of them knew she'd have to force her there if necessary. Jay inclined her head; she'd go.

Addressing Charlie, she said calmly, "Make sure John gets to the security cameras, would you? And when he's done, take him back to that box." He'd mentioned scanners within the TARDIS several times. Maybe they could be of use. The Doctor nodded his approval as she turned to him, her blue eyes flickering uncertainty. "I'll see you later?"

"Of course," he said, and it was enough reassurance that the tightness in her shoulders lessened.

After all of the freedom she'd been granted, it was time to face the music.

Something she would do if only because she needed them on her side to bring Lucas home.


Martha was nervous as she skittered down a hallway, noting every security camera and buzzing the sonic screwdriver at it, grinning when each would stop and lower their screens to the floor. She understood the love of the sonic screwdriver now, she mused silently, checking her pocket to ensure that the psychic paper was still there.

The building was abnormally large, and she wondered how people could live in such a place. It was cold and unhomely. She remembered dreaming once of living in castles and mansions that were designed like this. She was grateful that her family had never done so if the way that Jay's mentions of her family were true.

Martha rounded another corner, slowing her breath and pace. She needed to be cautious, and being constantly worried about someone finding her would only make it harder. She had psychic paper with her, she reassured herself. If someone found her, that would help her.

And then, the world tipped beneath her. "Oof!" she gasped, wincing when a hand grabbed her arm rather harshly to ensure that she didn't fall entirely. The hand released her when she'd caught her balance and Martha's eyes darted up to lock on the owner's face. Her lips pressed together at the unfamiliar group of people. Two security guards who had guns aimed at her - Martha was going to have a word with Jay about the obsession with them, although she couldn't really blame a group of security - as well as a man with a sneer on his face and a pleasantly smiling woman with eyes entirely of white that matched her hair.

"Put your hands in the air and don't move," said the security guard to Martha's left with a sharp voice, his gaze hard. "And then state your purpose and how you entered the O'Connors' First House."

Martha did so slowly, swallowing thickly. Her hands in the air after a moment, she said calmly, "Jay O'Connors hired me to look into the disappearances of some of the staff here in the First House." The lie fell from her lips with ease. "If you'd allow, I have proof." She nodded towards her pocket. The security guard inclined his head to give her permission and after a moment of hesitation, Martha pulled the psychic paper out and handed it over, praying it would work for her.

The security guard studied it for a long, long moment, the woman with white eyes peering curiously over his shoulder, and then nodded curtly, handing it back. The woman's face filled with entertained amusement. "Martha Jones," she said, her voice deep and raspy yet still tinged with a feminine aspect. "A pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise…?"

"Iovita," the woman said. "And this is my fool of a brother, Jovita." She cast the man beside her a nasty look. "He does not normally look like this, my dear, I must apologize for his insulting appearance. He is using a perception filter to appear as human as the rest of your kind." She paused. "No offense, of course. I merely wish that he was not insulting you in such a way."

Alien, then, Martha thought. Marcus O'Connors had tried to marry his daughter off to a disguised alien. Interesting, Martha thought, that the 'bad man' was brother to the 'pretty lady' Lucas had mentioned. Martha forced a smile to her lips, lying, "A pleasure to meet you," she said faintly before squaring her shoulders. She'd dealt with worse, she told herself. She'd be fine.

"If you'd accompany us to the living room, Miss Jones," the kinder security guard on her right said, waving for her to do just that, "we're taking Miss Iovita and Mr. Jovita to the living room to join Mr. and Mrs. O'Connors as we search for the young master. We'd love to have you join us there and discuss your theories with them. It appears Miss O'Connors will be there as well, so…"

So much for sneaking around, Martha sighed silently. But she kept her smile on her mouth and nodded firmly. "Of course," she said smoothly, "lead the way."

The group moved forward and Martha fell into step, to her surprise, beside Iovita. The white-eyed woman was humming a song under her breath that Martha didn't recognize, her pale hands clasped behind her back. She surprised Martha when she suddenly addressed her, saying in a voice that was so low that no one else would hear, "I assume that Mr. Smith is with you?"

Martha nodded slowly, eyeing her suspiciously. "How do you know who he is?" she said carefully. She was careful, oh so careful. She didn't think the O'Connors needed to know who their daughter had been around. "I don't think he's been near this family until now."

Iovita's lips twitched. "Ah, but he has been around other planets, has he not? Mr. Smith was very helpful in saving mine. I will forever be grateful for his contribution. I am grateful that my suggestion that the young Lucas pray to the stars worked."

Martha was curious, admittedly, wanting to know what had happened on this woman's planet. What had drawn her into the knowledge of who the Doctor was, and why she thought praying to the stars would bring him around. She glanced up at a security camera as she passed it, eyes flickering when she saw that it was working. Those would be something that Jay and the Doctor hopefully looked at. They'd see her, what had happened. Well, the Doctor would if he got there. Jay was, apparently, being put with her parents.

Martha spared the man in front of her a suspicious look. The last time he'd been around, Jay had been sent to the creature of nightmares. Now, Lucas O'Connors and several others had gone missing. Yet Marcus O'Connors kept him around.

The only question was...why?


Long time, no update. So begins the original chapters! This will be two or three parts. We'll see how it ends up. ;)

Thanks to those who reviewed (Arashi - IV of VI, PrincessMagic, bored411, and SnowKi!) as well as those who favorited and followed! I appreciate you all. :)