An Eternity Among The Stars

by seasidewriter1

Waking up in the Doctor Who world after a serious car crash, Selene finds herself being invited to travel with the Doctor and his companions. Together they all protect the earth from the dangers it faces as well as saving other worlds and time periods. But as time goes on, how strong will the relationship between the two become? Will they fall in love? starts with 10 *Doctor/OC*

10. Fear Her

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who (the worlds, plots, creatures etc.) or any of the characters; I only own my OC Selene and her family.

Foreword: A thank you to grapejuice101 who helped me out with some details in this chapter! You rock, my friend!

10. Fear Her

" Feeling nice and relaxed yet?" Rose asked Selene as they strolled towards the console room. They'd been a few trips around the universe without many dangerous alien encounters-the worst having been the one Cyberman bent on killing King Henry IV-and the trio of travelers were thankful for the rest they were getting. Selene laughed and nodded, twisting the Hal's crest ring on her thumb.

" Surprisingly yes," she agreed. She was telling the truth; she was feeling relaxed and happy again, which she was glad of. " And… is it just me, or does the Doctor seem like a happy five year-old?" She nodded to said Time Lord who they could see as they entered the console room. He was jogging around the controls, muttering things to himself as he grinned and spun to pull switches. Rose snorted and burst out laughing as they soon joined him. As the two continued to laugh, the Doctor smiled at them and arched a brow.

" What're you two laughing at now?" he inquired. Rose nudged Selene's shoulder as the two attempted to sober up and replied with,

" Oh, you know, Hal." The Doctor face twisted into something that resembled contempt and he grumbled, turning to look at the controls again. The two women both laughed again at the face he made. It had become a running joke to bring up Hal to see his reaction; it was a joke that he was getting rapidly tired of. The Doctor honestly didn't care for the man. He was… pompous and womanizing and the way that he had been around Selene… the looks he'd given her the way he had kissed her… he just wasn't worth the attention…

Clearing his throat, the Doctor turned his thoughts away from the prince and looked over at the women.

" What were you really laughing about then?" He arched a brow and soberly twisted a knob or two. Selene eyed the controlled look on his face and walked over to him, leaning against the console. She bent her head down so he had to look at her.

" You if you must know," she told him, grinning, " You looked like you were having so much fun, it was sort of… adorable. Does that word fit?" She looked over at Rose. The blond laughed and fixed one of her side ponytail, nodding.

" Yeah! Most definitely!" Rose grinned at the Doctor, who couldn't help but smile at the two. He fixed his loosened tie a bit and flipped another switch with renewed enthusiasm.

" So, who's up for some excitement?" the Doctor questioned, turning to face them.

" I think we could use some. Because, ya know, after all this relaxation, we need to get our blood pumping again!" Rose exclaimed, grinning. The Doctor giggled and jumped up and down a few times before spinning to the controls again.

" Right, well let's get to it!"

The TARDIS engines whirred and signaled the beginning of a new adventure.

" So, where're we going?" Selene pressed, trailing behind the Doctor as he circled the console. He hummed for a moment, smirking.

" Oh, what's the fun in telling you? It'll be a great surprise!" he told her, sending a wink over his shoulder. " Besides, aren't you the one who can tell the future?"

" Well, I have no idea what happens between the episodes, so I wouldn't know exactly, would I?" she challenged, crossing her arms. Rose, who was sitting in the pilot's seat, grinned.

" She's got a point there, Doctor," she said with a laugh. The Doctor rolled his eyes and yanked a lever, the TARDIS jolting and the engines whirring to life. As the whirring began to die down, the Time Lord bounded towards the doors, sliding long arms through his sleeves. " He's always got to be cryptic, doesn't he?" Rose looked at Selene with a smirk, who returned it.

" I think it's in his job description."

The TARDIS, blue light pulsing, had parked itself between two metal storage crates, the door facing one of the cold metal sides. So, as the Doctor pulled open the creaky door, he came face to face with a metal wall. He looked up and noted how tight the fit was; they wouldn't be able to wedge their way out.

" Ah," was all he softly said before spinning around and shutting the door. He pointed at Selene and then the console. " Mind twisting that red knob there? Once clockwise then pull the lever." He nodded in confirmation when she pointed to a small knob by her hip. She turned and twisted it once then pulled the lever again, the engines wheezing to life. The brunette woman smiled at the fact she'd just done the bare minimum of flying the TARDIS. She was really happy with life right now. The engines thudded and the Doctor threw the door open.

" AH!" His voice was more enthusiastic now, and he grinned when he stepped out onto damp pavement. TARDIS successfully turned. Both women followed him out, immediately surrounded by the noise of construction. Sun was peaking out from behind grey clouds, creating God-Rays every here and there. Rose looked around and noted a set of Shayne Ward posters, which advertised an upcoming concert.

" So, near future, yeah?" she questioned. Fixing the skirt of her pink dress, Selene mentally noted the episode. Fear Her. Oh, this was going to be fun, wasn't it? People getting turned into drawings. Oh the fun…

" I had a passing fancy. Only it didn't pass. It stopped," he replied, sinking his hands into his pockets. He nodded for them to walk with him down the rain-spattered street, which led into a suburban row of houses.

" Well, thank God for your passing fancies, otherwise we'd be bored out of our minds half the time!" Selene said with a smile, resolving to deal with the problems as they came. If she thought over what to do too much, she'd look frantic and in the world of the Doctor, looking frantic or afraid usually put one in dangerous situations. The Doctor returned the smile and nodded to a banner, which spanned the width of the street, clinging to two lampposts.

" Thirtieth Olympiad!"

" Oh, no way!" Rose exclaimed, looping her arm through the Doctor's. The grin spreading across her face was enormous. The Olympics! Why hadn't she ever thought of that? The Doctor grinned back at her and offered Selene his other arm, which she happily took. " Why didn't I ever think of this? That's great!"

" Oh, only seems like yesterday a few naked Greek blokes were tossing a discus about, wrestling in the sand and crowds stood around and, b—no, wait a minute… that was Club Med." He laughed and bumped into both women, who gave him an odd look.

" Well, believe it or not, this is my time. Twenty-twelve, the year of the London Olympics," Selene told them with a grin.

" Well, don't spoil what's gonna happen then!" he told her cheekily. She tugged on his coat sleeve and skipped a few steps.

" Who said I was gonna? And who said I've seen what happens yet?" Rose laughed at the secretive look Selene plastered on her face. The Doctor snorted and rolled his eyes, looking at all of the brick houses.

" Regardless if you've seen it or not, we're just in time for the opening doo-dah, ceremony, tonight. Last one they had in London was dynamite. Wembley, nineteen forty-eight, I loved it so much I went back and watched it all over again! Fella carrying the torch…" The Doctor began to try and figure out the man's name, but Rose had stopped listening after the word 'doo-dah.' There had been a man in plaid shirt pinning a poster up to a lamppost, face decidedly solemn. Rose veered off course having let go of the Time Lord's arm; she fiddled with a hoop earring as she stopped to read the poster.

" Selene, Doctor," she said with concern. The first call was enough to pull Selene over, but the Doctor continued to reminisce about the torch runner. " Doctor!" Rose called out again.

" Did you ever have those little cakes with the crunch ball bearings on top?

" You should really look at this!"

" Do you know those things?" he questioned as he turned around to walk over to the lamppost. " No one else in the entire galaxy's ever even bothered to make edible ball bearings. Genius."

The three stared at the three posters; all missing persons posters. For three different children. Immediately the Doctor asked,

" What's taken them, do you think?" He turned and used his keen senses to search around the area. " Snatching up children from a thoroughly ordinary street like this. And why's it so cold?" Selene rubbed her arms, which were clad in a thin off-white jacket; her bare legs were starting to get goose bumps from the cool wind weaving down the street. " Is something reducing the temperature?"

" It says they all went missing this week…" Rose muttered, " Why would a person do something like this?"

" Who said it was a person? Perhaps it's an 'it' or a 'thing,'" Selene said softly, tossing hair from her face.

" Whatever it is…" The three looked at a woman who swiftly walked out of her house to put out the trash, and returned inside equally as quick. " It's got the whole street scared to death." And that was the most odd thing about the neighborhood. There was no one outside; where kids usually played on their front lawns, the grass was left vacant and the only sound were a set of high-pitched wind chimes that tinkled constantly. In fact, the only other people on the street besides the three time travelers were two road workers, laboring over a spot on the side of the pavement.

" Doctor, what—" Rose began, but when the two women turned, he had already sprinted down the street, tan coat billowing out behind him. Rose looked at Selene with a wary expression, which caused the second woman to shrug her shoulders uselessly.

" When in doubt, follow the Time Lord with spiky hair," Selene muttered. As they began to follow him, she added, " and this was the worst day to wear a dress."

The Doctor stopped on a small front lawn, right in front of a child's football goal post. He scrunched his eyebrows and held out a hand, which began to tingle. He crouched down and held his hand closer to the ground, mouth going slack with minor concentration. The tingling got stronger closer to the green grass, which made his mind begin to turn in thought.

