Zana awoke to the sound of a soft tapping on Rose's door. She had fallen asleep on a small couch in Rose's room, and Rose just left her there. Zana had told her she didn't want her own room yet. After all, she wasn't even sure if she was going to be able to stay onboard the TARDIS...Heaven knows she wanted to. The Universe had been lain before her like a winding path, and she was determined to follow it.
"Yeah?" Zana stretched her limbs as she sat up, seeing that Rose was still fast asleep.
"Zana? It's the Doctor," he called.
"Oh. I thought it was Spock," Zana retorted as she rose to her feet.
"Very funny. Can you wake Rose? I'm anxious to go somewhere."
"Yeah. I guess I can."
"Thanks."
Zana just stood there for a moment or so, looking around the room as the Doctor's footsteps started to fade. It was almost like there was sunlight shining in through windows in the room, but there weren't any windows in sight. In fact, how did they even tell them in this box? It was a time machine, for god's sake. Time had to be relative.
"Rose?" Zana shuffled towards the blonde's bed. "Rose, it's time to get up."
"Five more minutes..." Rose's voice was thick with tiredness, making Zana chuckle.
"Tell that to your Doctor. Apparently, he's anxious to go somewhere," Zana pulled on her leather jacket, which had been laying on the ground beside the sofa she had slept on.
"He'll be fine," Rose muttered before rolling over and closing her eyes again.
"Okay then," Zana smiled as she walked into the bathroom Rose had in her room. She turned on the water faucet and splashed cold water on the face, wanting to be fully awake for their next adventure. After she turned the water off, she looked around for some sort of hair tie, which she found sitting on the counter. She quickly pulled her hair out of her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror. "I wish I had a change of clothes...and perhaps a toothbrush..."
The sound of Rose's laugh made her turn around to see her standing in the doorway.
"Good morning," Zana chuckled, drying her hands off on a hand towel. "Sleep well?"
"Remarkably," Rose nodded. "And you?"
"Rather well, I suppose," the teen nodded.
"That's good," Rose yawned, stretching her limbs.
"I'll leave you to get ready," Zana walked past her. "I'll go to...that room with the buttons."
"The control room?"
"That's the one," Zana paused. "How do I get there?"
"Go right out the door, then another right, then a left, then a right."
"Gotcha," Zana nodded, heading out of the door. "We'll be waiting!"
It didn't take long for her to make it into the control room, as Rose had called it. She immediately noticed the Doctor, who was humming along with an unfamiliar song that was playing.
"Um..." Zana cleared her throat, making the Doctor look up at her. He flicked a switch on the control panel, silencing the music.
"Hello, Zana. Did you sleep well?" he asked her as he walked around the circumference of the console.
"Yeah, I did," she stepped further into the room.
"That's good," he gave her a wide grin. "Did you tell Rose goodbye?"
Zana felt her stomach drop instantly, "Uh, no. Was I suppose to?"
"I must've forgotten to say something last night. Huh...Anyway! After what happened to you on New Earth, with Cassandra taking over you like that...I can't risk having you onboard, Zana. I'm sorry."
She stared at him blankly. She expected this to happen, of course she did. She just didn't expect it to happen so soon or so blatantly. She couldn't exactly protest, though. Beyond everything, it was his TARDIS. So it was, in the end, his decision. And it seems he's made it. She ignored the burning of her eyes as she blinked a few times, trying to fight back the oncoming tears. She didn't wasn't to say goodbye to her friend yet. Hell, she didn't want to say goodbye to the Doctor yet!
"I um...okay," she nodded quickly, shoving her hands into her jacket, trying to act calm. "But uh, can you drop me off before Rose comes out? I'm not good at goodbyes."
"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice soft as he watched her with sad eyes. She looked down, not being able to take his brown irises. There was just something about his ancient eyes that got to her.
"Positive," she exhaled deeply. "Please."
He studied her for a moment before nodding his head gently. Zana grabbed the railing as the jolting began, and as soon as everything stilled, she quickly made her way to the doors of the time machine. She was more upset than she'd like to admit. Just before she opened them, she stopped and turned to look at the Time Lord for one last time. She hated to admit it, but...she didn't want to go.
