Rose followed the Doctor down the stairs, towards the kitchen as Trish followed behind absently. The concerned mother's mind was too busy trying to sort through the millions of thoughts running through it to notice the Time Lord sticking his fingers into the jar of marmalade from her kitchen counter. She hardly even noticed when Rose got onto him for it. What she did notice, though, was the brunette woman stepping past her. Zana was standing before the Doctor in no time, her mind obviously set on what had just happened.
"When Chloe draws people, they end up in the drawing," Trish watched as Zana frowned up at the lanky man. "All of those pictures...they're alive. How is that even possible?"
"Ionic energy," the Doctor replied simply enough as he folded his arms across his chest. "Chloe's harnessing it to steal those kids and place them in some kind of holding pen made up of ionic power."
"And what about the dad from hell in her wardrobe?" Rose raised a questioning eyebrow.
"How many times do I have to tell you," Trish finally spoke up. She couldn't wrap her head around this whole situation. "He's dead!"
Rose resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the woman as she turned away. "Well, he's got a very loud voice for a dead bloke."
"If living things can become drawings, then maybe drawings can become living things," the Doctor murmured before Trish had the chance to retort. The three women looked at him as he shivered, having obviously spooked himself. "Chloe's real dad is dead, but not the one who visits her in her nightmares. That dad seems very real. That's the dad she's drawn and he's a heartbeat away from crashing into this world.
Trish looked over at him, "She always got the worst of it when he was alive."
"You still haven't answered me, Doctor," Zana's voice was soft and full of concern, which Trish couldn't help but appreciate. "How can Chloe be doing any of this? She's only a twelve-year-old girl."
"Let's find out," he blinked, pulling himself from his thoughts as he looked over at her. Zana was quick to follow him back up the stairs, to the young girl's room. Just as she went to open Chloe's bedroom door, the Doctor stepped in front of her, effectively stopping the teen.
"What?" She looked up to meet his gaze. All she wanted to do was to figure out how to fix Chloe and save the missing children.
"Let me go first," he murmured quietly as he slowing turned the door handle. Zana swore that he was trying to annoy her on purpose. Why else would he stop her? Why else would he be so painstakingly difficult about this?
But, she had no choice but to follow his lead. After all, he was the only one who could stop all of this. Or at least she hoped he could. So, she watched as he stepped into the room. The small group was greeted by Chloe, sitting on the end of her bed, holding up the Vulcan salute that the man himself had been showing her not too long ago.
"Nice one," he complimented with a soft smile as he stepped up to the young girl. Zana watched curiously as he pressed his fingertips to her temples, but she most certainly wasn't prepared to see Chloe's eyes roll back as she fell unconscious. Her eyes widened as he laid her back on her bed. "There we go..."
"I can't let him do this-" Trish stepped forward, rightfully worriedly, but Rose grabbed her arm.
"Shush, it's okay," Rose offered her a comforting smile. "Trust him."
"Now we can talk," the Time Lord stood back.
"What the hell is he doing?" Zana whispered into Rose's ear. She had no idea that he was able to do such a thing. And it seemed the Rose didn't either because she simply shrugged. "You mean you don't know?"
"No idea," she muttered.
"Oh, great," Zana leaned her head back, exasperated. She had to admit, Rose's trust for him was through the roof. But so was her's, so she couldn't really talk, could she?
"I want Chloe," the young girl's voice had a whispery tone to it and was much different from Chloe's original voice. Zana looked on in wonder. "Wake her up. I want Chloe!"
"Who are you?" The Doctor ignored the creature's command.
"I want Chloe Webber!" The creature demanded again, this time slamming her hand down.
"What've you done to my little girl?" Trish asked tearfully.
Rose gulped, "Doctor, what is it?"
"I'm speaking to you, the entity that is using this human child," the Doctor walked around the girl's bed, his authoritative tone instantly recognizable. Zana has heard it so many times now, and she knew she'd never get used to it. "I request parley in compliance with the Shadow Proclamation."
"I don't care about shadows or parleys!"
"So what do you care about?"
"I want my friends."
A soft look covered his face as he crouched down next to the girl. "You're lonely, I know. Identify yourself."
"I am one of many. I travel with my brothers and sisters. We take an endless journey. A thousand of your lifetimes. But now I am alone. I hate it! It's not fair, and I hate it!"
"Name yourself!"
"Isolus," Chloe's eyes flew open.
The Doctor looked up, the realization written on his features. "You're Isolus. Of course..."
"Our journey began in the Deep Realms when we were a family," they watched as the Isolus began drawing at an inhuman speed. Zana moved to step forward, but the Doctor shot her a look almost before she had even decided to do so. She let out a soft sigh.