A car stalled in the middle of the street, and as Rose went to help, Selene continued to walk down the sidewalk. She looked at all the houses and all the abandoned playthings on the lawns. She was reminded of how she used to play with her older sister back home; how they'd get into fights and one of them would have ended up pushed off a swing or sent sprawling onto hot cement from atop a bike. Remembering those times made her smile, but then that smile faltered as she realized how long ago it had seemed since she'd been sucked from Boston. How long had it been? Selene shook her head and reminded herself of the painful resolve she'd made to try to not think about her family, since it was very unlikely she'd see them again. But even as she pushed those thoughts aside, something else budged into the forefront of her mind… something that was beginning to make her head pound and make her stomach ache.

Her memory hadn't been working at its maximum capacity since she fell into the Doctor Who universe; she figured it was the car crash, the time vortex or whatever brought her there and the other bangs and bruises she'd been enduring. But now she remembered what was next. What was coming up in the near—the far too near—future. She saw flashes of the Doctor's tear stained and saddened face. She saw make-up streaked cheeks on a sobbing Rose. A wall between two hands and separated fates. Stopping and wincing for a moment, she pressed the heel of her hand against her temple. Why was she remembering this now? It was pushing against her skull with a throbbing, angry, headache. That was it though… wasn't it? She remembered why both the Time Lord and the blonde were so sad. It was because soon Rose was going to—

ROAR.

A car engine jumped to life as the stalled car began to work again. Selene shook her head and blinked heavily to dismiss pain and thoughts. She'd think about that later… or maybe she just wouldn't think about it at all…

The Doctor giggled as he smiled at his hand.

" Hmm! Tickles!" he said to himself, not noticing the person suddenly looming over him. It was a middle-aged man in a striped maroon shirt, looking down unpleasantly at the man on his lawn. Children were being kidnapped, he didn't particularly like the look of a strange man in his front yard.

" What's your game?" the man asked sternly, catching the Time Lord's attention. He turned to look up, trying to formulate a coherent, proper answer in his head.

" My… um…" His brows creased and the next thing he said was, " Snakes and ladders? I'm quite good at… Squash. Reasonable. I'm… being facetious, aren't I?"

" Yes you are, Doctor," Selene said, quickly jogging over. She grabbed his arm to pull him up, meeting the man's gaze. It was such an intense look that, once it was turned on her, she now understood why the Doctor had been stuttering. " There's really no call for being facetious… um… sorry about him he's a bit… um…"

" I don't care what he is, I just wanna know why he's sitting on my lawn," he said, anger slipping into his voice.

" Look, we're sorry to have trespassed on your property…" Selene began to say, looking up at the Doctor for help.

" But, uh, we have good reason!" The Doctor nodded enthusiastically with a reasoning tone of voice. She nodded as well, still under the man's gaze.

" And what reason would that be then? 'Cause I'd like to know why I shouldn't be calling the police right now!" he snapped, crossing his arms.

" We're the police! Here about the missing children!" the Doctor said quickly as the man began to advance on the two. He stuck an arm out in front of Selene as if to protect her and they began to pick up the pace of walking as the man seemed to get angrier.

" You're liars, that's what you are!"

" W-we're police officers, that's what we are! We've got badges and a police car," the Doctor tried to reason as they backed up into a conversation between Rose, an old woman and one of the road workers. " You don't have to—I can prove it, just hold on." He began to rummage around his pocket for the Psychic Paper, but the maroon-shirted man was having none of it.

" We've had plenty of coppers poking 'round here and neither of you look or sound like any of them! Especially her!" He jabbed a finger at both of them before turning it specifically on Selene. Her brows furrowed and she couldn't help slight offence slipping into her voice as she impulsively reacted with,

" Hey!"

" Well, she may be in a dress, but that's no way to tell if she isn't an officer! And, look! We've got a colleague… Lewis."

" Well she looks less like a copper than either of you," the man said, nodding to the jeans and the one side ponytail.

" Training, new recruit," the Doctor dismissed casually, looking over at Rose, who was slowly giving him a 'what the hell?' look. " It was either that or… hairdressing… so… voilá!" He held up the psychic paper in front of the man's nose. He certainly hoped it would say that they were police. Wouldn't that be awkward if it didn't…"

" What are you going to do?" asked a woman, Trish, on the side of the road. She wore a pale blue shirt, which contrasted nicely with her light tan skin. Her arms crossed uncomfortably across her chest and she had a wary look in her eyes.

" The police have knocked on every door—no clues, no leads, nothing!" the old woman interjected.

" Kids run off sometimes, alright? That's what they do," the man dismissed quickly.

" I saw it with me own eyes. Dale Hicks in your garden, playing with your Tommy and then—" she made a gesture with wrinkled hands and made a shocked face, "—right in front of me, like he was never there. There's no need to look further than this street. It's right here amongst us."

" Why don't we—" the Doctor began to say, voice reasoning again.

" Why don't we start with him?" a newly arrived woman snapped, pointing to the road worker Rose had been speaking with. " There's been all sorts like him in this street, day and night."

" Fixing things up for the Olympics!" he defended himself.

" Yeah, and taking an awful long time about it!" the maroon shirted man spat.

" I'm of the opinion that all we've got to do—" the Doctor tried again, but was cut off.

" What you said right then, that's slander!" the road worker, named Kel, exclaimed, pointing at the woman.
" I don't care what it is!" she shot back.

" I think we need to just—"

The entire group, exempting the trio of time travelers, began to verbally fight. The mash of loud voices began to wear on their ears, giving Selene's newly arrived headache more force.

" FINGERS ON LIPS!" the Doctor shouted, bringing his pointer finger up to his own, pressing them there. His face was stern and commanding and he eyed everyone. Selene raised her finger to her own lips, nodding to everyone to do the same; it was also, in honesty, one of her favorite moments, and lines, in season two. Slowly, one bye one, everyone did as told. Rose, however, had to be given a look from the Time Lord to be prompted to do it. Once it was silent, the Doctor began to speak again. " In the last six days, three of your children have been stolen. Snatched out of thin air, right?"

" Uh, can I?" the old woman softly spoke, bringing her finger off her lips. The Doctor nodded and prompted her to go on. " Look around you. This was a safe street till it came. It's not a person. I'll say it if no one else will. Maybe your coppers, maybe your not. I don't care who you are! Can you please help us?"

Trish, who had glanced up at a second floor window in her house, spotted her daughter peering out, a hand pressed to the cold glass. She hurriedly walked back to her door, not bothering to hear what these strangers had to say as a response. Rose noted the girl in the window with curiosity and suspicion. She just… sat there. Her face was blank and here eyes stared at an indiscernible single point. Everyone dropped their fingers from their mouths, excluding Rose, who held her hand to her chin, staring up at the girl in the window.

" We're going to do our best to find out what's happened, alright?" the Doctor agreed with a kind voice, hands sliding into his pockets again. Selene nodded to the houses around them.

" We'll poke around outside, so don't panic if you see us around, yeah? And if we need anything, we'll stop to ask," she told them calmly, expression professional as they began to disperse apprehensively. As soon as they were out of earshot the Doctor grinned down at Selene.

" You could've been a cop!" he exclaimed softly.

" Nah!" Selene scoffed, fixing the sleeve of her jacket, " I would be a crap cop; I'd end up giggling at the precisely wrong moment. Like at a crime scene… Just like Sherlock and Watson. Since it seems the game's afoot, shall we start searching?"

OOOO

After asking a few general questions to the neighbors, the Doctor immediately began to sniff around—literally. He made his way back to the first lawn he'd been inspecting, and was sniffing the air heavily. He crouched down and slowly stood up, brows furrowed, both women watching him curiously. Eventually, Rose asked,

" Want a hanky?"

" Can you smell it?" the Doctor countered, walking around the goal in the yard. Both Rose and Selene inhaled deeply, finally noting the smell. " What does it remind you of?"

" Sort of… metal?" Rose guessed hopefully.

" Mm-hmm!" The Doctor grinned and walked back around them. There was, indeed, a metallic smell clinging to the air; it reminded Selene of the smell of stick soda cans or welded steel… actually, it was more like the sort of smell coins left behind if you held them for too long in your hand. " Let's check out where Danny boy disappeared, shall we?"

The trio set out to a walkway between all the back yards, which were all fenced off with high wooden fences. The Doctor led the way with Selene immediately behind him and Rose behind her. He was surveying the area, explaining what he'd learned.

" Danny Edwards cycled in one end but never came out the other. Whoa, there it goes again!" The Doctor halted movement and held out his hand, staring at it. " Look at the hairs on the back of my manly, hairy hand." Selene smirked slightly as he tilted said hand towards them.

" Manly, you say?" she teased. He rolled his eyes at her and she giggled quietly as the metallic smell hit their noses again.

" There's that smell again…" Rose muttered.

" Kind of reminds me of a coppery smell—like a penny or a cheap bracelet that turns your skin green," Selene interjected as they continued to walk.

"There's residual energy in the spots where the kids vanished. Whatever it was, it used an awful lot of power to do this," the Doctor told his companions, glancing back at where they'd just been standing. They began to navigate their way from the back walkways, stepping on uneven step stones and letting the grass brush the sides of their shoes—well, Selene was letting the blades graze her ankles, which made them itch slightly in the chilly air. Did it have to be so cold? Wasn't summer supposed to be warm? Or was this the summer weather in England? She certainly hoped not, but at least the sun was warm on her face—

Gravity suddenly propelled her forward with a jolt, which interrupted her thoughts on weather; she tripped over a cracked flagstone, which was why she was now looking at a lopsided world.