"How long have I been gone?" she decided to ask, just in case. Rose had told her what the Doctor had done to her. She didn't want to run into a 'missing' flyer with her face on it anytime soon.
"Just a few hours," he informed.
She nodded and hesitated a bit longer before pulling the doors open.
"Goodbye, Zana Kline," the Doctor said to her as she stepped out into the cool, London air. She recognized the small park they had landed at. It wasn't far from her home, actually. She thought she could see some of her classmates roaming about, laughing and smiling and looking like they were having the time of their lives, but that just made her envious. Why did they get to have their fun? Didn't Zana deserve the adventures she had been yearning for as long as she could remember?
"Goodbye, Doctor," Zana gave him a small, sad smile, mostly just to be polite as she moved to close the blue, wooden doors. He did give her a day she would never forget, so that was the least she could do for him. She took a few steps back as the wind started to pick up, signaling that he had started to pilot the spaceship. Zana couldn't find the will to move as she listened to what she decided was the most unique and beautiful noise she had ever heard...the engines of the TARDIS.
A full month or so had passed before Zana finally accepted the fact that she was never going to see them again. It hurt...it really did. She didn't get it, why did she miss them so bloody much? She only knew them for a few days!
"Zana? Come on, you've zoned out again," Emily, Zana's friend, nudged the contemplating brunette as they walked down the sidewalk, towards their school. It was Thursday, and Zana was dreading the weekend. At least she had school to take her mind off of the Doctor and Rose on the weekdays, but during the weekends, all she did was sit at home and think about them. Her grades were starting to decline, and her parents weren't very happy about that. But she couldn't help it. She was too preoccupied.
"Sorry, Em," Zana shook her head, shivering at the crisp air. "I was just thinking about something."
"I know. That's all you've been doing lately," Emily gave her a look.
Zana shrugged, pulling her backpack closer to herself. "I can't help it. Hey, did you hear that we were getting a new physics teacher?"
"I did, yeah," Emily nodded. "Do you think they'll be cool? The last thing we need is another strict teacher."
Zana looked over at her redheaded friend, "What do you mean? None of the teachers give me a problem."
"That's because you're a teacher's pet," Emily laughed. "Look, I'll see you at lunch, okay?"
"Of course, yeah," Zana smiled, but she let it drop when her friend walked ahead, into the school building. What was the point of smiling when you didn't mean it? The bell rang as she entered the school as well, making her realize how late she was. She rushed to her locker and grabbed her physics book. She rushed to her classroom, cursing under breath as she threw the door open, making everyone go silent.
"Zana?" the last voice she expected to hear made her look up. There he stood, the Doctor, clad in the same suit she had last seen him in. She stood there, frozen in spot as her classmates looked on, confused, but she didn't care. She couldn't believe it. The Doctor was here. At her school. And was apparently her new physics teacher.
She cleared her throat, "Yes?"
"Uh...take a seat," he nodded to an empty seat in the front row before turning as writing 'PHYSICS' on the whiteboard. Zana ran a hand through her hair and did as told.
"Morning, Milo," she muttered, sitting her book on her desk.
"So, physics," the Doctor turned back towards the group of students. "Physics, eh? Physics. Physics. Physics! Physics. Physics, physics, physics, physics, physics, physics, physics," Zana rolled her eyes as he leaned against the teacher's desk. "I hope one of you is getting all this down. Okay, let's see what you know. Two identical strips of nylon are charged with static electricity and hung from a string so they can swing freely. What would happen if they were brought near each other?" Zana raised her hand. "Yes, er, off you go."
"They'd repel each other because they have the same charge," she informed, leaning back in her chair.
"Correctamundo!" Zana raised an eyebrow as he winced, "A word I have never used before and hopefully never will again. Question two. I coil up a thin piece of microwire and place it in a glass of water. Then I turn on the electricity and measure to see if the water's temperature is affected. My question is this. How do I measure the electrical power going into the coil?" Zana's hand instantly shot up again. "Someone else. No? Okay, Zana, go for it."
"Measure the current and PDs in an ammeter and a voltmeter."
