A/N: Hey guys! Another update- this one is kinda angsty, for the kid anyways. He's a bit traumatized, and unstable *evil chuckle* However, he's still just a kid. Aaaannnd… I think he's going to be here to stay for a while, so I hope you like him! Or maybe you don't, I don't dictate your thought process.

Chapter 6

"JOHN?!" Sherlock's voice could be heard, ringing throughout the canyon, and echoing eerily. The sound of running footsteps could be heard, and the Doctor's voice was so warped by the odd shape of their surroundings that it was almost impossible to hear him say "They always wander off! There's only one rule, why can't anybody follow it?!"

Then John realized- Sherlock was running in the wrong direction.

"Shit..." he muttered, and made to run after him, before he remembered the kid.

"Can you run?" he asked. The kid smiled proudly and nodded. "Right then, take my hand, and run!"

The kid nodded solemnly, grabbed John's hand, and surprised him entirely when he easily kept pace with John, his eyes focused grimly on the ground to avoid tripping, and leaping gracefully over obstacles. Before long, John got back to the road, and started calling after Sherlock.

"Sherlock! I'm over here!" he shouted, and immediately, Sherlock whipped around, and started sprinting towards John. When he was within ten feet of John, he started slowing down slightly, and grabbed John by the shoulders, looking him up and down with concern.

"Oh, thank god! I thought something had gotten you, or..." At this point, he noticed the kid, who had stepped slightly behind John, but was staring up at the tall, pale man with curiosity. He looked absolutely nothing like the goblins...

"What...what is that?" Sherlock asked, confusion and a hint of disgust marking his voice. Sherlock had never been very fond of children, and the fact that this one was filthy did nothing to endear him to the man.

"I found him, hiding behind a rock in fear. I have no idea where he came from, but it can't be good." Sherlock frowned, and the Doctor, who was not as fast as Sherlock somehow, came to a stop by them, gasping for air.

"What...happened...John?" He asked, and John squirmed.

"Sorry, Doctor, I thought I saw something, and went to see, and found...this kid." the Doctor frowned.

"Where did you find him?"

"Hiding behind a rock." The Doctor's frown turned deeper, and he knelt down to get on eye-level with the kid.

"Hello." He said. "I'm the Doctor, what's your name?" but the kid didn't answer, because as soon as he heard the word 'Doctor', he hid behind John's legs, gripping his trousers for dear life. A small whine escaped his lips, and the Doctor looked confused.

"Hey, no, it's okay, the Doctor's a good man, he won't hurt you either." John said softly, bending down. The kid stared at the ground, his stringy blond hair covering his face. He shook his head, and backed up a step.

"What's wrong?" John asked, but the kid just shook his head again.

"Doctor." Sherlock's voice was quiet, and he stared at the kid with icy eyes, deducing. "He hid when the Doctor said his name, so obviously he doesn't like doctors."

"The Doctor makes them go away." the kid said quietly. "Sometimes they don't come back."

"What do you mean?" John asked.

"The Doctor. The goblins come, and take people to The Doctor. Sometimes they never come back. That's what happened to Daddy." The Doctor frowned.

"Well, I'm not him, I promise." He said, and the kid looked at him sheepishly, then nodded tersely.

"Okay, but I'm watching you." the Doctor grinned slightly at his small threat.

John cleared his throat, then turned to the Doctor, and said "We need to get back to the TARDIS."

"Why?"

John sighed. "Because he has a huge gash on his arm, and I'm going to fix it, there's a first aid kit on the TARDIS, right?" The Doctor nodded, and noticed John's jacket tied around the kid's arm with grim silence. As the four began walking back to the blue box, the Doctor tried to find out more about the boy.

"What's your name?"

"29071." The boy replied automatically. The Doctor frowned.

"Is that what your mum calls you?" The kid shook his head.

"No, mummy calls me Charlie. But my name is 29071."

"Where do you live, Charlie?" John asked, immediately rejecting the idea of calling a child by a number.

"In the holding place." Came the cryptic reply.

"What's that?" The Doctor asked. Charlie tilted his head, a look of immense confusion on his face, as if he had asked what space itself was. The holding place just... was, he had no idea how to explain it.