" Whoa-ho-ho!" the Doctor exclaimed, snagging an arm around her waist and holding her up so she didn't crash to the ground. Selene gasped and gripped onto his woolen coat sleeve, staring at the ground in shock. Thank God the Doctor had good reflexes; otherwise, she'd be scraped and bruised. " How is it that when you walk you trip over almost everything—or nothing—but when you run, you don't?" He sounded honestly curious. And it was true; Selene tended to trip over everything and anything, including air, but when she found she was running for dear life, her feet decided to cooperate.

" Uh… not sure, but thank you for catching me," she told him, still tilted towards the ground, the Doctor's hands holding her waist and fisting in her jacket. She looked up at him, an awkward silence ensuing as they looked at each other for a moment. " You can stand me up straight now.

" Oh, right, sorry."

He helped her regain her balance and let her go, allowing Selene to fix the wrinkles he'd caused. Rose, who tried not to feel a twinge of jealousy at the scene that had taken place before her, cleared her throat slightly and pushed between the two. She exited the alley and nodded to the street.

" We better get going, yeah? The longer we wait around, the worse this situation might get," she said. The Doctor stepped out first and Rose jumped into step behind him, tucking hair behind her ear. The trio began to cross a lawn, where a beautiful orange cat slowly strutted. " Aren't you a beautiful boy?" She grinned and bent over to pet the animal, not noticing the Doctor's grin.

" Thanks! I've been experimenting with back-combing," he said happily, believing she'd been talking about him. His face fell as he spotted the cat. " Oh." As Rose continued to coo at the cat, the Doctor gave it a distrustful and distasteful look.

" What?" Rose asked.

" No, I'm not really a… cat person. Once you've been threatened by one in a nun's wimple, it kind of takes the joy out of it…"

Rose ignored his statement and began to follow the cat as it headed towards a brown cardboard box. Selene laughed quietly and bumped the Time Lord's shoulder to get his attention.

" If it means anything, I think you look great," Selene told him with a grin. She reached out and tugged on the collar of his relaxed cotton shirt; it was a deep blue and had a set of four or so buttons on the very top, all of which were undone. " I like the new shirt." The Doctor looked down at it and chuckled a bit, lips spreading in a smile.

" Why thank you. You look rather nice today too!" He nodded to her dress, which made her return the smile.

Rose watched as the cat entered the cardboard box… and then nothing. It didn't come back out, the box didn't shake; there was only a distant meow and nothing more. Cautiously, she crouched down and peered into the box, noting that it was completely empty.

" Doctor!" she said urgently, gesturing the two over. As soon as they were a foot away, they all got a large whiff of the strongest metallic smell they'd come across so far. It smelled like hundreds of pennies…

" Whoa! Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!" The Doctor grinned and picked up the cardboard box as Selene held a hand under her hose; the smell was starting to get a bit nauseating. " Iron residue! Blimey! Hoo! That takes some doing. Just to snatch a living organism out of space-time. This baby is just like 'I'm having some of that!'" The Doctor sounded and looked incredibly excited, while Rose looked confused and worried and Selene was taking a look at all the windows. She could just see that little girl's figure at the window… " I'm impressed."

" So… the cat's been transported?" Rose inquired.

" It can harness huge reserves of ionic power. We need to find the source of that power." He began to turn around, surveying the houses. " Find the source and you will find… whatever has taken to stealing children and fluffy animals. See what you can see," he said, lightly smacking Roses arm and teasingly wiggling his fingers at her. " Keep 'em peeled, Lewis! Selene, stay with her, we'll meet up again soon, alright?"

The Doctor jogged off and Selene rubbed her temples again, her headache slowly and steadily getting worse. Glancing at Rose's confused face, she remembered what had come back to her head earlier… She vaguely pointed towards the direction the TARDIS was in.

" I'm, uh, gonna go back to the TARDIS to find some pain killers… I'll catch up soon though, 'kay?" the American said, slowly taking her leave down the street. Rose looked up as her friend left, feeling just that bit more confused.

" Yeah, 'course," she murmured, watching as Selene placed a hand on her hip and lifted the other to rub her forehead. She hoped that it didn't have anything to do with the headaches she'd had a while back—'cause that could mean she had a concussion or something.

Rose eventually found herself walking down a large brick-paved parking area; it was quiet, just like the rest of the neighborhood. She was surrounded by brick houses and normal, suburban cars. The only thing that jumped out as abnormal, was a loud crashing sound from one of the garages. Slowly turning and walking towards said garage, a thought came to her head; what if it was the cat? What if that poor cat was trapped inside?

" Is that you, puss-cat? Are you trapped?" Rose asked as she neared the door. She leaned in to press her ear against the white surface, but a loud bang made her jump back. She stared at it in surprise, shifting her weight on her feet. So… maybe it wasn't the cat… " Not gonna open it, not gonna open it, not gonna open it…"

Slowly reaching down, Rose twisted the black handle and pulled outwards, raising the door. Just as the door cleared her eat, a static-y sort of noise filled her ears and a… thing flew out at her, knocking her onto the pavement. It was like a blur of movement—no defined shape except maybe a sphere, but it twisted and turned violently as if it couldn't make up its mind on what form to take.

Luckily, the Doctor with his impeccable timing, came running down the street, reaching for the Sonic.

" Stay still!" he shouted, sprinting towards her. He lifted the Sonic and pressed the button, the blue light jumping on. The thing that had been above Rose suddenly shrunk and fell into her cupped hands, leaving her breathless and surprised. Now it just looked like a ball of twisted black spaghetti. Still catching her breath, the Doctor took her hands and pulled her to her feet. " Okey-dokey?"

" Yeah, cheers."

" No prob."

The two embraced tightly, glad the moment of panic was over. Rose clamped her eyes shut and relaxed in the Doctor's embrace; she always felt safe with him. Honestly, who didn't? Pulling back, they turned their eyes to the object in her hand.

" I'll give you a fiver if you can tell me what the hell it is, 'cause I haven't got the foggiest," the Doctor told her, nudging it with the Sonic.

" Well, I can tell you you've just killed it," she replied, still breathless.

" It was never living. It's animated by energy. Same energy that's snatching people." The Doctor tossed the ball into the air and caught it exclaiming, " That is so dinky! The Go-Anywhere creature—it fits in your pocket, makes friends, impresses the boss, breaks the ice at parties." The two laughed for a moment, which made the Doctor realize a third and specific laugh was missing. Looking around in confusion, he turned to Rose. " Where's Selene gone?"

" Oh, uh, she headed back to the TARDIS. Told me she was getting painkillers for a headache that started up. I thought she looked a bit off earlier… Just hope it's nothing serious," Rose mused as they headed back down the street. The Doctor's brows furrowed as he pocketed the ball in his hand.

" Yeah…" he muttered to himself. It was something that set off an alarm bell in his head; Selene hadn't gotten headaches for a good while now. As the two were walking down the street, the Doctor prayed to whatever higher power there was that whatever was happening with Selene, that it wasn't bad.

Back in the TARDIS, Selene was leaning against the console, gulping down a glass of water. She'd tossed back two painkillers that would help with her head and now she was waiting for it to subside. She took the moment she had alone in the console room to notice that it was never silent inside the time machine; there was always a quiet hum that was relaxing and lulling. In fact, it was beginning to help to soften her headache. She smiled up at the ceiling and all the circular lights on the walls. She truly did feel like she was at home inside the TARDIS.

The door creaked open and two sets of footsteps came up the ramp with hastened pace. Slowly turning around, Selene offered a small smile to her two friends.

" Hey, guys," she said, setting her glass on the floor. The Doctor's brow furrowed when his eyes landed on her. He put a hand on her shoulder and searched her face for a good long moment. She looked normal… she sounded normal… that was good. That was very good.

" You feeling alright?" the Doctor asked with concern. Selene smiled at him and patted his hand, hoping to dismiss his worries.

" It's just a stupid headache, it'll go away. The painkillers will help too, but don't worry about me; please, don't." She hopped backwards and fell into the pilot's chair, smiling. " Besides, we have a thing to find don't we?"

Relieved that she was seemingly back to normal, the Doctor grinned and pulled the ball out of his pocket. He tossed it upwards and laughed saying,

" Ah, yes! We've got this and we'll need to figure out what it exactly is now that we've got the TARDIS' technology…"

As the Time Lord busied himself with typing in codes and reading screens, Rose carefully looked at Selene. She was acting how she normally did, but there was something there… the way she was casting both the Doctor and Rose worried glances that clearly said that she wasn't that okay. The Doctor removed his coat and tossed it to Selene, who happily held onto it, the weight comfortable in her arms. The blond stepped towards Selene to ask what was really up, but the Doctor suddenly said,

" Oh, heigh-ho, here we go. Let's have a look." Circular Gallifreyan appeared on the screen before him and he watched as it spun around a moment before stopping and beeping. A small scoff left his lips. " Get out of here." Rose stared at the alien language for a short moment.

" What's it say?" she asked quietly. Selene stood up and stood on the Doctor's other side as he rummaged through his pockets for something. He removed a pencil and lifted the ball. Taking the eraser, he rubbed it against the black swirls… and they disappeared. It was made of graphite.

" It is! It's graphite! Basically the same material as an H.B. pencil."

" I was attacked by a… pencil scribble?"