"Two to Zana. Right then, Zana, tell me this. True or false. The greater the dampening of the system, the quicker it loses energy to its surroundings."
"False."
"What is non-coding DNA?"
"DNA that doesn't code for a protein."
"Sixty-five thousand nine hundred and eighty-three times five?"
"Three hundred and twenty-nine thousand nine hundred and fifteen."
"How do you travel faster than light?"
"By opening a quantum tunnel with an FTL factor of thirty-six point seven recurring," Zana took a deep breath before a frown spread across her lips. How in the bloody hell does she know that? Judging by the shocked expression that was on the Doctor's face, he didn't know either.
"Emily!" Zana called, spotting her friend sitting alone in the cafeteria. She walked over and sat down next to her, grabbing a few chips from her try.
"Oi! Get your own," Emily pushed her hand away with a laugh.
"Have you seen the new physics teacher?" Zana asked immediately as students started lining up in the lunch line.
"Yeah, I have! He's cute, huh?"
Zana blinked. "What? Ew, no."
"Oh, come on, Zana!"
"Emily, I have more important things to think about, alright?"
"Like what?"
"Like getting more chips," Zana stood up before filching a few more chips from her friend's tray.
"Hey!"
Zana chuckled as she walked over to join the lunch line when she noticed the Doctor sitting off by himself, staring intently at a chip he had on his fork. Without a second thought, she changed directions and moved towards him. He looked up at her as she sat down in the chair across from him and sat her backpack down on the ground beside her.
"Can I help you?" he asked her, sitting his fork down.
"What are you doing here, Doctor?" she tilted her head, looking him over.
"I uh...thought I'd check in on you?" he tried, making Zana scoff.
"No, something's wrong. What is it?"
He studied her, making her shift in her seat nervously. "How long has it been for you?"
"Since what? You dropped me off? A month, at least. Why? How long has it been for you and Rose?"
"A...few days, I think."
"What?!" she exclaimed loudly, her eyes widening.
"Shh!" he scolded.
"Zana? Is that you?" Rose's familiar voice made Zana turn around.
"Rose!" she stood up and pulled her into a hug, which the blonde instantly returned.
"Zana!" Rose pulled back and looked over her. "You're a student here?"
"Yeah," she chuckled. "And apparently the Doctor's a teacher, and you're a lunch lady. What's going on?"
"Mickey said something was off about this school," Rose informed, wiping off the table the Doctor was sitting at.
"And he was right. Zana here knows things way beyond planet Earth," the Doctor glanced at her.
"You eating those chips?" Rose asked, taking one from his tray and taking a bite.
"Yeah, they're a bit...different,"
"I think they're gorgeous! Wish I had school dinners like this," she sat down.
Zana sat down beside her and absently took one for herself as well, "The food used to suck, actually. Ever since Headmaster Finch got here, everything's been so much better."
"It's very well behaved, this place," the Doctor said to her.
"Mmm," she nodded.
He turned to Rose, "I thought there'd be happy slapping hoodies. Happy slapping hoodies with ASBOs. Happy slapping hoodies with ASBOs and ringtones. Huh? Huh? Oh, yeah. Don't tell me I don't fit in."
"What?" Zana laughed, making him smile proudly.
"You are not permitted to leave your station during a sitting," the head lunch lady made the three of them turn around. Rose stood up instantly.
"I was just talking to this teacher," Rose informed.
"Hello," the Doctor waved.
"He doesn't like the chips," whispered to the lunch lady.
"The menu has been specifically designed by the headmaster to improve concentration and performance," the lunch lady informed, seeming almost offended.
"I like 'em, if that helps," Zana popped another one in her mouth, smiling at the lady, trying to make her calm down. She seemed like she was having a long day.
The woman completely ignored her as she looked at Rose, "Get back to work,"
Rose rolled her eyes as the woman walked off, "See? This is me. Dinner lady."
"I'll have the crumble," the Doctor called as she walked away, making Zana smile.
"I'm so going to kill you," Rose chuckled.
"Melissa. You'll be joining my class for the next period," Zana turned around to see who she recognized as Mr. Wagner talking to one of the younger students. "Milo's failed me, so it's time we moved you up to the top class. Kenny, not eating the chips?"