"What's that?" Trish pondered, nodding towards the drawing.
"The Isolus Mother, drifting in deep space," the Doctor stood to his feet and stepped towards her. "See, she jettisons millions of fledgling spores. Her children. The Isolus are empathic beings of intense emotions, but when they're cast off from their mother, their empathic link, their need for each other, is what sustains them. They need to be together," his voice softened as Zana looked on sadly. After seeing so many things use people for their own selfish needs...after seeing things like the Cybermen or the Weeping Angels feed off people for the mere sake of destruction...it broke her heart to see this alien, this...Isolus using Chloe, simply because it was alone. "They cannot be alone."
"Our journey is long..." the Isolus spoke.
"The Isolus children travel, each inside a pod. They ride the heat and energy of solar tides. It takes thousands and thousands of years for them to grow up."
"Thousands of years just floating through space..." Rose watched, sadness in her eyes as well. "Poor things. Don't they go mad with boredom?"
"We play," it answered.
"You...play?" She stepped forward as the Doctor sat down beside Chloe. Zana looked on, her eyes fixed on the Doctor. She couldn't get rid of this weird nagging at the back of her mind. There was something different about the way he spoke about the Isolus. She understood that this situation deserved sympathy...but there was something else there with the Doctor. Something she couldn't name.
"While they travel, they play games," the Doctor explained to Rose softly. "They use their ionic power to literally create make-believe worlds in which to play."
"In-flight entertainment."
"Helps keep them happy," he shrugged slightly. "While they're happy, they can feed off each other's love. Without it, they're lost." He looked down at the drawing creature, "Why did you come to Earth?
"We were too close," it informed before quickly drawing a new picture.
"That's a solar flare from your sun," the Doctor explained, nodding towards the new drawing. "Would have made a tidal wave of solar energy that scattered the Isolus pods."
"Only I fell to Earth. My brothers and sisters are left up there, and I cannot reach them. So alone."
"Your pod crashed. Where is it?"
"My pod was drawn to heat, and I was drawn to Chloe Webber. She was like me, alone. She needed me, and I her."
"You empathized with her," he began stroking her hair softly, trying to comfort her. There was something about the way he did it that really struck a chord with the brunette. It all seemed...natural to him...like he'd done all this before. It was almost paternal...
"Oh my god..." The realization hit Zana so quickly she actually stumbled back. She couldn't believe it. Oh, Doctor...her poor Doctor...you're always so full of things to say, but you never really talk, do you? You keep all the things that matter hidden away, out of sight, so that maybe it wouldn't hurt as much. Didn't you know that she was there for you?
"...you wanted to be with her because she was alone like you."
"I want my family. It's not fair!"
"I understand. You want to make a family. But you can't stay in this child. It's wrong. You can't steal any more friends for yourself."
"I am alone."
A loud crash from Chloe's wardrobe made Zana and Trish jump. They turned to see the same red glow from before emitting from the closed door.
"I'm coming to hurt you! I'm coming!" The voice that Zana now knew belonged to Chloe's father filled the air, causing the young girl to start shaking, almost violently.
"Trish, how do you calm her?" The Doctor called to the distraught mother.
"What?" Trish gulped.
"When she has nightmares, what do you do?"
"I-I-"
"What do you do?" He demanded.
"I sing to her!"
"Then start singing!" He stood up, allowing her to take his place. Zana and Rose quickly stepped back, trying to get away from the demented closet. Blimey, demented closets. Zana still had to remind herself that this is her life now.
"Chloe, I'm coming!" The voice shouted as Trish began to sing.
"Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree. Merry, merry king of the bush is he-"
"Chloe! Chloe! Chloe! Chloe!" Zana gulped as the voice and the banging grew louder, subconsciously reaching for Rose's hand.
"...laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be. Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be..."
Seconds after her mother stopped singing, Chloe's eyes drifted shut as sleep overtook her. Trish instantly pulled her daughter close. "He came to her because she was lonely..." Her voice broke as tears formed in her eyes. "Chloe, I'm sorry..."
Zana's hands were full of colored pencils as she stood in the doorway of Trish's living room. They had decided that gathering all of Chloe's pencils and pens were a start. The last thing they needed was for the Isolus to take something else. Or to create something else.
"Chloe usually got the brunt of his temper when he'd had a drink," Trish informed as she gathered the pencils next to the telly. "The day he crashed the car, I thought we were free. I thought it was over."
"Did you talk to her about it?" Rose's voice was soft as she handed her the utensils she had found.