" Scribble creature."

" Well, you can get revenge now; I'm sure you could use it to draw or write… or you could just erase the entire thing," Selene pointed out. The Doctor, lost in his own thoughts, lifted the scribble ball to his nose and sniffed.

" Brought into being with ionic energy. Whatever we're dealing with, it can create things as well as take them. But…" A confused look edged onto his face, " Why make a scribble creature?"

" Well, think about it; if you mess something up and get frustrated you scratch it out, right? And when your upset you just scribble," Selene brought up, shrugging a bit. Well, of course she knew that it was a scribbled mistake… being helpful never seemed to hurt.

" Yeah, like a mistake. Like… a messed up drawing," Rose agreed, pointing to Selene. " Like a-a…" A look of realization crossed her face. "… chlid's drawing." Selene nodded and Rose directed her eyes to the Doctor. " You said it was in the street."

" Probably."

" The girl."

" Of course!" The Doctor jumped once as he spoke through his teeth. Then, he looked at her confused. " What girl?"

" I saw her too, she was sitting in the window of one of the houses," Selene told them, holding the Doctor's coat tighter. Rose shuddered a bit, thinking back at the odd girl.

" Something about her gave me the creeps; even her own mum looked scared of her."

The Doctor crossed his arms and leaned down toward the blond slightly.

" Are you deducting?" he inquired. She quirked a brow and leaned against the console.

" I think I am," she replied.

" Copper's hunch?"

" Permission to follow it up, Sarge."

Selene snorted slightly and rolled her eyes, flicking out the tan overcoat. She held it up so the Doctor could slide his arms through.

" And here we go again," Selene laughed as the Time Lord dawned his coat again.

" Just the three of us, the magnificent three! Off to save the world!" The Doctor grinned and strode to the door, coat tails fluttering out behind him.

OOOO

The trio walked back down the road and eyed each of the houses. The Doctor attempted to place the house the two women had been talking about, but was unable to pull a memory of the mystery child from his head.

" So… which one was it… exactly? They all quite look the same, don't they?" he inquired Selene, noting the exact brickwork and the symmetrical lawns. She stretched to her toes a bit and peered around. A pale finger pointed to a second floor window with curtains drawn.

" That house; that window," she replied, falling back to the flats of her feet.

" How are we exactly gonna approach her mum? If she's already scared she might not be immediately okay asking if we can look around," Rose asked, realizing a flaw in their plan. Selene smirked and skipped a few steps ahead of the other two. She clasped her hands behind her back and walked backwards, nodding to the house.

" Luckily for you both, I know exactly what to do."

Ding-dong.

They pressed the doorbell after Selene briefly explained what they should probably do. There was a delay behind the oak door with stained glass, so the Doctor took the small knocker and rapped it a few times. Eventually, Trish slowly opened the door and stared at the three strangers on the doorstep.

" Hello! I'm the Doctor, this is Rose and this is Selene. Can we see your daughter?" the Doctor asked outright with a friendly smile. In fact, the trio all wore friendly smiles directed at her.

" No, you can't," Trish immediately answered, brows furrowing.

" Okay, bye," the Doctor said with a pleasant smile as they all turned on their heels and started to walk away. There was a pause before Trish asked,

" Why? Why do you want to see Chloe?"

They turned back around and the Doctor gave a small shrug.

" Well, there's some interesting stuff going on in this street, and I thought—well, we thought that she might like to give us a hand." He gave another dismissive shrug as Rose lifted a hand.

" Sorry to bother you," she said.

" Yeah, sorry to bother you. We'll let you get on with things…" the Doctor paused before adding on, " All on your own. Bye again."

" Wait!" Trish called out again as the trio stopped at the end of her walkway. Selene smirked at the other two; she told them it would work. They turned back around with patient faces. " Can you help her?"

A smile spread over the Doctor's face.

" Yes, I can," he replied.

" Please. Come in." The woman gestured for the three to step inside, glancing around as if hoping no one was watching. As they stepped inside, they could hear the telly playing news of the Olympic Torch's destination throughout the city. As the Doctor began to shed his coat, Rose took a seat on the comfortable looking couch, eyes trained on the screen. She was watching an event that was going to happen in a couple years to come… she would never get over how amazing that was.

" What can you tell us about your daughter?" Selene asked politely as she shed her own coat as well. The Doctor slipped it off her arm and tossed it beside Rose along with his own. She shot him a smile in thanks, which he returned with a nod and smile of his own. Trish began to wring her hands nervously, thinking of where to start.

" She stays in her room most of the time. I try talking to her, but… it's like trying to speak to a brick wall." Trish stared at her hands sadly; Chloe had never been like that—she used to always smile and laugh and sing… but that was gone now. The trio of strangers watched her with sympathetic but curious eyes; the Doctor had his head tilted back slightly, giving her all of his attention. " She'll give me nothing, just ask to be left alone."

" What about Chloe's dad?" Rose inquired, leaning down to scratch her ankle. Her voice was soft and careful; she knew that subjects like this could be sensitive… she of all people definitely knew that. Trish paused for a moment, raising her eyes to meet the young blonde's.

" Chloe's dad died a year ago."

" I'm sorry…"

Trish scoffed slightly, " You wouldn't be if you'd known him."

Tension seeped into the air and Selene awkwardly scratched the back of her neck, hoping for someone to break the silence. She never dealt well with these sorts of silences… she used to be the one who tried to be the one to break them, but after a couple of failed attempts, she stopped.

" Well!" the Doctor exclaimed, clapping his hands together, " Let's go and say hi!"

" I… should go check on her first. She might be asleep," Trish said after a short pause. The Doctor could hear the reluctance in her voice; that slight little twinge of fear that had been pulling at her brain. The fear regarding Chloe.

" Why are you afraid of her, Trish?" he asked gently, not forcing her to say anything. Trish met his eyes and slowly worked up what to say.

" I want you to know, before you see her, that she's really a great kid." Selene smiled softly at her words; it was a mother's plea. She didn't want her daughter to be like this, she wanted the little girl she'd known back. Who could blame her?

" We're sure she is, Trish," Selene told her, clasping her fingers together. A tired smile pulled onto Trish's face as she nodded.

" She's never been in trouble at school. You should see her report from last year. A's and B's," she told them, truly proud. Rose smiled at that and then suddenly thought of a swift plan. What's the damage in trying to get ahead?

" Can I use your loo?" Rose asked suddenly. Trish nodded and gestured towards the stairs. Rose jumped up and headed towards the stairs not noticing the Doctor following her progress with his eyes; he knew when she had a plan. She got this sort of… look in her eyes and a sort of tone in her voice. He loved it when she came up with plans.

As Rose disappeared through the door, Trish stepped in some more, going on about Chloe.

" She's in the choir. She sings in an old folks' home. Any Mum would be proud."

" And you should be; it takes courage to get up there and sing. It took me years to even try that," Selene told her with a laugh. The Doctor smirked a bit. " She sounds like a lovely child."

" She is… I just want you to know these things before you see her, Doctor," Trish told him, meeting his gaze again. " Because right now… she's not herself. She isn't even sleeping; I don't want anything to happen to her…"

The Doctor's eyes slid sideways to look at Selene, who turned to look at him. He arched his brows slightly and she gave a slight nod; she was silently letting him know it was all correct. It was all true. Trish looked stressed and tired. She wanted it all to be over, she wanted her daughter back. Selene stepped over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

" It'll be alright, Trish. We'll make sure Chloe's okay, yeah? Trust me, if anyone can do it, the Doctor can," Selene comforted with a soothing smile. As Trish was about to say something else, Chloe passed down the hall behind them, heading for the kitchen.

" Is that her?" the Doctor asked.

" Yes," Trish replied, crossing her arms.

" Well then, let's go!"

The three followed her towards the kitchen, where Chloe was looking through the fridge. The Doctor was in the lead, his hands in his trouser pockets.

" All right, there?" Chloe replaced the milk and didn't look at the people behind her. The Doctor sat against the edge of the kitchen table and crossed his arms. " I'm the Doctor, this is my friend Selene."

" Hi," she added in with a smile and a wave, standing beside the Time Lord.

" I'm Chloe Webber," Chloe replied, turning around to face them.

" How you doing, Chloe Webber?" the Doctor asked, immediately noticing something off. The young girl stood with a ram-rod straight back, her shoulders squared and her feet pointing perfectly forward; many people slouched one way or another and stood with a hip jutted out to one side. Her face remained stoic as she looked around as if the two strangers in her kitchen didn't faze her in the least bit.

" I'm busy. I'm making something." She looked at Trish. " Aren't I, Mum?"

" And like I said, she's not been sleeping."

The Doctor's eyes were diverted to the fridge, where a child's drawing was stuck to the door with a magnet.

" You've been drawing, though," he announced, nodding, " I'm rubbish, stick men are about my limit. Can you do this though?" The Doctor raised his left hand in a Vulcan salute. Selene grinned; she remembered the first time she'd seen that part—she literally squealed. The Doctor looked over. " Can you?" She held up her hand mimicking the famous gesture.

" Live long and prosper," Selene said, looking down to Chloe. It's quite easy to do actually. You should give it a try."

The little girl stared blankly at their hands.

" They don't stop moaning," she suddenly announced.

" Chloe," Trish said, hoping to stop her. Unfortunately, it didn't work.

