A/N: You can find Alex's outfit for this chapter on my Tumblr, under the name 'darksideofparis'.
Half an hour later, after having made a quick trip to the TARDIS so that she could change, Alex and the Doctor were standing in front of the huge gray complex known as the Carslile-Locke Electrical Power Plant.
Alex tucked some hair behind her ears, exposing the simple gold studs she had switched out from the flower ones in the TARDIS. She didn't think that the head of this plant would take her seriously if she was wearing those. She had also changed into a sleek black skirt suit with a matching belt that wrapped around her waist and black stiletto heels. As far as she was concerned, she looked hot and professional enough to be taken seriously.
The Doctor eyed her out of the corner of his eye. He hadn't understood what Alex meant by 'professional', but now he could see what effort Alex had put into her appearance. She looked dangerous, almost threatening, and ready to do business. He was glad she had ditched pantyhose and instead chose to leave her long legs bare. He took in the smaller details as they marched up to the reception door at the head of the plant. Her hair was shining in the bright sun, making it look more blonde than light brown, she had painted her lips a bright red, a color that contrasted beautifully with her pale skin, and despite her authoritative stance, he could still detect a glimmer of underlying excitement in her now topaz-colored eyes.
Alex pushed the sleek glass door open and marched into reception, her heels click-clacking on the floor, the Doctor following behind like a dutiful servant. The reception area had plain white walls except for a large golden sign over the white reception desk that read Carslile-Locke Electrical Power. Across from the desk was a tiny seating area that contained a coffee table with outdated magazines lying on it and two uncomfortable looking leather chairs with sharp angles. The duo approached the desk, a petite raven-haired woman sitting behind it.
The woman looked up at them, her heavily plucked eyebrows inching up into a questionable arch. "May I help you?"
Alex flipped her hair and gave the receptionist her best critical look. "I'm here to speak with Mr. Carslile."
The receptionist gave the Doctor a questioning look. "And him?"
Alex waved her hand, dismissing the question in an impatient manner. "He's with me, an associate."
"Do you have an appointment?"
"I'm afraid not," Alex replied coolly.
The receptionist gave her a withering smirk. "Well, I'm afraid that unless you have an appointment, you cannot see Mr. Carslile. He's a very busy man, after all."
Alex cocked her head, an almost sinister smile forming on her lips. She cast a look up at the sign overhead as she said, "Perhaps that can be changed. Ring him up and tell him that Dr. John Smith and Alexandria Locke are here and need to speak to him."
The receptionist's eyes widened at Alex's last name. She quickly picked up the telephone and pressed a button. "Mr. Carslile? There are two people down here who need to speak with you . . . no they don't have an appointment . . . one of them is Miss Alexandria Locke!"
There was another pause and the receptionist abruptly slammed the phone down. "Mr. Carslile will be down in just a moment," she informed them, staring at Alex like she was a ghost or something. She nodded over to the chairs on the other side of the room. "Please, have a seat."
The chairs were just as uncomfortable as they looked. Alex sat primly in hers, resisting the overwhelming urge to move while the Doctor shifted several times in his chair, making the leather squeak. After Alex gave him an annoyed look, he stood up and crossed over to stand behind her. A second after he did this, there was a ding and an elevator on the far side of the room opened, revealing the man from the newspaper photo, William Carslile.
Alex stood up and carefully appraised him. He seemed to be of the type of wealthy she was familiar with; an Armani tux, monogrammed cuff links, a sharp platinum Rolex, and a dominating presence that guaranteed that others would listen to him. He was the type of person who spent enormous amounts of money to get himself this way and didn't really care about others as long as they listened to him and only him.
"Ms. Locke," Carslile greeted. His voice was smooth and slick with no traceable accent. He picked up her right hand and lightly brushed his lips against it, not noticing the slight discomfort on Alex's face and the outright jealousy on the Doctor's. "A pleasure to finally meet you. Your grandmother spoke of nothing but you."
"I'm sure," Alex murmured, yanking her hand back. "My associate, Dr. John Smith." She cocked her head at the Doctor, who merely nodded. "I must say, I was very surprised when my grandmother impulsively decided to invest in your power plant."