"I didn't want to," Trish replied simply, taking Zana's collection.
"But maybe that's why Chloe feels so alone," Rose sat down on the couch, looking at Trish knowingly. "Because she has all these terrible dreams about her dad, but she can't talk to you about them."
"Her and the Isolus..." Zana looked up at the Doctor as he spoke. "Two lonely kids who need each other."
"And it won't stop, will it, Doctor? It'll just keep pulling kids in."
"It's desperate to be loved," he answered softly. "It's used to a pretty big family."
Zana frowned, "How big?"
He looked down at her, "Say around four billion?"
"We need that pod," the Doctor informed the second the three of them stepped out of Trish's house and into the chilly air. Zana zipped up her jacket as she watched him shrug on his trench coat. Her head was full of questions for him, but she knew she'd have to wait until way later to ask them. Not that she'd even get answers to them. He's the Doctor, after all.
"It crashed," Rose frowned. "Won't it be destroyed?
"Well, it's been sucking in all the heat it can. Hopefully, that should keep it in a fit state to launch," Zana had to jog to keep up with his long strides. "It must be close. It should have a weak energy signature that the TARDIS can trace. Once we find it, then we can stop the Isolus." The Doctor pulled out his TARDIS key and began to unlock the wooden doors to his time machine as Zana and Rose stood back patiently. "We can scan for the same trace that I picked up from the scribble creature. We'd need to widen the field a bit."
Zana watched as the Doctor and Rose rushed inside as he got the door open, but something was holding her back. She could have sworn that they were being watched...
"Hello?" She called out, pushing a piece of stray hair behind her ear. "Hello? Someone there?" A shuffling noise made her turn around, but all she caught sight of was a quick flash of purple. "Chloe-"
"Zana! Come on!" The Doctor popped his head out of the TARDIS door, turning her attention back to the task at hand. "We've gotta hurry."
"Sorry," she shook her head, stepping into the ancient box. She shrugged off her jacket and made her way to the captain's chair. The teen took a seat next to Rose, whose hands were full of different parts and bits to god knows what.
"You alright?" Rose asked softly, glancing over at her.
"I'm fine," Zana shrugged, leaning back and stretching out her arms. And she honestly was. Compared to their past adventures, this was a walk in the park, it seemed. No running, no horrific accidents, no death. She was relieved that today was so calm. "I'm not the one holding all of the Doctor's spare parts."
Rose laughed as the man himself stepped up to them, oblivious to their conversation. He was holding some sort of makeshift machine in one hand and was digging in his jacket pocket with the other. They watched him with curiosity as he moved to stand next to Zana.
"Open," the Doctor spoke without so much as looking up at the teen.
Zana raised an eyebrow, "What?"
"Open," he simply repeated. With a quick glance at Rose, who merely shrugged, Zana opened her mouth slightly. The Time Lord popped a piece of gum onto her tongue as if he'd done it a thousand times before. A small laugh escaped Zana's lips as she shook her head with what she could only describe as adoration. She'd never get used to his antics, would she?
"You knew the Isolus was lonely before it told you," Rose spoke up casually as the Doctor nudged her from her spot on the captain's chair. "How?"
"I know what it's like to travel a long way on your own. Give me the styner-magnetic," when Rose simply raised an eyebrow, he nodded towards her hands. "The thing in your left hand!"
"Sounds like you're on its side," Rose gave him a confused look, which only confused Zana. Wasn't she? How could she not be?
"I sympathize, that's all," the Doctor murmured.
The blonde frowned, "The Isolus has caused a lot of pain for these people."
"It's a child. That's why it went to Chloe. Two lonely mixed up kids."
"Feels to me like a temper tantrum because it can't get its own way."
"It's scared!" The Doctor looked up incredulously. "Come on, you were a kid once! Binary dot."
Rose held out a small round dot that was on her fingertip. "Yes, and I know what kids can be like. Right little...terrors."
The Doctor simply turned to Zana and held out his hand, "Gum."
"Aw," she pouted slightly but didn't argue. She spit it into his hand and watched as he pushed it into the device he was building. She thought it best to stay out of his and Rose's little discussion.
"I've got cousins," Rose mumbled. "Kids can't have it all their own way. That's part of being a family."
"What about trying to understand them?" He raised a questioning eyebrow.
"Easy for you to say," Rose leaned back on the console. "You don't have kids."
"I was a dad once."
And there it was. So she had been right. So casually announced, almost without a care in the Universe. She knew that it had taken a lot for him to say that. Oh, Doctor...
"What did you say?" Rose's eyes widened in disbelief as the Doctor stood from his spot.