"I'm not allowed," Kenny informed, taking a bite of his home-prepared lunch.
"Luke. Extra class. Now," Wagner demanded, and Zana frowned as the two students followed after him.
"I never liked Mr. Wagner," she turned back to the Doctor. "He's new, too, but I don't have his class."
"Hmm..." the Doctor replied absently.
Zana looked over him as she munched on more chips. She was still in shock that he and Rose were here...After all, what was the chance of seeing them again? Out of the whole universe, they ended up at her school. "You know...that day I spent with you and Rose..."
"What about it?" he looked at her, tearing his gaze from the headmaster.
Zana chuckled and looked down, slightly embarrassed. The Doctor was still a mystery to her, and she didn't quite know just how well they got on. From the short time she's known him, there were times when they acted like strangers and other times when they acted like they'd known each other for years. "It was the best day ever. It sounds cliche, I know, but it's true."
He smiled at her, "Yeah?"
"Yeah," she nodded. "Even though I spent half of it being possessed, it was fun. It was an adventure...and that's all I've ever really wanted. All these years I've been buried in books and exams and school work, and just to get a break was quite possibly the best thing that's ever happened to me. You and Rose are great people, even though I didn't particularly think too highly of you at the beginning." The Doctor chuckled. "So...thank you for that. I'll never forget it."
And with that, Zana Kline stood up, grabbed her bag, and left the Doctor sitting there, his mind going over what she just said.
Zana was sitting in the middle of her English class, doodling in her notebook as her teacher rattled on about sonnets and Shakespeare. She already knew everything, to be honest. She had read ahead in her textbook.
"Whatcha drawing?" Emily whispered, making Zana look up. "A...police box?"
"Mhmm," Zana nodded.
"What's a police box?"
"A box police use."
"Thanks."
"Anytime," Zana gave her a cheeky smile. Her mood had lightened tremendously. Knowing that the Doctor and Rose were near seemed to make her feel better. It was like they were what she's been missing her whole life...She was guessing that was because wherever they were, an adventure was sure to follow.
"So I saw you sitting with the new physics teacher at lunch," Emily commented with a smirk.
"Did you? Good to know your eyes haven't failed you," Zana retorted.
"Haha," Emily rolled her eyes. "What were you talking about?"
"Einstein."
"Zana, I'm serious!"
"Me too!"
"Miss Kline, something you'd like to share with the class?" the teacher spoke up, making everyone turn to her.
"I uh...no," she shook her head.
"Are you sure? You're being quite disruptive."
Just as Zana was going to apologize, there was a knock on the door. Seconds later, it opened to reveal none other than the Doctor.
"Can I help you, Mr. Smith?" the teacher asked kindly.
"Can I borrow Miss Kline?" he looked at Zana and smiled.
"Of course," her teacher nodded, and without a second thought, she gathered her things and followed the Doctor out of the room and down the corridor. She didn't care what he needed, she was just happy to go with him.
"What's going on?" she asked him as they walked into the gym.
"You know what I said about it being too dangerous for you to travel with me?" he looked down at her with a wide grin.
"Hasn't slipped my mind, no," she replied excitedly.
"Well, I change my mind," he told her as he opened the door to the storage room to reveal the TARDIS. Zana's heart sped up instantly, and without thinking, she threw her arms around his neck.
"Oh, thank you so much!" she beamed, pulling away just as he went to return the hug, but she didn't notice. She turned and rushed into the TARDIS, where she immediately pulled the waiting blonde into a hug as well.
Rose laughed, "It's great to have you onboard, Zana!"
"This is...oh, I can't thank you two enough," Zana looked between the Doctor and Rose as the Doctor joined them by the console.
"There's no need. You're good company," the Doctor told her. "I think we're going to get on nicely."
Zana smiled widely, returning the soft smile he had sent her way. This was actually happening...she was a part of the TARDIS crew now. She wondered where, or when they'd go next. Perhaps they'd go to another planet billions of years into the future, or maybe they'd meet Queen Nefertiti or Confucius or Shakespeare! Oh, she couldn't wait!
