So normally I wouldn't spoil all of you with another update so quickly, but I got an additional two chapters typed up this week due to a two-day impromptu break in college classes. So enjoy this! This has an original adventure in it, my own twist. ;) Let me know what you think of it!
Chapter 4
As soon as Freya was dressed in clothes the TARDIS approved, she made her way to the console room. The Doctor was flitting about, appearing to be doing simple work to keep himself busy. When he saw her, his eyes lit up.
"Freya! You're up! I figured we could take a quick adventure to a wonderful planet I know. What do you say?" the Doctor asked her, his blue eyes full of excitement. Freya was still confused over what the TARDIS had said, but couldn't find it in herself to deny the Doctor his pleasure. She nodded, earning a, "Fantastic!" from the Doctor.
She situated herself in a chair, watching as the Doctor turned numerous dials. The TARDIS started shaking, but the shaking stopped rather quickly. The Doctor all but ran for the door, jerking it open.
"Here we are! Come on now, Freya! Look alive!" he urged. Freya slid a smile onto her face and walked over to him, glancing out at the new scenery.
"This planet is called Woman Wept. It only has one continent, and the continent looks like…well, a woman weeping. Come on! We're just in time. This place is beautiful," he told her excitedly, dragging her towards a beach. All around, the scenery was wild. Blue trees, blue grass, a light green sky. As they approached the beach, she noticed how the sand seemed to have a pink glow to it, resembling finely crushed seashells. Out at sea, a storm appeared to be brewing. Waves were rolling in, large purple waves.
The waves intensified and then all of a sudden, they stopped.
Freya's mouth dropped open. In a split second, the waves had merely froze. She took a step towards them automatically before freezing and turning to look towards the Doctor.
"Go ahead. They won't start moving again for about an hour," the Doctor told her with a grin. Freya grinned right back before taking off running across the beach.
There was no one around. No one. She stepped into the water cautiously, noting that it didn't even ripple around her feet. Her feet! She jumped back, peeling off her shoes and socks, tossing them behind her. They were already wet. She should have thought of that. Still, now barefoot, she entered the water.
The water was warm. It felt glorious, almost as good and warm as the gold particles the TARDIS surrounded her in when she slept or wandered the ship. She waded around one of the waves, swimming so that she was right under a larger wave.
That was when she noticed him.
There was a man, trapped in the wave. Eyes wide in fright, appearing like he was desperately trying to escape the storm. Freya swam towards him, plunging her hands into the wave.
"Freya?" the Doctor called.
"I'm still here!" Freya called back, her hand gripping the man's arm. The man's wide eyes got even wider at her motions. Something felt off.
The moment she jerked the man towards her, the waves unfroze. A massive wave crashed over her, filling her lungs almost instantly with a sweet water. Sugar water, as opposed to salt water. It was the man's turn to grip her, kicking towards the surface.
She was thrown onto ground, onto the sand, and there was a sudden pressure on her chest. She gasped, the water from her lungs coming up instantly.
"There. Good. Thank you," the man told her, offering a hand. Freya took it, allowing the stranger to pull her to her feet. Her eyes darted around, widening as they took in the lack of familiar features.
"Sorry. We're on the other side, from where you were. What were you doing out there? Everyone knows better than to go swimming in the morning freeze," the man lectured her, but he had a smile on his face.
"What about you?" Freya challenged. The man laughed at her words and shook his head.
"Touché. I was trying to get to the other beach before the freeze. I shoulda waited. But I'm not a waiter," the man told her.
"So what's your name? Where'd you come from?" the man asked her curiously.
"I'm Freya. I came with….oh! I need to get back!" Freya said quickly, eyes widening.
"Whoa. Calm down! We can't go back just yet. The morning freeze is very unreliable. And you sort of threw it out of wack by pulling me from it. You don't want to get stuck in it," the man told her.
"But I'm travelling with someone!" Freya protested, staring out at the waves. They were just as wild as they had been when her and the Doctor had arrived.
"Don't worry. They'll be fine. I'm Davey, by the way," he said, offering his hand. Freya took it, giving him a tentative smile. Where was the Doctor?
"Come with me. I'll show you the city. This afternoon I'll help you across the bay. The afternoon's more reliable and the storm should be cleared out by then," Davey told her. Freya hesitated, still staring out at the water.
"But what if he comes for me and I'm not here?" Freya asked. The light in Davey's eyes faded slightly and his smile wavered.
"It's a him. I see," he said almost darkly before shaking his head.
"If he comes, he'll come to town. Let's go," the man said, taking her hand before she could even protest again.