"I think we're there!" His two companions watched with sadness as he walked around the console. "Fear, loneliness. They're the big ones, Rose. Some of the most terrible acts ever committed have been inspired by them. We're not dealing with something that wants to conquer or destroy," the monitor beeped softly as he ranted, so Rose sighed and pointed to it. "There's a lot of things you need to get across this universe. Warp drive, wormhole refractors. You know the thing you need most of all? You need a hand to hold!" He looked over to see Rose's hand and let a huge grin cover his lips as he reached out and took it.
"No, Look, I'm pointing," Rose laughed happily, which actually put a smile on Zana's face.
"It's the pod!" He announced loudly, his grin widening as Zana stood from her spot. "It is in the street. Everything's coming up Doctor!" Zana and Rose shared a look before following him out of the blue box, "Okay. It's about two inches across. Dull grey, like a gull's egg. Very light."
"All of that stuff about love is just poetics, right?" Zana asked as she made sure to walk a few feet in front of him. Jogging to keep up with him was just ridiculous. "All it needs is heat. Right? Doesn't the little pod just need heat, Doctor?" A loud crash filled the air, making her jump in surprise. She spun around and was greeted by the sight of the Doctor's little device on the ground in a million little pieces. But there was no Doctor or Rose. "Doctor?" She looked around in disbelief, only to find that the TARDIS had disappeared as well. "Rose? Doctor!"
Zana had never run so fast in her life. There was no way she was going to let that Isolus take the Doctor and Rose away from her. And the TARDIS? That was her home now. They were everything to her, and now they were gone. But not for long. She was going to save them, even if she had no idea how. She owed it to them. So, she raced down the street towards Trish's house and banged on the door as hard as she could until the woman herself opened it for her.
"It's okay. I've taken all the pencils off her!" Trish called after the distressed teen as she raced up the stairs, towards the young girl's room. Zana paid no mind to her though, because obviously, she hadn't taken all the bloody pencils, had she?
"Chloe!" Zana pushed open the bedroom door and rushed inside. The brunette snatched a drawing from the girl's hands, and actually seeing her friends and her home drawn on that piece of yellow paper...it brought tears to her eyes. An overwhelming feeling of hopelessness consumed her. They were there...they were stuck...they needed her to save them. But she wasn't sure she could...
"Leave me alone!" The whispery tone of the Isolus tore her eyes from the paper. "I want to be with Chloe Webber. I love Chloe Webber!"
"Give them back to me," Zana's voice shook with anger, anger that she hadn't felt in a very long time. She had done nothing but pity the Isolus, but now, she could not care less what happened to it.
"No."
She gripped the young girl's shoulders and bent down to her level, "Do you really not understand how absolutely unreasonable you are being right now? The Doctor was the one man who could get you home! You have to being him and Rose back! Please!"
"Leave me alone! I love Chloe Webber!"
Zana took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She could almost hear the Doctor trying to calm her down...she could almost feel Rose taking her hand and soothing her. They needed her now more than ever. Anger would resolve nothing. The Doctor had taught her that.
"I understand..." Zana tried to offer the young girl a smile, but the crack in her voice showed her true feelings. She looked down at the drawing of her friends and fought back the oncoming tears. Why couldn't she be strong like them? Why is she struggling to stay together? "Doctor, Rose...I promise you I will get you back, alright? Just bear with me..." She carefully sat the piece of paper on Chloe's bed and turned to Trish. "Please, please, don't leave her alone, Trish. I've got to go find the Isolus's pod."
With that, she took off out of the room and down the stairs, finally letting the tears fall down her cheeks. Once she was outside, she leaned against the house and let her mind wander. She had a whole street to look around for a spaceship the size of a gull's egg, as the Doctor had so poetically described. How the hell would she find it in time? It was like the Universe was against her...
"Heat..." she murmured as she wiped a few stray tears from her cheeks, which she was sure were bright red. "Heat...heat..."
"Look at this finish!" The councilman from earlier that day, Kel, if she remembered correctly, called out. She sniffled as she looked over at him, crouched over a freshly tarmacked pothole. "Smooth as a baby's bottom. Not a bump or a lump!"
Hold on a minute...heat...
"Kel?" Zana pushed herself off the house and dashed over to the man, who was too busy gushing over his work to really take notice of her. "Kel, hey-"
"I mean, you can eat your dinner off this!" He beamed up at the teen. "Beautiful! So you tell me why the other one's got a lump in it when I gave it the same love and craftsmanship as I did this one!"
"Look, I'd love to hear it when you figure it out, but I need you to concentrate. Six days ago, what was happening? What were you doing?"