"Zana, do you wanna change out of your uniform? I think I've got some clothes that fit you. If not, there's a huge wardrobe on this thing," Rose spoke up, pulling Zana from her thoughts.
"Sounds good to me," she nodded excitedly and followed her out of the console room, beaming away as she pondered of more places they could visit.
That night, once the school was void of students and teachers, the Doctor, Rose, Zana, and Mickey Smith walked through the building, looking for...well, Zana wasn't quite sure. She didn't even really know why the Doctor and Rose were even at her school in the first place.
"Oh, it's weird seeing school at night. It just feels wrong. When I was a kid, I used to think all the teachers slept in school," Rose commented, making Zana laugh.
"All right, team. Oh, I hate people who say team. Er, gang...uh...comrades. Anyway, Rose, Zana, go to the kitchen. Get a sample of that oil. Mickey, the new staff are all Maths teachers. Go and check out the Maths department. I'm going to look in Finch's office. Be back here in ten minutes," he informed before taking off up the stairs, leaving the three of them alone.
"You going to be all right?" Rose asked Mickey with a knowing smirk on her lips.
"Me? Please. Infiltration and investigation? I'm an expert at this," Mickey waved her off before walking off. Zana chuckled and shook her head as he walked back towards them. "Where's the Maths department?"
"Down there, turn left, through the fire doors, on the right," Zana told him. "Come on, I'll go with you."
"Thank you," Mickey nodded.
"Gonna be okay, Rose?" Zana asked her.
"I'll be fine, yeah," Rose smiled. "Be careful."
"And you."
With that, Zana led Mickey down the corridors, to the Maths department. They were almost there when Zana noticed that Mickey was no longer following behind her.
"Mickey?" she called, looking around, confused. Why would he just wander off like that? "Mickey! Come on!"
All she got in response was a scream.
"Mickey!" she took off, back the way she came, worry coursing through her. She considered Mickey a friend, and the last thing she wanted was for him to hurt. Just as she went to turn the corner, she ran right into the Doctor, Rose, and an older brunette woman.
"And who are you?" the woman asked of Zana.
"Zana Kline. Lovely to meet you," she said hurriedly. "Where's Mickey?"
"This way," the Doctor rushed past her, making them follow him. Zana let out a sigh of relief when she saw Mickey standing there, perfectly fine. Wait...then why did he scream?
"Sorry! Sorry, it was only me. You told me to investigate, so I started looking through some of these cupboards and all of these fell on me..." Mickey muttered as Zana stepped closer to him.
"Okay..." she crouched down and grabbed one of the many vacuum-packed rats that were scattered on the floor.
"Oh, my God, they're rats. Dozens of rats. Vacuum packed rats..." Rose breathed.
"And you decided to scream?" the Doctor raised an eyebrow, looking at Mickey, who was still shaking a bit.
"It took me by surprise!" Mickey defended as Zana stood up.
"Like a little girl?"
"It was dark! I was covered in rats!"
"Nine, maybe ten years old. I'm seeing pigtails, frilly skirt."
"Come on, you two. You are grown men, act like it," Zana rolled her eyes, successfully shutting them up.
"Does anyone notice anything strange about this? Rats in school?" Rose frowned at Zana, who was just as confused as she was.
"Well, obviously they use them in Biology lessons. They dissect them. Or maybe you haven't reached that bit yet. How old are you?" the older woman asked Rose, a bit rudely.
"Excuse me, no one dissects rats in school anymore. They haven't done that for years. Where are you from, the dark ages?" Rose retorted, glaring at her.
"Anyway, moving on," the Doctor interrupted quickly as Zana looked between the two women, obviously very bewildered. "Everything started when Mister Finch arrived. We should go and check his office."
"I don't mean to be rude or anything, but who exactly are you?" Rose asked the woman as the two of them walked ahead of Zana, Mickey, and the Doctor. Zana was ready to step in if she needed to, while Mickey just looked on, amused. The Doctor was obviously very uncomfortable while the whole situation, but Zana didn't know why.
"Sarah Jane Smith. I used to travel with the Doctor," the woman informed, and something clicked in Zana's brain. She's heard that name before.