Not that she would have protested. Not with him holding her hand. She loved the contact too much to protest.
The two approached the city and Freya gasped.
It was gorgeous. Everything about the city was beautiful. The buildings sparkled in the light. The streets bustled. And everyone was…friendly with one another. Davey pulled her onwards, greeting numerous people as he did.
Everyone greeted him back, greeted her as well, even wished them a wonderful day. It made Freya feel almost important. As if she were someone people wanted to get to know.
"What do you think? Glad I made you come?" Davey asked her with a grin. Freya nodded absently, still staring around. He led her to a booth where a lady was selling some sort of necklaces.
"Would you like one?" Davey asked her. Freya stared at them for a moment before glancing up at him.
"I'll buy you one," he told her. Freya started to accept but stopped.
She was on an alien planet. Everyone looked human. Everyone acted human. But what if they weren't human? What if there was something more to buying a necklace? Could that have some significant meaning?
"What's the significance of a necklace?" Freya finally asked, still staring at him. Davey stared at her before shaking his head, smiling.
"You're not from around here, are you?" he asked her. She shook her head, only to catch sight of something akin to an airplane. She turned, glancing upward at it, watching in wonder as it glided over the city, landing somewhere in the street. The people around where the glider landed helped the person up, smiling and laughing.
It was almost surreal.
Davey led her out of town, towards a hill that overlooked the city. She stared at it, still in wonder.
"This place is beautiful," Freya said with a sigh.
"I told you it was."
The voice came from behind them. And it didn't sound happy. Freya spun around, as did Davey, eyes landing on the Doctor. He was leaning against the TARDIS, glaring at the two of them. Freya felt her throat nearly close at the intensity. It terrified her.
"I take it you're the friend," Davey said, a smile on his face. The Doctor didn't budge.
"Save it. I know what you're trying to do. And you're not doing it. Freya, let's go," the Doctor ordered.
Freya was confused. What was Davey trying to do? He was only showing her the city….wasn't he? Or was that some other sort of alien thing she didn't know about. She pulled her hand from Davey and started walking towards the Doctor. Only for Davey to run up and intercept her.
"You don't have to listen to him. You don't have to go with him. You can stay here, with me. You said it yourself. You love it here. You love everything about here. Why would you want to leave with him? He doesn't treat you like you should be treated. Hell, I don't think he even cares about you," Davey said, glaring over his shoulder at the Doctor.
"It's beautiful here. But I don't know anything about here. I belong on my planet," Freya told him, trying to step around him. But Davey moved to cut her off again. He pulled a necklace out of his pocket.
"You can stay here. You can take this, and stay here," Davey told her, holding it out to her. Freya took a step back, making sure she didn't touch the necklace.
"What does taking the necklace mean?" Freya asked him, staring at it.
"It means you are taken, in a sense. It serves as an engagement necklace, or a necklace for a slave," the Doctor answered coldly behind her.
"But you'd be happy here!" Davey tried explaining to her. Freya glanced back at the Doctor, back at the TARDIS. The TARDIS's words drifted back to her.
She was the Doctor's possession.
She sidestepped Davey once more and walked around him.
"I don't understand! He's treating you worse than anyone here would treat you!" Davey shouted at her. Freya stopped and turned to face him.
"It doesn't really matter. I belong to him, in a sense. And he wasn't the one who would have tricked me," Freya told Davey softly.
"Necklace?" the Doctor asked, holding a necklace to Freya. She glanced at him, surprised. Him, not really looking at the necklace.
"So you'd take one from him but not me?" Davey asked her, confused.
"I already said. I practically belong to him," Freya told the man, touching the necklace the Doctor offered her. It felt…oddly familiar. He moved it from her grip and placed it around her neck, latching it securely before sliding his hand in hers.
She didn't even look back.
As soon as the TARDIS had left the planet, the Doctor turned to her, eyes curious.
"Why did you say you belong to me?" the Doctor asked her.
"The TARDIS said I did," Freya told him, fingering the necklace.
"Don't worry about the necklace. It only holds that meaning on a handful of planets. Earth's not one of them," the Doctor told her, almost sounding awkward.
"How did the TARDIS tell you?" the Doctor asked her once more.
"I talk to her sometimes. And she talks to me," Freya explained. She considered mentioning the gold particles but didn't. Something in her told her that that wasn't the smartest of ideas.
"I thought you said the waves would stay frozen for an hour," Frey asked him.
"Yeah, well, I got the time of day off. And you tried pulling something out of the water, which automatically unfreezes things," the Doctor told her, giving her a light reprimand but it was nothing like when they'd been outside the TARDIS. His expression morphed into one of confusion as he stared at Freya.