"Six days. When I was laying this the first time round," Kel informed with a satisfied nod.
Zana felt herself become giddy. She had been right! "Sorry, say that again. What had you been doing?"
Kel gave her a strange look, but she didn't mind. "Well, that's when I filled in this pothole for the first time."
"Six days ago."
"Yeah."
She laughed and clapped her hands together excitedly, "Hot tar! Hot, fresh tar!"
Kel grinned proudly, "Blended to a secret council recipe."
Zana returned his grin and looked around for something heavy enough for what she had to do. The excitement was bubbling in her chest as an idea struck her. She was going to dread doing it to poor Kel, but all the same, it would bring her friends back. A small sacrifice, right?
"I don't keep it in the van!" Kel called to the brunette as she rushed towards Kel's council van. "Hey, that's a council van. Out!" Of course, Zana ignored him and threw open the doors. Her eyes glanced around until she spotted it: a pickaxe. She quickly grabbed it and ran back to the freshly lain tarmac. "Whoa, wait, wait, wait. You just removed a council ax from a council van! Put it back. No, don't, wait! Put the ax back in the van. That's my van. Give me the ax!"
"Kel, I am so, so sorry," Zana gave him a soft smile before taking a deep breath and bringing the ax down onto the street below her.
"No! Wait! No! No!" Kel's desperate pleas were in vain as Zana brought the ax down again. And again. And again. "You, stop! You just took a council ax from a council van and now you're digging up a council road! I'm reporting you to the council!"
Zana was too happy to care about his words and she threw the ax to the side. She bent down and dug around in the smashed tarmac until she spotted the small, silver ship. Her chest started to flutter with hope as she stood up and showed it to Kel.
"Look! Look at it! It was attracted to the heat, Kel! Ah!" She laughed and pulled him into a quick hug, which he returned awkwardly. She didn't mind, though. She was too happy to care.
"What is it?" Kel tried to get a better look at the little pod, but Zana would not stay still for the life of her. How could she? She had found it! How did she get so lucky?
"It's a spaceship," she looked up at Kel and gave him a cheeky smile. "Not a council spaceship, I'm afraid." Before Kel could say anything, she bent down and grabbed the ax before making a mad dash to Trish's house. She held the pod tightly in her hand as she pushed open the door with her shoulder and announced, "I've found it! Trish, I actually found it!" Trish greeted her with a happy smile as Zana walked through the living room. "I'm not too sure how to get the Isolus on board, thou- Hold on. Why aren't you with Chloe? I told you not to leave her alone!"
"My God!" A man's voice cried out on the television. Trish and Zana both turned their attention to the live coverage of the Olympics. "Er, what's going on here?"
"Oh my god..." Zana's happy mood dissipated at the sight before her. The complete Olympic stadium was empty. Everyone was gone...
"I don't care if you've got Snow White and the Seven Dwarves buried under there, you don't go digging up-" Kel's loud, annoyed tone filled the air as he stomped into the house, but Zana her fingers to her lips, shushing him. He gave her a weird look, probably because she was still holding onto his ax, but did as told.
"Look..." Her voice was soft with worry as she nodded towards the telly.
"The crowd has vanished! Um, they're gone! Everyone has gone! Thousands of people have just gone. Right in front of my eyes," the announcer was rightfully confused as the three of them looked on. "It's impossible. Bob, can we join you in the box? Bob? Not you too, Bob?"
"It's not going to be enough," Zana broke the silence between them. "The Doctor said the Isolus has four billion siblings."
"What do we do?" Trish asked quietly.
"I...I don't know," Zana shook her head before pushing past Kel. She had to sort this out. "Chloe!" She shouted as she rushed up the stairs. "Chloe? Chloe, it's Zana!" She tried to turn the door handle, but to no prevail. "I need you to open the door! We found your pod! You can go home now!"
"Chloe?" Trish tried, moving to stand next to Zana.
"Open up! Please!" Zana was desperate. When the door didn't open, she took a deep breath. "Right, stand back."
"I'm coming to hurt you!" The voice of Chloe's dad made Zana shiver as she brought the ax back. She slammed it against the door, splintering the wood on impact. "I'm coming, coming to hurt you!"
Zana let the ax fall to the floor as she reached inside and pushed aside the chair that was blocking the door handle. There was the young girl, busy at work drawing the planet Earth on her wall. "Chloe!"
"I'm coming to hurt you. I'm coming!"
"I have to stop her!" Zana went to move forward, but the closet doors rattled as a loud growl emitted from it.