"Oh. Well, he's never mentioned you," Rose smiled patronizingly.
"Oh, I must've done. Sarah Jane. Mention her all the time," the Doctor tried, but it was very clear he hadn't mentioned her at all. Zana never heard him talk about her, but her name did ring a bell...but she couldn't remember where she had heard it.
"Hold on," Rose pretended to think."Sorry. Never."
"What, not even once? He didn't mention me even once?" Sarah Jane frowned. Zana could tell that had really bothered her.
"Ho, ho, mate. The missus and the ex," Mickey laughed and patted the Doctor on the back as Rose and Sarah Jane walked ahead. "Welcome to every man's worst nightmare!"
Zana gave Mickey a look as they followed after the arguing women, "Really?"
Mickey just grinned at her.
"Maybe those rats were food," the Doctor muttered as he used the sonic screwdriver on the door to Headmaster Finch's office.
"Food for what?" Zana asked as he slowly opened the door.
"Rose, you know you used to think all the teachers slept in the school? Well, they do..." the Doctor murmured.
Everyone poked their heads inside to see the giant bat-like creatures hanging from the ceiling, seeming to be in a deep sleep.
"Whoa..." Zana admired the aliens. "That is...so cool!"
"No way!" Mickey breathed before dashing away quickly. Zana and the others immediately followed him, all the way out of the school. Zana panted for air, as did Mickey and Sarah Jane the minute they came to a halt. It was obvious that the Doctor and Rose were used to the running, which kinda worried Zana. Would they always have to run like that? God, she hoped not. "I am not going back in there. No way!"
"Those were teachers!" Rose exclaimed.
"When Finch arrived, he brought with him seven new teachers, four dinner ladies, and a nurse. Thirteen. Thirteen big bat people. Come on," the Doctor moved to go back into the school.
"Come on? You've got to be kidding!" Mickey cried.
"I need the TARDIS. I've got to analyze that oil from the kitchen," the Doctor informed.
"I might be able to help you there. I've got something to show you!" Sarah Jane grabbed the Doctor's hand and pulled him out into the car park. Rose's annoyed look didn't go unnoticed to Zana, who was admittedly a bit amused by Rose's annoyance.
"It's kinda funny, you know," Zana commented as they followed the Doctor and Sarah Jane.
"No, it's not..." Rose muttered.
"I'm sure Sarah Jane means no harm," Zana nudged her.
"Yeah, yeah," Rose cracked a small smile.
They made it to Sarah Jane's car just in time to see the Doctor push back an old blanket to reveal an old, robot dog. Zana instantly lit up. That was the most adorable thing she had seen all day! A robot dog, of all things! "K9! Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, and Zana Kline allow me to introduce K9. well, K9 Mark Three to be precise."
"Why does he look so...disco?" Rose frowned.
"Oi! Listen, in the year five thousand, this was cutting edge," the Doctor defended before turning to Sarah Jane, "What's happened to him?"
"Oh, one day, he just, nothing," Sarah Jane informed.
"Well, didn't you try and get him repaired?"
"Well, it's not like getting parts for a Mini Metro! Besides, the technology inside him could rewrite human science. I couldn't show him to anyone!"
"Ooh, what's the nasty lady done to you, eh?" Zana looked on, amused while the Doctor petted the metal dog. He obviously had missed it.
"Look, no offense, but could you two just stop petting for a minute? Never mind the tin dog. We're busy!" Rose huffed. Zana noticed the Doctor's wide smile drop as he covered the robot dog with the old blanket and closed the boot.
"I think he's adorable," Zana told him and Sarah Jane, earning a smile from them both.
"Thank you...Zana, was it?" Sarah held out a hand, which the teenager happily shook.
"That's me," she smiled. "Sorry about my friend, by the way. She's usually not so mean."
Sarah Jane chuckled, "It's quite alright. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"And you, Sarah Jane Smith."
"You see, what's impressive is that it's been nearly an hour since we met her and I still haven't said I told you so," Mickey smirked as he, Rose, and Zana stood at the counter in a small cafe. The Doctor and Sarah Jane were off on the opposite side of the room, conversing as the Doctor worked on K9, as he called him.