"Oh, I assure you, Mrs. Locke was very wise in her investment," Carslile attempted to assure her.
"Mmm-hmm." Alex gave him a doubtful look, expressing everything she felt about his statement. "Well, due to the fact that G-Locke and all of its earnings are my birthright, the minute I heard about the plant, I rushed down here, determined to see everything for myself."
"Are you afraid you'll find things unsatisfactory?"
Alex let out a slow crocodile smile and the Doctor felt himself shudder. Never mind facing down aliens; when dealing with her family money and business, Alex was downright vicious. "Oh, Mr. Carslile," she let out in a long breath. "You'll soon come to find that I don't trust anybody or anything."
Carslile gave her a smile, but it seemed rather forced. "What a . . . pleasure to see how invested in business you are."
I'm sure it is, Alex thought.
The Doctor had had enough of this dancing around the subject, even though he was pretty sure that was how most business was conducted. "How about you give us a tour of the plant?" he suggested. "Just to settle my colleague's fears about it."
Carslile looked over Alex's shoulder at him. His gaze drifted up and down, appraising the Doctor's professor-like attire before turning to look at Alex's professional suit. "Of course," he said, although both time-travelers could tell that he didn't seem thrilled about it. He turned back towards the elevator, but took a quick right turn towards a hallway just off of the reception desk. "This way."
The hallway was a less formal affair than the reception room with gray walls and simple gray tiled floors. At the very end of the hallway was a large gray steel door where a distinct hum was coming from. As the group approached the door, Carslile explained, "This leads to our main electrics room. Our technicians will be happy to answer any questions you may have." He stopped for a moment to lay his hand on the door. "I probably shouldn't need to tell you this, but this is very sensitive equipment in here, so please don't touch any of it."
As Carslile opened the door, Alex lowly chuckled and leaned over to whisper in the Doctor's ear, "That was aimed at you, Doc."
The Doctor gave her an offended look, masking the distinct pleasure he felt when her breath hit his skin. He started to give her a smarty reply when the door opened and they were ushered into the main part of the plant.
Strange equipment lined the walls and Alex gave up any hope of possibly understanding it. She knew the basics of electricity, but only enough to get her by on a surprise science test, not the obviously advanced stuff the people in here knew. Around her, various people in hardhats and proper electrical gear scuttled about, checking things off on clipboards, working on the machines, amongst other stuff.
Carslile stepped in between them and beamed at the sight. "As you see, Dr. Smith, Ms. Locke, the Carslile-Locke Plant is a smoothly operable station. Everyone here is fully qualified in their field."
"Background checks on everyone who works here?" Alex guessed.
"Yes."
"I'd like to see those," Alex said as she walked further into the room. The Doctor trailed along behind her, looking at the equipment with a mixture of fascination and confusion. Alex knew he could probably see something in all this that she couldn't and decided to leave him at it for the time being.
Carslile stepped up beside her, sensing that she was the one truly in charge out of her and the Doctor. His lips were pursed slightly as he considered her request to see the employee background checks. "Of course," he said slowly, as though it were being extracted out of him.
The trio continued along for a few minutes, Carslile explaining various things while also pausing to ask the Doctor what he was doing. The Doctor seemed to know something about the equipment that Carslile wasn't telling them and was occupied with examining every inch of it. Alex managed to smoothly direct the conversation back to something else, but she knew that Carslile didn't like the Doctor sniffing around the place.
The group eventually ended up outside. In front of them was a large gray tower, pumping out steam. Alex frowned and whirled over at Carslile. "That can hardly be good for the environment here," she said sternly. "In this region, the only source of income for many is agriculture."
Carslile had the decency to look embarrassed. "I assure you, Ms. Locke, that this plant is doing no harm to the . . . local population."
The Doctor cocked an eyebrow at him. "Really?" he said in a voice that clearly doubted this. "What about the numerous power outages occurring in town? According to reports, there used to be only five or six a week, but now it's increased to fifteen."