"If you stop Chloe Webber, I will let him out," the Isolus's gaze made Zana gulp. "We will let him out together! I cannot be alone! It's not fair!"
"I've got your pod!" Zana held at her hand to reveal the small spaceship, but the Isolus didn't seem affected by it at all.
"The pod is dead."
"It only needs heat!" She tried to reason a Kel slowly stepped into the room, fear written on his features.
"It needs more than heat."
"What else does it need!?"
"I'm not being funny or nothing, but that picture just moved," Kel gulped, his eyes wide as he pointed to a familiar piece of yellow paper. "And that one!"
Zana grabbed the drawing off the bed with shaky hands. The Olympic torch was drawn on it now, and the Doctor and Rose were pointing to it.
"She didn't draw that...the Doctor did..." She gulped as she shook her head. "It needs more than heat, Doctor..."
"...is still on its way. I suppose it's much more than a torch now, it's a beacon," Zana's attention was brought to the live coverage of the Olympic torch playing on Chloe's laptop. "It's a beacon of hope and fortitude and courage. And it's a beacon of love."
"Love..." the teen's eyes widened with realization. "More than poetic, I think!"
"...so let's have a look from the helicopter. There we go, the torchbearer running..."
"I know how to charge up the pod!" Zana exclaimed, sending one last look in Chloe's direction before pushing past the worried mother and the frightened councilman. When she made it outside, a large group of people were at the end of the street, cheering on the oncoming torch. She ran, apologizing to every person she pushed past.
"Sorry, you'll have to watch from here," a policeman gripped Zana's arm in a vice grip as she tried to get past the crowd.
"No, you don't understand, I've got to get closer!" Zana looked up at the man with pleading eyes. "Please!"
He simply scoffed, "No way."
"I have to! I have to!" Zana could feel the tears start to sting her eyes, but before they fell, a soft chirping filled her ears. She looked down to see the ship glowing brighter and brighter as the Olympic torch passed in front of them. "You can feel it, can't you?" She breathed with wonder as an idea came to her. She only had one chance to save them. She had to get this right. "Come on, my love..." She whispered to the small ship before tossing it into the air as hard as she could. Her eyes were glued onto the pod as it soared through the sky, towards the Olympic torch. "Come on...come on..." The pod flew forward, almost as if it was motivated by her words, and landed right in the flame of the torch. "Oh my god!"
"You did it!" Kel exclaimed as she spun around to face him.
"I did it!" She laughed and pulled him into a hug, but this time he returned it wholeheartedly. "Oh my god! Kel!"
"I can't believe that just happened!" He beamed as they spun around. "That was- wow!"
Zana's smile was so wide that her cheeks were starting to cramp up, but there was no way she was going to let it drop. She did it! She saved everyone! Not just the Doctor and Rose, but Danny and Dale and even the Isolus! When she pulled away from Kel, she made sure to keep a tight grip on his hand as she looked around the neighborhood. Parents were embracing their newly returned children and smiles were on everyone's faces. She kept thinking she'd see the Doctor and Rose wander down the street, hand in hand, but they never did. "Doctor..."
Instead of the Doctor, Maeve, the older woman from before, hobbled over to her and embraced her.
"I don't know who you are, or what you did, but thank you, darling!" Maeve leaned up and pressed a kiss to Zana's cheek. "And thank that couple for me too!"
Zana let her smile fall once the lady had gone. "Where are they, Kel? They should be here...All the drawings came to life..." Her eyes widened as she looked back towards Trish's house. Chloe's room was lit a bright red. "All of them...oh, no." She took off towards the house, but right before she made it to the door, it slammed in her face. "Trish, you have to get out of there!" She slammed her fist against the door.
"I can't!" Trish's voice was muffled. "The door's stuck!"
"Is the Doctor and Rose in there?" Zana asked desperately.
"I don't think so!"
"Mummy..." Chloe's frightened voice had returned to normal.
"Chloe, I'm coming to hurt you!" Chloe's dad's voice was loud enough for even Zana to hear it. She was helpless. She couldn't do anything...
"Please, dad. No more..."
"Chloe!"
"Chloe, I need you to listen to me," Zana's voice was on the verge of breaking, but she had to be strong for them. It's what the Doctor would do. "This drawing isn't real like the others were. It's just residual energy from the Isolus, but you can get rid of it."
"Help us!" Trish's desperate voice made Zana gulp. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the door.
"Listen to me, please!" The hopelessness feeling had returned to her chest. "He's only real because you are afraid of him. But you can end him!"
Chloe whimpered, "Mummy!"
"You can do this, Chloe!"
"I can't!"