"I'm not listening to this," Rose shook her head.
"Although, I have prepared a little I was right dance that I can show you later," Mickey nudged her.
"Two quid, love," the cashier informed, and Rose handed her the coins before taking the order of chips she had wanted.
"All this time you've been giving it, he's different, when the truth is, he's just like any other bloke," Mickey told her as the three of them sat down at a table.
"You don't know what you're talking about," Rose muttered, taking a bite of her chips.
"Maybe not. But if I were you I'd go easy on the chips," he whispered, making Rose frown.
"Shut up, Mickey," Zana elbowed him, making him laugh.
"So, how have you been?" he asked her, seeing that Rose had zoned-out, watching the Doctor.
"Me? I've been...okay," Zana shrugged, stuffing her hands into her leather jacket. "I mean, it's been a month since I've seen the Doctor and Rose, so it's great to see them again."
"Rose seems excited that you're joining them," he informed as he leaned back in his chair.
"Really?"
"Oh yeah. She really likes you."
"She's a good friend," Zana smiled widely. "And how have you been, Mickey?"
"Been busy," he said simply.
"I'm sure you have been," Zana nodded. "Tell me, why don't you travel on the TARDIS? You obviously love being around Rose and the Doctor, and you're brave. You're perfect for the job. A lot more qualified than myself, if I do say."
"They couldn't handle me," he replied in that cocky demeanor that Zana knew was just a big act.
"Oh, I don't know, Mickey Smith. I think they need ya," Zana smiled softly.
"You really think so?" his voice softened a bit.
"I do."
"Oh, hey. Now we're in business!" the Doctor exclaimed suddenly, making them look up to see the tin dog come to life.
"Master!" the dog exclaimed as his little robotic ears rotated, making Zana grin.
"He recognizes me!" the Doctor laughed excitedly.
"Affirmative!"
"Rose, give us the oil," the Doctor held out a hand, and within seconds, Rose was out of her trance-like state and by his side. Zana and Mickey got up and joined them, watching as the Doctor unscrewed the lid of the small container of oil.
"I wouldn't touch it, though. That dinner lady got all scorched," Rose warned just as he went to dip his finger into the oil.
"I'm no dinner lady. And I don't often say that," he told her before smearing the yellow substance onto a probe that was where K9's nose should be. "Here we go. Come on, boy. Here we go."
"Oil. Ex-ex-ex-extract. Ana-ana-analysing," K9 informed. Zana didn't think she could like that dog any more than she already did, but apparently, she was wrong!
"Listen to him, man. That's a voice!" Mickey laughed.
"Careful! That's my dog," Sarah Jane warned.
"Confirmation of analysis. Substance is Krillitane Oil," K9 reported.
The Doctor's face fell, "They're Krillitanes..."
"Is that bad?" Zana asked him.
"Very. Think of how bad things could possibly be, and add another suitcase full of bad."
"And what are Krillitanes?" Sarah Jane frowned.
"They're a composite race. Just like your culture is a mixture of traditions from all sorts of countries, people you've invaded or have been invaded by. You've got bits of Viking, bits of France, bits of whatever. The Krillitanes are the same. An amalgam of the races they've conquered. But they take physical aspects as well. They cherry-pick the best bits from the people they destroy. That's why I didn't recognize them. The last time I saw Krillitanes, they looked just like us except they had really long necks."
"What're they doing here?" Rose looked at him.
"It's the children. They're doing something to the children..."
Rose had been eerily silent as Mickey and Sarah Jane loaded K9 into the boot of Sarah's car. Zana wanted to tell her everything was going to be okay, but to be honest, she didn't even know why she was so upset. Was it because of Sarah Jane? She didn't think she was that bad. In fact, she thought Sarah could be helpful. Plus, she just wanted to figure out where she had heard of her. It was something strange, she was sure of it. Now that she thinks about it...maybe she read about her when she was researching the Doctor...
"How many of us have there been traveling with you?" Rose's question rang out loudly as she followed the Doctor out of the cafe. Zana looked on, deciding to stand back. Getting involved in their relationship was the last thing she ought to do.
"Does it matter?" the Doctor replied absently.