Carslile stared at him, his blue eyes cold and hardly bothered. "I can assure you, Dr. Smith, that there is a reasonable explanation for that."
The Doctor crossed his arms and stared at him challengingly. "I'd love to hear it."
Carslile eyed him for a full minute, his features not changing at all. "Of course," he said slowly. Alex noticed that he seemed to be fond of saying that, particularly when he didn't actually want to do something. He swiftly turned on his heel and began marching back towards the main building. "Follow me," he called over his shoulder.
A minute later, Alex found herself sandwiched between the Doctor and Carslile in a tiny wood-paneled elevator. Elevator music played around them, a vague Paula Abdul song, interrupting the tense silence between its passengers. Glancing at the elevator buttons, she noticed that Carslile had pressed the very last one, floor 7. Lucky number 7, she thought. Hopefully, it'd be lucky for them.
The elevator opened out into a large room, the whole wall in front of them all windows, exposing the woods surrounding the plant and the town beyond. In front of the windows was a cherry desk, a black swivel chair behind it. In front of the desk were two maroon-colored chairs.
Along another wall was a small table with a vase of flowers on it, a large map of the solar system above it. As the Doctor approached it, he noticed that planets had been added to the map. There was a large green one, a small purple one, and right next to the frame, a tiny gray one. He knew what these planets were. The green one was Hazalia, the purple one was Drusilla 3, and the gray one was Lycardia. However, no one on Earth knew about these planets, at least not in this time period. They were billions of light years away. So, question is, how does a simple CEO of a power plant get a map detailing these planets?
"Interesting map you have here," he called over to Carslile, who was maneuvering Alex into a seat.
Carslile looked over at him and Alex saw a slight sign of alarm appear in his eyes before it was quickly replaced with the same cool, calm demeanor he'd had during their whole tour. "Yes, it's quite rare."
The Doctor strolled back over to them slowly, taking his time. Alex had seen him do this before. She likened it to a cobra getting ready to strike the unsuspecting prey. The Doctor would slowly evaluate his opponent before launching at them. "Not quite sure about those three planets on there though," he admitted. Alex looked over and squinted so she could make out the three colored blobs past Pluto. "No one's discovered other planets past Pluto here."
Carslile smiled slightly. "The artist I got it from took . . . artistic liberty with the map. And the universe is a big place, Doctor. The possibility of other life out there exists. Surely you, a man of your profession, can see the likelihood in that?"
The Doctor grinned and leaned against the chair next to Alex. "Never said I didn't!" he replied cheerfully. "Just making an observation."
The chairs in Carslile's office were the same make as the ones down in reception and were extremely uncomfortable. Alex figured this had been done on purpose, to make sure that people didn't stay too long. She subtly kicked the Doctor in the shin when he looked like he was about to shift in his seat. The Doctor stiffened up, reluctantly accepting that Alex was going to play boss for this investigation.
Alex tilted her head to the side and eyed Carslile. "So, Mr. Carslile, according to what I've been told, your company just appeared. All of your permits and sanctions were processed within a blink of an eye. How on earth did you manage that?"
Carslile smiled at her, almost as though she were a pretty, but stupid, student. "I'm sure you are aware that your family name generates a lot of trust."
"I'm very aware of my family history, thank you," Alex said crisply. "What I want to know is why this power plant landed here all of a sudden."
"That's an interesting choice of words you use, Ms. Locke," Carslile commented. "Landed. You almost sound like you don't believe we chose this area specifically."
"As I said before, I don't trust anybody or anything," Alex replied steadily, crossing her legs.
"Well, I hope you trust our facilities after viewing them today."
"That remains to be seen," Alex said in spite of herself.
"I'm sorry?"
The Doctor sensed that Alex was ready for him to pick up the conversation, so he did. "I mentioned the blackouts the town has been receiving ever since operation here at the plant began. You said you had a reasonable explanation, didn't you?"
"Yes." Carslile stood up and crossed over to the windows. He turned his back on the two as he gazed out at the view. "Starting up a company, especially a power company, isn't easy. We are having a little trouble with our equipment, but it's nothing to be concerned about."
