Chapter Five

There was an intensity in the air as Robyn and the Doctor descended the stairs. Neither of them said a word, and swiftly returned to the kitchen. The Menolissian Wolverine was in the middle of the room, and everything had been trashed. The kitchen table had been completely overturned, and empty drawers had been ripped from their places. Phillipa had passed out cold at the sight of the beast, which made Robyn feel a little better, since she knew that her not-mother would not see anything when it happened.

"So, how are we going to do this?" Robyn asked quietly, not wanting to get the beast's attention before it was necessary. "Are we going to try and lure it away from here?"

The Doctor nodded. "That's our best bet," he replied. "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

"Then let's go."

Robyn cleared her throat, and stepped forward. "Hey, wolfie," she called, knowing how well the name worked before. "Come and get me. I won't run... too far."

That did it. The Menolissian Wolverine turned to face the little girl and roared, enraged that the child was taunting it again. It was time to claim its prize.

As the beast gave chase, the Doctor and Robyn turned on their heels and fled, racing out of the house, and as far down the street as their legs could carry them. They'd already decided upstairs that they'd find a clearing, or as close to a clearing as they could get, and then stop running. They would wait for the beast, and once he was there, let him kill them. Although she didn't show it, and she didn't say so, the Doctor knew Robyn was scared. There was no way someone wouldn't be. Getting mauled to death by a Menolissian Wolverine was not exactly a nice way to die.

"We're almost there," said the Doctor, when the clearing came into view. "Do you want me to carry you?"

"Do I look like I'm six, Doctor?" Robyn replied. "I can run just fine."

"All right then, have it your way."

"Thank you."

The clearing was a big wide space, big enough that the nearest trees were about four or five feet away. If they wanted to, the Doctor and Robyn could've climbed the trees, but that would've also made things too difficult for the beast to catch them. No, for now, and until they woke up in the TARDIS, they would need to stay close to the ground.

"How far away is it?" asked Robyn, panting as she looked around for a sign of the beast. "Is it almost here?"

"Almost," the Doctor replied, pointing in the direction they'd just come from. "There it is."

And sure enough, the Menolissian Wolverine was on the horizon, growing bigger and bigger as it headed towards them. It looked mad, and Robyn was certain that it was mad at her for taunting it. She wondered if it was a bad thing that she was making it play with its food, but realised that when you're the food, those ideas didn't really apply any more.

"I'm ready," Robyn said quietly. "And I'll see you when we wake up."

She let go of the Doctor's hand, and immediately felt sick to her stomach by what she was about to do. She knew it had to be done, but it hurt to know that the only way to save herself was to die, even though that death wasn't real. She took some comfort in the fact that she might finally leaving the orphanage after all the time she lived there.

No, it wasn't really living. It was just existing, while the other girls teased and belittled her for what she believed in. She really could wait to see the backs of them when she left with the Doctor... if she left with the Doctor. He still hadn't given her a definite answer as to whether he'd adopt her or not, but she never gave up hope. She'd plead her case to the ends the Earth and back again until he gave her an answer.

The Menolissian Wolverine shot forward, grabbing Robyn by the arm. She cried out, more from the shock of it than from the pain, which followed close behind. She could feel the teeth gripping and tearing the skin and the fabric of her nightie, but she kept her tears at bay. She needed to stay strong until the final moment between her death in the nightmare world, and her awakening in the real world. For a moment, she thought she heard the Doctor calling out to her, but the sound was drowned out by the pounding of the blood rushing through her ears. It wouldn't be long now, she could already feel herself weakening and everything in her field of vision started to become blurry.

The darkness hadn't come yet, but Robyn knew it would come soon. She wasn't scared any more. The Doctor was there with her in the nightmare world, and he would be there when she woke up. She wasn't going to be alone any more. She was going to travel through the stars in a big blue box with the daftest alien you ever met, and his best friend who acted more like his sister even though the age difference between them was so ridiculously huge it was hard to keep track of it.