"Why didn't you stay? I don't know if I've ever seen you that happy. You very well could have stayed," the Doctor stated. Freya didn't know how to answer. She really didn't.
So she didn't. She turned away from him, sitting in the chair. Her knees automatically came up in the chair and she wrapped her arms firmly around them.
"How did you know not to take the necklace?" the Doctor finally asked as the TARDIS began shaking. It stopped fairly soon, but Freya could sense they hadn't landed. They were in orbit.
"It hit me that it was an alien planet and while they looked human, they probably had different traditions. And then he sidestepped my question about it," Freya said softly. There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment.
"Right. Well, is there anywhere you want to go next?" the Doctor asked her quickly, trying to shake off the silence.
"I want to see Rose," Freya said. She could talk to Rose about what had happened. Rose would understand. No one else would, except the Doctor. And she couldn't very well talk to the Doctor about, well, himself.
"Oh. Very well. All things come to an end," the Doctor muttered. Freya's head whipped around, her hair flying around her.
"What?" Freya asked him. He stopped, staring at her.
"You said you wanted to go home," the Doctor stated, appearing puzzled at her confusion.
"No. I wanted to see Rose. I just…I wanted to talk to someone," Freya admitted.
"But I'm someone!" the Doctor protested.
"You're a man. Er, you're sort of a man. I want to talk to another girl. About girly things," Freya tried. Her explanation worked as the Doctor all but threw himself at the controls, hitting buttons incredibly fast.
"Yes yes! Girl talk. Let's get you back right now then!" the Doctor rushed the words, almost to the point of sounding alarmed at the possibility of hearing girl talk and, heaven forbid, being forced to participate in it. The sight almost made Freya giggle. It did make the TARDIS laugh.
"Right! Here we are. London, Powell Estate. It's been twelve hours since we left Rose here. Go on, go do your girl talk!" the Doctor said, ushering her towards the door. He stopped halfway there, noting her appearance.
"Maybe you should change first?" he questioned. Freya glanced down. Her clothes were still damp from the ocean she'd been in, and she was missing shoes altogether. Her hair was surely a mess. And the open door let in a breeze that sent a shiver down her spine.
"I won't be gone long," Freya admitted. The Doctor stared at her for a moment before shrugging off his jacket.
"I swear I just need to keep you one of these in here," he grumbled. He pulled out what looked like a wallet and his sonic screwdriver before offering the jacket to her. Freya slid it on, wrapping it around herself. She hoped it covered up her mussed up clothes. She started out the door but hesitated.
"You won't leave me here, will you?" Freya asked him quietly. He looked up at her, almost surprised she'd asked such a thing. The surprise melted away into a grin as he shook his head.
"Nah. I'll just wait outside the TARDIS for ya," he told her, following her to the door. Freya gave him a grateful smile before it disappeared.
"Where exactly does Rose live?"
She ran up the stairs, excited. It'd felt like so long since she'd seen Rose last. It had been so long. Nearly a lifetime, for her. She passed by a few posters hung next to the stairs, not sparing them a second glance. When Freya reached Rose's apartment, she knocked on the door before tucking her hands into the Doctor's pockets.
The door opened to reveal a shocked Rose.
"Freya?" Rose gasped, staring at her.
"Hey. I know we just dropped you off, but is there any way we can talk?" Freya asked the girl. Rose threw herself into Freya's arms, hugging her tightly as if her life depended on it. Rose pulled her inside quickly, door still hanging open.
Freya's eyes landed on a stack of missing posters.
Missing posters of her.
And then Marie walked in from the kitchen.
Her own eyes were wide at the sight of Freya. Rose pulled back as Marie stepped forward.
The Doctor burst into the room, eyes wide. When they landed on Freya, he looked apologetic.
"It's not twelve hours, it's twelve months. You've been gone a whole year. Sorry," the Doctor apologized.
The police had been called. Freya had a blanket wrapped around her as well as the Doctor's jacket now and was forced onto the couch in between Rose and Marie. It looked like Rose and Marie had become fast friends in the year she'd been gone. Jackie, who everyone introduced as Rose's mother, had called the police instantly. And two policemen were there. One blocking the door. The other who continuously glanced between Freya and the Doctor.
"What are you waiting for? Arrest him. Arrest him for kidnapping," Marie ordered, glaring at the Doctor.
"Oi! I didn't kidnap anyone!" the Doctor said indignantly.