"Then why have all the experts from Lexington and Louisville said there isn't anything wrong with the equipment?" Alex demanded. Honestly! Couldn't this guy give them a straight answer?
Carslile turned back to them, an unreadable look in his eyes. "Forgive my manners," he apologized suddenly. "Would you like a drink?" Before the two could refuse, Carslile had already crossed over to his desk, grabbed a chilled bottle of sherry out from the fridge underneath it, and poured it into two glasses. Alex was a little curious on why he didn't take some himself. He pushed the glasses across the desk. "Please. Drink."
Alex hesitantly took a glass and sniffed the amber-colored liquid. She had never been fond of sherry. It was only whiskey, gin, and the occasional glass of wine for her. She glanced over at the Doctor, who didn't seem interested in the drink. Noticing out of the corner of her eye that Carslile was watching her expectantly, Alex lifted the drink to her lips and took a sip.
Ew, Alex thought, trying not to grimace. Yep, sherry was still as disgusting as she remembered. Only this one seemed even more so. She supposed it could have been kept frozen for too long, but there was something else. . . It was some kind of extra taste in the drink that shouldn't be there. She hesitantly swallowed and looked up. "It's very . . . different from any other drink I've had."
Carslile smiled at her, but it wasn't a pleasant one. It seemed cold and calculating, almost as though he were winning some game that they were playing. "I'm glad to hear it." He looked over at the Doctor, who was watching Alex with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation. "Aren't you going to drink, Dr. Smith?"
"I'm not much of a drinker," the Doctor admitted. Alex knew this to be true. She, Amy, and Rory had once shared a bottle of gin one night in the TARDIS and the Doctor declined every time they offered him a drink.
Carslile narrowed his eyes at him. "But I insist. That sherry is very special." He turned his back and headed to look out the windows. As he did so, the Doctor quickly reached into his jacket pocket, withdrawing his sonic screwdriver, and scanned his glass. Carslile didn't even hear the whirl of the screwdriver, as he was caught up in talking about the good reviews the plant had gotten from environmental agencies. Alex watched as the Doctor's eyes widened and he hastily grabbed their glasses, crept over to a potted lilac on Carslile's desk, and dumped the sherry in it. By the time Carslile turned back around, the Doctor was back in his seat, sonic screwdriver nowhere in sight, looking perfectly ordinary, or as ordinary as he could look.
"Is everything to your satisfaction, Ms. Locke? Dr. Smith?" Carslile asked, the picture of pleasantry.
Alex frowned and was about to answer in the negative, but the Doctor beat her to it. "Yes!" he exclaimed, jumping up from his seat. He reached out and shook Carslile's hand enthusiastically. "Excellent plant you have here, Mr. Carslile! Most excellent!" Carslile seemed a bit taken aback by this, but nodded his acceptance anyway.
The Doctor turned to a shocked Alex and quickly pulled her up. "Let's go, Ally!" he cheered. "Lots more appointments to make today! Good day, Mr. Carslile!" Before Alex knew it, she was being dragged to the elevator before suddenly finding herself back down in reception. The Doctor pulled her across the room, out the door, and all the way down the steep driveway to Lacey's car, which they had borrowed for transportation as it was less conspicuous than the TARDIS.
"Doctor, what the hell was that all about?!" Alex screeched as the Doctor picked her up by the waist and put her in the passenger seat. She barely felt the tingle of heat his touch made on her skin for she was still angry and confused with him. She watched, bewildered, as he climbed into the driver's seat and started the car. "And why are you driving? Can you even drive a car?!"
He shot her a look. "Of course I can drive a car!" he retorted as he expertly eased the Rabbit onto the road. "I used to drive one quite a bit a long time ago."
The fact that it was a long time ago really makes me feel reassured, Alex thought but didn't say. More pressing matters were weighing on her mind. "What was all that hand-shaking and praising about? And why did you scan the sherry and then toss it into the plant?"