Tiny black dots appeared in front of her eyes now, and Robyn knew that the end was edging closer and closer. It wouldn't be long until she finally left the nightmare world for good. She was growing weaker, and weaker, and weaker, and the black dots started joining together to become bigger dots, and then they joined together to become even bigger dots, and then they joined together to become dark splotches becoming blacker and blacker as her vision faded.

But the one thought that saw her through it all, besides the thought that she would stay with the Doctor, was that she was going to the one place she'd wanted for so long.

She was going home...

And in a matter of moments...

She'd be there...

The dark splotches grew bigger, and bigger, and then...

She was gone.

OoOoOoOoO

"Robyn..."

Someone was talking to her...

"Robyn..."

They were Scottish...

Amy!

Robyn's eyes opened slowly, and this time, instead of impossible pale pink walls, there were the orangey-yellowy brassy coloured walls of the TARDIS. She was starting to wake up... and she was alive! She could still feel the Doctor's arms wrapped around her, and she smiled, leaning back into him.

"Robyn," Amy said again, pointing the sonic screwdriver at her. She pushed the button that the Doctor had told her to push and the tool burst into life, making the familiar whirring noise as she waved it over the waking child. Then she flicked it the way she remembered the Doctor doing it, and looked at the panel on the side. "Well, that's saying you're normal," she said, though Robyn wasn't paying attention to her.

"I'm back," Robyn said quietly, her voice filled with relief. "And I can't hear the Dream Lord any more!"

Amy frowned. "Who?"

Robyn blushed. "Oh, nobody," she said dismissively. "Though I think you better check the Doctor. It sounds like he's starting to come around."

And he was. With a loud groan, the Doctor returned to consciousness. He still remembered watching the Menolissian Wolverine as it had killed Robyn, then him, but he had no intentions of keeping those memories, at least not at the forefront of his mind.

"And he's back," said Amy sarcastically. "What took you so long?"

The Doctor sat up, bringing Robyn with him. "Sonic me," he said simply, the tone of his voice implying that he wasn't in the mood for sarcasm.

Amy pointed the sonic screwdriver at him as he had instructed, and repeated the procedure that she'd performed when Robyn had first woken up. "You're normal," she replied. "Well, as normal as a Time Lord can get, because you are definitely not normal whatsoever."

The Doctor held out his hand, but still held Robyn with the other. "Could I have my screwdriver back please?"

Amy nodded. "Here you go."

"Thank you." The Doctor looked down at Robyn. "Now, Robyn, I'm going to scan your hair."

Robyn looked up the Doctor in confusion. "What, why?"

"Yeah, why?" asked Amy, a similar expression darkening her features. "What could possibly be in her hair that you need to scan for it?"

"Pollen, Pond."

"Pollen?"

"Pollen."

Robyn shook her head. Why would he need to scan for pollen, of all things? Did it have something to do with the dream world? Or was there another reason for it? "Why would there be pollen in my hair?"

"Oh, pollen can get stuck in anything," the Doctor replied. "Hair, clothing, anything. But we're looking for a specific type of pollen."

"And what's that?"

"Psychic pollen. Causes psychic episodes, creates psychic parasites. Nasty stuff if you let it get out of hand, or it gets a chance to run amok in a little girl's imagination."

"And that's what was affecting me?"

The Doctor nodded, then waved the sonic over Robyn's head. "That's right, and when I established the psychic link between us, it affected me too." Before he said anything else, the Doctor noticed a glint resting between two strands of the little girl's hair. "And I've just found the pollen."

A tiny speck of something rest in the Doctor's palm. At first Robyn it looked like a sequin, or the smallest of diamonds. It sparkled in the light, and the colours it made danced off the walls. To think that it had been stuck in her hair all that time... It had been the source of all her nightmares. It looked so insignificant, and it had been a massive, yet terrifying, part of her life. It had brought her the man she wanted to call father. It had brought her so much to be happy about...

And now she just wanted it gone.

"Good," she said, refusing to look at the speck of pollen any more. "Can we get rid of it now?"