"Yeah, it does, if I'm just the latest in a long line."
That caught his attention. He spun around and looked down at her, "As opposed to what?"
"I thought you and me were..." she shook her head. "I obviously got it wrong. I've been to the year five billion, right, but this? Now, this is really seeing the future. You just leave us behind! Is that what you're going to do to me?"
"No. Not to you," he said instantly.
"But Sarah Jane? You were that close to her once, and now you never even mention her," Zana looked on sadly as Rose's voice broke. "Why not?"
The Doctor's eyes were glazed over with tears, "I don't age. I regenerate. But humans decay. You wither and you die. Imagine watching that happen to someone who you..."
"What, Doctor?" Rose asked softly.
"You can spend the rest of your life with me, but I can't spend the rest of mine with you. I have to live on. Alone. That's the curse of the Time Lords."
"Time Lord," someone repeated, making everyone look up. Zana's eyes widened when she saw her Headmaster standing on the roof of the building in front of them. She felt the Doctor grab her and pull her back as one of the bat creatures swooped down towards them before flying off.
"Was that a Krillitane?" Sarah breathed once it was gone.
"But it didn't even touch her. It just flew off. What did it do that for?" Rose asked, just as confused as the others.
Sarah had offered to house the group for the night since the Doctor had left the TARDIS in the school, so that was where all of them were. Rose was already curled up on the couch, fast asleep, while Mickey typed away at his laptop. Zana was sitting at Sarah's kitchen table, a bit awkwardly. She didn't really know the woman, after all. It was Christmas all over again.
"So, you're one of the Doctor's new assistants, huh?" Sarah sat down in front of her, sliding a cup of tea and a few biscuits in front of her.
"Is that what I'm gonna be called?" Zana chuckled.
"It's what I was called," Sarah Jane smiled. "So, how did you meet him?"
"On Christmas Day," she informed, taking a small sip of her tea. "I actually met Rose first. She had saved my life. The Doctor...well, I suppose he saved my life as well, along with everyone else's on the Earth, but I didn't care much for him."
"He can be a difficult man to get used to," Sarah told her.
"Yeah? I'm still not sure what I think of him. He's a good man, I can tell, but...there's something dark about him, isn't there?" Zana asked softly.
"Oh yes," the older woman nodded solemnly. "And the best advice I can give you is to not get on that man's bad side, because there are infinite ways that he could punish you for it."
Zana took a deep breath, "I trust him. With my life. And I've only known him for 4 days."
"He has that effect on people," Sarah smiled softly.
Zana took a deep breath and stood up, "I'm going to talk to him."
"That's probably a good idea," Sarah nodded. "Good luck."
Zana smiled, walking past the busy Mickey and the sleeping Rose, and out the front door. The Doctor was sitting on the edge of the porch, looking up into the night sky. She didn't make her presence known. Instead, she just watched him with curiosity. It was so easy to forget that the Doctor wasn't human. In fact, the only thing that reminded her he wasn't was his eyes. She had noticed them almost immediately, and there was no way she was ever going to forget them. They were just so...beautiful.
"They're a lot more beautiful up close," the Doctor commented, and for a moment, Zana thought he had read her mind, but she soon realized he was talking about the stars. "I think you'll like them, Zana."
"I'm sure I will," she replied, not to bothered with finding how he knew she was there. She moved to sit next to the Time Lord, who turned to look at her. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he nodded. Zana knew that wasn't true, but she decided not to push it.
Zana looked down, "You know, Doctor, I really do appreciate this. I don't think I can ever fully thank you for letting me travel with you and Rose."
"It's my pleasure," he smiled.
Zana smiled at him before looking up at the stars. She loved the way they glistened in the night sky, and she could only imagine how stunning they must look if she were among them.
"Where would you like to go first?" the Doctor's asked softly.
Zana pondered the question for a moment, trying to decide. Millions of places were buzzing in her mind, and the fact that she could go anywhere just added to the list.
"I know just the place," she finally spoke up, not once taking her eyes off the sky above her.
"And where will that be?"
She smiled, "Somewhere brilliant."
A/N: The end is really corny, isn't it?