The Doctor tightened his grip on the steering wheel, swerving just a little too sharply on a curve. "Alex, that sherry was tainted with an amnesia pill. It would've made us forget the last hour."
Alex's jaw dropped. "That explains why all the experts are saying nothing's wrong with the plant, because there is something wrong with it, isn't there? When they drink the sherry, they forget everything they saw!" She paused for a moment as an alarming thought occurred to her. "Doctor, I had a sip of that sherry. Will I start forgetting things?"
The Doctor shook his head. "I shouldn't think so. An amnesia pill usually requires drinking a whole drink in order to work. And with your mind?" He smiled. "I wouldn't be surprised to find that an amnesia pill doesn't work on you."
Alex sighed, comforted by this thought, and leaned back against the headrest. "So, what did you find at the plant? I don't know what those machines were doing, but I could tell by the look on your face that it wasn't anything good."
"I'll tell you when we get back to the diner," the Doctor said, taking a turn before stopping the car alongside Lover's Lane, the TARDIS hidden in the shade of the trees. "You better go get changed out of that power suit."
Alex laughed at his term but as she got out of the car, she couldn't help but be a little worried. Whatever the Doctor had discovered at the plant was really bad and he obviously didn't want to worry her. She was a little scared to uncover what was so bad, but she was also filled with determination. Whatever Creepy Carslile was up to, she was going to make sure he was stopped before his schemes ended up hurting anybody.
~Living the Life of Ally~
Fifteen minutes later, the two were back at the diner. Some of the original gang were still there. Lacey was sprawled out in a booth, Amy and Rory sitting across from her. Lola and Emmy were perched on bar stools they had dragged over, and Bree and Ross were leaning against the plate glass window, which currently exposed the fading afternoon light. As the Doctor and Alex came back in, a streetlight outside the diner turned on.
Alex was back in her regular clothes and waved at them as they walked in. "Hey, Bree? Do we still have that whiteboard we used whenever the electronic menu boards broke?"
"Yeah, right in the back," Bree confirmed. She straightened up and walked towards the kitchen. "I'll go grab it."
"Thanks," Alex said, running a hand through her hair. She turned to the group waiting expectantly in front of her. "Hey, Lola? Can you look up any and everything on William Carslile?"
"You got it," Lola said, getting out her phone.
"I'll look for anything about the power plant," Emmy volunteered.
"Y'all are fantastic," Alex smiled.
"No sweat," Emmy assured her. "We want to figure out what this guy's up to."
Lola nodded. "Yeah, it's getting to be a real pain having General Hospital interrupted every ten minutes due to a blackout."
Alex laughed as Bree rounded the corner, pushing a huge whiteboard on wheels. "Here you go!" she chirped. She leaned back and examined it. "God, I can't believe we've still kept this thing. It's always such pain writing on it. Remember all those days cursing when our print was too big for the board and we only had a quarter of the menu up here?"
"Good times," Alex agreed, but her brain was already focusing back on the matter at hand. She went over and swiped a bar stool from the bar and set it up in front of the board. Hiking herself up on it, she twirled around and wrote CARSLILE-LOCKE PLANT at the very top. Underneath this, she wrote EQUIPMENT. "Okay, explain the equipment, Doc," she requested, passing him the marker.
The Doctor began writing down a very complex explanation, filled with a bunch of scientific terms. Noticing the others looking bewildered, Alex frowned and clarified, "In layman's terms, Doctor. None of that techno-babble."
The Doctor frowned at her, but dutifully wiped away the so-called techno-babble with his jacket sleeve and began writing a simpler explanation. "Basically," he said as he wrote, "the machines in the power plant are conducting electricity but there's a hidden function behind them. They are also sucking in the power."
"Which is why there are blackouts?" Amy guessed.
"Correct, Pond!" the Doctor cheered, turning around briefly to smile at her. "The blackouts are a result of the power being sucked into the plant. Right now, there's probably enough power here in Bristol to make it about a week longer. And that's just me being optimistic."
"But why would someone do that?" Bree cried, outraged. She crossed her arms and scowled. "Don't they realize that they're affecting themselves as well?"