"In a little while. I need to find a place to keep it safe for the time being. Can't release it here in case it attaches itself to one of us, or to some other innocent person."

Robyn nodded. "All right."

"So, what are we going to do now?" asked Amy, clapping her hands together. "And I have no idea what time it is, because you two were out of it for ages."

The Doctor checked his watch. "It's... morning."

"Morning?" Robyn exclaimed. "I'm going to be in so much trouble!" She climbed out of the Doctor's arms. "If I've been out all night, then Miss Faversham will know I'm gone, and then I'll get into trouble for running away again!"

"Well, we can't have that, now can we?" said the Doctor. "I think I need to talk to your Miss Faversham about some things."

Amy raised an eyebrow. "Like what?" she asked, suspecting that the Doctor was going to do his usual thing and get them all into trouble again, which was made more annoying by the fact that he'd just got Robyn out of trouble. "You're not going to do anything stupid, are you?"

"I wasn't intending to, but for you I couldmake an exception?" The Doctor grinned, clearing indicating that he was joking. He adjusted his jacket, then stood up, taking Robyn by the hand. "We'll explain to Miss Faversham that you got into a bit of trouble, which isn't exactly a lie, and we brought you home with us when we found you. Again, not a lie."

"She's not going to like that," Robyn replied. "She might even accuse you of kidnapping me."

Amy frowned. "She's got a point there, Doctor."

The Doctor shook his head. "And we'll cross that bridge when we come to it," he said, leading them out of the infirmary and back through the TARDIS. "Besides, I can be very persuasive when I need to be."

"Yep. We're doomed," Amy muttered under her breath.

"I heard that."

OoOoOoOoO

Just as Robyn had said, Miss Faversham, the house mother in charge of the orphanage, was waiting for them when they entered the building. There was no mistaking the anger on her face, although it was quickly changed to astonishment when she saw the Doctor. "It's you," she said, blinking rapidly, then taking off her glasses and rubbing her eyes to make sure she was seeing exactly who she thought she was seeing. "You're the Doctor!"

The Doctor looked at the woman in confusion, but said nothing.

Miss Faversham replaced her glasses firmly on the bridge of her nose. "I thought Robyn'd just run away again," she continued. "But if you're here now..."

Amy frowned. "What are you talking about?" she said. "We haven't see you before in our lives."

"Time Travel, Amy," said the Doctor, patting her on the arm. "Just because things don't happen in the right order, doesn't mean they won't happen at all." He cocked his head to one side. "Except when they don't."

"Come with me," said Miss Faversham, taking a step towards the group. "There's something you need to see, something that I was instructed to show you now."

The Doctor looked at her carefully. "Who did?"

Miss Faversham shook her head, and smiled apologetically. "I'm not supposed to tell you," she replied. "But they said when you saw what you needed to see, then you'd know."

Robyn looked amused. "Does this mean I'm not in trouble?"

"No, you're still in trouble," Miss Faversham replied, smiling again. "But that won't matter any more after today."

"What happens today?" asked the Doctor.

Miss Faversham shrugged. "That's up to you to decide," she said. "Now, are you coming or not?"

Without waiting for an answer, the woman turned on her heel and started to walk away, leading the trio to her office. It was quite a normal room, by anyone's standards. It had a filing cabinet, and a desk, and a computer; all the proper office equipment. There were two chairs in front of the desk, and a third, most likely Miss Faversham's, behind it. Robyn and Amy moved to the chairs and sat down, although the Doctor stayed by the doorway, assuming it would be the best place to be in case he needed to make a quick getaway.

"So, what did you want me to see?" he asked, leaning against the door frame.

Miss Faversham didn't answer straight away, moving to the filing cabinet and opening it. She pulled out a file, and the Doctor's keen eye noticed that it was Robyn's, her name marking it at the top with a small photograph of the smiling child attached next to it. She sat down at her desk, then thumbed through the file, pulling out a small folded piece of paper. "This, Doctor, is what I was instructed to show you," she said at last, standing up and around the desk, crossing the room to join him. "This is what I'm supposed to give you."