"Not only did he kidnap her, look at the state she came back in! She looks like she had to fight to get away from him," Marie pointed out.
"I told you to change," the Doctor pointed out, only causing Freya to lower her head even more.
"I wasn't kidnapped. I was travelling," Freya murmured.
"For a year? Without your passport? You disappeared one day, saying you were going on vacation with a strange man. Three weeks later, I get a text saying you're alright. And then nothing for a year? Do you have any idea how worried I've been?" Marie shouted, staring at Freya.
"Actually, it's my fault. I sort of er, employed Freya as my companion," the Doctor said with an almost sheepish smile. The two policemen looked at him sharply.
"There's something else to add to the list. Arrest him for exploitation!" Marie shouted. The Doctor's face lost all color.
"When you say companion, is this a sexual relationship?" the first policeman asked him seriously.
"No!" the Doctor shouted, obviously getting frustrated by this point.
And the policemen didn't look convinced.
"I'm sorry. I have to tell them," Freya said, glancing up at the Doctor. He looked startled at her words, almost confused.
"Tell us what?" the policeman at the door asked sharply. Freya glanced at the Doctor for a moment, hoping he would go with what she said. Otherwise, she knew Marie would have him arrested.
Freya held the necklace up so they could see it.
"He and I, we're sort of engaged. In one of the places we visited, it was tradition to offer necklaces instead of rings for engagement. And we got engaged," Freya lied. Everyone in the room, including the Doctor, stared at her, wide-eyed.
"So he's not your kidnapper. He's your fiancé," the first policeman asked flatly. Freya swallowed and nodded.
"And you're sure you're not his prisoner?" the second questioned her. Freya shook her head.
"Of course not. I'm with him because I want to be," Freya said immediately.
"Yes. Engaged. See? Not a kidnapper," the Doctor added on quickly. But no one seemed overly convinced.
"How old are you? Forty? Forty-five? What, did you find her on the internet? Did you go online and pretend you're a doctor?" Jackie asked, surprising Freya. Why was she defending Freya? Freya had never met the woman before.
Rose looked slightly uncomfortable at the words, but Marie nodded right along.
The Doctor looked downright offended at her words.
"I am a Doctor," he told her simply. Jackie had leapt from her seat and marched right up to the Doctor.
"Prove it. Stitch this, mate!" she yelled as she punched him in the face.
A while later, the police had finally left. The Doctor was in the kitchen, allowing Freya some time with the group of people who'd been so worried about her.
"Why didn't you call? You've missed so much," Marie pointed out. Jackie was in the kitchen, making tea and glaring at the Doctor the whole time.
"I meant to. We've had really poor reception," Freya lied.
"Does he know?" Marie asked, glancing behind her at the Doctor. Freya's whole heart sank at her words.
"Does he know what?" Rose asked, glancing between the two girls in confusion. Marie ignored her.
"Does he know what you need? Does he know you can't stand to sleep alone? Does he know that you're always cold unless you're near someone? Does he know about the nightmares?" Marie asked her. Rose looked intrigued at Marie's words.
"He knows enough. We're only recently engaged," Freya skitted around the truth.
"But you're sleeping together. I can tell. You don't have dark circles under your eyes. That means you're at least sharing a bed with him," Marie pointed out. Freya didn't bother to correct her. She merely stared into the kitchen at the Doctor.
"Him and me, we need to go talk. We weren't going to announce to anyone we were engaged for awhile. It was an abrupt engagement," Freya lied, sidestepping the two of them.
"You aren't going to go running off again, are you?" Marie asked hesitantly. Freya hesitated as well before shaking her head.
"Not yet. We just need to talk," Freya told her friend softly.
"Go to the roof then," Rose recommended. Freya smiled at her and grabbed the Doctor's arm, dragging him from the kitchen.
"Are we leaving?" the Doctor asked, a bit too excited for Freya's taste. She shook her head.
"We're talking. Away from them," Freya corrected as they took the stairs up to the roof. As soon as they made it to the top, Freya all but collapsed. The Doctor caught her, steadying her.
"Sorry," Freya murmured as she tried straightening herself out.
"No worries. I can run some tests later on the TARDIS to see why you keep fainting" the Doctor offered.
"No. I'm sorry for all of this," Freya corrected him as he helped her sit down on top of a block. He leaned against the block, staring outwards.
"I've missed a year. A whole year," Freya said in wonder.
"It wasn't too good of a year. Only middling," the Doctor informed her.
Freya responded by burying her head in her arms.
"Well, if it's this much trouble, are you going to stay here now?" the Doctor asked her. Freya lifted her head quickly, staring at him. He was staring out at London, not her.