" I tried to help them, but they won't stop moaning."

" Who don't?" the Doctor asked quietly and curiously, dropping his hand.

" We can be together."

" Sweetheart…" Trish whispered, worry and pain on her face. She walked over to take Chloe's face in her hands, but her daughter snapped,

" Don't touch me, Mum."

The Doctor and Selene met Trish's eyes, which seemed to say 'I told you something was wrong.'

OOOO

Upstairs, Rose had finally snuck into Chloe's room. After succeeded in knocking some of the girl's pencils over, she went back to looked at the walls, which were covered in dozens upon dozens of drawings. And the creepiest thing was that she swore to God that one of them changed. One minute the drawing of a boy's face had been neutral; she looked away and looked back, and his face was angry, baring his teeth. Something odd was going on. She didn't like it one bit.

A violet rattling came from the closet doors, causing Rose to spin around. Carefully glancing back at the drawings, hoping none of them had moved again, Rose set the pencil cup down and walked to the white painted doors. She took hold of the handles and slowly began to open them, looking into the dark closet. Wind—wind of all things—came out of the closet, as if a storm was brewing inside. Rose's mouth fell open in shock when suddenly an orange-red light appeared as she parted the clothes inside.

On the back wall, a large drawing was scrawled out; it was of a furious looking man with burning eyes, which was where the light was emanating from. He was hunched over and looked to be a terrifying, hulking, monstrous man, growling with clenched fists.

" I'm coming! I'm coming!" it growled menacingly.

OOOO

" I'm busy, Doctor, Selene," Chloe told the new comers.

" Chloe, we want to see what you're working on! I'm sure it's wicked awesome; I mean, do you see the quality of your work?" Selene grinned at the girl, pointing to the drawings on the fridge, " You've got a future in this! Could you please show us?"

" Yeah, Chloe, don't be a spoilsport!" the Doctor added in as she began to walk away. As she left the kitchen, the Doctor stood up and followed her to the doorframe, watching as she turned to go upstairs. " I'm dying to know! What are you making up there?"

" Doctor!" Rose's shout rang out from upstairs, causing the Time Lord's feet to immediately burst into a sprint. His Converse clad feet pounded against the steps as he made his way towards Rose's voice, worry creeping into his mind. Selene and Trish followed almost immediately, Selene's feet carrying her faster.

Rose was staring into the oddly lit closet as the drawing again growled,

" I'm going to hurt you."

The Doctor lunged into the doorway, pushing himself through. On instinct—perfectly accurate instinct—he grabbed Rose and hauled her away from the closet, slamming the doors shut.

" Look at it," she insisted.

" No, ta," the Doctor replied with a tense face. As the two shared the quick exchange, Selene moved to look at all the drawings, which, quite frankly, creeped her out; chills ran down her back as she looked at the drawing of the orange tabby cat they'd seen less than an hour before. The Doctor turned and swiftly moved to stand beside her, a serious look etched deeply onto his face.

" Am I right in saying there's something to do with these drawings?" the Doctor asked her quietly, his brows pulling together. Selene nodded as she stared at the faces.

" Yeah. You'd be very, very right…" Selene whispered.

" What the hell was that?!" Trish exclaimed.

" A drawing. The face of a man."

" What face?" Trish lunged for the handle, but Rose blocked it with her hit.

" Yeah, best not." Trish spun to face Chloe.

" What have you been drawing?" she asked urgently. It couldn't be him, it just couldn't…

" I drew him yesterday," Chloe replied.

" Who?"

" Dad."

The Doctor pulled on his square framed glasses and picked a drawing up off the desk. He began to examine it, sending a look over his shoulder to the situation behind him. Selene could see his face pulled into one of his more serious thinking modes; his lips were tense and his brow was arched.

" Your dad? But he's long gone. Chloe, with all the lovely things in the world, why him?" Trish begged an answer, lips pulling into a frown.

" I dream about him, staring at me," she replied.

" I thought we were putting him behind us! What's the matter with you?"

" We need to stay together."

" Yes, we do," Trish agreed, nodding urgently.

" No. Not you. Us. We need to stay together and then we'll be alright," she told her mother, who came and touched her cheeks. Chloe tensed up, trying to shrug the woman off to no avail.

" Trish, the drawings—have you seen what Chloe's drawings can do?" Rose asked, having regained her breath and slowed down her racing heart. Trish's head snapped towards the blond, face tensing.

" Who gave you permission to come into her room? Get out of my house."

" Trish, this is important," Selene said, turning to face the woman. " We just need to speak with Chloe for a minute or two, alright?"

" Tell us about the drawing, Chloe," the Doctor said, setting the piece of colored paper down.

" I don't want to hear any more of this," Trish bit out, glaring at the Doctor over her right shoulder. She wanted them out, she wanted them gone… this was too insane, too outlandish.

" But that drawing of her dad—I heard a voice. He spoke," Rose tried to reason, catching the Doctor's ear.

" He's dead and these—they're kids' pictures! Now get out!"

" Chloe has a power, and I don't know how, but she used it to take Danny Edwards, Dale Hicks. She's using it to snatch the kids."

" Get out!"

" Have you seen the drawings move, Trish?" Selene asked distractedly, watching as Chloe turned to look at her, turning her head to the side slightly. The look in her eyes made her nervous, so she diverted her gaze quickly, crossing her arms.

" I haven't seen anything!" Trish announced with a disbelieving laugh.

" Yes you have," the Doctor interjected suddenly, " Out of the corner of your eye."

" No!"
" And you dismissed it because what choice do you have when you see something you can't possibly explain? You dismiss it, right, and if anyone mentions it, you get angry, so it's never spoken of again."

" She's a child!" Trish tried to reason, pushing against the Doctor's logic and her own mind. The Doctor had stepped up to her, looking down into her eyes and talking in a hushed but determined voice.

" And you're terrified of her. But there's no one to turn to, 'cause who's gonna believe the things you see out of the corner of your eye?" the Doctor asked, brows arching and pulling together at the same time. " No one." There was a pause. " Except me."

" Who are you?" Trish asked, her resolve breaking completely.

" I'm help."

" Maybe us four should leave Chloe for a moment… go talk downstairs?" Selene suggested, nodding to the door. Trish nodded as Chloe turned back to her desk, pencils in hand. The American woman nervously twisted her hair into a messy bun, feeling her headache beginning to come back. Were her headaches beginning to resist medication now? Maybe she really did have a concussion…

Rubbing her temples, she followed the others out, shutting the door behind them. They adjourned to the kitchen, serious faced and thoughtful. The Doctor bee-lined to the counter and grabbed a jar of marmalade that was sitting atop it. He leaned against the counter and opened the jar, stuck two fingers in and slid them into his mouth. Rose loudly cleared her throat, grabbing his attention. When he met her gaze she gave him a 'what the hell?' sort of look, shaking her head. Moving his eyes to Selene, she pursed her lips before mouthing 'not good…' and nodding towards Trish, who had her arms crossed, watching him closely. He removed his fingers and set the jar down, saying nothing.

" So, the drawings are alive. I kid you not, that's what it is," Selene said, crossing her arms again.

" So, she's drawing people and they're getting pulled into the pictures?" Rose asked for confirmation. Selene nodded saying,

" Just about it."

" Ionic energy," the Doctor specified, " 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 asked, arching a brow slightly.

" How many times do I have to tell you? He's dead," Trish reiterated for what felt like the millionth time. Rose looked away muttering,

" 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 mused seriously, staring into whatever space he looked into while thinking. A shudder racked his body at the thought, causing the women to jump. " Brr! 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…" He directed his eyes to the ceiling before muttering, " And he's a heartbeat away from crashing into this world…"

" She always got the worst of it when he was alive," Trish mentioned sadly, leaning back against the sink. She didn't want to think about this; it was a painful time that was supposed to be over; couldn't the dead just stay dead?

" Doctor, how can a twelve year old girl be doing any of this?" Rose asked with disbelief. Normal kids couldn't do this sort of thing. Did she have some sort of mutation? Was there something inside her head making her do it? It just didn't add up.

Selene began to pace in the middle of the kitchen, pulling up whatever useful information her brain was giving her access to. She winced and her brows furrowed as she did so before saying,

" She can't…" The Doctor nodded in agreement as he sucked in a breath.

" Let's go find out."

OOOO

Chloe sat cross-legged on her bed in what would be a normal girl's room had the drawings not been plastered over every square inch of the largest wall. Her face was expressionless as usual, watching as the four adults walked into her room again. Her drawing supply was at her left side, sitting unused on the duvet. The Doctor stopped at the foot of the bed, and Chloe looked up at him, suddenly raising her arm and giving him the Vulcan salute. The Doctor nodded in appreciation, the light from the slowly setting sun hitting his face.

" Nice one," he complimented. She put her hand down just as he slowly sank into a crouch, lightly putting his hands on either side of her face, fingers resting on her temples. He shut his eyes serenely and concentrated; Chloe's eyes rolled backwards and after a moment, the Doctor rose to his feet. He put a hand on the back of her head and lowered her backwards, helping her lie down. " There we go."

" I can't let him—" Trish began, starting to step forward.

" Shh, it's okay. Trust him," Rose whispered, taking her arm.