The Doctor and Alex looked at each-other, both thinking the exact same thing, but not daring to voice it out loud. Whoever was in charge of the Carslile-Locke Plant wasn't human in origin. They were alien. But they couldn't voice that. Doing so would require a long, complex explanation that would involve revealing the Doctor's alien status. Alex looked out of the corner of her eye and noticed Amy and Rory seemed thoughtful as well, most likely thinking the very same thing. Thankfully, they were also smart enough not to reveal their thoughts on this.
Alex turned back to Bree and shrugged. "Who knows?" she said, throwing her hands up in the air. She was hoping that her voice didn't portray what she knew, but one look at the doubtful expression on Bree's face and she knew she had failed with that.
"This is interesting," Lola suddenly said. The Doctor and Alex turned to look at her as she added, "According to this Google search, William Carslile didn't exist before 2008."
"What was he doing in 2008?" Rory asked.
Lola squinted at the tiny font on her screen. "Apparently, he suddenly emerged as the vice president of a big power company in Nashville, Tennessee."
The Doctor's brain was going a mile a second, a usual occurrence for him. "He probably wasn't the vice president," he mused.
"He had to be," Ross argued. "You don't just suddenly appear as the vice president of a power company without working your way up there."
"No, I'm serious," Lola argued. "There's nothing. In an interview he gave to a Nashville newspaper, it says that he attended Harvard and then did graduate work at Tuskegee University, but the universities don't have any record of him on their roster. They say in press releases he attended there, but the actual records don't contain any mention of him."
"He's changing memories," Alex explained. She remembered this psychological method from a book she had once read. "You become that big, people do claim that they know you, just because you're so powerful now. Their memories are rewritten. They don't know they aren't true, because they believe them to be true."
Emmy snorted. "Well, this guy's a master at manipulation. The Carslile Electric Company? Didn't appear until the plant was built and they say it was founded in 1999 and that it's a multi-billion-dollar company."
"More fabrications," Amy realized.
Alex yanked the marker out of the Doctor's hand and copied down the information on the board. "So Carslile isn't who he says he is," she summarized. She looked around at the group. "Anything else?"
"There's not a lot on him or the plant," Lola said apologetically.
"For a multi-billion-dollar company, they don't really like advertising themselves," Emmy commented as she slid her phone back into her pocket.
Alex ran a hand through her hair and twirled around in circles on her stool. "I guess that's that . . . for now."
"You better not give up," Bree warned her. "This guy's up to something fishy and you better figure it out."
"We will," Alex assured her. "I promise. I'm not having my family name or our money tainted by this weirdo." The Doctor snickered slightly at her wording but all the same, he had to admire how determined she was to protect her family name and also everyone else in Bristol.
Since that seemed to be the end of the brainstorming, Lola and Emmy returned their stools to the bar and Bree went to empty the cash register and take everything to the bank. "Do you mind locking up for me?" Bree asked as she pulled a Wal-Mart bag filled with her clothes out from under the counter. "I'd like to get to the bank before it closes." She shook her head. "Damn summer hours."
"No problem," Alex promised. Alex's keys to the diner were back in Leadworth, but she was sure that the Doctor's sonic screwdriver would do the job as well.
Bree smiled as she ducked into the girls bathroom in the corner of the diner. "You're amazing!" she called out in thanks as the door swung shut behind her.
"We've gotta go," Emmy sighed reluctantly. "Mom's gonna kill us if we're late for dinner again, even if you are back in town."
"Tell her I said hi," Alex requested.
"We will," Lola promised. She hugged Alex good-bye and then raced out the door calling, "I GET TO DRIVE! YOU PROMISED!"
Emmy rolled her eyes. "She just got her permit and she thinks she's all Driving Miss Daisy." She hugged Alex tightly before hissing in her ear, "Call me tomorrow. I'm so helping you out with all this." Emmy pulled back and gave one appreciative look at the Doctor before racing out after Lola, hollering, "LOLA, YOU GOT YOUR PERMIT TWO WEEKS AGO! YOU CAN BARELY PARALLEL PARK, LET ALONE DRIVE PROPERLY!"