The monstrous voice of Chloe's father rang out again, sending shiver's down Zana's spine. "Chloe, I'm coming!"
"I can't! I can't!"
"I'm coming!"
"I can't..." Zana's heart shattered in her chest at the young girl's words.
"I'm coming!"
"Mummy..."
"Chloe!"
Zana watched through the glass as Chloe slid down the door, terrified.
"I'm with you, Chloe," Trish slid down the door as well and embraced her daughter tightly. "You're not alone. You'll never be alone again!"
"Wait a second..." Zana's eyes widened with realization. Trish had sung to her to get rid of her nightmares... "Hold on...Chloe! Chloe, sing! I need you to sing!"
"Chloe. Chloe. Chloe. Chloe. Chloe, I'm coming to hurt you! Chloe!"
"Sing! Come on!" Zana hit the door a few more times. "Please!"
"Merry, merry king of the bush is he...Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be," Trish and Chloe's voices started to rise as they sang. "Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be!" Zana slid down the door as the red glow started to disappear and let the emotions take over her. A sob left her lips as she buried her face into her hands. "Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree. Merry merry king of the bush is he. Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be..."
Once the tears had finally dried up and she had gotten her mind under control, Zana leaned her head back against Webbers' door. She didn't understand why the Doctor and Rose didn't show up. Surely she saved them if everyone else was saved...right? They had to have been unless the Universe was playing some sort of cruel joke on the brunette.
"Maybe they've gone somewhere," Kel offered hopefully as if he had read her thoughts, making Zana look up at him. He gave her a soft smile as he held out a hand.
"They've got each other," she let out a shuddered breath as he helped her off of the ground. "It's always been the Doctor and Rose."
He gave her shoulder a soft squeeze before leading her into the warmth of Trish and Chloe's home. The two of them were standing in front of the telly, watching as the torch was being carried into the Olympic stadium.
"They've returned. They've reappeared! It's quite incredible. Bob, this will certainly..."
"Eighty thousand people," Zana breathed as she folded her arms across her chest. Perhaps the Universe was really that cruel. "So where's the Doctor and Rose? I need them...I need him."
Voicing it aloud made it real. Her feelings for the Doctor grew stronger and stronger every day, but she hadn't even admitted it to herself, let alone another person.
"But hang on, the Torch Bearer seems to be in a bit of trouble...We did see a flash of lightning earlier that seemed to strike him. Maybe he's injured. He's definitely in trouble..." the small group watched somberly as the torchbearer fell to the ground, obviously in pain. "Does this mean that the Olympic dream is dead?"
Zana was about to turn away. She was done with this whole night. She was done with the Universe. But she really ought to know better by now.
"Doctor..." She breathed as a trench coat-clad arm reached down to pick up the fallen torch.
"There's a mystery man. He's picked up the flame!" They watched with huge smiles on their faces as the Doctor ran with the flame. "We've no idea who he is. He's carrying the flame! Yes, he's carrying the flame and no one wants to stop him! It's more than a flame now, Bob. It's more than heat and light. It's hope, and it's courage, and it's love."
The sun had long since set once Zana stepped out of Trish and Chloe's home for the last time, this time bearing gifts for her two friends. Children were playing out in their gardens as their parents watched lovingly, the relief of having their kids back written all of their faces. She was so engrossed with the happiness surrounding her that she nearly missed her two friends walking down the street, hand in hand. With a huge, relieved smile of her own, she dashed out onto the road behind them.
"I'm happy to see that you can join me tonight," Zana spoke up, making them turn around. "I was starting to think you wouldn't make it back. But I got you these just in case."
The smiles on the Doctor and Rose's made Zana's heart flutter as she held out the small cakes Trish had gifted to her.
"Top banana!" The Doctor grinned as Rose stepped forward pulled her into a hug. "Mmm. I can't stress this enough! Ball bearings you can eat, masterpiece!"
"I really thought I had lost you both," Zana buried her face into Rose's neck, becoming overwhelmed with relief and with all of the feelings that she had endured through the day.
"Never," Rose pulled back and gave Zana a soft, comforting smile.
"Not on a night like this," the Doctor added and subtly reached out, taking Zana's hand into his own. "This is a night for lost things being found. Come on!"
Zana frowned. All she wanted was to go home, "What is it now, Doctor?"
"I want to go to the Games! It's what we came for!" He grinned down at her as Rose looped her arm through hers.
"Go on, give us a clue," Rose gave the Doctor a cheeky smile. "Which events do we do well in?"
"Well, I will tell you this," he spoke around his mouthful of cake. "Papua New Guinea surprises everyone in the shot put."