" It won't hurt her," Selene added softly from Rose's other side. " He's done it to me before. It's completely harmless, I promise you." The Doctor gave a nod in her direction in thanks; as long as Trish stayed slightly calm, this would go fairly smoothly. He backed up and looked at Chloe's relaxed form.

" Now we can talk," he said with a stern edge to his voice.

" I want Chloe," said girl said in a raspy whisper that voiced words that did not belong to her. " Wake her up. I want Chloe."

" Who are you?" the Doctor asked calmly.

" I want Chloe Webber!" she spoke, pounding a fist into the mattress. Trish lifted her hands to her mouth, eyes stinging. What was going on? She didn't understand!

" What've you done to my little girl?" she asked, on the verge of tears.

" Doctor, what is it?" Rose asked, equally as worried. The Doctor ignored her and continued to stare at Chloe, face stern.

" I'm speaking to you, the entity that is using this human child. I request parley in compliance of the Shadow Proclamation," the Doctor announced, crossing to the right side of the bed.

" I don't care about shadows or policies!"

" So what do you care about?"

" I want my friends." The Doctor crouched down and his voice dropped to a quieter tone.

" 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!" Chloe's face scrunched up in emotion. " It's not fair! I hate it!" Her eyes shot open and the Doctor ordered,

" Name yourself."

" Isolus."

A look of great realization crossed the Doctor's face as he heard the name Isolus. He stared at Chloe and muttered,

" You're Isolus, of course…"

" Our journey began in the deep realms, when we were a family," the Isolus said through Chloe, who began to scribble something on a piece of paper to her right. It looked to be a pinky-orange colored flower, which greatly confused Trish.

" What is it?"

" The Isolus Mother, drifting in deep space," the Doctor explained. " See? She jettisons millions of fledgling spores—her children." He went to stand with the three other women, who were watching Chloe scribble away at her picture. " The Isolus are empathetic beings of intense emotion. When they're cast of from their mother, their empathic link, their need for each other, is what sustains them. They need to be together; they cannot be alone."

Selene felt sadness creep into her head again; family is what the Isolus needed, craved… missed. Was that how her family was feeling now? Were they worried sick about her after that car accident? Hell, what was even going on back home? Was she missing? Dead? She had a feeling she wouldn't find out. But there was one thing Selene definitely knew; she missed her family. Deny it all she may like, but she was actually beginning to miss the missed phone calls from her parents and the nagging sisterly love from Juliet. And most of all, she didn't want them to worry about her. She was fine. She was an adult now… she can take care of herself and make her decisions, including those of going on journeys through time and space. But even so, she would always—always—miss them.

" Our journey is long."

" The Isolus children travel, each inside a pod. They ride the heat and energy of solar tides. And it takes thousands and thousands of years for them to grow up," the Doctor told them with sympathy in his voice. He knew what it was like to be alone…

" Thousands of years just floating through space…" Rose spoke sadly, eyes getting glassy. " Poor things. Don't they go mad from boredom?"

" We play."

" You… play?" she asked, stepping closer to the bed, curious and confused. The Doctor sat by Chloe's head, watching her closely.

" Mm, while they travel, they play a game," the Doctor confirmed, " They use their ionic power to literally create make-believe worlds in which to play."

" In flight entertainment."

" It helps keep them happy. While they're happy, they can feed off each other's love. Without it, they're lost." The Doctor bent his head, casting it into shadow as he looked back at Chloe. His voice turned soft again. " Why did you come to earth?"

" We were too close." She moved the first drawing aside and began a new one. It seemed to be a scribbled circle with rays coming out from it.

" That's a solar flare from your sun… 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." Although Chloe's face was blank, her eyes were sad, tearing up with each word.

" Your pod crashed. Where is it?" the Time Lord asked curiously.

" My pod was drawn to heat and I was drawn to Chloe Webber. She was like me—alone. She needed me and I her." A tear slid down the side of Chloe's face and the Doctor reached out a hand, wiping it away. He left his hand there and kept rubbing his thumb soothingly against her temple.

" You empathized with her. You wanted to be with her because she was alone like you," he concluded sadly, face twisting with emotion.

" I want my family. It's not fair." Everyone in the room was silent; no one could look away no matter how badly they wanted to. Trish was close to tears. This was her child, she didn't want to hear these things coming from her mouth.

" I understand, you want to make a family. But you can't stay in this child. It's wrong. You can't steal anymore friends for yourself."

" I am alone."

The closet doors began to bang violently again, causing Trish to gasp in horror.

" Chloe, I'm going to hurt you," the drawing growled again. Chloe began to shake violently, almost as if she was having a seizure. The Doctor tried to think of something. Didn't Trish bring up she had nightmares before?
" Trish, how do you calm her?" he asked in a steady voice.

" What?" she asked, unable to comprehend words at the moment.

" Whenever Chloe has a nightmare, you must calm her down somehow. How do you do it?" Selene interjected, voice shaky.

" I sing to her."

" Then start singing," the Doctor told her, standing up for Trish to take his place. She knelt by the bed as the Doctor stepped away. She stroked Chloe's forehead and began to sing, voice trembling.

" Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree, merry, merry king of the bush is he. Laugh, kookaburra, laugh, kookaburra, gay your life must be…"

The rattling stopped. The drawing became silent.

"Laugh, kookaburra, laugh, kookaburra, gay your life must be…" Chloe shut her eyes and rolled towards her mother, seeking warmth and comfort. Trish felt tears sliding down her cheeks. " He came to her because she was lonely. Chloe I'm sorry!" She hugged her daughter tightly and buried her face in her shoulder.

" We'll step out for a moment…" Rose murmured, stepping out of the room, not waiting for the Doctor or Selene to follow.

As they headed towards the stairs, the Doctor looked back at Selene, who had been uncharacteristically quiet; usually she jumped in with some comment about something—good or bad—and tried to help. But she'd been put off, she'd been quieter than she had been since the whole Hal adventure. When the Time Lord looked at her once they reached the living room, he paused. There were tears on her cheeks. The trails they left were glittering in the light coming in from the windows, making them stand out.

" Selene are you alright?" he asked slowly, placing a hand on her shoulder. Selene's dazed eyes slowly moved to his and she arched her brows.

" Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

" Then why have you been crying?" Rose suddenly asked, noting the tear stains as well. Selene's hand shot up to her cheek and she felt the wetness. Had she really been crying? How had she not noticed that? Wiping furiously at her cheeks, she refused to meet their eyes.

" Just a bit… emotional from all that. You know… missing family and what not," she said, putting a poor excuse for a laugh at the end, as if hoping it may dismiss the truth of it. The Doctor and Rose exchanged a look; she hadn't brought up her family since they dropped into the alternate universe. In fact, she seemed to avoid the topic of her family ever since then.

" Do you want to go back to the TARDIS for a lay down?" Rose suggested kindly, genuinely worried for her friend. Selene swiftly shook her head, clearing her throat, which felt thick as if it were coated in syrup. She sat down on the couch and sniffed, wiping at her flushed cheeks some more.

" No, no, I'll be fine. Just a, uh… bit of a moment. I'm fine I promise."

The Doctor looked less than convinced, especially since she'd been acting odd since she got the headache earlier, but let it slide when Trish walked into the room stiffly.

" Trish, perhaps we should take away the pencils, yeah?" the Doctor suddenly suggested. She held up a handful that she'd already taken from Chloe's room.

" Chloe usually got the brunt of his temper when he had a drink. The day he crashed the car, I thought we were free. I thought it was over," Trish admitted as she and Rose began to pick up the pencils.

" Did you talk to her about it?" Rose asked.

" I didn't want to."

" Well… maybe that's why Chloe feels so alone… 'Cause she has all these terrible dreams about her dad, but she can't talk to you about them."

" Her and the Isolus. Two lonely kids who need each other." The Doctor's face was drawn into a sad expression from both the Isolus situation and the sadness Selene had been hiding.

" It's not gonna stop, is it, Doctor?" Rose asked, sitting beside Selene, " Just keep pulling kids in."

" It's desperate to be loved. It's used to a pretty big family."

" How big?"

The Doctor sucked in a long breath.

" Say around… four billion."

" Well, we obviously don't have that many people in the neighborhood," Trish interjected, nervously twisting the pencils in her hand. " Could it stop because of that?" The Doctor shook his head, grabbing his and Selene's coats.

" No, it'll find a way. We'll be back as soon as possible, alright?" the Doctor said as Selene dawned her coat. Trish nodded as the trio left her house. " We need that pod." He pulled on his coat, thinking about what he could do to find it.

" It crashed, won't it be destroyed?" Rose asked.

" Not necessarily; it could have hit a bush. Or a tree. Maybe a… truck of pillows," Selene said, the last bit a tad sarcastic.

" Well, it's been sucking in all the heat it can; hopefully that'll keep it in a fit state to launch," the Doctor told them. " It should be close. It should have a weak energy signature that the TARDIS can trace… Once we find it, then we can stop the Isolus."

Unbeknownst to the time travelers, as they took their leave down the street, a certain little girl was eying the peculiar man in the tan jacket and the sad woman in the pink dress.

" We can scan from the same trace I found from the scribble creature. Just need to widen the field a bit," the Doctor said as they entered the TARDIS. Chloe, who snuck from the house, watched as they slipped into the blue police call box, knowing what she was going to do.