"I…no. You still haven't figured out what's going on with me," Freya pointed out.
"Well, they're not coming with us. Rose can, but not her mother. And not your other friend," the Doctor said quickly.
"No. She wouldn't understand," Freya said.
"I don't do families. Too domestic," the Doctor stated, rubbing his cheek.
"I can't believe Rose's mother hit you. She doesn't even know me!" Freya exclaimed, feeling herself lighten at the thought.
"Nine hundred years of time and space, and I've never been slapped by someone's mother," the Doctor groaned.
"Nine hundred years?" Freya asked, confused. The Doctor nodded.
"That's my age," he informed her. Freya stared at him for a moment before shaking her head.
"They were right. It's one hell of an age gap," Freya muttered. She then shook her head.
"I couldn't talk to people before. Now look at me. Anything I say would make no sense to anyone else. Aliens, spaceships, the past? They'd lock me up. I'm the only person on planet Earth, save Rose, who knows they exist," Freya said, staring out at London in frustration.
A loud horn sounded in the air, causing Freya and the Doctor's attention to be jerked towards the sky. Freya gasped at the sight of a spaceship, one that looked like a legitimate science fiction spaceship, flew overhead.
Well, more like crashed overhead. Black smoke was rolling from it, and Freya doubted that was normal. The spaceship slammed into Big Ben before crashing into the river.
"You were saying?" the Doctor asked her, bemused. He leapt to his feet, grabbing her hand as he did. He was running before her feet were even flat on the ground.
"Where are we going?" Freya asked him as they bolted down the stairs.
"To see what's going on, of course!" the Doctor shouted gleefully as he pulled her into the street, artfully dodging cars. As they approached the area around the river, army vehicles had blocked everything off.
"It's blocked off." The Doctor sounded slightly disappointed at the words but his eyes still held some sort of excitement. Contagious excitement. The man was literally bouncing up and down in place.
"We're probably miles from the centre. The city must be gridlocked. The whole of London must be closing down," Freya guessed. The Doctor nodded gleefully.
"I know. I can't believe I'm here to see this. This is fantastic!" the Doctor cheered. Freya stared at him in disbelief.
"Did you know this was going to happen?" she questioned him.
"Nope!" he said happily, shaking his head.
"Do you recognize the ship?" Freya tried again.
"Nope!" the Doctor repeated, still cheerfully. Freya stared blankly at him for a moment.
"Is there anything you do know?" she challenged him.
"Nope! Hey!" he said suddenly, turning to her when he realized he'd been tricked. His expression brought a real smile to Freya's lips.
"I'll ignore that last comment. This is what I travel for, Freya. To see history happening right in front of us," the Doctor explained. Freya opened her mouth but closed it once again.
"We can't get closer. Because they'll notice the TARDIS," Freya stated, almost disappointed at the conclusion. The Doctor nodded.
"Right you are. We don't want to give them two spaceships," the Doctor said with a smile.
"We could always do what everyone else does? Watch it on the telly," Freya suggested. The Doctor looked momentarily appalled before nodding.
Back at the Tyler flat, people were already gathering. The Doctor immediately sat himself down directly in front of the telly, while Freya was holed up in the kitchen with Marie and Rose.
"I just…I really don't understand. Any of this. Him. We missed a year of your life," Marie said, tears in her eyes. Freya glanced at Rose, wondering how much she could say.
"It's only been a few days for me," Freya finally admitted.
"A few days? Has he kept you tied up, unconscious?" Marie asked sharply.
"I was unconscious for the first few weeks. Illness related, not his fault. But…Marie, he has this, this spaceship. It travels through time and space," Freya finally said. Rose smiled at her reassuringly.
Marie simply laughed.
"A spaceship? He must've hit your head really hard!" Marie said with a laugh.
"And what's this about becoming engaged?" Rose teased. Freya blushed and pulled out the necklace. She couldn't tell them that was a ruse. Then again, if Marie really paid attention, she'd be able to call it out.
"But that's your necklace," Marie protested.
Her words made Freya's blood run cold.
"No it's not. He just bought it for me. See? Here's my necklace," Freya said, pulling her necklace from the inside of her shirt. But Marie and Rose merely compared the two.
"The one he gave you is doubled. Unwrap it and his'll be the same length," Marie pointed out.
"The one he gave you has all sorts of little charms, designs, wrapped around the two strands of the string. If those were gone, it would be the same," Rose added, staring at the two.
"It even has the same locket. You didn't notice?" Marie asked in surprise. Freya shook her head quickly, her head spinning from the details.