"A note? So what does it say?"

"You tell me," Miss Faversham replied. "I'm only the messenger."

"So you are," the Doctor replied, smiling a knowing smile. He took the note from Miss Faversham and opened it. He read the contents, and glancing at Robyn every so often. He grinned. "You took very good care of this," he said cryptically. "And of her."

Miss Faversham smiled proudly. "It's my job. All the children in my care are well looked after."

"Yet, she still fell through the cracks, so to speak," he replied, looking at Robyn meaningfully. "Not those cracks, Amy," he added hastily. "Just a figure of speech, this time."

"It better be," Amy replied, shooting him a worried look.

"Oh, it is."

The Doctor strode into the office, then picked Robyn up from the chair in which she sat, then sat down himself, depositing the child in his lap. He looked at Amy. "What would you say to someone joining us on..." He glanced at Miss Faversham. "Well, what would you say to someone joining us on our travels?"

Amy's eyes widened. "I don't know," she replied. "It depends on who you had in mind, I guess."

"I mean, we'd have to choose our destinations more carefully, or as carefully as we can, but I think it could work." The Doctor looked down at Robyn. "Do you think it could work?"

Robyn looked up at the Doctor in astonishment. Was he saying what she thought he was saying?

"Well?"

"I think it could work," Robyn said slowly, a sly smile creeping across her face.

The Doctor grinned. "Nice to know we're in agreement then!" He turned to Miss Faversham. "I believe that there's some paper work in regards to this endeavour," he said. "Or else this would be construed as kidnapping, am I right?"

Miss Faversham nodded. "That's right."

Amy shook her head. "What, you're actually going to adopt her?"

"Of course I am. Why shouldn't I?"

"I didn't think you'd actually do it," she replied, leaning back in her seat. "Not your thing."

"How do you know it's not my thing?" the Doctor countered. "Nine hundred and seven, remember. I've done lots of things you'd never think were my thing, but that doesn't mean I haven't done them." He turned to Miss Faversham, who didn't looked phased at all by the fact that he'd just said he was nine hundred and seven. "I believe I want to adopt this young lady, and I believe you can help me."

She nodded. "I can, and you won't even have to wait very long for the adoption to be finalised." She smiled. "In fact, the process was started months ago."

"As stated in that note."

Robyn looked at Miss Faversham, then at the Doctor, in confusion. "But, how could that happen?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Wibbley wobbley, timey wimey," he replied, as that would be enough to explain it.

"Anyway," Miss Faversham continued. "The process was started months ago, and those of your associates who could vouch for your character were contacted, and they were just as surprised by this as I was, but your application to adopt young Robyn Guinevere Lawson was approved."

"Just like that?" asked Amy.

"Just like that," answered the Doctor, looking at her smugly. "It helps when you have friends in high places."

"So, I can leave with the Doctor, and Amy, right now?" asked Robyn.

"As soon as the papers are signed," Miss Faversham replied. "Which includes the application to be home-schooled."

"Ah, good." Miss Faversham passed the Time Lord the open file and a pen, which he used to sign the papers inside with a flourish. "There, done. Now we can go."

"Not yet, Doctor."

"Why?"

"Your newly adopted daughter needs to get dressed and collect her things before she can go anywhere."

The Doctor looked down at Robyn, who smiled up at him, clearly having the time of her life.

She was also still clad in her nightdress, and the warm clothes she'd thrown over the top.

"Ah."

He placed Robyn back on the floor, and directed her to Miss Faversham. The girl didn't protest, in fact she went with the older woman quite readily, since she now knew that she'd be leaving when she was all packed up and ready to go.

"So you really did it," said Amy in disbelief. "You actually went ahead and adopted a little girl." She looked at the Doctor suspiciously. "What did that note say?" The Doctor wordlessly handed her the note so she could read it. "Oh."

"Oh, is right."

"So we need to..."

"Go back a few months and get the adoption process started. You wait here for Robyn, and I'll be back in five minutes."

Amy nodded. "Don't be late."

"I won't."

"That's what you always say."

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