Ross shook his head. "It's true, she can't. But then again, Emmy's not much better."
Amy thought for a moment. "Alex, didn't you tell me that Emmy crashed into the high-school's sign when she got her permit?"
Ross chuckled while Alex giggled hysterically. "Oh, yes," Ross confirmed. "The famed Sign Smashing of Sophomore Year."
Alex laughed. "I've never seen our principal so ticked off. He went on screaming and cursing up a storm in the parking lot for fifteen minutes."
"And our poor crossing guard, Ms. Trencher, about had a heart attack when Emmy climbed out of the car wearing ripped leggings, sneakers, and a white t-shirt. The woman advocated Little House on the Prairie dresses."
"I thought she was blind in one eye," Alex mused. "It's why no one ever crossed the street she worked. They took the shortcut behind McDonald's and crossed the soccer field."
"She got that eyesight back when she saw Emmy's outfit." Ross looked over at the bathroom door, which had just opened to reveal Bree, now clad in a red tank-top, jeans, and sneakers, her brown hair long and loose. "Hey, Bree, I'll walk with you to the bank. I left my car there anyways."
Bree gave him a sour look. "Isn't your girlfriend picking you up?" she asked, her words digging into the air like nails. Alex winced, one of only two others there who knew how significant the comment was.
Ross nervously tugged at his hair, then at his sleeve. "Um, she's at the lake house this weekend. It was a sudden decision."
Probably made when she heard I was back, Alex thought. That was just as well though. She didn't want to see Hillary at all. The things that had occurred between them in school were still alive and kicking inside her and she was sure the same could be said for Hillary.
"How nice," Bree sneered. Alex knew she was thinking the same thing.
"Yeah," Ross drew out slowly. Then, in an attempt to end the tension that now filled the diner, he reached down and grabbed the bank bag from Bree. "Come on. The bank closes in ten minutes." He started for the door, but paused for a moment upon reaching Alex. "Call me if you need any help," he said as he hugged her. Then he gave her a light kiss on the cheek. "See you, Beauty."
Alex started to giggle, but a quick glance at the Doctor silenced her. He looked positively furious and possessive. Why that was, she didn't know, but she'd be lying if she said that she didn't feel a little thrill run through her at the possibility of him being jealous of Ross. She felt his arm snake around her waist and pull her over to his side. Alex's tense muscles relaxed at his touch and she let out a slight giggle. She loved being close to him. It was as though she didn't feel complete without him.
Meanwhile, Lacey was watching her best friend carefully. She had been silent during all of the brainstorming, instead electing to do some silent observing of her best friend. Ever since she had first gotten here, Alex had been acting differently. It wasn't a bad different - if anything, it was for the better - but it was still different, almost strange, and Lacey had determined that it all had to do with the mysterious Dr. John Smith, aka the Doctor.
Lacey's eyebrows shot up as she saw the look of pure jealousy cross the Doctor's face when Ross kissed Alex and called her Beauty. She'd never seen Alex's past boyfriends act that way. Ross was Ross. Everyone in town knew she wasn't interested in him and vice-versa. But apparently, the Doctor hadn't gotten the memo. She watched as he pulled Alex closer to him, to the point where their hips were touching.
This was also surprising. Alex had never been the touchy-feely type. Sure, she showed affection through hugs and kissing, but Lacey had seen that she didn't like being attached to a guy's hip in high school. Back then, she had always pulled herself away, keeping herself a slight distance away, silently conveying that while she cared for the person, she didn't like them touching her. But now, Alex seemed perfectly content with the Doctor possessively keeping her close to him. Actually, now that she looked at it, it looked like she fit into his side perfectly, like he had been made for her specifically.
Lacey was deeply curious about this Doctor. She wasn't sure if he and Alex were involved or not. Surely Alex would have told her this juicy tidbit if it were true. But they hadn't been acting like a regular couple, not the kissing part at least. The flirting? That was spot on. And the Doctor was always finding excuses to touch her, or almost touch her. And Alex seemed to relish these moments. Plus, she giggled now, almost constantly, and it was only whenever he did something that attracted her attention.