"Well, let's get you patched up." He said, having arrived back at the TARDIS. The Doctor unlocked the doors, walked in, and grabbed the kit. Charlie stepped inside the box, took one look around, then let loose an Earth-shattering shriek and raced back outside.

"NO!" he shouted. "NO! You said you weren't him! YOU SAID!" He backed away slowly, as John raced out after him, stopping just a few feet short of the child.

"Charlie, what's wrong?"

"He's The Doctor! He's going to take me! You said you weren't!" Tears streamed down his face, as he glared at John, his fragile trust bending very close to breaking.

"No, Charlie, he's not, I promise! What would make you say that?"

"He's got a lab! He's got takers! He's gonna put me in the tubes and drain me!" Charlie wailed, cowering away from the Doctor as he stepped, bewildered, out of the TARDIS.

"What do you mean, drain you?" The Doctor asked.

"You know!"

"Well, I don't, can you tell me, Charlie?" Sherlock asked, shocking everyone. Charlie seemed to calm down a bit, staring at Sherlock as he whispered "The Doctor takes people- to his lab. And, he puts them in the tubes! They're really big, and people float, and sleep. Just sleep, forever! And then he takes their energy from them, he drains them of their life!"

"Drains them of their life?" John asked, and Charlie nodded solemnly. "That's why mummy told me to run. We were moving, and she didn't want The Doctor to take me, so she told me to run, and hide."

John and Sherlock exchanged glances, both deciding to ask the boy about that later. One thing at a time, for now.

"Charlie, listen to me." the Doctor said, kneeling down in front of the boy, who flinched away. A look of immeasurable sorrow flitted across the Doctor's eyes, but was gone before John could tell if it was ever even there in the first place.

"Charlie, that's not a lab. Okay? It's not a lab. I'm not going to take you, I'm not going to put you in any tubes, or drain you. I promise."

Charlie glared at the Doctor for a few seconds, not sure whether or not to believe him. Then, his eyes lit up with an idea, and with a snarl, he reached out and slapped the Doctor right across the face. Then he froze, and put his hand in his pocket, gripping the sharp stone he had found, waiting to see what the Doctor would do.

The Doctor reeled back in surprise, but didn't say anything, just looked at the boy with a mixture of pity and hurt. He didn't quite understand what exactly had happened to Charlie, but he could recognize better than anyone someone who had lived their lives in fear. He rubbed his face absently, then sighed.

Charlie stared at him, his rage slowly giving way to fear, and then what looked like regret. John and Sherlock stood back, hardly daring to breathe lest they ruin whatever was happening.

"Why do you care?" Charlie asked the Doctor, his voice trembling slightly. "Nobody cares, that's what daddy said. Nobody cares about us." The Doctor frowned.

"Why wouldn't I care?" he asked, and Charlie was surprised to hear real honesty in the question.

He looked at the Doctor for a few more seconds, then took a step forwards and looked at his eyes, this small child somehow seeing what so many people missed behind the loneliness, the pain. He saw in the Doctor the genuine need to care for others, to make them happy. To save people. To be the good guy.

The Doctor held steady, and Charlie's lip trembled slightly before he wrapped his arms around the Doctor's neck, hugging him fiercely. This was not the Bad Doctor, he concluded- this one was good. Kind, like his mother. After a second, the Doctor hugged him back, and Charlie asked, "Can you help us, please, sir?" The Doctor nodded.

"Yes, of course. But first, let's take a look at that arm, okay?" Charlie let go of the Doctor and nodded, wiping at his eyes. The Doctor noticed new tear streaks on his face, but didn't say anything. Charlie walked over to John, and took his hand, leading him back to the TARDIS, making sure Sherlock and the Doctor were following. He stepped inside nervously, and looked back at the Doctor.

"If it's not a lab, what is it?" He asked. The Doctor grinned.

"It's my time machine." Charlie's eyes lit up with wonder, and all three men smiled despite themselves.

A/N: Hope you guys liked it- I know it was a bit different. Please review with your opinions, even if they're not positive, I still love to hear them!