OOOO

" You knew the Isolus was lonely before it told you. How?" Rose inquired as the Doctor was assembling a new device.

" I know what it's like to travel a long way on your own," he replied, bumping her off the pilot's chair. He took a seat and then looked up to her hands; he'd employed her to hold pieces that he'd need. " Give me the stina magnetic, um…" He nodded towards the right. " The thing in your left hand."

" It sounds like you're on its side."

" I sympathize, that's all," he muttered as she slid the part in place.

" The Isolus has caused a lot of pain for these people," Rose countered.

" It's a child." The Doctor blew some dust of the device he was making. " That's why it went to Chloe. Two lonely, mixed-up kids."

" Hmm… feels to me like a temper tantrum because it can't get its own way…"

" Come on, you were a kid once! Binary dot," the Doctor implored, taking the next piece for the device.

" Yes, and I know what kids can be like! Right little… terrors." Rose fought for the right word at the end, biting her tongue a bit.

" But they're also adorable," Selene added in as she leaned against the console after taking a walk around the TARDIS to cool off. The two glanced at her and she rolled her eyes. " I'm not a porcelain doll, you can talk to me; I'm fine."

" We know, we just care about you," the Doctor told her, not looking up from his work. He lifted a hand up to Rose. " Gum." She awkwardly spat the wad out into his hand and continued to speak.

" I've got cousins. Kids can't have it all their own way. That's part of being a family," she retorted, reverting back to the previous conversation.

" What about trying to understand them?" the Doctor countered. Rose scoffed and looked towards Selene, smirking.

" Easy for you to say, you don't have kids."

" I was a dad once," he said casually, fixing the last bit of his device. Rose's head snapped towards him.

" What did you say?" she asked in shock. She sounded hurt as well—if this was true, why hadn't he ever said anything? Selene sighed internally and rubbed her temples again.

Oh, he should learn to think before he speaks… here we go… she thought to herself.

" I think we're there! Fear, loneliness, they're the big ones, Rose." The Doctor ignored her statement—Selene thought he didn't even register it. He began to fiddle with something on the console as he said, " 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, 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." The Doctor looked down to see Rose's hand, which was loosely pointing. He grinned and grabbed it, which caused her to snicker despite her confusion.

" No look, I'm pointing." He looked at the screen she was referring to and he grinned.

" It's the pod! It's in the street! Not exactly a truck of pillows…" He smirked at Selene who shot him a small smile. " Everything's coming up doctor!"

The trio stepped out of the TARDIS, Rose first, Selene second and the Doctor last. Selene was staring at a small photograph in hand; it was her family. It had been taken a little over a year ago on Boston Common. They were all grinning in the sun, enjoying the summer's day. God, what were they thinking now…

" It's two inches across, dull grey, like a gull's egg, very light," the Doctor told his companions.

" So, these pods, they travel from sun to sun, using heat, yeah, so it's not all about love and stuff. Doesn't the pod just need heat?"

SMASH!

Both women spun around to see the Doctor's new device shattered on the ground and him nowhere to be seen—in fact, the TARDIS was gone as well. Selene groaned and slapped a hand to her forehead.

" Oh, shit I forgot about this!" she growled to herself. How could she forget? How? She was beating herself up more and more today…

" Doctor! Wait, what do you mean you forgot? Forgot about what?" Rose asked urgently, glancing around for the Time Lord. Selene grabbed Rose's shoulder, picture still in hand.

" It's Chloe, Rose! She's drawn him and TARDIS, she's gotten him."

" We have to get over there. We have to find the pod!"

" Let's go!"

As the two took off down the street, they didn't speak a word. That is, till Rose suddenly thought to ask Selene about the pod's location; she'd know, right? She knew what would happen.

" Selene, where's the pod crashed? We can just cut a few corners this time, right?" No response. " Selene, I think this is a case where we can just disobey the rules, yeah?" Nothing again. Turning, Rose saw… no one. " Selene! Come on, this isn't funny!"

Something skittered across the ground. Bending over, Rose snatched up a picture. Four people sat on a checkered blanket, smiling happily. Our of the four, one face was familiar. It was Selene. She looked a bit younger and had an arm looped around the neck of a slightly older woman, who shared a slight facial resemblance. It was her family. She'd been carrying something in her hand… why would she have just dropped this? Oh no…

Rose sprinted to the Webber household and banged on the door urgently. The moment Trish opened the door, Rose headed for the stairs.

" It's okay, I've taken all the pencils off her!" she called after the younger woman.

Rose ran into Chloe's room, where she was still hunched over her desk, drawing. She marched over and snatched the yellow paper away.

" Leave me alone!"

Rose barely heard what the Isolus had said. On the page was what she was afraid of; the TARDIS was drawn on the far right and right beside it, a smiling picture of the Doctor stood, hands in his pockets, grinning out at them. Standing beside him was a drawn representation of Selene, smiling at the Doctor, arms hidden behind her back. They were gone. The Isolus had gotten them…

What was Rose going to do?

OOOO

The last thing Selene had remembered was jogging down the road then… nothing. Everything went black for a moment and she suddenly found herself stiff and unable to move. She faintly was able to realize what had happened; Chloe had drawn her as well. She was a drawing.

It was an odd feeling. She couldn't move and it felt like she wasn't breathing… but she wasn't dead. Everything stationary around her—her vision was blurred but it was like she was living inside a picture; she saw the scribbled representation of the Doctor as stone still as she was and from the corner of her eye… she saw the real world. But it looked as if she were looking at it through a tiny picture frame. Her lips were stuck in a smile, her arms were tightly in place behind her back. How the hell was she going to get out of this?

Suddenly, it was like a weight lifted off her chest; it was like she could gasp in a breath and move, but suddenly, that feeling stopped again. Wait… the drawings could move once no one was looking at them! That had been the feeling of freedom to move. Faintly, she heard someone speak…

" Doctor, Selene, if you can hear me, I'm gonna find that pod…" It was Rose's voice.

After another moment, the swelling feeling of exhilaration came over her again, and she decided to focus on her arm. It felt like her joints popped but she was able to move it round to her side. The thing was, she had no idea how long that took her; time seemed to be a foreign concept, just like when the Wire sucked her face into the television. Something wrapped around her upper arm; something that felt dimly like a hand. The Doctor's sketched out hand.

" I'm not being funny or nothing, but that picture just moved," came a male voice, similar to that of the road worker. Right, right, right! Selene finally remembered that concept again; the Doctor's drawing pointed out that the pod had to be carried in the Olympic torch. She shifted her arm to point to the right, still smiling. " And that one!"

The weighted feeling returned for a good while again. Selene's world was again frozen in drawing-land. The quiet was unbearable, the loneliness was becoming tangible… then suddenly… everything went black again… everything dulled and then—

Selene tripped over her own foot and fell to the pavement, clumsily catching herself with her hands. She gasped in a breath as the breeze stroked her face; she was back! She wasn't trapped in the drawing anymore! A grin slid across her face and she rolled onto her back, right in the middle of the street. She was laughing and feeling the cold pavement beneath her. She had to stop getting sucked into weird situations—literally sucked into them… The American time traveler felt as though she could just lay on the pavement in the setting sun forever, just admiring how good and real the actual world was.

But then someone seized both of her hands and she was hauled into a standing position. Before she could figure out who helped her up, a pair of arms wrapped around her and lifted her off the ground in a hug. Well, it was no denying it was the Doctor, especially since his woolen jacket scratched her cheek. The Time Lord was grinning and laughing just like she was as she returned the embrace.

" Good show!" he told her, setting Selene back on her feet. His teeth were bared in a bright grin, which added to the joyous atmosphere around them. She laughed and punched his arm slightly, rolling her eyes.

" Yeah, well, you're the one who drew the torch… while being a drawing yourself," she commended as they stood in the middle of the street. The sun was creeping ever so slowly below the horizon, dimming the light into a cool blue instead of a warm orange. Suddenly, a collective gasp came from the crowd gathered around the street. Another memory came to light in Selene's head.

Grabbing his shoulders, Selene spun the Doctor around and pushed his back to make him walk forward.

" Obviously Rose got the Isolus pod into the torch; unfortunately, the runner's got a cramp and there's only one man who can possibly save the day!" She pushed him into the crowd, savoring the flattered grin he sent her.

OOOO

Rose, the road worker Kel, Trish and Chloe, after dispelling the living drawing of Chloe's father, were all watching the progress of the torch. Things looked grim; the runner was exhausted and had collapsed to the ground, torch falling to the street.

But… there was hope. A man in tan jacket with long tails jogged up, snatched the torch, and continued the run, grinning like the spiky-haired hero he was. The Doctor held the torch high, prepared to run all the way back to the stadium.

" There's a mystery man! He's picked up the flame. We've no idea who he is," said the announcer, voice disbelieving. " Uh… He's carrying the flame. Yes, he's carrying the flame and no one wants to stop him. And, um, 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 door flew open and Selene jogged into the living room, hair loose and smiling.

" Did I miss it?" she asked as she caught her breath, watching the telly as the Doctor jogged up the steps.

" Oh thank God you're alright!" Rose exclaimed, yanking Selene into a hug. The two held their embrace as they watched the Doctor run the torch the final length…

OOOO

The Doctor felt exhilarated. The spotlight was on him as he stopped by the metal cauldron to stare out at the masses of people watching him.

" Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!" he whooped, unable to stop grinning. He turned and lit the gas, grinning as it ignited, the warmth hitting his face. " Go on. Join your brother's and sisters. They'll be waiting!"

The fire spread upwards to the main cauldron and lit the Olympic flame, which sent the Isolus pod whizzing upwards and back into space.

OOOO

Rose and Selene happily spent the time waiting for the Doctor to get back by getting him a treat he would love. They gave pleasantries to those they passed on the busy sidewalk, finally excusing themselves as a familiar figure strode down the street casually. The two stepped up behind him and Rose extended a hand.

" Cake?" she asked, holding a small piece of cake with edible ball bearings on top of white frosting. The trio suddenly burst out laughing as he accepted the cake saying,

" Top banana!" He bit into it and the edible crack of the sugar balls could be heard as he smiled. " I can't stress this enough. Ball bearings you can eat—masterpiece!"

Rose yanked him into a hug, standing on her toes to do so properly.

" Oh! I thought I'd lost you!" she told him, voice muffled by his shoulder. Selene diverted her eyes, feeling as thought the moment were private; she felt like a third wheel enough as it was…

" Nah! Not on a night like this!" the Doctor dismissed, pulling away. " This is a night of lost things being found." He nodded down towards the TARDIS' direction. " Come on."

" What now?"

" I want to go to the games! What we came for."

" Go on, give us a clue; what events to we do well in? I bet you Selene would be great at gymnastics." Selene barked a loud laugh, shaking her head.

" Me? I trip over nothing, I don't think I could balance on a balance-beam!" she laughed. The Doctor chuckled.

" Well, I will tell you this—Papua New Guinea surprises everyone in the shot put."

" Really? You're joking, aren't you?" Rose asked in shock. She laughed and pointed at the Time Lord. " Doctor, are you joking or are you serious?"

" Wait and see!"

Fireworks exploded overhead and the trio slowed down to watch. Rose gently slid her hand into the Doctor's and intertwined their fingers. As Selene was about to drift off to the side slightly, the Doctor looped his arm around hers, smiling. She returned it and drifted more towards him, happy to feel the warmth coming off of him.

" You know what, they keep trying to split us up. All of us up. But they never ever will," Rose said thoughtfully. Her words made something heavy drop in Selene's stomach. She knew that wasn't true… Oh, God, that wasn't true…

" Never say 'never ever,'" the Doctor told Rose as they all ceased walking.

" Nah, we'll always be okay, you and me." There was a short pause before Rose hastily added, " and Selene too, of course." When the Doctor said nothing and just stared at the fireworks, Rose nudged his shoulder. " Don't you reckon, Doctor?"

" Something in the air… something's coming…" he whispered.

" What?"

" A storm's approaching…"

OOOO

After a good long night of the opening ceremonies, trying to forget about the 'approaching storm' the trio were back in the TARDIS for a good night's rest. As Selene was about to turn into her room, the Doctor caught her by the elbow. She stopped and turned around, leaning against the wall by her door.

" Yeah?" she asked, sounding tired. The Doctor leaned against the wall as well and held up a picture; the picture she had dropped earlier that day. Slowly, she reached out and took the picture of her family, lowering her eyes to look at it. The Doctor watched as her face dropped in the slightest. There would always be a part of every person he knew that was a mystery… and why Selene decided to hide her feelings all the time was the greatest mystery about her.

" It's obvious you miss them," he told her, clearing his throat. " But, Selene, you should understand something; you don't have to hide your feelings from me. Or from Rose. We're your friends. We're your family too—we can help you with whatever you go through, alright? If you ever need something just… say something, yeah?"

Selene watched as the Doctor searched her face with sympathetic brown eyes. She smiled at him and nodded, pulling him into one last hug for the night.

" Yeah, I know. Thanks. Good night, Doctor." The Doctor smiled returned the hug before letting her step into her room.

" Good night, Selene."

OOOO

Rose, blond hair messy and eyes tearing up quickly, looked up at the man standing in front of her. The ocean battered the sand and the wind was bitter and stinging.

" How long have we got?" Rose asked, beginning to cry.

" About two minutes," the Doctor replied, trying to keep calm and sober. But it was so hard to when she was like this… when she was so sad…

Rose lifted a hand and rubbed her forehead, a bitter smile crossing her lips.

" I can't think of what to say!"

Both laughed humorlessly for a moment, looking away from each other's gaze. How did it all come to this? Why did it have to come to this?

" You've still got Mr. Mickey then?"

" There's five of us now—Mum, Dad, Mickey… and the baby."

The Doctor's brows rose slowly and his face immediately cleared of any emotion. The baby? His brows began to pull together. He forced his eyes to stay on her face as he quietly asked,

" You're not…"

" No," Rose laughed. " It's Mum."

The dream crackled and faded out for a moment, any audio cutting out completely. All that was left to see were tears rolling down flushed cheeks and heart breaking faces everywhere… the sadness was overwhelming… everything was going wrong…

Selene's eyes flew open, and the moment they did, hot, salty tears rolled down the sides of her face. Her breathing was quick and her facial muscles hurt as if she'd been crying through the night. Sitting up quicker than ever, her shaking hands scrambled to turn on the bedside lamp, which then gave of a soothing glow to the room. Shaky fingers wove through tangled strands of brown hair; Selene knew what was coming next all too soon.

The Army of Ghosts. Doomsday.

Rose's goodbye.

She didn't know how she could handle it; Rose was like a sister to her now. She couldn't just lie to their faces and say she didn't know what was coming. That would be betrayal, that would be… what had to be done. Tell them that and the universe would most likely unravel before their unsuspecting eyes. Burying her face in her comforter covered knees, Selene sucked in a breath, face hot, back rising and falling.

She had to do something. She couldn't do nothing. She'd try to help, try to stop it from happening…

She would thing of something.

Afterword: WELL… sorry about the late updates. This chapter has been three weeks in the making. It's my last week of actual classes—finals next week—so that means… SUMMER. And THAT means that I get to write a crap-load more! YES. We're closing in on the season finale, which I've had plans for since I wrote the first sentence of the first chapter of this story. * key smash * the FEELS…

Anyway, sorry if the quality of this chapter is off, I've been wicked stressed about making up work before the school year is out. This chapter is just the start of the feels, guys… I'm listening to Mumford and Sons to help me… I recommend them for any emotion-filled day. They're a great band.

REVIEW REPLIES!

grapejuice101: I'm glad you liked it! Thanks again for helping me out with this chapter; especially the picture idea, that worked out really well! Thanks again and hope you enjoyed!

Fionn Rose: I'm glad you liked the chapter so much! I had the most fun coming up what to write for it! I'm DEFINITELY bringin Hal back… there's no way that could be his ONLY appearance! Hope you keep on reading! Thanks again!

Ginga no Yousei: I'm glad you liked it! Thanks again!

The Yoshinator: I plan on making the jealousy towards Hal keep coming up; like every time someone brings him up, the Doctor tries to steer the conversation away from him. I still really wanna use the videogame idea! It's really good! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!

: I swear to God that if Selene wasn't bound to fall for the Doctor, she would totally fall for Hal—who wouldn't? XD Third-wheeling is always so awkward… poor Selene XD But I'm glad you like the story so far! I hope you keep on reading! Thanks again!

Guest: Sherlock is close to the top on next to update! I just gotta type it out, let my friend edit it and it'll be posted soon! Hope you enjoyed! Thanks again!

dream lighting: Yeah, Hal had a thing for her XD He will NEVER forget about her! And the Doctor is a tad blind at this point, isn't he? We'll see how much longer THAT lasts… Hope you enjoyed! Thanks again!

TARDISbluecolour: I'd love to have Selene and Hal have their own story; like, what if the Doctor and Rose got even MORE lost and Selene had to spend more time with him? I've considered it… literally, I have XD I'm glad you like it so far! Hope you keep reading! Thanks again!

theladyofthelost: Tom Hiddleston, I just… * takes a moment to fangirl, returns to key board * He's one of my top favorite actors. I'm glad you liked the chapter! Thanks again!

ShadowTeir: Me? XD

KatieTheBaka: Jealous Doctor is always fun XD Hope you enjoyed and thanks again!

E-man-dy-S: I enjoyed the necklace idea—I came up with it in class and worked so hard not to jump to grab my ideas notebook and scribble it down… XD Which failed miserably, and I did that anyway. Jealous Doctor is jealous, yes XD I'm glad you enjoyed it! Hope you keep on reading! Thanks again!

And thank you to those who have added this to favorites/story alert, it keeps my morale up! Lova ya all!

So that's it for this chapter! WAIT FOR SURPRISES IN DOOMSDAY. They're a tad confusing, but they're interesting none the less! In other news—back to music…-I was listening to Awake My Soul by Mumford and Sons, and I swear to God it could be one of the Doctor's themes. One of the lines is:

'Lend me you hand and conquer them all, but lend me your heart and I'll just let you fall.'

Does that not fit perfectly? He's so afraid of letting himself care for others because he's worried he'll loose them! I just… I just wanna cuddle him!

Well, thanks again for taking the time to read! I took a good while to update this also because I got a few flame-y reviews on another story that sort of brought me down for a few days—but what can ya do? Everyone has their own opinion. So, anyway, let me know what you think! Thanks again you guys! Love ya all, you're all awesome!

~Mary