Lacey looked the Doctor up and down. She had to admit, he was very attractive, despite the weird college professor style attire - really, a bow-tie? He also complimented Alex personality wise. Both were extremely intelligent, always a must with Alex. But whereas the Alex she was familiar with had a thin sense of humor and was constantly serious and prideful, around the Doctor, she was more playful and behaved less like a schoolmarm and more like a regular young adult whose life hadn't been screwed up.
She had attempted to glean information about them from Amy and Rory, but they both adamantly denied knowing anything about the two's relationship, except for what they had seen firsthand, which was really just a lot of flirting and being protective and possessive of one another. But Lacey was curious about this Doctor and her friend. And when Lacey Rose Abernathy became curious about something, she investigated. And when it involved her best friend, she usually roped her family into helping her.
Lacey yawned and got up from the booth. As she stretched, she casually said, "Hey, Alex? Better get going if we want to get to Auntie's in time for dinner. You know how mental she is about keeping on time." She looked over at the Doctor, then Amy and Rory. "Y'all should come along. Auntie's cook always makes enough to feed an army."
Alex's eyebrows shot up and she silently tried to convey to Lacey that that was a bad idea. Amy and Rory wouldn't be bad, but the Doctor? Marigold would detect that something was different about him ten seconds after he walked through the front door! "Um, are you sure about that, Lace? I highly doubt Marigold would be prepared for a bunch of surprise guests. . ."
"Oh, she'll be fine!" Lacey dismissed.
"Maybe so, but, um. . ." Alex trailed off, unable to think of a convincing argument.
The Doctor also didn't seem too enthused on the idea. "Um . . . I'm not really the domestic type—"
"I'm not taking no for an answer!" Lacey interjected. She swiftly pulled Amy and Rory out of their booth and grabbed Alex and the Doctor by the hand. "Come on! Dinner awaits!"
A/N: Ooh . . . a dinner with Marigold. Wonder how that's gonna go. :) And some of you have commented on how Ross's name is similar to another Tyler in the Whoniverse. . . I'll admit that when I first started writing this, Ross's name was just a coincidence, but now, who knows? :)
Some notes on reviews. . .
rycbar15 - I'm glad you like the original characters! Lol, Ross is a sweetheart, isn't he? I'm partial to Lacey and Emmy, but Ross has my heart too. :) Jack is very interesting and I think you'll like the circumstance we see him in. :)
thejumpingbean14 - Happy birthday! Wow, your birthday is only two days away from mine! :) And I'm SO glad you like the original episode! I was so nervous about it, wondering if it would be well received, but so far, so good. And I'm glad you like the updating daily idea. I got the idea from LizzeXX's stories, the way she updates everyday, and how I like that idea a lot and wish others would do it. And thanks for the compliment on my writing! It means a lot. :D
TheGirlWhoWaited - Oh God, can you imagine how the Doctor would react, given all the things we've learned about Carla so far? I think someone would probably end up very badly beaten in such a situation. Can't say it won't ever happen though! :)
SopherGopherroxursox - Yeah, wonder if he's related to a certain blonde in a parallel universe? :)
Gwilwillith - Thank you! :)
ElysiumPhoenix - Glad you like all the reactions! Alex is a little firecracker where her grandmother is concerned, isn't she? There's plenty of reasons for that, reasons we'll get to eventually. . . :)
TheUltimateGuest - I can't wait until we get to Jack too! He's a little far off, near the end of this story, but I think you'll like it. :)
weirdiswonderfullneverforget - Well, I don't want anyone to lose their sanity, so here's the new chapter! And I'm so glad you like the story! :)
SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister - Yes, is Ross related to Rose?! I cannot say! And I'm SO glad you love the story! Not quite a never-ending book, but don't worry; we've still got a LONG way to go on this story! :D
jesterlover - Thank you! So glad you're enjoying the characters! I haven't read stories like that, but it's reassuring to know this isn't one of them. :)