"Really? You're joking, aren't you?" Rose laughed. "Doctor, are you serious, or are you joking?"
"Wait and see," he nudged Zana and in turn, nudged Rose.
"You know what?" Rose looked lovingly at her best friends as they were illuminated by the fireworks in the sky. "They keep on trying to split us up, but they never ever will."
"Never say never ever," the Doctor looked over his companions with an unrecognizable look in his eyes.
"Nah, we'll always be okay, us three," Rose leaned her head against Zana's shoulder. "Don't you reckon, Zana?"
"I really, really hope so," Zana chuckled, squeezing the Doctor's hand. She was at ease. The three of them together, as it should be...as hopefully it always will be.
"There's something in the air," the Doctor's voice was soft, a big contrast from his earlier happier tone. "Something coming."
"What?" His companions frowned at his words. Where had that even come from?
"A storm's approaching..."
When the Doctor had nothing else to do besides sit with his own thoughts, he usually tried to preoccupy himself so he didn't have to do that. Zana had figured that out pretty early on in their travels. So, when she and Rose needed to rest between adventures, he was usually in the console room or his workroom, distracting him from himself. She knew that was where she'd find him. Rose had long since retired to the library in an attempt to settle down from the day's adventures, so she thought it best not to disturb her. Zana had tried to catch up on the book that she had been reading, but her mind wouldn't calm down long enough to let her do so. She was on an infinite spaceship with only one thought on her mind: she needed the Doctor.
"Zan!" The most beautiful smile covered his lips and his eyes lit up as she stepped into the dimly lit control room. She wordlessly walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight embrace. "Well hello," he chuckled, returning the hug happily.
"Don't ever leave me like that again," her voice broke as she buried her face into his neck. "I thought I had lost you and Rose...I was so scared..."
"I know," his tone was soft with understanding. Tears started to sting Zana's eyes once more, but she refused to let them fall. She had cried enough today.
"I didn't know what to do...After I had managed to fix one thing, another thing replaced it. And once everyone came back, and you weren't there? I thought I did something wrong. I...I-" she sniffled, pulling herself closer to him. "I thought I had managed to lose you forever."
"I'm so sorry..." his fingertips ran up and down her back in an attempt to comfort his distressed companion. "But look at what you did. You saved the entire world today, Zana Kline!" He gently pulled back from her so he could meet her gaze. "I am so, so proud of you, Zan. So proud!"
Zana pushed her hair from her eyes and offered him a weak smile, "It's what you would have done."
His eyes lit up. "Thank you so much for saving Rose and me. And the TARDIS."
"How could I let the TARDIS just disappear?" Zana chuckled and laid her hand on the control panel. "She's my home now. I absolutely adore her."
"She adores you," he informed as a soft whirring filled the air. "And she thanks you as well."
"Hmm..." Zana's lips curled slightly. "But really, Doctor...I...not knowing where you and Rose were or if I'd ever see you two again...I don't want to feel like that ever again, you got that, mister?"
"Yes ma'am," he chuckled as he mocked a salute. "I promise to never be taken from you ever again."
She laughed and leaned against the console next to him. "And Rose. We can't lose our Rose."
"She's here to stay," he looked down at her. "Just as you are. I promise."
"I think you've proven that, Doctor," she nudged him slightly, absently leaning her head against his shoulder. Everything felt so natural with him. She didn't even realize what she was doing it half the time.
"Good," he murmured. They sat in comfortable silence for a good few minutes before he leaned his head on hers and closed his eyes. At that moment, she knew what she had been denying for months now. She knew that she had gotten herself into a rut that would be almost impossible to climb out of. She understood Rose's strong devotion to the Doctor better than she ever had because, at that moment, she had figured it all out. She had gone and fallen in love with the Doctor. And she hated herself for it. "Thank you, Zana Kline."
"You don't have to thank me for saving you, you know," her voice was soft. She felt that, if she spoke any louder, she would say something she might regret. "You've saved my life too many times to count."
"I'm not thanking you for that," he informed gently. Just as she went to ask what he could mean by that, he reached down and laced his fingers with her. " Thank you for everything. Thank you for being here with me."
"I'll always be here for you, Doctor," she promised, not only to him, but to herself.
The Doctor deserves the Universe, and although she may be a long shot from that, that didn't mean she wasn't going to try. And if that meant making sure that he and Rose got their happily ever after, then so be it. She cared too much about both of them to hurt them.
A/N: Guys! I finally updated it! And it's a pretty loaded chapter! I desperately hope you enjoy it! Oh. And the next chapter is Army of Ghosts. I'm not emotionally prepared.