Did that mean the Doctor was the one who gave her the necklace? He couldn't be. She distinctively remembered brown eyes.
But he had to have been. He gave her her necklace.
"No. I was in the middle of being proposed to by a different guy," Freya admitted absently.
"So the Doctor proposed to keep a different guy away? That's not very romantic," Marie stated with a frown. Freya shook her head.
"It was the most beautiful view. And I didn't know the other person. They were trying to trick me," Freya explained.
"Was it on another planet?" Rose asked her. Freya nodded without thinking, only to get a scoff from Marie.
"Don't tell me you believe her," Marie turned to Rose. Rose nodded slowly.
"I do. Because before they dropped me off last year, they took me with them. To an observation deck, where I watched the Earth explode in the year 5 billion," Rose explained. Marie stared incredulously at the two of them before shaking her head.
"You two are crazy," she said before turning and stalking off. Freya sighed and made her way into the living room. She passed Jackie in the process, who pressed a hot cup of tea into her hands.
"The only reason I'm putting up with that rude man is you. I've heard so much about you from the two of them, ever since you swanned off last year with him," Jackie stated, glaring at the Doctor.
"He's not that bad," Freya told the woman, offering up a reassuring smile. When she turned to the Doctor, he was scooping a child up. The channel was on some cooking channel, something the Doctor didn't look overly pleased about. He grabbed the remote from the child and switched the channel back.
He dropped the child back on the ground, only for him to wander right in front of the telly. Freya scooped the child up, placing him on her hip as she sat down on the armrest of the chair the Doctor was sitting in.
She only barely noticed the Doctor getting to his feet and making his way out of the flat. When she did realize it, she quickly sat the child down and ran out after him.
"Where are you going?" Freya asked just as he was about to take off down the stairs. He froze, turning around to face her.
"Nowhere. It's just a bit human in there for me. History just happened and they're talking about where you can buy dodgy top-up cards for half price. I'm off on a wander, that's all," he said with a smile plastered to his face. Freya's heart sank.
"You're leaving," she said plainly. Something shifted in the Doctor's expression.
"I'm not leaving. I told you. I'm just on a wander," he repeated, but his words had even less of an impact this time. Freya's hand gripped her arm tightly as she nodded and turned around.
Footsteps pounded behind her and he was suddenly there, right in front of her, gripping her shoulders.
"I'm just wandering. I'm not leaving you here. I want to walk around, get a feel for what's going on. I think this might be mankind's first official contact with an alien race. I won't just leave you here," the Doctor told her. Freya nodded, still not believing him.
The Doctor pulled out a key on a long chain, handing it to her.
"Tell you what. TARDIS key. It's about time you had one. Have another necklace. I'll see you later," he promised, pressing it into her hand.
And then he was gone.
Freya wandered back into the house slowly, ignoring the feeling of unease that was settling in her stomach.
She slowly made her way back into the flat, ignoring the loudness around her.
Because once again, she felt empty.
"You know, you shouldn't let one guy affect you so much," Jackie observed. Freya jumped, turning to stare at the woman in confusion. She nodded towards the door.
"That Doctor bloke. He's not the entire world. Just because one person doesn't want to stay with you doesn't mean no one will," Jackie observed.
"Mum!" Rose glared, nudging her mother. She gave Freya an apologetic look.
"Mum was listening at the door," Rose admitted.
"So were you!" Jackie retorted back, making Rose rouge slightly as well.
"He isn't going to leave you. He gave you a key to his….whatsit. His vehicle. Guys don't give away keys to their vehicles and then just vamoose," Marie added.
"Were you all listening at the door?" Freya asked, staring at the three of them in disbelief.
"We had to make sure you weren't going to run off again," Marie stated, as if it were the most obvious statement in the world.
"Yeah. Granted, it made the three of us meet and become friends, but still," Rose stated.
Before anyone else could utter a word, there was an impatient knock on the door. They didn't even have a chance to open it before it was flung open. Two boys, er, men, were standing in the door, both with their mouths hanging open as they stared at Freya. She shifted uncomfortably. The one, she recognized, was the bloke that had been with Rose when she first met Rose. Her boyfriend, Freya thought. The other she'd never seen before.
"Masen. We were going to call you," Marie said weakly.
"Going to call us?" Rose's boyfriend asked in disbelief.
"Freya, this is Mickey, my boyfriend, and Masen, Marie's boyfriend. They're brothers…er, sort of brothers. Adopted brothers?" Rose asked, staring imploringly at Marie. Freya nodded. They had to be adopted because, well, their skin tones didn't exactly match. In fact, Masen looked like he had an unpleasant sunburn across his nose, making him look quite the opposite of Mickey.
"I'm assuming this is the ever-absent Freya," Masen spat, glaring at her. Freya took a step back, alarmed at the degree of hatred rolling off of him towards her.
"Masen, that'll be quite enough. I won't stand for that kind of talk in my house," Jackie threatened.
"Someone owes the boys an apology," someone called from the couch.
"They thought you were dead! And they thought we did it!" Mickey told Freya. Freya glanced at Rose, who refused to meet her eyes.
"Why did they think you did it? I only met you once," Freya said softly.
"Exactly! The last time you were seen, it was with me and Rose. And the next day, Masen met Marie, just about the time Rose contacted her. The police sure saw the coincidence. They took us in for questioning. Three times!" Mickey yelled. Freya winced back at the ferocity of his words.
"That's enough. No harm was done. She's alive. And you're not in jail," Jackie told them quite firmly.
"Where have you been? Off with the Doctor?" Mickey asked scathingly.
"Mickey!" Rose said harshly, glaring at her boyfriend.
"Was that the bloke we just saw leave?" Masen asked his brother. Mickey nodded.
"He left you. Left you here, all alone. You're stuck here now. His box thing is gone," Mickey told her.
Freya didn't wait to hear any other words. She took off running past the two boys, down the stairs.
But they were right. When she reached the ground, the police box was gone.
She bit back a cry, held back her tears. He said he wasn't going to leave her. Was this him lying?
"He'll come back," Rose said, placing her hand on Freya's shoulder.
"He's just a bloke," Jackie tried, earning a glare from Rose.
"Mum, he's more than just some bloke. And even more so to her," Rose corrected her mother.
"Who is this guy?" Marie interrupted.
A sound whirled through the air. Freya's head jerked up, eyes wide.
The TARDIS was materializing.
"How'd you do that?" Marie asked her, flabbergasted. Jackie stared at it before turning and all but running back to her flat. Rose shot Freya an apologetic look before following her mother.
"Mum! Don't freak out!" Rose called as she chased her mother up the stairs.
The moment the TARDIS had fully materialized, Freya pushed the doors open. She hadn't expected them to open, figuring she'd need to pull out her key. Surprisingly enough, they did open. She made her way in, noting how the Doctor was flitting around.
"All right, so I lied. I went and had a look. But the whole crash landing's a fake. I thought so. Just too perfect. I mean, hitting Big Ben? Come on. So I thought, 'let's go and have a look'," the Doctor said, not even glancing up. Freya slowly made her way over to him.
"My friend's here. And her boyfriend. And Rose's boyfriend," Freya said, biting her lip. The Doctor looked up and sighed, rolling his eyes at the sight of the three strangers.
"Oh, that's just what I need. Don't you dare make this place domestic!" the Doctor warned her. Mickey stepped forward, not to be deterred.
"You ruined my life, Doctor. Both of our lives. They thought she was dead. We were murder suspects because of you," Mickey said, gesturing to his brother as he spoke.
The Doctor ignored them, turning to Freya.
"You see what I mean? Domestic," he said scornfully.
"I bet you don't even remember my name. And you didn't think to ask their names. You ruined their lives as well," Mickey told the Doctor angrily.
"Ricky," the Doctor said, not even bothering to look up.
"It's Mickey!" Mickey said angrily.
"No, it's Ricky," the Doctor said, rolling his eyes at Freya. He was trying to make her laugh. She could tell. She cracked him a smile, so he wouldn't think his efforts were for nothing.
"I think I know my own name," Mickey scoffed. The Doctor spun on him, all traces of amusement gone.
"You think you know your own name? How stupid are you?" he taunted Mickey. Marie, who had been growing paler throughout the entire time, darted out of the TARDIS. Masen chased her instantly. Freya considered running after her, but didn't dare.
She didn't want to be left again.
"Aren't you going to go after her? Your friend?" Mickey asked Freya, staring intently at her. Freya shook her head, placing her hands on the TARDIS console. It was warm under her fingertips. Beautifully warm.
"I'm where I should be," Freya told him. Mickey shook his head.
"You should be with your friend. Instead she's been with my brother the last year," Mickey pointed out.
"Oi! That bloke was your brother?" the Doctor asked, instantly perking up.
"What of it?" Mickey asked guardedly.
"Different dads?" the Doctor asked innocently. Mickey's glare intensified.
"Different families," Mickey retorted sharply.
Freya moved towards the screen the Doctor had been examining before being interrupted.
"So that was a real spaceship," Freya mused, hoping to pull the boys' attention from each other. It was almost unbearable listening to the two of them go at it.
"Yep," the Doctor agreed.
"Is it an invasion then? Where are the aliens, if that was a hoax?" Freya asked him, feeling unease settling in the pit of her stomach.
"Funny way to invade, putting the world on red alert," Mickey pointed out, more fascinated with what was going on rather than the argument him and the Doctor had just been having.
"Good points, both of ya! So, what're they up to?" he asked. This time, it was more of a rhetorical question. He turned from them before grabbing his sonic screwdriver and dropping to the ground, lifting a grate out of his way before climbing into the TARDIS.
"So, what're you doing down there?" Mickey asked, looking quite interested. Freya sat down next to the grating, eyes examining the area he was working in. There were so many cords, wires, blinking lights.
It was hard to imagine that this was part of the TARDIS, the living TARDIS that talked to her. Freya heard a hum of agreement in her mind.
"Ricky," the Doctor began, only to be cut off.
"Mickey," Mickey retorted, becoming instantly irritated.
"Ricky. If I was to tell you what I was doing to the controls of my frankly magnificent time ship, would you even begin to understand?" the Doctor asked him, giving him a very condescending stare. Freya reached down, behind the Doctor, and let her fingers brush against a wire. The wire hummed just as the console did under her fingers.
So it was all part of the TARDIS, really and truly.
She pulled her hand back just as Mickey was answering.
"I suppose not," Mickey hedged.
"Well, shut it then," the Doctor told him with a smug smile.
"Some friend you've got," Mickey grumbled at Freya, who could only give him the tiniest smile. Because the Doctor was some friend. The best friend. For her, anyway.
"He's winding you up," Freya assumed. Mickey stared at her for a moment, stared at her in a way that left her dying to break eye contact with him.
"I watched for you. I know I barely know you, but I did. So did Rose. We looked on every street corner, waiting for you. We couldn't even tell Marie or Masen what we were looking for. But we kept looking for you," Mickey told her. His words were almost desperate, as if he were dying for her to understand it.
"I…I didn't know you cared. Any of you cared," Freya murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. It was quickly becoming a bad habit, she realized.
"We did. We do. And we really wish you'd stay," Mickey told her earnestly. Freya didn't want to think of staying.
Because she fit in better in the TARDIS.
If she stayed, she'd be the odd person out.
"Are you still dating Rose?" Freya asked him. Mickey nodded, letting a tiny laugh escape.
"Yeah. Mainly because everyone thinks I murdered you and no one would even give me a second glance," Mickey said, his tone slightly joking.
"Yeah," Freya murmured, guilt filling her.
"Are you going to stay this time? Will you stay?" Mickey questioned her.
The Doctor leapt up from the grate, breaking off their eye contact. Freya quickly got to her feet as well.
"Got it! Ha ha! Patched in the radar, looped it back twelve hours so we can follow the flight of that spaceship. Here we go. Hold on. Come on!" the Doctor urged as he examined the screen that had before held just an image of the spaceship.
"That's the spaceship on its way to Earth, see? Except – hold on. See? The spaceship did a sling shot round the Earth before it landed," the Doctor said, leaning closer to the screen.
"What does that mean?" Freya asked, feeling the excitement rolling off of the Doctor.
"It means it came from Earth in the first place. It went up and came back down. Whoever those aliens are, they haven't just arrived. They've been here awhile. The question is, what have they been doing?"
IMPORTANT! : Okay, so I have a very serious question for all of you. I write ahead when I write, and I have a chapter that will be Rated M. As of right now, I haven't decided whether it will be rated M for the themes and what is implied or if I will actually include it in the chapter. It is a very important part of the story, so I can't just ditch the entire section or let it hover in the air. What do you guys think? As the readers, I value what you think. If you'd rather not have a sex scene in the story, please let me know! If you would, let me know as well. I want to get a feel as to what my readers want before I write it.
(As a side note, if everyone does want the sex scene, I still make no promises. It may end up not fitting just right. I won't know til I get there, but I wanted an honest opinion from you guys before I started it. And I make no promises as to who the sex scene involves. Not gonna give spoilers away. ;) )
Anyways! What did you guys think? Did you like it? Was it choppy? I always viewed Jackie and Rose as the kind of people who would adopt others into their family, especially if they knew no one else really cared about that person. And I don't like how there are two of my characters now hanging with Rose and Jackie and Mickey, but it was neccessary. I promise it won't happen too much. :)
Review? :)
Andi